What is your favorite gift you’ve ever received for Valentine’s Day? I’m all about the experiences over actual things. BUT it is still fun to get a little something from your hubby right?! Sometimes they need a few hints. So I went ahead and made them a little gift guide you can just drop right in their inbox! Haha! Plus I’ve rounded up some ideas I’ve done for Joe in the past or I’m thinking about for this year! Shop them all below and tell me what your favorites to get and receive are too!!
I hope these Valentine’s gift ideas help spark some ideas for your man, and maybe what you should be hinting at for yourself too! What is your favorite thing you’ve ever received for Valentines Day?!
Valentine’s Day is just around the corner and I am so excited! It has always been one of my favorite holidays. What is better than celebrating love with the people you love?!
When you were growing up, was Valentines Day a big deal in your house? Or was it more of a holiday you just kind of had at school but that is it? Was it something that was just for adults? What about in your current home? For me, when I was growing up, my mom made holidays so special for us. Valentine’s was no exception! I think that plays a big part in why I still love it so much today!
We had the best Valentine’s tradition! So today I thought it would be fun to share one of our traditions + some simple Valentine’s Day gift ideas for the whole family! Every year we would make yummy treats + Valentine’s Cards so we could package them up for the neighbors. Instead of delivering them like a normal gift, we would doorbell ditch them with the little surprise. We LOVED it and thought it was the best thing ever as kids. Fast forward to my time as a parent bringing this tradition to my little family. I had NO IDEA this was not the norm. My naive self literally thought it was something everyone did for Valentines Day! I couldn’t figure out why nobody ever did it to us in return!
My little people love it so much, that I had to keep the Valentines tradition alive, and I even do something similar for them. I package up a little gift, and some yummy treats. Then I doorbell ditch them with their own Valentine’s Day surprises too! It has been so fun!
Now let’s talk ideas! Since my kids cover every stage from just out of toddler (cue the tears) to teen, I have rounded up gift guides for both boys AND girls in every age group! So be sure to check them all out below and let me know your favorites!
We hope these little ideas help you out and you enjoy your Valentine’s Day with your crew! Sending extra love from our team to you for your support and being part of this community too!
Let’s talk family planning! Whether you are single, married, or a family of 7, planning out your week can make all the difference in not only your productivity, but your attitude too! Knowing what you have coming up as well as making time for the things you want in your week can make all the difference between a happy week or a bummer week! I mentioned we have a family meeting every Sunday and got bombarded with questions on all the logistics of how it is done. So today I’m giving you all the details and hopefully setting you up with some tips to apply this in your own household!
: START WITH FAMILY HOME EVENING
We usually start our family meeting off with what we call family home evening. It is something we are encouraged to do through our faith, but easily customized to coincide with your own family values. We try to start off with a prayer and a song. From then on, it is basically a time where we focus on being together, talking about a subject we need to work on or want to focus on that week. Sometimes it will just be Joe or I kind of leading a discussion and other times we watch a spiritual video or talk on it as well.
Once we have done this portion of the family meeting, we let the babies go play. They don’t need to know the ins and outs of the schedule and sometimes it helps with distractions. Our babies are old enough now that a lot of times they like to stay to be included.
: GO OVER THE SCHEDULE
Once we wrap up the family home evening portion, we move on to the schedule. The schedule portion of the family meeting is definitely the main focus and what takes the most time.
This is where we go over everything like sports practices and games, joe’s work days, and any meetings or appointments I have that will affect family schedules. This is also when the kids let us know if they have special things with friends like birthday parties or school events.
We also schedule in our kids dates for the week. These don’t always have to be something huge. Lately I have been picking up whoever’s turn it is and taking them to lunch, a lot of the time with the babies in tow. They don’t really mind that it isn’t always just one on one.
In addition to the individual kids dates, we also try and schedule in some kind of family activity or family date for the week. This could be something as big as skiing for Harper’s birthday, or as simple as everyone going to Hunter’s soccer game to support her.
The last part of scheduling is us letting them know if Joe and I have a date night planned for the week and who is going to tend.
: PLAN OUR MEALS
One of my biggest pet peeves is spending time and/or money to make a meal that nobody wants to eat! So when it comes to meal planning for the week I want all the opinions and requests! To make this happen, I added meal planning for the week to our weekly family meeting. We are able to plan out what days we will be out, what days Joe will be home for dinner, and work in any meal requests the kids have. I usually order our Walmart delivery right then as well to get it all taken care of!
