pajama day

it's a pajama day today. i can't remember the last time i did this. painted the girls nails this morning and now they are quietly playing with play-doh (ok, maybe they're not that quiet...wishful thinking!). today is a day of recovery from what i fear might be burn-out.

goal is to stay away from the darn computer- ya, that's working out well as you can see. hard to stay away from peeking at emails related to our secret project. everything is falling in to place. getting closer to making our big announcement! nothing more satisfying than seeing a vision become reality!

hope you also have a relaxing day :)

j

secret project 2011!!

it's been quite a relaxing weekend. goodness knows i need it. spent some time with my 5yo, ryan, running around doing errands for our secret project 2011!!! i would love, love, love to tell you what we have in store for saskatoon....but NOT YET!!! just a little while longer for you to wait while becca and i finalize more details. thinking maybe our annual customer appreciation shopping party might be a good time for the reveal. thoughts?

aside from that (which really is consuming most of my time), i am enjoying the absolutely beautiful weather we are having here. as soon as the little one wakes, we're off to the park!

have a great rest of your weekend and stay tuned for more details!

j

lots more to come from cravings!

i thought i would write quickly as i am psyching myself up to do a quick work-out this evening before i start working again. the days have been so crazy. i feel like i am working at 110% and i leave completely mentally exhausted. on the up side, becca and i are cooking up BIG BIG BIG things for cravings right now!!! ...and on top of everything else, we're heading to vegas for the largest baby & toddler trade show you've ever seen. walking the 1,000,000+ sq ft space will be a work-out on it's own!

...till my next update with (hopefully) some more details about our exciting news!

j

a balanced life

it's almost embarassing to see how long it's been since i've written...life is busy and it seems to get busier by the minute. i was asked to write something for a friend about living a balanced life. while i strive to achieve balance daily, there are going to be things in life that get pushed aside...and i guess the blog was one of them.

the store is growing at a rate that is truly remarkable. becca and i are finding less and less time to do the extra things. our families are also growing and with that comes the added responsibility of getting the kids to day care, to school, to day time and after school activities...all while trying to run a business. things were definitley getting off balance for us so we've recently hired a General Manager, Darcy, to help us tackle some of our "to-do list".

you can check out this link for a little more insight in to my life

www.liveabalancedlife.ca

j

2 vacation MUST-HAVE's

just got back from a whirlwind of a vacation. 7 flights, 8 hotel rooms....craziness! my girls did amazingly well. i was really worried about layla (2 yo). she has never travelled well and she likes to complain about almost anything! she was so good during both our flights and our long car rides!! gives me much hope for our next vacation!

i wanted to mention 2 must have's for those of you travelling with little ones. we took our baby bjorn travel crib. this is an absolutely brilliant product. super light-weight, easy to fold and unfold. you can even stuff a bunch of extra diapers in the carry bag it comes with!!

the other product is the gogo babyz travelmate. i swear we got asked about the product a dozen times in the airport. if you plan to take a convertible car seat on the plane with you, this product is genius. we put the car seat on the trolly, buckled layla right in to it and away we went. we went from gate to gate not having to lug the car seat (or her!).

both products are available at cravings...of course!!

j

a tip

perry came home from our friends' place the other day with a great idea...so good i had to share!

seems that most people have hardwood in their kitchen these days. if you have a little one that sits in a highchair, you know how badly the wheels can scratch the floor. well, our friends punctured tennis balls and placed them over top of the wheels! the chair glides smoothly and won't scratch! now if only they made designer tennis balls that you could choose to match your decor!

have a great weekend!

j

Boot Camp!

jordana participated in a boot camp, through her gym, earlier this spring and thought it would be good if the cravings staff participated in one too. yesterday was our third, hour-long session. it is killer!!! i have come to realise that i'm in really BAD shape!! each week it gets a bit easier, no, that's not exactly it, let me rephrase that - i'm wanting to die less! the good news is that we are halfway done - and i'm still alive!! today i'm a bit stiff in my arms, legs, abs, well , my whole body. but it's a good pain! like they say NO PAIN, NO GAIN!!
r.

