The Sweet Mama Life

The Westin Rancho Mirage Golf Resort & Spa

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Do you ever drive up to a resort and instantly feel transported to a magical oasis? Well that was certainly the case for us with our recent visit to The Westin Rancho Mirage Golf Resort & Spa! This California resort in the greater Palm Springs area just finished a two-year, $15 Million dollar renovation. With a complete renovation to their guest rooms, meetings spaces, event venues and family programing, spa, pool and more, the resort offers a brand new experience for guests and their families.

“Turning the page to the resort’s next chapter, and coming out of a global pandemic, the design and renovations have been centered around bringing people together, fun new experiences, and the guest’s overall wellness, sending them home feeling better than when they arrived,” said Tom Scaramellino, General Manager of the Westin Mission Hills Golf Resort & Spa.

I honestly couldn’t believe the amount of entertainment the resort had to offer for alllll ages! The resort’s Las Brisas pool is now the ultimate family pool with the addition of a second slide, a 30-foot double-barrel waterslide, an upgraded pool bar, expanded pool deck and the addition of luxurious cabanas. The new Pinz & Pints offers duck-pin bowling, arcade games, air hockey and family-friendly food and drinks. The newly updated Kids Club/Discovery Center, for ages 3-12, provides movies, arts and crafts, games, and an ice cream stand for kids! They even have a small Putt Putt course with complimentary golf clubs! The girls just looooved allll of the activities sooooo much!

The Westin also added 12 new pickleball courts, next to three renovated tennis courts. The resort also put in Versa Basketball court, and a new sand volleyball court. Annnnd The Westin Mission Hills Golf Resort & Spa is home to the award-winning Pete Dye Golf Course. It’s challenging yet forgiving design makes it ideal for golfers of all abilities.

Despite all the different activities and sports throughout the resort, the property is also the place to relax and recover. The Westin Mission Hills is bringing forth a whole new tranquil atmosphere on property weaving wellness throughout the resort experience. The resort’s new Director of Spa & Wellness is incorporating wellness through unique in-room spa offerings, healthy restaurant menu options, new treatments, and incorporating wellness activities and classes into the resort’s programming. The Westin has always aligned itself as a leading-edge wellness brand, focused on the pillars of Sleep Well, Move Well, Eat Well, Play Well and Work Well, and with this renovation they’re expanding it further than just the spa. 

The Westin Rancho Mirage Golf Resort & Spa is honestly the perfect combination of entertainment and relaxation! You can follow the link Here to learn more and book your stay!

“Totes Adorbs” DIY Summer Totes and Cups!

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Since I’m a beginner Cricut user,  I started with these two easy projects in order to get my feet wet! I just loved how these “Totes Adorbs” Tote Bags, and Personalized Cups turned out! Now I can’t wait to dive deeper into the addictive world of being a Cricut Crafter!

The Cricut Joy is such a perfect machine for projects like this! I love that you can create from your phone or computer and it takes up hardly any space! It’s small but mighty and incredibly user friendly!

Here’s what you need for these simple projects:

Totes Adorbs Tote Bags

Summer Cups

I started with finding a simple font I loved in the Cricut Design Space. I went with: ITC Underscipt. I then searched: “Flowers” in their image section and picked out one I liked! Then I printed out the Totes Adorbs onto the Iron-On Vinyl (be sure to always select “mirror image” when printing an iron-on design). Next I prepped my tote and preheated my heat press. I peeled back vinyl to reveal my design, placed it on the tote bag, and applied heat according to the Cricut Heat Guide that can be found at https://cricut.com/heatguide . I let it cool, and then peeled off the plastic coating to reveal the cuteness!

Next, I went back to the Cricut Design Space to create the personalized cups! I used the same font and flower so they matched the bags! This time I printed it out on the Smart Vinyl Permanent. I peeled back the excess vinyl with help from the weeding tool. I applied transfer tape with help from the scraper tool, so that the Names would be lifted up perfectly and easily placed on the cups! Once again I used the scraper to secure the letters before peeling off the transfer tape!

