service?

had a very productive day at work yesterday. think we placed about 20 orders...can't believe work how fast things sell out! got a tonne of paperwork done too...and i got to stay home in the evening! i'm definitely ready to make the switch to a couple days a week. i don't mind working some evenings because i actually get way more work done when the store is closed...but i'm also getting burnt out. all about balance, right?

spent the morning calling landscaping places. i find it so funny when i'm told that someone will call me back to arrange for an estimate, but if they don't call, i should call them back??? what is that? i can see how important i am to a company when i'm not guaranteed a returned call. i'm not in to begging for service so i'll gladly go with the company that values my business. i honestly couldn't imagine running our business like that. anyway, a few companies have returned my calls so now i just need to get them my plan and we'll go from there.

i think layla and i are going to head out a do a bit of shopping this afternoon. she's been sleeping for 3 hours now so i'm thinking she'll be waking right away. it's such a nice day outside...don't want to get stuck in doors.

enjoy the sunshine!
j

spend, spend, spend!

sunday afternoon (almost) and i just sold my old sofa and ottoman on kijiji. it's been sitting in my dining room for months and i kept forgetting to post it. we don't have dining room furniture yet so it wasn't much of a bother. am happy it's gone now so i can use the money towards some new pieces for our home! always something to spend money on.

speaking of spending money, i made it to gardenscapes and got a few names that i will call this week for estimates. i had to go to the show twice. once in the early afternoon with an overtired husband and 2 kids and the second time with a friend of mine in the evening (so much better!).

i think our yard is going to be quite the project. we have a walk-out lot and i like everything that costs $$$...story of my life! we'll likely only complete half the yard this year and the other half next year. it is bit overwhelming as i know NOTHING about landscaping. will keep you posted!

so, we ventured out for groceries this morning, did some laundry for the store and now we are watching family channel. i think we're going to head out for a bit this afternoon. ryan wants to go to winners...definitely my daughter!

have a good one
j

"weekend"

well, the "weekend" has begun. i was the helper parent this morning at pre-school. can't believe how it sucks the life out of me! ryan absolutely loves it when i help out so the smile on her face is worth it! i actually fell asleep on the couch for an hour this afternoon while layla was napping and ryan watched zac & cody.

perry is on call tonight but he had to go in this afternoon to give a presentation. will see him tomorrow. hopefully he won't be too late so we can have him functioning for a few hours tomorrow before he goes off to hockey. my plan is to get to the gardenscapes show at some point. please, please, please let me know if you have a landscape business recommendation. the first quote i got was outrageous and the second company that i am waiting for a quote from won't return my calls? hmmm...if they won't call me back now, what's it going to be like if they were to take on the project...red flags there. i likely won't end up going to the show if perry has to sleep. not sure i want to go with the girls alone. sunday...well, perry is on call again....AH!

not sure how i am going to make it in the store this weekend...guess it'll be saturday night after hockey. it quite uncommon that perry and i actually spend time together at home. one of us always seems to be working or something else is going on.

anyway, will take advantage of the quiet time and go to bed early after my late night last night!

j

the weekend!

my parents have a cottage at candle lake and we are heading up there this evening! hopefully the weather will be good - the kids need some fresh air!! if it is nice, we will go snow shoeing. steven, noah and i all got snow shoes this winter and adam goes on steven's back, in his backpack carrier. the boys really like it - and i could use the exercise!

talking about backpack carriers, we just got our phil & ted's escape carriers back in stock. these are great carries - tonnes of extra features.

just got a call from wendy, north ridge's interior decorator, that the showhome we're doing in willowgrove is going to be ready next week! we're super excited about it - jor and i both love decorating & staging nurseries! (this is our third showhome we've done). i don't love moving furniture though - hopefully we can rope our husbands into doing the grunt work! the house is located at 1127 stensrud road, in willowgrove. we'll let you know when it is open to the public!

have a great weekend!!
r.

oops...i forgot!

i'm embarrassed to say that i actually forgot to write this week. i thought about it this morning as i was looking over our website to look for things that need changing...and now i finally have a few minutes. did a bit of cleaning this morning and then a friend of mine came over with her little girl (4 days younger than layla). i have known kerry since i was 6 and considering how often i have moved over the years, it's amazing that we have managed to stay friends. it was a nice visit and so good to get the girls together!

i'm off to work in a couple of hours for the evening shift. looking forward to tackling more paperwork. it's such a satisfying feeling when the folders are empty! i seriously can't believe how much merchandise we have in our store right now...and the fact that we always seem to be out of something blows my mind! we've seriously had our jujube diaper bags for a week and we already need to re-order! we might need to hire someone just to do ordering for us! definitely can't complain!

