2020.. What a blessing in disguise

Hey babes! Back with another post and I just wanted to write my last blog post of 2020, I have just been spending time with family these last few weeks. Which has been so nice. I just wanted to do a little recap of 2020 and just share my experience. 2020 has been such a crazy and unexpected year. We started off the year with such expectations it was going to be better than 2019 and whew don’t we wish we appreciated 2019 more lol. But at the beginning of the year I started my business venture and I was so excited! Not knowing a full force pandemic was going to happen but I’m so excited it happened. I’m glad I just took the leap and did what I said I wanted to do for years. Ever since I was in highschool. But we can go more into business ventures later. So fast forward to March boom we are 12 days in and they issue a stay at home order not knowing it would last more than 2 weeks. God has a way of showing us so much and for me to be able to be home was a blessing and be safe with my daughter! I did end up catching covid when they opened the world again way too fast but I’m so grateful I survived it was rough but God knows how to bring tour faith and appreciation out of every situation. So later in the year I did decide to leave my job as they said my business venture was a conflict of interest and knowing we are in a pandemic and things are uncertain I did decide to leave and I felt that was the right thing to do, ever since the pandemic I have not wanted for anything and I can say that’s nothing but God. Yes there has been hard days and struggles but to say I still had a roof over my head and my daughter 100% taken care of. Just being able to spend so much time with my daughter and watch her grow was my greatest blessing as to last year I had a small maternity leave. Faith is always tested in such hard situations but I feel mine had grown so much stronger. I know this year has been tough on everyone and millions have struggled and lost so much but I wanted to take this time to be grateful and one thing I learned this year is to be grateful, live in the moment and understand you can’t plan anything, and to throw the “it could never be me” mentality out the window. Because this year it was me. Things I could have never imagine happen, happened to me. So I’m very optimistic about the new year! I know we are still entering a new year in a pandemic and we don’t know how long it can last. I hope you all had time to reflect on this year and see that greatest blessing in the midst of such a hard time 🤎

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2020 Home• Kitchen Gift Guide

Well hello there! Welcome back to my blog! We you are probably here because yourself or family/ friends are into all things home and kitchen! Well I am too! As I got older those things brought so much happiness to me. I mean when you come home you want to come home to something that makes you happy and you do all your cooking or relaxing here. I mean also who doesn’t want their home nicely decorated?! Home decor has been an obsession of mine for so long even when you get I just knew I wanted nice decor for my place and make it my own! Well I curated a gift guide for all things home and kitchen and ideas you can use to get that special someone the perfect gift! Home/ Kitchen are very universal gifts so they are always good go to when you don’t know a personal gift to get someone! Hope you all enjoy! Stay safe babes!

2020 Men’s Gift Guide • Amazon

Hey babes! Wow!! This holiday season is passing us by! Truth be told I’m such a last minute gift buyer and you know the one challenging thing is buying gifts for the men of the family! I mean unless you really know what they want it’s hard to try and guess the perfect gift for them! I always struggle and I guess it sometimes seems they are much more hard to please than us ladies I mean we get happy with just a bath bomb lol so I was searching on Amazon for universal gifts for men that you can’t go wrong with! I think honestly they will be grateful for anything we get them but it’s still give major anxiety so I just found a few that can help ease your frustration. What I love about Amazon is they have so many variety of brands and most offer prime or super fast shipping in time for your holiday events! 

5 Packing Tips To use When Moving

Hi babes! Okay so the one thing everyone hates is moving! I’m currently moving and have been trying to do things differently to make my life so much easier! Getting organized and having a game plan before starting to pack is a great idea! I’ve partnered up to help bring you all some tips to make your packing life easier! So let’s start with these tips! Hope you all enjoy!

Use Hangers For Your Clothes

I am not sure why people go through the trouble of packing all of their clothes in boxes. If your clothes are still hanging up, use hangers to transport them! All you need to do is put them through a trash bag and put a rubber band around them, holding them together in place. If they are not hanging up, don’t unpack them out of your dresser. Your moving company can move your dresser with clothes in them, so make it easier on yourself by NOT unpacking your clothes. If you want to go through and get rid of your old clothes, that’s the only reason to unpack them at all.