: TALK ABOUT OUR GOALS
New to our family meeting this year is adding in family goals. Our kids are old enough to be making their own goals as well as work towards goals with us toward family ones too. We talked about them last week and we each listed them out on these monthly sheets. Our plan is to go over them every week at the family meeting as kind of a check in. Not only does that help us stay focused on the goals, but also lets us see if we can be helping them out that week in their goals.
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I think that covers everything involved in our weekly family meeting. As you can the bones of it are really pretty simple and customizable to your families needs!
If you’ve been around here for a while, you know that I’ve really been putting a major focus on my health and taking care of myself, both mentally and physically. But prior to the last 4 years or so, it was pretty low on my list of priorities! I’ve had a lot of questions on how I made such a drastic change, what helped and what didn’t, and alll the things in between! I am definitely no expert on this and still learning what works and what doesn’t, but today I wanted to share 8 tips that have really helped me to build a healthy routine.
: FIND A PARTNER
When it comes to accomplishing a goal, or motivating yourself to stick to something, having a partner is such a game changer. Just knowing that someone is counting on you can be the push you need. It will push you to wake up and do your workout, to push yourself a little harder, and most importantly to not quit, because you aren’t just letting yourself down, you are letting them down too!! Having a partner in your healthy routine also gives you someone to vent to that is working through the same challenges as you.
: START SMALL
While getting into a healthy routine is so great for your body both physically and mentally, pushing yourself too hard isn’t. Start small and progress as you go. Not only will it be easier on your body, but you are much less likely to get frustrated with yourself and give up. You can’t go from couch potato to marathon runner overnight. Start with a simple goal you know you can accomplish, and push yourself from there.
: SET GOALS
If you are a parent, you know that you can change how your people see the simplest of tasks by setting up a system to track their progress. Reading charts, potty training sticker sheets, chore charts, they all work the same way. Set a goal for yourself, track your progress, and don’t forget the reward!! The same goes for getting in to a healthy routine. Have goals. Maybe yours is to be able to run a race a few months away or do a certain amount of pull ups. Whatever it is, right it down and set up a plan. Having something in your mind to reach for is HUGE motivation to get into that routine.
: TAKE PROGRESS PICTURES
While your reason for getting in to a healthy routine may not be for weight loss, taking progress pictures is a huge motivator. I didn’t go in to this dying to lose a bunch of weight, my goal was to tone up and feel like I had better muscle and endurance. But a friend told me to take “before” pics anyway. I am so happy I did. Because on those days where I feel like this is all pointless and doing nothing for me, those picture comparisons are something I can physically SEE a change and it is so motivating.
One of the questions I get asked most is where I find ideas for my workouts. I love finding and following accounts that offer SIMPLE EASY TO FOLLOW workout ideas so I can take their ideas and mix them up. Some of my very favorites right now are Lauren Gleisberg and Madeline Custer. Their workouts are a mix of weights + cardio. I love that they are easy to follow along to, and great at answering any questions you have. They both have workout programs you can buy (that I love), but they also have tons of free content in their feed so you can try it out first and see if their style matches what you are looking for.
: START WITH ONE HEALTHIER MEAL A DAY
For me, getting in to a healthier routine wasn’t just about working out, but about eating healthier too. If you are anything like me, the thought of meal planning seems TOTALLY overwhelming. So I had to do what worked. I started with focusing on just one meal a day. Once I did that I could feel the change in energy and how I felt. And that encouraged me to bring it into all of my eating. If you need tips to start out, I shared my beginners guide to meal prep here.
: DRINK MORE WATER
Water is KEY to any healthy routine and such a simple step. But sometimes those simple steps are the accomplishments we need to make us feel like a rock star and work harder towards our other goals. For me getting my water in means making sure I fill up my water bottle and take it with me every where I go. It follows me from room to room and in the car so I am constantly hydrating. If water isn’t your jam, try adding some fresh fruit or yummy true lemon to flavor it a little and get you past the boring flavor.
