Finally Time For Spring!

Spring time in Arizona is my absolute favorite! The weather is amazing and still cool enough that we can get outdoors to enjoy ourselves.

After a couple months of dreary grey, I'm always excited to refresh my wardrobe and home with fun new spring time touches!

I was so excited to receive this cool watch from JORD. It's constructed out of wood and so absolutely gorgeous - I've really never seen anything else like it!

 I chose the Frankie Koa and Ash Watch because I'm a HUGE fan of grey - it's my favorite neutral by far. The medium ash grey face is the perfect compliment to the medium ash wood color (plus it matches my favorite gladiator sandals perfectly!)

My JORD Watch arrived beautifully packaged in a wooden box that doubles as a place to store the watch when I'm not wearing it.

 It also came with a cleaning cloth and conditioning oil - I love the attention to detail and customer service of JORD, they are true professionals.

It's such a stunning watch and the quality is phenomenal. The wooden band is super comfortable and adds such a natural, boho look to my wardrobe - I get so many compliments every time I wear it!

Are you in LOVE with JORD Watches yet? I have collaborated with them for an awesome giveaway! One lucky friend will receive a $100 credit to JORD Watches!! Enter the giveaway HERE. That's not all! EVERYONE who enters will receive a $25 credit to use towards the JORD Wood Watch of their choice! Contest ends 3/12 and all entrants will be emailed their codes shortly there after. What watch would you choose if you won?

What are your favorite ways to refresh your wardrobe for Spring? I'd love to hear about them!



Luxury Wooden Watch

Math Fact Practice Made Easy with Math Slam

Who else feels like it is pulling teeth to get their kiddos to practice their math facts on the daily? Flash cards get repetitive and worksheets are just boring. That's why I was so excited to find the Math Slam game by Educational Insights! It's Math Facts in a GAME and my 7 year old LOVES it!

Math Slam is a fun and bright interactive game that allows you to choose with Addition or Subtraction problems and 4 different levels of difficulty.

Once you choose, it will present a cycle of 13 questions, each with 4 possible answers. Your child will then "slam" the correct answer and before moving on to the next question. The quicker the correct answer is selected, the more points are earned. Oh, and incorrect answered questions are recycled until the correct answer is chosen - I love that!

My son loves to play with his Math Slam and we noticed if we kept it out and near whatever toys he was paying with, he's absentmindedly pick it up and start playing a round several times a day, essentially practicing his math facts on his own - without being asked!

 So, thank you so much Educational Insights for offering this fun educational toy that makes practicing math fun for my first grader (and way less stressful for me!) You can purchase your own Math Slam game HERE (Trust me, you will love it too!) What part of your children's homework routine to you look forward to the least?

Learning Fun at Home - Puzzle Globe Review

By now you probably know I'm a HUGE fan of Learning Resources toys! I'm so glad I was introduced to this company this year! It's a struggle to find good unique toys for kids and I think they have the most creative and educational toys around.

My son is in the 1st grade and is learning about the continents and oceans this year so we were both super excited to try out Learning Resources Puzzle Globe!

This bright and colorful sturdy globe spins and has removable continent puzzle pieces. The names of the Continents are also removable puzzle pieces too which ups the challenge factor. I think my favorite thing was the guide that it came with. It listed all sorts of unique and interesting landmarks in each Continent and then came with a coordinating sticker that we could locate on the puzzle globe.

 I loved how my sons face lit up when we read about the various landmarks and he would tell me, "Mom, I know about that place!" and then proceed to tell me additional information that he had learned in school. This puzzle globe by Learning Resources was such a fun way to reinforce and discuss what he learned in school at home!

Valentine's Day Tea Party for Two

Since February is National Snack Time Month, I wanted to make snack time extra special on February 14th and surprised my two tiny Valentine's with an outdoor Tea Party! They both LOVED it!!

 I set up their new Pacific Play Tents Tea Party Tent in our grass.

 This tent is amazing! Its really big (actually the other day - I wish I had snapped a picture, but the whole family and dog too tried to "hide" from me in this tent - it's THAT big!) It sets up in less than 5 minutes so you can set it up easily when your kiddos want to play in it or keep it set up all the time if you have room!