home alone!!

last friday, we headed to alberta to drop noah, our 6 3/4 year old off at camp. the whole family, including our nanny luisa and our puppy mosely, drove to calgary on friday after work. the majority of the almost seven hour journey was spent trying to ignore our 3 year old, adam's screaming, crying and complaining - he's always been a bad traveler!! i jokingly suggested that we could leave adam with nana & papa (steven's parents) and pick him up in a week when we had to return to pick up noah. at one of our many stops, i ran in to a gas station to go to the bathroom and buy more snacks. when i returned, steven casually mentioned that his parents really wanted adam to stay with them for the week!!

i was actually a bit mad that steven had the nerve to ask them to take a 3 year old for an entire week, and then i was mad at myself for not thinking of this sooner because we hadn't packed enough of adam's supplies for a week's vacation, and then i was REALLY HAPPY!! a whole week at home without the kids!! what a nice break, a chance to do adult things, A WHOLE WEEK!!!

so, steven's parents took adam saturday evening, we dropped noah off at camp near red deer on sunday morning and steven, luisa and i drove home - quietly, without any screaming, backyardagains, dora or potty talk (well, steven did tell some dirty jokes), on sunday afternoon!!

what does one do with a whole week of alone time and hubby time? dates, drinks, dinner, dancing, movies . . . no, ORGANIZE!! i have been very busy getting rid of junk, excess toys & paper, i've cleaned out several drawers and cupboards.

not exactly a relaxing, romantic week - but very satisfying!!

r.

a must-have!

i have been meaning to write a review on this product for the past several weeks. i actually bought it when my first daughter was 2 and was potty training. it was a life saver then and we have now started using it again. how many times are you out with your babe and they have to use a restroom and there is nothing in site? i can't even count how many times this has happened to us and now that she plays outdoor soccer, we (and her teammates!) have been using it more than ever. it will come in handy as my youngest starts to train as well!! i keep it in the trunk of my car, ready to go!

potette plus and disposable bags are available in store or online!

www.shopcravings.ca/potette-plus.html

j

buncha farmers stain remover

ok, i know i've written about this stain remover before, but i have to tell you how utterly impressed i am with this product. my daughter, ryan, got grease all over one of her fav shirts at kinsmen park. well, we put the shirt aside when we got home and forgot about the grease stain for 2 weeks. i used buncha farmers stain remover stick on it today and i am not kidding you, the stain is completely gone! the best part is that is only costs $3.50!!!

j

exciting weekend!

this upcoming weekend, my parents, my siblings & their spouses and steven & i are going to banff for a white water rafting adventure - in honour of my mom's 60th birthday!! i'm quite shocked that this is what my mom picked to do to mark the big 6-0 - but also very excited to go!! my mom is not a risk taker at all - not that we're going on a professional class 6 tour or anything - but i'm still surprised and impressed!! it should be a lot of fun - i sure hope the weather cooperates while we are there though. (it may be a little chilly if its still snowing)! i will pack my long underwear for sure!

r.

back from vegas - back to reality!

it has taken me a few days to get back into the swing of things - back to reality!

jordana & i surprised nicole, our store manager, with a 4 day vegas extravaganza!! 4 days of doing whatever we wanted - shopping, reading books, eating out, lounging by the pool, dancing at a club, more shopping, a cirque de soleil show . . . what a nice break!! everything was awesome, but it is amazing how such a relaxing time can be so exhausting!! hmmm, could it have been the 8 hour day of shopping at the outlet mall or staying up til 4am? not sure - but it sure was fun!!

r.

vegas!!

management retreat in vegas this weekend! becca & i surprised our manager, nicole, with a trip to vegas yesterday! she thought we were going to a trade show in regina and would be working over the long weekend. this is the first time becca and i are going and we will have NOTHING we have to do! so excited for the weekend and to spoil nicole...she does such a fabulous job for us!! shopping coupons are printed, bathing suits are packed and we're ready (well, almost ready) for our 6am flight tomorrow morning!

