Gift Guide: Stocking Stuffers

  I love to stuff stockings with little surprises and necessities. Just add sweet treats, candy canes or favorite seasonings to any of these stocking gift ideas for the whole family:

 For Her

For both original and pro, get your AirPod owner a chic, personalized holder or cover (great for the menfolk, too).

My absolute favorite lip balm comes in a happy trio that you can dole out or give her multiple yummy options.

These days, if I'm wearing any jewelry, it's little huggies. Love the added detail of the chain on these sweet huggies.

The ONLY hair tie I'll use because they don't rip, snag or break my hair like others do. These slip silk scrunchies comes in really pretty colors, too.

 For Kids

Light up your child's room with these fun projected night lights (Frozen scenes or space)! Both my kids have had several of these, and my daughter (age 7) still has one in her room.

Personalized bath bombs for all the indoor bathtub swimming that will get us through winter.

Cute lip smackers for those dry lips.

My son has loved Hot Wheels since he was 2, and still at the age of almost 9, still loves them!

Classic Polly Pocket is a little doll set for imaginative play that can be taken on the go.

Make going outside in the evenings a little more fun with headlamps and light up gloves! (or even just basic ol' flashlights which my kids still find a way to have so much fun with)

 For Him

This hat is great for the whole family (I have one and love it), and comes in a ton of colors!

My husband received whiskey glass and ice wedge as a gift from my sister years ago and uses is it weekly still today!

This multitool can be taken on a plane (for when travel is a thing again), and is light weight.

Help your man with their mane. This hair clay pomade is made from all clean, non-toxic ingredients and offers a great hold with a bit of movement and no shine.

Sunglasses are always a great gift idea!

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Shop Small Business: Etsy Gift Guide

  Happy Shop Small Businesses Saturday! Now more than ever is it important to shop small businesses. And make sure you look to support your local businesses, too! I've been sharing in my IG stories my favorite local shops, and will continue to do so. 
Today I wanted to share a gift guide of all small shops! You can shop small easily and safely online via Etsy. I've found so many beautiful gifts and pieces throughout the years that still serve me today.

I have several of these stackable thin gold-filled rings (comes in rose gold and silver, too) that I wear non-stop (shower, sleeping, working out and all).

My favorite way to display and dispense my olive oil is through this self pour spout glass apothecary bottle. 

Some sweet holiday cheer through this shop and this pretty banner.

I love this pillow cover shop - and especially this one, we have it in our living room!

Obsessed with these cute kids shirts and sweatshirts hand printed. They are great quality - we've had a few throughout the ages. :)

I love this. These sweet whales are made of paper and it's a project that you get the pdf detailed directions for. The whole shop has lots of other designs, animals and flowers. I'm getting my son this for sure.

Something for the men - Etsy has great leather shops, and this slim wallet that can be personalized would make a great gift for any guy.

The sweetest garland (and other party decor/accents) that could ever be found. I got this rainbow garland for my rainbow loving girl for Christmas.

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Gift Guide of Gadgets & Gizmos

 
  There are gadgets and gizmos aplenty to help you get more comfortable with your 9th month of quarantine and spending more time at home. I've been looking for ways to bring things I used to enjoy (and will again someday) outside the home in. And these are the things that make great gifts, too!

At-home facial with this facial steamer to warm and open the skin up before applying your skincare!

Brighten up your face on all those video chats and/or add better lighting to your photos this dark winter with this Selfie Ring that easily clips.

Sanitize and charge your phone at the same time with this wireless charger.

Take your movies outside with this projector. 

Relax and fall asleep with this sound machine (great for kids, too).

At home heated (or not) massage. This massager is light weight - so easy to maneuver around. I personally have this and love it.

Opening more wine these days? Upgrade your wine opener with this electric corkscrew.

Elevate your work at home station with this heated foot massager.

Keep your coffee or tea warmer longer with this mug and warmer set.

