Tom Bihn Bags

Candle givaway has been extended for one more week!  Ends next Monday, December 12th at 11:59 p.m. Click here for more info.

Our husbands are pretty picky about the bags they use, ie. laptop bags, brief cases, etc.  The bag must look manly, but with the travel they both do for work, they must be functional.  We think that we have found the perfect brand of bags for men.  Tom Bihn makes fantastic bags of all types: messenger bags, travel bags, laptop cases, brief cases, etc. Here are a few examples:

Ristretto 13" for Macbook/Air

Empire Builder

Brain Backpack

These bags are all manufactured at their plant in Seattle, WA.  They say they are dedicated to quality products and quality jobs...we love that.  One of their customers stated on their website: "Their products are tough as nails, with not so much as a thread pulling out despite daily use."  AND, they offer a lifetime guarantee.  If anything is wrong with the quality of the product they will fix it for free.  Now that is quality control.

Don't tell our husbands, but these just might be under our tree this year!

To shop Tom Bihn bags online, click here.

Stay-On Mittens: Review

Winter is back once AGAIN and it's time to get everyone's cold winter gear organized.  One piece of outdoor clothing that always seems to cause a little more angst for us than others are the mittens/gloves.  I can't tell you how many times I have come home from the store with what I think will be the perfect pair for my kids but once we get them on they don't fit right, they aren't warm enough, I can't keep them on my little one's hands or they end up being made out of cheap material that quickly tears... 

When I found out about a company called Cozy Tots that makes what they call the "Stay-On Mittens,"  I was very excited to give them a try!  Cozy Tots generously sent us a pair of  their Toddler Mittens to try with my one year old.

First of all, before we even put the mittens on, we fell in love with this company.  Cozy Tots was started by a Mom in Massachusetts who saw a need for warm mittens that would stay on her children's hands (read her story here).  Not only are the products made from fleece Made in Massachusetts, but (this is the best part) Cozy Tots has paired with MoJo Manufacturing in Massachusetts, a company that trains and employs single Moms in the USA to manufacture products giving these women benefits and child care!  Their slogan is "Helping The American Family Get Their MoJo back."  We LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this idea!!!

So, I was already rooting for these mittens and as soon as I actually tried the mittens on my 1 year old, I fell in love with them again!

First great thing about these mittens: they are made from super-soft, stretchy microfleece.  It's not the thin, cheap kind you can sometimes find on kid's clothing, but rather the thick, plush, high-quality kind.

Next great thing: the stay-on mittens cleverly have elastic at the wrist and then more elastic at the end of a longer sleeve.  Believe me they live up to their name...they stay on!

The design was perfect...easy to put on a child's hand because they are pliable and soft but once on they stay put.  The other thing I really appreciated was that the thumb portion of the mitten was appropriately sized for the child.  The pre-school size has a little bigger thumb area and a velcro finger pocket so fingers can come out to eat snacks, etc.  The toddler size has a small thumb pocket perfectly sized for a one year old's tiny hands (see above picture).  And from looking at the website, the infant size are very smartly thumbless.  Seriously, who wants to be trying to get an infants thumb into a mitten.  Bottom line is Cozy Tots has thought of everything in terms of making these mittens functional and easy to use, but oh so cute!

Last but not least because this could be the best part of the whole design, the mittens are ingeniously made with an extra layer of fleece sewn into the fingertips to keep little fingers extra warm.  The entire part of the mitten above the decorative stitching you see in my pictures is double layered.  What a fabulous idea!  On our walk, not only did the stay-on mittens keep my little one's fingers toasty warm but my heavily teething baby also enjoyed biting on the extra layer of fleece too.

The mittens come in cute colors with various contrasting colored stitching, which adds some extra detail.

We give Cozy Tot's Stay-On Mittens two (very warm) thumbs up!  We will most definitely be buying some extra pairs (because some always get lost as winter carries on) and look forward to trying their hats (they are also double layered with fleece).  We think they would make great gifts too.

Thanks Cozy Tots for sharing your fabulous Made in the USA product with us!

