Make time for the DOTD!

As if one addiction in my life wasn't enough, I can't help but share with you my latest major crush; Deal-of-the-day websites!

Back when I was still pregnant with Cameron, my cute friend, Beth, introduced me to this trend. 1 item of merchandise that is on sale 40-80% off each day. She pointed me in the direction of babysteals.com, and I have recently discovered another; mamabargains.com.

Mamabargains.com
This is my recent find, and takes a slightly different twist on the regular DOTD websites. Rather than just posting 1 deal a day, they post 1 deal at a time. They claim to change it every time an item sells out, but thankfully it is often before that, since some items don't always completely sell out. This site is slightly more addicting because it's unpredictable. You never know when it's going to change, so you find yourself hitting that refresh button several times a day! Because they have so many more listings however, you tend to come across more lower ticket items; plushy toys like "lubies" selling for $4.50, that to be honest, I couldn't care less about. They make up for it when they bring out the big kahunas though. I've seen high end strollers, regularly over $600, on for $300. For those that need one, they are certainly lucking out! They often have pricier toys too, like the smart gear push bike, on for under $45, regularly $90. I myself am certainly hoping this comes back when Cameron is old enough to appreciate it! For now, I'm holding out for a wheely bug!
The website is fairly well designed. There's a description, photos, and a cute little pregnant mama running from "lots left" to "all gone", indicating just how quickly you have to act. At 37,000 fb fans, mamabargains is slower selling though, so you usually have a little time to decide whether it's a must have. The site does do a lot of repeats...probably because a lot of items don't sell out before the deal is changed. This can be frustrating for some, but for others, a relief, when they get a second shot after not quite acting fast enough first time around!

Babysteals.com
This website is awesome, probably my favorite of the two. It does only have the one deal a day, but in general, the merchandise is more likely to be something you'd want, at least in my opinion. The website is maybe a little more appealing, they have more product photographs, and a good explanation. They don't however, tell you how close any particular product is to selling out, so you have no idea how much time you have to think of a valid explanation to tell your dear husband, as to why you absolutely needed it. In general though, babysteals sells out far quicker than mamabargains. They change the item up for grabs, at 9 MST each morning. Babysteals has over 60,000 facebook fans, And hot items have sold out in less than 10 minutes, so if it's something you're interested in, you'd better not wait around.
Babysteals does do repeats, but not nearly as often as you would like! Because there aren't many deals that don't sell out quickly, there is a far better chance that you'll miss out on something awesome. I have never seen hugely expensive items, like strollers, but they do have pricier goodies. Aden+Anais, Ergo backpacks, and PPB to name a few, though these are the products that will sell out the quickest.
Another great aspect of babysteals, is it's archive. Like I said before, most items sell out within the 24 hour period, so the archive is slim pickings. Its worth checking out anyway, if only to see what you missed out on!
Babysteals also has other partner websites; kidsteals.com, and scrapbooksteals.com.

The shipping is unfortunately a necessary evil for both websites. You sometimes have to eat quite a cost, depending on the item, to get it to your door, but when you're getting 50% off your bundle of joy, it's often still very much worth it. Us canadian mamas get the worst of it, with even higher costs, plus sometimes even duty, depending on the product. Luckily for me, I have a readily availably US address at my disposal! Thanks family! Even luckier are the Utah residents, who have the option of warehouse pickup, and don't pay an extra penny!

If nothing else, babysteals, and mamabargains have opened my eyes to some awesome new products. Products I wish I knew about before I had Cameron, so even if you don't get addicted to BUYING off the website, at least become a fan of the Facebook pages! There are a ton of other moms who talk about the products featured in deals. It's the best review guide you could ever need!

Unwanted rehab

I have come to the realization that my laptop is a major contributor of who I am. Well, maybe that's a little extreme, but it certainly is the first place I turn when nap time rolls around.

I often tell Clark that the camera he gave me last Christmas was the best gift he's ever given me...and that's saying something, since the last few gifts have consisted of clothes, spa days, costly electronics, and diamonds in one form or another. (Clark is one hell of a good gift giver). My camera though, is different. It continues to create new and exciting memories. It gives me something to learn, to constantly improve at, to feel like I am somewhat accomplishing something in my otherwise "nothing-but-a-housewife" life. We create the memories as a family, but it's my job to capture them in a media that we can "knock-on-wood" keep forever.

My camera has unintentionally created a critical bond between myself and my laptop. The snapshot is only the first part of the equation, and my artsy fartsy nature cannot leave it at that. Photographs are not ready to be seen until they have been edited to perfection. I certainly don't claim to be a world class editor, but as my skill for the field improves, as does the level of what I consider to be "perfect".

I am addicted. Addicted to taking photos, and even more addicted to editing them. So since my laptop charger quit on me last week, I have been having some serious withdrawals. Since I see life through a lens, Cameron has become a permanent model. He's cute when he does just about anything other then whine, and even sometimes then, so it's only natural for me to need to photograph every second! Needless to say, I have a weeks worth, (approximately 140 photos, and 2 videos) sitting on my sim card, waiting to be beautified, and it's killing me!

Canada Day in the Capital

There are a few things you just have to witness first hand....one of which are the festivities of Canada Day in Ottawa.



The afternoon saw the Prime Minister and the Queen of England arrive, and give speeches, along with a few other noted Canadian guests. The jets flew over, the canons went off, and they had the changing of the guard.
Despite the crowds, Clark got us an AWESOME spot up on Parliament Hill. We laid down our blanket, and watched the Canada Day concert with performers including Barenaked Ladies.





Unfortunately, Cameron had a pretty rough day. He's been extremely tired, and has a snotty little nose. Needless to say, our "sweet" spot was a little too loud for him to get some beauty sleep, so we had to give it up, and move further away.



The distance gave us a new perspective though, and I got some great shots of the crowds up on Clark's shoulders!





We walked around through the sea of red and white, and made our way up to another park to watch the late night fireworks.



All in all it was a tiring, fun day, full of good music, lots of walking, great sights, amazing atmosphere, and plenty of second hand weed.