A Great Googa Mooga Kinda Weekend

Those of you in NYC, have you dried out yet??? 

I don't think I've ever recalled such a late start to spring as the one we've had. We get a couple days of sun followed by a string of chilly rainy days. 

C'mon spring!!!

Anyway, despite the rain we still eeked out a pretty good weekend . . .

Friday

I returned from the park with Nia to find a special surprise from Foster Grant - full review to come!

A special dinner for Mr. Love Bird's return

Saturday

Our monthly brunch ritual when Mr. Love Bird returns from his monthly week away . . .then we made the trek to Great Googa Mooga. . .

Momofuku Milk Bar's crack pie that Mr. Love Bird tried was EVERYTHING! He wasn't a fan of the compost cookie which Nia and I adore

Really enjoyed Lee Fields' performance  . . .check out the quick video below!

She was too small to enjoy them when we had a layover in Paris in 2012, so I treated her to her first macaron - she chose coconut

Rain started up (and the lines to enter Great Googa Mooga got hectic) and it was time to head to my friend's baby shower anyway. . .

I adore Alice's Tea Cup! It was nice to go for a girls' afternoon. (Check out the first time I took Nia here)

Sunday

My lovely child who insists on wearing only underwear around the house O_o

You WILL NOT see me doing this with the stroller (fun to watch though!):

 

Ended the weekend at my happy place - my sweet new neighbor let me hitch a ride! {BTW you MUST try the honey goat gouda cheese}

What's on deck this week? Anyone making plans for Memorial Day weekend? (I'm hoping to see Star Trek - Trekkies unite!)
 
 

Squeaky Wheel #13: My Quest for the Perfect Smartphone Walletcase

I have a bit of an obsession with finding the perfect cell phone case (you can check out my BlackBerry Squeaky Wheel case post here) and now with my S3 it took several months before I found the right case. There was one I thought was perfect, but it arrived cracked from an overseas vendor via Amazon, who reimbursed me (love their customer service!). It was while waiting for that case that my last S3 screen cracked. Just my luck!

The search for the next case was extensive and after scouring the internet I found this one:

{Image Credit}

 Here's what I liked about it when considering purchasing it:

• The color - I didn't want a non-descript black case but not too show-offy either; the deep shade of purple was spot-on
• The strap - so many cases didn't have a wristlet strap or if they did they were lacking in other features
• Ample card slots including a clear one - I liked that there was a see-through pocket to put my ID into
• A pocket for cash - I want the ability to just put my phone, cash, ID and MetroCard into one unit and dash. I didn't want to have to carry a wallet and a phone in a case      

Well when it arrived I noticed it had a ribbon attaching the wrist strap and slowly but surely it starting unraveling . . .

I promptly contacted the company, Navor, being sure to include the picture above. They sent the following response (grammar/punctuation unedited):


Dear Valued Customer

We are sorry for the inconvenience., caused due on product issue. I have forwarded the problem to our development team to rectify it in future production .

May we send you the same wallet case New condition totally free of charge.

Please let us know if we are handling this matter appropriately & if not do write us your concerns.

We appreciate your business and look forward to serving you.

Thanks and regards.

Customer Service


And in just a few days a new one arrived. In the interim the case was still fine apart from the strap so I asked my mom what I should do to stop the fraying and she recommended Fray Check. Have you heard of it?

Well it worked like a charm and I can get a bit more life out of the existing case and will hold onto the new one for later.

Regarding protection the case has done its job. I have dropped it a few times and the edges got a little scratched up but other than that it's provided great protection. Not a crack in site!

Oh and one more note - I added a screen glare protector as I read the cards opposite the screen can have a tendency to scratch it. So far it's been OK apart from a bubble that appeared randomly underneath that I can't smooth out but three came in a pack (I gave one to Mr. Love Bird) so I'll hold out before using the last screen protector. It really does make looking at the screen much easier!

So there you have it - my S3 walletcase situation solved with outstanding customer service. I really am happy with the case - I get compliments on it all the time, and it's a breeze for running around the city with everything easily accessible!

Are you particular about your cellphone case? What are your must-have features?       

