Another Great Place to Get Baby and Kids Stuff On Sale! Gillt Groupe and Hautelook

So on top of the sites I shared before there are two others worth noting.  Although they both carry things for men, women, adults, housewares and even pets, they also both carry a TON of baby and kid stuff!

The first is Gilt Groupe.  They have a separate section specifically for children's merchandise.  It is invitation only, but I've supplied an invite right here:  http://www.gilt.com/invite/murphyresumes

Hautelook is definitely one of my favorites in general.  They have amazing brands and some serious blowout sales.  They also carry a lot of different children's brands.  This one is also invite only, but here's an invite from me to you: http://www.hautelook.com/invite/740939

These sites carry everything from toys to strollers at different times!  You just never know what'll pop up!  Actually, they both have calendars that show you, but you know what I mean:)

My favorite thing about both companies (which I have made MANY purchases from) is that the customer service so far has been great and I've scored some amazing deals!  I also love being able to poke around for myself while getting deals for the rest of my family!  What can I say?  I love a good sale!

If you have any issues with those invites let me know and I can send one privately.  Happy shopping!

Amazing "deal of the day" websites for baby and kid products! Great sales and bargains!

I have always loved shipping and am particularly fond of online sample sales, so when I was recently introduced to online sample sales for baby/kid products I nearly fell over in my chair!  They are amazing!

For those of you who don't know, a DOD (or deal of the day) site usually features one deal a day (though some feature one set of deals a day) at super low prices.  These deals usually run anywhere one to several days or until they run out.  Flash sales, sales that are up for a smaller period of time (usually minutes) are exciting, but quantities, choices and sizes are usually super limited.  The best part is, products are typically brand name and new!  Most of these sites have great reviews and excellent customer service.  Some of them ship very quickly and some of them can take up to a week or two as they have to receive the product from the manufacturer.  These are great for mommy's-to-be and current moms . . .  or even grandmothers!  You can find plenty for your baby/children or stock up on gifts!

Here are a few of my favorites:

www.greenbabybargains.com

www.mamabargains.com

www.babysteals.com


www.kidsteals.com

www.kids.woot.com

www.schnoop.com

bTrendie (requires invite code: murphyresumes@gmail.com)

Those are just some of the great sale sites out there.  I have bought from all of the ones on this list and had a great experience so far.  I strongly suggest giving these a peek!  Be warned, they can be VERY addicting!

The cover for my upcoming book - so exciting!

Take a peak at the beautiful cover of my upcoming book! The illustrations are by my former classmate and friend Anna Greene-Smith, a wonderful artist that does truly beautiful pieces.

Let me know what you think!

Thanks Rochelle, for finding the perfect color to compliment Anna's beautiful illustration!  It's beautiful!

Writing for my husband's company . . .

For those of you who don't know, my husband owns an interior & exterior painting company. It's funny, I've written all of his web, marketing and sales content (which is actually what I do for a living) and it's kind of like the cobbler's kids who have no shoes, I sometimes forget to update it!

Now that Spring is around the corner he's beginning to dust off his ads and get those cranking again. It's been a tough last 2 years for painters because the huge rise in oil prices actually shot the cost of paint up about 30%! A lot of paints are petroleum based and they require a lot of money for transport, so it's not been good for the entire industry. Anyway, he's really hoping to keep his company going strong despite all this. I must say, his company really does a great job and he only hires people he knows. When you have someone working on the inside or outside of your home it's important that you're comfortable around them!

I only hope that he can drum up enough residential interior and exterior painting for it to be a good season. I'm hoping to help by providing excellent copy and staying on top of things by updating everything as needed.

If you or someone else you know is looking for a high-end interior/exterior residential painting company check them out or spread the word: http://www.northcoastpainting.com/

Shameless plug, but they really are some of the best around and I'm proud of them! They paint for clients from Worcester to Boston/North Shore as well as Southern NH.

Inspiration . . .

Sometimes a story finds you and sometimes you have to search for it. I don't necessarily think that a story is better or worse because of the way it comes to be. However, I've noticed that there comes a point as I write where I truly feel inspired and then I can't help but think - am I the only one who's going to be excited about what I'm writing?

On a greater scale, is that how Euclid felt each time he developed a new proof or how Pythagoras felt when he came up with the Pythagorean theorem? I'm not suggesting in any way that I'll ever contribute something so timeless and substantial to any society or community, but even having one reader feel and relate to what I've pulled from my own mind would be gratifying.

Is true inspiration similar to kinetic energy?

I suppose anytime inspiration strikes you, there's always uncertainly as to whether or not sharing it will in turn inspire others or if they'll simply think you're nuts!

Will our children's generations enjoy reading as much as we do?

As a writer and avid reader, I can't help but be concerned that the growing electronic media available for entertainment worries me when it comes to my kids. Obviously I don't want them inundated with video games and movies, but it's more than that. Simply put, I want my children to take quiet moments in their lives to sit down and read for pleasure. My kids are currently very young - almost 2 and almost 4 - but as I watch the way in which they are being exposed to technology as opposed to what I grew up with . . . it's astonishing! My father was one of the first waves of men who went to school and jumped right into software programming (back before computer science degrees were available). He was actually part of the group that wrote some of the code that enables users to hop on the web, so I grew up with computers - black DOS screens with awful, glowing green font and all. But even having been exposed much sooner than most of my friends, who didn't have personal home computers until they were older, I still didn't grow up with mp3 players or dvds as a child - those came in high school and college.

Children these days have programmed cell phones (specifically for kids so that they can only contact parents and 911, something my husband and I are honestly consider for our eldest who goes to school in the fall) as soon as they go to school, mp3 players, laptops, etc. I guess coming back to my purpose in starting this discussion, with all of these amazing media options, do you honestly feel that our children's generations will really enjoy reading for pleasure?

I'm pretty adamant about wanting my sons to enjoy reading and their private preschool and the school that follows certainly encourage this as well, but will society? I've seen older children's public school programs cut out things like phonics, spelling, etc. Are we just paving the way for a lessened love and understanding of literature down the road?

Nursing tops worth a second glance!

I was poking around online and I just came across this site www.milkstars.com which offers fabulous nursing tops! The shirts have relatively simple, but flattering cuts, however, I believe the real appeal is the absolute versatility and ease with which you can supposedly nurse in what looks like a tailored top-AMAZING! I haven't tried one myself since a) I just found the site and b) I've already weened my second (and last), but if you look at the demonstrative photos on how they work it's actually really clever!

They offer basic cuts - short sleeve scoop necks, short sleep v-necks, long sleeve versions of both and one fluttery-sleeved top that for dressier occasions - but let's be serious, compared to other nursing tops these tailored essentials are GREAT. They look as though they come in a wide variety of colors, which is nice, too. I just wish I had found this site a year ago! I think my favorite part is the fact that is covers a large portion of your breast and all of your back and stomach. The site also says you can use part of the shirt to cover your child while they nurse.

Check them out and tell me what you think. Am I nuts or do these looks like they could be a great solution to the nursing-while-you're-out issue?