Shop Local

While I will admit to doing a very large amount of online shopping, I also try to support small and local businesses. This Christmas I will be buying gifts from a fantastic Portland maker called Non-perishable Goods.

All Non-perishable Goods products are entirely hand-crafted using only natural fiber materials including linen, wool felt, vintage wool, vintage textiles, recycled cotton/hemp, repurposed denim, leather, cotton and paper. npg's linen napkins are sewn locally in portland, Oregon.

The teal with navy are my favorite! I plan to pick-up a set for myself while I am buying for others.

Products We Love

The Mini Fashionista has a birthday coming up in just over a week. For her birthday we decided to get her a new bike. 

While she already has a bike that she got over two years ago for Christmas, it's too big and heavy for her. We've discovered in the past few months that it was going to be an uphill challenge to riding without training wheels on a big and cumbersome bike. 

So I did some research, and I found this article (and this one). When I read the quote below, I knew that our assessment of the current bike was spot on. 

"Weight can be a huge issue in terms of kids' bikes. Most adult ride bikes which are about 20% of their total weight, while kids bikes are usually around 50% of a child’s weight. Imagine learning to balance on a bike that weights half of your body weight! The heavy weights of pedal bikes are also known to delay a child’s ability to balance, especially when compared to a lightweight balance bike." 

We have witnessed this first hand in watching the Mini try to ride her current pedal bike. I have no doubt that she has the balance necessary to ride, as we have seen her scoot around on her balance bike. But, it was clear that she would not have the same balance and ability on the pedal bike. 

So after some initial interest in the Early Rider, we decided to go with Isla Bikes, a bike we could purchase here locally (saving lots of $$ on shipping). 

Isla Bikes are made of light-weight aluminum frames, easy-reach light action brakes, wide-ratio simple gearing and they pay meticulous attention to detail. Here is a photo of their entire line of bikes in the Portland showroom.

We decided on the CNOC 16" in pink, of course. 

While the bikes are expensive, I think it will hold its value in resale and will provide the Mini with a great "first pedal bike" experience.

Products We Love: Pocket Fuel

As you may know, my family and I are great outdoor enthusiasts. We hike, fly fish, XC ski, downhill ski, camp, etc, and for the last two years I have spent a lot of time training for competitive XC ski races. Training sessions usually last 1-2 hours and sometimes more. During and after long and hard workouts, I am always looking for good, quick and easy "fuel" for my body. I hate gu's and gel's so my choices have been limited, until now.

My most recent discovery is called Pocket Fuel, a local Oregon company based out of Hood River (even more reason to like them). Their nut butters come in five flavors, my favorite being Chocolate Haze.

Chocolate Haze is made with hazelnuts, almonds and rich chocolate blended together into a silky smooth sweet delight and served up in a cute little pouch. It's loaded with essential minerals – potassium, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus and sodium – in the form of electrolytes. 

Even if you are not a competitive athlete, Pocket Fuel is a great snack to keep in your purse, at your desk, in the car, etc. They are 100% natural and 100% tasty! :) 

You can buy their products on their website and on amazon! Try it! You won't be sorry. 

Happy Trails!