Check out how to create a bound planner to be sold on Amazon using free tools.
Creating low and no content books is a great way for busy moms to earn a passive income on the side. Find out how.
Check out these ideas for everything from decor to treats to food and favors for a fun mermaid birthday party.
It is that time of year when foods are rich and desserts seem to be available in abundance. Even those who have a steady fitness routine throughout the year can succumb to the temptation of holiday treats. It really is hard this time of year with less opportunities to workout outdoors and more sugary treats appearing everywhere we turn. I've put together a list of tips to help us all stay fit during the holidays.
If you have not yet heard of Lula Roe, consider this your wake up call. Leggings and mom life go together like peanut butter and jelly, Abbott and Costello, Batman and Robin. Lula Roe has some of the most comfortable leggings I have ever worn. They are so buttery soft, it's like a second skin! Plus, the designs are so fun and unique. Don't worry,Lula is about way more than leggings! Lula can take you from casual holiday get togethers to fancy holiday parties!
You may or may not have realized this, but men and women are built differently, and I don't just mean physically. By nature, we are innately wired to think and interpret situations differently. We react differently in a given situation and we prioritize differently. Today, in light of the never ending to do list that comes with the holiday season, I thought we'd discuss how the difference between men and women relates to nagging: i.e. repeatedly bring up what needs to be done and the fact that it hasn't been done yet.
Are you an 80's baby? Did you grow up on Sesame Street before Bert and Ernie were claymation and Elmo took over the world? Did you spend Saturday mornings in your jammies with a bowl of cereal watching Saturday morning cartoons? Remember Pee Wee and Penny? The Pix 11 movies? TGIF? Care Bears, Fraggles, Rainbow Brite, Thunder Cats? If you can reminisce about any or all of this, you are an 80's baby. This list is for your kids. So that they can grow up on the classics. Added bonus, you get to relive some of your youth as well!
So the time to send out holiday cards is quickly approaching. Then of course there are holiday party invitations to send out. On top of that, we have Hailey's baptism in a few weeks. So we have been all about cards recently. I decided to head on over to Tiny Prints to create personalized cards for Hailey's baptism and for Christmas.
This week T has been a little under the weather, so we took it as an opportunity to do more sedentary, quiet activities. This week we made two projects: a pilgrim hat and a gratitude banner. These are two easy and fun projects. T is starting to use scissors in school so he was able to help with some of the cutting for these projects.
As you know, Hailey was diagnosed with hypothyroidism when she was only 6 days old. While every mom worries about the growth and development of their babies, this condition caused me to be even more on alert. I made it my mission in incorporate tools for healthy brain development in our everyday life. This includes breast feeding and iron-fortified Gerber Cereal.
Today, I wanted to talk about birthing classes. These classes are a very important part of pregnancy, if not for what to actually do in the birthing room, at least to provide new parents more peace of mind. Since the hubs and I have opposing work schedules and don't have a lot of time home together, the last thing we wanted to do was to use that time to go to prenatal classes. On the other hand, we could definitely use a brush up on what to expect and techniques to use, and just newborn information in general. It had been a while since our 3 year old was a baby. We decided to take to the internet to find a resource that was informative, but didn't take us out of the house.
Guess what! Tomorrow my husband and I celebrate 5 wonderful years of marriage. Yup, 5 years ago today I was anxiously anticipating marrying my soulmate. So much has changed in the last 5 years, mostly to do with the arrival of our two wonderful kids. Since we're all friends here, I thought I would share a little story about how me and the hubs got together all those years ago in honor of this momentous occasion.
So on April 11 of this year I turned 31 and around that time I created a post about the things I'd like to do before my next birthday. This list consisted of a wide range of goals including trips with the family, school goals, and friends goals. You can find that post here. Back in July I posted my first update at a quarter of the way through the year. It's hard to believe that I am now 31.5 and 6 months have gone by!
Now that it's been about 3 months since my last update, I thought I'd update you on the progress through my list.
1.Make 5 recipes from Pinterest - OK, so I haven't started this one yet. My excuse is still the baby, lol. I get home from work at 5:15 and my hubby leave for work around 5:30-5:40. This doesn't leave much time for experimentation especially when the baby wants to be fed. I hope to try some new things for the holidays or maybe a weekend brunch recipe!
