Toddler Bag

My 2 year old has taken to wanting to carry his own bag around when we go out so we packed it up with his favorites and a few extras. Think of it as a mini diaper bag just for him. He loves it too! He will open it up and grab what he wants from it. 

My parents bought the boys bags for Christmas and was able to find this one (click here) in toddler size. I was surprised by how much we could fit into it and how sturdy it is. The front shell is a harder material and the back and straps are padded for comfort. There are two mesh pockets on the sides for his sippy or water bottle. 

 Inside we have enough diapers for the day, a change of clothes, full pack of wipes, snacks, hungry hippo like game, sun glasses and his pencil bag filled with toys. He likes finger puppets, a couple cars and the frogs.

Walmart Baby Box

We received a Walmart baby box in the mail and it was filled with some nice samples like the other boxes/bags we have gotten but this one also had a few new items that we are excited to try and use. Like the other packages you have to make a registry and then you request the box online. It takes a couple weeks according to their website but ours came within a week. 

 Outside box has a cute owl and confetti printing on it. It came wrapped in plastic but the plastic didn't protect it fully from our Michigan rain. We had a few wet spots where it had torn or the edges had been sealed 

opening and looking inside the box

Some of the same samples from before. We don't usually use bottles so this will get added to the bottle stash we have and I will use it in Diaper Cakes and Baby shower gifts. I do plan to breastfeed again so I'm excited to have more storage bags and nursing pads. 

 This is a new one. Carter's Onsie Size 3M. It is a star print and in grey so it can be used for boys or girls. We LOVE carters clothing and this is a definite worth it! 

Another New sample to us is the NanoBebe pack. Inside was their milk storage bags, nursing pads and a binky. The binky is in a gumdrop binky type of shape and we have heard good reviews on them. The storage bags are in the same shape as the bottles and I am interested to see how they are in use. I am also curious to try the bottles once we get to that point. 

Repeat samples. Again I love having the laundry soap samples for when we travel. usually we don't do laundry on the road but you never know when that one time you need it happens. These are perfect for the duffel bag or back pack. One time use and toss. 

Diapering samples. This box had size 2 samples! Pampers pure diapers and wipes in the bag and then a sample pack of wipes. We use these in our diaper bag if it's a quick run I can even toss them in my purse with a single diaper for in the store. 

We also had travel sample for Aveeno Baby, perfect for the diaper bag. New Sample: a travel size Desitin. We have had to use our fair share on the boys after having allergic reactions to several diaper brands. We have also used it on diaper heat rash to help sooth the discomfort. 

  

Sample and coupon flyers

Another Fun find in the box was this cute envelope. In the envelope was cards for monthly milestones and a few development milestones. Cute idea for pictures of baby as they grow.

Gifts for Those Who Have It ALL

OK So I am trying to help my mom with a birthday gift shopping. The challenge is: The pre-teen birthday girl comes from a well off family and she tends to get really nice and lots of gifts from family. 

What is your solution for shopping trips like this? I have the same problem for a few people who tend to buy what they want or need when they want or need it.... can you say PAIN IN THE BUTT to shop for?

Anyway this was a couple ideas I found for my mom and her pre-teen gift:

* Nail Polish

* Toe Separator

* Polish Remover

* Nail Gems/ Stickers

* Lotion 

* Journal

* Gel Pens/ Color Pens

* Cute Socks/ Flip Flops

* Round Beach Towel

* Hair Ties/ Head Bands

I told her to skip the makeup because you never know what another mom wants her child to wear or if she is ready for her daughter to be seen out and about with it on. Leave that one to mom, After all that's how she was with my 2 sisters and I. 

Another hard person I have to shop for several times a year are my in-laws. What ever we get we have to ship or have delivered to them. I am a crafter and love to make things personalized so having to buy it off Amazon and then ship it is hard for me, Although Nate Loves it because it costs WAY LESS. So how do we shop to fit them? 