have a great long weekend!

j

no awards this year - great after party!!

both jordana and were pretty sure this wasn't going to be our year to win big at the SABEX awards - stiff competition and the fact that we took home SABEXes last year and the year before. we were right :( no need to reinforce the awards shelf - for now!!

both of the SABEX categories that were we finalists in, customer service & small business of the year, were won by dale lemke of display systems international! congrats dale!!

the highlight of the evening for us was the after party at scratch!! nicole, jor and i are all feeling a little under the weather today - we stayed out way too late and maybe had a couple more beverages than we should have!! but the company and the dancing were loads of fun - worth a bit of a headache this morning!!

thanks to the organizers, sponsors & to everyone who made last night's gala a huge success!!

r.

SABEX tonight

quick note before becca is here to pick me up. we're off to get our make-up done for the SABEX awards tonight. i love having an excuse to get dressed up!! manicure & pedicure are done. hair is done....although i think i've changed it 10 times already...just can't seem to get with the new bangs.

anyway, it's always a fun evening. rehearsal is at 4pm, cocktails at 5pm and the reception starts at 6pm (i believe). there is an after party at scratch as well, so i know it's going to be a bit of a late night. already dreading waking up early tomorrow morning!

thanks to all of our customers for getting us where we are today!!

j

hello out there!!

hi! first off, i have to apologize for not writing on the blog for ages and ages!! WAY too many things on the go right now! the store has been super busy - lots of babies!!

- last week angie & alison had a three day course to become certified carseat technicians. so, once they receive their certification, we will have 4 staff members that are able to assist you in installing your cravings carseat.

- tomorrow night nicole, jordana & i will be attending the SABEX awards at TCU place. cravings is a finalist for customer service & small business of the year. wish us luck!!

- tomorrow's "craving" will be an extra special one!! stay tuned for the details!

- my family is in the process of renovating our upstairs level. we are turning 4 bedrooms and a loft-office into 4 bedrooms, a walk-in closet and a office/laundry room. we are living in sheer chaos at this point!! my boys are sharing a very jammed packed bedroom and steven and i are sleeping in our bedroom with the linens, all of our clothing on racks and baskets and various other boxes of stuff!! we are all cranky and excited for the work to be completed! realistically, we still have a few more weeks of this though!!

- jor also has a ton of things going on at her house!! i'll let her share her stories herself!!

hope you are enjoying this amazing weather!!

r.

facebook "craving"

today's weekly "craving" (posted on facebook, every tuesday) was a huge success!! lots of customers took advantage of the featured sale item - 25% OFF all footwear!! make sure you, your friends and your family members are in the know by joining cravings' FACEBOOK fan page!! we have found it to be a very effective way to communicate with you, our fantastic customers!!

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Saskatoon-SK/cravings-maternity-baby-boutique/33587958959?ref=ts

thanks for your ongoing support!! we really appreciate your feedback, suggestions . . . and of course, your business!!

the weekend already?!?!!?

wow! i can't believe it is friday already! i'm happy to have a pretty low-key weekend coming up! the past several weekends have been super hectic - so some quiet, home & family time will be great! ok, who am i kidding - my house is NEVER quiet!! (but i am looking forward to hanging out with my boys)!

tonight i'm going over to my friend's house for a girls' get together! i haven't done that for a long time - should be fun!! and saturday night we are having dinner at my parents' house to celebrate my brother-in-law's birthday! other than that, NO PLANS!! noah really wants to have a "sleepover" with adam. we'll have to see about that. last time we tried a brother sleepover it wasn't very successful!!

have a great weekend!!

r.

a day at home

at home with the girls today. things have been so busy lately, it feels like forever since i've had a day at home. my to-do lists are still ridiculously long, but nothing that is too pressing. i feel like i can actually breathe right now! just got back from palm springs and then turned around and went to vancouver with becca to buy next season's maternity. we managed to get some personal shopping in as well and now i actually think i might be shopped out (at least my husband tells me i am!).

