Category Archives: Friday Favs

10 Gifts That Moms Really Want This Year

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It’s the season of giving!

Moms do so much for their family and friends. Sometimes it can be hard to think of a gift to give them. Although this says what moms want, it’s more like a wish guide/things that I’ve been happy with in the last year that I wanted to share to give you ideas.

Every mom is as individual as any person in the world. I have a feeling the women in your life will love at least one of these items.

Hair Accessories

One of my favorite ways to switch up my looks are adding hair accessories. There are so many different options and they’re all so cute. I feel like I have a ton of scrunchies, but I’m always looking for more. I’ve been really into clips that can flip my hair all the way up. It changes the way my hair looks and they’re comfortable. My last favorite accessory lately is the other type of clip or barrette. Mila and I can share them and it gets the hair in front out of my face.

Here are some options and shops that I love. Seriously, my go to for my hair accessories.

Stitch Fix Subscription

I share and talk a lot about Mila’s Stitch Fix Subscription, but I have one too!

Honestly, I LOVE all the options my Stitch Fix gives me and my stylist hits what I like every time. I like that these clothes are a mix of trendy and classic styles. Any time I wear one of my fixes, I get so many compliments. It’s been a great way of keeping my wardrobe updated, especially when I’m teaching every day.

If you have a fashionista in your life or someone who needs clothes, a Stitch Fix subscription is a great option. When you use this link, you’ll get $25 off your first fix! Believe me, you’ll love it!

Skincare Products

I use skincare products twice a day, every day. You can imagine that I go through a decent amount of products. It’s always nice when I’m surprised with items that I have to buy a few times a year… especially because I’m going to use it and appreciate it so much.

Most people have their favorite skincare lines, but I listed the two I love to use below.

  • Eclectic Serenity – Local friends, I 100% recommend Kiersten’s products. They make my skin feel so good.
  • Little Seed Farm – I love their products too. Their goat’s milk moisturizer is one of my favorites. It keeps my skin feeling silky and refreshed.

Adore Me VIP Membership

My least favorite thing in the world to buy are bras. I feel like it’s hard to find the right size and trying them on can feel daunting. But all women deserve to feel comfortable in their skin and that starts with good undergarments.

I was gifted a few items from Adore Me and then signed up for the Adore Me VIP Membership. It’s a monthly membership that costs about $40. There’s all kinds of perks with it like a huge discount, free items, and you can skip months too. It sounds too good to be true, but I love the flexibility it gives it’s customers!

The best part about Adore Me is they have sizes and styles for everyone. Before I started shopping I looked up their fit guide that helped me figure out what size would be best for me there. After that, I easily found a ton of different sets that I needed to get! They also have the cutest lounge clothes and pajamas. There’s truly something for everyone at Adore Me. Their membership just is an added bonus.

To help the mom in your life feel their best about their body, an Adore Me VIP Membership will help them feel comfortable picking out the bras and panties that will work best for them and fit them perfectly too.

I promise, they’ll be feeling their best as well.

Organization Tools

Raise your hand if you’ve been personally victimized by ‘clean tok’ or any organizational videos on social media… *silently raises hand.*

I’m always in awe of how people share their organizational skills. It’s so satisfying to watch and I feel like their lives have to be less chaotic for it. The last few weeks, I’ve been trying to find good deals to help me out with my home organization too. There’s a ton more, but I linked three at the end of this section.

Personally, I would love to receive any organizational help. It would be a useful gift and in the long run it would start to feel amazing too. If you know any moms who are obsessed with watching these kinds of videos, I bet they’d love these too.

Photo Books

If you would look at my phone, you’d easily see that I have over 10,000 pictures on there. I’m constantly snapping pictures of what’s going on around me. The one thing I wish I would do more of is printing them out.

The first year of Mila’s life, I made a book a month to capture those moments. To this day, I still go back through them AND Mila loves being able to sit down and flip through the books too. They make such amazing keepsakes and I love how they hold up. For 2022, I’m going to make it a goal to start making photo books again.

I’d also love to receive one as a gift. If you’ve went on a trip with a mom in your life, it’d be fun to share those memories with her. Or fill it up with all your favorites. Either way, mom’s love photos and this would be a great gift.

  • Shutterfly – I used to make all my photo books here. They always turn out amazing and they have a free photo book every month if you have their app.
  • Chatbooks – I have not used this service yet, but I have been seeing amazing deals from them. I think it would be awesome to try out!
  • Mootsh – I haven’t used this service either but it prints out pictures each month for you to do as you please with them.

Spa Day

A day full of self care and pampering feels really nice. I love getting facials and my hair done, so any time it’s gifted to me, I feel extra special. All moms would love to have a spa day. There are a ton of local spas that have different specials. It’s a great way to give back to the local economy and you get to pick the best things that your loved one would want.

