August 23, 2018

How To Reshape Hair Bows // And Clean Them


Ok girl moms, this post is for you! A few quick tips and tricks for re-shaping those beautiful handmade bows we all know, love, and buy from the amazing Etsy community of mom-trepreneurs. Even though I’ve only been a girl mom for a little over two years now, I’ve been collecting handmade hair bows since Abby was in my belly. 

And since daily sneak peaks of fall bows are starting to pop up everywhere on Instagram, I thought these tips and tricks would be really helpful as we are all currently adding to our collection this time of year. : )

how to reshape bows, clean handmade bow, fix, care instructions for Etsy shop bows
how to reshape bows, handmade bow, clean, fix, Etsy shop bows
how to reshape bows, handmade bow, clean, fix, Etsy shop bows
So without further ado, here are three ways I've kept our pretty little handmade bows crisp, clean, and beautiful.

 //  1  //
How to reshape bows

1. Spray the hair bow with Downy wrinkle releaser on top of a dry towel.
2. Reshape as desired using your hands and let air dry.


//  2  //
How to spot clean and reshape bows 

1. Following directions for "Shout" to spot clean (white bow? try using a blench pro pen).
2. Let the hair bow completely dry.
3. Then spray the bow with Downy wrinkle releaser on top of a dry towel. 
4. Reshape as desired using your hands and let air dry.



 //  3  //
How to remove a stain and reshape bows 

Please keep in mind before reading the last idea, that every bow shop has a different type of material and design. So, I really encourage you to read the “care section” in your bows shop before trying this last one out.  

1. Remove clasp from back of bow.
2. Spray stain with Shout.
3. Then wash bow in cold water on delicate cycle.
4. Let bow air dry.
5. Spray bow with Downy wrinkle releaser on top of a dry towel.
6. Reshape as desired with hands and let air dry.



I hope these ideas help keep those pretty little handmade bows fresh and clean for you and your little girl(s) and just let me know if have any questions!


Warmly, Steph




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August 10, 2018

Toddler Mom Friendly Outfits

casual toddler mom friendly outfits, mom friendly outfit ideas, modern mom style

I love feeling comfortable and yet pulled together as a toddler mom because it gives me confidence for whatever the day has in store (Ahem, like chasing down a top-knotted coffee swiper in the living room). 

During those sleepless nights when Abby was first born, taking a shower and getting ready every day was the number one thing that kept me going. And two years later, it’s still true today. Although those newborn days are gone (for now) I still value self-care and make it a priority, no matter how full our calendar gets.

It's always been important to me that I take the time to feel "like myself."

I was sort of surprised to hear so many of you over in Instagram were interested in toddler-mom friendly outfit ideas, although I get it. It can be challenging to find classy yet modern pieces to fit our motherhood day-to-day life.  I mean, piggy back rides, arm lifts, and repeated bends down to the car floor as we vacuum up all those fishy crackers are meant to be done in style. : )

Which is why I’m really excited to share with you today on what I’ve rounded up!! Many of the pieces are currently in my closet although there are a few on my wish list.

So here it is, three variations of toddler mom friendly outfits with two breast feeding friendly options, per requested.
//  1  //  2  //  3  //  4  //


//  1  //  2  //  3  //  4  //
//  1  //  2  //  3  //  4  //  5  //


Although the white midi dress that a lot of you asked about is sold out, this one is similar. To help give you some other ideas, here are some other toddler mom friendly favorites. 





I hope all of you are feeling relaxed, comfortable and cool this summer season! 

May these ideas help you feel inspired and pulled together as you give allll those piggy back  and repeated bends down to the car floor while vacuuming up day old fishy crackers.

Mom life, for life. 


Warmly, Steph

August 2, 2018

Tips For Traveling With Toddlers


As moms of little ones, I believe we would all agree that when traveling with a kid, our main goal is to end up at the destination safe, and sane, although, sanity often takes a backseat : )

In the begginning, I had a couple terrible travel experiences with Abby. So, I get it: mixing together a kid, a car and miles of pavement in front of you is no piece of cake. This is why I’m really excited to share with you today a few tips on traveling with a toddler.

Traveling with kids as a first time mom feels like studying for a college exam. You take notes, research, and fill your head with as much information as possible. Then, when the big day arrives, you do what you think is best. 

However, there are certainly a few things we’ve done on repeat and it’s important I mention, it took us 10 trips in two years to feel like taking our then baby and now toddler on a road trip to be “stress free.” We only feel comfortable because we have systems and parenting tricks in place every time we go now. 

So here are our favorite tips for taking a toddler on a road trip.  

Please know before reading below that there are a ton of great tips and ideas to keep everyone in the car happy. These are just a few I proudly stand by since they have worked great for us! 


Planning:


//  Routine  //
Travel around their usual schedule. If possible, keep your little one(s) on their daily routine. We’ve found that the best time to start a road trips is right after Abby wakes up.

// Packing//
Pack as much as you can the night before. I always make a check list of what we need to do and bring. And I make a second check list for what we need to pack the morning of. It may sound silly and very (Monica from Friends like), although it really helps us get out the door and remember to bring everything we need.

//  Snacks  //
This is the most popular tip I’ve heard about traveling with kids and I agree. As a toddler, Abby likes varity. So I always let her choose which snack she wants, especially if we’re driving and it’s close to lunch time. You can find a more in depth approach to this idea here.

//  Sunscreen & Sunshield  //
The sunlight falls right over our little ones faces because of their low postion in the back seat (facing front or back) and unfortionately, I didn’t think of this during our first road trip. Although ever since that trip, which resulted in pink cheeks for Abby, we’ve doubled up on sun protection with sunscreen on Abby and a sunsheild. Abby has been pink-cheek free ever since!

//  Cooler  //
Instead of stopping for more milk or juice, I instead fill a cooler bag with ice and milk. That way, I can easily refill a sippy cup as needed. This is great if your little one just finished breast-feeding or still drinks a lot of milk! I wish I would have started doing this one sooner. Which brings me to my next tip.


During:


//  Expectations  //
We always add on more time than we would expect. It took me a long time to really accept and grasp the idea of slowing down. Especially when we started to travel with our little one. It’s impossible to go as long or as fast as we used to when it was just us. Although that's ok! It’s important to stop and change the diaper, let them run around, or get more snacks. This phase is short when compared to the 18 years they’ll be with us. 

//  Variety  //
We have found it best to hold off on playing music until the last hour or two of our trip. 80’s or 90’s music is our go-to for keeping Abby awake and happy. Although we have found that the hum of the road helps her focus on other things like, reading books, playing with stuffed animals, eating, or listening to Steve and I talk (which is total entertainment for her!). Varitety is king with our toddler-music or no music. 

// Backseat Entertainment  //
If your little ones are one or under, try sitting next to them in the back seat. We used to do this quite a bit when Abby was younger, since she didn’t have the fine motor skills she so desperately wanted. You can also read books, swap out different toys, feed them a bottle, etc. They will be so happy to have mom or dad next to them in the back. 


I hope this post helps inspire you to bring to life all those books we read to our children, as I love how travel is an opportunity to do just that.

We are always grateful for each trip (even the first few rough ones) and look forward to the our next grand adventure every time we return. 

God speed. 

Warmly, Steph




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