: THINK PROGRESS OVER PERFECTION
Last but maybe most important, is to always think progress over perfection. I am here to tell you that you are not going to see or feel changes over night. Getting into the habits of a healthy routine takes a lot of time, hard work, and patience. Be proud of your progress and yourself for making the choice to work on it, and celebrate the little successes.
Like I said, I am still a work in progress in finding the balance in my own healthy routine. But I hope these tips that have helped me, will help you as well! Just remember, you are killing it just by doing your best to take care of you!
Let’s get right to it, why do our houses become disorganized and chaotic?! Rather than constantly trying to re-organize and do epic deep cleaning sessions every few months, let’s talk about WHY it’s becoming messy and disorganized in the first place. And in my opinion, this boils down to what is coming INSIDE or your intake.
Once you’ve cleaned and organized your whole house, there really is no reason for it to go back to being disorganized unless your intake system is not working well for your family. So today I want to talk a little bit about the entry points of your home, how to limit your intake, and to make those places beautiful as well as functional for your family.
Whether you’re an empty nester or you have five little ones or it’s you and your pup, setting your entry up for organization is going to save you so much time and effort in the long run when it comes to staying organized. We all have things that we take in and out of the house, things that we need to grab as we’re running out the door. And we all are bringing things home that then will need a place to go in our home, in order to keep it organized. So let’s talk about a few key pieces that I think make an effective entry.
First things first, every home and family is different in how they handle coming and going. In our home, we have a strict “no shoes” policy and so our entry points definitely require somewhere to put shoes. Additionally, my kids have backpacks and extracurricular activities that have their own gear. We love our locker systems for that reason. And to be able to have a place where Joe can easily find his wallet and keys on the way out is what works best for us.
So before anything else, make a quick list of what you regularly need when you leave and what you regularly bring home, this will be important to figure out how to set up your entry!
Oh my gosh. Paper. I feel like as we have moved into the twenty-first century, the amount of paper that needs to come into the home is becoming less and less, which is so great. But nevertheless, it’s important to have a place for it. Are you bringing home bills? Homework? Papers to grade? Let’s make sure that you have a dedicated, clean, organized, place to put those papers.
My children have a basket in each of their lockers for school papers that they like to keep. We throw away junk mail before it ever comes in our home and whatever important paperwork comes in goes directly into the home office to have something done with it whether that’s paying a bill, inputting information into a calendar, or shredding.
I’d definitely recommend signing up for paperless billing for anything and everything. It’s so helpful in streamlining paper intake and is so much easier to keep track of via email!
: BAGS
Most of us have bags that come and go, whether that’s a gym bag or a briefcase, purse, or backpack. Make sure that your entry has a dedicated hook for your bag(s) so that it’s staying clean and in its place instead of strewn about the house.
: COATS
Certainly in the winter, we are coming in out of our home in winter coats. Ideally a coat closet is located near your entry where you can neatly hang your coat but if that isn’t the case, placing a hook near your bag hook for your coat is a wonderful option. In the summer this hook may be used for umbrellas or a pool or beach bag.
: SHOES
There are a few important questions that I would ask myself when creating an organized entry around shoes.
Do you allow shoes in the home? Do you walk upstairs or around to your master bedroom before removing shoes? Where will these shoes be removed or put on?
Do I need seating to put shoes on/off?
Where will the shoes in the entry be placed? Do I want them hidden or out?
Do I require guests to remove their shoes? Where would I like them to put their shoes?
Am I wearing one or two pairs of shoes every day that I’d like to keep in the entry?
Answering these questions should give you an idea as to what sort of storage you’re looking for when it comes to shoes. I prefer to have our family’s shoes hidden in a drawer inside each of their lockers. Those drawers are cleared out regularly and those shoes can be taken down to their closets where they can rest until they’re worn again.
Baskets in an entry table make a great, concealed option for shoe storage in the entry as well. In the winter, you may consider adding a boot tray to your entry if you are wearing winter boots they may be wet.
: KEYS/MISCELLANEOUS
What do you have in your hands? Keys and trinkets need a place, too! I like to keep face masks and sunglasses in the car or in my purse. Usually am only carrying in car keys but occasionally Joe will also bring in his wallet. Keeping a tray on a table when you come inside is a great way to make sure you’re not forgetting the necessities on your way in and out!
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Limiting your intake, and having a place for it when it does, cuts back on the overwhelm and mess that can quickly pile up!I hope these tips help you to do just that!
