Winter Is Here

Sorry for my absence lately, I started a new job, the snow arrived, and my motivation is lacking.

I've been struggling with finding new ways to get outside with Miles especially with the snow and the cold. My biggest issue was that I really did not prepare for the snow. That first day it snowed we got at least 6 inches. So of course like an idiot I went to Target thinking they would have all the gear, but they were totally sold out on all the gear I wanted; snow pants, boots, gloves, etc. So my online shopping began and to be honest I think I got better quality stuff than what I would have bought at target for almost the same price. I did a lot of review reading and found the perfect winter gear for my little man. The down side to this was we had to wait for the stuff to get here which meant MANY days inside. By the time everything arrived I think we were both a little stir crazy.

Lesson learned for next year... buy snow gear BEFORE the snow gets here. 

Here what I bought:

THESE snow pants: Nothing too fancy.. They were on sale for $13.59 (or something like that)...pretty reasonable!

$7.96 at  Sierra Trading Post 

I also bought some SmartWool socks for Miles as well. 

I used Retail Me Not and got a coupon code for 20% which basically made up for shipping cost

WARNING: If you are an outdoorsy person Sierra trading post may be bad news for your wallet!

I got these for right around $34 on Amazon

Now I know you might be thinking that that is a lot of boots that he is going to grow out of quickly but I ordered them a little bigger so they will last all winter *hopefully* and  I got his winter jacket for this year on clearance last year for about $15.00 last so I can take that money saved and buy him good warm boots. 

Also boots in Minnesota are an investment. I can also sell them on my local garage sale Facebook site once he out grows them and recoup a little of that money. 

So over all I would say I spent around $80.00 for all of his winter gear.

If you want to be even thriftier that I suggest checking Facebook to see if your area has a garage sale site. I often see great deals on snow pants, boot, winter jackets...

What kid gear did you buy for the winter that you can't live without!? 

Reviews of these products to come!

Happy snow gear shopping!

Things I learned on a 4 day trip to Texas...

My little family recently took a short trip to Texas for a family wedding. And this is what I learned...

1. When carting your small child in the airport... Use a stroller or carrier. 

Miles looked like a ball rolling around on the moving sidewalks, and it is really hard to juggle luggage and a curious 1 year old.

2. In the hotel unplug your room phone, or your 1 year old will dial 9-1-1

Our hotel had an emergency button that went directly to 911... not only is it great to unplug it for that reason but also it doubles as a toy after its unplugged, after a good sanitize wipe down of course.

3. Snacks and movies on a tablet can save your life if your plane gets delayed

 I will live by this for the rest of my plane travels..

4. Wake your child up about 10 minutes before your plane descends

On our way home Miles was out cold and woke up right as we started to descend, he was so groggy I couldn't get him to drink or eat anything. I am assuming his ears started to hurt and he FREAKED out. So for the 20 minute descend he was screaming and nothing I did helped.  Sorry to anyone who was on that flight with us.