2. Go to the zoo at least 3 times - We have gone to the zoo twice so far since I made my list. I don't think this one will be an issue. Since we will be attending their Halloween event, Boo at the Zoo, on the 22nd of this month. Our membership makes this a lot easier. you can read my tips for zoo trips. here.
3. Go on a real vacation - This one is still up in the air. We had wanted to take a family vacation in the fall. However, with all of the medical expenses from Hailey's diagnosis not to mention her constant doctor's appointments I don't think it's in the cards. We can revisit that in the spring and see if things have changed.
4. Read 2 inspiring books - So far I read Eat That Frog which I talked about in this earlier post. I recently attend the online Mom Conference and was utterly inspired. So many good presentations. My favorite was the presentation by Ramona Zabriskie. Based on this I picked up her book Wife for Life and am devouring it. The Mom Conference was free, but can now be purchased for $97. Not only do you get access to all of the presentations of the conference, but you also get a ton of freebies. Ramona included one of her courses in the package which alone is worth $50. Definitely go check it out!! I will be writing a review of the conference later this month!!
5. Rent or sell my house - The house is currently on the market and we have had several showings. My mom also may be moving which would change things. If that happened we would move into her house and rent our house. At this point it's not definite though, so that house remains on the market.
6. Move to new home - We #5 above.
7. Get back in shape after baby - I am doing really well with this. I am not yet back to my pre-pregnancy weight/size but I am definitely getting there and starting to feel good about where I'm at.
8. Perform in 2 dance productions - It's funny how our priorities change. After T I was so gung ho about getting back to performing. This time, not so much. I am still dancing and teaching, but I'm in no rush.
9. Finish writing my book - In all honesty, I still haven't worked on this in a while. There's just so much to do and other priorities. Maybe over winter break from school
10. Start creating vertical images for blog - Only 19 imaged left!!
11. Do 3 DIY projects from Pinterest - This one is actually going well. Our Patriotic Wreath project was inspired by this craft on Pinterest. T and I also made lollipop ghosts and spiders based on a Pinterest post. This project will be up on the blog next week!
12. Declutter - We are doing really well with this one. We organized Tyler's room, the living room, the downstairs closet, and have made progress with the basement. The next major room will be our bedroom!
13. Plan a T and mommy date at least once a month after Hailey is born - Having a newborn that breastfeeds has made this difficult. The boys had one on one time out of the house, but Tyler and I didn't. I'm looking to have a lunch date with him soon. We have had some one on one time at home but I really want to take him out without Hails.
14. Complete 27 credits of grad school - I have now completed 21 credits. I am currently taking 2 courses which will bring me to the 27 credits before Christmas. Then just a few more classes and requirements and I will be a Math Master!!
15. Have consistent date nights with the hubs - As I said, this is super hard for us because I work days and my husband works nights. We fell off the wagon in August but we were back on track for September. This month we had an at home date last week and on the 29th we will be seeing a Broadway show for our 5 year anniversary.
16. Complete cookbook for my nonprofit - Before I had Hailey, I presented the idea of doing a cookbook to my board. I had explained that with a newborn I would not be able to take the lead on this project. However, a cookbook would be a lot easier than organizing and holding photo shoots for the calendar. My board however has not gotten this project going....
17. Have a couples game night - We had a Cards Against Humanity Game Night with some of my in laws!! So fun! I can't wait to do it again
18. Plan and have a girls brunch - This still hasn't happened yet... Everyone has super busy schedules and everyone is popping out babies... Hopefully, soon!
19. Participate in 2-3 charity walks - We just completed the diabetes walk on October 9. That one is close to my heart. I'm looking into other walks and hope to find one that falls on a Sunday, so it doesn't conflict with T's dance class.
20. Run a donation drive - I'm looking to do this closer to the holidays. I will possibly be doing a book and pajama drive again.
So that's my progress so far on my list on things to do my 32nd birthday. I've made pretty good progress on most of the items, there are just a few more to start working on. Mainly the ones involving Pinterest. Hopefully I can make some headway there for next time!
Do you have big birthday goals? Tell me about them in the comments.
Have a great weekend!!
Cheers,
Emily
Let me send you a whole list of tips to help you make more time for yourself and your goals! Plus you will get weekly emails with more tips and advice.
You have successfully joined our subscriber list.
