The JBF Lynnwood Toy Sale is here!

Have you shopped a JBF pre-sale before? Did you know that there are 3 ways that get you in the door before the public?

Consigning
Volunteering
Winning a Pierogie Mama giveaway ;) (well, for a JBF Lynnwood or JBF Everett event, anyways!)

This event was my 3rd time consigning (2nd time for JBF Lynnwood) and I got to knock out ALL of my Christmas shopping for kids + two nephews in one fell swoop. Let's all breathe a collective sigh together. Because if you're like me, it's really easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of the holiday season, searching for the right toy at the right price. Imagine my glee that I got it all done in the span of an hour last night. !! More time for the real reason for the season, right?!

So as Pierogie Mama JBF tradition goes, I like to post a few pics on instagram and then I like to post after my pre-sale shopping on the blog so that when you go shopping for the rest of the event (which is today, Friday 11/21 and tomorrow Saturday 11/22 - see times at the bottom of the post) you sort of know what to expect and maybe will get a chance to snag what I left behind for ya!

Here's what I picked up:
Psst... had to omit a few things because there's certain aunties who peruse the blog and I didn't want to give away Christmas surprises too early! :)

Here's some fun stuff that I saw:


The JBF Lynnwood Toy Sale and Holiday Bazaar is a little different from other JBF events because the primary focus is taking care of your holiday needs. For consigned items it's mostly toys, with holiday clothes and home decor thrown in. Heidi, the owner of JBF Lynnwood, also invites local vendors to set up their table at this event and they get to share their products and services with you (many have great event specials going on too!). Unfortunately I didn't get to see all the vendors last night because most were just getting set up, but I can tell you that I saw Jamberry, Miche, 31, Tupperware, Usborne, Strider Bike and Smith Brothers Milk tables. Those are already big crowd favorites!

The schedule for this year's JBF Lynnwood Toy Sale:
Friday Nov. 21st 2014 9ap to 7pm

Sat Nov. 22nd- 8am to 3pm (50% off sale from 12-3)
*Free admission- suggestion canned food donation to Mill Creek Food Bank

Located at Gold Creek Chuch

4326 148th St SE, Mill Creek, WA 98012

Disclosure: This post was sponsored by JBF Lynnwood. All opinions are my own.

Penny for your thoughts (vol 3)

Look, that leaf is running away from the wind!

I want you to take me up the North Mountain.

It's a STICKOSAURUS!

Only girls have boobies. And mamas.

When Santa comes to our house, I will get chocolate from him. Really really REALLY mommy! We will share it.

In a very angry, teeny tiny toddler voice: Wurt (Squirt, the dog) tried to trick me! So I went upstairs to hide in the bafroom. Wurt, stop trying to find me! Mama, Wurt ate my sawich. I need it back!

I think I like Ruby Booby.

What do leggings look like? A horse, pants or a kitchen box? I ask her questions in the same format, so now she's trying to test me!

Copycat Crispy Chicken Caesar Wrap

This didn't take a secret lab with multiple testings to uncover the perfect copycat recipe, but hey, when you got it you got it. And let's just say that from the time that I made these for dinner on Thursday, in the 5 nights that have passed since...we've had them for dinner or lunch 3 more times. So log this one away for an easy, short ingredient, 20 minute dinner or lunch recipe. You'll be happy that you did!

You will need:
Tortilla
Breaded chicken strips Strips (Zaycon Fresh has the yummiest!)
Your favorite cheese shredded - hubby likes Pepperjack, I like Asiago
Romaine lettuce
Creamy Caesar dressing (sometimes I mix it up and use Wishbone Spicy Caesar!)

You'll do:
1.Prepare the breaded chicken strips according to package instructions
2. Cut your tortilla in half and smear a good amount of dressing onto it.
3. Layer the lettuce, a crispy strip (or two!) and a sprinkle of cheese.
4. Roll it!

And that's all it takes. Wrap them up as to-gos for the car or for a lazy night in.

Zaycon Fresh is my #1 source for purchasing our meats, and we've ordered the breaded chicken fritters every time they've come available. They come pre-cooked, so all you need to do is crisp them up in the oven. For a limited time, pay $2.56 per pound with promo code FRITTERS2018 at check out.

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. 

Lotus Bumz diaper review + giveaway!

This giveaway was originally part of the FluffMas Giveaway Hop.