Another option would be for reiki sessions! It’s a different type of self care and relaxation that would be a great gift for moms. Need a reminder of what reiki is? Here’s my first experience with it.

Time to Themselves

As much as I love being around Mila and the craziness of our life… sometimes it’s just nice to have a break. Obviously, this could be paired up with a spa day, but sometimes alone time at home is all you need. Or maybe a movie out, a date night, or time with their friends. Whatever they need, it’s nice that they have that option.

I think asking for time alone is one of the hardest things for a mom to ask for. At least it is for me. If someone can offer that time or a night away, it could be a nice gift and you get to be around pretty cool kids too.

Candles

I don’t think there will EVER be a time that I’m disappointed about getting a candle for a present.

Not only does it make your house smell really good, they can be so relaxing. Any time I take a bath or just need a quiet minute, lighting a candle makes everything seem a little better.

Another awesome part about candles is being able to use the jars afterwards. I repurpose almost all of my candle jars to make plant propagation glasses or storage containers too. It’s sort of like two gifts in one!

Here are a few of my favorite candles.

Spend Time With Them

The best gift for moms is just spending time with their family. At the end of the day, that’s what makes everything feel special.

I love just being able to have the time to spend with Mila. No matter if that’s a day of play, cuddling, or going somewhere, my time with her is absolutely priceless.

Hopefully when she’s older and wanting to know what to gift me, she can find this and decide to just spend the day with me.

The little moments are the best presents. Promise.

If you’re holiday shopping online this year, try Rakuten. It’s a way to shop online and get cash back at different stores. Honestly, it’s a great way to get a little back. I use it whenever I can. Right now, if you use this link, you can get $40 for just signing up… and it’ll give it back to me too. Who couldn’t use $40 extra dollars during the holiday season?

Anyways…

What do you think of this gift guide? As a mom or woman, what items would you add to your gift list? Let me know in the comments.

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Mom Tip of the Week: Wireless Headphones.

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Mila loves to dance and with that comes LOUD music. I swear if anyone walks by our house they’d either hear true crime podcasts (I can’t get enough) or club music. There’s really no in between.

Sometimes though, I get overwhelmed by noise or just sensory things in general. One of my biggest tips for parents is to get wireless headphones for your kiddos.

Not only were these headphones SUPER cute, Mila loved them and even asks to wear them on her own sometimes. I love that I can take the sound break that I need without having to take music away from her. Especially since that’s her favorite way to play.

She’s already figured out how to control the volume and how to skip songs. It’s quite amazing.

It’s also nice when I want to listen to my true crime podcasts that I can put them on while she’s dancing to Disney songs or her dance music through her headphones. We both get to be happy listening to that day’s choices.

Funny story… Mila was jamming with her headphones in her playroom one day and it was time to eat. Instead of yelling or having to go in there to get her, all I had to do was shut off her music from my phone. She came to me wondering why her music turned off, but was happy when she saw dinner was ready.

We live for the little things!

These particular headphones are just so cute. Mila loves the little kitty cat on the side and that it lights up. Plus, they’re pink and purple; two of her favorite colors. She had to call people to show them on FaceTime when she first put them on.

They’re also super soft and don’t hurt her ears.

So if you’re desperate for a break from their favorite show (I’m talking about Mickey Mouse Clubhouse) or just want some quiet time to yourself… definitely get some wireless headphones for your toddlers.

I promise this mom tip will be well worth it!

What’s your mom tip that you swear by?

Have An Anxious Dog or Human: Try Happy Dogs CBD

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Max, our Old English Lab, suffers from separation anxiety and hyperactivity.

I never really noticed his anxiety until I started working away from home in the middle of last year. When I’d come home for lunch, there would be shoes torn apart or papers shredded. This was not typical behavior for him.

He’s always been a hyperactive dog. Mila and him play constantly and in the summer we take tons of walks. It never calms him down so he can relax.

After having some personal experience with CBD and seeing a post on Facebook about CBD oil and treats for dogs, I was curious in trying it for Max. So, I reached out to Happy Dogs CBD. They sent me CBD goodies to Max and me in exchange for a review.

Although I got the items for free, this is my honest review that I’m happy to share with you.

First, what’s CBD? It’s the second most prevalent ingredient in cannabis. So, yeah it’s in marijuana, but its not the ingredient that gets you high.

CBD is great for physical, emotional, and mental health. It’s know for it’s healing qualities.

In the past, it’s helped me with my anxiety, depression, and just overall mood. There’s many different ways to take CBD, but before Happy Dogs CBD gummies, I had only used the oil.

There’s SO much information about the benefits of CBD on the internet that is readily available.