Get Rid Of Your Junk Before Packing

Before you start packing, streamline things and get rid of your junk BEFORE you pack. This way, you do not have to get rid of it after-the-fact. Not sure what to do with all of that junk? Check out Junk Queen TX for a dumpster rental in Collin County. Junk Queen TX is a local company who actually cares about its neighbors! They live and operate out of Collin County, TX, and they say that their roots run as deep as cattle ranching in TX. They offer fair-low pricing, 5-star service (they are actually responsive!!), and of course, deep respect for their customers. They can help you with clean-outs, getting rid of things like old furniture, appliances, mattresses, and it’s so easy to rent a dumpster using them. They say, “We utilize oversized vehicles for expedient removals, thus what other junk removal companies call a load is not as large as one of our trucks. Our larger trucks hold 3 to 4 loads at a time. We provide you with a supreme customer service experience and compassion that is second to none. Our hauling team is sensitive to customer concerns on every removal including hoarding clean outs, and estate clearances. Our prices are among the lowest compared to them, our specials the very best, go to the pricing section on our website for great removal pricing, and our hauling trucks are amongst the largest.” Junk Queen TX is the best when it comes to getting rid of your junk. Just make sure to do it before you start the packing process!

Label Your Boxes Properly

This isn’t Deal or No Deal. You want to know what’s in each and every box. Get a batch of markers – good ones – and label every box on both sides with the following information.

-What room each box belongs in (where it is going in your new home!)

-The contents of your box (ie. toiletries, underwear, dog toys, books, whatever!).

-Whether it is fragile or not (ie. mirrors, trinkets, etc.)

-What side needs to be up

Trust me, you will be so thankful that you did this when it comes down to it on moving day!

Assemble A Team

Okay, so you might think that I am talking about people when I mean team, but that’s not what I’m getting at. Your team can also be assembled of bubble wrap, packing tape, crushed paper, packing peanuts, scissors, markers, and more. Basically anything that you need to make your packing job a success! Get your supplies early (I recommend ordering them off of Amazon to make it a breeze) and organize them in your packing zone - or take them room to room. Either way.

Play Tetris 

Never been good at Tetris? Don’t worry: there’s no time limit in this particular game. When you’re packing, you should leave no spaces in your boxes. Space gives your possessions more room to rattle around and potentially break. Space also increases the risk of crushing. Make use of every available nook and cranny by using packing materials or soft objects like your clothes to fill spaces between bigger, more rigid items. Packing really is a game - a puzzle - and you have to get creative with it. 

Thank you guys for reading! Hope you all found some of these tips helpful! Remember to shop local this year year and use all small businesses!

2020 Beauty Gift Guide

Hey babes! Back with another gift guide! I’ve been loving these and I forgive why not share a few. I know how tough it is to try to find the right gift, I mean heck I get anxiety just thinking about gifting cause you want to find the perfect one. Well I always over think it but truly if you are getting for the ones you love they will be grateful for whatever you get them. But I literally break it down so much and then I just realize I’m over thinking way too much! So I put together this gift guide for my beauty gals. This is always easy for me cause I mean who doesn’t love a little self care or a makeup. So I picked a few things I though would be a great gift for her. Hopefully this year I won’t wait til last minute to get gifts! 

I added a mixture of makeup, hair and skincare. Just anything beauty related, I mean I know half of us don’t really go any where anymore due to the pandemic but we still try to feel normal right? But I mean I have no idea when the last time I just put on makeup for the heck of it. So I figured this could be a little pick me up or also just getting some good skin care in has been a great focus over all since we have no been getting glam. And I mean our hair always needs to look nice right? Well a girl can dream, I’ve been sitting home looking like a total bum but it’s okay with some of these freak products a girl can clean up nice!

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2020 Toy Gift Guide

Hi babes! Back with another post!

 Was just going around looking at toys and getting ideas of toys for my mini and I’m so lost! But of course Amazon has amazing ideas and you can search tops toys for any age group! So I decided to share some of my fave I found but of course there’s so much to choose from! I definitely want to get into educational toys but with a mix of fun because Audri is growing so fast but I want her to be able to learn as well! But I mean I don’t want to pressure the idea so I want her to have fun as well! What do you guys do when looking for toys?