We try to shop their interests, for my father in law he loves Harry Potter so we have bought HP Swag. The kids call him PAPA so we have done the PAPA Bear Shirts. My Mother in Law loves the Beach and anything relating to it so we have made a beach themed wreath. She also loves photos of the grand kids around so she now has several photo holders she can change the prints out of. 

My parents have a lot of remodel work at their home so we try to find something they need for a project they are working on or something to go with the project. We've gotten tools, supplies, kitchen items (several got lost in a move). 

So to recap Shop the persons:

* Age (check with Mom and Dad for littles)

* Interests/ Hobbies

* Nick Names

* Photos

*Projects 

* Things They Lost

When all the above fail and you can't think of anything unique buy a visa gift card or a card to their favorite store, gaming system or movie theater and put it into some kind of fun packaging.  

What are your tips and tricks for shopping for your difficult people?

Summer Fun List

How do you make the best our of your Summer? How do you make it so you don't fall into the bland and then realize that summer is half gone? For us we make a list. We have done this since we got married and each year is a little different. Let me walk you though this years process. 

We gathered our kids up in one place. We live in the country so this was easy to do on a car ride, it takes us about 20-30 minutes to get anywhere. Entertainment for the kids and a to do list made for summer. Our kids are 6, 4 and 2 all boys and a baby girl on the way so their ideas were all over the place. 

Summer Fun List

□   Go to the Zoo

□   Go to the Aquarium

□   Go Camping

□   Go to the Beach

□   Go Fishing

□   Go to the Splash Pad

□   Go to the Fair

□   Eat at Food Truck Rally

□   Find Shells/Rocks

□   Go on a Hike

□   Monster Truck show

□   Tye-Dye

□   Drive-In Movie

□   Water War

□   Fireworks

□   BBQ with Friends

□   Watch a Parade

□   S’mores

□   Go Bowling

□   Family Photos

□   Berry Picking

□   Make Ice Cream

□   Sell Lemonade

□   Road Trip

□   Decorate Flip Flops

□   Eat Root beer Floats

□   Ice Cream Parlor

□   Ride a Train

□   Picnic

□   Go to a Carnival

□   Send Postcards

□   Paint Rocks

□   Make Sidewalk Art

□   Go to a Petting Zoo

□   Read/ Listen to a Book

□   Squirt Gun Painting

□   Scavenger Hunt

□   Cook on Fire

□   Have a Family Game Night with Friends

□   Fly a Kite

□   Plant Flowers

□   Go to a Great Lake

□   Star Gazing

□   Build Something with Wood

□   Sew Something

□   Eat Smoothies

□   Glow Sticks

□   Visit a Historical Site

□   Car Wash

□   Eat Watermelon

□   Camp in the Yard

□   Day of Service

□   Take Pictures of the sun Setting

□   Make a Book

□   Play Mini Golf

□   Scrapbook it all

I typed up the list and printed it on sticker paper and then Stuck that to a fun scrapbook paper and pinned it to our pin board with all the other event flyers and invitations we have for the summer. I also printed a smaller copy and put it into my planner for when we are out and about. I also keep my planners from year to year as a family history log (I'm not the best at keeping a daily journal) 

 

Here are some other ideas for your summer plan making. 

https://www.unoriginalmom.com 

Designate each day of the week with a theme and then make a list of things that can fall under each one. Look for community events and things you can do at home within your budget. 

https://www.thirtyhandmadedays.com

Make up some punch cards and mark off as kids finish each and turn their cards in for outings, events or prizes. You can set each card up based on their age and interests 

Cards and Gifts Prep for the Month

GIVE THIS A TRY:

OK with the Summers being a crazy time for us I try to pre-prep as much as possible the rest of the year I will do this one month at a time. Now I am talking about birthday, anniversary, graduation, housewarming, baby/bridal showers ect. I then place everything in one place where we can grab and go. No last minute scramble to buy a gift or bag, no rush to find a card. Some of my tips are posted below. 