If you have been around here for a while, you probably know this is a hard time of the year for me. While birthday’s are so fun to celebrate, every year Harper’s stings just a little more. She is my baby girl and growing up so fast!! It always hits a littler harder as a reminder on her birthday. I kind of go into this spin overanalyzing. Am I doing enough as a mom? Giving them all enough time? Basically all the emotions. But this year I’ve really been talking through it with my life coach and with Joe and realizing there is nothing I can do to stop it. I need to find the positive in it and really embrace this stage we are in.
So enough of the sad emotions, let’s talk about my big FIVE year old!!!! Harper is the happiest girl you’ll ever meet. Her joy and excitement for everything in life is my favorite. I know without a doubt she was meant to be our last baby girl. She just brings so much of that happiness and positivity to our lives.
Harper is also one that knows how special she is and completely believes in herself. There is nothing she is not “big” enough to figure out, and when she puts her mind to it she doesn’t give up. Ever since she saw Houston ski last year, she has said “that is what I am doing when I am 5”, and she just has this confidence that she can.
Right now we still have Tuesday and Thursday mornings alone together and I cherish every single second of it! We have made it our Harper + Mom time and I have tried to focus on making it all about that. I love that she is still in the stage that she loves to snuggle, and will let me call her my baby girl, but can see her growing up when she says things like “Mommmmm, I already know you love me! You don’t have to say it 15 times”!
I wouldn’t say we spoil her, at least not purposely, but I think every one of us in the family does because we all can’t get enough of her!!
So here is to another year of watching my baby girl grow and loving her even more. And another year of trying to be ok with it all happening so fast!!!
Mornings can be a pretty hectic time. There is a lot to get done, in a limited amount of time. Add in tired/grumpy attitudes and a lotttt of little people and it can get out of hand. It took some trial and error for us to figure out a system that works for us personally, but it makes all the difference. We put together a fun video to give you a little sneak peek into how our mornings go around here. While the complete system may not work for your lifestyle, I wanted to share 6 tips that you will see in action that have really helped take the stress out of our morning routine. I hope they will for you too!
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Now that you have an idea of how we make things work around here, let’s get down to the tips! Even implementing 1 or 2 can make a huge difference in how you start your day! So let’s break it down…
When it comes to your morning routine, I’m sure the last thing you want to do is wake your little people up any earlier than necessary. I will often find myself thinking, oh they had a late night…I’ll let them sleep in. And it ALWAYS backfires!! While they need their sleep, the feeling of being rushed always ruins a morning. If we are rushed we have more arguments, hurt feelings, tantrums, allll the things. And I don’t know about you, but I hate that feeling in your gut when all the people are gone for school and you feel like you left them in a bad mood. By taking the extra 15 minutes, you can move at a slower pace. It gives you time to talk about their day, have them help with chores, and not feel like you are shoving them out the door.
On this same note, take into account how your people like to wake up. The girls hate when I flip the light on before they are fully awake. If I just open the blinds and give them 5 minutes to slowly wake up, they are much happier campers. Sometimes just putting yourself in their shoes can make all the difference.
It is no secret to any of you that to me a clean house is a happy house. One of my biggest tips to having a more productive day, is to make your bed. Something as simple as an unmade bed in your kids room can instantly make it feel messy. And I don’t know about your people, but that is the last thing mine want to do after a long day of school. We have made it a priority that right when I get in from the gym, I wake them up and we make beds together. It starts our morning on a clean slate and we aren’t worried about messy rooms in the busier part of our day.
:: PREP YOUR OUTFITS AT THE BEGINNING OF THE WEEK
Another way we have found to lessen the stress in our morning and avoid arguments is to prep all the kids outfits at the beginning of the week. We find a time (usually on Sunday) where we can go to their closet together and make a plan. Hunter takes care of hers on her own, but Hayden takes a little more patience and cooperation. She is strong willed and knows what she likes and DOES NOT like. We avoid SO many unnecessary fights and tantrums.
::PREP LUNCHES AHEAD OF TIME
We don’t go all out on this, but we always try to have the dry things prepped in baggies ahead of time. You can see how we have things set up over in our pantry post. They each grab a few “sides” and have them in their lunchboxes the night before, so just sandwiches are left for the morning. To really save on time, you could prep breakfast too. We have done make ahead breakfast burritos, or made a big batch of french toast or waffles at the beginning of the week to use multiple days.