Guys, my birthday is just 2 weeks away! I'm excited! Is that weird? Am I too old to be excited about birthdays? Eh, oh well. My husband tells me that I am the worst person to shop for. He thinks my picks are far too practical and often ends up opting for things that don't really get much use. The thing is I hate clutter and I value presents that make my life easier/better. So I put together my busy mom birthday wishlist for everyone to see. Hopefully, he'll read this post too (wink, wink)!!
This past weekend was Tyler's 4th birthday and the theme was Willy Wonka. This was Tyler's first party where he had school friends to invite. This meant a little more planning as far as food and activities, but overall it was so fun to put together. Best of all, the kids had a blast!
Tyler's first big boy birthday party is coming up. He is in preschool this year, so he actually has friends his own age to invite to his party and play games with. In order to make sure this event goes off without a hitch, I created my own party planner. Let me walk you through it!
So on April 11 of 2016 I turned 31 and around that time I created a post about the things I'd like to do before my next birthday. This list consisted of a wide range of goals including trips with the family, school goals, and friends goals. You can find that post here. Back in July I posted my first update at a quarter of the way through the year and in October I posted my progress at the halfway point. Now here we are closing in on the last 3 months before 32.
There are a lot of conflicting sources of information regarding postpartum diet. What works for one person may not work for someone else. Breastfeeding adds a whole new factor into the mix. While you want to lose the baby weight, you don't want to lose your milk. There are also still some dietary restrictions for breastfeeding moms. Therefore, I thought I'd share my diet with you which has helped me lose most of the baby weight at approximately 5 months postpartum. Hopefully, this can help you as well.
On work days, breakfast is pretty simple. Since I like to workout most mornings, after I feed the baby I'll judge my energy level. If I feel I need a little something before working out, I'll have half a tablespoon of peanut butter otherwise, I hold off til breakfast. For breakfast, I generally have one of 4 combinations: Cheerios and yogurt, Cheerios and a protein shake, oatmeal with raisins and yogurt, and oatmeal with raisins and a protein shake. I like to keep it quick and easy on work days. On the weekends I may get fancy with a veggie omelette or homemade waffles. Finally, I have coffee pretty much everyday.
Lunch during the week is PB and J more than I would care to admit. I mean it's organic strawberry spread, natural peanut butter, and wheat bread, but still PB and J. With it I will often have some apple sauce, a sparkling water, and some pretzels. Other entrees include Amy's lentil soup or vegetable lentil, organic Mac and cheese, madras lentils, and maybe once a week, a chicken and vegetable wrap or panini. Other sides may include greek yogurt, organic chips, a fiber one brownie, or a vegetable squeezy. On weekends if we are out pizza or a salad might be had.
This is where it gets tricky in our house. I get out of work at 5pm and my husband usually has work at 6pm. So I get home at 5:15 and have to feed the baby, making it my husband's job to cook. My husband is no cook.... So on nights he has work it's usually turkey burger and fries, pasta and a vegetable and turkey meatballs, Mac and cheese and a vegetable and nuggets, ravioli and a vegetable, and quesadillas and a vegetable. The meatballs, nuggets, ravioli, and vegetables are generally from frozen. Take out generally happens at least once a week. When the hubs doesn't have work I try to mix it up with pork chops, or chicken stir fry, or steak with rice or mashed potatoes and a vegetable. Other times we'll do tacos or grilled chicken.
In order to get through studying after the kids go to bed, I usually require a snack. This generally consists of hot chocolate and pretzels, or skinny pop popcorn, or string cheese and crackers.
Every once in a while a cookie or dessert creeps in to my diet. I try not to have them on a regular basis so I don't feel guilty when I do indulge. I generally don't do soda or candy so keeping sugar down is easier. I take my coffee black. I keep my calories intake at about 2000 calories daily and I exercise 5-7 days a week for about 30-40 minutes. I do a mix of weights and cardio.
While there is not huge variety in my normal diet, it helps me stay consistent as far as calorie intake and calories burned. In general, my philosophy is to eat when hungry but try to make healthy choices. I also continue to take my prenatal vitamins and vitamin D. I also use the myfitnesspal app to keep track of everything. Definitely check that out in the app store. It syncs with a variety of devices including Fitbit which I also use.
I hope you find this helpful. This is the result at about 20 weeks postpartum. Cheers,
Emily
Let me send you a whole list of tips to help you make more time for yourself and your goals! Plus you will get weekly emails with more tips and advice.
