Mason Jar Christmas Gifts!

If you haven't heard of Christmas gifts in a mason jar, they are absolutely adorable gifts to give someone! Most of my gifts I will be giving to people this year will consist of them being in a mason jar. I have been thinking about what to get my home nurse this year for Christmas. I chose to do smores in a mason jar last year, and she loved it! She said she had never even had smores before, so it made the perfect gift. The good thing about using the mason jar gifts, is they can always reuse them. You can use mason jars for SO many things, and nothing is better than a reusable gift!
Basically, a mason jar gift is filled with things that the person your giving the gift to loves. There's so many things to choose from. You can get the mason jars in various sizes depending on what you plan on putting in them. You can choose a "theme" if you'd like for the gift, some themes include:

Spa theme: this would include things like cotton, fingernail polish, sample bottle of finger nail polish remover, clippers, and lotion.

Peppermint pampering gift: this would include a mason jar filled with peppermint scrubs, lotions, peppermint chap-stick, candy canes, etc. Anything that has peppermint in it would do!

These are just two that would make a super cute "themed" gift for Christmas! There's tons of themes to do, not just for Christmas but for every day things such as a house warming gift, mommy survival jar, Birthday, etc. If your child is old enough, these jars would make perfect gifts to fill with your child's favorite things!

These are the various sizes that the jars come in. The bigger ones would be perfect to fill with a home made candle, lotion, a smores jar, pampering gifts, candy, etc!

There's also tons of food ideas to put in the mason jars. This year, I will probably do "red velvet cake in a jar" for my nurse. You just make the red velvet cupcakes, place one in the bottom of the jar, take a piping bag with your frosting, put that on the cupcake, place another cupcake and add more frosting! Such a simple, fun and yummy idea! Who doesn't love food for Christmas? (;

You can also make pies out of them, you can make breads in them, Shepard's pie in a jar, or even layer some turkey and stuffing in a jar and you have yourself a meal!

If you don't want to spend the money on the mason jars, and want to go really inexpensive, you can use pasta sauce jars, candle jars, pickle jars, etc. There's tons of websites that show you how to correctly take those stickers off the jars as well. Pickle jars would be perfect to really fill it up! So if your throwing those jars away, save, save, save! They come in handy for so many things, not only for Christmas but to store flour and sugar in, things for your bathroom such as bars of soap, cotton balls, and q-tips!

A few things that can be used in these mason jars include:

Chapstick (EOS or the long tubed kind)

A Christmas Ornament.

Mini lotions from bath and body works.

Hand sanitizes from bath and body works.

Ear-rings.

Socks.

Candy.

Gift cards.

A home made candle.

Home made lotion.

Jewelry: Bracelet, necklace, ring, etc.

Hot chocolate packs.

Cookie cutters.

Nail polish.

Mini candles from Bath and Body works, or Yankee candles.

Money.

Paper straws.

Mini notepad.

Pens.

And so much more! These are just a few ideas that would make perfect fillers!

If your using this idea for a child, here are a few ideas:

Matchbox car.

Candy.

Crayons.

Mini coloring book.

Bubbles.

Socks.

A mini book.

Bed room slippers, depending on the size of your jar, if you're using a pickle jar this would work perfectly, as long as they were soft all around!

Paci.

And lots more!

So these are just a few of the many ideas I came up with! My favorite places to go to look for these jar fillers would be Dollar General and Targets dollar section. They have tons of inexpensive stuff especially if you're on a budget! You can also decorate the jars super cute. Paint them, use ribbon, put cards on them, use fabric on them, etc! Hope everyone finds this useful and I'd love to see your jars when your done with them! (: Have a great week!

Disney Frozen favorites!

If you haven't seen the movie Frozen yet, please do! It's such a good movie and my son and niece both enjoy it! My niece is having a Frozen birthday in 2 weeks, so we are super excited! I'v been looking at all the cute Frozen toys they have out, and thought I would post the top toys that I think are adorable, and that my niece has and loves! Also, I wanted to post some of the Frozen toys just for boys as well!

I wanted to mention that Zulily has a ton of Frozen stuff out that is super cheap right now, and the sale probably ends soon so if your interested here is the link: Zulily
Very cute wall decals for a girl or boys room!