 

P.S. You can read previous Squeaky Wheel posts here.

Winner: Mastermind Giveaway

Someone was happy to have pockets!

I'm about to run out to enjoy the gorgeous sunshine that seems to be sustaining at last here in NYC, but first I wanted to share the winner of the Mastermind giveaway . . .

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Congrats T-Nicole! I'll be in touch shortly via email for your contact info. 

(Annnnd I'll be back with a Squeaky Wheel post . . .)

Hi Virginia! Episode 5

We're taking it outside this month . . .

    

P.S. There are a few short hours left to enter my Mastermind game giveaway here! It really is a fun game for both kids and adults =)

Wordless Wednesday: Mother's Day Family Photos

 

 

Take a stroll down memory lane with our previous years' Mother's Day family photos courtesy of our church: 2010, 2011 and 2012. 
 
    

A Different Kind of Mother's Day

When I opened my eyes yesterday to a dim room without rays of the usual sunlight streaming in as we've been having pretty regularly lately I was a bit unsure of how Mother's Day would be. I'm greatly affected by the sunlight - or lack of sunlight I should say. 

As I reluctantly got out of bed after about 30 minutes of slogging around the sun started breaking through and the familiar rays came streaming in. I smiled and knew it was going to be an awesome day.

And it was.

In fact, it was an awesome weekend.

Saturday 

Sunday

Her dad was putting her in the car seat so her straps weren't fully adjusted yet ;-)

I won tickets via Random Handprints and was able to enjoy the show with a fellow mom friend . . .

This was the perfect ending to my weekend

Hope my mommy readers had a wonderful Mother's Day as well! 
 
    

P.S. I'll have my church's annual Mother's Day family portrait later this week . . .also stay tuned later today for episode 5 of Hi Virginia!

Pre-Mother's Day Stream of Consciousness

So Mother's Day weekend is coming up and I have a love/hate relationship with the holiday. My fail-safe method is to have low expectations so I don't set myself up for disappointment. So far it's working. Here's what I'm thinking about Mother's Day this year in a bulleted/stream of consciousness format . . .
 

Vegas 2005 (or 2006 I think!)

• Mr. Love Bird pretty much already won in the gift department when he booked tickets for us a couple days ago on Virgin America (my favorite airline!) for a getaway to Las Vegas this fall (you can read my epic guide to Vegas here)

• Concerning the actual Mother's Day holiday, sadly Mr. Love Bird departs that day for his monthly week away on business so I entered to win evening tickets to the NYC edition of Listen to Your Mother and I won! Just this fact alone lets me know it's going to be a good Mother's Day regardless of whatever else happens/doesn't happen - I've been hearing such great things about the show and I look forward to going with another mom friend

• My church is continuing their annual celebration on Mother's Day by doing family portraits and having a special gift for moms; we're attending the earliest service so we can participate before Mr. Love Bird leaves (check out our previous years' photos: 2010, 2011, 2012) 

• Thyme Maternity, one of the fab brands I met at Getting Gorgeous 2013, is sponsoring an awesome Mother's Day giveaway on their Facebook page with the grand prize being 2 winners receiving $500 shopping sprees; you can enter here

 

• Speaking of maternity, questions about baby #2 still keep popping up especially because our new place is waaaay bigger than our last and the nursery could comfortably hold 3 kids however this post reconfirmed why I'm not quite ready yet for more

• Ever wondered what moms really want for Mother's Day? Check out this hilarious post to find out

• Won't you consider a charitable donation this Mother's Day? SHE, the non-profit I mentioned a few months ago, is doing amazing work in Rwanda bringing a sustainable business model to the communities there through creation of menstrual pads made from banana leaves. Women in developing countries often miss up to a month of work because traditional menstrual supplies are so expensive. Could you imagine that? You can donate to the cause here 

• *UPDATE* - I had to come back and include this cute Mother's Day video from Kid President (I can't get enough of him!):

 

What's on your mind as we head into Mother's Day 2013? Any special plans this weekend? 
 
    

P.S. Stay tuned Monday: a new episode of Hi Virginia! will be posted