:: EVERYTHING COMES BEFORE BREAKFAST
Raise your hand if your kids are the slooooowest eaters in the morning? Sometimes I think they are still half asleep. Ha! One of the biggest problems we noticed in our previous morning routines is doing breakfast first. They spent so much time eating, that everything else was a crazy, stressed out rush. We recently switched it up to have breakfast last and it has been a major game changer. It sounds crazy, but it kind of gives them the motivation to get everything else done faster, so they can get to breakfast.
:: WORK AS A TEAM
Delegate, delegate, delegate. You should not be doing all the things yourself. You and your kids are a team and should work that way in the morning. For example, Hunter takes on the lunches. If Hayden’s hair is going to take a little longer, or I am changing after going to the gym, Hudson will change the babies diaper and get her breakfast while he is getting his. Kitchen clean up is also their responsibility before they go to school. Set expectations for them in the morning to help things run smoother.
I hope these tips help you to have a less stressful morning with your people and start your day a little happier! This definitely didn’t come easy for us and is still a work in progress. Just remember what works for one won’t necessarily work for you. So I wanna know, do you have any game changers you do to make your day a little less hectic?
We are officially into 2022!! A new year brings a fresh new start and for most it is a time to set goals. While I like to take the time to set a few goals for myself and my family every year, I also feel like the world puts a lot of pressure on us for that to be a requirement. That if you January 1st rolls around and you aren’t setting these monstrous goals and making huge leaps forward, then you must be moving backwards.
Every time I go in to making goals as well as sharing them here with you, I try to remind myself whose opinion matters on this. Am I making this goal because the world tells me I am supposed to, or is it actually something I would like to focus on? If you are happy and content in certain areas, that is ok too!!! Another thing I remind myself is that I can’t go into with the mindset that if the goal isn’t achieved flawlessly, it doesn’t count. To me, the goal is about progress not perfection. So with that in mind, these are a few of the things I’m hoping to progress on this year!
This one seems to top the goals chart every year. But I think I can speak for most parents in saying we always feel like we can give more time to our families, so it will probably always be part of the goals I set. As most of you know, I took a break from social media and my phone in general to be more present during the holidays. The difference in the connection and closeness I felt with my kids and even with Joe was mind blowing. I want more of that and that focused uninterrupted time.
: FEEL CONTENT
One of my biggest goals or focuses for this year is to feel content with where I’m at. To feel content with my phase of life, what I have, and how I am progressing. I think a lot of this is to keep my focus on the road ahead and not sideways on what everyone else is doing. Avoiding the comparison game and the what ifs. Be content with my choices and where I’m at in life.
: SIMPLIFY
This is something you all know I preach in every aspect of life here on the blog and over on Instagram, but this year I feel like I could use a little bigger taste of my own medicine. I really want to focus on simplifying things that we overdo or are causing extra stress for myself or my family that just aren’t necessary. To give you an example of what I mean by this, I have a story for you. Over the break when we were taking Christmas decorations down, everyone was in the worst mood (myself included). Nobody wanted to be helping, and my kids especially were dragging their feet. They finally came out and said “Mom, why do we even have to have allll these over the top decorations? We don’t care about the decorations. That is not what we love about Christmas.” And it kind of stopped me in my tracks because while I do love home decor and design, my reason behind decorating for holidays had always been them and thinking it was what they wanted.
For me this was a lightbulb realization that there is so much extra fluff and stress we force on ourselves because other people are doing it or will think differently of us if we aren’t doing it. And it’s just not necessary. YOU DO YOU!!!
Don’t get me wrong, any time I get one on one with Joe is my favorite! But when life gets busy, date night can kind of turn into just a break from the busy, and get a little monotonous. Joe and I are creatures of habit and go to the same restaurant and get the same ice cream, 90% of the time!! So when I saw this idea to bring the fun back to date night over on my friend Merrick’s post, I knew I wanted to add it in to my goals. I want to keep it achievable, so I am hoping to plan one out of the box date night a month. I feel like we are always waiting for a special occasion or double date to do something different. But those end up being our favorites so why not do them more often!
