My Christmas Wish List

Some of the things I've been eyeing this holiday season! ;)

 

Toddler Schedule Ideas

Hello hello my loves, how is everyone holding out right now? These are definitely strange times we're living in. Even though I'm a stay-at-home mom and am quite used to social distancing already (unfortunately) it definitely feels different lately. If I had to sum it up in one word, it'd be weird. Nothing feels normal.

With that said, many of y'all are struggling to cope with your new "normal" with a busy toddler at home (or more than one) who used to go to daycare. I feel for you. Adjusting can be hard, both for you and for them.

One of the biggest requested I've gotten lately is for children's activities. 

Your toddlers are busy bodies and restless. Your older children are bored. Being stuck at home is challenging.

While I am working on compiling a list of activities, for varying ages, I myself only have children 6 and under, so the suggestions for older children might be more sparse, just warning y'all ahead of time.

But before I get to activities, I thought I would share some schedule ideas for your littles.

Now don't get me wrong- I am no pro at this. Some might say I'll downright awful is this department. While the kids are some of the least "scheduled", they definitely do have somewhat of a schedule. But the point is, you can have all of the fun activity ideas out there and they won't do you any good if you have no idea when in the day you will do them or which day. Your life will quickly become chaotic without a schedule.

I did not write my own schedules out, but I did a bit of digging and found several other moms out there who have already done so, and I've gathered some of the best for y'all here. I have screenshoted some of their key notes, and then tagged them accordingly and linked to their own blogs should you want to read more.

The key to picking a schedule is finding one that easily meshes with your own life and tendencies. None of it should be forced or day-vs-night different.

Hopefully you'll find something here thats helpful. ❤

Here's a sample schedule from Melissa at A Virtuous Woman Blog

https://avirtuouswoman.org/daily-toddler-schedule/

and an excerpt from helping moms trouble-shoot...

She has some really great ideas and sound advice!

Here's the beginning of a schedule idea from Llasuer at https://everydayabovedirt.com/toddler-schedule/

Its very nicely detailed to really help with that foggy #mombrain 👏

Also, her post 

https://everydayabovedirt.com/learning-through-play/ 

Is a worthy read!

Here's a schedule for a toddler & an infant from Rachel at http://www.candokiddo.com/news/daily-schedule-baby-toddler

She goes into more detail in her post, so if you need a cohesive schedule for both ages, be sure to check it out.

Other necessary reads...

▪ https://thesaltymamas.com/toddler-daily-schedule/

▪ https://mommyenlightened.com/toddler-schedule/

▪ https://amotherfarfromhome.com/sample-daily-schedule-for-toddlers/

▪ https://www.parents.com/toddlers-preschoolers/development/social/toddler-routines-schedules/

▪ https://busytoddler.com/2018/06/daily-routine-toddlers/

▪ https://themilitarywifeandmom.com/5-sample-daily-toddler-schedule-from-real-moms/

I hope you find these resources helpful for figuring out a schedule for your littles while you're all doing your part & staying at home! 

XO, The Brunette 💋

Educational Shows That We Love on Amazon Prime

Here's a little list of shows on Amazon Prime that I like for my kids! If I need some time to do something and I can't be doing an activity with them, these are some shows that don't make me feel completely guilty about the screen time!

What the youngest one (5 months! He has just started to realllllly want to watch something when the kids watch!) and second to youngest like...

Shapes School

https://watch.amazon.com/detail?gti=amzn1.dv.gti.f2b5444a-5384-f02d-f9a1-3ff28d92cba9&ref_=atv_dp_share_seas&r=web

Animal Fun With BabyFirst

https://watch.amazon.com/detail?gti=amzn1.dv.gti.f0a9f75b-8080-487e-7a69-f49a7f64db35&ref_=atv_dp_share_seas&r=web

Vocabularry: Learn new words for babies.

https://watch.amazon.com/detail?gti=amzn1.dv.gti.8ab33c9f-1295-0313-6674-52c25b077630&ref_=atv_dp_share_seas&r=web

