The Adventure Starts Here: Gift Guides

Showing posts with label Gift Guides. Show all posts

Tuesday, February 7, 2017

Teacher Gifts for Valentine's Day

Only one week left until Valentine's Day. While I do think it's a Hallmark holiday, I love that it's an excuse to show some extra love and treat the special people in your life. Valentine's Day lands on a Tuesday this year, and that just so happens to be our "free day" where Noah and I don't have any set plans. I have some fun things planned for the day, including lots of heart shaped and red foods as well as a few fun activities to do with Noah. While we will be home on the actual holiday, Noah will be bringing some paper valentine cards into school for his classmates the day before. I thought it would be nice for him to give a little something to his teachers as well. We have some amazing teachers that really deserve some extra recognition. When giving gifts, I try not to go overboard and prefer something practical with a little extra treat.

I knew Target was the place to go, as their holiday selection is always on point, and found these really cute mugs from the dollar section. I knew I wanted to fill them with a gift card and some chocolates. My favorite chocolates are Dove, and I chose the traditional milk chocolate as well as the caramel filled ones. These are definitely my favorite, so I hope they like them too! While at Target, I also grabbed some cute metallic gift bags and tissue paper to tie in with the mugs. As for the gift card, I continued on with the mug theme and got some Dunkin Donuts gift cards. Even if they don't like coffee, they have to like donuts right???

When it came time to assembling the gift, I added some tissue paper in the bottom of the mug. That way I didn't need as much chocolate to fill it to the top and the gift card is visible as soon as they open it. I really hope they enjoy this simple Valentine gift and know how much we appreciate them!

Do you give Valentine gifts for your kids' teachers?

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Monday, January 30, 2017

On My Radar

coasters | cake stand

wine rack | recipe tin | latte bowls

With Valentine's Day and my birthday coming up, I can't help but browse for pretty things I wouldn't mind having. And based on my "wish list", it's clear that I'm officially old, and I shouldn't be surprised that I'm turning 33 this year! Last month, I've spent a lot of time going through each space and purging things that we don't need or I don't love. As I go, I've been making a list of things that I think would serve a purpose in our newly cleaned out space.

coasters - while we do own a set, I'm not in love with them and I don't find they really fit in with our current decor. I think this wooden set would be timeless. If I can find them cheaper at Home Goods, great, otherwise I would love to have this set from Crate and Barrel!

cake stand - I have a few cake stands, but I would love one with a well fitting lid. We ordered a random lid on Amazon in hopes that it would fit on my existing cake stand, but it honestly doesn't fit well, which in turns doesn't serve it's purpose of keeping the air out and my bake goods fresh.

wine rack - when we got married, we registered for a very large wine rack. First off, we don't have the space for this large stand. And secondly, we rarely ever have enough wine on hand to fill all the slots. We live down the street from a wine shop and I prefer to buy just a few at a time. I think 5 slots is perfect for us and this should fit perfectly in the cabinet above our oven.

recipe tin - up until now I've just stored recipes in Pinterest and looked them up on my phone when I need them. And while that method still works for me for a new recipe, there are a few recipes that I make over and over. And while I make them often, I still forget exact measurements of baking times. So I would love to have my favorite recipes written down and within arms reach. And this recipe tin is just too cute to pass up... I would love to have this sitting out on my counter!

latte bowls - this is probably the one thing that I probably don't really "need". But I have a soft spot for colorful bowls. Something about eating fruit out of a pretty bowl that makes it more appealing! I can't decide if I need the mini bowls or the full size bowls, and what colors I should get... any advice???

What's currently on your radar???

*affiliate links may be used... see my disclosure for more information

Monday, January 9, 2017

January: Clear Surfaces and New Toys!

As much as I love decorating for Christmas (and other holidays), there's something really nice about taking everything down in January and living with some clear surfaces for a while. I love the clean look and I also love having a month or so to really think about how I want to decorate going forward. And since I'm in a major purging mood right now, these clear surfaces are really making me happy. I think Chris is still shocked at how serious I am about getting rid of "all the stuff"!