And That’s it! So simple, so fun, and I can’t wait for my next project!

*This post is sponsored by Cricut, but the opinions are my own!

 

Relaxation and Exhilaration All in One Resort!

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Take a moment to soak in that photo above! One look and I knew we needed to schedule a family vacation at the JW Marriott San Antonio Hill Country Resort & Spa!  It’s an oasis amid 600 acres of oak covered hills and we already can’t wait to go back!

  

River Bluff Experience! 

  

We spent most of our time at the resort’s River Bluff Experience, which is a 9 acre water park that is equal parts relaxation and adventure! It has an 1,100-foot lazy River, two 35- foot high inner tube slides, an entire children’s pool area complete with splash pads and mini water slides, a sandy beach area, two 60- foot high body slides, and multiple pools! Yep, it was fantastic! The water park appeals to children and adults alike! And don’t forget to try the Strawberry Daiquiri topped with Dippin’ Dots that you can find Rivertop Grill right next to the pools!

  

The Food! 

  
The resort has 7 restaurants and 5 bars that offer delectable items for every palate! Since Robert and I were celebrating our anniversary we made sure to make reservations at the 18 Oaks Steakhouse! The steakhouse overlooks the 18th hole of the TPC San Antonio’s famous PGA Tour Golf Course. The menu items consist of fresh, organic ingredients sourced directly from their very own gardens and local vendors. Robert and I swooned over every bite we had there!

Family Friendly Activities! 

  
Every day the resort offers various kid and family activities from s’mores to craft projects to scavenger hunts! Our girls had a ball finding all of the Longhorns hidden around the property. Once we solved the riddles for each one and took a photo with them, we showed the front desk and received our sweet treat candy bar reward! It’s all those little things that make this resort feel so welcoming and fun!

The Area!

We couldn’t see any reason to leave the resort 😉 However if you do want to venture out, the resort is located just minutes away from the San Antonio River Walk, Texas Hill Country Wineries, The Alamo, SeaWorld San Antonio, Six Flags Fiesta, and so much more!

Here’s a link to learn more about the JW Marriott San Antonio Hill Country Resort & Spa! If you decide to make a visit I’m certain you won’t be disappointed. Everywhere you look your eyes are greeted with picturesque views of rolling hills and giant Texas skies!  The resort offers something for every age and interest! We can’t wait to visit again! Thank you for the lovely memories JW Marriott San Antonio Hill Country Resort & Spa!

5 Benefits That Come From Music Education

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We just finished watching the new Ken Burns documentary on the history of American music and it was fascinating. Did you know the fiddle (aka violin) was the first prevalent instrument in America? It helped create the foundation of Americana music, second only to the banjo. Music has had an “instrumental” role in the development of our society and history. It brings people together. It gives people purpose and focus. It challenges and strengthens our minds.  Sooo if music has done all of this for our history, shouldn’t we be introducing our children to music as soon as possible? I love that Yamaha Music has made it their focus to encourage music in young minds with a whole line of instruments especially made for students! They understand how music education affects so many areas of life beyond simply playing an instrument. Here are 5 additional benefits that come from music education that you might not be aware of:

1)Improved Memory.

Music education involves a high level of memorization. Students must be able to read music by sight, play the proper notes on their instrument or recall lyrics. This process benefits the overall memory center of the brain. Playing music makes the brain work harder, you have to be using more of your brain and therefore expanding it.

2)Language Skills.

According to PBS, “Recent studies have clearly indicated that musical training physically develops the part of the left side of the brain known to be involved with processing language, and can actually wire the brain’s circuits in specific ways.” Learning a musical instrument improves how the brain understands human language, since music is like a second language it can help with learning an additional language.

3)Strong Study Habits.