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How To Create A Kids Play Area

If you are wondering how to create a kids play area, you’ve come to the right spot! Today, I want to discuss all things play-related with you. If you have your first child, moved to a new home where you now have a designated playroom, or if you are doubling your living room as a play area, let’s discuss! After reading my best tips on how to create a kids play area, I would love to hear your tips, as well!

Find Your Spacen

When creating a kids play area, you need a space - obviously. Don’t worry, to have a great kids area, you do not need a ton of space, however. You only need a few toys at a time, really, and your imagination! You more than likely should be able to work with what you already have. If you need to rearrange furniture, go ahead and do so to create that space. Don’t get hurt while moving larger pieces, though. If you need help, don’t hesitate to reach out to a moving company such as Our Truck Moving. They can help with moves (both commercial and residential) and they are also labor movers Garland TX and offering services, such as moving heavy furniture for renovations, changing up spaces, or for you, creating a play area! Our Truck Moving is extremely professional and experienced, so they will have no problem moving your large items with ease. With over 5 years of experience, they offer customer-focused service, fast and efficient moving services, and competitive pricing. It’s a win-win! No matter if you are moving to a new home with a playroom, or if you are just moving furniture to create a playroom, they are the people to call.

Set Up Low Shelving

A great thing to focus on when creating your playroom is low shelving. This is an easy way to create more storage space, have designated spots for toys, and foster a sense of independent play, as well. IKEA is a great resource for shelving units for playrooms. For example, their KALLAX shelves are great when you lay it on its side. It is completely open (minus the spaces between the cubby holes), so toddlers can easily remember where each activity goes on the shelf. It can also be found in different sizes. There are larger units with 8 holes and smaller ones with 4 holes. If you need a bookshelf, the FLISAT bookshelves are adorable. They hang on a wall, but for a playroom, you can always put them very low to the ground so that your kids can just reach in and grab. The second bookshelf that might be a great option is that FLISAT book display. This one is different because it sits on the ground and does not take up a ton of room, but holds at least 10+ books if you do not mind stacking them on top of each other.

Toy Rotation

I have heard that toy rotation is magical, but I’ll admit it: it is extremely hard to do. I never know what to put down and what to take away, but it can be beneficial if you find a way to make it work within your home and playroom. Very Well Family says, “By dividing your toys into separate groups and allowing access to only one group at a time, you’ll prevent your kids from suffering that overwhelming feeling that comes with too many choices. Since they can actually see and assess what they have, everything gets played with and appreciated. And with fewer toys on hand, clean up is a breeze. Best of all, the anticipation of having something new and different to play with every few weeks makes each and every month feel like December!”

Declutter and Organize

This goes hand and hand with toy rotation, but as your child/children grow out of toys, store them away and/or donate or sell them. I know that it’s hard to get rid of their “baby toys” because you just want to hold on to those sweet moments and memories, but it is not doing you or your children any good by holding on to them and cluttering up your toy room. When they outgrow one thing, find something else to replace it with, which will help stimulate them and help them grow and learn.

Present Different Skills

If you are a parent yourself, you know how quickly kids grow and learn new skills. Present different toys when your child is working on different and new skill sets and this helps to prevent boredom. Montessori-like set-ups engage children’s attention and learning best from what I’ve found over time. Through Montessori set-ups and activities, your child learns how to follow a sequence of events, while role modeling developmentally appropriate skills for them to practice so they can gain more independence. When you are presenting new toys, show your child how to use it themselves and always follow their interests and cues. Your child will be eager to collaborate and participate when introducing a new, fun toy (more than likely). Invite them to play when it’s “their turn” and offer some help when you see they are struggling or getting frustrated: “let me show you how.” Once they get the hang of it after you show them, they will be able to play independently and it will make your job that much easier - and sweeter, too. Seeing them play independently will warm your mama heart because that means that they are learning and growing. Bittersweet!

There you have it - those are my best tips on how to create a kids play area. When it comes down to it, you really do not need a ton of room, but you do need to have an idea of what you want. Do you have any tips that I did not include? Let me know!