Saturday, January 10, 2015

I Stitch Fix, Do You?

Stitch Fix seems to be everywhere these days.  I've actually been getting "fixes" since Spring 2014 and my 10th fix just arrived this weekend. It's been a great experience for me and I plan on continuing to get boxes in the future.

If you haven’t heard of Stitch Fix, here’s what you need to know:
Stitch Fix is basically a monthly (or however often you decide to schedule it- bi-monthly, every 2-3 weeks, or whenever you want one to show up on your doorstep) online personal styling service for women! It costs $20 – that’s your styling fee, which can be used as a credit towards your final order. While there’s no obligation to keep anything in your box, you’re basically out 20 bucks if you don’t. If you do decide to keep something, you get to subtract $20 from your total at checkout. If you decide to keep ALL FIVE items in your fix, you get a 25% off discount!

When you sign up, you fill out a “style profile” with your likes, dislikes, sizes, what you’re willing to try, what you’re willing to spend, etc. Once you’ve scheduled your first fix, one of Stitch Fix’s personal stylists will hand-select five items (clothing and accessories) based on your preferences, and send them your way in a neatly wrapped package.

Once it arrives on your doorstep, you have THREE DAYS (or more, sometimes) to try everything on, style it up with stuff you already own (they even send you style cards with ideas), and decide what you want to keep. Anything you don’t want can simply be put in the provided prepaid envelope and dropped off at any USPS mailbox. (I usually put it in my own mailbox at the curb- super easy!)

Checkout is done online and SO easy (I couldn’t believe how easy it was)!! You simply login and let them know which items you kept, which ones you didn’t, and why (size, style, fit, price point, fabric, color, etc.) Click to pay, and then done!! See? Easy!! :)

For me, getting stitch fix boxes has multiple benefits:  1.) I'm a full time  kindergarten teacher working mom to twin 4 year olds.  I spend about 65 hours a week on my job and I sleep less than 6 hours a night.  There is no extra time in my schedule for perusing racks of clothes looking for just the right addition to my wardrobe.  2.) Getting stuff chosen by a stylist leads me to get items that I wouldn't usually pick out in a store to try on.  The boxes push me outside of my typical style, and that's good.  3.)  Having the box delivered to my door means I can try on the pieces with stuff I already own, when I feel like it, and I have 3 days to finally decide what is staying and what is going back.  I love the idea of Stitch Fix, even if I don't always love everything that comes in the box.  (Although that's not such a bad thing either- keeping all 5 things every time would be a lot of $ for me to spend on clothes!)

For most fixes, I ask for no jewelry or purses because of personal taste.  I asked for no outwear this time after getting coats in my last two boxes.  Although I didn't get any in this fix, you can get scarves, dresses, skirts, shorts and pants too.  I typically keep 1-2 items in a box.  I have never liked all 5 items enough to keep everything, but I'm okay with that!

So this is what I got in my 10th box:

Collective Concepts Kellis Dot Print Blouse


My least favorite this time.  It was too short and the straps on the top were really narrow so you can see the straps of the black tank I was wearing underneath.  The flap of fabric on the front was weird and added too much bulk.  I liked the print though.


Daniel Rainn Eliza Lace Trim Blouse



This is a close up of the lace.  This was a little underwhelming for me.  I probably would wear it under a cardigan most of the time so the lace would be hidden.  Then it's just a basic black tank and way too much money for that.


Staccato Stellan Draped Cardigan


This is right up my alley and exactly the kind of thing I wear all the time teaching.  The arms felt a little tight though. 


Daniel Rainn Minal Heart Print Henley Blouse


 I added the scarf to tone down the hearts.  This is outside of what I would normally wear.  Maybe a little too cutesy for me, but the brighter color is fun amid all the dull colors people gravitate towards wearing in winter.  I love the fit of it, just not sure about the pattern.  Would you wear a heart shirt at age 35?  Considering keeping, but on the fence one this.  Not sure how much I'd wear it.


Le Lis Ally V-Neck Knit Top


The pocket of this was in a weird spot because of the stitching between the solid and stripe parts.  Also, this top was higher in the front than in the back, and therefore too short in the front.  I am wearing a black tank under it in this photo since it felt too darn short.  Not a fan.