You have successfully joined our subscriber list.
Scientists have shown that your brain really does change during pregnancy, but the effect is not what you might think.
The best online pregnancy journal since the Sprout app closed is doors is not from a brand that you might expect.
With Halloween coming up, we have decided to intersperse our favorite Halloween story books into the mix of our bedtime stories. We have accumulated several of them over the years and I'm sure we will continue to add to the list. As of today, the following 6 books are our favorites. They include entertaining stories, interactivity, and of course Halloween fun.
Tyler loves Daniel Tiger and we love the positive messages presented in the show, Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood. Daniel Tiger actually was a big help in getting Tyler ready for his baby sister. We can talk about that another time. In this book, Daniel and his friends are getting ready for Halloween. The book takes you through each character’s costume and you use clues to guess what they are going to be. The flaps make this a fun book to read with toddlers.
If you like Goodnight Moon, then you will thoroughly enjoy this Halloween parody. In similar style to the original, this book takes you through the things in the little monster's room at bedtime. The difference is these items include goo, a witch, a werewolf, a black hat, and more. The pictures are cute, not scary, so it's enjoyable for the kids.
This story is actually one of my favorites. Probably because I am a BIG Edgar Allen Poe fan. I just love the rhythm of his poetry. This book is written with the same rhythm as Poe's The Raven. This makes it as fun for me to read as it is for Tyler to hear. The story describes the Count waiting as guests arrive for his Halloween party. There is definitely some knocking at Count's castle door. The story features your favorite Sesame Street characters dressed in their Halloween best. In the end, you are invited to the party too!
This book is of the classic Charlie Brown story. We all know this story, or at least we should. If you don't know it, do yourself a favor and watch the movie. Let your kids see it too. It's just one of those things that everyone should do. Anyway, the best part of this book is that it comes with reusable stickers. I don't know about you, but my toddler loves stickers. This book has places to put stickers on every page in order to fully illustrate the story. This has been a hit with Tyler night after night.
This book is an abridged version of the cartoon "Curious George's Boo Fest". Its a cute story where George gets spooked after hearing the story of No Noggin about a monster that steals hats. The best part is that it is an unscary scary story. As in your child will feel like he/she is enjoying the scary story experience without actually being scared. This is really an early reader book, but T liked it a lot. It is a great length book for toddler bedtime, too.
This was Tyler's first Halloween book and we are keeping it in the mix mainly for Hailey's benefit. However, Tyler does request it himself every once in a while. Like most baby's first books, this book contains photos of various Halloween related things with the name of the item below the picture. I believe that T like that some of the pictures are of kids dressed up in costume. For example, the monster picture is a baby boy dressed up as a monster. It's a cute book for little ones.
For more Halloween fun, check this Halloween Handprint Craft. We will also be posting a new Halloween Craft project later this month so stay tuned.
Cheers,
Emily
Let me send you a whole list of tips to help you make more time for yourself and your goals! Plus you will get weekly emails with more tips and advice.
You have successfully joined our subscriber list.
Ideas to ensure your kiddos have a healthier Halloween without ruining the fun!
With Halloween coming up, I thought it would be helpful to put together a list of fun DIY costumes. But, unlike many other lists, this list makes sure you get the most bang for your time. This means least complicated but with great outcomes.
Last week, T and I decided to create our Halloween craft project. This year we made ghosts and spiders out of lollipops and a few basic crafting supplies. This is a fun craft for toddlers and great for Halloween parties or for bringing treats to school.
I know, I know, it's not even Halloween and I'm talking holiday shopping. I'm the first to complain when I see Christmas decorations up before Thanksgiving. I am all about giving each holiday it's due. Plus now that I have a child that can actually anticipate holidays, I don't need him pestering about presents so far in advance.
On the other hand, there is no logic to cramming all that shopping into the month of December. I mean with so many other holiday things to do like holiday parties and visiting Santa, who can possibly do all that and not stress?! Not I. For me, slow and steady wins the race. So, here are some tips on how I keep holiday shopping stress free.
If you haven’t started yet, start now. There are two big benefits to this; time and money. Starting early means you have months to get your shopping done instead of weeks. No pushing your way through over crowded stores. No running around on Christmas Eve. No rushing from store to store because what you want is sold out. Expense wise, you get to spread the cost of the holidays over multiple months prior to the holidays. Unlike spreading the cost over multiple months after holidays, this method does not involve paying interest.