no big plans on the weekend. perry is on call friday and sunday and has just informed me that his hockey has been changed and is now earlier on saturday evening. so as you can see, it'll be me and the girls this weekend. i so wish it was nice enough to go to the park. soon i hope. oh and i just remembered that i am the "helper parent" tomorrow at pre-school...that means show & tell for ryan...something i also forgot about. i often think about what life was like before kids and the business...what the heck did i do with my time??? oh ya, i also plan to go to the gardenscapes show on saturday afternoon. will be doing some landscaping this summer. looking for quotes at this point...anyone have any referrals?

sounds like layla is up- gotta run

have a good night :)

j

in and out all day

today has been an unusual cravings day for me so far! this morning i had to run a few errands, so i got to work after 10:30am. jordana was a bit concerned that i wasn't at work and not answering my cell phone (it is dead). last night a bunch of the cravings gals went to the freehouse to listen to lindsay and her husband, chris, perform (an MS fundraiser) and jor thought maybe I stayed out too late and was too tired/hungover to work today!! that wasn't the case, the concert was great, but none of us got too wild!!

i got a phone call shortly after i came in from the broadcasting school in town. a couple of their students have been filming our store over the past few weeks as a school assignment and the instructor wanted to know if the girls could come in to interview me, right away. so i had a mini-interview this morning. i was totally unprepared - but it was fine (and most likely not going to be seen by too many people, i hope)!

at 1pm i met with angie from beagle productions on broadway to discuss making some changes to our website! stay tuned for some great new updates & features!

now i'm back at the store, hoping to get a few of the normal cravings things done (ordering, paperwork, etc.)!

back home from a whirlwind buying trip

got home late last night, so i'm a bit sleepy this morning. all in all, our buying trip was very successful - both personally and business-ly! unfortunately though, these quick trips are hard on my mind & body and i'm in need of a holiday!!

my in-laws came in for the weekend and are staying until tomorrow morning, so i'm going to sneak out of the store a little early to visit with them. i just have 2 major things i must accomplish today before i can leave - shouldn't take long - but i keep getting side tracked!!

our staff is becoming more and more capable of running the store when jordana and i are away! in the past when i'd go away for a day i'd come back to a full desk of notes - this morning, only three pink notes! it is so wonderful having employees who are able to manage without us! thanks girls -we really appreciate it!!

day 2 - more shopping!!

hi again! just a recap of our super busy - and productive day:
purchased thousands and thousands of dollars of maternity clothing - 9:30am - 12:45pm (record time)!
ronnie, our maternity clothing dude, took us out for lunch for the best sushi! 1:30 -2:30

got dropped off on burrard (in front of tiffany) for a long day of shopping. jordana disappointed me a bit - she found lots of great things - but nothing in her size - other than some diamond rings that fit her perfectly (hint, hint perry)! she did find some gorgeous sun glasses by channel and a few pieces of clothing - but i actually bought more than she did. i said i wasn't going to buy anything - oops! now jor's a bit mad at me, but we are going right away to do more shopping! i'm going to not look for myself and help her instead!!

we are going to take the sea bus - which we think is a boat - to north van to check out a new baby store there and then go to park royal for more shopping.

lots to do, so little time!!!

r & j

shopping in vancouver - for the store (and then for ourselves)!!!

just finished our complimentary breakfast at our hotel and are heading to the fashion district to see ronnie & roy (our maternity clothing guys). this will be a very focused, intense shopping day because we really want to have some time later this afternoon to do some shopping of our own. my cousin ali, picked us up at the airport last night, we went for a fantastic indian meal at vij's and took a mini-tour of some of our shopping destinations! (thanks ali) :)
jordana was freaking out at all the shopping opportunities!! she has already mapped out all the shops - can't wait!
funny how when you have the opportunity to sleep in, it never happens!! whatever, at least we didn't have our little monsters clinging to our legs this morning while we were getting ready!

have a great day!
j & r

way too tired!

feeling like all i'm doing is complaining! but seriously i am so tired right now i am nauseous. i was up until wee hours of the morning. this is 6 days in a row now with very little sleep. i took ryan to daycare and had plans to come home and sleep while layla napped. murphy's law...i had a hard time shutting my brain off and when i finally fell asleep, she woke up. the worst nap she has had in months. i am so jacked up on caffeine right now i couldn't sleep unless i drugged myself and layla has been sleeping now for 2 hours. tonight is the first night in about 10 days that i will be at home and i have to pack for vancouver and get the house ready for my MIL's visit. i'm hoping to come back from vancouver new & improved. becca has promised me that we won't start another project for at least 2 days! what is wrong with us???