And as much as I'm loving the minimalist vibe right now, the reality is that we will always have a lot of toys. Noah is only going to be little for a short time and while I want to pare down, I have no desire in limiting his toys too much. He's a homebody by nature and loves our lazy days at home playing board games, putting puzzles together, doing art projects, and independently playing with his toys. The tree has been taken down and our Ikea Trofast is back in the corner. While Noah loves building the big kid Lego sets, he still enjoys coming up with his own creations using Duplos. I tried to involve Noah in the process of paring down his Duplos, but he said every piece was a must keep. I highly doubt that, so I did some secret purging when he was at school. But just in case I got rid of a super important piece, they are being stored in our basement storage area until it's safe to say Noah hasn't noticed they are gone. The great news is I cleared out 4 bins and I'm now able to store some of Noah's other small toys, like his hundreds(???) of small action figures, in these bins as well! And I could still probably purge some more of the Duplo pieces without Noah noticing!

Speaking of Legos, we've been spending many days in our pajamas building some of the new sets Noah got for Christmas. While he loves all the sets we have, these Lego Mighty Micros are a huge hit. They are only $10 a set and have a superhero and villain riding little cars in each set. I picked up every set Target had before Christmas and he got a few of them in his stocking. I love them because they don't take a crazy amount of time to put together and Noah loves driving them around and coming up with pretend fight scenarios once they are built.

Here are some more of Noah's favorite gifts that he received this Christmas.

Lego Mighty Micros | Imaginext Batbot

Scrabble Junior | Super Why Game | Kerplunk

Noah asked Santa for a Batman helicopter, and while he got it, I also found this remote control Imaginext Batbot that I thought Noah would love. Noah plays with this a lot! He loves driving it around with the remote control and it's pretty cool how it transforms from a car to a robot. And it even shoots discs!

If Noah isn't playing with his new superhero toys, he's asking to play a board game. We already had a pretty big collection, but we got a few new ones this Christmas that we all really love. My parents gave Noah the Super Why Game and it's quickly become one of our favorites. Noah loves the show and the game is just like it... fun and super educational! If you want to work on letter recognition and other alphabet skills, this show and game are perfect!

Chris and I love to play Words with Friends and Noah was very interested when he saw us playing Scrabble one day. I remember playing Scrabble Junior as a child so I was excited when my parents gave Noah the new version. For kids, there's two sides to the board, one where the words are already on the board and you just have to place letters on them to see who can form the words first. The other side is blank just like regular Scrabble. I love that this game will really grow with Noah as he learns to read and spell. Right now he just likes finding the letters on the board and getting points when he completes words :)

And finally, some friends gave Noah Kerplunk for Christmas and it's so much fun! While it's a little time consuming setting it up, Noah loves putting all the sticks in with me. And this is one of the few games that he doesn't mind "losing" at when the marbles fall.

If you've seen some of my recent Instastories, you know that we spend a lot of time playing board games ;)

Are you bummed or excited to take all the Christmas decor down? What were some of your kids' favorite gifts this year?

*affiliate links may be used... see my disclosure for more information

Thursday, December 8, 2016

Color, Craft, Creat | Gift Baskets Galore!

Today I'm participating in a Gift Basket Blog Hop! I'm a huge fan of themed gifts and putting everything in a basket just makes it that much prettier! So after you check out one of my favorite gifts to give, head on over to the other blogs and get even more gift basket ideas!

In our house, Santa leaves Noah's filled Christmas stocking in his room. It was a tradition from my dad's family that my parents continued on with my brothers and me. When we woke up, we were allowed to open our stockings until it was time to go downstairs and see what Santa left under the tree. I'm not sure why my paternal grandparents did it this way, but I know that my parents loved it for the same reason that we continue doing it this way with Noah. I like the idea of going downstairs as a family and waiting to open gifts. But with the excitement of Christmas, waiting can be hard on kids. With the stocking in the room, it buys some time and keeps the little ones occupied. As a child, I got up super early and then preceded to wake up my brothers. By having the stockings to open, it gave my parents some time to either sleep in a little longer or take a shower and get dressed before rushing downstairs. And while Noah isn't waking any earlier in anticipation just yet, I like that it gives me some time to brush my teeth (and take out my retainer), get dressed, and maybe even put some makeup on.