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Gift Guide: Keeping Kids Busy

 

  This year, I'm trying extra hard to find gifts that will keep my kids busy and engaged this winter/year as we continue to spend more time at home. I want them outside through all seasons and using their minds as they play or creativity as they discover.  Here are some items we have and love, and I'm getting for my kids this year.
My son read the full Harry Potter series over the first part of quarantine and is a huge HP fan now.  Having something he is so passionate about, helps with gift giving. I hope to keep his mind busy and excited with this 3D Harry Potter puzzle!
The last few Christmases, we've gotten each kid a lego set. That always keeps them busy, then they re-use the legos to build up things of their imagination. This year, I'm getting my son a Harry Potter lego kit (theme) and my daughter a Friends lego kit.
We got a mini table tennis (ping pong) table at the beginning of quarantine and that's been a fun outlet on days we're inside!
I love these books to work their brains - Hidden Pictures and What's Wrong with this Picture?
We go through craft material fast, so my kids always want more and I love giving them craft kits and materials to work their creativity.
We have two sets of Fort Building Playset and the kids love to build different shaped forts and drape blankets over it.
My daughter is really pushing herself to read chapter books like her big brother, so these Rebel Girl books not only have a great message but are for reading levels for age 6-9.
We love busting open geodes. This is great to get them outside so they can see what treasures they can discover!
My kids will spend a lot of time playing with the stomp rocket - a classic, great outdoor toy!

What are your "keeping kids busy" gift ideas?

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Gift Guide: For the Year 2020

  This has been a year unlike any other. So this is a gift guide different than any I've done in past years.  Gifts that really speak to the unique needs and interests this year has brought with strong consideration of the mindset your receiver might be in (aka tabling all my sequins and lipstick this year for cozy and comfort).

Gifts to give for the year 2020
I don't know about you... but I've spent more time in my bed then any other year (meals, work, naps, tv). Give the gift for an upgraded pillowcase, one good for your skin and hair! Silk pillowcases are proven to work and beautiful to look at.
If you have a friend in need of a hobby,  making your own sourdough has been a fun new hobby of mine and this is a beautiful book to help get them started.
The year of sanitizing EVERYTHING. This is a sanitizing box pretty enough to keep out! And for your friend or family member who needs to get out and about more, this sanitizing wand is handy on the go!
Never thought I would have masks on a gift guide, but this year, you can't have too many and fun ones are key to making the most of it! These Tory Burch masks are so happy and come with a little pouch to corral them. 
Make wearing masks feel like a spa treatment by pairing this Aromatherapy Face & Mask Mist - GoodEssentials.com to sooth and refresh the situation. And their Herbal Infused Hand Sanitizer Lavender - GoodEssentials.com is equally as delicious. This brand makes products that are strong (kill 99.9% of germs and bacteria) but soothing and gentle for you and your kids. 
Keep them comfy but still cute for all those Zooms - love this bright turtleneck sweatshirt (good for increased outdoor time, too). And who needs real shoes this year? Fuzzy slippers for the win!
New hair ties make a great stocking stuff and gift for keeping all that quarantine hair up without breaking or denting it. These Gimme Bands have different sizes for your specific hair in lots of colors.
No time better than to work on your skin care routine. I've concentrated more on skincare than makeup this year, that's for sure. And this is my favorite moisturizer with some new favs in this hydration trio.
Switch up the candle gift with the new Pura, that plugs into your wall and you can control between two scents (replace with many other kinds) from your phone to add a wonderful smell to the place we're spending so.much.time. This Pura starter kit comes with capri Blue (that famous Anthro scent) and this one comes with Holiday smells.  Scent refills in other scents here. 

Do you have any 2020-perfect gift ideas??

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Prepping for Winter... Now.

  This is not something I'd normally do so soon... but then again, this is not a normal year.  
After spending so much time outside this summer, and how all the outdoor things (like pools, outdoor furniture, bikes, bike helmets, etc) sold out or were very hard to find (especially at decent/regular price), I decided we needed a game plan for this coming winter and to start prepping sooner.
This quarantine life isn't going away anytime soon, and I'm flat out scared for winter (I already struggle with seasonal affective disorder and my kids get so antsy when cooped up for too long). Our only saving grace these past 6 months of quarantine have been getting outside - for play, for walks, for socially distant meet ups, picnics, and family adventures. 
Therefore, I had 3 goals for starting my winter shopping early (...while it is still summer):
 First, prolong comfort outside as long as possible as temps drop.  
Second, encourage the kids to get outside to play and have fun (safely). 
Third, ensure we have our basic seasonal needs covered before there is an issue finding them.


