Last Minute Mommy Gifts

No one better understands what it means to do everything at the "last minute" quite like a mom! If you are in need of a gift for a new or expecting Mommy this holiday season check out these QUICK gifts!

The Honest Company Diapers and Products

The Honest Company

Why I dig it: All natural products that happen to also be absolutely adorable. We were not 100% sold on cloth diapers but still wanted something that was more eco-friendly. With any diaper you'll have blow outs and leaks but the Honest has played way better than the Huggies we've also used. You can gift monthly subscription bundles or check out their diaper cakes! Bonus: The customer service is AMAZING. I felt like I was talking with one of my girlfriends when I called to set up my bundle subscription. Check it out here and sign up to send a gift bundle of diapers & wipes. Gift cards are also available. 

lululemon athletica
The Practice Patience Mala
Why I dig it: Not becuase I worked there for five years but because this company ROCKS. Shipping is fast and free so you still have time to get this gift under the tree! Not sure what mala beads are for? Check out this video on their site. I don't really think I need to explain why the "Practice Patience" beads are the perfect set for a mom...

aden + anais Burpy Bibs and Swaddle Blankets

Burpy Bib & Swaddle Blankets

Why I dig it: The bibs are super soft and absorbent and can be used as a burp cloth OR bib. The size and shape is perfect for slinging over your shoulder. The blankets get softer every time you wash them I swear! They are great for swaddling and are just darling. I've also found myself using them as a nursing cover! I had a friend tell me if you are ever unsure of what to get someone who is expecting that you can never have enough blankets and I completely agree! Order from Amazon and get it FAST! Nordstrom, Target, & Babies 'R' Us also carry several versions of these blankets if you want to fight that dreaded mall traffic.

Amazon Local
A Day of House Cleaning
Why I dig it: WHY WOULDN'T I DIG IT? As a new mom I have sometimes fell like all I do is clean. How wonderful it would be to have a little bit of help with this! Check out Amazon Local and search for home cleaning deals in your area. You can have the deal delivered straight to mommy's inbox. I promise this is a warm welcomed gift! 

Books
amazon
Why I dig it: Even though I feel like I rarely have time to read, being gifted a book makes me feel good. When someone has given me a book as a gift it makes me stop and remember that I need time to myself (that isn't the 20mins in front of the TV during nap time when I shovel chocolate in my face.) Here are a few book ideas that can take her mind off of her mom duties and maybe provide a laugh or two as well: Tina Fey's Bossy Pants, Lena Dunham's Not that Kind of Girl , or John Green's The Fault in Our Stars (<-- Tear Jerker!) If you have a mommy to be to shop for check out my post on great reads for pregnancy and birth!

Hope you find these last minute gift ideas helpful! Amazon Prime is clutch this time of year and gift cards can easily be printed or e-mailed. Remember to slow down and appreactiae the joys of this holiday season AND send lots of love to your mother!

xoxo
Marley's Mom

One Love Birthday Party

Oh, the first birthday party. How bittersweet! It feels like only yesterday we we're holding her for the very first time. We had an incredible time celebrating with our friends and family. Marley may not remember her 1st birthday but it was a very special day for us and we took plenty of photos that we can share with her later on in her life.

I wanted to have a party but I didn't want it to be over the top or break the bank. Here is a super simple breakdown of the planning and execution of our One Love themed birthday party for Marley.

Theme | The "One Love" Jamacian theme is great for a boy or girl. In our case, with our little girl being named Marley, it was the perfect fit. Our parents got really into the spirit too! We used our dads to greet our guests at the door. We had Bob Marley music playing in all of the rooms and a video montage of photos from Marley's first year playing on the AppleTV. The mood was set!

You can rock my Dad's dreads here.

 

Invitations | To save money on invitations (and go a little easier on the Earth) I sent a simple evite to friends and family. I spent quite a bit of time searching for the right tempalte and landed on this one. I used the Bob Marley song "One Love" as the inspiration for the header of the invite- obviously tweaked it at the end there.

*****If I could give any advice on the planning of the date and time of the party I would make sure it works around your little one's nap schedule and leave youself some wiggle room just incase that pattern changes suddenly the week before the party. You'll also want to keep it short (say 1.5-2hrs) so that baby isn't overwhelmed.

Decorations | I kept it real simple. We're talking red, yellow, and green streamers, ballons, and paper products. The streamers were $0.99 each on amazon. I also found a grass table skirt that I fastened to my kitchen island for a nice touch. To save money on balloons we actually bought a small helium tank and filled them ourselves. We spent $30 for almost 3 dozen balloons and it was one last errand to run on the day of the party. The tank came with white ribbon to tie to the ballons, which my mom brain had forgotten about, so that's good! I picked up simple flowers from the grocery store (red carnations, yellow daisys, and green hydrangeas)

Baby's Outfit | I hit up Etsy for a reggae inspired tutu and headband. Marley needed to play the part! I also discovered H&M sells really affordable baby clothes! Her black top was $5. I got the red legginings from Old Navy.