Vocabulary With Fred And Fiona (Spanish Audio).

https://watch.amazon.com/detail?gti=amzn1.dv.gti.20b3d7f5-0c16-8344-b5b8-b4f8183b1789&ref_=atv_dp_share_seas&r=web

Baby Playpen Intro to Color Movement And Games (Spanish audio).

https://watch.amazon.com/detail?gti=amzn1.dv.gti.96b60ff1-0e2a-c69c-2009-719b60d6d5ff&ref_=atv_dp_share_seas&r=web

My Animal Friends with BabyFirst - Spanish Audio.

https://watch.amazon.com/detail?gti=amzn1.dv.gti.96b2b09b-d60b-745a-3f0a-3cfde8e90fdd&ref_=atv_dp_share_seas&r=web

Sweet Dreams: Lullabies Music And Art for Babies.

https://watch.amazon.com/detail?gti=amzn1.dv.gti.d0b6b766-a0be-70b2-38d8-65d03b35d12b&ref_=atv_dp_share_seas&r=web

What My Toddler Likes:

Tumble Leaf

Seasons 101-403 on Prime

https://watch.amazon.com/detail?gti=amzn1.dv.gti.c6a9f6f5-17b9-5551-83b6-4ed39d37bcf2&ref_=atv_dp_share_seas&r=web

Dora the Explorer

Season 1&2 with Prime

https://watch.amazon.com/detail?gti=amzn1.dv.gti.28a9f738-0bb7-73b1-ec1a-292e1bbfc56a&ref_=atv_dp_share_seas&r=web

If You Give a Mouse a Cookie

Seasons 1 & 2 with bonus episodes on Prime

https://watch.amazon.com/detail?gti=amzn1.dv.gti.28a9f797-a0b1-bf6f-4296-d0b889a49acc&ref_=atv_dp_share_seas&r=web

What my 4 & 6 yr old (and all of my children) like...

Mr. Roger's Neighborhood

Season 1-7 Available on Prime

https://watch.amazon.com/detail?gti=amzn1.dv.gti.e8a9f7be-5f81-6aad-930e-34faf9d98766&ref_=atv_dp_share_seas&r=web

Kratt's Creatures

Seasons 1 & 2 on Prime

https://watch.amazon.com/detail?gti=amzn1.dv.gti.5eaaba95-b5ce-5a74-ce97-8cfa5b3abefe&ref_=atv_dp_share_seas&r=web

What's Up In Space

Season 1 on Prime

https://watch.amazon.com/detail?gti=amzn1.dv.gti.caa9f7a1-d39a-11d1-f908-536afb41aa91&ref_=atv_dp_share_seas&r=web

Reading Rainbow

Seasons 1-4 on Prime

https://watch.amazon.com/detail?gti=amzn1.dv.gti.bca9f71e-cc7b-4300-b191-98c7a855492d&ref_=atv_dp_share_seas&r=web

Zoboomafoo

Season 3 included with Prime

(Seasons 1&2 with PBS subscription)

https://watch.amazon.com/detail?gti=amzn1.dv.gti.62a9f723-f08e-4669-05a0-783e40379f08&ref_=atv_dp_share_seas&r=web

Enjoy! 💋

What I Got For Valentine's Day

Hey everyone, I hope y'all are having a great week and everyone is staying healthy. This coronavirus stuff is freakin scary, huh? 

The weird thing is I've done some research, and evidently it shouldn't be as dangerous as it is.... As in, high dosages of vitamin C and zinc have proven to knock it out. The major threat is to the elderly and very little (newborns) and those with lowered immune systems... But the fact that it is spreading like wildfire even among relatively healthy people is just proving how awful people's hygiene habits are. Ewww. Anyway, I had to mention it. I mean, if you don't mention coronavirus these days, are you even on the same planet? 😂 But enough of that.