So I'm probably keeping the cardigan and maybe the heart top.  Still consider it as a successful fix if there's something I want to keep that I can apply the $20 styling fee towards.  In past fixes I've kept scarves, blouses, cardigans, and pants.  The top in the photo below has been my favorite stitch fix keeper so far, and I got it in my first box!  I wear this top almost weekly- to the doctor, to work, to church, to my nephew's birthday party, and just around the house because it's that comfy.  (The skinny jeans in the photo are also a past stitch fix item I kept as well.)



Interested in checking out Stitch Fix? You can sign up here, and see all the magic of Stitch Fix for yourself!!! If you’ve already tried it, I’d love to hear all about your experience and what great things you got! :)

{ This is NOT a sponsored post. I signed up for Stitch Fix purely out of my own interest and paid for everything with my own money. This post does contain a referral link, so if you decide to sign up and try Stitch Fix, I get a credit towards my next fix, but that is it! }


Wednesday, January 7, 2015

Survey Questions at 4 Years Old

I asked Sam and Anna these 21 questions at 2 and a half years old and 3 years old.  I also asked the same questions around their 4th birthday last March.  My plan is to ask the same questions every birthday from now on and see how the answers change.  Answers in black were what was said at 2 1/2, answers in blue are what Sam and Anna told me when I asked them the same questions on their 3rd birthday.  The red anwers are what was said at 4 years old:
 
Key:  2 1/2 Years old: Black  3 years old: Blue  4 years old: Red
  1. What is your name? Sam [last name] Sam Jacob (last name), Sam, Big Girl Anna [last name] Annabel (last name), An...Elsa.
  2. How old are you? Sam- two, three, four Anna- I two, three, four.
  3. What is your favorite color? Sam- red, orange, green and blue Anna-red (keep in mind I did not ask both of them at the same time), purple, pink purple and green
  4. What is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast? Sam- bacon, oranges, waffles Anna-fruit, dinosaurs (we sometimes use a dinosaur cookie cutter when we have french toast), waffles and cereal
  5. What is your favorite thing to eat for lunch? Sam- bacon, grilled cheese, basanga (lasagna) Anna- mac and cheese, mac and cheese, apples
  6. What is your favorite thing to eat for dinner? Sam- bacon (notice a trend?), noodles, pizza Anna- no response, spaghetti, noodles
  7. What is your favorite snack to eat? Sam- apricot (fruit strips from Target), gummy bears, cookies Anna- apricot (same thing), grapes, (yogurt) covered raisins
  8. What is your favorite fruit? Sam- watermelon, oranges, oranges and apples Anna- apricot, peaches, apples
  9. What is your favorite vegetable? Sam- corn, carrots, carrots, corn and broccoli Anna- french toast (?), corn, broccoli
  10. What is your favorite thing to drink? Sam- water, milk and water, milk Anna- water, milk, milk
  11. What is your favorite animal? Sam- elephant, lion, giraffe Anna- lion, polar bear just like you (mama), fish
  12. What is your favorite toy to play with? Sam- elephant, lion stuffed animal, magnatiles and legos Anna- mama (she likes to pretend everything is a mama, including pinecones, pieces of food, etc.), trains, cape
  13. What is your favorite book to read? Sam- duck book (Little Quack), lots of animal books, princess books Anna- Monkeys Jumping Bed, Curious George (and Friends), Frozen books
  14. Where do you like to go? Sam- Grandma's, library, Noodles Anna- Grandma's, Grandma and Grandpa's, Noodles
  15. What is your favorite song? Sam- Grandma (? Maybe he meant singer?), animal song (I made up an animal alphabet song), ABC song Anna- Jesus Loves Me, alphabet, Let it Go
  16. Who is your best friend? Sam- Anna, Anna, Anna, Anna- Sam (everyone awww all together now), Sam, You! (pointing to Mama)
  17. What is your favorite thing to watch on tv? Sam- watch Thomas on tv, Animals Help Rocket (Little Einsteins episode), Little Einsteins and The Jungle Book Anna- Thomas, Bambi, Frozen
  18. What do you want to be when you grow up? Sam- in the dirt, Daddy, a daddy Anna- no response, Grandma, Elsa (noticing a theme...?)
  19. What is your favorite thing to do outside? Sam- play basketball (we don't have a basketball or a hoop), build a snowman, shoot the rocket launcher Anna- play in the sandbox, go to the playground, playing in the sand
  20. What is your favorite thing to wear? Sam- diaper (on the second day of potty training, hahaha!), animal shirt, new socks and my zebra shirt Anna- shirt, dancing shoes (dressy shoes she calls her "dancing shoes"), Elsa (dress up) clothes
  21. Who is your favorite person? Sam- me, you (pointing to Mama), my Daddy Anna- ... (then Sam interrupts: "Sam is!"), Mommy... and Daddy!, Elsa

Friday, January 2, 2015

Still alive...

