Day: February 8, 2016

Stitch Fix

~ Carolyn Knees ~ Leave a comment

I just realized I forgot to tell you how my first “fix” went with Stitch Fix! (Click on that link if you want to sign up. I get a small referral bonus if you do! AKA more shopping for me!)

Just in case you don’t know what it is: they send you 5 items personalized to your taste based on your style profile, notes you leave for your stylist, and your Pinterest board (if you share one). Then you get to decide from the comfort of your own home what you keep and what goes back. It is awesome!

You pay a $20 styling fee, which is applied towards your purchases, should you choose to keep anything. If you choose to keep everything, you get a 25% discount. Shipping is free both for the delivery and for returns.

I kept two items!

They sent me a sweater, a tank top, a long-sleeved tshirt and two pairs of pants. I kept the tshirt and a pair of jeans. I liked the other items, but they just didn’t quite fit right.

My favorite things about the experience:

  1. I left a note that I am breastfeeding and needed shirts to be easy to lift to feed kiddo, and that everything needed to be machine washable. They listened.
  2. I had seen some pants that other people had gotten from Stitch Fix that didn’t have a button/fly. They’re normal pants, except you just pull them on! HELLO! Sign me up! So I requested them, and my stylist delivered. I kept the jeans and I have already worn them like 5 times since I got them.
  3. They found some truly unique pieces that were still throw-on and easy to wear. My life doesn’t have any room for “fussy”, and they got that. But they still gave me options that weren’t boring!

I signed up for another “fix” already. It should be here next week. It is a little spendy for me to be doing all the time, but since I’m in the middle of a little “mommy makeover”, I get to do at least one more. Kyle is all for it, and it brings me a little joy to treat myself.

College Fund!

~ Carolyn Knees ~ Leave a comment

Just like that, Lewis has a college fund! I had my dad do some research on the Oregon College Savings plan, and we decided it sounded like a good strategy for saving for Lewis’ future. So I opened one up today!

It’s pretty cool, because it grows over time (Dad picked some portfolios that he thought seemed safe/reliable), and anyone can contribute if they want to. Maybe we’ll ask for college fund contributions instead of presents for his 1st birthday? Hmm… just a thought.

We also get to write off any contributions we make on our taxes each year. Woohoo!

So now we have both a retirement fund and a college fund set up. Even if we can’t contribute much at this point, at least the whole family is started on a “funding the future” plan. And we can always ramp up contributions as our financial situation changes. It is just such a RELIEF to have it started!

Next grown-up goals? Life insurance and a will. Gotta cover Lewis for all possible turns life can take.

~ Carolyn Knees ~ Leave a comment

Despite already having taken Tylenol, Lewis has now woken up twice screaming as if he thinks the world is ending.

This time, I even went so far as to undress him and check if there was something somewhere on his body that was pinched or poked or something that would explain the screaming.

I found nothing.

Eventually, he fell asleep as I held him upright while standing and swaying. Now I am sitting and rocking with him on my chest, scared to put him down. I’ve just never seen him like that before. Especially not with tylenol already in his system, taking care of whatever lurking pain we’re dealing on that day.

I’m genuinely freaked out. I hope there isn’t something wrong. My imagination is taking me very dark places. Maybe it is just gas…?