Craigslist in Pictures

I love a good bargain and, in our area, the first and foremost place for such deals is the venerable Craigslist. Where else can one swap things, search for a job, find an apartment, potentially meet their future spouse, and sell their old baby toys, all in one URL? Also, did I mention I sometimes go on to read all the missed connections? Some are really sweet messages of yearning and some are just plain creepy, but it's fun to casually browse...just don't get sucked into reading them all.

Lately I've been on Craigslist because I've been searching for the perfect desk/play table for M and, though I keep searching with the mentality of, "I'll know it when I see it...", I quickly became frustrated at having to click on every post just to see the posted picture. Well, it looks like I found a site that only shows me the pictures within the category I'm looking at. It's called Listpic, and it's been a simple solution to filter out only the posts that have pictures.

I admit it's not a very robust search tool, but it does the job for a quick browse in the morning. A picture is indeed worth a thousand words.

-Thuy

Beyond Bulk Buying

I just came back from traveling with the family down to Southern California to visit friends and relatives and though we prefer “staycations,” it was a good way to test the waters before planning longer, more adventurous trips with an active toddler.

I’m a horrible procrastinator and despite knowing of the trip months in advance, I still planned it last minute and thought surely I’d probably have to pay through the nose for it. Not true. The Deal Gods must be looking down on me...I got amazing deals on Southwest airfare despite buying my tickets only a week in advance (HINT: always check airfare first; don’t assume it’s cost prohibitive) and even more drool worthy car rental deal of $14 per day for a mid-size from Costco. Yep, I said, Costco. Seriously, it cost more for us to park the car at the hotel than to drive it around.

Even as a single person, I shopped at Costco and some of my friends would laugh because it seemed excessive but it’s been so ingrained in me to try to get the best value out of anything. So aside from buying paper towels, wipes, and roasted chicken, and now, booking some of my travel plans from the website, I have also added hardware to my list. During my kitchen remodel, I bought a name brand garbage disposal, German engineered kitchen faucet, and other hardware accessories at extremely reasonable prices. Now, in the midst of our bathroom remodel, I turn to Costco once again for my bathroom vanity which was delivered this morning.

I get overwhelmed by too many options and after going to three showrooms, I just needed my choices narrowed down for me. Plus, if I don't like what I order from Costco.com, they have an amazing return policy. Not that I would ever do this, but I saw a person return a BBQ, 3 years after they’ve bought it. Costco still took it back. Got to love a company with that generous of a policy.

Before making any new purchases, I am now in the habit of looking at what’s available at Costco.com first. Just last week, I saw Phil and Ted Vibe Stroller with Doubles Kit for around $500. Their selection changes daily so it's been fun just checking to see what they have online. Here are some things for the kids that you might have never thought to look at Costco for, including the Boon bath set. For $44 you get the frog, the flo, and bath toys, and shipping and handling is included. It is indeed a boon to find such a deal!


Check out some other items that you might have never thought you'd find at Costco.com:

Play kitchens:

Nursery furniture:

Announcements, invitations and thank you cards:



Family ticket pack for Legoland, Santa Cruz Boardwalk, and Disneyland:

Browse around because it's always fun to just look.

-Thuy

Fashionably Independent

Earlier this month I attended the Capsule Design festival here in San Francisco. It’s an annual event with lots of talented independent designers. I’m a big advocate and supporter of local talent. The economy has been especially hard on them and it always feels good to throw some love their way.

One of the first designers I came across was Wendy from Who Made it. Wendy and her sister Andrea have created the most eye catching jewelry stands. They mix and match new and used antique plates from around the country to make very eye catching, one of a kind stands. They are simply gorgeous!

In addition to these jewelry stands, the designer, Wendy, and her sister, Andrea, also make some great jewelry.

Lala Lu’s adorable shirts were very popular at the festival and it’s easy to see why.

All of the shirts are organic and I love that the alphabet represents some of the culturally rich food that is so abundant here in the Bay. Besides Emi is guaranteed to wear anything with food on it.

Just for our readers, Lala Lu has agreed to a special price of $18 for their tee-shirts! They have also graciously offered free shipping when ordering 3 or more shirts. Please enter the code iLOVElalalu at checkout or you can email them and say that you you read about Lala Lu on our site.

Happy Summer Friends!

-Kacey

P.S: Tomorrow I am officially on summer vacation. Yipee!

