It’s time for one of my most FAVORITE giveaways of the year! The ‘My Favorite Things’ giveaway blog hop… so fun! Even I (who can’t win) love hopping to all of the blogs to find out what their favorite things are, where I can get them, and learn a little about the blogger.
This year my basket is all about my most favorite workout products! ….lot’s of good stuff, my friends. Be sure to enter!!
Isn’t it so crazy how fast our kids grow up?!? It seems like a month ago that I was sharing gift ideas for my 5 year old Isabelle… now, all of the sudden, she’s 6! Aghhh!! Nuts. Speaking of nuts…this girl is awesome! She had an Amazon wish list with nearly 200 things on it! Ha! Gave me plenty of ideas for putting together this post. And, you can rest assured that these items are 6 year old girl approved. 🙂
Hey! It’s Mel from So Festive {Simple Ways to Celebrate}. Are you all having a great summer? We sure are! Summer is winding down. In fact, where we live, most kids have already started school. After the hustle and bustle of summer ending, you might deserve a little Girls Night Out.
And if you are going to have a Girls Night Out, you might as well put together some favor bags. Because who doesn’t love a fun swag bag?
Check out my fun and inexpensive ideas, and let me know in the comments what you’d include in a Girls Night Out gift bag for your friends.
Something special is happening on Saturday. Audrey’s getting baptized! It was so fun to snag some pictures of her in her pretty white dress and talk to her about the big day. She even got to get her ears pierced on her 8th birthday, so turning 8 is a pretty big deal around here.
So, with gift buying freshly on my mind, it’s time to share some gift ideas with you… because maybe YOU need some gift ideas for 8 year old girls. These ideas come from Audrey, herself AND some OSSS Facebook fans, mother’s of 8 year old girls. Here we go!
How many times, in your stressful life, have you dreamed about laying out on the beach with a great book? ‘Or so she says…’ to the rescue! So, to further expand on our favorites, all of the OSSS contributors got together to give away their favorite books, perfect for summer reading! The coolest part is, one person will win EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM. That’s right, the whole bundle! That’s 15 books, yo. Oh, but it gets better. Get Away Today, the greatest travel agency ever and ‘Or so she says…’ contributor, offered another winner a 3-night hotel stay in Anaheim or San Diego (winner’s choice) with their choice of two adult theme park tickets… PLUS, they get the 15 book bundle too!
After baby #6, my sweet little surprise and angel-baby, I thought I would give the IUD one more chance. It lasted probably 5 months and I had enough. My skin was breaking out like crazy! I couldn’t bring myself to do the pill again, so I did what I usually do when I need a little medical advice… ask the Facebook fans! Ha. They always come through for me! So, several ladies mentioned the same disdain for b.c. and mentioned Natural Family Planning as an option, something they LOVED. I had heard of people ‘charting’ and stuff like that, but for some silly reason, had never looked into it. I probably listened to my doctor a little too much over the years, when I should have been doing more research…. BECAUSE I’m totally doing the Natural Family Planning thing now and it’s been AWESOME. It’s so nice to know I am now officially 100% me, no added hormones. The best part is, I found this handy device to help me with the whole process. It has made it all SO, so easy!
Looking for the best books for men? I asked my Facebook gals to tell me what books the men in their lives actually love, and the list is on the blog! When you’re done checking these out, be sure to follow my Gifts for Men Pinterest board, and check out the Gifts for Men categories tab, where you’ll find all previously shared gifts for men that have been featured on the blog.
Hey, hey, hey! Just got back from a fun week in Alaska… just me and the man. It was SO nice. SO pretty. SO relaxing. I’m ready to go back already! I’m working on a couple blog posts, to tell you all about it. But before I do, I better get crackin’ on this Father’s Day business. Eeeek! It totally snuck up on me… like Mother’s Day, my anniversary, 2014, and practically everything, these days.
So, between my husband’s favorite things and a few goodies I found on my own, I present to you some Father’s Day gift ideas… Mariel’s Picks 2014. After you check these out, scroll to the end of the post for links to past gift ideas for men. There’s lots of them!
Hello everyone! How are you all? It’s Brooke from Blissful Roots. Are you in the full-swing of summer vacation mode? We sure are, and I’m loving every minute of it! My four-year-old, and I, are thrilled to have my twins home all day. It’s so fun to plan different activities, or just spend some relaxing playtime at home. I’m just hoping all of our summer vacation weeks go this smoothly!
So, today’s post. I was in my favorite local scrapbook store (Pebbles in My Pocket) a few weeks ago, and they had this adorable Father’s Day treat put together. Mustaches are everywhere these days, aren’t they? And while my husband doesn’t have a mustache, and I don’t know that ties are his favorite, I absolutely loved how they dressed up a simple bag of candy (which my husband does love).
Last year I gave my dad a photo book for Christmas. This book contains pictures from our annual family summer vacation. And he LOVED it. I mean he literally was over the moon about it. He though it was one of the most meaningful gifts he has ever received.
For me this was a BIG deal, because my dad is hard to shop for. The man has everything he needs and he is really practical. He always tell us not spend money on him with frivolous things. When I saw how much he liked the photobook, I knew I done well 🙂
So for this Father’s Day, perhaps consider helping your kids create meaningful photo books for their dad. There are so many great on-line book making companies out there and they are all so easy to use.
Need a Mother’s Day gift idea?? Perfume is always a favorite and Mother’s Day is a perfect time, with the upcoming new season, to gift a summery scent. My personal faves are Viva La Juicy and Sarah Jessica Parker NYC, but I know there are lots of heavenly perfumes out there. So, thanks to the Facebook gals and some hefty research, I have a whole list of tried and true favorite perfumes for women. I can’t wait to try them, myself.
Here they are!
There is no way to put into words how unique and amazing my mom is, and I’m sure almost everyone feels the same about their own mom! I’m continually discovering aspects of my personality that I can trace back to my mom – which I love. As I ponder some of the things that make me happy (reading and chocolate, to name a few), I’ve come to realize that I love them BECAUSE my mom loved them.
Whenever I think back on my childhood, I picture my mom reading. Whenever she had down time (which wasn’t often with seven kids), she was reading. On long drives, she would read. When we went on vacations, she would read. When she locked herself in the bathroom, she would read – haha. And now I do the same thing!