When I walked into the kitchen this morning, Cameron waved the newspaper at me and said, "Target is coming to Canada!" While he is not in the throes of a red cart romance, he knows I am. My love for Target has grown over 9 years of work-related cross-border trips to Buffalo and plenty of high-speed marathon shopping events at the red retailer.
According to the Toronto Star article, as part of Target's international (a global red cart romance? Oh yes!) expansion, they plan to be in Canada in 3 years' time. Originally it was thought they'd buy and take over Zellers, but that didn't happen. Much as I appreciate Zellers for having provided me with my first H.R. job and my husband (how's that for an H.R. faux pas - fishing off the company pier!), as a retailer, they are so behind the times. Lousy selection and not the greatest pricing. Wal-Mart is great for basics and has cheap prices, but it just doesn't compare to Target, which is in a league of it's own.
I love Target because it is upscale cheap chic. Their buyers are just as cutting-edge as upscale retailers, and realizing consumers want current, trendy, and stylish products at a lower price, they strive to not just satisfy them, but to wow them.
When I visit Target, I take a two-pronged approach. I have a mental shopping list of specifics to buy, but I focus primarily on tuning my radar to fabulous items and deals. First stop is always the ladies' fashions. Usually, there is a rack of "guest designer" clothes, a collection made by a designer specifically for Target, and is only there for about a month. This is a similar strategy to H&M's approach. For example, last year there was a line of clothes in Target, designed by Proenza Schoeler.
The clearance rack is also pretty good. I bought a long-sleeved t-shirt for $2.00 last year to wear on a ski trip. I've also had luck with the Merona line of classic clothes, always good for business-wear. The Isaac Mizrahi fashions are hit and miss for me, but his shoes are quite good and my white Mizrahi wallet has received many compliments. I've also had great luck with the Gilligan & O'Malley line of bras. For example, I recently bought a nursing bra for $14.00, while normally one of those would set you back at least $30.00 anywhere else.
Around the store I continue. The cosmetics department is fantastic. Sonia Kashuk, Boots No. 7, and Pixi are some of the interesting lines they carry, in addition to the usual drugstore-brand suspects. On to the shoe department for inexpensive, stylish pumps and flats. Last year I bought Austin a pair of Crocs knock-offs for $3.00.
Kids' clothes are pretty good, but I usually buy used for my shorties. I've not really examined the mens' department (sorry Cam!) and while the Liz Lange maternity clothes were quite attractive to me last year, I'd already built my maternity wardrobe and resisted the urge to buy more.
On to the hard goods, where I spend most of my time in the home goods aisles. Hotel quality (high thread count) sheet sets for crazy cheap prices. Nice blinds and drapes. Seasonal table-wear to lose your mind over without blowing your budget. Small appliances (like a programmable Crockpot for for $19.99.) Home decor items that are current and stylish. All the time I'm doing the math and figuring out how much is reasonable to bring through Customs. (side note: I declare everything. Never, ever, ever, lie to Customs. Right, Cam?)
A little browsing in the food aisles (great variety of coffees and the store brand, Archer Farms is darn good) for brands and items not available in Canada. Final stop is usually in the pharmacy area. Here is where I'll find Target brand items that are only available as name-brand in Canada. I scored an infra-red ear thermometer last Fall for $19.99 under the Target brand, when all I could find in Canada were name-brand ones for upwards of $70.00. I've also been known to buy store-brand "family planning" items like ovulation kits, pregnancy tests, and KY. Last but not least, I pick up Tom's of Maine deodorant at half the price than charged at home, and salon brand hair products about 1/3 cheaper.
Another way to shop Target is online, where they have an even broader range of products, especially in the home furnishings area. What's great is consumers post reviews of products they've bought or tried. Target shoppers are a loyal bunch and are happy to take the time to review products. What I've done is researched items in advance, and then bought them at the store in-person.
Since I can't shop Target as regularly as I like, I don't consider myself an expert. More of a cross-border Target admirer. There are, however, a number of blogs dedicated to this rabid love for Target that its loyal shoppers have. My favourite is Slave To Target, which was the first to coin the phrase "red cart romance", that pretty much sums up my sentiments towards this amazing, fun, cheap chic retailer.
Friday, January 22, 2010
Monday, January 4, 2010
Cook it, baby, cook it!
Over the past 2 weeks, I've started cooking for the youngest member of our household. At her doctor's suggestion, Lauren started solids a month ago and once she'd settled nicely onto baby rice cereal, I started integrating pureed vegetables, which I cook myself. It seems to be going well. Lauren's a huge fan of sweet potatoes, is okay with turnips, but is not a lover of carrots. The "ewww yuck" facial expressions in reaction to carrots is pretty darn funny, however.