Make a list but only be super specific when you have to be. For example, Tyler is at an age where he wants specific things. He wants to complete his collection of Ghostbusters mystery minis, and he wants certain Lego sets. Items for him are very specific. Hailey on the other hand is unable to voice her opinions. Therefore, her list might look more like: clothes, stuffed animal, educational toy. For my brother I might write model train equipment. Then anytime I find model train equipment on sale, I can buy him something and check him off my list. The less specific you can be for people, the better. Then you have a broader range of options and can find better deals. Of course, you want it to still be something they would want/need and like.
Make a spreadsheet listing each person or group of people you need to buy gifts for in the first column. For example, individuals I need to buy gifts for include, my hubs, Tyler and Hails, my nephews, my mom, my brother, etc.. Groups might be my aunt and uncle, Tyler’s teachers, etc. In the next column list what you plan on purchasing them. If they are getting more than one item, make a new row for each item. The next 3 columns are as follows: bought, wrapped, delivered/shipped. You could of course do this by hand, but I love the clean look of spreadsheets! Print out your completed list and bring it with you wherever you go. If you are not sure what to get someone, leave their line blank. You can fill it in when you get inspired. Now anytime you find something that someone on your list would like, you can check it off your list. No more over buying because you forgot you already got something. This also keeps track of your wrapping so you won’t get behind on that either. Check out my sample spreadsheet below. Note that this is not my actual list incase these people are reading my blog…
If you have been through any gift giving occasion with kids before, you know you will be bombarded with questions from relatives of what to get your kids. Be prepared. Once you make the list of things that you will be getting your kids yourself, make a second list of things that they want or need. Keep this second list with you as well or give it to your husband, but not both. You need to have a designated go to person for this list. You don’t want both parents giving items out because the whole purpose here is to avoid multiples of the same gift. Now when someone asks what to get your kids, your go to person can give them items from your list. Be aware that these people may not necessarily get the item you suggest to them, but you can hopefully prevent multiples of the same gift. You also avoid the texts back and forth “did you get so and so this?”, “No, OK then I’m getting it”, “OK so then what should I get them now?”…. You can always hold onto the list and if your kids didn’t get the item for Christmas, now you already have a list for their birthday!
I hope you find this list helpful! Do you have tips to reduce holiday shopping stress?? If so leave your tips in the comments!
Cheers,
Emily
Let me send you a whole list of tips to help you make more time for yourself and your goals! Plus you will get weekly emails with more tips and advice.
You have successfully joined our subscriber list.
Here are 5 ways you can save time during the holidays and still get stuff done. It's all about prioritizing what needs to get done by you versus what just needs to get done.
Between Holiday parties, meal prep, visiting Santa, buying presents, sending cards, the holiday season packs in a lot to do in just a short amount of time. This FREE guide will take the overwhelm out of the holidays.
Check out these tips for having a relaxed fun filled holiday season without the stress.
Check out the key elements to a perfect holiday night in with the family and how you can create the experience.
Check out this list of holiday gifts with everything you need for the entire family plus friends.
It is time to prep for the holidays! There's so much to do in the coming months between holiday get togethers, Christmas shopping, decorating, baking, card sending, etc.. It really can be a daunting time of year. To help you (and me) out, I put together a little planning guide to take us from Thanksgiving to Christmas.
There are so many ways to celebrate the holiday season. Here are the traditions that we hold near and dear.
With all the information out there on the harmful effects of sugar, I don’t want to be another person adding sugar to the mix. So here are some recipes for sweet treats that you can enjoy over the holidays with no sugar added!
Are you ready for the flood of toys and books and games that your kids will receive this Christmas? Here's how you can prepare!
I have scoured the inter-webs for videos of holiday DIY projects that are easy and elegant all at the same time. Things you are totally capable of doing and would be proud to show off in your home.
Some toddlers are great eaters. You put food in front of them and they immediately lift their plastic fork and dig in. Others who were great eaters as babies become the pickiest of eaters in toddlerhood. My toddler falls into the second category. In order to ensure that T actually gets some quality food into his belly, the hubs and I have a few tricks we employ. Here are some things that work best with our toddler and may even work for you.
