Mother's Day Gift Ideas

Even though we've been cooped up at our home most days, April actually seemed to fly by.  It seems like we just had Easter and now Mother's Day is less than two weeks away.  At this point in time, it doesn't seem like I'll be able to spend time with my own mom but I still will make sure to give her a call and drop off a present for her to show my appreciation and love.  It's still not too late to ship a gift either and many businesses are offering free shipping.  I've gathered some gift ideas below, many from small businesses that I'm sure any mother would love to receive.

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Home Gardens

  Having our own back yard now and spending so much more time at home has me dreaming of planting a garden.  I have absolutely no green thumb but I still love the thought of growing our own fruits and veggies, and teaching my kids about how these foods grow (while trying to keep them alive).  Ideally we'd like to put a fence around our back yard first, which we're hoping will be some time this year so the plan for this garden is for next spring.  I'm picturing a couple of raised beds to start off with.  There are several tutorials out there on how to build your own and I've also seen several affordable ones on FB marketplace built by locals.  I also like the idea of using a plant stand and pots for some smaller crops.  It would be perfect for a porch or large balcony if there's not a yard for raised or fenced-in beds.  I might get one this spring for some flowers to put on our back patio.  

  Below I've shown some examples of what I'm picturing with the raised beds and some examples of stands.  Do you have a garden at home?  I'm planning to do a lot of research before I invest and would also love some tips from you all!

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Easter Outfits for Boys

Today I've rounded up some ideas for boys Easter outfits.  Like with the girls outfits I posted here yesterday, these can be worn all spring and summer, not just for Easter and the majority are from small businesses to help promote them.  There are so many cute boy clothes out right now!  I wish Benton could still fit in sunsuits and bubbles, but I'm still going to put him in Jon Jons/shortalls as long as possible!

Sandals: here | Smocked bubble: here | Shirt and Diaper Cover Set: here | Blue Embroidered Bunny Jon Jon: here

Blue Check Jon Jon: here | Blue and seafoam sunsuit: here | Bucket Hat: here | White Oxford shirt: here

White Bunny Romper: here |  Duck sweater: here | Suspender Shorts: here | Pants: here

Gingham Bunny: here | Short Set (blue shorts): here | Colorblock bunny shortall: here | Bunny bubble: here

Easter Outfits for Girls

Even though we're planning to spend Easter in self-isolation, I know many of us are still trying to plan a special day with our children... more thoughts on that here.  No one will be seeing them except for us so wearing anything is completely acceptable, but we can still FaceTime others and take pictures if we choose.  Many of these "Easter" outfits I've shown below can be worn all spring and summer, not just for one day.  I've mostly chosen pieces from small businesses to help promote them and support them during this difficult time.  Many are having sales right now so it's a great time to take advantage of snagging new spring and summer clothes if you're able.  Tomorrow I'll be posting some adorable boy outfits!

Pink bow socks: here  | White Embroidered Set: here | Blue dress with yellow embroidery: here

White Bonnet: here | Blue smocked dress: here  | Pink Dress and bloomer set: here | Cross Dress: here

Bunny Set: here | Bunny Ears bonnet: here | Duck Bubble: here

Pink Bunny Romper: here | Pink Bunny Smocked Dress: here | Yellow Dress: here | Socks: here

Easter Basket Ideas

Easter is one of my favorite holidays.  It seems as though it's going to look a lot different this year.  We won't be going to church, egg hunts, or having an Easter lunch with family.  We can still celebrate the resurrection of Jesus at home, still have egg hunts, and still have lunch, it'll just look different.  I still want to try to make it special for the kids though as I'm sure you do with yours.  I bought some Easter eggs and candy for an egg hunt in our own yard.  It'll be different but hopefully just as fun.  We'll plan to have a nice lunch here at home just the four of us.  It really saddens me that we won't see family but that's the way it needs to be to keep everyone safe.  I'm also putting together the kids Easter baskets, which is one of my favorite things to do!  I love putting together Easter baskets every year.  It'll be something special for the kids Easter morning and provide some normalcy.

I'm sharing what will be in Mary-Grace and Benton's baskets along with a few other ideas.   Asides from what is below, some other fun things to include could be bubbles, finger paint,  bath toys, a small coloring book, a small puzzle, bubble bath, pajamas, and fruit or fruit snacks.  I try not to include too much candy.  I usually do a chocolate bunny (or other animal) and fill a few plastic eggs with some jelly beans or other small candy.

What are your plans this year?  Will you start a new tradition while at home?