anyway, i am really looking forward to our weekend. i have already mapped out our shopping route on robson for sunday afternoon! i am in desperate need of some retail therapy. i'm pretty sure shopping cures exhaustion!

have a great weekend! looks like the weather is supposed to be better!

j

oh ya, wanted to mention another new product we just received- little miss matched- too cute!

http://www.littlemissmatched.com

a LONG day!!

just waiting to put layla to bed, perry got home at 5:45 and had to run out the door with ryan to gymnastics. i had one of those days. i am completely exhausted...doesn't help that we have been spending every night at the store and my usual bed time is 10:30. midnite or 1am seems to be the norm for me now!

ryan was such a pain in the !?# today! she had a friend over (which she was so excited about) and as soon as her friend walked in the door, ryan turned in to a different person. didn't want to play, decided she wanted a nap (???), wouldn't let her friend play with her friend play with anything (she is so good at sharing normally). i honestly don't know what happened. half way through she had a complete melt down, temper tantrum and then it seemed like she snapped out of it. they played well together and it was like nothing happened (except i was still fuming!). is this what being 4 will bring?

getting psyched up for work tonight. too bad i need my brain in good form! coffee will be brewing shortly...hmmm...maybe espresso instead...no messing around!

anyway, i am going to enjoy the next 30 minutes of silence before i have to leave.

have a good night!
j

hi from rebecca!

it's been a super long time since i was on here . . . thought i'd fill you in on a few things in my life and at the store.

as you've read, jordana and i have been working very long hours these past few weeks trying to complete a few special projects. there's something wrong with the two of us! as soon as it looks like things may be settling down (and not completely chaotic), we have to find a new project to work on.


we are heading to vancouver on friday for a really quick buying show. we meet with a few of our reps on saturday for a whirlwind of buying and then we're back home sunday pm. we do about 90% of our maternity clothing purchases with these vancouver guys. this will be jor's first time away from layla overnight. i know we'll have a great time, we've been looking forward to an adults only buying show for quite some time now (hopefully she won't miss her babe too much)! i'm really looking forward to eating some good food, shopping and sleeping in!!

in a few weeks, my entire family (minus my brother), is heading off on a cruise to the caribbean. this will be a very interesting experiment for us! noah, my 5 year old, has always been a good traveler (he makes friends super easily, he can sleep anywhere and he's the life of the party) but our almost 2 year old, adam is inflexible and the worst traveller ever! he screams if he has to be confined for more than a minute and will NOT fall asleep anywhere but his crib! i'm hoping that we can drug him. so far, my mini-poll is about 50/50. half say "drug the little bugger" the other half are not so supportive! let me know what you think :)


i'm not sure if you are aware of the fact that i'm a bit of a "stroller junkie". because of of our upcoming trip, i convinced steven that we needed another new stroller. the latest addition to our fleet is the maclaren quest - a super light-weight, umbrella-style stroller. I LOVE IT!! it handles so well that noah was able to push adam around last weekend at the mall & winners - and he only hit a few things, and no people! it will be perfect for our travels!
http://www.maclarenbaby.com/

well, i'd better stop procrastinating - or this could be another one of our cravings all-nighters!
r.

merchandise arriving daily!

13 hour work day yesterday...amazingly enough i felt less tired than after a day with the kids. moms don't get enough credit. it's exhausting to entertain, feed, change, etc all day long- especially with 2...can't imagine 3 or more! anyway, becca and i made some progress, but there is still more to get done. our the deadline is thursday at 5pm so it'll be work, work, work until then. i just have layla at home today so hopefully i'll be able to get some of it done during the day.

we've received many great new products lately so come in & check them out!!

http://www.ju-ju-be.com/

http://www.ergobabycarrier.com/

we've also started receiving our spring & summer kids clothes from BLU, MEXX, GLUG, Losan, Appaman & more! the merchandise this season is TOO CUTE!! we've already sold out of a couple collections so hurry in for the best selection!!

see you soon!
j

quiet day

slow moving this morning. just cleaned up the kitchen from our pancake breakfast, on cup of coffee #3 (my tolerance has obviously increased!), perry & ryan just left to grocery shop and layla has been sleeping for almost 2 1/2 hours now...QUIET...gotta love it!

have nothing planned for today, but we'll have to get out at some point. ryan goes crazy being inside all day. i'm thinking maybe a trip downtown. i have a few gift certificates that i would like to use. we can get layla in a stroller and all get some fresh air.