Toddlers always want things that they can't have. Actually that might go for adults too, but in this case we just care that it works for toddlers. My husband is the best at this game. If T doesn't show interest in eating his meal, the hubs will say, "Mom, don't let Tyler eat that (insert food item here). It's mine!" T will of course respond, "No it's mine." So with a little back and forth of "I'm going to eat it", "No, I'm going to eat it", it eventually gets eaten, by Tyler.
My toddler likes to win. Maybe yours does too. In the mornings, sometimes we race to eat our cereal. By we, I mean that I eat my food at my normal pace and occasionally throw out phrases like "I think I'm going to finish first". T actually likes cereal and would eventually eat his whole serving anyway, but this makes sure that it happens in say 20 minutes instead of like an hour. My son happens to be very careful in his eating, I wouldn't recommend this one if your kid is likely to scarf down his food too quickly. As I said, I don't increase my speed I just throw out a little taunt if he is becoming distracted.
Fact: Toddlers love finger foods and they love snacks. Stock up on a variety of healthy snacks that you can put together to make a meal. You can stock up on whole grain crackers, veggies, hummus, fruit, nut butters, and tons of other healthy snack items. Put these together and you have a great lunch for a toddler! It's both healthy and fun to eat. The key to this one is to only have healthy options. Then no matter what snack food they pick you can be happy giving it to them.
A fun way to get toddlers to try new healthy snacks is to make it into a game. Recently, T and I headed to Walmart to pick up the Gerber Lil’ Beanies snacks. They have 2 flavors, original and white cheddar broccoli, so it's perfect for the game we wanted to play. How does this fit with getting toddlers to eat healthy? Gerber Lil’ Beanies is made from the goodness of navy beans to deliver 2 grams of protein (9% Daily Value), 1 gram of fiber, and 10% Daily Value of Vitamin E per serving. Plus it's baked, not made with genetically engineered (GM) ingredients, and is naturally flavored!
What was our game? We decided to be taste testers and we got the whole family involved. I served the snacks in two bowls and Mom, Dad, and Tyler had to guess which snack was which flavor. We also each picked our favorite flavor. Hails was the referee. She also volunteered one of her headbands as our blindfold. Here are some shots of the action:
And here are the results:
Tyler: prefers original
Mom: prefers original
Dad: prefers original
Hailey: to be determined (once she starts eating real food)
You can try this snack yourself by heading over to Walmart and picking up a container. You can try one at a time or try our game and see if your toddler can pick out the flavors! Be sure to register your purchase with iBotta to get 50 cents back! Remember this was one of my favorite money making apps I told you about a while back!
I hope you enjoyed these tips! Tune in Friday when I will be doing my 20 week postpartum update including tips on how to stay motivated to exercise!
Cheers,
Emily
Let me send you a whole list of tips to help you make more time for yourself and your goals! Plus you will get weekly emails with more tips and advice.
You have successfully joined our subscriber list.
How to take care of yourself while you are taking care of others.
Setting goals and maintaining a family do not have to be mutually exclusive. Learn how to create work life balance between your family and your personal goals.
When your energy is dragging, there are healthy things you can do to pick yourself back up.
Sometimes the shows you love portray things in a way that is wrong. It’s hard not to react.
Times are crazy. People are stressed and fearful. People have gotten sick, or died or lost their jobs. We need to come together, not fall apart.
Holidays this year are going to be a little different but they don’t have to be stressful. We can still feel the holiday season amidst the new circumstances.
How to create a fun, festive virtual birthday party with a Harry Potter theme.
Feelings can stop us in our tracks and prevent us from getting things done and making progress in our lives.
When we are spending so much time at home, our relationship with our spouse can suffer. Here are things you can do to improve your marriage while at home.
Let me share a little story. When I was pregnant with my son, I purchased my first iPad. I loved it. I loved doing work on it and watching videos. Eventually when T came, I liked to play games with him on it. One day we had been playing the shapes game in T's bedroom before bed. When we were done, I placed the iPad on his dresser. While he was sitting on my lap, he inadvertently kicked the iPad off the dresser and the screen shattered onto the floor.
Luckily the iPad was still under the warrantee. But it taught me to be a lot more careful about my electronics. The next day I went to apple, replaced the iPad and purchased a super heavy duty protective case. It's ugly, and bulky, but my iPad has had a scratch since.