Boy toys:
Let's start with the boy toys there is to offer:

Sven: This is the moose that appeared on Frozen. Such a great gift for a little boy! He is so sweet in the movie, so what's not to love about him? There's a bit of a cheaper version of him which can be found at Toys R Us, it's around $15.00.

Olaf: One of my favorite characters in the movie! Such a funny little snowman, and he makes a great gift. This one is $20.00 at Toys R Us, but could be found possibly at Wal-Mart for cheaper! There's so many versions of him, but this one is my favorite.

Olaf sippy cup: If your child is still on a sippy like Cooper, this is adorable! $6.99 at the Disney store and perfect for the winter time to carry around!

PJ's: These Pj's are so cute for the winter! If your looking for a Summer pair, here is the link to them: Summer Pj's.. these were found on Ebay, brand new because it looks like they are really hard to find in store, so if your interested your best place to look would probably be Ebay. I was super excited to find they have Frozen boy PJ's since I have only been able to find it all in girl clothing! 

Olaf Chair: 

I am obsessed with this chair! I have been considering getting rid of Coopers robot chair and switching it out for this one! Looks comfortable as well. And it's on sale right now!

Kristoff: Yes, little boys can play with Barbies too (; They also have Hans which can be found at Toys R us too! They also have the baby Kristoff, but it looks like he is really hard to find and most Ebay sales on it have ended. 

Frozen books: They have a ton of Frozen books and coloring books! Both great for boys and girls (: I have saw these at Wal-Mart, Toys R us, Target, etc. So they are super easy to find!

Girl Frozen toys:
So many girl toys, but I am just going to post a few of my top favorites!

Sled: Love this! So cute and love how Olaf is tagging along in the sled.

Playset: My niece has this and plays with it a lot! It comes with a little castle, the doll, a couch and little decorations like perfume, etc. She puts all her "clipable" dolls in it and she enjoys it!

Tea set: Love this cute little tea set! Would go perfectly with some Frozen dresses, shoes and accessories for a cute tea party!

Frozen baby: My niece has this baby Anna and she loves her! They also have Elsa in the same size, if interested!

Frozen castle: On the pricey side, but def would be a great addition to your Frozen collection! Would make a perfect Christmas gift. I also looked at this on Wal-Mart and it's about 15-20 dollars cheaper there, so it pays to look around!

So these are just a few of my favorites! Hope this helps out for anyone who has a Frozen lover! My niece's party is coming up so I am stuck between all the Frozen toys. Have a great weekend!

Diaper bag must haves!

Now that my son is almost 2 years old, I'm not having to carry as much stuff around as with a newborn, so if you have a newborn your obviously going to pack a few more things than what I pack for my almost 2 year old! These are just a list of things I pack in my diaper bag, and what's important and a must have for the bag!

For my diaper bag I just carry a really big tote bag. It's deeper and I can fit a lot more stuff in it rather than my old diaper bag I had. I'm not color coordinated on the whole boy/girl thing for a diaper bag, I just use what I want since I will be the one carrying it! So mine is pink, with a flowery print on the inside! I love it, and it holds so much stuff. It doesn't have pockets, so if I have something that I need to put in a pocket, I just carry a extra bag I got from the hospital when I was in labor with Cooper. It matches well with the bag and it holds a lot as well! So I usually pack the little things like diaper cream, oragel, extra change of clothes, etc, in there.

Diapers: Of course you got to carry the diapers! If your child is already potty trained, you may want to carry as few extra pair of underwear just in case. Once again, I pack the Honest Company diapers in his bag. Right now we are using the "skull" print and it's so adorable. I usually just pack between 6-7 diapers. 

Wipes: Honest Company baby wipes. I use the travel packs you can buy at Target for $0.99. They fit perfectly in the bag and each contain 10 wipes. If you have a newborn you may want to consider using the bigger packs which have 72. 10 wipes is plenty for this age (unless your baby is sick, teething, or your traveling out super far) I am really surprised at how many wipes I have to use for Cooper because they are so durable. Usually it's just 3-4 wipes for each cleaning.