So here is what I did:
The first thing I did was clean out our coat closet. I used this time to organize and have the kids try on all the things to see what new items we needed.
I then checked all our medicines, humidifiers, filters, replacement parts, etc.
I made a list of the things we needed.
I did some research on winter toys for the great outdoors that would encourage them to play outside.
I then also read many reviews on outdoor heaters.

Here are the items we ordered in prep:
Outdoor Heaters(this is an item I predict will sell out or prices will go up as people try to keep what little socializing abilities we have left.  We ended up getting not one, but three different ones for different reasons.)
An infrared heater to hang from the ceiling of our screened in porch.
Outdoor, portable, lamp heater for our deck area (this one can be broken down to store later or transport).
A solo stove for some real fire, but with less smoke (a la the s'mores one). 

Winter Clothing/Accessories(like long underwear/base layers, gloves, snow pants, etc.)
We landed on balaclavas (larger and smaller size) for the kids to keep them super warm and built in face covering! Our last year hats and scarves still work!
Gloves for all - after cleaning out the closet, I found some many single gloves (they're like socks, always losing just one). These kids' snow gloves were recommended in my research, as were these adult warm ones with all over touchscreen.  I also love these ones for every day wearing for both adults & kids.
Thankfully we all had winter coats that still fit and worked. I tend to stock up on next years coats at the end of winter, and I did this year before the pandemic.  I love J.Crew coats for my whole family and there are a ton of coats on sale here.
Snow pants and suits are a must have to keep kids outside playing in the (hopeful) snow to come!  Nora inherits Liam's outgrown ones, and this year we got Liam a new pair. I don't think you need to pay a lot for these unless you are going to be in Antarctica, so we get ours from Target.
The whole family got new base layers - and landed on these highly-rated, but affordable priced ones in both adult and kids (girls and boys). 

Winter, Outside Toys(Anything to keep the kids outside longer having fun, expending energy!)
Sleds and Snow Tubes - we have sleds (like this one which is rated well), but got some new (super affordable) animal snow tubes for sledding or pulling each other around in the yard. 🤞for snow.
Other random snow toys - I found these snow markers (perhaps winter's version of chalk?) and molds to make little penguins of snow.
We also have kid-size snow shovels as the kids like to pave the way, so I consider this a super efficient/helpful toy! 

Seasonal Must-Haves(like cold/flu meds, humidifiers, extra filters, etc.)
Time to stock up on those cold & flu meds, vitamins, health aides now!  Not that it will prevent COVID, but all those other winter sicknesses and colds that pop up or help you feel better no matter what you have.
Come winter we'll be spending more time inside, so got a HEPA air purifier for our main rooms.
Winter = dry air (and previously mentioned colds/flue), so humidifiers get used a ton. I got a new humidifier for my room that is well rated + checked the kids elephant humidifiers to make sure it was in good working condition.  Just make sure you get any needed filters, too, to get you through winter - and this extends the life of your filter!
Kleenex, boogie wipes and Vaseline/Aquaphor are also good to have on hand for runny and chapped noses! 

Indoor Toys & Cozy Items(toys and projects for inside + cozy items to stay warm and comfy)
Inevitably, there will be lots of time inside. Every winter I stock up on art supplies, projects and Lego kits to keep those little hands and minds busy.
And if we're going to be stuck inside, better be super warm and cozy! Everyone swears by Barefoot Dreams brand blankets (this one is on sale!), and they have the softest cozy wears, too, but definitely comes at a price (check eBay for possible deals).
Still on my list to get - a cozy, warm robe (this one looks wonderful)!
I always get some new pairs of jammies for the kids. 

UPDATE: A friend of mine had a great suggestion to get a generator - especially for those that live around lots of trees!  She has this one (that takes propane or gasoline)

...and here are a few others rated well:
 

The list could go on and on, and I'm trying to get things I only really need/will need. And pandemic or not, I'd need to update items for growing kids and replenishing needs anyway!
What's on your winter prep list?
If helpful, I put together a quick check list as you start thinking about prepping early for the season!

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