Holiday Gift Guide - For the Little Ones and Giveaway

We are now a week into December,

and I am sure that your Christmas shopping is well

on its way.

If not, there's a special gift guide 

coming up just for you in a couple weeks.

This weeks gift guide

is for all the little people in your life,

and my favourite to shop for! 

Whoever they are,

chances are they will love 

at least one or two items

on this list! 

Read on below,

and don't forget to enter the give away!

1. Bath toys are always a hit and a great gift. Because these toys sit in water all the time, the turn over rate is higher than other toys. To help solve that problem, I would recommend one of these for storage. We have one and we love it. I am a big fan of Boon, and these Boon pipes for the bath look like so much fun! They suction right onto the tile and will make for lots of fun. There's one under our tree this year! 

Amazon.ca also sells Boon, so if you're a Prime member, you can ship it right to the recipient complete with gift wrap and a note! 

(image via booninc.com) 

2. Next on the list is the book of names and faces, customized to your own family and friends. For bigger kids, they have fun memory games with familiar faces as well. 

(image from pinholepress.com)

3. I have featured them here before, so my love for them is no secret! How about a bib that grows along with them? Maybe a cute scarf to protect them from the cold? Acorn and Leaf has some adorable prints for both of those. Their products are lovely, quality and Canadian!

4. Always a hit - you can never go wrong with a book or two! My kids love reading books and will request their favourites over and over. Chapters made a list of their top sellers for 2015 divided into age categories, in case you're stumped on what to buy. I can also tell you that Jane, our 1 year old, loves the touch and feel books. Especially the That's Not My... series. Claire loves imaginative books and thinks Robert Munsch is hilarious. We got here some of these mini Munsch books for her stocking this year. 

Of course I always encourage my readers to shop local when they can, but again, for convenience sake Amazon does carry several (and by several I mean thousands) of kids books that can be gift wrapped and sent directly to your recipient. 

5. For the teething littles on your list, I highly recommend the 'chewelry' from Glitter & Spice! The founder and owner is a local mama who is absolutely sweet. She runs the business out of her home and was one of the first teething jewelry businesses on the block. Since then she has been featured in magazines (like Vogue and Glamour), was at the giving suite at the Emmy's and word is spreading widely about how awesome her product is. We have the teething necklaces for mama and baby, and also a teething bracelet for baby. I love that the pieces are safe for baby to chew on and play with, no yucky material used and it is also cute enough to wear without looking like you are wearing something baby-ish.

6. Another big hitter in the local business game is bébé de luxe! Based out of Coquitlam, BC, this mama decided she wanted something organic, natural and free of yuckies for her baby. This is how her company was created. Bébé de luxe, along with Glitter and Spice, were part of the celebrity gift bags at the Emmy's this past year. Bébé de luxe specializes in milk bath and baby bath bar. Perfect for gifting and come highly recommended by moi.  

As a gift to our readers,

Bébé de luxe would like 

to gift one of our lucky readers

a package of Coconut and Oat bath milk! 

To top it off, 

I'm going to add another one to 

one of your friends!

The contest is open 

on Blogger and Instagram,

but is in no way endorsed by either of them.

By entering you confirm you are

at least 18 years or older,

and live within Canada or the U.S.A. 

Contest rules below-

If you are entering on the blog,

all you have to do is leave a comment below

with your email address,

and the name of your friend that you would like to win too.

Please make sure you have your friends mailing address,

 so that we can send them their prize as well.

If you are entering on Instagram,

all you have to do is follow both

Just An Ordinary Family 

and 

Bébé de luxe,

tag your friends in the comments,

one tag per comment.

Good luck everyone!

Winner will be announced on Friday December 11th.

*The winner will have 73 hours to make contact,

after that a new winner will be chosen.*

Women In Business: Acorn & Leaf {Give Away!}

Today on the blog I am interviewing Linda

of Acorn and Leaf! 

I first heard about Acorn and Leaf when I 

was browsing the local children's boutique

and saw her bibs on display.

The first thing I noticed was the adorable fabrics,

and that they were smaller than the average gigantic bibs I've often seen.

When I picked one up, I felt the soft fabric on the underside 

and noticed the two snaps on the back.

I loved that it was 'one size fits all'

and that she used snaps instead of Velcro.

Babies just rip Velcro bibs off! 

(Photo belongs to Modern Nest. Do not copy.) 

My second experience with Acorn and Leaf

was with Ali of Bella Photo.

She used my then 6 month old daughter

for a photo shoot for some product;

One of the products being Acorn and Leaf! 

The bright, vibrant bib looked amazing.

I now have Acorn and Leaf bibs for my girls, 

and I don't hesitate to tell people about how awesome they are.

When Jane wears them, people notice.

(Photos belong to Bellaphoto. Do not copy.)

You can buy Acorn and Leaf bibs at a number of retailers.

Click here to find a list of their stockists.

You can also shop online! 

