After many years of longing for a child and failed fertility treatments, my husband and I decided to get a dog. We got a white Labrador puppy named Maggie! She filled such a big void in our hearts and gave us a purpose as parents. Fast forward a few years later, we had Charlie and then decided to get another puppy. We got another white Labrador and named her Dolly. Maggie and Dolly are members of our family and we love them with all of our hearts! I decided to give a little love to the fur mamas out there and do a Mother's Day gift guide for dog lovers. Enjoy!
These grooming products look awesome! Now that I am a full time groomer for my dogs since the groomer closed, I would love to try these. The packaging is really pretty!
Mark and Graham is awesome because everything can be personalized, for the most part, and there is the option for beautiful gift wrap! These dog tags look like thy would be beautiful quality.
I love Amy Berry's style and these pet beds are no exception! The detail of the cushion with the contrast welt and the personalization is all so perfect.
Since I have been grooming my dogs at home, I have been buying bandanas off of Etsy to make their grooming time more special. I don't know if I'm alone in this, but when I used to pick my dogs up from grooming, I would love to see what bandanas the groomer put on them! Now, I have fun picking out my own.
Maggie and Dolly both have this collar and I can definitely say it is great quality. I love the color (lots of other colors available) and I love the brass hardware.
Mother's Day is around the corner and it is quickly becoming a bigger holiday than Christmas in my book (LOL not really, but at least thats what I am hoping in the gift department...hint hint to my husband). In all seriousness though, Mother's Day is very special to me because I spent so many years longing and trying to become a mother. Now that we have Charlie, I can honestly say that I never understood the meaning of exhaustion until now! Having a kid is hard work! Between sleep deprivation and needing to be on top of it all 24/7, I am totally drained! My number one wish for Mother's Day is to wake up to a clean house and have a warm cup of coffee, but if that doesn't happen, these gifts will definitely be accepted. :-)
I recently discovered Pamela Munson bags and quickly fell in love. I think they embody everything I love, style wise. They are elegant, but casual & fun. I really want one!
Another Aerin item! I love this confetti pitcher. I can always used more serve ware in our home since we host so frequently. This would be cute for drinks next to the pool!
This mixer is big on my list! I love the color and the hobnail bowl. I currently have a Kitchen Aid mixer that is 10 years old. I know they last forever, but I would gladly donate my current one to get this one! :-)
I found out about Lauren Phelps through instagram and had one of her little moments sketches done of Charlie and I. It is absolutely beautiful! I have wanted a portrait done of Charlie and I would love to have one created by Lauren.
Fresh flowers are the key to my heart. These roses are beautiful! It has been getting harder and harder to get fresh flowers locally here in Michigan, so these would be such a gift for me!
"A dream is a wish your heart makes..." Since I've been scrubbing the floors like Cinderella lately while in quarantine, I thought I'd share something extra special that I have always wanted. These are a ridiculous splurge, but they are iconic and never go out of style.
Shop my Mother's Day wish list with links above or below:
Lots of moms are looking for more activity ideas to entertain their children while they are at home during this time. Have you heard the saying "happy wife, happy life?" Well, I think it is actually more like "happy kids, happy wife, happy life!" I know that when Charlie is rambunctious, it gets me anxious and then no body is happy. So, I try to keep her as busy as possible. She is a high energy kid to begin with. Add keeping her indoors to the mix and it is a recipe for an exhausted mom! These are a few ideas we have done so far, but trust me I will be adding more as time goes on!
Sidewalk chalk as become a new favorite of ours. We draw all sorts of things all over our driveway. It is a fun way to get outside and have something to do. I actually love sidewalk chalk and fancy myself a chalk artist (LOL)
On a rainy day, we definitely are NOT staying inside. Charlie knows when it rains, she straps on her rain boots and heads right to the puddles to splash. Let me preempt this with I am not a mom who worries about messes. I believe kids are only kids once so let them be messy. I mean, I'm already doing 6,000 loads of laundry a day so why not add one more pair of dirty pants? This rain boots are not my style preference, but they sure are Charlie's favorite! They light up, too.