busy week ahead as we are leaving friday for vancouver. looking forward to getting away for a couple of days even if we will be working most of the time. looking forward to visiting with our reps while we are there- we've really made some great friends. i think we'll even manage to get a few hours of shopping in as well!!

have a great afternoon!
j

spring fever

wow- what a difference the weather makes! the store was just hopping when i stopped in today. i am guilty of spending as well...bought a pair of shoes...i have a serious problem! can't wait to get the spring clothes on to go with them! got my hair cut today as well. 6 inches off. feels so much lighter. i am really sick of my hair but never want to do anything drastic...too chicken. i love so many of the funkier cuts you see in magazines but i always end up with the same thing! maybe one day i'll get the courage to do something different...

working tonight, but from home which is nice. have to get a fall/winter order in by tomorrow. i think becca and i will be working tomorrow night as well...working on some applications that are due this week. always something on the go!

enjoy the rest of your day :)
j

more exposure!

watch ctv news tonight! becca was involved in a press conference with Rob Norris and women entrepreneurs this morning (sorry i couldn't be there becca!). ctv asked if they could come by the store afterwards and follow-up on some of the discussion! the press conference should air tonight, but not sure about the follow-up...will keep you posted.

lovin the weather today. is there hope for spring coming soon? i seriously can't wait. i am so ready for the sunshine and for taking the kids to the park and getting out of the house!! there is only so much you can do when it's -40! i know all moms are feeling this way.

not too much on the agenda this weekend. i did want to mention that cravings is participating in the walk for MS this year. lindsay (a cravings gal) is going to be at the freehouse on march 25 @ 9pm singing her little heart out to raise money for this cause that is so close to her heart. hope to see you there!

j

atmosphere interior design

thanks guys! i just checked out atmosphere interior design's website and they blogged about our new location! i have been working with curtis & trevor for 2 1/2 years on my home and we consulted them about our new cravings location as well. i haven't needed their assistance much lately but i am in denial that our "time" is coming to an end! they are truly amazing designers and i would highly recommend them to anyone.

they are supposed to be getting a photographer back in to my home at the beginning of april so i will post pics as they are done...then you can see their magic! if you go to their website, you can see some pics of our home...the "black & white" house!

www.atmosphereinteriordesign.net

j

8 months old!

just waiting for layla to wake from her morning nap. it seems like she's down to two 2-2 1/2 hour naps a day now. by the end of the day, we're really pushing her to stay awake until her bed time (which is still 6:30 pm). ryan was exactly the same. bed at 6:30 and waking between 7:30 and 8 am. i've been blessed with really good sleepers. anyway, my baby layla is 8 months old today! i can't believe it! the time is seriously flying by. i still feel like she's 3 months old! i leave her for the first time overnight in 2 weeks as becca and i are off to vancouver for a buying show. thought it would be easier the second time around, but i'm still having a bit of anxiety about it.

we don't have much planned for today. i've decided against doing my hair, etc and will stay home and veg instead.

oh, i wanted to mention a great new sling that we have. a friend of mine bought one and she told me that she absolutely loves it and would recommend to everyone! we also have more baby bjorn on it's way! we sold out of carriers so quickly so we're bringing in a tonne more!

http://www.bluecelery.com/

layla's up...have a great day!

j

still complaining!

my finger still hurts! yes, i am a HUGE wimp and maybe a bit of a complainer! still haven't looked at it but i am definitely surprised at the number of people who have had a similar injury...this is my first (and hopefully last) encounter with a grater! i did manage to work at the store all day and volunteer for the Silver Spoon dinner ticket sales tonight.

http://silverspoondinner.com/home.php

i'd really like to go, but i think i'll end up volunteering my services. at least i'm not pregnant this year and can do more than sit in a chair...pregnancy and i (my feet) didn't mix! anyway, there are still tickets for purchase if you are interested in going!

i think my night is coming to a close as i sit here and yawn!

good night,

j

my poor knuckle

still haven't managed to eat dinner. my sick husband managed to get out of bed for 10 minutes to wrap my poor finger in gauze because i can't bear to look at it. we were supposed to have a "family" day. well, perry got home at 5am from a crazy night at the hospital. he slept away the morning and woke up feeling horribly. so...he slept the rest of the day while i took care of the kids. was planning to make dinner, but perry said he wasn't going to eat and he again went back to bed. well, i wasn't going to cook dinner for myself when i'd need to make a seperate meal for ryan anyway. fed layla, made ryan her "princess" noodles and my plan was to eat when the kids went to bed. kids were asleep, i started grating cheese and i ended up taking a chuck out of my knuckle...2 hours now and it's still bleeding....i think i might be sick...definitely don't feel like eating anymore!