But leaving the stocking in the bedroom isn't a quick fix, you have to smart with what you fill the stocking with in order to gain the most amount of time. Our strategy is to fill the stocking with books to read, coloring and activity books, and some stickers and a new box of crayons. Chris and I then take turns getting ready while the other one stays with Noah and uses some of his new activities. Noah got this Astronaut Sticker book last year and was obsessed with it. He almost didn't want to go downstairs to see what else Santa brought because he was having so much fun. You can bet he's getting another one just like that this year! Usborne in general has some really amazing books and are perfect gifts!

Noah is a huge fan of crafts and anything remotely artsy. So this year, I'm taking it to the next level and making an art basket to give to him along with his regular stocking. It will be a mix of things he can do immediately in his room with a few more involved projects that we can do another day.

This art basket is not only a great stocking companion, it would also be a great standalone gift for any young child. If you are giving it to a child that's not your own, I have two helpful guidelines.

1. Make sure that whatever you include in the basket is enough to complete a full craft. Nothing's worse than trying to make something and realizing you don't have glue, scissors, or crayons. While you may assume everyone has these supplies on hand, this gift should be self sufficient. And in my experience, it never hurts to have an extra pair of scissors or a new box of crayons!

2. Try to keep the messes involved to a minimum. While we paint and use play-doh often in our house, I know many moms who want nothing to do with it in their own homes. So be respectful and stick with things that won't ruin their furniture. And when in doubt, throw a smock in their just to be safe ;)

Paper Bag Puppets

Noah loves these and the monster version! He would happily make all of them at once, but I usually like to spread out the fun and limit him to one a day. This would also be a great gift for a family with multiple siblings. They could each make an animal and then have a little puppet show!

Paint with Water

While we have our own supply of watercolors and tempura paints, when gifting to another child, it's not wise to assume that they will have the same supplies. I love these because there's a sheet of water color paints at the top of each paint. You just need some water and you can paint a page with the paint provided.

Crayola Color and Sticker Books

Noah loves to color, but he especially loves when stickers are involved! They come in Trolls, PJ Masks, Avengers, Finding Dory, and Disney Princesses to name a few.

Water Wow

Noah loves these. He will do them at home and we often bring a few on long car rides. Just fill the brush with water and go!

Decorate Your Own Wooden Train

They make a variety of vehicles, like planes, cars, and monster trucks. They also make a princess carriage and butterfly magnets

Art Smock

This is my favorite smock since it covers Noah entirely! Noah kind of looks like a surgeon when he wears it too ;)

Then head to Target and your local craft store for some affordable coloring books, crayons and colored pencils, stickers, glue, scissors, pom poms, and some foam shapes to decorate.

My favorite part of an art basket is that you can spend as little or as much as you'd like on it. You can find coloring and activity books for as little as $1-$2. You can include a bag filled with pom poms, googly eyes, and pipe cleaners for really cheap. And I personally love the pads of stickers Michaels sells for 99 cents! And if you want to spend a little more money, you can easily pick and choose a few of the $5-$10 craft sets that any child would love to have!

So grab a basket, fill it up, and if you want you can even throw a bow on it. But trust me, once a child sees all the cool stuff in there, they won't care less if there's a bow on it or not!

And check out these other amazing gift baskets! I can think of someone on my gift list for each and every one of these baskets!

Hostess Gift Basket - I Love You More Than Carrots

Craft Beer Gift Basket - Ellie & Addie

Coffee Lovers Gift Basket - Chasin' Mason

DIY Money Tree - Seeing All Sides

Homemade Hot Chocolate Gift Basket - Running From The Law

Champagne Gift Basket - East Coast Chic

Spa Day Gift Basket - Secrets of a Stay At Home Mom

Kids' Art Gift Basket - The Adventure Starts Here

*affiliate links may be used... see my disclosure for more information

Thursday, December 1, 2016

Gift Giving for Guys Made Easy with JORD Wood Watches

This post was sponsored by JORD Wood Watches. A product was given to me in exchange for this blog post. All opinions are 100% my own.

Does anyone else feel the pressure to get all your holiday shopping done now that it's officially December? While I always have an easy time shopping for Noah (there's always a new toy he just has to have!), shopping for Chris is always a little trickier. Shopping for men is just harder in general! In my experience, guys are more practical in their purchases and often pretty picky. And since Chris' birthday is only 5 days after Christmas, I not only have to pick out the perfect Christmas gift, but also a birthday gift!