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For the last month I've been trying out a new cloth diaper that I've heard about for a few years but haven't gotten a chance to try in person. What's the brand? Lotus Bumz!

Lotus Bumz is family owned by Lorain and the diapers are ethically made in China. The diapers that I got to review are a one-size pocket diaper. If you are new to the cloth diaper lingo game, "one size" means that the diaper is made to fit most babies from usually 8 - 35 lbs, and "pocket diapers" means you stuff an insert inside the cover.

One size pocket diapers are the bread and butter of my stash. They are my first choice in diapering because I'm currently diapering two, a toddler and an infant, so it's very very handy to be able to use the same diapers between the two girls. All I have to do is adjust the rise. I love pocket diapers because the insert always stays in place and they are the easiest to get non-primary caregivers on board with. From the changing diaper standpoint, they go on just like a disposable (with the exception of snaps versus velcro). I just prep them in one big load after I'm done with my wash and they wait patiently in a basket until it's time for a change. Grandparents, aunties and uncles don't have a problem changing them because there's nothing to it. 

Besides the cute prints that you can only find on Lotus Bumz diapers, I really like the quality of the PUL material. The PUL (polyurethane laminate) is the exterior part of the diaper and is the printed fabric. It's the waterproof layer. If you have gotten to feel different brands of diapers, you might notice that some PUL fabrics are slick versus kind of "sticky" on the inside. I don't think there is a benefit either way, in my experience one is not more waterproof than the other. But what I have found with a "stickier" fabric is that it's a little harder to stuff them because your skin gets caught on the sticky PUL or the insert does. Lotus Bumz have a slick PUL interior, which makes it easier and quicker to stuff. It's all personal preference, but when you've got a TON of diapers to stuff and two girls begging for you to play...well, let's just say that I take whatever shortcuts are given to me and I appreciate a quick stuffing diaper! The material the touches the baby is fleece, which is soft and hasn't caused any irritation on either of my girls. The diapers come with a standard microfiber insert.

In trying these out on both of my girls (Penny is 32 months and Ruby is 8 months) I've had no problem with fit or leaking, which is what everyone wants to know when buying a cloth diaper!

Now here's your chance to win a 3 pack of Lotus Bumz diapers, and you get to choose your print (as long as it's in stock)! Check out the giveaway widget below to enter.

This giveaway has ended. Thank you to all who entered!

Disclosure: I received product in exchange for my honest review.

The Pierogie Chickens vol 1

I think it's high time I introduced The Pierogie Chickens to you! We've had them for about 9 months and the learning curve was surprisingly easy - seriously, the internet will tell you everything. We got these ladies as a complete flock as year olds and about a month before Ruby was born. I've let Penny name each one of the girls and over the course of 9 months we've got 4 out of 5 named.

Baby
The easiest to spot and the first to be named. I guess Penny thought she was a baby because she's the only yellow one, and thus the name has stuck. She's the Queen of the Roost, but unfortunately goes broody every few weeks. A broody chicken doesn't do me any good around here; I don't keep a rooster so she fruitlessly tries to hatch eggs that just aren't going to hatch. It's heartbreaking and silly all at the same time. She's a Buff Orpington.

Bazinga
Yep, my daughter made a BBT reference. And I totally didn't encourage it. We taught her the word about a few months ago, but she rarely says it. One afternoon while playing with the chickens she decided that one of our black hens is now to be called Bazinga. It took almost 5 months to find the difference from her sister, but I found that this girl has a larger, floppy comb. She is a Black Sex-link, which means the female chicks are born black and the male chicks have a white dot on their heads.

Puffy
The other Black Sex-link. Her comb is straight up and she seems to be a little smaller than Bazinga.

Brown Fluffy
She's the smaller of our two Rhode Island Reds and has 4 points on her comb. Unfortunately both of these characteristics are really hard to see at a glance, they usually move too quickly for me to count the individual points on the combs..

??
Well, last week I thought I had finally figured out a difference between our two RIR besides the "count the comb points" / "which one is smaller" game. This one had a black feather in her tail, which made it really easy to figure her out. So I called her "Black Tip," like a black tip reef shark. And then it rained and I realized that perhaps it was just a dirty feather or she lost it. So I'm back to square one. So perhaps a new name will come to me soon.

Related: 3 reasons why keeping backyard chickens is good for my toddler