1.) Buy cards in bulk and at Dollar Tree

We buy our cards at Dollar Tree. I know cheap. But they have a lot of cute ones and I would rather take the extra $2-5 I would have spent on a card on the gift. When I buy cards I will take a list of who/what I need. This last trip was for May, June and July because of the baby coming so I had 15 Birthday cards (a mix of ages for kids and adults), 2 bridal showers, 1 wedding, fathers day, 10 graduations and 1 housewarming. 

I take the cards once they are sealed and write the persons name on it. On the back I will write the date, time and location of the event. This is such a nice hack to have so you are not digging looking for the invite for a party to find the address. 

I keep our invites taped in my planner on the week of the event  for family history but so having written if Nate drops the kids off or goes without me he doesn't have to take it out

2.) Find a gift that can fit in the envelope or slip both into a cute bag and tie it. 

For graduations I typically give a nice journal to the graduate to have to record their new adventure. Sometimes I will tuck in some cash or a gift card for them. For our Nieces and Nephews we have been just doing cards for birthdays so we add in some fun stickers or activity pages for them the play with. 

3.) Keep a Stash

 Keep a stash of kids gifts on hand for your kids to "shop from" without the stress of the store and having to argue over prices. This is a newer one we have been using. With B (our 7 year old) he loves to shop and has good taste on what his friends and family would want but he usually will go for things outside our budget. When we go to the store we will tell him you have x amount to buy a gift. He then takes FOREVER to shop. So we have the mommy store now that he can pick from. I will pick up things on sale, dollar store, yard sales ect that I can store in our tote. Our younger 2 love this too because they get to pick a gift and help wrap it. When you keep your eyes open you can finds some great deals on gifts. NOTE: Make sure you set a limit and are aware of what you already have tucked away. Also LIMIT the space you are allowed to use. We have 1 tote. That tote holds our birthday favors, gifts and a handful of knit hats (we give these away at the holidays) 

4.) Keep Gifts in One Place

 Finally any gifts we are giving to anyone or that come in for us go here till the day needed. That way those gifts are where we need them when we need them. We stack our kids gifts here for their birthdays as packages come in the mail. They love opening up the mail and boxes so this is one way we can let them know that they couldn't open it because it was for their birthday. Not to mention it creates a lot of anticipation for opening gifts time. 

Tradition for Graduation

I am big on traditions and this is one that I started last year and I hope I can succeed in finishing for all my kiddos. What is is you may ask? A time capsule of messages from all the people who have influenced my kids on their journey to graduation. Teachers, coaches, mentors ect. The plan is to have them sign this and leave a note without the kids knowing what it is. So far the blow method is working for my 1st grader but we will probably be changing it in a year or 2 as he gets snoopy. 

So how does it work?

Buy this book or one of your choosing Click Here . My husband and I were each given this one at graduation by people who influenced our lives so it holds a significant meaning to us, also our kids LOVE Dr. Seuss books and you can never be to old for a good Dr. Seuss book 

Money saver tip: watch for Target to have their DR Seuss book sale (near DR Seuss's Birthday) or put it in you amazon cart and pick it up when it is NOT graduation season. 

Add a cute note to the teacher. Below is what last years note looked like when we sent it in. This year I am working on stickers to place on the inside cover of the book. Make sure you kids Name is written on the book, first and last. You never know how many Jonny Smiths there will be and if you will move schools over the years. Also make sure your name is somewhere on the note so the teacher's know who to get it back to. This is really important if you have a different last name then your child.

Our note format (boy)

Dear Teacher,

    As parents, we appreciate the countless hours you have poured into our

Son, (child’s Name). The knowledge, guidance, and leadership you have

demonstrated will always remain in his heart. You have played such an

important role in his life and have helped him grow in so many ways,

and for that, we cannot thank you enough.