United We Stand, Divided We Fall

I have a confession to make. If you promise not to tell anyone, I’ll share it with you. There has been a rift in the Three; a difference of opinion among the Three Bay B Chicks that we may not be able to recover from. As much as I would like to believe that our friendship is strong and can withstand any challenge that comes our way, this topic may very well be our Achilles heel.

In light of our inability to reach an agreement, I submit my argument to the blogosphere today and allow our readers to decide.

Background:
I feel that my long-time friend, Kacey, has gone astray. Back in March, she wrote this statement on our blog, “I’m a loyal fan of Barefoot Contessa and have been known to try a recipe from Giada." Yes, friends, it is true. My dear, dear friend Kacey has turned to the darkside and used recipes from Giada de Laurentiis as a guide for Italian cooking. My heart breaks each time I am faced with this reality.

Like any compelling argument, I must outline the reasons for my belief that we should turn away from Giada's teachings. I have gathered the following facts and photographic evidence to aid our audience in reaching a conclusion.

Evidence:

1) Most of the food that Giada makes is not Italian. I queried the top 94 recipes from Giada available on foodnetwork.com. Here are the first five recipes that came up: Couscous Cakes, Beer-Battered Apple and Onion Rings, Corn and Black Bean Salad with Basil-Lime Vinaigrette, Hibiscus Tea with Vodka and Citrus, and Nonna Luna’s Rice. My fellow bloggers, just because something has basil in it, does not mean that it is Italian. Case in point: Thai food uses basil too.

2) When you Google Giada’s name, you will find an equal number of sites dedicated to Giada’s food as to her cleavage. In other words, enough people in the world have queried the words breasts and cleavage as they relate to Giada that both terms come up in the drop-down menu on Google. This begs the question, “why the low cut shirts?” Perhaps the viewing public should be focusing on Giada's knife skills, rather than her… other assets.

3) I recently sought out advice for this situation from my perpetually level-headed friend, Thuy. She listened, as a good friend does, and made no judgments. However, I would like to point out that after our conversation, Thuy sent me the below photos, which were accompanied by the quote, “In her crusade to show the world how much enjoyment can be derived from Italian cooking, De Laurentiis goes through a lot of tomatoes.”

Rather than belabor my argument, I think it is best to end my post on a high note. If you are in the market for a resource that teaches you about actual Italian food and cooking techniques, I would highly recommend the following: Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking, Cooking By Hand, Trattoria Cooking, and The Silver Spoon.

After all, don’t you think that an Italian cooking icon should look more like this:

Rather than like this:

I leave this critical decision in your hands.

-Francesca

Public Service Announcement

It's been awhile since I've posted deals, but it's Friday and what better way to end the week than to save you all a few pretty pennies. Here are a smattering of deals that I found this week:

1. Pampers on Amazon:
Save up to 30% on select Pampers and Luvs diapers sold by Amazon.com. Save 15% when you enter code PMPRSJN9 at checkout. Plus, save an additional 15% when you combine the instant rebate with your Subscribe & Save order--bringing your total savings to 30%. Subscribe & Save is only offered on select Pampers and Luvs products. Offer valid through May 31, 2009. (You don't have to commit to Subscribe and Save; simply cancel after your order ships).

2. Quinny Buzz & Zapp Strollers, and Maxi Cosi Car Seats:
Save 50% on the 2008 Quinny Buzz and Zapp strollers, as well as the Maxi Cosi Car Seats. We bought our Quinny Buzz from AlbeeBaby and are really happy with it. Even happier that we got it 50% off!

3. The Gap:
Save 25% off a purchase of $100 or more via coupon code "SUMMER".. Shipping is a flat-rate $7, or spend over $150 for free shipping. Sales tax is added where applicable. Coupon expires May 25.

4. JCREW:
Save 20% off $175 or more through Memorial Day via coupon code "SUMMER."

5. FREE Coldplay Album:
"LeftRightLeftRightLeft," the free live album that Coldplay is giving away on CD to every fan who attends this summer's "Viva La Vida" tour, is now available as a free download from the band's website. Simply enter your e-mail to download the free album.

I bet you're digging how I can include Coldplay and diapers in one posting, huh?! :) Enjoy!!