Peter Rabbit sound book: here | Chocolate Chick: here | Shoes: here | Umbrella: here | Country Bunny Book: here | Basket: here | Bunny Ears: here | Peter Rabbit Book: here | Egg chalk: here | Garden Kit: here | Rattle: here | Bunny Necklace: here | Hair bow: here | Eggs (to fill with jelly beans or little candies): here | Bunny Ducky Toy: here | | Bunny: here | Pens: here | Bracelet: here

Uncertainty- COVID-19

One microscopic organism (?) that we can't see has changed our worlds almost overnight.  Schools in our state are shut down for at least 2 weeks, perhaps it will be longer.  Restaurants and bars here were ordered to close except for take-out and drive-thru services.  Grocery store shelves are barren and remind me of hurricane preparedness.  My husbands office is closing starting Thursday and he'll have to work from home.  Our hospitals are starting to feel the effects of the virus.

Through all of this craziness though, I've seen with my own eyes kindness for fellow citizens.  As scary as the uncertainty is right now with whom this virus will sicken and if or when our economy will bounce back, it warms my heart to see communities come together.  I was at the grocery store with Benton last Friday trying to get a few things for our "social distancing" and hoping to be able to snag what we needed before everything was gone.  The lines were long and carts were full, but everyone was pleasant and the woman in line behind me even left her cart to go help the cashier bag the groceries.  Our neighbors on our community Facebook page have offered a helping hand to those who may need it.  On social media I've seen people sharing ideas of how to help others, how important it is to distance yourself, promoting local and small businesses, and offering ideas for how to stay busy with your children while schools are closed.  I try to always have a positive perspective but it can be hard knowing people are struggling through this time financially and physically.  I believe that God has a purpose for everything that is going on and we have to trust him.

I've found it helpful with my anxiety to write a list of activities that I can do to help myself with my kids to stay busy and have some fun while home.  Mary-Grace received a packet from school that we'll work on along with these ideas that we came up with together.  This list includes several things we already do weekly since the kids are home (Mary-Grace is in kindergarten but home during track-outs).  I thought I'd share our list in case anyone else is looking for some ideas.  Please feel free to also share your ideas!

Life Update- New House, Kindergarten, and more

I hope everyone had a good end to their summer.   We have been busy buying a new house, selling our current house, getting Mary-Grace registered and starting kindergarten, being sick along with several other things but those have kept us the most busy.  After careful and long consideration, we decided to stay near our current area.  We currently live in Raleigh, about 10 minutes from downtown, but will be moving about 45 minutes away to a very small town that is growing. We'll still be the same distance to my moms, a few minutes further to my dads, a little further away from friends but we'll be very close to a few other relatives and still not very far from north Raleigh where there's tons of shopping and restaurants.

We currently live in a townhouse that we bought when we got married 10 years ago but long outgrew.    It was perfect for us as a married couple and even fine with one child.  We were waiting to move because we were considering a few other job options for my husband and we wanted  him to finish his PhD program at NC State here in Raleigh.  We wanted to make sure we picked the best job for him and the best location for our family so we didn't rush into it.  Our townhouse is 3 stories with 2 bedrooms upstairs, the main living area on the main floor, then a finished basement.  It has 3.5 bathrooms and a lot of storage but the layout just doesn't work for a family with 2 small kids.  The kids are sharing a room which hasn't been too bad but Mary-Grace is getting to the age where she wants her room to have a certain style that fits her personality and I want to decorate a room just for Benton since he never had his own nursery.  In our new home, we'll have 3 bedrooms upstairs with a large playroom so each of them will have their own room with a separate playroom.  We currently have a play area set up in our basement which works but it'll be nicer to have a whole separate room.  I'm also looking forward to having a formal dining room.  I know it's not "on trend" right now with home designs with everyone wanting an open floor plan but we currently have the open floor plan and it just seems crowded to me.  The new house will have our kitchen open up to the living room and breakfast area though.  I'm also looking forward to having a mudroom and garage.  We currently have neither and are in need of both!  We get some pretty severe storms here in NC and we're always worried about our cars getting damaged.  It'll also be a great place to store the kids bikes and wagons.

Below are some photos I've taken of the building process.  We went under contract with the home after it already started to be built.  The framing was completed but we've gotten to watch the process of installing insulation, drywall, cabinets, woodwork and more.  Trying to sell your current home while going under contract with another is not the easiest and stress-free process as I'm sure you know if you've gone through it.   Our house sold fairly quick- in 6 days but during that 6 days we had 15 showings and with 2 little ones that wasn't easy!  I was constantly wiping things down, trying to explain to them why they couldn't drag out tons of toys, etc. then trying to get them out the door and having to stay gone for an hour or two.  Anyhow,  it was all worth it and we're now in the packing process and will be in about 2 weeks from now!

Do you have little ones that have started school?  Mary-Grace started kindergarten at the end of August.  I posted about it on Instagram but she is attending the elementary school that will be close to our new neighborhood (only about 2 minutes away actually!).  We thought it would be a lot easier on her to start the year there and not have to transfer after just a couple of weeks so we've been driving her every day (kind of a pain but worth it for her).  She loved preschool and was very excited to start.  It's been a little of an adjustment though since Kindergarten is all day and she has homework every night.  She's already missed four days of school, two for being sick and two for hurricane Dorian.  It's been an adventure!