Just An Ordinary Family: Acorn and Leaf, love that name. How did you come up with the name for your company?
Acorn & Leaf: Acorn & Leaf came to me very organically. Living in Calgary, Alberta and always having a love for the outdoors and anything nature, I wanted that to be my inspiration. I loved how it sounded and went with it. 

JAOF: How did Acorn and Leaf come to be? 

A&L: When my first wee man began to drool I was in need of bibs. At the time there was nothing on the market that I liked. We were given so many gorgeous outfits and every bib that we had over powered it or took over. I wanted something simple, functional and trendy. So I began to sew my own. Soon I had so many mums asking me to make their wee babes bibs and it took off from there. 

JAOF: Do you make the product yourself? 

A&L: I started off making our bibs all by myself. I became so busy I was literally buying fabric, washing it, cutting, sewing, packaging and shipping at every spare moment I had. This began to impact my time with my family (with a toddler and a baby on the way) I knew something had to change. I didn't want to give up a business that I loved, and didn't want to sacrifice anymore family time. At this time we were also selling our bibs in retail stores across Canada, as well as online. This had me sewing the majority of my day. My mom would come down on occasion to help me out, but it wasn't enough. 

     My husband suggested that we get the sewing outsourced as I could no longer keep up with the demand. We found a company here in North America to do this for us and built a wonderful working relationship with the sewers directly. This was the answer as I could now focus on my family, run a business and maintain our quality, customer service, and of course shop for more amazing prints and design new products!

JAOF: Do you work from home, or have a studio/office space? How does this work for you?

A&L: I do all of my work from home. We built a home office where everything is run out of. It is great as I can work from our home office packaging, emailing and even ship directly from during nap time and at my kids bedtime.

JAOF: At what point did Acorn and Leaf become your full time job?

A&L:  Acorn & Leaf became a full time job pretty much from the get go. I never would have thought that our little bib business would do so well. We are so grateful for all of the support our customers and independent retailers have shown us. It is amazing! We are truly blessed by the support and I am always overcome with emotion when I think about it. It was always a dream of mine to be a stay at home mom and yet use my creative side to do so. Without my husbands support and push I would have given up when it became too much. However he was the one to think outside the box and navigate the change for us. 

JAOF: Tell me about Changing the Face of Beauty campaign and how you got involved. 

A&L: It is a unique story actually. One day I had a random Facebook message from a wonderful woman named Krista. She simply asked, "Is Acorn & Leaf ready to change the face of beauty and be one of 15 companies to do so?" I asked to her to call me so we could chat. During that phone conversation I met a beautiful mom who's daughter Adele has down syndrome. I was so excited when she told me about the campaign and their drive to support inclusion. 

    Previous to becoming a mom I worked with individuals with varying abilities as a Residential Coordinator here in Calgary. I worked in the field for almost 8 years in various positions. The best part of my role was to advocate for inclusion. When I left my position there to stay at home with our first born, I knew I wanted to stay involved. When I started Acorn & Leaf, I knew there would be an avenue here to pursue.So it was simply magical when Krista emailed me. I was so excited that the opportunity found me.

JAOF: Tell us about the creative process of making bibs, choosing the best fabrics for absorbency and fabric pattern choices. 

A&L: This is my favorite part! Picking prints, and choosing styles is all done in my dreams. I long for nothing more then finding great prints and touching fabrics. I know this must sound silly, but it is true. When new prints come out I am like a kid in the candy store. I pick prints that I love really. And prints that are trendy and would look delightful on wee babes.

JAOF: What are some pros and cons of owning your own business? 

A&L: I love having our own business. I am constantly meeting people, building relationships and getting to work with the most inspiring people I know. I have built lasting relationships with the best independent retailers across Canada and couldn't be happier. Honestly, they're the reason why we are here today. We have learned so much from these relationships and are amazed at their willingness to support and teach other. I really can't think of any cons. It is great getting to stay at home with the wee ones and run our little company from home as well. 

JAOF: What advice would you give to someone who has a product they would like to make and sell? Then ultimately hoping to make the leap of creating a business from it? 

A&L: My advice is to give it a 110%. It will be tough at times, and it will not be a smooth ride. However, focus and surround yourself with positive people who believe in you. I couldn't have done it without my husband,family and friends.

(The above two photos belong to Modern Nest. Do not copy.)

Thanks, Linda, for sharing all about your business.

It is so great to hear about women who are 

able to take their passions and turn them into a career.

I especially love how you are able to incorporate

your past career and mold it together with your new business

through Changing the Face of Beauty. 

Trust me,

you're going to want to keep in touch with

Acorn & Leaf and keep updated on all their 

newest styles and patterns! 

To do so,

check out their website, 

like their Facebook page

 and follow them on Instagram.

Linda would like to gift one lucky reader 

a pack of 3 bibs! 

All you have to do is comment on this 

blog post or the Instagram photo,

telling us which bib is your favourite!

One comment per person.

If you leave a comment on the blog post,

please be sure to include 

the email address you wish to be contacted through.