-Thuy

Green Guilt

Since Earth Day last week I’ve been feeling lots of “green guilt” towards my reckless consumption. I've decided to join forces with Thuy and take some small steps towards becoming more earth/green conscious. Here are my top five items I’ve recently purchased and am proud to say are officially GREEN!

1. Better World Books: I recently posted about my favorite spring books. If you wanted to purchase any of these books, but haven’t, please use this site. Better World Books not only has an amazing amount of books, but it also ships FREE in the US and costs only $3.97 to ship anywhere in the world. In addition, the company supports book drives and collects textbooks from universities and colleges. They convert these donated books into funds, which they use for literacy and education programs.

2. Ecojot: This paper company has some of the cutest journals around. All of their products are made from 100% post consumer recycled paper, their inks and glues are vegetable based, and the paper is chlorine free. Check out their darling sketchbooks for kids.


3. Grip Color EcoPencils: Not only are these easy on the eyes, but these pencils are also triangular, which means they won’t roll off your table. They’re non-toxic and made from reforested sources in Brazil. Plus, they have polka-dots! Hello? Need I say more?

4. Reuseable Snack Bags: Confession: I use a lot of Ziploc bags! I am sure that my consumption doubled after Emi’s arrival too. I’ve started the process of purchasing reuseable snack bags for my lunch. They can be a bit pricey for one bag, but it seems like a good investment, especially since I take my lunch to school and use about 5 ziploc bags a day! Yikes! Click on the different bags to be directed to the seller's sites.

Also, be sure to check back with us on Friday for Thuy's post about these lovely Evelynfield's bags. She'll be hosting a giveaway.

5. I’m Not a Paper Cup…cup: I converted my water bottle to a stainless steel bottle about a year ago. Yet, when it comes to my daily cup(s) of coffee, I’m guilty of using many paper cups. This cup solves my paper cup problems. I especially like the fact that it’s microwaveable, since most days I don’t finish my coffee until after I reach the classroom. (Maybe that’s why I’m so irritatable?)


Here's to taking the first of many small green steps!

Remember to visit us Friday for your chance to enter Thuy's giveaway.

-Kacey

La Vie En Carnation

I love fresh flowers at home, though I am also always tortured by the impracticality of it all. I can't help but want to smell the roses every morning. Lately, like most everyone, we've been more conscious about what we spend our money on. Flowers every month from the farmer's market was the first on the list to go. It was an easy decision, but not a pretty one.

However, I had to share my pictures of the carnations that I received in a mixed bouquet from our family friend. I just took this picture this morning, three weeks after receiving these flowers! Most mixed bouquets have to be thrown out after only a few days, but these carnations have remarkably sustained their "beauty." I was one of those haters and considered carnations cheesy and cheap. But now, I have a new found respect for them. Cheap, pretty, and incredibly robust. Just like me in this economy. ;)

So, if you have a few dollars in your pocket, buy yourself a bunch of carnations to cheer up your home. Trick is, buy all one color. It makes a huge difference.

-Thuy

What's the Dealio?

I fell off the wagon today. For the past couple of months, I've been very good about refraining from shopping. Our current economic crisis means shoring up the emergency fund and exercising major restraint even when the sales are so tempting. Well, this week, I caved. I caved BIG.

I really do have an excuse, though. I am starting a new job next Monday and, this week, I felt like I needed to do some back to school shopping. Perfectly justifiably, right? (Like Kacey, I can justify any purchase.) The good news is that I rarely buy anything unless it's on sale. Somhow, the price of an item can dictate how cute it is. You know, a cute top suddenly becomes a whole lot cuter with an additional 30% off.

Alas, here are some places that have excellent sales going on. Go ahead and shop; you never have to justify your purchases to me.

1. Gap, Banana Republic, and Old Navy: 30% off through Sunday.


2. JCrew.com: 20% off everything through today, Friday, March 13th. Promotion code: Secret.

3. Crazy 8: 20% off everything + free shipping through March 22, 2009. Promotion Code: SAVE20.

4. Tea Collection
Tea Collection Sample Sale: March 21, 2009 from 9am - 1pm.
1 Arkansas Street (@ 16th), Suite B, San Francisco, CA
COST: $10 admission fee to be donated to The Global Fund for Children! Bring your own bag and get $5 off.

We love Tea Collection clothes and if you do too, you could win a $200 gift certificate to use at teacollection.com by submitting your kiddies' pictures by the last day of each month on Facebook. Winners are chosen monthly.