When children are exposed to music education, they learn powerful study habits. Mastering their specific musical craft takes a concerted effort, consistent practice, and patience. These habits translate into other areas of study too. So as children grow up and are exposed to more rigorous courses of study in school and ample amounts of information they are required to retain, these habits are already in place due to music education.

4) Listening skills.

I mean, what parent doesn’t want better listening skills?! Music involves listening to yourself and to the rest of the ensemble. Musicians need to hear tempos, dynamics, tuning, and harmonies. This helps auditory development in the brain.

5) Self-esteem.

Music allows students to try something new and develop confidence as they  master singing or playing an instrument. It gives them purpose and focus and a skill to be very proud of. As music students work in a class setting, they are working toward a common goal, with each of their “voices” or instruments being heard. This joint effort creates a wonderful sense of acceptance in a group setting that is just so huge for self-confidence!

Honestly the list of benefits from music education just keeps going.  So while Annabelle and Josephine are still very young, the opportunity for growth from music is still very much there! In fact the growth of motor skills from music education is most significant  in younger children. Even a basic introduction to an instrument, such as a hitting a triangle or learning a song on a recorder, can be beneficial and can prepare them for instruments like Annabelle’s lovely Yamaha Violin. Yamaha has a whole line of instruments focused on and created for children and students. I was especially impressed by their violins. They even have a quiz you can take that will lead you in the direction of the perfect violin to get for your budding musician.  You can take a quiz HERE . When Annabelle’s perfectly sized Yamaha Violin arrived, I quickly showed her what I could remember from my couple years of playing as a child.  Her eyes immediately lit up with excitement over the sound she could create. She now roams the house playing “air violin”!  I simply can’t wait to get her into formal classes soon!

Thank you Yamaha for sponsoring this post and your continued support in music education!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Apple Of Our Eye Birthday Party!

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Annnnnd just like that we officially have a 2 year old! Since Josephine has a Fall Birthday, we went with an “Apple Of Our Eye” theme!  I figure I only have a couple years of getting to pick her Birthday themes before she just wants Halloween costume parties each year, so for now I’m running with the Autumnal themes! So here are some of the fun party details that could work for any Fall party or Back to School themed party ya might want to have!

Dessert Table

Let’s start with the most important part, The Sweets! Needless to say we had to have some Apple Pie and Apple Cinnamon Donuts. But I didn’t stop there! Using our favorite applesauce, Musselman’s Apple Sauce I made the batter for the Cake and Cupcakes out of just 3 ingredients!

Here’s the recipe:

Applesauce Cupcakes!

Cream Cheese Frosting

  • 1/2 cup butter
  • 8 oz cream cheese
  • 1 box of powder sugar (3 to 4 cups)

Apple Details

  • Traditional Tootsie rolls
  • Green Apple Tootsie Rolls
  • Red Sugar crystal sprinkles

Combine the first 3 ingredients and simply bake according to box instructions. Combine cream cheese frosting ingredients (add milk to thin if needed) Use red food coloring to dye your frosting red! Top with red frosting and dip your cupcake into a bowl of red sprinkles. Tear a Tootsie roll in half and form a stem. Use a whole green Tootsie roll to form a leaf. Use a knife to press in leaf detail!

The Food!

Soooo back in the day I used to cook a whole spread of food from scratch for parties, buuuuut then kids happened 😉 Now we have a go to bakery that we pick up a few catering platters from, and I throw together a couple easy dishes and that’s it! After all the kids at the parties are always most focused on the snacks! Annnnd we all know the kid obsession for pouches, so of course the most sought after party snack was the Musselman’s Apple Sauce pouches! Cheese sticks were a close second in the race of snacks to be polished off first! I have to say we really do love our Musselman’s in this house, the girls  love how it tastes, and I love that it’s such a healthy on the go snack with no artificial flavors, no high fructose corn syrup, and the unsweetened variety has zero added sugars!

Decor!