Contest closes on Friday, September 18th at 9:00 AM PST.

Contest is open to anyone who is 18 and older,

and open to all residents of Canada and the United States.

This is in no way sponsored or affiliated with
Blogger, Facebook or Instagram. 

Also, 

please check out Changing the Face of Beauty 

and read what they're all about. 

Their are plenty of ways to be involved! 

website: changingthefaceofbeauty.org

Instagram: @5boysand1girlmake6

Twitter: @5boysand1girl6

batch.food. : Give Away

Today we at 

Just An Ordinary Family

are so proud to introduce you to

Batch Food!

Joanne is the founder and creator 

of Batch Foods and is a mommy from the same town I live in.

Naturally, that makes me feel extra excited to 

share with you a local business woman!

In honour of Mother's Day coming up

Batch Food is giving away not just one,

but two prizes!

"Mom's Night Off"

will include a lunch and dinner to be made for you!

You can nominate a friend and you will both win 

a Mom's Night Off! 

Our family has enjoyed 

Joanne's delicious creations.

Her assortment of meals is impressive.

Varying from classic comfort food like Chicken Pot Pie

to a more exotic dish like Butter Chicken and Ginger Beef.

Her dishes are not only taste good,
they are also easy to prepare and healthy too.

You can choose to pick them up

at their Richmond, BC location 

or have them delivered if you live in one of their 

15 delivery locations.

Is there anything better than waking up

and having that weeks meals already prepared and waiting

in a cooler by your door?

It was so convenient to have my fridge and freezer stocked

with ready made meals. 

Each dish we tried was pleasing to the palate.

We tried an assortment of dishes 

such as the winter squash soup,

the macaroni au gratin and the breakfast bowl.

My all time favourite dish was the Roasted Cauliflower Salad with a Curry dressing.

Mmm mmm!

Recently, my best friend's grandma had a fall

and was unable to prepare meals for herself.

Right away I went online and ordered a few meals that would

be simple to prepare and they were delivered to her door.

She said that they tasted delicious and were so helpful!

Read on below to see how Joanna got her start with Batch Food,

her previous culinary experience and of course 

how you can win a Mom's Night Off for yourself and a friend!

Just An Ordinary Family: The concept of Batch Food is genius! How did you come up with the idea?

Batch Food: When my kids were young and my husband and I both worked full time as chefs, I would batch cook meals and freeze so on busy nights or if I was to just to exhausted to make something fresh, I could pull out something homemade. We always talked about how great it was, and that we should start a business doing it. 

JAOF: What pushed you to take the leap to create Batch Food and have it as your full time job?

BF: We started out very small. First we just sold to our friends, then they told there friends and it grew from word of mouth. We set a weekly sales goal, when we reached that, I could focus on building batch full time. Everything kind of fell into place, we hit our goal we found a kitchen space to lease. 

JAOF: What did you do before you began Batch Food?

BF: I always worked in the culinary field as a chef. Then I focused on baking and became the Pastry Chef at the River Rock Resort. My last position was in the test kitchen at the Original Cakerie, working on new products and reformulating existing recipes. 

JAOF: Looking back, is there anything you would have done differently to make the transition from your former job to opening Batch Food?

BF: No, don't get me wrong, it wasn't easy to launch a new business, but I always felt like everything somehow kept falling into place for me. 

JAOF: What do you like best about running your own business? What do you like least?

BF: I like being able to create my own menus supporting local farmers and markets and working with other local businesses. 

My least favorite part is having to take care of things that aren't my area of expertise. If a delivery driver is sick, I have to make deliveries or if the printer doesn't work, I have to figure out how to fix it. There is no maintenance or IT department to call when there is a problem. 

JAOF: How do you manage your time as an entrepreneur, wife and mother?

BF: It can be pretty tough to balance everything, some days are full of family and some days are full of work. Batch is a family business so my husband and kids spend some time helping out doing what they can, but I am way more available for them then if I had a regular job. 

JAOF: What three pieces of advice would you give to someone who is wanting to leave their current employment situation and become their own boss?

BF: Stick to your passion, trust you instincts, set preliminary goals. 

JAOF: Where do you see Batch Food in 5 years?

BF: I would like Batch to be sold in the smaller gourmet groceries. 

Thanks for sharing with us Joanne.
It is so great to see that you were able to
use your skills to adapt to your family dynamics.
Even including them in your business.

Want to learn how to win a Mom's Night Off?
There are a few ways to do this!

1 - Leave a comment on this post with your name and email address.
Nominate a deserving friend and tell us why you think she deserves a day off from cooking.

2. You can also enter on Facebook and Instagram.
To do enter you must 'like' both Just An Ordinary Family and Batch Food.
Comment on the photo about the giveaway
and tag a deserving friend and tell us why she deserves a day off from cooking.

The winners must be able to pick up their meals from the Richmond location,
or live in one of the cities Batch Food delivers too.

Good luck!