 I love too that the front has tie backs and the inside has mesh screened windows so the air can flow while your kiddos play inside. Mine are excited to use this for family movie night next!

I set out several cute and colorful blankets and throw pillows to make the tea party comfy or my oldest Valentine. I also made heart shaped garlands which I hung from the tent and little pink table. Then I prepared the food (because it's always about the food, am I right?!)

I made homemade peanut butter chocolate chip energy balls  and stuck a heart topped toothpick in each one for easy eating! I served them in our favorite collapsible bowl with lid from Marcus & Marcus. 

This bowl is made of food grade silicone and is BPA-Free. I plan on using this for lots of meals on the go!

The next snack I served was carrots with ranch for dipping in our Snack in the Box. 

We love Precidio's products! This box is made of BPA-Free durable plastic and is such a handy way to serve snacks.

 My oldest takes it to school everyday and eats his recess snacks out of this container. 

No Tea Party is complete without a fancy drink! We didn't serve tea at our backyard soiree but we did serve blueberry water in our favorite Drink in the Box! 

This is a HUGE favorite at our house because what kiddo doesn't love having a special drink? I love it because they can help make their special drinks and you can control what they drink. We usually just mix fruit with water to make a festive juice alternative!

 The mom in me also LOVES that this container doesn't LEAK! Leaking sippie cups I think are one of the most frustrating things about being a parent!

After we enjoyed our snacks we sat in the warm sunshine. talked, and played games. Our backyard tea party was a perfect way to spend some quality time together on Valentine's Day. I think it may have to be our new yearly tradition! 

What special ways do you and your littles celebrate the holidays together?

LulaRoe with Kimberly Anne Review

Have you heard of LulaRoe? I have heard nothing but great things about this brand as was so excited when Kimberly Anne reached out and wanted to let me try a few pieces from her line. The companies tag line is: Where Fashion Meets Comfort - that had me written all over it!

Their leggings are probably their most talked about items because of their fun prints and buttery soft texture. 

You TOTALLY have to try them - seriously so soft and comfy!! They come in ONE Size that truly fits most people and I know tons of pregnant women that swear by them for wear throughout their pregnancies.

 When I got this pair I wore them literally all weekend long - I didn't want to take them off!

I was also super excited to try their Randy T! 

The Randy T is LulaRoe's Baseball t-shirt. I love the fit of these! Fitted, but not clingy and they comfortably cover your butt for when you wear them with leggings. I know a ton of teachers at my son's school wear these shirts all the time.

 I wore mine last week out to dinner (here we are playing darts while we wait for our table to be ready - so much fun!) and seriously wanted to sleep in it that evening!

I think my favorite item I received from Kimberly Anne was the Nicole dress in black. 

It has such an incredibly gorgeous drape and flattering fit! I loved the sleeve length and bodice and the swingy skirt was to die for!!

 This is a heavier weight fabric and can easily be dressed up or down! With such a neutral color I know this will be a huge closet staple for me! 

Did you see too that Joanna Gaines wore a similar dress recently to the Super Bowl! How cool is that?! She look so gorgeous (I just love her)!

Kimberly Anne has an amazing inventory of one-of-a-kind LulaRoe pieces on her Facebook page. You can shop HERE and she can ship all over the country!

 I am so thankful that I was able to try LulaRoe and now totally know why the brand has a cult-like following - the quality, price points, comfort, and style really can't be beat! Have you tried LulaRoe before? If so, what are your favorite pieces to wear? What do you want to try most?

Kamagon Ball Review and Workout (Great for Postpartum Runners!)

Having babies is the most wonderful thing in the world - however, it left me with little to no core strength afterwards. My back ached and my stomach area felt completely unsupported. I sought our exercises to help rebuild my core strength and transverse abdominals, not for vanity, but for pure functionality. The core is the center of your bodies powerhouse I I knew I had to get them firing again before I could attempt to reengage any sort of regular running routine.

In my research I discovered a new workout functional powerhouse - hydro interita training. Hydro-inertia creates instability while you perform exercises, forcing you to use more muscles to stay balanced - especially engaging your deep core, transverse abdominal muscles. It also mimics real-life situations far more than just standard stationary dumbbells helping you can more strength and functional fitness in less time - the busy mom that I am was sold!