When I learned about JORD Wood Watches, I knew at least one of my gifts was taken care of. The last watch I gave Chris was on our wedding day, over 6 years ago. And while he still wears that watch often, it's kind of a dressier watch that he prefers to wear for special occasions. And since Chris works in a more casual office, I knew one of these JORD Wood Watches would be the perfect accessory for him to wear every day.

I browsed all the men's watches and was very impressed with the selection. They have so many different options, all with beautiful wood detailing. While I really loved them all, I ended up choosing the Conway in Zebrawood & Dark Sandalwood for Chris. It's the perfect combination of a classic watch that he can wear with any outfit, but with a unique touch of the wooden wristband. And while I don't wear a watch on a daily basis anymore, I used to be a major watch collector. And after seeing their women's watches, I'm definitely tempted to get one for myself too!

While the watch is technically a Christmas gift, I just couldn't resist giving it to Chris early. And since we were ordering it online, I wanted to make sure I got the correct size. Chris was able to easily measure his wrist so we could order the correct size. We were really impressed that the watch fit him perfectly right out of the box. But I have heard that it's very easy to size yourself with the tools provided in the gift box. So if you would like to make this a surprise Christmas gift, don't worry if you are unable to measure ahead of time.

And if you are planning to give this as a gift, you will be happy to hear that the watch comes in a beautiful wood box that makes it perfect to gift as is! I was really impressed at the packaging when it arrived. This is one of the few watch boxes that I'd actually want to keep! Forget the wrapping paper, just add a festive bow and you are all set!

Ever since seeing this watch in person, I've been making a mental list of all our friends and family who would love a JORD Wood Watch. I have a feeling there's someone in your life would also love to receive one this holiday season! That's why I'm so excited that JORD is offering my readers a $25 instant e-gift code to put towards their watch purchase. Just click here to redeem your $25 e-gift code. The instant e-gift code link will close 12/18 at 11:59pm. The $25 code will expire on 2/28/2017.

Wooden Wristwatch

Wednesday, November 23, 2016

Educational Gifts for Kids - Making Learning Fun

In my opinion, screen time is not all bad. I know that there are times where I need to unwind, and watching a show or playing a game on my phone or iPad is the perfect way to do so. The same applies for Noah. And while I don't think kids (or adults for that matter) should be glued to a screen all day, I do think that they offer a great supplement to learning. The main issue is choosing educational based material so screen time is a benefit rather than just mindless junk. I love that there are so many educational shows on television that Noah loves to watch and most of the time requests on his own. And while Noah would watch toy reviews on YouTube all day if I let him, I'm glad that I have found the KidloLand app since it is not only educational, but also super fun.

KidloLand is an interactive app that shares thousands of songs, nursery rhymes, stories, games and educational activities catered to children 0-5 years old. Noah was so excited to explore the app and after playing with it for weeks, there are still parts that he hasn't uncovered yet. His favorites at the moment are the Colors and Shapes, Fruits and Veggies, Animal Kingdom and the Dinos. He just recently discovered the Activities section and loves doing the puzzles, sorting things by color, and doing connect the dots!

Besides the fact that it keeps Noah entertained while he's learning, my favorite part of the app is that it doesn't require using data. Noah's iPad is the kind that only works on wifi. When we are at home or somewhere with free wifi, he's free to roam, but otherwise he's stuck to apps that don't require using data. This fall, we've made an effort to get outside for afternoon walks while the weather is still nice. Noah isn't always as excited about sitting in the stroller however, so I have to entice him in some way so I can get a 30 minute walk in. Since we keep our mornings pretty busy, I figured this was the perfect time to let him have some extra screen time. Since there's no wifi on our neighborhood walks, the KidloLand app is perfect! Since we already downloaded all the books, songs, and games when on wifi, he's ready to explore the entire app from his stroller. Noah gets to learn and have fun while I get a peaceful walk without any complaints. And who needs an exercise playlist when you can listen to KidloLand's catchy songs!

While I am often skeptical about monthly subscriptions, this app is totally worth it! There are so many activities for your kids to explore. The books, games, songs, activities, and puzzles will keep your child interested and learning for months, if not years, to come! And with the holiday season, a subscription would be a really great gift to give to your child or even from a grandparent or other family member.