Yep Red gingham and Burlap was the name of the Game! I made the Table Center Pieces with little baskets filled with Apples, doesn’t get any easier than that! The photo booth was assembled with a good ol’ Haybale, baskets of apples, and fabric fringe garland, made simply by tying strips of color appropriate fabric together on to a string!

The Drinks!

Apple Juice and Apple Sangria of course! And the Sangria was a hit!

Here’s the recipe!

Apple Cider Sangria

  • 2 ½ cups Apple Cider (I used Musselman’s)
  • ½ cup brandy
  • 1 bottle Pinot Grigio
  • 1 cup club soda (optional, if you want to add a little bubble, but the cider flavors are stronger without)
  • Sliced Apples

Combine all ingredients and chill for at least 2 hours or overnight! So Easy, So Yummy!

Party Favors!

An apple with a 4 oz jar of caramel dipping sauce! So you could absolutely buy caramel sauce and jar it individually. Since I needed about 60 goodie bags, I decided to make the caramel sauce myself since it was more cost effective that way! I love how the Goodie Bags turned out! And so much better than sending families home with a bag of candy right before Halloween!

An Apple Game and An Apple Craft!

I wanted some kind of activity for the kids, so I came up with making simple Apple Bell necklaces/ornaments! Take some Red Bells, Green Ribbon to make leaves, and White Yarn. Simple and Easy!

I didn’t think we could have an Apple Party without some form of Apple Bobbing, but with so many littles ones around, I certainly didn’t want buckets of water hanging out. So a dry form of apple bobbing it was! I picked out apples from the store with strong stems, tied twine around each stem and tied them all to a long rope! Then we suspended the rope from some hooks, and the kids had to line up and try to take a bite out of an apple with no hands! It was pretty hilarious to watch!

Annnnd that’s an Apple Party wrap! I’m sure I’m forgetting some things, but ya know, mom brain is a thing, so that will have to do for now!

And thank you Musselman’s for sponsoring this blog post! I actually took the time to sit down, capture, and record all of the party details  because of you, which I sometimes don’t get around to doing! So now sweet Josephine’s 2nd Birthday is fully documented!

 

Candy Corn Cake Trifle

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Candy Corn Cake Trifle! Such a perfect Halloween treat to make for parties or give as a gift! Annabelle and I made these for her teachers and they were very well received! Not only are they simple to create, but I love that you can find everything you need from the candy corn to the mason jars at @RalphsGrocery !

Ingredients:

· Candy Corn

· 2 vanilla or yellow box cake mixes (and the eggs and oil that the box needs)

· 2 frosting tubs or homemade frosting

· Yellow and red food coloring

· 8 mason jars (1 pint)

· Piping bag with a large tip or a ziplock bag with corner cut off

STEP 1: Make your favorite cake mixes, as directed, in two separate bowls. Add Yellow to one bowl and yellow and red to create orange to the other bowl, mix well.

STEP 2: Bake each part separately according to box directions. While slightly warm, break up the cake with your hands. This is a fun step to the the kids help with! I didn’t crumble the outer rim of the cake since that tends to be a bit brown and I only wanted the vibrant colors.

STEP 3: Layer the two colors of cake into your Mason jars. Add yellow first and then orange.

STEP 4: Use a piping bag or ziplock bag (with the corner cut off to top with white frosting!

STEP 5: Top with Candy Corns.

STEP 6: Place the lid on the mason jar and fancy it up with some ribbon! Enjoy Gifting!

#masonjargifts #halloweentreats

 

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Family Vacation: Texas Style!