In the workout video below I am using the 9" kamagon ball. It's a soft ball with two side hand grips and can be used in place of any dumbbells or kettlebells. You can fill the kamagon ball with 1-13 pounds of water, with the easy to read indicators on the side of the ball, to vary the weight and resistance of your exercises. I preformed these exercises with 6 pounds of water in my ball.

At home morning strength and cross training workouts are my jam and I think that with a few key pieces of equipment you can get a killer training session in. I always recommend a set of resistance bands and this new kamagon ball has been an ultra effective swap from my dumbbells. If you're interested in getting one for yourself you can shop HERE and use discount code SPHF25 to save 25% off now through 2/28/17.

Our Babies Sleep Routine - Sleeping Through The Night at Two Months Old

Let me preface this with saying that I am not a sleep expert or doctor - obviously. I am a real mom or a newborn who was bound and determined to have her sleep well. Let's backtrack for a minute. My first go-around with infant sleep schedules was 7 years ago with my first born - and it sucked! He was not a good sleeper, I was BEYOND exhausted and desperate, but couldn't bring myself to let him cry it out. I just couldn't. Homeboy slept in his swing going at MAX speed for the first few months of his life. I slept in the guest room for the first year of his life because his dad (my ex-husband) didn't want to keep getting woken up when the baby woke up. I hung my head in shame and even lied (which i realize now is just so silly because every baby is truly different) when people asked me if he was sleeping through the night yet. My first born didn't sleep through the night until he was 18 months old and it took such a toll on me (and him too I'm sure). So, that was my driving motivation to learn some new tactics and to get my newborn this time around to sleep successfully on her own from the beginning.


Taylor for the first few weeks of her life and I felt like a pro, and then she WOKE UP and I was like, this is HARD. I'd nurse her gently to sleep and she's slumber softly in my arms, but the moment I'd set her ever so gingerly down in her crib and quietly tip toe out of her room she'd wake up and cry within mere minutes (usually around the time I would snuggle myself in my own bed after high-five-ing my hubbie for our awesome baby-sleeping skills)

We were desperate and sleep deprived and would do anything for a few hours of uninterrupted sleep. That's why I was so stoked to hear about the Zen Swaddle from Nested Bean.

No joke, Taylor slept better with the Zen Swaddle from the very first night. Her longest stretch of sleep used to be 2-3 hours and it went immediately to 3-4 hours in a  row. After 2 weeks of sleeping in her Zen Swaddle she slept a continuous 6 hours at night and by 2 months old she was sleeping for a continuous 8 hours at night - talk about life changing!

We've noticed too that the human-like weighted touch of this swaddle helps to sooth her back to sleep on her own. So during the night or daytime naps she may still wake up several times and even cry out, fidget, and open her eyes, but she almost always is able to soothe herself back to sleep. It's amazing!


As she was approaching 3 - 3.5 month old I knew that her days of being able to sleep swaddled were getting numbered. Once a baby can roll over it it is no longer safe for a baby to sleep swaddled for obvious reasons. Bound and determined to avoid the dreaded 4 month sleep regression that I hear and see posted all over social media, I began doing research on a suitable sleep transition for my swaddle-loving babe.

I came across a company that makes a product called Baby Merlin's Magic Sleepsuit. It was designed by a mom of 4 and a pediatric physical therapist (I LOVE Mom invented products!) and was pegged as a swaddle transition product - which was EXACTLY what I needed! I couldn't wait to try it out!

The Magic Sleepsuit is an innovative design that helps babies feel secure and helps to muffle their reflective startles, helping them sleep stronger and longer (and without the swaddle!)


I also found the Zipadee-Zip and couldn't wait to try it. This is another mom- created invention (she was on Shark Tank for the Zipadee-Zip!). Here's what the creator said inspired her invention, "
"Our daughter who had slept wonderfully while swaddled, all of a sudden started waking up multiple times acting like she was no longer comfortable in her swaddle. To top it off, she had started rolling and breaking free of her swaddle so swaddling was no longer safe. The problem was, Charlotte refused to even fall asleep without the swaddle. We tried every sleep sack on the market and any swaddle weaning trick we could find on the internet for nearly two weeks and nothing worked to get her to fall and stay asleep." 

Her story sounded just like mine!