things have been crazy busy at the store. still getting new products in every day. there are so many great products out there. please let us know if you spot something that you think cravings should carry. the momzelle nursing shirts have been doing so well. we had never heard of them, but later found out several of our customers were purchasing online. our goal is to bring sought after products to saskatoon! the puj tubs are another new product and sold out fast. we are trying to get more ut they are on back-order right now. hoping to re-stock mid-april. a perfect gift!

going to get ready for a few crafts with ryan while layla naps.

have a great day!
j

successful shopping trip

just got back from a very successful shopping trip in vancouver! we found a tonne of amazing pieces for fall for moms to be! the season will be featuring deep purples, teal, navy blue, charcoal and our all time favourite - black!! leggings, tunics and longer sweaters will be very popular again for fall & winter 2010!

right now we have our spring & summer collections arriving!! tonnes of cute tops & sun dresses!

and, we still have a few winter maternity pieces available at 40% OFF!!

see you soon! happy spring!!

r.

1st cavity!

tonight at 6, steven and i have to take noah to the dentist for his first filling!! a few weeks ago i took both boys for a check up with our new dentist. this was adam's 1st visit, but noah had been to our former dentist a few times before. noah has never successfully had x-rays taken of his teeth (major freak out last time) when they did do x-rays this time, they discovered a small cavity between his teeth! we were supposed to be flossing!!!! i thought i was on top of mom things, but i seriously didn't know you had to floss your little kid's teeth!! i feel like a really bad, neglectful mother!!

last thursday we had a laughing gas trial - which weren't really well & was super funny!! and tonight we're going for the filling! i'm really nervous. i actually really like going to the dentist, but i'm nervous for noah getting the needle(s) - he's terrified of them!

i'm hoping that we can bribe him with the treasure box at the end and maybe a pack of pokemon cards. if you hear screaming around the grosvenor park shopping centre tonight, just ignore it, its probably just noah seeing the needle!!

r.

late night

this is a total procrastination blog! i'm back at work, working on our sabex awards applications. i need a break! my eyes are going buggy! this has been a pretty hectic week - and it's not over! tomorrow nicole and i are meeting back here at 8am to gather some stuff to take to our booth at the market mall baby crawl. the races take place from 1 - 4:30 pm, but there is an indoor baby garage sale from 9:30 am - 6 pm. cravings will have a booth set up all day. we will be selling some of our best sellers - toys, books, clothing . . . and we'll pay the tax.

we will be presenting the fastest baby with a $1000 cheque to go towards an RESP!! good luck to all the little racers - can't wait!!

r.

bedtime battles

we're going on 3 weeks of the big boy bed - and i'm just about ready to reinstate the crib!! adam is the sweetest, most polite almost-3 year old you'll ever meet . . . but he NEVER listens!! he doesn't care what other people think or feel - and cannot be motivated by anyone!! bribes, rewards, timeouts, taking things away - we've tried it all, and they don't work!!

my little con is now sleeping in a bed room (aka cell) with a bed, 1 book, 2 dressers & 1 blanket!! we've taken everything else out because he's trouble!! his latest is pulling everything out of his drawers and trying on all of his clothing! grrrr!

last night i came upstairs and the gate, which we placed in his doorway to keep adam contained, was mysteriously down on the ground and the little bugger was in our bedroom watching tv!!

wish us luck - not sure how much more i can take!!

r.

spring baby crawl

this saturday, march 13th, nicole and i will be spending the day at market mall for the spring baby crawl! this year, cravings maternity & baby is the grand prize sponsor!! we will be awarding saskatoon's fasted baby with a $1000 cheque to be used for an RESP!!

this is sure to be a super fun event - i'm really looking forward to seeing all the adorable little racers!!

yesterday, i picked up our giant sized check (for all the photo opps)! it looks great - i'm really pleased at how it turned out. it was my first real project on my new computer. i've had my mac for almost 4 months - but i haven't had much time to play around with it yet!

r.