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Sooooooo I’ve been to Texas a total of 5 times, and the last 3 times we have made it a priority to stay at least a few nights at the Hyatt Regency Lost Pines Resort and Spa, soooooo yeah I think that says a lot right there! The resort sits on 405 acres along the banks of the Colorado River and it’s just 23 miles outside of Austin! From spacious rooms and suites, to fantastic pool and play areas, to a list of activities that just goes on and on, this resort is pretty hard to beat! Let me breakdown some of our favorite parts about the resorts:

Family Friendly:

So for an ideal family vacation you want a place that is overflowing with kid friendly activities! For starters, the animals! Hyatt Regency Lost Pines has a number of cute and cuddly mascots that you can have up close and personal meetings with! Annnnnnnd I mean really up close, I’m pretty sure I made out with a very friendly goat, yes he may have only loved me for my necklace, but I don’t care, we are total BFFs now. And the girls couldn’t stop hugging “Pork and Beans” …. That’s the name of their pig if ya didn’t already guess. Oh and would it even be a Texas resort without a few majestic Longhorns grazing their pasture!

And then there’s Camp Hyatt! Ok so listen up! This is for ages 3-12 and potty trained. This is where lovely staff members take the group of kids off to learn about nature and take part in fun activities like arts and crafts, scavenger hunts, games, and sports!!! This leaves  mommy and daddy a few hours to head to the spa,  play a round of golf,  have a quiet meal, or heck just nap by the pool! Amazing I know!

If that wasn’t family friendly enough, they also have a number of play areas around the grounds! A whole jungle gym, corn hole and horse shoes, basketball and soccer! Soooo many fun play areas that you just stumble upon while taking a walk around the property. The pools were also set up with kids in mind. There’s a splash pad, a 2’ deep kiddie pool, and a sandy beach style pool, will all the buckets and shovels right there!

Activities:

I can honestly say I’ve never been to a resort with so many options of things to do! You can float down their lazy river pool, go horseback riding, go kayaking down the Colorado River, hike through nearby McKinney Roughs Nature Park, roast S’mores at Riversong fire pit, go ziplining, or biking, or fishing, and honestly the list goes on. This time we signed up for the private family fishing experience. We met an instructor near the pond, and he had our fishing poles and bait ready to go! Annnnnnd guess what? Annabelle caught and released her first fish! She then quickly became more interested in  playing with the worms, but we all had such a fun experience with this! After Fishing we headed over to the bike holding area and just grabbed a couple (complimentary for resort guests) and went biking around the property which was just so lovely!

The Food:

Let’s just say there are a few options on this front:  4 Restaurants, a BBQ Food Truck, a Hot Dog Shack, a Burger Bar, and Ice Cream shop! Often times at resorts I start to get annoyed with the limited food options and everything starting to taste the same. Not the case here! Soooooo many options! All different styles from a fancy steakhouse to casual poolside eats. One morning for breakfast I had the BBQ Brisket Hash and Eggs, the next I had the Texas Shaped Waffle! Annnnd the Waffle comes with an optional S’mores topping FYI! They also have great kids menus items at each spot, like the scrambled egg quesadilla! Ok now I’m hungry so I’m gonna wrap this up! But lastly…….

The Spa:

Spa Django is the name, relaxation is the game 😉 So I’ve been to the resort 3 times and yet this was the first time I made it to the Spa! One Word: Glorious!  I was treated to a Peppermint Salt Scrub and massage and I’m still dreaming about it. Not only are the services delightful, but the spa also has a private pool that overlooks the water, it is magical! And any spa that offers me a glass of Champaign as I enter gets all the extra points! So if you plan ahead you can sign the kids up for Camp Hyatt and run off to that that Spa! Win/Win for all!

Thank You again Hyatt Regency Lost Pines Resort and Spa! Our stay with you was perfection!

*Yes, this trip was hosted by  Hyatt Regency Lost Pines Resort and Spa. However our other trips here were not 😉 So this time I’m just finally getting a chance to fully share about it all!

Josephine Makes History!

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In honor of March being Women’s History Month, I thought I would post this little series of Josephine dressed, and honoring  famous women in history! Kinda a fun little project to try, if you have a less mobile baby 😉 I did this series last year before Josephine learned to crawl, because after that all bets were off! All props and clothes were inexpensive finds on Amazon! Maybe once she wants to stand still, I can do another round of this series, but right now her newly learned walking skills are much to fun to ever be bothered with standing still! And here they are:

The list of women and quotes you could do are endless. And as you can see near the end, I started to do women that are currently making history today! Happy Women’s History Month!