With the uncertainty of nurseries being open for plant sales, I thought it would be a good idea to start our own vegetables from seed. I bought organic seeds online here, I usedthis seed starting mix, and I used regular plastic seed starting containers. Charlie helped me plant them and it was a fun (but messy) activity for us! What has been even more fun is watching how fast they grow! I cannot wait to transplant them to my raised beds outside when it warms up.
This mermaid puzzle is one we recently purchased from Mindware. I love this website! They have so many fun games and activities for kids at really affordable prices. Charlie especially loved this mermaid puzzle because of the unique shape, but also because it was simple enough for her to do with a little help from mom. We stocked up on a few others from here. An added bonus is that they ship pretty quickly!
OK this has been the MAJOR winner in our household. This kit has been providing us with entertainment for weeks now! How it works is your order the kit online. The kit comes with a voucher for the caterpillars. You order the caterpillars when you are ready. When they arrived, they weren't moving at first and we thought they were dead, but soon found out they were just in a little bit of shock. They start to crawl and eat the food. They grew to be big SO quickly. They then formed cocoons and now we have four butterflies (one didn't make it out of the cocoon). Charlie checks on them every day. It is now so much fun to feed them fruit slices and watch them fly. We are waiting until it is warmer outside to release them. I highly recommend this experience!
After going for a walk in our neighborhood and seeing kids on scooters, I thought maybe it would be fun to get Charlie a toddler scooter so she could learn how to ride before summertime. We let her ride the scooter inside if she wants because its so cold here still. She's slowly getting the hang of it!
This bird house kit was one I picked up at Hobby Lobby shortly before the quarantine started. I knew we were going to be locked down soon so I stocked up on crafts! It was fun for Charlie to paint. She is very much into feeding birds with birdseed right now. We plan on hanging it and sprinkling bird seed around to watch the birdies come and eat.
I bought this trampoline along with gym mats for our basement when we were sick with the flu in January. We were sick for 3 weeks (which was basically the start of our quarantine!) and Charlie was getting antsy, so I ordered gym mats, a trampoline, and tunnels online and let her burn off some energy while we were inside. I'm so glad we have these now!
These are super fun for outside! Charlie had a blast playing with these. Although, she ripped off the caps and did more of a splatter paint effect! Yikes!
I hope this helps you keep your little ones busy and engaged during this time!
It is no secret that this time has been hard on a lot of us. Whether you are a heath care worker pushed to your limits or a stay at home mom going a little stir crazy- we have all experienced major changes lately and it is especially important to take a little extra time for yourself. Some of us might have all the time in the world right now for ourselves. Whichever camp you are in, I think it is a good idea to use this time at home to better ourselves in one way or another. Today, I am sharing some products that have made me feel a little better during quarantine. I use all of these items regularly, but they have been my go-to products for comfort as of lately. For me, I feel my best when I look my best. I grew up with a mother who was a hair stylist, so beauty days have been a part of my routine since I was little. The little things, like taking care of your skin, can go a long way in make you feel good about yourself.
Ok, whitening your teeth is probably on the bottom of your list of things to do, but it is such simple thing to do that can yield such dramatic results. I use white strips all of the time. I put them on in the morning before I take a shower and leave them on while I shower. Since we have extra time on our hands right now, I think it is a good idea to get into new hygiene habits. If you are anything like me, I have been drinking coffee so much more than usual in quarantine so my teeth need the extra care.
Essential oils are ESSENTIAL to me. I absolutely love them. I love the ritual of them and the sense of calm they give me. Lavender is my favorite and I use Young Living oils. This diffuser is so pretty.
Nordstrom brand pajamas are one of my favorite brands. This set is perfect for lounging around the house. Nordstrom brand pajamas are known for their softness! Top here. Bottoms here.
Lately, I have been paying close attention to my water intake and trying to get in as much as possible. I realized a few weeks ago I was really slacking in the water department and it left me feeling lethargic and also made my skin look so yucky! This cute water bottle could be a friendly reminder to drink more water.