anyway, not the day i was planning to have! talked to becca today and i don't think her day turned out the way she planned either!

have a good night!

a weekend to relax

went to bed at 7:30 last night. i think i would have slept right through if it wasn't for the phone waking me at 8:30. i was in such a deep sleep, i had no idea where i was when i woke up. of course it took me awhile to fall back asleep. i do feel better this morning though.

i actually have nothing pressing to do this weekend for a change! i might head to the store for a couple of hours this afternoon...have you been in lately? we just got the CUTEST new line of baby clothing called noppies...and we're going to be getting larger sizes next season!!

http://www.noppies.com/

have a great day!
j

productive day!

so, i finally got a chance to watch ellen...belly bandit was featured as promised! apparently it's going to be featured on rachel ray as well. it is quite the product and it's being endorsed by several celebrity moms!

so, i had quite a productive day at home today. aside from revising our cravings handbook during layla's first nap, our new area rug was delivered and i started decorating the toy room! this area rug is SO MUCH better than the first one i purchased. i love it!! i moved all the furniture, vacuumed, washed the floors, unrolled it (it's 11 X 12...really big!) and put all the furniture back. of course i couldn't wait until perry got home to help me. it looks fantastic! then it was on to the toy room. have you seen the polka dots in the play area in our store? they are amazing and they really look so cute in our toy room too!

you can check them out at

http://www.thecreativeindividual.com/

now i just need some drapes, a rug and some new shelving...it never ends!!

anyway, gotta run and bath ryan. i think her and i will be going to sleep at the same time tonight...my first night away from the store!

j

i'm watching ellen right now as i type...waiting to see belly bandit featured! ryan is not thrilled with my overtaking of the computer AND the tv so she has decided to make this very difficult for me...oh, the joy of kids!

productive day at the store yesterday...we (almost) have a staff area! we had our old cash desk set up in the back so the staff have an area to eat, amke coffee, etc. it's looking great so far. now we have to move on to the receiving area so we actually have a place for our shipments! becca went through a tonne of paper in our office but we still have quite a bit to do in there.

looks like layla is up...will record ellen and report back later!

j

tv

anyone watch brothers & sisters on sunday? thank goodness for pvr! anyway, 2 of our products were featured!

the SIP infant car seat by peg perego www.pegperego.com

and pee pee teepees www.bebabean.com

oh and watch for the belly bandit to be featured on the ellen degeneres show on march 5th!!

~The Belly Bandit™ wrap is an abdominal compression binder designed to help you get your body back to its former fabulousness post childbirth!

it's what all the stars are using to get their bodies back and it can be found exclusively at cravings!

www.bellybandit.com

surprise!

if you know becca, she hates surprises...if they are pulled over on her that is. i think it has more to do with the fact that she prides herself on not letting things get by her...well, i carefully planned all the details and pulled one over on her. i planned an all-day spa day for her and i yesterday! we were at the spa for 6 glorious hours getting pampered...loving every minute of it! i think it took 4 of those hours for us to actually relax and stop thinking, but by the end of the day, i felt relaxed and rejuvenated! the last month has just been crazy for us and now we can slow down a bit (we'll see how long that lasts!).

anyway, can't wait to share some of the new lines we picked up at the buying show this weekend! will keep you posted. they are great additions to our line-up and are sure you will be thrilled with them. we're off to vancouver at the end of the month as well, so hopefully we'll find a few more great things! as always, we love getting feedback about products you are looking for. you can go to our website and click on "contact us"

www.cravingsmaternityandbaby.com

...or send an email to cravings@sasktel.net

have a great day!
j

too much fun!

well, we had a blast last night! we're finished our buying show and had our grand re-opening party in the evening. it was a bit rushed trying to get kids fed, the store cleaned, the food etc set up in time, but it turned out very well! i'm thinking we had between 60- 70 people show up. it gave our distributors a chance to see our new space and where all their product is displayed and it gave our staff some time to "let their hair down". we had such a good time that becca came up with a bright idea that we should go out after. well, we closed down a bar and i got home at 3am. it's now 2pm the next day and i'm finally out of bed! we had a blast despite the fact that we were older than everyone by about 10-15 years! now i remember why i never do that anymore....my body can't take it!

becca and i are back at the old space tonight to finish up the last of the cleaning and then to the new space to start cleaning and re-organizing from last night! hopefully i'll be feeling better in a few more hours!

fun day tomorrow with C95 and then we can breathe again (until we come up with our new projects)!

have a great day!
j