Hello! This is Part 2 of my Honest Holiday Toy Guide, focusing on our most beloved and well loved toys we already own, particularly for kids ages 1-7. If you are looking for older kid’s toys you will want to take a look at Part 1.
A quick run down on why this toy guide is different from other guides and why it is so helpful:
ALL of these are toys we actually OWN, that my kids have loved for years!
All of these toys can be found on Amazon or Target, with ONE exception
Looking for a rich after dinner treat to serve your guests this holiday season? Offer up these indulgent spiked hot chocolates for something they will remember through out the coming year! Or better yet, simply set out the hot chocolate, the toppings, a choice of spirits, and let your guests assemble these Poptails for themselves!
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I am refreshing our bar area just in time for the holidays! No actual bar? Dedicate a small you counter space in your kitchen, or use the top of a low cabinet near or in the kitchen, or some of you lucky ones out there have a full wet bar (ok, jealous). In my last home I found a bar cart at the thrift store that I cleaned up. (On actual wheels! This was before Target came along and started selling bar carts. Does that make it any cooler?)
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When it’s my turn to host, what food to serve my guests is an after thought. I am just trying to put pants on all my kids, okay? And get the counters cleared off if I’m lucky. I am not above asking my guests to pick up some take-out on the way here!
We entertained some friends this past weekend and with the holiday mood, it was the perfect opportunity to try out Sprout’s Catering Trays and some of their other easy to prepare foods! Lazy Girls of the world, I got you. It’s not all or nothing. I have a some great time saving hacks for you to mimic at your holiday get togethers and feel like a success!
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As a mom of 4, I question my own abilities to be a good fit for this mom job daily. I am unorganized, overwhelmed, I yell when I’m mad, my kids probably watch far too much tv, the list goes on.
One thing I am completely on top of though is making sure our family memories will not be forgotten! I am not doing all this for nothing! My kids need to KNOW, they need to SEE their childhood and how much we loved on them. At the end of each year, I create a large hardcover family photo book. Now that we are wrapping up 2018, I am about to create my 6th family year book! So I will forget it’s show + tell day and I will be late almost everywhere we go, but I will never, EVER miss printing out that darn family year book!
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Last year over Christmas we had just moved into our home. Decorating felt crazy when we had barely unpacked. I bought a faux garland from Costco right after Thanksgiving to liven the house up. Gosh it was pretty. I had it around my stairs and above my fireplace. Well thanks to all the heat from the fireplace and the sunlight that tends to drench our stairs, it was dried and crispy to the touch 2 weeks later. I tried misting, but it was so dead and depressing- I tossed it just before Christmas. Of course some homes will do better than others, but this year I am going faux!
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Not only do I have 4 kids but sometimes I feel like I have owned every toy ever made at one point in Mom life. That makes me an adult toy expert, right? Being a toy expert is actually good for nothing…. except when someone needs gift advice!
Why this list is so helpful:
ALL of these are toys we actually OWN, that my kids have loved for years!
ALL of these toys can be found on Amazon
This is not sponsored or a list of toys I am getting paid to promote.
Yes! It’s here! I have been so excited with putting this post together. Every year I like to pick out my girls’ Christmas dresses early. I am always afraid the ones I want will sell out. The girls wear their dresses to a few occasions throughout the season- we take them to go see the Nutcracker, we try to hit one touring Broadway show a season, and Christmas mass. I haven’t ever done matching but I do prefer similar prints and styles.
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Perhaps you’re like us, and you don’t have an actual office in your home. We don’t have the need for a full separate office- but we did need a dedicated space to work for small amounts of time, while still being centrally located with the children. I know kitchen desks are supposedly “outdated”, but for us it was exactly what we wanted!
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Hiiii friends! October is one of my favorite times to get out our old books from the Halloween bin & find a few new ones…. so many gems. I have Halloween book recs for you from baby all the way up to middle schoolers, since those are my children’s ages. Hopefully something for everyone- and I tell you my very favorites too!
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Disclaimer: I confess something in this post that I'm certain none of you have ever done.
1. Start your child's day off with a 20 second hug right when they wake up. I read somewhere (heres a link) that hugging for a minimum of 20 seconds triggers a release of the neurotransmitter oxytocin. Oxytocin is a hormone in our brain that makes us feel connected to someone and safe and cared for! All those warm fuzzy feelings you want your child to feel. So when they climb out of their beds all cute and sleepy in their pajamas, bend down and give them a 20 second squeeze!
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*My review is not sponsored in any way by Serena & Lily*
If I could only pick ONE place to buy everything in my home from, (and money was endless 😝) without even skipping a beat I would pick Serena and Lily. Their cool, refined California style-- upscale but totally livable- it makes me want to jump inside their catalogue! Like most good things in life it comes with a price, so I always buy something during their family & friends sale. It is going on now and they are running 20% off everything (code HOMELOVE) through October 15th.
I’ve compiled all my favorite picks at the bottom of the post, but first I am reviewing all the items I own and have in my home!
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My kids have been begging to decorate for Halloween since I accidentally roamed the Target aisle in September and had to decorate our mantel early! I did hold off on pulling the Halloween bin down from the attic until last week, and the kids got SO into it. This post is picture heavy with a tour of all our decor- I hope it gives you inspiration as you decorate for fall in your home! And if nothing else, slap down a pumpkin and a few plastic spiders and call it a day! 😉
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Whether you are a new mom with your first babe or a mom with your 4th newborn like I was not long ago, convenience remains top priority in those early days. IncrediBundles is a diapers and wipes subscription service that makes it easy to always have diapers and wipes on hand!
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Every year I want my kids to look creative with non store costumes but I also want the least amount of work on my end. I like to have my cake and eat it too, ya know? For this post I dressed my kids up in 8 different costumes only using items we have in our home, just a few things out of my craft box, and not spending more than 15 minutes putting each one together.
Consider this… the Lazy Mom’s Guide to Halloween:
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Today I am giving you a sneak peek of the playroom I have been working on, which is not quite complete. Our playroom is on the 3rd floor of our home; we finished off the attic and turned the whole space into a playroom with a small full bath attached (in case it is ever needed as a bedroom). There is a game closet and in addition to that darn TV, most of the kids’ toys and crafts are all kept up here- so it is the first place they head to when they wake up on weekends!
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In my mind Halloween decor goes one of two ways: impressively over-the-top and perhaps a bit grotesque, or toned down and adorable. Since my kids are still small, I like to use Halloween decorations that are cute and adorable, instead of spooky or grotesque. I am also fairly minimal.
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Instead of admiring that pretty fall porch across the street this year, pretty up your own porch! It shouldn’t take a lot of money or ‘stuff’ because fall colors pack such a punch- a little goes a long way.
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I used to only shop at Gap, Nordstrom and Old Navy Kids for my daughters' dresses religiously because they always had the best dresses that I could find. I still shop their girls department frequently, but in the past few years I discovered some online shops that I shop from all the time!
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