Taylor transitioned out of her swaddle and slept through the night again after her second night in her Zipadee-Zip! It worked amazing! She also takes all of her naps in this sleeper. She is loves her comfy new sleeper.

A few things about the Zipadee-Zip that I think make it stand out from the crowd is the arm and leg design. The cavities that the limbs go in for this sleeper are a little short so when the babies suddenly jolt awake while sleeping, they are instantly met with resistance from the fabric and calmed. I'll hear little Taylor a few times moan or cry out during the night but it will only last 5-15 seconds max and with the help from her Zipadee-Zip she will quiet and roll back to sleep on her own.

I also love that her hands are covered while she sleeps, especially for nap time. My baby is a mover and she often like to rub her face and eyes while she is waking up and I love that with this sleeper, her face is protected so she can't accidentally scratch or poke herself in the eye. I'll often go get her after sleeping in her Zipadee-Zip and she will be sucking on the sack where her hands are (my girl loves to hand suck!)

The Zipadee-Zip is essential for my baby for restful sleep during nap time and the night and it successfully helped transition her out of sleeping swaddled and I can't recommend it enough!

You'll also notice in all of the above pictures my baby is sleeping in a DockATot. This little piece is another tool that I think is ESSENTIAL in my baby getting a good night sleep. The DockATot creates a cozy environment for her to feel secure in as she sleeps. She is in the Deluxe size, which is the smaller size, and fits infants up to 8 month old babies.

I also wanted to highlight our routine too. During the day, I wake her up around 7am because that's when I wake up her big brother to get him ready and she rides along for school drop off. I feed her before we leave and then feed her on demand throughout the day. She goes down for a good nap sometime between 10-1 and typically sleeps for 2 hours. For this nap I always have her in one of her sleepsuits and place her in her crib in her DockATot. Oh and I always have a sound machine and humidifier going in her room during sleeping times. The rest of the day she may fall asleep if we are in the car or in the stroller and she may take a quick cat nap if she's sleepy around 5-6. I never try to "keep her up so she'll sleep better at night" I actually think that usually backfires.

If I'm able to, I love to try to feed her as much as I can between 4-6 pm to really fill her up for the long night of sleeping ahead, but that only happens about 1/2 the days because of other commitments. We usually eat dinner around 6:30 pm and then afterwards its bath and shower time for her and her brother. I get her big brother into bed between 7:30-8 and then sit on the couch and watch TV and feed her until she falls asleep around 8:30-9 pm.

I have never had her cry it out, but if she does startle and wake up during the day or night while sleeping, 99% of the time she will moan or cry for a very short time (like 15 seconds) and the turn her head to the side and fall back asleep. I don't use the EASY 3 hour time chunk method but I know many that do and love and swear by it. I actually nurse my baby to sleep and she goes to sleep, asleep. That's why the sleeping suits are so important to her sleep routine because they allow her to calm herself and get back to sleep if she does startle or arise when she should remain sleeping.

If you made it through this whole post - thank you! It's a long one, and now you are probably ready for a nap yourself, but I wanted to share every detail I could in case it helps someone get some extra sleep. Please just remember that every baby is different and just because my baby is a good sleeper and yours may not be, does not mean in any way, shape, or form, that you are doing anything wrong. Every baby is so completely different and some just (frustratingly) take longer to sleep through the night than others. I hope this helps someone is someway and I wish you lots and lots of sweet sleep in yours and your babies future!

Learning to Sleep Without the Swaddle with the Zipadee-Zip!

My baby has always been a stellar sleeper. We discovered early on that she loved and needed to sleep tightly bound in a swaddle in order to feel secure and to help muffle the startle reflexes that she would get while sleeping. She was already sleeping through the night by 3 months old but as her swaddling days were dwindling down (once babies can roll over, it is not safe to swaddle them anymore) I feared we would all be awake at night again. I began doing research on options to transition her out of the swaddle but still be a class A sleeper.

I found the Zipadee-Zip and couldn't wait to try it. This is another mom- created invention (she was on Shark Tank for the Zipadee-Zip!). Here's what the creator said inspired her invention, "
"Our daughter who had slept wonderfully while swaddled, all of a sudden started waking up multiple times acting like she was no longer comfortable in her swaddle. To top it off, she had started rolling and breaking free of her swaddle so swaddling was no longer safe. The problem was, Charlotte refused to even fall asleep without the swaddle. We tried every sleep sack on the market and any swaddle weaning trick we could find on the internet for nearly two weeks and nothing worked to get her to fall and stay asleep." 