This post is by special request from many of y'all, so at long last here goes. I know it's late, but y'all requested it after Valentine's Day, so I can only assume that y'all want to know for sheer curiosity's sake, or maybe birthday gift ideas... But probably the former. Haha. Hey it's all good, I love sharing what y'all like to see! 

This year Mark was gone for Valentine's Day, so we didn't celebrate on the specific day... We kinda just celebrated all week. 😆

Of course being a fashion/lifestyle blogger, I picked up a couple items to feature, like mugs, earrings, and some Valentine's Day themed outfits to try on. 

But aside from that, Mark also got me...

▪ Red roses (so cliche, I know, but I love them! 😍)

▪ Chocolate

▪ A pair of stuffed sloths (I am super into them lately 😂)

▪ A set of opal jewelry

▪ Some rosé

... and the most expensive item (don't laugh), a small vacuum for our upstairs! I was so sick and tired of lugging my bigger one up and down the stairs. Believe it or not, that was my favorite gift. Haha.

Mark and Wesley model his new shirt 😍

And I got him...

▪ A truck T-shirt

▪ Macadamia nut chocolate

▪ Turkish delight 💕

I've added as many of the items as I can, and several similar- below for your browsing pleasure. Thanks so much for requesting this post! 

Xo, The Brunette 💋

Valentine's Day Outfit Ideas

Hello loves! Happy Valntine's Day! I hope y'all have been having an awesome week! I've actually been having some weird aches and pains, but maybe I'm just getting older?

#notaspringchickenanymore 😂

At any rate, I'm ok and definitely improving, so I'm thankful for that. Because I haven't been feeling the greatest, this lookbook is a bit late in the game here, but I'm hoping it might at least help y'all with pairing items that y'all already own if not shop some new things. As always, I tried to keep everything shoppable, and have added similar items when originals weren't available. Shoppable links do give me a teeny tiny commission (like a few cents, usually) at no extra expense to the buyer, so I greatly appreciate whenever someone uses them, as they do help support me in a small way!

I hope you enjoy this little labor of love for Valentine's Day!

I know this dress is green, but it also comes in a gorgeous wine red,

as well as royal blue, navy blue, black, and purple. 

It also has 1 day shipping for Prime members,

which means it could arrive in time for a Saturday night Valentine Dinner. ;-)

Not sure why I'm glaring or what the purpose of my face is here, other than that I'm just awkward 😂.

Comment below and tell me which look you liked the most! 👇

Xo, The Brunette 💋

The CUTEST Gift Ideas for the Sloth-Obsessed Individuals ❤

If you've shopped with me lately, you've probably noticed that I'm a little sloth-obsessed, due to the many "awww"s and "oh my gosh, it's so cute!"s that always escape my lips... Oh and the incessant need to stop and snuggle like every. single. one. Haha. 

So of course I put together of all of the best sloth gifts that are currently available, from ages zero months to 99, there's literally something for everyone.

Pin this post for a great go-to gift guide for all of the sloth lovers in your life for their birthdays throughout the year! I'm also totally going to update this for this coming Christmas, because sloths ain't goin' outta style anytime soon. 😉

Our "Christmas" Morning

Our Christmas morning was pretty magical, even though we didn't get to have our Christmas til the Sunday after Christmas Day.

The kids', however, never knew the difference (of course),

and were super thrilled with their gifts,

which were a joint project from my parents, my grandmother, and Mark & I. 

I am super pleased (even still, a month later- January 31) with the quality and durability of what the kids all got that I decided to share our choices. 

You can see what each child got,

and maybe if you have/know a child of the same age,

these can be some great birthday gift ideas.

At any rate I know our friends & family will enjoy seeing the pictures of the kids, and I hope you do too, whoever you are.

Have a lovely Friday! XO, The Brunette 💋

The kids all waiting patiently to open their gifts!

I think one of the best feelings ever as a parent is seeing that look of delight and surprise on your child's face as they open a gift, whatever the occasion.

"If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those that ask Him". Matthew 7:11

This little guy got snuggles for Christmas... And some new clothes because he's officially out of newborn clothes & diapers. 😭