   

As a favor to us, we would like to ask you to please take a moment to

write a small note to (Child’s Name) anywhere inside this book. In honor

of you, we will present this book to him as a surprise at his high school

graduation.  We cannot think of a better way to celebrate this achievement

than with the words of those who directly impacted his education.

   

Please notify us when you are finished so arrangements

can be made to pick up the signed book.

     Our sincerest gratitude,

(parent’s Names)

Parents of (child’s name)

Class of (graduation Year)

Our note format (girl)

Dear Teacher,

    As parents, we appreciate the countless hours you have poured into our

daughter, (child’s Name). The knowledge, guidance, and leadership you have

demonstrated will always remain in her heart. You have played such an

important role in her life and have helped her grow in so many ways, and

 for that, we cannot thank you enough.

   

As a favor to us, we would like to ask you to please take a moment to

write a small note to (child’s name) anywhere inside this book. In honor

of you, we will present this book to her as a surprise at her high school

graduation.  We cannot think of a better way to celebrate this achievement

than with the words of those who directly impacted her education.

   

Please notify us when you are finished so arrangements

can be made to pick up the signed book.

Our sincerest gratitude,

(Parent’s Names)

Parents of (child’s Names)

Class of (graduation year)

Next step is to send it in to the teachers. I recommend sending it in a week or two before school is out teachers are normally less stressed at this point and it's not to hard for them to find a moment to write.  This year and last we just slipped the book into an envelope with the teacher's names we wanted it to go to and a quick note on the outside. I also have my address and contact information on it in case it gets lost between school and home. I'm up at the school everyday for pick up and volunteering that it wont be to hard for me to pop in and grab it if needed. But if you have a bus rider, walker or rely on your little to transport it you never know where it may end up. 

Once the book is home I check to make sure all the asked teachers filled it out and I admit I like to read the notes they leave. I then put the book back in the envelope and we tuck it away on our top shelf next to the kids Birthday books. 

Hospital Bag Round 4

Round 4 of packing our hospital bag. I am a big prep person I make lists and then check them several times before I start to pack. and then I pack, unpack and repack as I add or take things out. 

This time around I am going for comfort. I hate wearing the hospital gowns while in the hospital. I will normally wear it for delivery and right after till I get a shower to clean up. After that I wear a home bought Hospital gown (no longer sold) but here area couple others that are nice. click here

For Baby Girl:

Hat and Headband

Socks

Burp Cloth

Blanket and Swaddle

Diapers and Wipes (our hospital provides but we take a couple)

New born and 0-3 month cool weather outfit

Newborn and 0-3 month Warm weather outfit 

Sleep Gown

About the outfits: our kids tend to be on the big size so I never know if they will be in newborn or in 0-3 month when they are born so I prepare for both sizes and when you have a spring baby in Michigan you never know if you are going home in sunshine, rain or snow. (We have had it all) 

For Mom:

Nursing bras

Going home outfit I normally wear black yoga pants a tank and sweater

Comfy hospital gown

Towel from home that is big and softer then hospital ones

Shower flip flops

Extra duffel to bring home goodies from hospital 

(not pictured) 

Wallet with id and medical cards

Birth Plan

Nursing Pillow

Robe

Bathroom Toiletries: shampoo, conditioner, body wash, toothbrush and paste 

Deodorant, Hair ties (take 2), brush, lotion, chapstick and makeup basically what you need to feel human again

For Dad:

I always end up packing his stuff too. My hubby works in the construction field so I never know what he is going to come home wearing so I make sure he has something clean to change into if we have to meet at the hospital (so far he's always been home when we go) 

Tee and Shorts (our hospital is kept really warm) and these can double as PJ's 

Under Clothes

Flip Flops or Shoes

Not pictured:

Blanket and pillow (hospital provides but not that comfy)

We also take things to do

 cards, movies on phone, charger, book (He usually has Harry Potter of some sort), snacks, headphones, journal, camera, list of baby names