Hands-down, my least favorite thing to do with kids in tow is try to get shopping done.  We have it down to an art at Costco and Trader Joe's (thank you samples, you are the best form of bribery), but anything else is just bound to be a bust.  Add four little kids to winter weather, and there's no way I want to leave the house, particularly since it takes an hour to get coats, hats, gloves etc. on before we leave!

So here are my five favorite ways to shop without leaving the house:

1.  Grocery staples:

Peapod and other similar grocery delivery services are SO convenient, but hard to use for me, because I don't get most of my groceries at a conventional grocery store.  They have coupons for free delivery every once in a while, and usually require a $50 minimum purchase.  So this works really well for me when we're stocking up on staples like flour, toilet paper, etc.

2.  Fresh produce:

From the Farmer (or your local CSA) - This is more of a treat for me than anything else, especially when farmer's markets are closed for the season.  They drop off a basket of fresh local produce on your doorstep on a weekly basis (or however often you want - we just do it once a month) and it is ALWAYS amazing and beautiful and such fun to be able to plan a menu around the delicious fresh produce we get!  It's $35 for a small basket, which is on the pricey side but if you mention my name (Rosie Hill) you can get $20 off your first order, which is absolutely worth it!  Best of all, you can schedule deliveries online, so no need to hide in the bathroom to make a phone call so your 4-year-old doesn't try to get in on the call with you (wait, am I the only one who has to do that?).

Is that not the biggest carrot you've ever seen?  Totally don't find them like that at the grocery store!

3.  Meat

Relay Foods (available in DC, Baltimore, Northern VA, Richmond, Williamsburg, Staunton, Charlottesville - you name it!) is kind of a combination of the two - Peapod-style shopping, but with tons of fresh local produce available, as well as typical grocery store items.  They also have a minimum purchase, but frequent promotions AND you get $30 off your first purchase if you use my invite code!  Their meat is fabulous, the only problem is how often things go out of stock.  But they deliver on most days straight to your door, which a lot less notice needed than with Peapod.

4.  Clothes for you

Twice

I know, I extol the virtues of Twice all the time.  But seriously, it's so awesome!  Free shipping on orders over $49, free returns, and they have measurements listed on their clothing so you have a much better idea of what will fit/be too short, etc.  I find it really useful for staples, and they're super-generous with credit and coupon codes, plus their customer service is fabulous!  I just got a J.Crew denim jacket for $2.01 because of my credit from selling my old clothes, credit from you awesome ladies signing up through my link, and some other coupon codes!

Shirt & sweater, Twice.  John Paul's polo & jeans from ThredUp.

ThredUp is decent for adult clothes too, but they don't list measurements and their returns don't include free shipping, so I vastly prefer Twice.

5. Clothes for the kids



ThredUp

Hands-down, ThredUp.  I just got a huge order of stuff for the kids, Gymboree galore, Osh Kosh, Carter's, etc...  Nothing over $8 and most of it was under $4!  And every single item was in perfect condition.  This is about what I expect to pay at my favorite consignment store, only I didn't have to leave the house and shipping was free, so I guess it was technically cheaper than going somewhere to shop since I didn't have to pay for gas.

There's a LOT on their site, but if you know what you're looking for it's easy.  Cecilia pretty much only wants to wear elastic waist skirts, so I found the cheapest ones in her size and snapped them up.  Browsing isn't a lot of fun because there's so much that it gets overwhelming, but narrowing it down is easy with their search feature.

Returns are not easy, since you have to pay return shipping.  But for kids' clothes?  I'm not returning anything, because it doesn't have to fit the way clothes have to fit me!

Cecilia paired her new striped skirt with a striped shirt, because that's how she rolls.

Linking up with Hallie at Moxie Wife - check out more favorites!

PHFR - 7/25

Linking up with Like Mother, Like Daughter for {pretty, happy, funny, real}

{pretty}

What's prettier than food?

 

Roasted Cabbage with Bacon

I thought I hated cabbage, but we had a head in our farm basket this week and I was determined to give it a try!  The recipe is intended for winter, but our oven really doesn't heat up the house at all so I've been using it plenty during the summer.

This was SO. GOOD.  I ate 7 out of the 8 wedges.  5 of them that day.  I left the core in so that the wedges would stay together, and I used bacon fat in addition to olive oil.  I also cooked at 400 for about 45 minutes because I had something else cooking at the same temperature.

Andrew was not a fan (big surprise there...), John Paul ate it when I told him to, Cecilia didn't like it (because these days she ONLY likes broccoli and green beans), and the babies ate it happily.  But considering I would have eaten the entire thing myself, I'm considering it a success!

 

Slow-Cooker Brisket

SO easy!  I do the spice rub on a couple of pieces from Costco and then freeze them until ready to use.  You basically just stick it in the slow cooker all day with a cup of BBQ sauce and have a delicious BBQ brisket by dinnertime!  It's so much more tender than any brisket I've had at a restaurant or barbeque joint, you get a really nice char from the slow cooker, and the leftovers are aaaaaaamazing.  One of my all-time favorite recipes!

 

Penne Caprese (my own invention, complete with a homemade pesto from our own lemon basil!)

Delicious cherry tomatoes from Relay Foods - if you're in the DC/Baltimore/Charlottesville area, definitely check out this food delivery service!  They have standard groceries as well as a LOT of local produce, meats, dairy, etc.  It's like having the farmer's market deliver to you AND they do next-day delivery!  AND if you use my referral code (2wf8vw) you get $30 off your first purchase (and I get $30 credit, which enables my cooking obsession so THANK YOU!!!).  Since they have local peaches on sale for $.99 a pound, now's the time to try!

These meals brought to you courtesy tandem-wearing - I could cook even while Mary Claire insisted on nursing!

{happy}

 

I just can't get enough of her infectious smile!
 The other kids have great smiles too, don't get me wrong...  But Elizabeth's is really something else, with the corners of her mouth curling upward and just a hint of a dimple.

{funny}

Cecilia wearing my clothes.  It's just too funny!

Chambray popover - Peep toe wedges - Brown belt

 

I think when it comes to "Who Wore it Best" she will ALWAYS win!

{real}

 

Elizabeth AND Mary Claire have both figured out how to climb onto the hearth.  They haven't been going for the fireplace yet, but I think it's time for us to gate it off or install a screen or something...  Anyone have something that works for them?  I imagine we'll either have to screw something into the wall or into the molding around the fireplace.

Happy Thursday!  Go check out other linkers at Like Mother, Like Daughter.  And check out what Auntie Leila has to say this week!  I loved hearing her talk, even though I had to slink in late after getting the babies to sleep...  She's just as lovely in person as you would expect, and her daughters are so beautiful!  I can only pray that I'll be as graceful once my kids are grown :)