Guilt-Free Cookies For The Littles!

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Sooooo starting at about 9 months old Josephine was becoming very curious about the wide array of deliciousness that Annabelle would get served up, while her own plates consisted mostly of steamed vegetables and pasta 😉 I knew the time was quickly approaching that she would just start grabbing and insisting on every snack she saw Annabelle eating. So I needed to get some baby-safe, toddler pleasing snacks stat!

Luckily, back in October when Josephine turned one (that magical time when it’s safer to introduce a wider variety of foods), happened to be the exact time that Healthy Times sent me a box of a variety of their cookies to try. Not gonna lie, a perk of this job is receiving “happy mail” that introduces you to products you didn’t know about! This couldn’t have been more perfectly timed. I had just started to look for snacks that both Annabelle and Josephine would enjoy! Specifically I needed cookies! Annabelle is a little cookie monster and I’ll admit it, the bribery of cookies got us through potty training. So yes, we are a cookie loving household. But of course with a freshly turned 1 year old I wanted a cookie that would offer her some nutrition and be low in sugar, yet still a little treat for both of the girls!

Well, Healthy Times Hugga Bear and Arrowroot Cookies are organic and a great source of calcium, B vitamins, zinc and iron! This company was started by a mom (so obviously she’s vetted already 😉 in California in 1980. She was having a hard time finding healthy baby food choices in the grocery store, so she took matters into her own hands and created this whole line of organic wholesome baby food products! I’m a fan of a number of their products now, but the one I’m particular impressed by are the Vanilla and Maple Arrowroot cookies!!

Sooooo does everyone know just how magical of a starch Arrowroot is?! I didn’t until I did some research on it. It’s an easily digestible starch making it perfect for a baby’s developing digestive system. Annnnd it’s higher in protein than other starches! Arrowroot also contains potassium, iron, calcium, folate and vitamin B. I frankly don’t understand why I haven’t cooked with it more!

Oooh and it goes waaaaaay back! 7,000 years ago archeologists found evidence of its cultivation and use both medicinally and in culinary forms. It’s even believed that it got its name “Arrowroot” because Mayans used to use it to draw out poison from arrows! Crazy right?! Well there’s your history lesson for the day!

Now back to the cookies! 😉 If you are looking for some healthy snacks to have around the house I would highly suggest taking a look at the whole line of Healthy Times products. You can find them on Amazon, on HealthyTimes.com or in a number of Health Food Stores Here!

Oh and I’m sure “Santa” would also enjoy a healthy alternative to enjoy with his reindeer as well 😉

Holiday Gift Guide!!!!!!!!! Part 1

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The time is here, it’s here, I can hardly believe it! And yes, while this holiday season is far from being just about gift giving, I sure do love the feeling of giving gifts that I know someone will truly love and get some use out of!  So here is a list of items I actually own and looooove and plan on getting as gifts for friends and family this year… don’t worry, my family knows they aren’t allowed to read this post, unless they want to ruin Christmas 😉

1) Soooo for Halloween I actually bought 10 of these and gave them to all the teachers at Annabelle’s school filled with candy! They would make for an awesome gift to mom and teacher friends! And for just $6, how can you go wrong?! You can find it Here!

2) Personalized vertical bar necklace. Ok so I got this last year and wear it daily! You can can this bar necklace personalized with your kid’s names, a pet’s names, or words you want to live by. They come in a number of options. I went with the Rose Gold, double vertical bar. Annnnnd they are all between $25-$50 so it makes for such an amazingly affordable and meaningful gift! Here’s the link to the one I got, Here! But they have a number of style options!