Receiving blanket: Have you ever been to a place and they don't have a baby changing table? Been there done that! So I find having a receiving blanket is a must just in case if you end up having to change your baby on the floor, they will be protected by the blanket and won't be in the nasty floor. I know a lot of diaper bags also contain those changing mats, but they are super small and too small for a squirmy toddler. And Cooper hates the changing tables anyways, he screams because he is scared he will fall.. so I find it much easier to just lay him down with the blanket underneath him. When putting the blanket in your bag, make sure it's pretty light weight, you don't won't a super thick blanket just because it will be too big for the bag. Just something light weight and easy to fold back up will do!

Sippy cup: When choosing a sippy cup for your diaper bag, make SURE it is spill proof. I have made this mistake before and ended up getting juice or water in my bag. The link I posted for the cups are my favorite ones and I have never had a problem with these leaking! 

Snacks: Can't go anywhere without the snacks! Everyone has their own personal preference for snacks, but I usually choose something that is easy to tote around and that he enjoys. His favorite is fruit snacks and they are really convenient to just throw in the bag! I also have a snack bowl I purchased from Target and it's been my favorite bowl to use for his diaper bag! (They also have these in the dollar section of Target) I think it's pretty important to have a good snack bowl unless you just prefer to use Ziploc bags! Usually I just pack something like cheez-its, dry cereal, or crackers in it!

Change of clothes: My change of clothes for him depends on the season. For now I am just carrying a plain onesie. But during the winter I carry a long sleeve shirt and pants. Plus I carry extra socks. Never know when you will need a change of clothes and it's super important with a toddler! I have had many accidents to happen where I pat myself on the back for carrying that extra piece of clothing (;

Bib and a burp cloth: Yes, I still carry a bib and a "burp" cloth for him. The bib is for when he eats, I actually prefer carrying the longer bibs just because he gets very messy when he eats and it protects his clothing better. The burp cloth is used for if he throws up, has a messy face, etc. Always come in handy! 

Bags: A lot of people like to carry those special "diaper bags" but I don't like to spend a lot of extra money on them. So I just keep Wal-Mart or Bi-Lo bags and carry at least 1 or 2 of those for when he has a dirty diaper! Tie it up and it works just as well as the "special bags"

Toys: For his toys, I usually let him pick out what he wants to bring. Which is usually a toy car and his play phone! 

Book: I got him a pop up book from the Target dollar spot and it fits good in his diaper bag! This is just in case if we are sitting waiting for something and he starts to get bored, pop out the book and it keeps him busy for a while!

Chapstick: I like to carry the two sided chapstick in the diaper bag! We both use it a lot, so it comes in handy to have.

Eczema cream: Coopers eczema as cleared up completely since using natural products, but I still like to carry it around just in case if he has a bad breakout and is itching a lot. Better safe than sorry!

Coloring book and crayons: I carry a mini coloring book for him and some crayons which I put in a mini tin. It works out perfectly for him! Especially if we are waiting at a restaurant or we are going down the road and he gets mad, it keeps him busy.

Extra Paci: Yes, always have to have the extra paci on hand because he ALWAYS slings his in the floor when driving down the road!

Hand Sanitizer: Hand sanitizer is really good to have in a diaper bag. Sometimes your not going to have access to soap and water so this is a must have to have on hand!

So this is about all I carry in his bag! Lots of toys, snacks and drinks to keep a toddler busy! Everyone has their own way of packing their bag and what to carry but hopefully this gives everyone some good ideas, and if your missing anything it's always a good checklist to go by! Have a great week! (:

20 month favorites!

These are my favorites for Cooper since he is 20 months now! The last "favorites" post I did was when he was 10 months, so I figured a update was needed since a lot has changed since then!

1. Honest Company wipes: Mentioned these in my previous post, and still got love going on for them! They are so durable and don't rip up so easily like Huggie wipes!

2. Honest Company diapers: These are my favorite diapers! I am in love with the print, and they don't contain nasty chemicals. They just started selling them at Target recently, and you get 50 of them for $25. They come with two different prints in each box. These are skulls and anchors!

