8 Key Skills to Get Your Child Ready for Kindergarten

Do you know what skills your toddler or preschooler should learn to be ready for kindergarten? Check out these 8 key skills for kindergarten readiness. #toddler #preschool #earlylearning #kindergarten #kindergartenreadiness

It’s crazy to me that our Peanut is at an age where school is just around the corner! He’s still in daycare this year, but next year, 3k means that he starts in the “big kid school.” Kindergarten is going to be here before we know it. As time passes, we are learning more and more how early development sets up a child for success in their education. Today, some schools assess each child’s readiness for kindergarten upon enrollment. Preschool teachers, childcare providers, and parents can work together to ensure children are ready for kindergarten. To do this, it’s important to understand which skills are necessary for lifelong learning and kindergarten readiness. Here is a list of some of the most vital skills young children should have in order to be ready for those first few months of kindergarten. read more

I’m Not Ready to Go Back to Work, but I’ve Been Back for 3 Months Already

Even though I’ve been back to work for a few months, I still don’t feel ready to be there. #workingmom #maternityleave #newmom

As I sit at my desk eating lunch, I open an email with a weekly baby update. The article that I click starts out “Can you believe it? You’ve made it halfway through baby’s first year.” Honestly, just reading those words almost brought tears to my eyes. No, the answer is no, I cannot believe it. The first 6 months – the first half a year – of my baby’s life has flown by. I can’t help but think about how much of it I have missed. Here I am, sitting at work, missing out on my baby growing up at this moment. There are times when I get hit hard with the feeling that I am not ready to be back to work yet. I feel like there is nowhere more important for me to be than with my baby. I still feel this way, even though I have been back to work for over 3 months now.  read more

Homemade Peanut Banana Teething Biscuits

Homemade Peanut Banana Teething Biscuit Recipe. Teething Biscuits. Baby led weaning recipe. #sponsored #babyledweaning #blw #teething

Sometime around 6 months of age, babies get to start on a fun new journey – solid foods! While watching your little one try new foods can be fun and exciting, it can also be hard and confusing for parents to keep up with the latest recommendations on feeding styles. Then there’s another curveball when introducing common allergens comes into play. Lil Mixin was founded with the intention of helping parents navigate this tricky new territory. Check out this post to learn more about Lil Mixins, how you can use Lil Mixins Peanut Powder with baby led weaning, and get the super easy recipe for peanut banana teething biscuits.  read more

Keurig K-Duo Essentials Review

The Keurig K-Duo Essentials combines the convenience of a single serve coffee maker with the ease of a 12 cup coffee pot. Check it out! #sponsored #coffee #review

When my husband and I got married six years ago, we got a Keurig single cup coffee maker as a wedding gift. We were quick and happy to get rid of our regular old coffee pot. At the time, we were both working different schedules. One of us would brew coffee in the morning and by the time the other got to it, it would be old and gross from sitting on the burner for hours. We were excited to get a Keurig so that we could each just make a cup of coffee as we wanted it throughout the day. This worked great, but we found it a little tedious on days that we were both on the same schedule or when we had guests over. Even our French press didn’t quite make enough coffee sometimes. We just stuck with the Keurig though because we didn’t want to get a second appliance and take up more room. Now, the Keurig K-Duo offers a great compromise. You can use it to brew single cups or full-size pots of coffee with just one appliance. We were super excited to check out this new system and review it for you. read more

Fall Family Bucket List

Looking for some fun family activities before winter sets in? Check out this Fall Family Bucketlist. #fall #fallfun #familyfun #bucketlist

September is here, and fall is starting to set in! Fall is very special time for our family that is full of great traditions. My husband and I had our first date at a pumpkin patch and a year later he proposed at the same place. We’ve always gone pumpkin picking and in more recent years, added apple picking to our must-do list. There are so many fun fall activities to fit into the next couple of months. I decided to add them all to a fall Family bucket list.  read more

Once Again Amore Almond Spread with Milk Chocolate

#sponsored #review Once Again Amore Almond spread is a sweet chocolatey treat without too much guilt.