Her story sounded just like mine!

The Zipadee-Zip comes in Sizes Small-Extra Large and can fit babies 3 months all the way up to a 5T toddler. If you visit there site you can see that the fabric choices are endless and there are heavier and lighter wight fabric choices to select from depending on the season. This sleepsuit can be used as a pajama alternative or you can dress your babies in their PJs underneath the sleeper. That is what we chose to do and it worked great. I have a flower Zipadee-Zip for Taylor in size Small.

Taylor transitioned out of her swaddle and slept through the night again after her second night in her Zipadee-Zip! It worked amazing! She also takes all of her naps in this sleeper. She is loves her comfy new sleeper.

A few things about the Zipadee-Zip that I think make it stand out from the crowd is the arm and leg design. The cavities that the limbs go in for this sleeper are a little short so when the babies suddenly jolt awake while sleeping, they are instantly met with resistance from the fabric and calmed. I'll hear little Taylor a few times moan or cry out during the night but it will only last 5-15 seconds max and with the help from her Zipadee-Zip she will quiet and roll back to sleep on her own.

I also love that her hands are covered while she sleeps, especially for nap time. My baby is a mover and she often like to rub her face and eyes while she is waking up and I love that with this sleeper, her face is protected so she can't accidentally scratch or poke herself in the eye. I'll often go get her after sleeping in her Zipadee-Zip and she will be sucking on the sack where her hands are (my girl loves to hand suck!)

The Zipadee-Zip is essential for my baby for restful sleep during nap time and the night and it successfully helped transition her out of sleeping swaddled and I can't recommend it enough!

The company also makes amazing teethers called Trendy Teethers that they sent us and I wanted to mention too because these were the first teethers that my baby could successfully hold on her own! She loves them! I love them too because they have a clip to attach them to babies clothing (like a paci clip!) so they are always nearby and won't fall on the ground - genius!

Transitioning my Baby out of the Swaddle with Baby Merlin's Magic Sleepsuit

Don't hate me, but my baby is an incredible sleeper. By 2 months old she was sleeping 5-6 hour stretches and by 3 months she was sleeping 7-12 hours through the night. Trust me, we KNOW just how lucky we are. I realized early on that my baby loved and needed a tight fitting swaddle in order to fall asleep and sleep securely through the night.

As she was approaching 3 - 3.5 month old I knew that her days of being able to sleep swaddled were getting numbered. Once a baby can roll over it it is no longer safe for a baby to sleep swaddled for obvious reasons. Bound and determined to avoid the dreaded 4 month sleep regression that I hear and see posted all over social media, I began doing research on a suitable sleep transition for my swaddle-loving babe.

I came across a company that makes a product called Baby Merlin's Magic Sleepsuit. It was designed by a mom of 4 and a pediatric physical therapist (I LOVE Mom invented products!) and was pegged as a swaddle transition product - which was EXACTLY what I needed! I couldn't wait to try it out!

The Magic Sleepsuit is an innovative design that helps babies feel secure and helps to muffle their reflective startles, helping them sleep stronger and longer (and without the swaddle!)

The Magic Sleepsuit comes in two different fabric choices depending on the season and environment your baby will be sleeping in. I chose the Cotton Sleepsuit in 3-6 month size (My baby started using this when she was about 3 months old and it fits her great!)

Much to my happiness, my baby successfully transitioned out of her swaddle and continued to sleep through the night with her Magic Sleepsuit by night 3! The first night she slept in her new suit she woke up one time at 1am and I comforted her and nursed her back to sleep. The second night she slept until 4am in her suit and again, I rocked and fed her back to sleep. By the 3rd night she slept through the whole night and has every night since in her Magic Sleepsuit!

What impresses me about this product is the multi-layered by design, to help ease babies back to sleep on their own should they startle or wake up while sleeping. She does wake up a handful of times a night (like everyone does) and may let out a little cry or moan, but then falls back immediately to sleep because of the comforting layers that the sleepsuit provides.

I seriously can't recommend this suit enough!