we 've been talking about moving adam, our 2 1/2 year old, to a "big boy" bed for a few months now. last night we did it! i was really nervous about the switch - adam is quite a mischievous little monster (a cutie, but very cheeky)! i pictured him #1 - not staying in his room and #2 - destroying his room entirely!! well, we solved concern #1 right away - we placed a baby gate in his doorway (i totally recommend this).

we put adam to bed a bit later than his usual bedtime, hoping he'd be so tired he'd fall asleep right away and not have the energy to get out of bed (yeah right - wishful thinking). after lots of stories . . . and warnings about leaving his new bed, we left him alone! steven and i went downstairs and within minutes we heard little footsteps scampering about upstairs. i went in to check on him and he was in bed . . . but had pulled everything off of his dresser into his teeny tiny bed! i reminded him again about the bed rules and went back downstairs. a few minutes passed and then we heard more noise, so i went upstairs and snuck into adam's room - he didn't see me. i watched as he pulled everything out of his closet into his bed. i said his name and he froze and then ran into his bed and covered himself with a giant book that he had put in the bed as well!

after that, steven and i removed everything from his bedroom (except the furniture) and moved his dresser in front of the closet. we read him the riot act and eventually he did fall asleep - in his new bed!! he did sleep through the night and in the morning he called me to get him, like he was told!

all in all, not too bad - way better than i anticipated!

now for nap time in the new bed - that could be a different story!!

r.

update

feeling so horrible that it's been so long since i've written. things have been so busy here at the store. we just had our 1 year anniversary in our new space and our 4 year business anniversary is coming up on the 20th! can't believe it's been 4 years, but at the same time, i can't remember life before the store.

www.shopcravings.ca has been going well. becca & i have been filling orders so far, but excited for the day that it gets busy enough that we have to hire someone to run it! we've recently launched our weekly "craving" on facebook. make sure to check facebook every monday evening to find out what item will be featured with great savings!

some new additions to our boutique:

matt & nat diaper bags

apple cheeks cloth diapers

stokke highchairs

bugaboo strollers

art for the nursery (or other rooms in your home!)

and lots, lots more!!

hope to see you soon!

j

booby trappers

we are now carrying booby trappers! check out the link below! these are made right here in saskatchewan!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wqPHoyXPRjE

belly bandit

kourtney kardashian uses the belly bandit! perfect to shrink the post baby belly!

http://officialkourtneyk.celebuzz.com/2010/01/belly-bandit/

2009 strollers on sale!

store was hopping today! went in to buy some laundry detergent and i ended up staying to help. love the feel of the store when there are so people everywhere getting excited about new product! definitely a day of car seats and strollers. our 2010 models are starting to arrive so we've got to make room. all 2009 strollers are on sale!! they are going fast so hurry in!

j

buying, buying, buying!

we shopped up a storm in TO this past weekend- 4 shows in total. it was our busiest show yet. so excited to have picked up some great new lines, just not sure where we're going to put them! never thought this would be a problem so early in our move to our new location. ah, it would be so boring if we didn't have so many projects on the go...just don't think moving is in the cards for us! we'll figure something out i'm sure!

come and visit us in-store to see all our great new products OR

check out our website www.cravingsmaternityandbaby.com OR

visit our online store
www.shopcravings.ca

see you soon!
j

all stocked up

well, we're starting to get back in to the swing of things after the holidays here at cravings. our stock is being replenished daily! we're on our way to toronto this weekend to start our shopping for this year. we really only get a couple months off- in which time i do enough of my own shopping to more than make up for it! it'll be nice to get away for a few days...even if it's (mostly) all work and no play!

a few updates:
- 2010 peg perego strollers have started to arrive! come in & check out all the great new colors!
- remaining 2009 peg perego strollers are 20% OFF
- paige maternity denim has arrived
- all remaining fall & winter maternity clothing is 25%OFF (hard to believe our spring & summer merchandise starts arriving next month!)

we'd also like to welcome alison & angie to the cravings team and wish jaclyn all the best on her maternity leave!

i think that's it for the updates...off to finish watching the Canada game! have a good night!

j