With so many sales, how could I possibly cover them all? I can't. Instead, I check out Bradsdeals, a great site that I found recently that does a wonderful job of listing all the sales. I love that he has the printable Michaels 40% off coupon or Joanne's coupon on his site. No need to dig through the newspapers when you can print directly from this website. So useful for when you are suddenly feeling crafty!

If you have any deals to share, please do!! I love to hear about other sales out there.

Happy Savings, everyone!

-Thuy

Oops! I Forgot the Link

Many of you are have voiced interest in purchasing the iBend, but I completely forgot to give you the link. You cannot buy it at an Apple store, only online. Get yours here by clicking on the picture.

Enjoy!

-Kacey

iBend Diet

It’s been said that purpose is the natural expression of who you are, utilizing all your gifts and talents. If this is true, then Emi’s purpose in life is to become a competitive eater. She has a natural talent of shoving food into her face, one urgent fist full immediately after the other, like a neurotic chipmunk on cocaine. Usually, as relatively responsible parents, we try to limit her attempts to inhale her meals. But sometimes you just have to sit back and watch the majesty of it all. It’s what I imagine it would be like to go back in time and watch Jordan play basketball as a child.



Being half Japanese, she does have roll models that she can aspire to:

When we bring Emi to restaurants and allow her to eat what a normal child would eat in an abnormal amount of time, the only way we can discontinue her ingestion and avoid a meltdown is to distract her with her favorite show – The Backyardigans.

We download episodes onto my iPhone (reason #305 that I love this phone) and play them while we eat our meal. This tactic has worked beautifully. The only problem was that Emi kept waving my phone around and I was afraid it might break. I tried propping the phone up against a glass, but it would not stay in place. Agh!

Enter the iBend, my good friend Dara’s husband’s genius invention.


It allows my iPhone to be propped up so that Emi can watch her show and I can eat in peace.

I love the fact that it’s slim enough to fit in my wallet, comes with two in a pack, is childproof, and cost less than $5 bucks. In addition, I use it at home to prop up my phone with the nightstand application. In all seriousness, this little gadget has changed our life, and fingers crossed, will also have an impact on Emi's waistline.

-Kacey

Choices...Choices

Getting dressed in the morning is one of my biggest obstacles - still half asleep, trying to blend my clothes in a fresh, new way. Today was no different, except for the fact that I found $30 in my jacket pocket. While we all know I should use my $30 on more diapers, I instead thought of all the fun things I could potentially splurge on.

Item #1: This snap tee is genius when your child begins picking out their own clothes. Plus, at $28, it's a great deal because you are really getting 4 shirts in 1! If you have time, browse the Mahar Drygoods site. There are a LOT of cute things floating around.

A closer look at some of your design choices.


Item #2: Two items from one of my favorite toy companies, EEBOO. The first is a candy matching game for $14.95. I love colors, and, for those of you who know me, know that I also LOVE all things sweet, particularly candy. Perfect!

EEBOO also has darling growth charts for $16.95. I like this one for its girly, whimsical vibe.


Item #3: Two words: Petit Collage. I know I've posted about this company before, but now the artist, Lorena Siminovich, sells prints that are within my budget. Hooray!

Item #4: Emi has a couple of these plushies, but this set is adorable. It's being sold at giggle for $30, both on-line and in their stores. They are made out of 100% organic cotton and are wonderful for teething babies.

Item #5: A manicure is a major splurge for me. Since Emi's arrival, it has been hard to sneak away unless a babysitter (like my parents or sister) are called in advance. Recently, however, my friend introduced me to Mani+Nanny.

At this spot in San Francisco, you can get a manicure while someone watches your little one. Genius! If you are worried about leaving your child in someone else's care, Mani+Nanny has a flat screen monitor that allows you to watch what your child is doing. It's a bit pricey, $20 for a manicure, plus $10 for the nanny, but saves you from having to coordinate with a babysitter.

Item #6: Last, but not least, I had to add these because I'm still not sure what to think of them. Yes, they are cute, but at $35, ouch! I guess it's all in the name of fashion. Heelarious? I'll let you decide.

At the end of the day, I decided to keep my $30. Instead of splurging on one of these items, I added it to Emi's college savings account, also known as her "therapy fund" in our house.

-Kacey