Alex and Ani

I recently was on vacation with one of my husband's cousins who lives in Boston.  She had on the most adorable bracelet set and now I am coveting these fabulous bracelets.  She also told me that they were made in the USA...even better!  Living out west, I have not come across them yet, but out east she said they are all the rage!  Alex and Ani make these adorable bangles that are meant to be layered.  Here are examples of the layered look.

The bangles can be bought individually and are meant to be layered. Here are a few that we love:

Alex and Ani also has a philosophy that we think is fantastic:

"Alex and Ani is a company dedicated to creating products of unparalleled quality and beauty that promote consciousness and unity.  Manufacturing in the United States and re-using and recycling materials is an integral part of Alex and Ani's mission as a conscious and eco-friendly company.  Alex and Ani's collections are not only eco-friendly, they are made up of powerful, meaningful, and spiritual pieces, which uplift and inspire all who wear them."

What a fantastic company: creating American jobs, eco-friendly and most of all inspirational!

To shop their entire collection, click here.

32 Degrees Hats

It is downright blustery in the Midwest today.  A wet, windy chill is in the air reminding us that winter is just around the corner...ugh!  That means getting out all the full-blown winter garb...hats, boots, gloves, etc.  All these scattered pieces of clothing will soon take over front and back hallways everywhere. 

Well, here's a little good news to balance the cold weather...we found the cutest hats EVER made by a company called 32 Degrees.   They are soft, cozy and adorable!  The material is high-quality and some of them (including the one I have for my infant daughter) are adjustable in the back.  We love that it is a company started by a mom in her kitchen in Massachusetts and that she continues to be committed to manufacturing in America!  They make hats for kids but also a OSFM (one size fits most) size so adults can join in the fun too. 

Here is the one we bought but in aqua:

Here are some others we love:

You can shop their website here or look for a retailer here

Stay warm out there!!

smARTWORKS!

Temperatures are beginning to fall (how can it be almost winter again), and wearing something warm and cozy is starting to sound so delightful.

 Our mom found these adorable scarves at a local boutique and both of us loved them.  They are made by smARTWORKS and are made in the USA.  Each scarf is hand crafted in Massachusetts with exquisite wool, cashmere or cotton.  They are big and small and the colors are vibrantly beautiful.  You can wear them in so many ways, whether it be with a winter coat or a cute shirt.  Here are some of our favorites:

The Mckenzie

The Shannon

The Willow

My favorite: The Trinity

To shop the entire collection, click here.  We love them for ourselves but think they would make a fabulous, unique holiday gift too.

Here's to being cozy!

Lunchskins

Over the years, we have found ourselves using a ton of plastic baggies for snacks on-the-go and started to feel bad about contributing to the landfill problem in America.  Wouldn't it be great if there were a super cute, easy to clean, reusable baggie?  Well, there are: Lunchskins.  The patterns are adorable and they are dishwasher safe.  That's right, throw them right on the top rack of your dishwasher!  And best of all, they are manufactured in America!

It doesn't get easier than this to help Mother Earth, support American jobs and keep your family chic.  Here are a few adorable Lunchskins:

To find a store near you that carries Lunchskins, click here. Or to shop online, click here. 

Snack away and feel good about it!

Cinda B

One of our small joys is having a chance to shop "sans" kiddos.  While on our summer vacation together, we had the chance to do just that and we discovered Cinda B!  Her handbags and totes are a new love of ours.  The prints are adorable and fresh!  All of her bags are water-resistant, stain-resistant and best of all machine washable.  Everything that carries the Cinda B name is Made in the USA.  It was important to Cinda that she not only create beautiful handbags, but also create American Jobs.  Way to go Cinda!!!!  Click here to read her story.

I bought the cutest little zip up pouch that I use for some makeup to throw in my larger purse.

Happy- Sweetleaf Navy

I love my new pouch so much that I am going out to buy the City Satchel!  It is the perfect size for a woman on the go who needs a purse big enough to hold a few extra things (like a calendar, diapers) but doesn't feel like you are lugging around a suitcase.

Here it is in Bella Fiore Cocoa

Here are a few more bags we covet:

Beach Bag- Casablanca Sky Blue

Overnighter- Empire Sand

To shop the Cinda B collection online click here.  Or to find your local boutique that carries Cinda B, click here.