blue sky scrubs

The search for a proper fitting, comfortable AND attractive scrub set is an endless one.  I am half convinced that the majority of scrubs out there are designed by an elephant, as that is the only explanation for the box like shape.  Who is designing these clothes that thinks women are shaped, scratch that, unshaped, like this?  Apparently someone does because that is what I look like when I wear them.  A LEGO experiment gone terribly wrong.  A giant square torso atop a rectangle of legs and feet. 

Then came an offer from blue sky scrubs to receive a free pair of scrubs, try them out, and tell you what I thought about them.  Um, yes?!

I carefully researched the company and poked around the website.  Things that jumped out:

• blue sky was created by a resident working at Hermann Hospital in Houston – (the same hospital I delivered Avelyn at and spent my semester working in Labor and Delivery!)
• Their scrubs are made in the USA (always a plus to support US workers but especially in today’s economy)
• Tops are cut to taper at the waist and slightly flare at the hips (this = slimming, NOT boxlike)
• Fabric is a polyester/cotton blend to reduce wrinkling (because please, who has time to iron?)

I was sold.  There are two styles of scrub sets, Original which includes their signature white stitching on the pockets and the Simple scrubs with no stitching and a few dollars cheaper.  I bought the Simple style to get more bang for my buck.  I purchased 2 pairs of pants and 1 top. 

Note to readers: Make sure to utilize the sizing chart.  I did this but still ordered what I “usually” wear.  I was wrong.  USE THE SIZING CHART.  No worries though, they send a prepaid UPS shipping label with the product for easy exchange.  “A painless return policy!?” you balk?  YES!  SCORE!!

Anyway, it only took 2 days to receive my order.  Even if the scrubs had been awful (which they weren’t, they were great) I would have been impressed by the packaging.  The order comes wrapped inside a very nice box inside another shipping box.  The first thing I saw when I opened the package was a gorgeous scrub hat – one free with every order!  The top and bottoms (navy, as is our unit color) were neatly folded underneath.  While I tried on the scrubs Avelyn had a field day trying to figure out the hat.  (No picture of this hilarious debacle, the kid hates wearing hats so I couldn’t get a great photo.)

The top I ordered fit perfectly and really does taper in all the right places.  No box-shape LEGO look for me.  Also the fabric is amazingly lightweight, stretchy and breathable.  I love how soft and thin it feels.  A lot of scrub material is so thick and dense that there is no stretch.  With all the bending, lifting, stretching, running, walking, CRAZINESS it takes to be a Pedi ER nurse, I really need to be able to move in my uniform. 

Unfortunately I did not trust the size guide offered on the website and ordered the wrong size bottom.  They were a little big, which of course only makes me feel like a super skinny supermodel since I have to order a size I haven’t worn since kickin’ it in the womb.  PERK!

The only downside I found is the number and placement of pockets.  blue sky mentions their strategic placement of pockets on the website, with two pockets on the back of the pants and one pocket on the left breast of the top.  I imagine this placement comes in handy for doctors and anesthesiologists, who might have a lab coat over their scrubs or wear fanny packs or sling backpacks to carry their stuff around.  As a nurse however, I depend on the usual two front pockets on my scrub tops, located at my hips.  It’s easier access and I never worry about anything falling out.  This won’t stop me from wearing these scrubs though, I will just have to modify what I carry on the days I wear them.  One of my coworkers shops at blue sky and swears by them, so maybe I’ll corner her for tips next week. 

Overall I would highly recommend blue sky to anyone.  Whether you’re in the market for nursing scrubs, medical scrubs or OR hats, they have a great selection for you.  The service is fast, the quality is high and the attention to detail really do set them apart.  And if you’re in the market for scrub hats you HAVE to check them out.  blue sky started with hats before moving on to scrubs and the sheer amount of prints available for scrub hats almost makes me want to be an OR nurse.  Just think of how gorgeous my closet would be with all those prints! 

Puzzle time!

A few weeks ago I received an email asking if I would be interested in becoming a toy tester for a company called eBeanstalk. My immediate thought was “Um, yes please!” but then I slapped myself in the face and remembered to do my research before agreeing to a) give my address away to some strange person who found me on the internet and b) sign up to write a review about something someone else is selling.  So I did a little looking into eBeanstalk and I liked what I saw.

For starters they have a team of child specialists selecting toys and ranking them according to a stage of child development, so you can look up toys appropriate to your child’s age and skill level. Specialists include Clinical Psychologists, Speech-Language Pathologists, Physical Therapists, Pediatric Occupational Therapists, and Special Education.  Not that these specialist know everything, since eBeanstalk also selects another set of “toy experts” to give their opinions - MOMS. That’s where I come in. Sweeeeeeet.

They sent out a number of baby toys and toys for 1 year olds (my category) for moms to review. I waited and waited to see what I would get.  I finally came home one day to a cardboard box on my doorstep.  The return address said Melissa & Doug.  I almost jumped up and down.  I LOVE Melissa & Doug toys!  They make a lot of wooden toys, which is about all I buy Avelyn these days. The toy they sent was the First Shapes Jumbo Knob Wooden Puzzle.

I opened the box and took out the puzzle, oohing and ahhing over it so she might be intrigued by more than just the cardboard box and brown shipping paper. She liked it.  I liked it.  Success!

The large handles fit perfect in little Hobo’s hands, and the shapes are cut in ways that they will fit in the appropriate slot no matter which side is up, which is perfect for beginners who, ahem, don’t have the best hand/eye coordination yet. But my “expert” Mom sense tells me that’s kind of the point of the puzzle – to practice hand/eye coordination.  And also to look pretty, don’t you love the colors?  That’s one of the things I love about all Melissa & Doug toys. They are just so bright and fun.

We’ve had the toy for a few weeks now and contrary to other toys we’ve bought it’s held up remarkably well.  One of the reasons I started buying wooden toys to begin with is that Etta James (our dog) finds and chews nearly every plastic toy we’ve ever owned and I noticed she stays away from the wood. 

Even with the little fingers and toes beating up the puzzle pieces day after day the artwork isn’t peeling away from the wood, it isn’t scratched off the face, wood can’t bend or break so we’ve avoid that, and the surface is covered in a glossy film that is easy to wipe down and clean, an essential piece to anything a child plays with, in my opinion. 

Overall the Jumbo Knob puzzle is a hit. Avelyn loves it.  I would have bought this toy on my own even if I hadn’t been given this opportunity.  I love it that much.  I even bought her another one, the Barnyard Animals Jumbo Knob Puzzle and we play with them everyday.  I will have to record her on camera telling me what the animals say because when I say “Avelyn, what does the sheep say?” and you hear that little voice say “Ba-aa-aa-aaaaaa” you’re going to melt.

Oh, I suppose I should try to be objective and give you the cons to the toy too.  I have only one, if you can call it a real con, it’s a wooden puzzle, so it’s not that light.  You need to be careful of a very cute little girl (or boy) who might try to carry two puzzles at once and accidently drop them on her foot and then cry because HELLO! it’s a tad heavy and it hurts a little foot when it falls.  Also it hurts a big lady foot too so please Moms, don’t be like me.  Be careful when you’re cleaning up at night.

Last but not least, if you want my super duper best advice – make sure to finish off your play session with a healthy dose of milk and cookies.  I’m 100% sure it will be a hit and leave everyone feeling all warm and fuzzy.