One of the sad truths about parenthood is that we sometimes have to sacrifice form for function. You can no longer get the cute sparkly but cheap plastic phone case. You need it to be secure in case your toddler knocks it off the table or purposefully chucks it across the room... For a while I was stuck getting lame phone cases. Boring ones, utilitarian ones, while all my childless friends (read: all of my friends at the time) had cute fun ones.
Then one day I was flipping through my Instagram feed and I saw someone talking about there cute but protective phone case. I was intrigued. So I checked them out.
Boutique Me is a place to get personalized and monogrammed phone and electronics cases and so much more. The best part is these cases are from top brands for protective cases including Otterbox, Life Proof and Case Mate. I purchased my case in the beginning of March and it has been dropped several times since then with no damage to the phone. The case is holding up well even though I am constantly just tossing it in my purse. Check it out!
I chose to have a picture from T's 3rd birthday on my case. You are to choose colors patterns, design, and add monograms as well. I will have to get a new case soon though since in this picture Hails is still on the inside....
Aside from electronics cases, boutique me also sells a variety of other monogrammed items including products for the car, office, kitchen, and beach. They're items are perfect as a wedding or housewarming gift. Also good for college students. Know someone starting a new job? Get them a monogrammed business card case.
Because I love them so much and want you to check them out, I contacted the company and was able to get my readers a discount. If you use the code Emily10, you can get 10% off your order!! If you have the new iPhone 7, don't worry, they already have cases for you. If not they probably have a case for you too. If not, you probably need a new phone anyway!
Definitely head over to Boutique Me and check them out!!
Have a great weekend!
Cheers,
Emily
Let me send you a whole list of tips to help you make more time for yourself and your goals! Plus you will get weekly emails with more tips and advice.
You have successfully joined our subscriber list.
How to take care of yourself while you are taking care of others.
Setting goals and maintaining a family do not have to be mutually exclusive. Learn how to create work life balance between your family and your personal goals.
When your energy is dragging, there are healthy things you can do to pick yourself back up.
Sometimes the shows you love portray things in a way that is wrong. It’s hard not to react.
Times are crazy. People are stressed and fearful. People have gotten sick, or died or lost their jobs. We need to come together, not fall apart.
Holidays this year are going to be a little different but they don’t have to be stressful. We can still feel the holiday season amidst the new circumstances.
How to create a fun, festive virtual birthday party with a Harry Potter theme.
Feelings can stop us in our tracks and prevent us from getting things done and making progress in our lives.
When we are spending so much time at home, our relationship with our spouse can suffer. Here are things you can do to improve your marriage while at home.
I don't know about you, but I already feel it. The mad rush that begins in October and doesn't end until the new year. Halloween is huge in my house. It's my husband's favorite holiday and it has rubbed off on me as well. October is a crazy month for us fill with events and activities for the season. There's Apple/Pumpkin Picking, Harvest Fest at the New York Botanical Garden, Boo at the Zoo, The Count's Halloween Spooktacular at Sesame Place, and of course Halloween itself. We also host a marshmallow roast every year around Halloween. On top of that, our 5 year wedding anniversary is October 29th. Are you feeling overwhelmed yet?
Then the holidays start with Thanksgiving and Christmas shopping, holiday lights shows, Christmas parties, visiting Santa, and Christmas itself. Add to that my sister in laws wedding in early November, and Hailey's baptism in December, and the next few months are packed. And of course there's still grad school and work and family and life. For these last two weeks of September I will be enjoying the calm.
Altering costumes: T's Halloween is in so, in the next few weeks I will slowly be taking it in. The character he wanted to be didn't have a costume in toddler size, so there is a lot to take in... I ordered a plain dress for my costume and once it arrives, I will need to add a few extra touches for my character. Hailey's costume is ordered and some pieces have arrived. Luckily, her's doesn't need much work. As for the hubs, he likes to take his costume into his own hands... Note: I am being purposefully vague here. I want you to really enjoy the big Halloween costume reveal!
Planning our weekends: There are a lot of activities that we want to pack in to a short period of time. This is especially true in October. In the next 2 weeks I will be prioritizing the activities we want to do most and try to schedule times to do them. Since my husband works weekends, this may be difficult. We may recruit grandma to join us for the more minor activities and make sure the hubs is there for Sesame Place and Pumpkin/Apple Picking. My husband already took the day off for Halloween; it's that important.