3) Ok, Are you ever stumped as to, what to get your husband or your own dad or father-in-law? Well I have purchased a Man-Crate for all of those gentleman just listed. Seriously Check out their whole website. They have the most hilarious packaging, coming in wooden crates. And they have everything from project kits, where you make your own wooden handle knife to personalized whiskey bar sets to beard management kits. Ok, not gonna lie, they are a little hipster-ish, but they’ve got good stuff! Just go look, I promise you will find something for the manly man in your life! Here!

4) Super Dad personalized book! So this company has all sorts of great personalized books, but this Super Dad book, with a photo of your favorite dad on each page is all kinds of amazing! You can find the link to this book Here!

I couldn’t stop laughing at Robert’s face stuck on the Super Hero body on each page! Sooo good!

4) Cheeky Doormats! They’re just hilarious. Plus it’s something that people replace and could always use new ones to add a little humor to their front door. You can find so many cute ones on Etsy. Like this one Here!

5) Shop Name: ModCloth. So this might just be my favorite online store. Not only do they have darling retro clothes, but their gift section is amazing! All sorts of unique items you never knew you needed, but now desperately can’t live without! Not gonna lie, if you have a cat, dog, unicorn or dinosaur  loving friend, you’ll especially want to check out their kitschy gifts and apparel! I’ve linked a few fun finds:

Ridiculous Salt And Pepper Shakers. Here!

Tea Towel Here!

Wine glasses for your drinking buddy 😉 Here!

We own this book set, and it’s the best gift for little girls! Here!

I could go on forever posting pics of gifts from ModCloth, just go check them out!

6) Ok so you saw me post about my love for this Apple Cider Vinegar Scrub. This is something everyone needs to have in their shower. When used once a week, it cleans out any build up from your scalp (especially for us dry shampoo lovers), and leaves your hair feeling so clean and voluminous!!! Here it is!

 

7) So I don’t rave about skin products often, because everyone has their routine for their very specific skin type needs. And this is in nooooo way sponsored. But a few weeks ago I started to use  Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant and I have never seen such instant results from a product. I don’t fall in love with new skin products often, especially since my skin usually takes some adjustment time, but this stuff is MAGIC and can be added to anyone’s normal face routine making it an awesome gift. Especially since it’s a higher price point, someone might not want to buy it for themselves, but I promise they will once they try it!  It’s a rice-based enzyme powder that micro-exfoliates dulling debris and instantly leaves the skin noticeably smoother and brighter. The powder formula activates upon contact with water, releasing papain, salicylic acid and rice actives to accelerate cell renewal. My face instantly felt scrubbed, moisturized, and brightened from the rice based powder thats starts as a scrub and melts down to a creamy texture! If you don’t like it I will buy it back off you 😉 Here it is!

 

8) One last Beauty Product! This!!!! So my lips have been needing some TLC lately. I actually saw another mama post about this line and had to give it a try. This Sara Happ Perfect Pout gift set would make an amazing gift!!! It’s a lip scrub, lip slip, and lip mask. It will make your lips feel amazing! I’m actually getting it for my sister this year, since I’ve been loving it so much. Hahaha looking back at these beauty products I’ve listed I seem to really be on a “scrub” kick!!! Tis the season I suppose with the weather changing and my skin, lips, and scalp needing a real scrub down! Here it is!

 

9) Best Grandparent Gift!!! Ok I’m sure you’ve all seen the new Portal by Facebook ads. It’s the new hands- free video calling with Alexa built in. It’s even more awesome because the camera follows you around. So you can have it on the mantel and call the grandparents and it will track the kids around as they show off a new dance routine or  have a tea party with the grandparents. So this year our one and done gift to the grandparents with be the Portal. Then we will get the Portal Plus for our house. My parents aren’t very techy. And they don’t have iPhones and FaceTime is glitchy sometimes, and the girls when holding the phone inevitably hang up on whomever they are talking to. So I’m ecstatic about this being our big gift to our parents this year. With both of our parents not living in town, we are gifting them time with their grandkids. And what is more special than that?! Here is the Portal! And here is the Portal Plus!