KidloLand is available for download on these devices:
iOS (KidloLand) // Google Play Store (Nursery Rhymes For Kids) // Amazon Appstore (KidloLand)

In addition to watching shows and playing with apps that are educational, Noah's also liking more and more "educational toys". He loves reading books, playing board games, building Legos, putting puzzles together, and doing art projects. While he loves playing with his superheroes and monster trucks, I find that he really enjoys doing more hands on toys that help him learn. Noah just celebrated a birthday and these are some of our favorite educational gifts that he received...

Easel and accessory set

Letter matching puzzle

Design & Drill Kit

Sequence Letters

Spot it Jr

Ukloo (a game that helps early and non-readers learn some sight words)

National Geographic Little Kids First Big Book of Animals

Highlights and National Geographic subscriptions

Thank you to KidloLand for sponsoring this post. We were given a 6-month subscription in exchange for this review. All opinions are my own and I only share things that we really love and use!

*affiliate links may be used... see my disclosure for more information

Friday, November 18, 2016

Gift for Grandma

My mom's birthday was on Tuesday. While I gifted her her favorite perfume, I wanted Noah to give her something a little more personal and handmade. Noah loves doing art projects, so I knew something involving paint would be right up his alley. And what parent/grandparent doesn't enjoy mini handprints!?! We love doing tape resist projects, but we usually leave the shape or word blank and paint around it. While continuing with the tape resist method, I thought it would be fun to mix it up this time and do the exact opposite.

Handprint Heart

Materials:
Cutting board
Painters tape
Pencil
Knife (exacto or kitchen)
Canvas or piece of card stock
Tempura paint in your choice of colors
Paint brushes
Wipes (to clean hands in between handprints)
Permanent marker

Instructions:
Place strips of painters tape across the cutting board, overlapping each piece a little bit.
Using the pencil, draw a heart on the painters tape (I simply did this by freehand). You could use this method to make any shape you'd like.
Using the kitchen knife (or exacto knife), cut along the pencil lines, and remove the inside of the heart.
Carefully lift up the painters tape and stick it to the canvas or piece of card stock.
Using a paintbrush, cover your child's hand with the tempura paint and make 2-3 handprints with each color. The wipes come in handy in between color changes. When all finished, then you can thoroughly wash their hands with soap and water.
Let the paint dry, and then remove the blue painters tape.
I then wrote out a birthday message using a pencil first, and then going over it again with a black Sharpie. While this was for my mom's birthday, this would be a great Christmas or Valentine's Day gift as well.

Noah was so proud of his painting and Grandma absolutely loved it! Happy Birthday Mom!

Do your kids like giving handmade gifts to their grandparents?

Monday, August 15, 2016

6th Wedding Anniversary Gift Guide

At the end of the month, Chris and I will be celebrating 6 years of marriage. Sometimes I'm surprised that we've been married for "so long", but then I remember Noah is turning 4 this year (I'm in more denial about this event!). Except for our first anniversary, when we went to California, we tend to keep our anniversaries a little more low key. We usually just go out to dinner together and exchange a somewhat small gift. I love following along with the traditional gifts for each year, but have to admit that we don't always follow along exactly.

According to the "professionals", the traditional gifts for 6 years are iron and candy. At first thought, I couldn't come up with a lot of ideas. Chris is striving for a more healthy lifestyle, so the idea of giving him a bouquet of candy isn't exactly what I had in mind. But after giving it some more thought, I've come up with a few cute yet practical gift ideas.

When looking up ideas for what I might want, I was pleased to come across this website that says anniversaries have gem stones too. Who knew... I know I didn't!!! I was pretty stoked to find out that 6 years is the amethyst, since purple is my favorite color. Chris also gifted me amethyst earrings on our wedding day (and a matching necklace that Christmas), so it's kind of fitting to carry on that tradition.

So here's my gift guide for a 6th wedding anniversary...