: FOCUS ON MY MENTAL HEALTH
Over the past 6 months I have been having weekly coaching calls with Beth Goodman and they have completely changed my focus and really outlook on life. She has taught me how to really clear my head, focus on what matters, meditate, and take time to recognize my gratitude. One of my goals to continue focusing on strengthening that mental health is to set aside around 15 minutes 5x a week to brain dump, meditate, and just grow closer to myself and to God.
Fitness has been a huge priority for me over the last few years, but I kind of fizzled out over the summer. I wasn’t in the best plate mentally so it took a back seat. And that is ok. You have to give yourself grace. I personally don’t like setting workout goals that are super strict or with detailed requirements because I know life happens. My physical health goal is to get stronger this year and to focus on building muscle.
: CONNECT WITH MY AUDIENCE
Last but not least is my goal for this space. Being a “blogger” or “influencer”, it is easy to get distracted by the numbers and what others are doing, or what you “should” be doing. My goal is to focus on simplifying my content and focusing on inspiring and helping others. To go back to the basics and really talk to my audience like the girlfriends we are. Get rid of all the extra worry and stress and just enjoy the relationships we have here.
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Those are my goals for now. I don’t really like to look at it as goals for the year because our stages of life can change as we go. I may want to add something else in March or June, and that is ok! Don’t feel like you have to plan something and stick to it for 365 years. We are going for progress not perfection!
I also wanted to share this goal sheet with you! If you are anything like me, having a place to physically write things down makes all the difference in tracking and keeping myself accountable. I searched for hour and found this one I really like over at Saturday Gift.
If you would like to use it, you can click here to download the pdf or just save this image! From a computer just right click on it, and save image. From your phone, just long hold down the image and then click add to photos.
Can you even believe another year is behind us already?! What can I say about this year. It was full of even more unknowns and craziness that we thought we were done with (never ending pandemic anyone?!). But it was also full of some real highs for our family too and we hope you can say the same!! One of our favorite blog posts to put together every year is a highlight of the Best of the year! We go back through our sales analytics and find out what the top 10 items were that we (you guys included) loved most!! So here we go with the best of 2021!
Coming in at number one for the best of 2021 is the hot shot onesie from Free People! It is definitely in my top favorites in my closet!! Not only does it feel like you are wearing pajamas, but it is totally versatile to wear all year round. You can pair it with a long sleeve for fall like I did above, or over a short sleeve or swimsuit in the summer! With 15 different color options, I promise you won’t regret adding it to your closet!
: FREE PEOPLE THE WAY HOME SHORTS
Coming in at a close second for the Best of 2021 are these amazing Free People Way Home Shorts! If you exercise literally ever, you need these in your life! The super high waistband is supportive + comfortable. The cut is short enough that they don’t get hot, but not so short your buns are showing. Plus they have built in undies which is a great bonus!! They come in 33 colors so you can mix and match with all your favorite tops!!
: LULULEMON EVERYWHERE BELT BAG
Number 3 of our Best of 2021 was this Lululemon Everywhere Belt Bag. If you’re looking for the bag that is the best sidekick for traveling, hiking, or on the go mom life, this is it!! It can be worn as a fanny or as an over the shoulder bag, holds a ton for how small it is, and has pockets!! The perfect gift idea for a girlfriend too!
I’m not going to lie, I am actually kind of surprised this sweater set only took the number 4 spot in our Best of 2021 line up! But that doesn’t make it any lower on my list of loves!! It has made our top links for the last couple years and for good reason!! Super comfortable, completely versatile, and they are always coming out with more colors I just feel like I need!
: SPANX BRA-LLELUJAH WIRELESS BRA
Taking the number 5 spot of our Best of 2021 line up is the bra dreams are made of!! If you are woman, you need this bra in your life!!! It is AMAZING!! Totally comfortable, no lines, and super flattering, it checks all the boxes!!
Coming in at number 6 in our Best of 2021 roundup is this bomber jacket from lululemon. It took a spot in the 2020 round up too and for good reason!! First of all it is reversible, so it’s like getting 2 coats in one! Second, the fit is so flattering and comfortable! Right now you can grab it in 4 color options.
Taking the number 7 spot is the shoe of the year in my opinion, the Nike Blazer! These shoes were totally meant for me!! Super versatile, unique, and the comfiest things you’ll find!!! You can grab them in some fun different colorways, or stick to the classic black and white!