After more than a 1 year hiatus, and really thinking this place of mine was firmly and completely finished... here I am.  After rereading old posts over Christmas break, I was so thankful to have such a complete and candid account of the early beginnings of our journey to become parents and as parents- it seemed a horrible loss to have nothing from the past year, except photos and the memories in our heads.  My posts won't be the same- they definitely will not be as candid, nor am I even sure that there's anyone left that may possibly read anything I type... but I am going to try to dust this little corner off and see if I can regain some momentum.  Encouragement appreciated. :) 

Since I have no posts from 2013, this post will try to remedy that with some memorable quotes and events from last year that I think bear remembering.  We made a memory jar last January and added little slips of paper of things that happened when the mood struck us.  We forgot to open it on New Years Eve (lame since we spent the past 12 months adding to it!) but reread every slip today.  Here are some tidbits worth forever being recorded in print:
  • Watching Snow White the movie for the first time and discussing what "beautiful" really means- inside and out.  January 1st
  • Mama: "Your body is fighting the germs.  Say Hoo-rah!"  Sam: "You-rah!"  Mama:"HOO-rah!"  Sam: "YOU-rah!" January 2nd
  • Exploding hot water outside when it was really cold.  January 5th
  • At the beginning of nap- Sam, yelling from his bed: "Mama, do elephants swim?!?"  Mama: "Yes they do."  Sam:  I love you more than elephants, mama." (his favorite animal)  Mama: I love you more than elephants, too." January 6th
  • Anna sticking up for her brother (1st day at their new daycare): "Be nice to my brother.  I love him." January 8th 
  • Anna: "I eat noodles- I'm a Noodle-vore!"  January 14th
  • Sam pulling Anna in the sled down the path on the hill: luge style January 18th 
  • First water park experience.  January 26th
  • Surprise lunch visit from Jake on the 5th Cold Day/No School.  January 28th
  • Reading Mercy Watson Chapter books at bedtime (they love them!) January
  • Beautiful winter sunsets over the pond in our backyard.  January
  • First Winter Carnival for Sam and Anna: ice chair, sculptures, drinking hot chocolate and chasing pigeons. February 1st
  • Sam: "Let's eat at Wildebeest (Buffalo Wild Wings)." February 2nd
  • Friday night when asked what he wanted to do this weekend, Sam said: "Eat pie!"  So Daddy made peach and strawberry pie the next day- yum!  February 8th
  • Valentine's Day pigtail heart hair- Anna was so proud at school! February 14th
  • Sam and Anna's first snowshoeing expedition. February 16th
  • Singing Frozen songs together; Sam: "Mama, you have the most beautiful voice in the world."  February 17th
  • Snow Day/Winter Weather No School Day # 6 for the year!  February 21st
  • Sam and Anna wearing Daddy's belts to "go to work"- Sam: "we are going to have a meeting about eating pie."  February 26th
  • Royal 4th birthday party for princes and princesses. March 1st
  • Sam writing numbers to 100 with only a little help (3 years old).  March 2nd
  • When going for a scooter walk, Anna fell- Sam got off his scooter and walked all the way back to give her a big hug, unprompted.  Then she stopped crying.  March 12th
  • Setting leprechaun traps and "pretending to be asleep" (being very quiet at bedtime) so the leprechaun would come. March 16th
  • Sounding out words with Sam (just turned 4 years old).  March 18th
  • Spontaneous hand holding on the way to daycare, the whole way.  March 21st
  • First swimming lessons by themselves (without Mom or Dad) March 23rd
  • Sam's first time ice fishing. March 24th
  • Anna's purple dress up cape (she wore as Elsa) she wore all the time. April
  • Sam's animal drawing collection. April
  • Saturday at the Farm- baby animals and collecting sap for maple syrup.  April 18th
  • Sam's first bug catching jar. April 20th
  • Watching herons, ducks and geese in our pond. April 27th
  • Mama: "You will have to be good listeners and good direction followers."  Sam: "I can't handle both."  May 3rd