Le Creuset Cast Iron Dutch Oven | Amethyst Earrings

Iron Door Plaque | Willow Tree figurine | Half Dozen Donuts

Candy bouquet and "Iron" Man - I know I said no candy bouquets, but the stuffed Iron Man cracked me up! | Golf Clubs

However, in full disclosure, Chris' "actual" anniversary gift is the Mets game we went to last weekend (which is a little larger than what we normally give). The opportunity came about kind of last minute and we jumped on it. While I'm not a huge baseball fan, I was happy to go and make a date out of it. Not sure if I can tie a sporting event into either of the gift themes, but who cares! And the funny thing is that Chris just told me that for Christmas and his birthday (only 5 days apart), he wants new golf clubs. His current golf clubs are 20+ years old, so it's definitely time. But since I want him to do the research and pick them out, I will not be surprising him with them early ;)

Once we got the tickets to the Mets game, Chris started asking me what I'd like as my anniversary gift. And while those earrings are really pretty, I still can't decide! So I'd love some suggestions from you guys as to what I should "ask for"!

Friday, June 10, 2016

A Little Bit of This, A Little Bit of That...

Wow, this week flew by! Whenever we go away for the weekend I feel like I have to spend a few days just getting the house in order and back into our routine. My to do list is a mile long and I feel so behind on reading blog (which I love doing). Thankfully we are staying home this weekend. But that doesn't mean we don't have plans, it just means we will be sleeping in our own beds and still have time to do some home maintenance in between all of our family activities! Hope you have a wonderful weekend... see you on Monday :)

One

In case you missed them, here's what I shared on the blog this week!

My Month in Numbers | May 2016
A Weekend Full of Digging!
Shrimp Scampi | Summer Dining
The Kids Behind The Blog
Noah in June | The Picture Perfect Project

Two

Noah officially had his last day of school yesterday. I feel weird saying last day of preschool since he still has 2 more years there before heading off to kindergarten (thank goodness), but nonetheless it's a big day! I can't believe he has already finished his first year of school. It just confirms that life goes by way too fast! And boy was I surprised to see how much Noah has grown up when I put his first day and last day photos side by side! He basically started as a baby and finished as a full grown boy!

^^^ I swear the similar outfits (green shirt, khaki shorts, and New Balance sneakers) was purely coincidental. I gave Noah three options and he chose it!

Three

In honor of Noah's last day, I had him answer the same questions that he answered at the beginning of school. He is obviously writing his name so much better and I love to see how all but one of his answers have changed. But the part that had me absolutely cracking up was his reason for liking brown (because of poop) and choosing it to write his name with it because of that! Oh three year old boys!

Four

Father's Day! Can you believe it's next weekend??? I hope you all have some gifts ready for the men in your life. I've included a few wrappable gifts, but let me just say that I also love giving experience gifts. I find this especially true for guys. Guys are hard to shop for. They aren't like women who want multiples of each thing. If they have a watch, wallet, etc, they don't need or want another. Below are a few things that Chris needs or already has.

charging case | kid shirt | dad shirt

blower | razor

A few months ago, I heard about this charging iPhone case and immediately ordered it for Chris as his Father's Day gift. But then we were chatting about these kinds of cases (as our phones were dying on vacation) and he said he didn't like that they were heavy and harder to put in his pocket. So I fessed up and he suggested I use it and then if he liked it enough we could order a second one for him. So far I'm in love with it and I think Chris is slowly being sold on it too!

Noah loves to match Chris, and what better way to do it than with a super hero shirt! Chris and Noah now have Captain America and Superman shirts... and it's so cute!

Chris specifically asked for a new razor... so he's getting one. He is so picky that I told him to pick out the one he wanted. No surprise here!

And while this won't be his Father's Day gift, we just ordered this blower. It's technically for me, but it will end up being a gift for Chris since I'll be able to clean off the deck and blow some leaves on my own, rather than waiting for him to come home and use the massive leaf blower. A friend recommended it to us and said it's amazing!

Finally, when it comes to experience gifts, you can't go wrong (usually) with a sporting event. This year, Chris will be taking his dad to the Baseball Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony where Ken Griffey Jr. and Mike Piazza will be inducted. I think it will be really special for them to do this together.

Five

Our peonies finally bloomed! We planted this peony bush last Spring... it was a Mother's Day gift :) This year I was nervous it had frozen and wasn't going to bloom. But then last Friday, as we were leaving for Ocean City, I noticed that one had started to open and the rest were right behind it!