Start Holiday Shopping: Holiday shopping starts now. If we see something that T seems to like in the store, we make a note for his Christmas list. Hails is a lot easier seeing as how a 4 month old doesn't really make demands regarding toys. Also, presents for friends and relatives starts now. If we see something someone would like we just pick it up and save it for the holidays. This also goes for holiday outfits. If we see something now, we just pick it up and save it.
Plan for Hailey's Baptism: We are not having a huge get-together, but we will have a little reception for family and close friends after Hailey's baptism. So nothing crazy, but there will be invitations, food, and some decor. Oh, and of course, cake. Definitely something DIY which I of course will share here!! So, the planning for that will start now!
That's it. I mean it would be silly if this was a long list. It wouldn't be calm, it would be just as stressful as the coming months. These four things however can really help us to enjoy the experiences of the holidays instead of being bogged down by the stresses. I always get my holiday shopping done by the latest, Black Friday. This way in December I can enjoy the holidays and just have to do some wrapping. I like to have our October events planned so we are not stressing about fitting everything in, but instead enjoying the events. As far as November, I am lucky to have 5 sister in laws and a wonderful mother in law, so Thanksgiving is never stressful for me. I bring my always requested dessert which you can find here, and maybe a side or two. Everyone chips in, so it's not so overwhelming.
So, are you enjoying the calm before the holidays? What are you doing to make the holidays less stressful? Share in the comments and let's help each other out!
Cheers,
Emily
Let me send you a whole list of tips to help you make more time for yourself and your goals! Plus you will get weekly emails with more tips and advice.
You have successfully joined our subscriber list.
Tips to increase your energy and organization to get through a busy day.
It can be hard to balance kids and work, when you are working from home. Here are some tips that can help.
Check out this collection of tasks to help you stay on top of your home and your work.
Tips for getting the important stuff done when the kids are around all day every day!
It can be hard to manage life as a busy mom and it’s easy to be overwhelmed. Check out these ideas to make better use of your time.
Check out my favorite solution for clearing up your inbox and avoiding all those email notifications!
Here are 5 ways you can save time during the holidays and still get stuff done. It's all about prioritizing what needs to get done by you versus what just needs to get done.
Find out why 90 days is the best time frame for achieving goals and why you need a 90 day planner.
Creating a weekly schedule involves putting in time up front, but it saves you so much time in the long run.
Check out the simple process to make and effective schedule that you can actually stick to. Includes daily schedule examples.
If you have been following along on Facebook, you know that both my kids started their new session of swim classes this week. T was returning and Hails took her first class the day she turned 4 months. It may or may not surprise you to know that there are several things you will need if your baby is starting swim class. Instead of just listing it all out, I decided to make a video to explain what you will need and why. Below the video are links to all of the things I mention.
Here are all the items mentioned in the video:
Hailey's Swim Suit from Love Buns
Captain America Swim Trunks (Similar to Tyler's)
Reusable Swim Diaper from I Love Bub
So what did you think? Did you like the video? Would you like for me to continue to include video every once in a while? Let me know in the comments!
Happy Weekend!!
Cheers,
Emily
Let me send you a whole list of tips to help you make more time for yourself and your goals! Plus you will get weekly emails with more tips and advice.
You have successfully joined our subscriber list.
How to take care of yourself while you are taking care of others.
Setting goals and maintaining a family do not have to be mutually exclusive. Learn how to create work life balance between your family and your personal goals.
When your energy is dragging, there are healthy things you can do to pick yourself back up.
Sometimes the shows you love portray things in a way that is wrong. It’s hard not to react.
Times are crazy. People are stressed and fearful. People have gotten sick, or died or lost their jobs. We need to come together, not fall apart.
Holidays this year are going to be a little different but they don’t have to be stressful. We can still feel the holiday season amidst the new circumstances.
How to create a fun, festive virtual birthday party with a Harry Potter theme.
Feelings can stop us in our tracks and prevent us from getting things done and making progress in our lives.
When we are spending so much time at home, our relationship with our spouse can suffer. Here are things you can do to improve your marriage while at home.
So today is my birthday!!! On April 11 of 2016 I turned 31 and around that time I created a post about the things I’d like to do before my next birthday. This list consisted of a wide range of goals including trips with the family, school goals, and friends goals. You can find that post here. Back in July, I posted my first update at a quarter of the way through the year and in October I posted my progress at the halfway point. January marked the 3 quarters point. Now here we are a full year later.