  • Sam with a silly Mohawk after bath:  "Look!  There's a rooster behind me!  Nope.  It's just my hair!"  May 7th
  • Mother's Day- Caribou coffee, breakfast and roses in bed.  Sam: "I picked all the dandelions in the yard because I love you so much!" May 11th
  • Sam and Anna dancing and singing with an umbrella inside in the entry.  May 12th
  •  "I love you more than..." "...all the planets!" (Sam)  "...all the people in the word!" (Sam)  "...Anna loves Elsa!" (Anna)  May 13th
  • Rooftop dinner date by the river- perfect weather, perfect date night.  May 24th
  • Garter snakes and painted turtle in our yard. May 25th
  • Baby robins in our willow tree.  June
  • Big kid bike excitement: "This is the best day ever!"  June 13th
  • In the car, discussing how many twinkles in our eyes- Sam: "I think I have 3." Anna:"I think I have 4." June 24th
  • Anna- praying to God loudly, looking up into the sky: "God, please don't let it rain today so we can go in our pool.  Only during nap, okay?"  June 25th
  • Sam: "Mommy, you are the best mommy on the earth ever." after having a festive red, white and blue drink on July 4th
  • Anna and Daddy weekend fishing up north, Sam and Mama weekend going to the zoo and other fun things. July 13th
  • Meeting Ollie, our neighbor's golden retriever puppy. August 
  • Accidentally getting into the special exhibit Ultimate Dinosaurs at the Science Museum- Oops!  August 5th
  • Photo booth family fun at a wedding. August 9th
  • Sam climbed a tree for the first time (willow tree in our yard) August 13th 
  • First time at the Renaissance Festival. Anna: "This was the best day EVER!" September 21st
  • Anna:  "It's all in the past."  October
  • Sam and Daddy grouse hunting weekend up north, Anna and Mama weekend shopping.  October
  • Anna: "It's hilarious!"  October 
  • Sam and Anna's first time ice skating. November 2nd
  • Family Harlem Shake in the bathroom.  November 12th
  • Anna: "We are learning sike words (at school)."  Mama: "I'm glad you are learning sight words, Anna."  Anna:  "I'm glad you are... NOT EATING PEOPLE!"  Silly girl.  November
  • Anna's super neat coloring inside the lines and leaving no white spaces. November
  • Flocks of swans flying over our house. December
  • Anna's preschool boyfriend, Matthew:  "I'm going to marry him."  Giving me a plastic blue star ring- "This is the ring I want him to give me when we get married, okay?"  December
  • Anna thought her Wild Kratts Creature Power Suit would really give her creature powers.  December 26th
And two scary BAD parts of our year, that really, are blessings because they could have turned out so very, very differently. So yes, I want to remember these too:
  • The large 5 drawer dresser falling on top of Sam and he only had minor scratches and bruises.  No urgent care trip even needed. (one of only two large pieces of furniture in our home that wasn't attached to the wall at the time.  Both now are firmly strapped to the wall) June
  • A shooting in the parking lot of our very good daycare in a very nice area.  Short version:  a man randomly chose the parking lot for a drug deal transaction. The police were called to investigate and when questioned, he ran, then pulled a gun on the police.  The police officers shot him.  The children at the daycare were on lockdown at the time, and evacuated when it was under control.  The kids aren't aware that anything happened.  Scariest afternoon of my life because I did not know that anything had happened until I was heading to pick them up, saw news helicopters in the air and the road was blocked off.  But so very very thankful that, in the end my children were safe and that it was a random thing and will never, ever happen again.
But I don't want to end on that note!  In 2013 we really made our house our home.   We painted every wall.  Made friends with our neighbors.  Settled into our jobs.  Watched Sam and Anna grow into full blown kids, instead of little 3 year olds. Saw them develop more and more into the individuals they will be for the rest of their lives.

I can't wait to see what gems worth remembering make it into our jar this year.