Food & Drink | This was another area we wanted to play up the rasta theme with. I ordered boneless buffalo wings (Buffalo Soilder Wings) from The Winking Lizard and had a friend pick them up on her way to the party. My husband whipped up a delicious batch of Jamaican Jerk Chicken (he marinated the night before and grilled about 1 hr before the party.) I wanted simple food that kids like because we were expecting several 4-10 year olds at the party so I cooked up Rasta Pasta, which very simply was tri-colored pasta with marinara on the side. My Mother-in-law had offered to help with food and she makes a killer stromboli so I had her make a Hawaiian style (ham, pineapple, provolone) and a basic italian stromboli that would appeal to everyone. I also skewered some Rasta Froots and used pineapple, strawberries, and green grapes to represent Jamaican colors.

For drinks I purchased coconut waters, La Croix, and Honest juice pouches. I sliced lemons and limes for water and for adults we served Red Stripe (Jamaican beer)

*****I used Amazon's Prime Pantry for the first time and I have to say it was quite convient to order some of the staples and resulted in fewer trips to the store.

 

The Cake | The entire party was inspired by this blog but I absolutely HAD to have this cake for the party. At the time, I thought there was no way I could bake a cake like that... I don't bake. But, when I got the quote back from the cake shop and they wanted $138 for a 10in round cake I about died! My sister is pretty great at baking so I had her over a few weeks before the party and for $30 we made three cakes! I especially liked the tiny smash cake (and so did Marley!) Our guests LOVED it.

Whether you chose to have a big party or play it low key, your child's 1st birthday is something spectacular to celebrate. It's hard to believe that in such a short amount of time they can grow so much. Enjoy each and every moment with them!

-xoxo-

Marley's Mom

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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This little girl gets it!

Must watch. I feel ya, child. I feel ya!

http://youtu.be/84DLT4yRcy4

Things that are easier than changing my baby's diaper

This photo is NOT of my baby. My baby won't sit that still...

Here are a few things that would be easier for me to accomplish than changing the diaper of my almost 9 month old:

1. Becomming an astronaut

2. Flying an airplane

3. Performing brain surgery

4. Diapering a monkey

5. Learning Chinese

Anyone else feeling my pain?

-xoxo-

Marley's Mom

 

 

 

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"Our house is going to blow up!"

I'm kind of impressed that it took 8 months for us to have our first official freak out.

I was cooking dinner on our gas stove and I thought it smelled funny. I mentioned something to my husband but we brushed it off. Later that night, as I was boiling water for tea, I noticed the strange smell again. It smelled like kerosene. I am not an expert in natural gas but I knew something wasn't right. I yelled for my husband and sure enough he noticed the smell. Before we knew it the whole house wreaked of kerosene.

Do we have a gas leak?! The carbon monoxide thing isn't going off.

(Registry must if you don't already have one: click here)

Normally, we reach out to Google to answer questions like this but with a new baby in the house we immedately called the gas company to inquire about what could be causing the odor. The woman didn't listen to anything we had to say or answer any of out questions. She instead insisted we had a gas leak. We needed to get the baby and get out of the house, stop using our cell phones, and wait for a technician to arrive... STAT.

Is this for real?!

I had just put Marley to bed. Dang it. Better safe than sorry. We all headed down stairs to wait. Then we got the brilliant idea to Google "why does my stove smell like kerosene?" Lo and behold, I read several cases of folks having just had their wood floors cleaned or sealed and for whatever reason the gas combined with the sealant created the smell.

Well, sh*t!

We had the marble and tile in our master bath cleaned and resealed that morning. Why didn't we Google this first!? Now we are standing outside for no good reason.

The technician arrived and confirmed that our house wasn't going to explode. He let us know that this wasn't the first time he had seen this. That made us feel slightly better but silly nonetheless.

Two take-a-ways from this little freakout:

1. Natural gas + sealants = bad smell

2. We should have Googled it first

That being said, gas leaks are not something to mess with! If you suspect a gas leak, CALL! But now you know if you have work done in your house it could also be that :)

xoxo

Marley's Mom

 

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Two Years Ago

I have a journal that you write one line a day in for five years. I went to write in it today and found this... It is amazing how time flies.

Happy Father's Day

 

Happy Father's Day to all the wonderful men out there!

xoxo

Marley's Mom

 

 

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