: LULULEMON DOWN FOR IT ALL JACKET
If you live somewhere even remotely cold, you need this jacket in your life!! It checks all my jacket must haves. Super warm, fitted and flattering, comfortable and versatile! If you are into layering I would size up to give yourself a little more room. You can grab it in 6 different color options too to match your style! You can check out more of my favorite coats here!
I am happy to say this year brought quite a few good Amazon Fashion finds, including this dress!! It is the perfect mix of flattering and flowy comfort. I love the detail of the pattern and the fun sleeve! Plus it’s under $30!
: HUGGIE EARRINGS
Last but not least in our Best of 2021 are these huggie earrings! They are the earrings I wear pretty much daily and absolutely love. So much so that I have gifted them to just about everyone!!! I love how minimal they are. You can sleep in them, shower in them, everything and you won’t know they are there! At $25 they make a great gift too!!
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That sums up our top 10 BEST fashion of 2021!! I love seeing you guys love the same things I do! What was your favorite fashion purchase of 2021?!
While snow hasn’t made a huge appearance in Northern Utah, the colder temperatures are definitely making themselves known! If you know me I am a Summer girl through and through! As soon as it drops below 40 you can usually find me sitting as close as possible to the fire!! But since we all actually have to leave the house sometimes and brave the cold, I thought I would share some of my winter weather coat favorites with you!
First up in winter weather must haves is kind of a no brainer. Coats! The difference between frostbite grocery runs and cozy comfort can all come down to a good coat!! I have found a few that I absolutely love and check all the boxes!
This one probably takes the cake as my favorite! I LOVE that it is fitted and not a huge overwhelming puffer that takes away all your shape. The hand covers give an extra perk of warmth I love too! I sized up on this to a 4 to have more room for layering.
If temperatures have really dropped, these next two are amazing for full body warmth!! I love that the longer length locks in the warmth, like a robe! This one is a favorite because again it is fitted and doesn’t overwhelm your body and take away your shape.
Last but not least is this coat that is perfect when you need a dressed up look in winter weather. I love the coloring and the neckline helps keep in the heat.
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… SHOP MY FAVORITE WINTER WEATHER BOOTS …
… SHOP MY FAVORITE WINTER WEATHER ACCESSORIES …
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I hope these ideas keep you cozy and warm all winter long!
in partnership with JCPenney + ShopStyle Collective
Alright question time! Are you sitting back, relaxing, and enjoying the holiday season? Or are you still doing a little bit of a last-minute hustle to get your gift list checked off? I am just about done, except for a few family gift ideas. For some reason those seem to be the trickiest for me just because it’s such a broad subject! But today I am solving all of your struggles for ideas and teaming up with JCPenney to share some fun last minute family gift ideas!
Who doesn’t love family games?! We are big fans of the classics, but we love finding new ones too! I’ve heard this one is such a fun spin on charades! And this one looks so fun for big family parties! My kids LOVE this oversized yahtzee set too! These would make a great family gift!
: OUTDOOR FUN
If you know us, you know we love being outside with family and friends! Having good group games to play is a must! We have had this slam ball for a couple years and it is always a favorite. Classic croquetis a fun family gift idea too!
: FOOD FUN
Last but not least in my family gift ideas are food inspired gifts! We love s’mores so this one would be so fun! Hot chocolate on these cold winter days is a must, so this would be such a fun gift for the family!
As you can see from this round up, to me a great family gift is all about inspiring family togetherness! That might be in the form of a board game, friendly competition, or making yummy treats together! The best part about shopping these last minute gift ideas at JCPenney is they have quick ship + store pickup options to help you grab it on time, just leaving you with the wrapping!
Since Joe + I were first married, we knew we wanted to have a big family. We both have close relationships with our siblings and wanted the same for our kids too! Along with having a big family, comes a BUSY schedule. Sometimes it feels like we are constantly on the go. As parents, one of our top concerns + focuses was if each of our people is getting enough one on one time. Having that strong bond individually with each of them is so important to us, so we started what we call our Kid Dates. I have shared a little about doing this on and off on Instagram, and had a lot of questions, so I thought I’d share some tips we’ve learned from doing our Kid dates + some fun ideas we’ve done or are dying to try!
