Sock It to Me, I'm Back!

Hello Everyone,

I know it has been a long while, like 4 years since my last blog post. I thought I had reached a point in my life where it was time to move on to other projects, but then I realized that I really did miss writing in this format. So for those of you who are returning with me: Thank you for your patience. I am excited to get back to this. For those of you who are just discovering this blog: Welcome! Now lets have some fun.

When I was a little kid the absolute worst present I could get were clothes. The excitement and mystery of a wrapped gift fading and souring a little as I pulled back the wrapping paper only to discover fabric of a nice shirt, or (heaven forbid) socks and undergarments. Birthdays, Christmas, any other holiday, it did not matter. To my little kid brain, clothes were not impressive; they were not fun, or exciting. That is not to say that I was an ungrateful child. I DID appreciate the fact that someone took the time to get me a gift, but lets face it, to a child clothes vs. toys? Toys will win out every time.

When did that all change? I love receiving clothes now, especially socks. I love a fun sock (and yes, socks can be fun.) I recently found a company that specializes in socks. Not just any socks, SockThat will take any photo that you want and turn them into socks. Imagine having kooky, one-of-a-kind socks that are specific to you. You and your bestie have an inside joke? Put it on a sock! You could wear your favorite meme, or even have your pets featured on your feet. I know that when I see someone with unusual socks I stop them to ask them about it. Most of the time, the sock wearer is more than happy to tell me about them.


Your socks can be an icebreaker to get conversations started or they can be a statement piece!

With SockThat it is more than just socks with them. They are also dedicated to the finer details. The subtle touches. A celebration of the understated sock should also be about love, giving back to people who need it the most, and turning the ordinary into the extraordinary. SockThat works closely with various charity organizations, LGBT communities, as well as local arts and cultural communities providing them the help they need to receive the support they need to prosper.



You can check them out at SockThat! or on Facebook or Instagram. And should you be so inclined to give the company a try, use the discount code Bell$5 for $5 off your purchase!!

Happy sock-making and designing!




As always feedback, questions, comments, and suggestions are always welcome. Please remember to follow the blog and register your email address at the top of the page to have new posts delivered right to your email inbox and never miss an update.

Disclaimer: please be aware that any item mentioned in this blog may have been received for free or at a discount in exchange for a fair and honest review. The opinions expressed in this blog are my own regardless of how the items were acquired.

Travel Tips pt 1

Travel for the Holidays

 Back in 2006, my husband and I welcomed Number1 into our lives. We were young and having a baby was unbelievably scary but everything was worth it to see the smile on his whenever the would walk in the room or hear is baby giggles as we played "Peek-a-boo" with him. He was born in early October and before he had even turned a month old the questions began.

"When are you going to bring the baby by so I can see him?"

This line of questioning is one that is familiar to all new parents. And while normally it is no big deal to just pack up the baby and take a drive to the relatives' to show off the new addition, however, my family is spread out all over the Eastern US coast from New Hampshire all the way down to Alabama, Louisiana and even Florida. I can get in the car and start driving in either direction and by the time I reach the furthest family member I would have driven 20+ hours.

20+ hours as just two young adults is a breeze. Challenge Accepted! Road Warrior badge earned! 20+ hours in the car with a baby (or now with 3 children) is more like a quest to insanity. Needless to say, I have traveled a lot with my kids to visit family.listed below are some of my favorite travel items that have helped to maintain peace in the car and yes, even some of my sanity.

Car:
My top must- have item for the car is the SeMe CarBaby Mirror.

Thsi is a little mirror that clips easily on to a back seat head rest to provide your still-backwards facing toddler a much better of you in the front seat as well as the world passing by around them. I was at my wits end when my state passed a new seat belt regulation  that would require Number 3 to stay in a backwards facing car seat until his second birthday. Facing backwards was very frustrating for him and short trips to even the grocery store would be long enough to spark tantrums from my generally laid back child.

Since I have added the SeMe CarBaby Mirror, every time I glance in the rear view mirror at his reflection in his little mirror all I see are my good-natured baby's smiles. Now this is not a panacea or "magic bullet" for pleasant car rides. Number 3 can still be afflicted with sleepiness or hunger and that can cause a stressful ride, but it does eliminate a good bit of the back seat crying. Now if I can only get the older two to stop crying/whining.



Airplane:
Must have item: CarSeat travel Cover

Once the long drives got to be too much me and my family, we did try using air travel. It was more expensive but promised to be much  faster and quite a bit less stressful. While it was less stressful than traveling by car, it is still very stressful. One of the main sources of stress for me was making sure that I had all the baby gear needed for the trip; mainly the stroller, the pack and play portable crib and the car seat. Let me tell you, bringing a car seat on a flight is a huge pain in the rear end. The item is bulky without any good hand holds on it and there is no telling what will get on it after you check it at the plane itself.

It got to the point where I would just have family members ask around to borrow a car seat during our visit just to avoid having to take one with us on the plane. This car seat cover is an item I wish I'd had from that very first flight. It completely covers the car seat, which is no small feat as I have Britax Boulevard 70-G3 Convertible Car Seat Seat (one of the biggest on the market but definitely my favorite that I have ever used). The car seat travel bag is made out of polyester, this makes it durable as well as water resistant. I am confident that the travel bag will protect the car seat from most mishaps that can happen in transit. The travel bag has a little tag window, where you can put your contact information should it get separated from your flight. I personally have never had any luggage not make it to my destination, but knowing my luck if anything were to not make it, it would be the car seat. The bag does have a handle sewn on to it and it also comes with a shoulder strap to make lugging the car seat around the airport a little easier. For me the best feature that the fact that it can fold in on itself into a little pouch with a zipper! This makes for easy and convenient storage especially while traveling.

I have yet to take the family on a cruise or a train trip. These are things that I would like to do over the next few years. But since I have not tried them yet, I am not sure of what unique challenges they present to traveling as a family.

Now that I have shared with you some of my must have items for traveling, what are yours? Share your advice and suggestions in the comments section below.

As always comments, feedback, and suggestions are always welcome. Please follow the blog and subscribe your email address at the top to receive new posts in your inbox and never miss an update.

Please note that in accordance with FTC regulations, any items mentioned in my blog may have been received for free or at a discount in exchange for a fair and honest review.