We came home Sunday afternoon to some rain and our peonies! I absolutely love seeing the little rain drops on the petals. Since we were expecting a major thunderstorm and downpour that evening, I immediately clipped them and brought them inside. After waiting all spring for these to bloom, I wasn't going to let them be destroyed by the rain! Instead, I get to enjoy them whenever I walk into my kitchen :)

I'm linking up with The Farmer's Wife and September Farm for "Oh Hey Friday" and with A. Liz Adventures for "Five on Friday"!

Tuesday, May 31, 2016

Just Keep Swimming

When our plans to go away for Memorial Day Weekend were cancelled, I was amazed at how quickly we made new ones. We cancelled our trip to Montreal for a couple of reasons. One... we were supposed to leave on Friday, when there was still a chance of Noah being contagious, for a 6+ hour drive. Wednesday evening he had a rough night of tossing and turning and his school had requested he stay home on Thursday just in case. We didn't want to take a chance of him being uncomfortable for the entire drive or having another rough night in the hotel. Two... we were going to be visiting my very pregnant cousin (who also has a young child) and I really did not want to risk infecting either of them. While Noah ended up being fine, I still think we made the right decision in cancelling our trip. And we are already talking about rescheduling the trip of the end of the summer :)

As for our new plans... we spent a lot of time outside and at the pool. While yesterday wasn't very nice due to Tropical Storm Bonnie, Friday through Sunday were sunny and hot (in the 90s and humid)! After running errands and entertaining Noah at home on Friday, we were ready to have some fun! Our neighborhood pool opened at 10 am on Saturday, and we made sure to go right away! Noah's been getting really good at swim lessons and is so much more comfortable in the water. He now wears goggles, sticks his head under water, and even swims a little on his own (not far, but still!). While Chris sees videos of his progression, I was so excited for him to witness it first hand. And I was excited to use my new waterproof camera Last year I bought a waterproof pouch for my phone, which was perfect for last summer. Noah was just swimming around in his floaty and jumping off the side of the pool, so I was able to have my phone handy and take it out when I wanted a photo or video. But now that he's actually going underwater, I wanted to upgrade to something a little better. I'm also obsessed with photos of kids swimming underwater and couldn't wait to try it out myself! I'm so pleased with my first attempt and can't wait to practice more this summer!

goggles | rash guard (Carters, sold out online), but this one would match well | swim shorts waterproof camera

In addition to lots of underwater swimming, Noah learned that he is now tall enough to walk in the 3 feet section of our pool on his tippy toes! He's grown a lot since last summer, so this is a big deal! Noah would go back and forth between the big pool and the baby pool. He would practice his swimming in the big pool and then play with his pool toys in the baby one. We have a few diving toys that are really meant for older kids in the shallow end, but they work perfectly for Noah in the baby pool! He also loves taking the fish and net in the bath :)

black one piece | sunglasses

fish and net | octopus dive toys

On Sunday, we were back at the pool, but this time we went to the town pool as our friends' guests. These are our best family friends and their kids just so happened to get sick a day after Noah did (so they obviously infected each other... just have no clue where it originated from!). When they found out we weren't going away, they immediately asked us if we wanted to spend the day at the pool with them, to which we obviously said yes! Our town pool is so cool and we definitely plan to join next year. In addition to the "big pool", they have a baby pool and slide, a sprayground area, and some bigger slides too. We packed lunches and let the kids go back and forth between the big pool and the little kid area all day. Now that Noah doesn't nap, we were able to spend the entire day there! We've already been invited back again, so between the town pool and our neighborhood pool, I envision us spending a lot of time poolside!

^^^ we are obsessed with these Hanna Andersson hats (and their swimsuits). Each year they have one color/print for boys, and every year we get Noah the new one. It just so happens Noah wore a previous year's hat, or else he and his friend really would have matched!

swim hat | rash guard | swim shorts

on our friend: swim hat | rash guard | swim shorts

paisley one piece | sunglasses

And while Noah doesn't nap anymore, spending all day out in the sun really wears him out! He passed out at 5:30, sitting straight up and barely eating his dinner. I'm just relieved I got him a bath and pajamas on first! I think we may be bringing naps back to our summer routine ;)

pajamas (last year Hanna Andersson) - tractors are cute this year!

In case you have some pool days ahead of you, I've rounded up some of our favorite pool essentials (perfect for pinning!)...

fish and net | octopus dive toys | pool balls | waterproof camera

beach towel | goggles | sunscreen | swim hat | water shoes

*affiliate links used