3. Toms: I got Cooper some new TOM shoes yesterday and they are the cutest thing he has ever had on his foot. I was deciding between these or Converse, but very glad with the decision I made. It's really hard to get a wiggly 20 month old's shoe tied, so I went with the Velcro and it turned out a lot better! He is almost in a size 6 now so I went ahead and got the 6, so he has room to grow! I got these at Journeys Shoe store at the mall.

4. Burts Bee shampoo: Once again, mentioned in my previous post! I love mostly any of their products, and they smell so good and is great for babies with sensitive skin.

5. Oragel: Yes, we are still using this a lot. The two year old molars are starting to come through and it's very painful for them. Most people say Oragel doesn't work, but it seems to help Cooper a lot!

6. Books: This is probably one of his favorite books! It has all kinds of pictures of trucks, cars, trains, planes, etc. He is so smart with all the things that go, so I am convinced he is going to be a mechanic (; He loves going through the book and looking at all the fun pictures, and  saying "choo choo" when he sees the train. A few of his other favorites are "The little red caboose, and colors and shapes"

7. Paci: We still aren't off the paci. It's still a really big comfort for him, and he will get rid of it when he is ready. He mainly takes it when he is tired or upset. I take it away during the day as much as possible. I always end up loosing them though, so I have like 4 extra on handy!

8. Monster Inc fruit snacks: Cooper is ADDICTED to fruit snacks. If I would let him have fruit snacks for breakfast, lunch, and dinner he would take it in a heart beat. Also, they are really good though for the road when we are taking long road trips! I am convinced he may be a vegetarian, he hates meat. All he wanted for lunch today was lettuce and apples.. ha!

9. Play phone: I purchased this phone for him at Wal-Mart a few weeks ago for $5 on clearance
 and he loves it! It makes all kinds of noises and lights up. He loves phones, but mainly on the flip phones. He is always walking around with one in hand!

10. EOS chapstick: He loves chap stick and feels so independent and grown up when he puts it on himself! He knows exactly how to unscrew the lid and screw it back on.

11. Vitamins: He just recently started on vitamins because his lack of not eating (picky eating stage) and he seems to like these. I have started him on one a day, and these smell and (guessing) they taste just like fruit snacks.

12. Crayon holder: I found this at Target for $3! (In the dollar section) It holds all his crayons and they fit perfectly in his little backpack we got for him! He isn't big on coloring yet, but eventually he will get some good use out of it.

13. Owl sippy cup: I got this at Target a while back, and haven't seen it since.. but they have similar ones like this! It was really cheap, but I have found these are his favorite! He doesn't care for the kind you have to suck anymore, he likes the ones with the straw instead which I think is better anyways! They usually have these all the time for the holidays with different "heads" on them. He has a Santa, snowman, bunny and owl so far!

14. Bar soap: I got this soap at a local peach shop where I  live. It's all natural, homemade soap and it was only $3! They had all kinds of different scents, but I chose cucumber melon! It smells amazing, and is really good for his skin.

15. Coconut body butter: Mentioned this before, and it's awesome! It's about $5 at Trader Joe, and it last a long time and goes really far. It comes with a whole lot. This is my favorite lotion ever!

And a few pictures of Mr. Cooper! (:

Favorite products for Cooper

I wanted to share my favorite natural and organic products I like to use for Cooper! I try to stay clear of any yucky chemicals when it comes to his skin, because it's pretty sensitive. He had a bad case of eczema a few months back with lots of visits to the allergists, and I can see a drastic change in his skin since switching to more natural products!
Before I list my products, I wanted to say my favorite companies to use are Honest Company, or Burt Bees. I also like the diapers and wipes from Whole Foods, and a few lotions from Trader Joe. All of these companies have safe and natural products to use on your baby's skin!

 Honest Company baby wipes:
One of my favorite wipes to use on Cooper. We have seriously tried probably every single wipe made on this planet, and none work as good as Honest Company's. They have also improved their packages, so they don't have that annoying sticky tape on there to keep the wipes from drying out, which always either gets twisted or gets stuck to the baby wipes. Mine also tend to dry out with those. The Honest Company wipes are durable and you don't have to use many to get them clean! They are super cheap, and they sale them at Target now!!! The bigger packs are $5 for 72 wipes, and the smaller packs are 99 cent, which have 10 wipes. I usually get the 10 wipes for the diaper bag, and the 72 wipes for at home. They also don't contain all the yucky chemicals like ordinary wipes. If your not big on Honest Company wipes, then a second favorite would definitely be Seventh Generation which can be found at Whole Foods or Public's. They don't contain any chemicals and are awesome too!

