love, marriage, baby carriage

01/15/18

Best birthday gifts for toddlers

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Whether you’re searching for birthday gifts for your own kids or are attending a birthday party or holiday for kiddos, I have the best birthday gifts for toddlers to make your search easy peasy.

My daughters both have birthdays in January after they’ve been spoiled during Christmas, so even though we don’t go crazy overboard with gifts and “stuff” in general, I was struggling to come up with what to get – but this is a list of our favorites and other parent and kid-approved favorites.

When kids have lots of, or every, toy out there, this budget-friendly list will bring endless fun, education, or entertainment.

Other posts you might like:

• Mom-approved must-have toddler gear
• Indoor Activities for Kids
• 13 Things I Learned About My Parents After Having a Baby
  

12/1/17

Affordable sibling sharing bedroom tips for little ones

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #nothinglikeahug #CollectiveBias

When my husband and I bought our second home, we loved the charm and character of the 1920’s home with modern upgrades, as someone bought it to flip. However, with two of the bedrooms on the first floor and the other two upstairs, we knew we didn’t want to be separate from our two girls while they’re young, but that was no problem for us – we loved the idea of them sharing a room. In case you’ve wondered if you want your kiddos to room share, check out these affordable sibling sharing bedroom tips.

Note: even if all of our bedrooms were on the same floor, I would still want my girls to share. I loved sharing a room with my sister until we were in middle school, and many of my friends choose to have their kids room share, even different genders, when space is not a concern at all. So if you’re on the fence at all, absolutely go for it. It fosters close bonds, teaches sharing, and even responsibility.

11/27/17

Prepping Your Home For the Holidays

When I think about the holidays growing up, I remember the magic. My mom, notorious for her decorating and hosting skills, never made the holidays feel stressful, whether hosting an elegant dinner for our immediate family on Christmas Eve or 80 people for a Winter White holiday extravaganza.

As an adult, I truly appreciate my mom’s willingness to open her home – because with at-home parties means lots of prep, cleaning, and decorating. I used to stay up with my parents until every last beautiful, delicate champagne glass was hand washed and put away, and even after seeing all the work that went into my family’s plentiful parties, I was not averse to hosting. In fact, the hosting gene runs strong and true in my blood!

But I’m also kind of crazy picky when it comes to opening my home to guests. However, since I do love hosting, I’ve come up with a system to clean and prep before the party. Now that I have kids, I want to continue the traditions my parents set of opening my home to holiday parties while creating a stress-free environment for my girls.