Since I did grow up with a mother who was a hair stylist, conditioning treatments were always part of our beauty days. A few years ago, my hair was over-processed and it all broke off. I literally had like no hair. I used this conditioning treatment a lot to help rebuild my hair. I would shampoo my hair, towel dry, then apply the conditioning treatment out of the shower. Leave it on with a shower cap, under heat if possible, for at least 30 minutes. Then, rinse off in the shower.
I may have been in my family room for the past month, but I am definitely going to look like I just got back from Jamaica when this quarantine is over! Sunless tanning lotion is one of my favorite ways to boost my mood. Seriously, I don't know what it is, but having a little glow makes me feel so happy. Placebo effect, I guess!
If you want to really feel chic while lounging around the house, these have been my go- to. I tried my first pair of Birdies recently, and now I am a devout follower. They are SO comfortable and beautiful.
For some reason, I feel like I am sleeping way more during quarantine. This silk pillow case is a dream to sleep on. It does wonders for your skin. We spend a good majority of our life sleeping, so we misewell take advantage of the time we spend snoozing.
Epsom salts are a necessity for my baths. I try to take a bath once a week and I will put in bubbles, epsom salts, and essential oils. I really load up the epsom salts. They help me to relax and sleep better. Make sure you light a candle during your bath time! Makes all the difference.
Fresh brand is one of my favorite skincare brands. I try LOTS of skincare products because I truly just enjoy trying new things. This mask is one of my favorites. We all could use a brightening mask.
I love these "lists" books. My anxiety has been pretty low during this time, but I know a lot of people have elevated anxiety right now and this could really help to calm it down. I also don't watch the news or google any news related stories.
I put collagen protein in my smoothie every day. I like that this really has no flavor, but amps up my smoothies. Collagen protein is good for skin & hair, but also just good in general. I cannot tolerate whey protein, so I always use collagen protein.
Fresh skincare, again, is one of my favorites. This exfoliator would be great to use before using the Nectar Face Mask (#10 above). I exfoliate a lot, through exfoliating scrubs or chemical exfoliants. It is a great way to get the dead skin cells off of the top layer of your skin for a more fresh appearance.
I bought this roller thinking OK I will try this just because I am a sucker for trying new products and I was surprised at how much I love it! I roll my skin after I apply my serum and my lotion for nighttime. I don't know if it truly does anything, but I like to think it helps reduce puffiness from my face. I tend to have puffy bags under my eyes because I have allergies to pretty much everything on Earth (even my own dogs!). I find it really relaxing to roll my face.
Setting the table for holidays is one of my all time favorite things. It is an opportunity to be creative and also an opportunity to create a mood inside the home that is different from the norm. Since we aren't getting out much these days (like, at all LOL), I thought it would be fun to play with an Easter dinner table. I set the table for 6, but it will only be Greg, Charlie, and I...and maybe a stuffed animal or two. I knew right away when I saw these salad plates from Williams - Sonomathat I wanted to incorporate them somehow into our Easter celebration. These plates are beyond beautiful, even more so in person. I have always been someone who generally sticks with neutral dishes, but lately I am loving going all out with pattern. Since we won't be able to see family for Easter, I am hoping to do a brunch and a dinner for the three of us and just really try to make it extra special.
Do you plan on setting an Easter table for your family?
Today is one of the last days to place yours orders online to receive them by Easter. I wanted to share some adorable goodies for young boys that will hopefully make your Easter shopping easier. It is so important that we keep Easter special for our little ones during this time!
How cute is my nephew, Oliver?
Have fun filling up your little ones Easter basket!
If I know one thing about little boys is that they love ride-on cars! At least my nephew, Oliver, does. This one is super cute so it won't make your house look like a daycare if it is left out in the family room!
If your little one is anything like Charlie, they require 1,000 bath toys to take a bath ;-) This little ducky is a cute and modern update from the classic rubber ducky.
Every year I order Charlie a pair of TBBC pajamas for Easter and for Christmas. Here is an adorable boy version. I love the style and I always get the butt monogramed. I would order one size up.
I didn't know a sensory kit could be chic until I saw these! YW+F does such an amazing job of making this super cool sensory kits. They have such great themes and Charlie loves hers.
This set was included in my little girls gift guide for Easter, but in a different pattern. I love children's dishes and anything Beatrix Potter is so classic.