Some wipes that I would stay away from (just from personal experience):
Dollar General brand: Yes, we have used these and they are terrible and are certainly not good to use on baby's bottom!

Parent Choice: Not everyone will agree with me on this one, and it really just depends on the child, but my son had a major allergic reaction to these so we stay clear from these.

Huggies Wipes: Not saying these are bad, but the quality SUCKS. They always end up ripping every time I try to wipe him.

White Cloud: These are a really weird off brand, and I just would not use them. They broke Cooper out pretty bad.

Diaper rash cream: One of the best diaper rash creams I have used is Weleda Calendula cream. The diaper rash will be gone within 1-2 days. It doesn't have that horrible chemical smell like Destitin. I got mine at Whole foods, but it can also be found by ordering it online!

Diaper rash creams to stay away from:
As I said above, this is just from personal experience, that being said one I won't use again is Destitin. It just smells really bad and it makes them smell like Destitin all day if you use it. I can't stand the chemical smell that comes a long with it, and it always burned my sons bottom more than it did help him. A good diaper rash cream is a must!

EOS lip balm: You're probably wondering why I have EOS lip balm on here, well Cooper LOVES putting chapstick on and this is his favorite. He loves being independent and putting it on himself! Plus, it's really good for the winter so your child's lips won't get so dry!

Burt's Bee shampoo: I love the Burt Bee shampoo! It smells so good, and comes in different fragrances. Ever since I made a huge switch to Coopers bath supplies his skin is so soft. So I usually only use Burt's Bee shampoo or Honest Company. Both of which can be used as a body wash too. I usually still use the bar of soap, which is either dove for sensitive skin, or home made soaps from Etsy or this Peach Place near our house!

Coconut body butter: Love, love, love this stuff! I use it on Cooper after his bath and his skin is just perfect! He loves dipping his finger in there to get some out and rubs it on him and my legs. It smells amazing and is so fluffy. I like the fact it's inexpensive, and it goes a long way because you don't have to use much. This can be found at Trader Joe's for around 5 bucks!

Vitamins: Just recently started giving Cooper one of these vitamins every morning. They provide a lot of good vitamins for him since he is going in that picky stage! I use the gummy ones on him, because he can eat fruit snacks like a pro. If your child can't handle fruit snacks, I would recommend getting the hard chewable ones. These are really small though, like a gummy bear and they smell really good. I think Cooper thinks he is eating a fruit snack when I give it to him, so it really makes the child excited to have one every morning!

These are just a few products I love! My dislikes are just based on personal experience and dealing with a child that has sensitive skin! Hope everyone finds this a good source to go by. Have a great Monday!

Happy Halloween!

I can't believe today was officially Halloween! I love October so much, sometimes I never want it to end.. But I can say I am ready for Thanksgiving and Christmas! And not to consider all the birthday planning for Mr. Coopers party in 16 days!
I hope everyone had a fun and festive Halloween. I know me and Cooper did! We went to a lot of "trunk or treats" and we went to Publix. Everyone just loved Cooper and his costume. He had a good time, and he kept picking out what kind of candy he wanted. He ain't no fool! And must I say he really does have a big sweet tooth just like his mama (;
Cooper dressed as a monster, and must I say he was the cutest little monster I have ever seen!

I was really surprised he kept the hood on. He HATES hats, and at our Halloween party we went to he kept taking it off. Guess he was feeling the hat mood tonight! 

And next year will be even better because he will be able to walk and will probably be more interested in Halloween. Although I can tell he enjoyed himself because of the candy.

People aren't lying when they say Halloween is so much better when you have kids. It just makes it more special, creating memories with the little lovies!

This October has had it's ups and downs, one was our house catching on fire, but we should have a new place by November! Fingers crossed and prayers!! Me and Cooper have been doing tons of shopping for his birthday also. We got everything for party favors except for the crayon pans which I am going soon to get at Party City. And I also got his birthday gift which I will talk all about on a separate post! I hope everyone had a fantastic Halloween, now let the Thanksgiving festive's begin!