Happy Dogs CBD sent Max and me four of their products: dog treats, oil, pain cream, and gummies. We have tried each product and I can confidently say we love them.

Every time Max sees me pull out his CBD treats, he gets so excited. It’s definitely not like trying to get him to take medications. He seems to enjoy their taste and has taken the bag out of my hands a few times.

I only give him two of these treats when I have to leave for school or if I feel like he’s anxious.

He can also take the CBD oil. When I give him this, I put it over his canned food in the morning before I leave for work. I’ve followed the dosage on the back and it works for him.

Again, he eats his food like normal and doesn’t notice a taste with the oil.

Both CBD treatments have worked wonders for Max. He’s much more calm and during the day, he’s able to be okay with just his bones and music playing. It’s been so nice to have him not get so excited. He would always jump and scratch me or accidentally run MIla over. Now we can actually play with him and he settles down after a while.

The toughest thing about starting CBD is getting the dosage right. I found that giving him it every day is too much for him. So, I’ll either give him the treats OR the oil and space a day in between.

This is the best for Max. Obviously, every dog has their individual needs. If you try these CBD treats, you’ll have to do what works for your dog… and self!

I was happy to try Happy Dogs CBD for people! Humans can use the same oil dogs do.

All you need is to put the correct dosage under your tongue for forty-five seconds. Then swallow the rest.

They also sent CBD gummies, just for human consumption. I take two every other day, if I don’t use the oil.

Just like dogs, people need to find the dosage that works for them.

The first day I took them, I got really sleepy. I’m unsure if it was a mix of not feeling my normal anxiety or if I just took too high of a dose. Either way, I kept taking them and feel amazing.

Happy Dogs CBD also sent some of their pain cream. I used it on my neck and felt a difference quickly. Honestly, I’ve only used it twice, but the times I did use it, I could tell a big difference. I think it’s a great option for individuals who are looking for a new pain cream.

Over all, I’m so impressed with the quality of the CBD and products in general. Their customer service rocks and they just want to help your him have Happy Dogs and humans!

If you’re looking for a natural way to treat hyperactivity, anxiety, joint pain, and yours and your pets overall health, you should look in CBD oil.

Happy Dogs CBD is such a great company to interact and work with. They shipped their products fast and safe too.

All of their products are great quality and I’ll definitely purchase more in the near future.

You can use their discount code ‘buy2get1’ to buy two of their products and get one for free. They’re also currently running a sale.

This is a wonderful time to help your dog and you improve your health.

I promise you won’t regret it!

Let me know in the comments if you’ve ever tried CBD products and let me know what you think of Happy Dog’s products.

Happy Dog’s CBD contact information:

Friday Favs: Imagination Library

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For future Friday’s, sorry for that f alliteration, I want to do something a little different. From here on out, I’ll be sharing some of my favorite picks.

These can include books, shows, podcasts, kids things, or whatever else I think of. Obviously, I’m going to try and make sure it’s useful for other people too. I’m not that self-obsessed.

This week, I’m going to talk about one of my favorite programs: Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library.

I’ll give you the run down of the program.

Dolly Parton created the Imagination Library because she wanted to make sure no child was illiterate. It’s a program where kids are gifted a book a month.

The Imagination Library is available to children who live in certain areas. If you’re local to me, your child definitely qualifies. To my non-local friends, you can check to see if you qualify here! It’s definitely worth seeing.

Mila has been receiving books for almost a year, maybe. They’re cute books and she enjoys getting mail.

We read all the time, so it’s nice to get fresh books. Plus, they’re always educational. For example, last month, it was a story about hibernation.

This months was perfect for the stage Mila is in now. It’s called, Goodnight, Numbers by Danica McKellar.

If you couldn’t guess from the title, this book is about numbers and counting. Mila had the toughest time saying four and five while counting. It was so frustrating.

But, when she read this book, she counted to ten like a pro!

The drawings are made to keep the kids interested in counting the entire time. Each page correlates with a number. The pictures have random things with the same amount on the page. So, it’s like a little scavenger hunt!

This really helped Mila. She pointed most of them out. The pattern of counting the same number a few times made her more confident too.

Another cute part of the story is it follows bedtime routines. So, when you’re reading it before bed, they know what might happen next.

More importantly, there’s diverse characters. Different types of families and races are centered around one number. I thought this was a great way to continue talking to Mila diversity AND how every family looks different.

This inclusive and educational book was such a hit. If you’re interested in the book, you can find it here on Amazon.

We love Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library and I hope you will too. Make sure to check if your family is eligible for these books. They’re such a great source and way to excite your little one to read.

Thanks for checking out this Friday Fav! Let me know if you are apart of Imagination Library in the comments.