10) Ok so I visited the Sprint store for an event a week ago, and never realized how many awesome things they carry besides phones! I personally fell in love with the The Harman Kardon Onyx Studio 5 Speaker!! We love to have shindigs and pool parties at our house, and yet we aren’t fancy enough to have a whole outside speaker system. So this beautiful number can connect via Bluetooth to your phone and keep the music going for 8 hours straight and it will go/follow the party to any room or chaise lounge chair 😉 So this is definitely an awesome gift for a music lover or entertainer or a husband that needs some tunes in his man cave! Here it is!

 

Ok! That’s it for now! I’ll get a more “kid focused” gift guide up soon too!

 

Ezy Dose Kids to the Rescue!

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*This is a sponsored post by Ezy Dose Kids but all of the opinions are my own!

Winter is coming!!!! Run, Hide, Lock the doors, don’t let your kids out of the house, disinfect everything, take alllllllll the vitamins and only eat vegetables! Yeah right like that’s all gonna happen. You know what is going to happen? Colds! Tis the season. And rather than stressing out about the inevitable, I rather be prepared to embrace and treat those nasty winter colds and flus to the best of my ability! Soooooo cue Ezy Dose Kids and its whole line of products that make combating and treating those colds goof proof and stress free!

After all, let’s face it, momming is hard enough even with healthy kids. So then you add a sick babe to the equation and it’s easy to get the “can’t copes”. After all when your little one is sick, the hardest part is the sadness that you can’t explain to them why they don’t feel well. Then cue the stress of wanting to help them any way you can, then comes getting even less sleep because baby isn’t sleeping well. So basically you’re stressed out, under slept self could use alllllllll the help it can get! So Ezy Dose Kids to the rescue with its ingenious, easy to use, line of products!

Let’s start with the Medi-Pals, a patented split tip nipple syringe dispenser that encourages swallowing and not gagging on medicine! So if your zombie like self in the middle of the night presses a bit too fast on the syringe, it disperses the medicine around the mouth for you, instead of shooting it right down their little throats!

Next up, True Easy Syringe. So I’ve never seen anything like this. But it’s a syringe that you dial to the correct dosage and then it only allows that much into the syringe. So now no more dripping medicine all over the counter as you lift the syringe in and out of the medicine bottle to see if you’ve magically, blindly hit the right mL amount! So smart!

And last, but certainly not least, especially according to Robert, the Nose-Pals. Soooooo have you ever sucked snot from your baby’s nose? It’s ok to admit, plenty of gross things have happened in the history medicine before more advanced technology comes about. I mean people used to use leeches to supposedly suck illness from their body 😳 and we used to suck snot from our baby’s noses, but no longer! Because now Ezy Dose Kids has created a nasal aspirator that lets you gently blow to create a suction to relieve a baby’s stuffy nose. Baby feels better, you feel better, win win 😉

So if you would like to check out these products ASAP and get prepared for all that the season may have in store for us, here is the link to the Ezy Dose Kids’ Amazon Page, where you can find all the products I just mentioned! Even better, you get an exclusive 20% off discount when you use this link.

Ok ok, so I guess I can let these cute little faces outta the house, now that I’m equipped to battle all that this cold season has to throw at me thanks to Ezy Dose Kids!

Mom Suit!

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Beach House Swimsuit

Mom Suit!!! And one that’s cute and actually stays in place when chasing babes! I could do cartwheels in this thing (please note I actually can’t do cartwheels, never have been able to, even despite my older sister’s attempt to teach me when we were little …. imagine a giraffe trying to do one and that’s me 🦒, frankly it’s kinda a sore subject and I don’t know why I brought it up 😢) moving on, I absolutely love this swimsuit by @beachhouseswim it’s sooo well made, comfortable, stylish, and dare I say a bit sexy while still having full coverage so things stay put when I’m contorting in all sorts of ways while playing poolside with Annabelle and Josephine. Use Code: Rosie20 to receive 20% off! Here!

Beach House Swimsuit 

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