When Austin was a baby, every meal he ate came out of a jar. I never really considered cooking baby food for him, nor did I seem to have the time or energy to do so. As a preview for things to come, Austin was a big eater right from the start. As a tiny guy, he would eat an entire jar of vegetables in one sitting. As he got bigger, he was eating at least a big jar, sometimes even a little bit more. Thinking back, while our intentions were good in feeding him prepared baby purees, he was consuming quite a bit of sodium, sugar, and preservatives. And the cost was eating us out of house and home. Well, not quite, but you get the point. I can't remember exactly what we were paying, but I think it was around a dollar a jar.
Being a little better organized and far more proficient in the kitchen this time around, I decided to investigate making my own purees for Lauren. I found a simple and straight-forward book at Chapters, "Blender Baby Food" by Nicole Young and Nadine Day. What really inspired me to buy it and try it was the authors' comments on how babies fed home-made foods generally became better eaters, more open to trying a diversity of foods, and usually became fruit and veggie lovers. That and the health benefits were motivation enough for me, although, of course, the financial savings was already a no-brainer for me. At the very least, I figured if cooking our own baby food worked out only for some of the time, I was still going to be ahead of the game in feeding Lauren well and saving a couple of bucks.
The experiment has been a huge success, in my opinion. The time, mess, and equipment involved is minimal. I had originally thought I was going to need to buy a food processor, but the book says everything is blender-able. I've got a blender, but being a bit lazy around clean-up, I have only used my hand blender (the immersable kind.) In terms of preparation, all that's involved is peeling, finely chopping, briefly boiling then simmering, then pureeing of the vegetables in the water. While it's simmering, I'm doing something else. It's not like you have to stand over the stove the whole time while it's cooking, so really, there's not much time involved at all.
The ratio of food to water is 2:1 in most cases, and the cooking specifics are bring to boil, then simmer 20 minutes before cooling and pureeing. That's it, that's all. Not nearly as mystical and complicated as I had first imagined.
In terms of storage, Santa brought Lauren Baby Cubes, most likely from Toys R Us. Or actually, Santa did. While they're handy, they aren't necessary. I am also using a silicone ice cube tray, bought for $1.00 at the dollar store. With the ice cube tray, I just fill the cubes with puree, freeze it, then pop the frozen food cubes into a freezer bag on which I label the contents and date before firing it into the freezer. I usually put a day or two's worth in small jars or plastic storage containers in the fridge. The frozen stuff defrosts easily in the fridge or can be microwaved for about 20 seconds on the lowest power level to defrost.
Aside from the nutritional benefits and hopefully, making Lauren a good eater, the cost savings has been staggering. For about $1.00, I can buy and prepare a vegetable that will make approximately 8 meals for Lauren. I've heard baby food is way more expensive in the stores now than it was when Austin ate it, so at a minimum, I am feeding Lauren for 8 times less than I did with Austin, probably more. Isn't that incredible?
What's also nice is this method of cooking and feeding also ties in with a recent decision I made. I realized we were eating way too much prepared foods and vowed to do my best, within reason, to prepare more of our own foods and "eat closer to the source". More on that in a future post.
Next up for Lauren's vegetables are parnips (should prove interesting, as I am not keen on these) and butternut squash (which I love.) I am then going to move on to pureed fruits. What I'm most looking forward to introducing is "guacamole for beginners". I think it will be the true test of whether Lauren will be a diverse eater like the rest of us. Fingers crossed that she will coo "Ole!"
When Austin was a baby, every meal he ate came out of a jar. I never really considered cooking baby food for him, nor did I seem to have the time or energy to do so. As a preview for things to come, Austin was a big eater right from the start. As a tiny guy, he would eat an entire jar of vegetables in one sitting. As he got bigger, he was eating at least a big jar, sometimes even a little bit more. Thinking back, while our intentions were good in feeding him prepared baby purees, he was consuming quite a bit of sodium, sugar, and preservatives. And the cost was eating us out of house and home. Well, not quite, but you get the point. I can't remember exactly what we were paying, but I think it was around a dollar a jar.
Being a little better organized and far more proficient in the kitchen this time around, I decided to investigate making my own purees for Lauren. I found a simple and straight-forward book at Chapters, "Blender Baby Food" by Nicole Young and Nadine Day. What really inspired me to buy it and try it was the authors' comments on how babies fed home-made foods generally became better eaters, more open to trying a diversity of foods, and usually became fruit and veggie lovers. That and the health benefits were motivation enough for me, although, of course, the financial savings was already a no-brainer for me. At the very least, I figured if cooking our own baby food worked out only for some of the time, I was still going to be ahead of the game in feeding Lauren well and saving a couple of bucks.
