Category: Reviews

A few weeks ago, a representative from Uncommon Goods contacted Jenny and me to see if we’d want to partner with them. I was very excited about this, because I’ve been shopping at Uncommon Goods for years – it is my go-to site when I need a unique gift. I also love them because their customer service is fantastic!

In fact, just this summer I bought the City Map Glasses (found here) as an engagement present…

… with some Whiskey Stones (found here) to go along with them.

I also bought Lake Topography Art (found here) as a hostess present – there are more than 4,000 lakes from which to choose, and they’re laser cut and hand assembled.

Uncommon Goods has a huge selection of really unique items – it’s the perfect place too look for the hard-to-shop-for husband or the already-has-everything friend!

Since Jenny’s birthday was coming up when we got the email about partnering with Uncommon Goods (and for some reason she didn’t make a bulleted list of exactly what to buy her this year), I thought I’d pick out a gift for her.

I started by perusing the Gifts for Women (found here) category.

Jenny loves Ohio-y stuff, so I considered the State Dish Towels (found here).

I also kind of loved these Agate Photo Frames (found here).

I finally settled on the Steampunk Coffee Mill (found here), as a nod to her love of all things coffee and all things old-fashioned.

After learning more about Uncommon Goods, I love them more than I did before. They’re a store you can feel good about supporting! They feature gifts “created in harmony iwth the environment and without harm to animals or people.” Half of what they sell is made by hand, and about a third incorporates recycled and/or upcycled materials – how cool is that? Another interesting point – their lowest-paid worker makes 50 percent more than minimum wage.

So, the next time you’re looking for the perfect gift, head to Uncommon Goods!

My kids went back to school today… and let me tell you, this morning was bloggable in the worst way possible. But that’s a story for another day! Today’s story is about the backpack that went with Kate to fifth grade – the Griffith Park Plus Backpack from Case Logic.

I’m going to be honest – this thing is so nice I kind of hated to let Kate use it! It would be perfect for Andy, because he’s always hauling home papers to grade and it has a padded compartment designed to hold a laptop, but once Kate saw it he was out of luck.

This backpack has TONS of room. As I mentioned, it has a dedicated space designed to hold a 15″ laptop and an iPad, plus a lined phone pocket.

Kate has none of those things.

But she does have a lot of fifth-grader stuff like books, folders, and her Trapper Keeper, all of which fit into the Griffith Park Plus with room to spare.

I also like the mesh padding in the back – I can still remember the feeling of backpack-induced sweat on my back, can’t you? Actually the more I read about this, the more I want to use it for myself…

Check out Case Logic for more info!

You guys know I loooove Lands’ End – it really and truly is about 95% of my wardrobe. But I also love Lands’ End for my kids, and school uniforms are no exception. This year is my 6th (can you BELIEVE that?) year with a kid in uniforms and Lands’ End are still my favorite hands down. Recently a friend who is sending her 3 boys to our school for the first time this year asked me advice on uniforms and I said “It’s an investment but since you have three boys in middle or high school, you need to buy Lands’ End for the hand-me-down quality and for the fact that they will take them back for any reason ever if you have a problem.”

And I think that’s all I really need to say! But I will add that they wash and dry wonderfully, better than any other brand I’ve used.

And now, the outfits and gear I chose for my kids this year!  I got Joshua a new backpack for middle school because his previous Lands’ End backpack, which he’s used for three years and still looks totally new, is a smaller size and he needs a bigger one for middle school. I chose the Featherlight Large Backpack:

This thing holds a TON of stuff, check it out!

Joshua loves it and he even did a review of it on KidzVuz.com which you can see here (not his best work but hey, he’ll get better!) Other things I like about it – it holds a lot but is lightweight and has padded straps to make it easy to carry!

Joshua’s lunchbox is in great shape and he’ll be using the same Lands’ End lunchbox for the 4th year! Sophie will be using hers for the 3rd year (and her backpack) so if you need a lunchbox, I highly recommend them!

Ok, now back to clothes: Here’s Sophie’s warm-weather look: short sleeve polo dress with school logo. I LOVE this darling dress!

This washes like a dream, and it’s really comfortable for Sophie to run and play in. As are the cute Mary Janes she’s wearing. I got her a brown pair last year, and a black pair at end-of-season clearance last year, and now she has a navy pair, too! They are the BEST. They can go from church to the playground seamlessly and they hold up SO well.

For Joshua’s warm-weather look, I went with this orange mesh polo shirt – I love this color on Joshua and they way the school logo pops! I also went with the classic chino shorts. These look so polished and also come out of the dryer looking awesome. Joshua’s also wearing his Landon shoes from last year because they held up SO well and his feet didn’t grow too much this year. (He really hasn’t had a growth spurt in awhile, I know it’s gonna be soon.)

Does he look ready for middle school or what??

Next up, I went for a really versatile outfit for Sophie, a plaid skort she can wear in the winter with tights, and long sleeves and/or a cardigan,  or with short sleeves in warm weather. It’s pretty much my FAVORITE ever. Here she’s wearing it with a long-sleeve polo underneath this gorgeous fine gauge cardigan; of course she can also wear the cardigan for extra warmth over any shirt an with pants, a jumper, or a skirt.

Isn’t it to die for?? I love the skort because it looks dressy like a skirt, but the built-in shorts make sure she can play and be modest at the same time. Oh my goodness, I would put her in this every day if I could. That being said, I also love Lands’ End shorts and pants for her. They fit great, wash perfectly, and have the adjustable waist that both of my big kids need.

And speaking of pants, here’s Joshua in a long-sleeve polo and the famous Lands’ End Iron Knee pants. These are the BEST. PANTS. EVER.

These pants are really tough and can take all the wear-and-tear active kids put them through. Neither of my big kids has ever ripped out a knee in these pants – or torn any other part of them, either. They are tough and look so nice wash after wash!

Finally, the last thing I got Joshua this year is a uniform fleece. With the school logo on it, he can wear it over his uniform shirts for added warmth or as a jacket. If we have another winter like we did last year, I know he is going to need it! These also look awesome even after a million washes and they are SO darn warm and cozy!

They look so nice and sporty, kids like to wear them as a jacket even when they aren’t at school.

If your kids wear uniforms, I definitely recommend checking out Lands’ End, especially if you have kids who will be wearing each other’s hand-me-downs – it’s so worth the investment to buy them once and hand them down!

Thanks Lands’ End, for once again allowing me and the kids to try out some new styles this year!