House fire and updates!

Yes, you read it right.. house fire. 4 days ago our house caught on fire. It was around 1:00 in the morning. Luckily I was not asleep yet. I heard something that sounded like a airplane literally fixing to crash through the house! I grabbed Cooper and when I did I saw hot scalding water pouring out of the walls, it was beyond scary. Our hot water heater had busted, and the water in this can get up to 150+ . This had to be in the 100's, as it was so steamy in the house you couldn't hardly see. You could of cooked noodles in the water it was so hot. We rushed everyone out the door SAFELY. I am still thanking God everyone got out safe and no one was hurt. We called the fire department, they went in to check and said that yes, our house did catch on fire, BUT the water put it out. The floors are caved in and we have tons of water damage as well as burnt walls and it smells so awful in the house it's unbearable. Insurance came out a few days ago, took pictures and we should know something by Thursday-Friday. We are hoping we will know something tomorrow! We are in the process of finding a new house right now to put in place of the other, but it may take a few months to even get it there. So for now we have been looking at apartments to live in for a temporary time. Fire is one of my biggest fears, this was so scary, I was crying and all I could picture was loosing all of Coopers stuff, my stuff and everything!! We have had tons of people praying for us and asking if we need anything. You guys are incredible and so amazing and I thank you all for asking if we need any help but mainly for the wonderful prayers! God knows what we need and he will help us through this! For now we staying at my aunts and grandmas, bless them. Things could have been A LOT worse, God was with us that night for sure. Thanks for reading this! This is why I haven't been on in a while because I have been going through a lot with this and it's hard loosing your own home. We were able to go in a get some stuff out but we have to be very careful because the floors are caved and there are tons of water damage.

Other than that scary night me and Cooper have been doing some shopping and getting everything together for his birthday! Which will be in about 25 more days, he has 4 days till he is 11 months old. It's unbelievable. I can't believe my itty bitty baby is growing up so fast.

We did some shopping at the wonderful and addicting store called TARGET (; We ended up getting some paper straws which will be set out for people and also probably going to use two for his birthday banner I am doing for him. The plate isn't birthday related by the way, it was just a buck at Target and is totally adorable! And I also got him some felt owl, pumpkin and leaf stickers to decorate the fireplace and his high chair with.

Also, his birthday iron on came yesterday and his birthday high chair banner should be here tomorrow. I will be working on his birthday onesie tomorrow, so I will show the finished product of that once done!

And I have been peeling orange, yellow and white crayons all day yesterday!! I peeled them for so long my finger nail underneath was bleeding. Today I attempted to do some more but my fingers hurt so bad I skipped it! But these will be made out of home made candy corn crayons for the kids party favors. Can not wait to do this!!

 

We did some shopping yesterday at Publix! I am trying to get him started on some whole milk but he doesn't seem to like it very much. He needs it though for his bones, so if anyone has some suggestions let me know! I am going tomorrow to get him some organic vanilla flavored some hopefully this will help! I also thought maybe heating it up may help as well.

Also Target has out Halloween mac and cheese! It has pumpkin, bat and ghosts shaped noodles. It's so adorable and the kids will love it! At least Cooper did! It's only a dollar, so this would be awesome for a Halloween party as well.

And Cooper having some cheese, banana and turkey slices for lunch today! Also my child loves broccoli!! LOVES it. Just like his mama loving beans, rice and broccoli! I am so blessed he loves to eat healthy and loves anything. Hopefully this will continue and he won't get too picky. (;

 

I wanted to show two more things! The first picture his Coopers Christmas tie from Etsy that came a few days ago! It's a iron on, so can't wait to work with this! And the next photo is a baby food jar with gold fish snacks in it. I just wanted to say that baby food jars are the absolute best things to put snacks in when your on the road! If you have more than one kid, give each of the kids one to themselves! It's just enough for them and easy to carry along (:

Thanks for looking guys and please keep the prayers coming! I appreciate them all and God bless you all. I hope everyone has a good rest of the week and weekend (: