Canadian family visits!

I’m tellin’ ya, when I’m in the mood to write posts, I pump’em out. And when I’m not, I just leave this space pretty bare. I can’t be more consistent at this stage of where I am right now, because I’d much rather spend the time with my baby – who by the way will be 6 friggen months in a few short days. A post for that will be coming soon. Maybe on Monday or so.

But this is me, right now…writing down reminders to myself on what to do on a daily basis. Because if I don’t, things don’t get done. Like talking about my sister-in-law’s visit, nearly two months ago. I mean, I meant to tell you. I meant to document it all on here, on spiffykerms. And I suppose I sort of am now. Just… delayed. Ha. In this photo above is how I look today. Air-dryed hair, baby nappin’, literally writing down my to-do list for the week.

Alfie walkin’ around in the Genesis G90 like he owned the place. We had that car for the week while my SIL was here because our cars won’t fit 3 adults comfortably (with the car seat making the front passenger seat pushed far too forward), so I got this limo-like luxury vehicle to review for while she was visiting, and it was absolutely glorious.

Running photos of Alfie are my absolute favourite. Don’t you agree? He’s such a happy pup, and my goodness what a rough go of it he’s had, over the past few years (attacked by a pitbull in 2016, and then a cancer diagnosis in 2017). Ugh! Tough ol’ dog I’m tellin’ ya. Back to positive news. He’s in remission (month 2!!)

Where did we drive? Well, I sure do love me some slow coast California coastline so we almost always hit up Santa Cruz area to drive around.

This time we ended up to Half Moon Bay, where Husband went to fly his drone – he rarely gets the chance to fly the drone so he was pretty stoked on the adventure.

The California coastline has got to be one of my favourite places on earth. I love the cliffs, I love the sound of the ocean, it’s gorgeous to just go and watch the waves roll in and out.

Alfie’s serious face I’m pretty sure means – hurry up and take the dang photo so we can go on more adventures.

It’s a beauty inside. The backseats were pretty much fully-loaded too. It has its own air conditioning controls, and almost like sitting in the drivers seat captains chairs with all the buttons to adjust the back seat chairs to your liking. It was wild. 

Until next time buddy… and thanks to Genesis G90 for the vehicle that we had for the week. It was a blast and a half!

 

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Who wouldn’t want VIP treatment?

This is a sponsored post in collaboration with Simon Malls + Gilroy Premium Outlets 

If you follow me on Instagram you probably saw that last weekend was an entire family affair, as we headed down to the Gilroy Outlets to do a bit of shopping. Alfie came too! Last week he received great results again from his monthly ultrasound appointment and is now in month No 2 of remission.

We headed down mid-day to Gilroy (I forgot how hot it gets down there – I think the high was 33C!), and I noticed immediately that I forgot to pack the stroller in my husband’s car – since it’s always in my trunk ready to go. Oof! Luckily, I brought my LilleBaby carrier, and as soon as I put it on, I felt the sweat drip right down my back. A pretty picture I’m painting for you here… isn’t it.

I was given a gift card to shop at the Gilroy Premium Outlets for their VIP Rewards Days Summer Of Likes event. Which was set up with little booths around the participating stores. Each of the 7 stores participating had fun activations that the shoppers enjoyed. Calvin Klein had some refreshing drinks, Adidas had folks playing BINGO, and in whatever backpack you chose to play with, there was a discount inside. The North Face had air plants, which was super cute. You can view all the videos from the weekend on my Instagram highlight section here.

We ended up being there for a few hours, scoping it out because my husband mentioned he’d never been before! He actually ended up scoring the most deals since all the stuff he bought was on sale. He ended up getting a few shirts to wear to work: 1 cotton button up short-sleeved “last season” from The North Face, and two sport-like polos from Nike that I helped pick out. It was kinda hard because we brought Alfie and totally forgot that dogs weren’t allowed in some stores. So it was a bit of a balancing act trying to shop together. We did it though, and we had fun! I tend to go to the Gilroy outlets at least once a year, and the last time that I went was when my baby was 5 weeks old and I took my Mom down for some shopping.

If you want to be in the know-how for next time, or even just heading out to a Simon Malls property, sign up for their VIP Shopper Club (it’s free) and you can get exclusive discounts when shopping. I personally love The Cosmetics Company Store, where I bought my Tom Ford face powder (in a darker shade so I could wear it as a bronzer), Nike (because I love Nike), Le Creuset (because I’m an adult now and love pots/pans lol), and Lululemon even has an outlet there! Score!

When’s the last time you went outlet shopping?

Thanks for the fun Saturday, Gilroy!

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Is your baby safe in their car seat?

This post is sponsored by Chicco.

As a first time Mom, I’m definitely no expert but I’ve said it before – I’m constantly researching, studying, and even googling all-the-things all-the-time. Is my baby safe in whichever product I’m about to buy? Hmm – let me Google that. So much to learn! I can’t stop learning and asking questions. I’m so invested in his well being.

What happens if you see a mom friend buckling her baby into a car seat and the chest clip is too low? Or something doesn’t look right with the way things are hooked up. Do you, or should you speak up? Personally I feel terrible for not speaking up as one, I feel like I’d be stepping on their toes and in their business. But also because I’m a first-time Mom and am definitely no know-it-all. I know that I am extra cautious when talking about baby related things. So many people get so much advice (unsolicited or otherwise) from others, it’s just hard to take it all in. That’s why I’m happy that I’m sharing this on my blog, and other social outlets. Why not make good use out of your scroll-time through instagram/blogs, and get some recommendations? It’s honestly how I find out about cool kids clothing stores, or learn about different parenting techniques, and what activities to do with baby.

But I’ll tell you this much, I can use my voice and my reach online. That’s one thing for sure, I’m so thankful of my large Instagram reach, where I can publicly speak up and use the hashtag #TurnAfter2 and properly inform parents of car seat safety. Please don’t think I’m an expert, as a first-time parent I definitely am not, nor claim to be. My baby isn’t even 6 months yet. But what I can do is use my voice and teach, and inform.

Keeping babies and toddlers rear facing for as long as possible is the most ideal, and of course, safest. One thing I know for sure, is that my baby going to stay in a rear facing position in his car seat for as long as he can. I’m proud to be working with Chicco USA to tell you why it’s safer to keep your child rear facing until s/he’s age two or older. The way rear-facing works is that it spreads the force evenly across the back of the car seat and body, and limits the head motion. Their head, neck and spine are all supported by the car seat during a collision. Otherwise they are more at risk for a potential neck injury. Ugh, yikes. Are you taking notes? Because I certainly am.

If you’re a new parent, or expecting your baby soon, please read the manuals that come with your car seat, to ensure you’re properly installing the car seat in a safe manner. Do you know what kind of car seat you have? I really like convertible car seats that can grow with your child. The Chicco NextFit iX Zip is a convertible car seat that can be used rear facing  5-40lbs, and forward-facing 22-65lbs, so it certainly grows with your child.

Many people turn their child forward-facing too early , simply because they can look uncomfortable. See these photos below? He’s in funny and somewhat uncomfortable LOOKING, but he’s fine. The same way kids, and babies LOOK cramped in their car seat and be okay in the rear-facing position.

 Chicco NextFit iX Zip Car Seat features (and product manual):

  • Rear-facing: 5-40lbs
  • Forward-facing: 22-65lbs
  • Easy to install
  • Seat pads zip off easily for cleaning
  • 9 reclining positions, 9 height adjustments for that perfect fit
  • Steel-reinforced frame with EPS energy-absorbing foam is side-impact tested for superior protection

The hashtag #TurnAfter2 isn’t simply a suggestion, in fact it’s a law in many states to keep your child rear facing until at least age 2. However, I’ve been an advocate to keeping the child rear facing until s/he reaches the weight/height limit of the rear facing car seat instructions. Follow the hashtag on Instagram and social media to get more educated about the benefits of rear-facing your child for longer.

Since TurnAfter2 launched one year ago, the number of parents who are aware of the AAP’s 2-year rear-facing recommendation has dramatically increased to 73 percent, up 26 percent since 2017, which means using your social media channels to share pictures of your little ones riding rear-facing CAN make a difference!

I’m hoping I’ll raise awareness to some that may have not known otherwise about the #TurnAfter2 campaign to keep your child rear-facing for as long as possible.

As a gift to you, and thank you for reading my blog and following along my social media channels, Chicco is offering one of my readers a Chicco NextFit iX Zip car seat like the one shown in this post.

How to enter (USA ONLY):

Share a photo of your little one rear-facing on social media using #TurnAfter2! Come back here to comment on this post (and sharing the link so I can confirm!). Giveaway closes Monday July 16, 2018 at 9am PST/12 EST.

 

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