The experiment has been a huge success, in my opinion. The time, mess, and equipment involved is minimal. I had originally thought I was going to need to buy a food processor, but the book says everything is blender-able. I've got a blender, but being a bit lazy around clean-up, I have only used my hand blender (the immersable kind.) In terms of preparation, all that's involved is peeling, finely chopping, briefly boiling then simmering, then pureeing of the vegetables in the water. While it's simmering, I'm doing something else. It's not like you have to stand over the stove the whole time while it's cooking, so really, there's not much time involved at all.
The ratio of food to water is 2:1 in most cases, and the cooking specifics are bring to boil, then simmer 20 minutes before cooling and pureeing. That's it, that's all. Not nearly as mystical and complicated as I had first imagined.
Aside from the nutritional benefits and hopefully, making Lauren a good eater, the cost savings has been staggering. For about $1.00, I can buy and prepare a vegetable that will make approximately 8 meals for Lauren. I've heard baby food is way more expensive in the stores now than it was when Austin ate it, so at a minimum, I am feeding Lauren for 8 times less than I did with Austin, probably more. Isn't that incredible?
What's also nice is this method of cooking and feeding also ties in with a recent decision I made. I realized we were eating way too much prepared foods and vowed to do my best, within reason, to prepare more of our own foods and "eat closer to the source". More on that in a future post.
Next up for Lauren's vegetables are parnips (should prove interesting, as I am not keen on these) and butternut squash (which I love.) I am then going to move on to pureed fruits. What I'm most looking forward to introducing is "guacamole for beginners". I think it will be the true test of whether Lauren will be a diverse eater like the rest of us. Fingers crossed that she will coo "Ole!"
Friday, January 1, 2010
Courage, My Love
As mentioned in my previous post, I have an annual birthday tradition of setting my intentions for the coming year. It's more about a theme or an attribute or character quality than making a list of resolutions. Having reflected and noodled for the past few days, I've decided the quality or attribute I most desire for 2010 is courage.
The Oxford English dictionary defines courage as "the ability to do something that frightens one; strength in the face of pain or grief." While I don't consider myself to be a Cowardly Lion, there are some areas in my life in which I could use some courage, more courage, or just a different approach or a kick in the pants.
I realize courage doesn't just appear. You have to work at it, often "faking it til you make it", as many self-help folk profess. I think you also have to ask for it, claim it, and even make a mantra of it. Regardless of how it comes, my hopes for the coming year include:
My friends, I wish you nothing but good things for 2010. May you experience health, healing, happiness and peace. And may you have courage, plenty of it, to pursue your dreams in 2010.
The Oxford English dictionary defines courage as "the ability to do something that frightens one; strength in the face of pain or grief." While I don't consider myself to be a Cowardly Lion, there are some areas in my life in which I could use some courage, more courage, or just a different approach or a kick in the pants.
I realize courage doesn't just appear. You have to work at it, often "faking it til you make it", as many self-help folk profess. I think you also have to ask for it, claim it, and even make a mantra of it. Regardless of how it comes, my hopes for the coming year include:
- Courage to focus my attention on "being" rather than "doing"
- Courage to better balance serving my needs and serving the needs of others. Women tend to put ourselves last, and we can be better moms, wives, friends, etc. by ensuring our own needs are met. It takes courage to make the time to have a little "me-time" but it is so necessary.
- Courage to speak up more. For others who need me to stick up for them, to encourage others, and to ensure my voice is heard for what I want or need.
- Courage to pursue my "big rocks" (important actions/goals) and to let my "sand" (busy-work) slide a bit. For insignificant tasks, the mantra "C+ works" is something I'll need to remember.
- Courage to take the time to write more, share my writing with others, and pursue my writing goals.
- Courage to delegate the "sand" at work and sink my teeth into "big rocks", paving a path to achieving my professional goals. Courage to remember professionalism is not a popularity contest and to be more conscious of who I am and what I am portraying at work.
- Courage to reach out to others in friendship. What's that old saying - "To have a friend you must first be one."
- Courage to allow myself the things I want. I am guilty of denying myself at times, thinking I don't 'deserve' it.
- Courage to let go of things that are no longer serving me, be it habits, clutter, time-wasters, toxic people, or negative thinking.
- Courage to say "yes" to things and more importantly, courage to say "no" when I need to.
My friends, I wish you nothing but good things for 2010. May you experience health, healing, happiness and peace. And may you have courage, plenty of it, to pursue your dreams in 2010.
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