I think my number one tip when it comes to Kid Dates is to keep it simple. It does not have to be a big huge deal. When we first started, I always tried to make a big production out of every date. I was worried the little people wouldn’t appreciate it or feel special enough if it wasn’t something big. I was so wrong. The dates they talk about most are the trips to Target or a quick ice cream run.
With our schedule being so hectic + crazy most of the time, it is easy to talk myself out of these kid dates being important. So for us, that means sometimes when I need to go run errands, I grab Hayden too and make it a special one on one. Letting her roam her favorite aisles hand in hand and knowing all my attention is on her is sometimes what we both need. Another example is taking advantage of sports practice. If Hunter has soccer practice, that gives us an hour or two. We can each take one of the bigs and a baby, and go do something to put the focus on them for a little while. It might seem impossible at first, but you can always work it in.
A lot of times not having extra money in the budget can pop up as an excuse. We have been there. When money is tight it feels like kid dates can be pushed aside. But the date is not about how much money you can spend. It doesn’t always have to be going out and doing an activity. With Hudson, sometimes his favorite “date” is getting one on one time with Joe to work on baseball, or build Legos. Hunter loves to bake and a night with just the two of us making cookies while Joe keeps the rest of the people downstairs is sometimes just what she needs.
I also like to use holiday gifts to help pay for Date nights. For Valentines Day this year, we gave all of our people $10 Gift Cards to Target, because we knew it would go towards a future one on one or family date night! Something about using their “own money” makes it so much more fun too!
I hope these simple tips we’ve learned can help you to make dating your kids a priority. The bond it has helped us form with each of our little people as individual people is priceless. Giving them that space to just open up and know you’re focus is on them. They are all so unique + it lets them open up and just kind of be themselves and talk about whatever they need/want to. I love it so much and know you will too! I thought I’d share 15 of my favorite ideas for Kid Dates that we have done or are wanting to try soon!
Go Out for Ice Cream : you can never go wrong with ice cream! Let them choose their favorite flavor + toppings…or share a giant sundae together!
Head to an Arcade : This is one Joe + Hudson would love! Loading them up with their own bag of quarters makes it that much more exciting.
Grocery Shopping : this sounds crazy but letting them be in charge + pick a few of their favorites is so much fun!
Get a Mani/Pedi : This is one the girls and I choose a lot. They love feeling more grown up by getting pampered + it is a great place to get them talking about whats going on in their lives. When the budget or schedule is tight, we have done spa dates at home too!
Color Me Mine : this is a local kid friendly pottery painting place I can’t wait to try!
Go to Breakfast : switch things up from a dinner date and let them be a little late for school one day so you can go out to breakfast! The thrill of missing a little time of school will make it feel even more special + something your kids will love!
Surprise Lunch : Surprise your kids by checking them out of school for a lunch date of their choice! My mom did this when we were little and it is one of my favorite memories!
Go Bowling or Mini Golfing : I don’t know what it is about kids + bowling/mini golf, but it is always a hit! The independence + excitement of the competition always makes it so fun.
Dress Up Dinner : This one I know Hayden would die over. Put on fancy clothes and go out to dinner. You can secretly sneak in teaching them proper dinner manners too! haha!
Play at the Park Playground : It sounds so simple, but getting to actually play with you on the monkey bars or slides is so much fun. Usually I am distracted and don’t actually get in there and play, so we have loved this simple idea.
Lego or Craft : Pick out a fun Lego set or craft and then build it, just the two of you.
Go to their Favorite Store : This is the dream date for Hayden + Hunter. Letting them pick where to go (usually Target!) and roam the aisles they want with zero interruptions is a favorite.
Make their favorite treat : Have your spouse take your other people downstairs or somewhere other than the kitchen and have a baking night. Let them pick the treat and actually help make it. If you have time, you could even throw in shopping for the ingredients! You can serve your yummy treat to the rest of the family.
Go on a Picnic : Let them pick the foods to make and pack. Hayden + I have even done this at home while the kids were at school and the babies were napping.
Backyard Campout : This is another one I could see Joe + Hudson loving!! Keep it simple and sleep on the tramp or go big and set up a tent!
It really does not matter what you do, your kids just need that time with you and only you! They remember the littlest most simple things the most. I’d love to hear what some of your favorite things to do with your little people are so I can add them to the list!