Is anyone else a total sucker for any snack that involves the chocolate/nut flavor combo? It can’t just be me, right? A while back, I shared a post about Once Again chocolate hazelnut spread where I admitted to having a slight problem with chocolate spreads back in college. Seriously, I could finish a jar in a week. In the more recent past, chocolate hazelnut spread became a staple treat while I was pregnant with my daughter. I kept a jar in my desk drawer to dip pretzels into. Now, I think most of us have tried a chocolate hazelnut spread, but I recently found out that Once Again has a whole line of gourmet desert spreads! Needless to say, I was super stoked to sign up to review another Once Again spread courtesy of Moms Meet.  read more

6 Ways to Prepare for Breastfeeding During Pregnancy

Being prepared to start your breastfeeding journey will help set you up for success. 6 ways to prepare for breastfeeding during pregnancy. #pregnant #newmom #breastfeeding

Did you all know that there is a whole week every year dedicated to celebrate breastfeeding? Yep, August 1-7 is World Breastfeeding Week! In honor of world breastfeeding week, I thought it would be beneficial to talk about something very important to expecting moms – how to prepare for breastfeeding during pregnancy. Breastfeeding is a topic that people around the world get together to celebrate. There has been plenty of evidence in recent years that supports the fact that breastmilk is the best and most natural way to feed a baby. Don’t be deceived if you are a new mom. Just because it’s natural, doesn’t mean that it’s easy. Breastfeeding is hard work, and for many moms, there is a learning curve in the beginning. Not every breastfeeding journey is long and “successful” (which is ok too!), but there are plenty of ways to set yourself up for success. Check out these 6 ways to prepare for  breastfeeding during pregnancy.  read more

Wildscape Frozen Meals Review

Wildscape frozen meals are a “fresh take on frozen food” checkout my review to see if they’re really wildly different than the competition.

When it comes to being a working, breastfeeding mom, there are days where it feels like the hardest part of everything is keeping everyone fed! The need for convenient, healthy, nutrient-dense meals is at an all time high. That’s why I was excited to partner up with Moms Meet to try Wildscape. They make frozen meals that they call a “fresh take on frozen food.” Frozen entrees are a great grab-and-go meal for lunch, but many of them are packed with sodium and preservatives. Is Wildscape wildly different? Check out this review to see my thoughts. read more

Maternity Leave Goals – The Second Time Around

Setting goals for maternity leave can help you to feel better mentally, physically, and emotionally! Enjoy your time at home while preparing to go back to work. #newmom #workingmom #maternityleave #newbaby

Hey there! If you’ve noticed that it’s been a while since I’ve posted anything, that is because I am currently on maternity leave. Our daughter is now 8 weeks old, and I have been taking that time to get to know her and enjoy being home with her and my son. Okay, if I’m honest, I’ve also been kept plenty busy and a little overwhelmed trying to juggle the two kiddos! I wrote this post as I was preparing for our little girl’s arrival. I wrote it with two intentions – to have goals down on paper for myself and to share with other moms who need some help setting goals for their own maternity leave. With my first son, I did not do anything like this. Those first blurry 11 weeks flew by and left me feeling like I had wasted them on the couch. Keep reading for the goals that I set for maternity leave. read more

New Baby Checklist and What to Include in Your Baby Registry

There are so many items on the market for new parents! Check out this customizable new baby checklist to keep track of everything you need for baby. Baby checklist, new baby, printable baby checklist, what to buy for baby. #babyregistry #newbaby #pregnant #newmom

When I created a baby registry for my first son, I did a TON of research. I read every blog and pin that I could find, I looked through pregnancy magazines, I looked at registry examples, and I asked other parents for advice. Overall, I felt like I had a pretty good handle on what I wanted and needed for baby. Now I am getting ready for baby number two, and I have the chance to go through my new baby checklist all over again. My thoughts and opinions have changed a lot in the two years since I wrote this post – as all experienced parents tend to do. I thought this would be the perfect time to re-vamp this post a little bit so that I have it ready when friends come to ask for baby registry advice. Keep reading to learn how to create your own new baby checklist (I’ve included a template for you!), and see what you need to include in your baby registry. read more