Lightning McQueen Day 2019

Lightning McQueen Day 2019 

 This post is sponsored by Mattel, but all opinions are my own.

Obsessed is an understatement! 

Our little guy could play with his cars allllllllllllll day long! When I found out there is actually such a thing as “Lightning McQueen Day” you know I decided we have to celebrate! We set up the @Mattel Disney Pixar Cars race around Radiator Springs play set and the whole crew of cars, made some race car sandwiches and made a party out of it! 

Life doesn’t have to be grandiose or over the top to be celebrated. I love to celebrate these every day moments with my children while doing something that they love. 

I’m always amazed at how much this imaginary play teaches them self-helping skills and keeps them entertained for so many hours. It’s critical for little ones to have this play experience and sometimes we forget how simple it can be. 

Grab your friends, children, and all of your cars and explore the world of Cars today! It will be something that your little ones remember.  

We had such a fun time forgetting about the tasks at hand today and simply playing, lining up cars by color, laughing, and learning as we played. It is so worth it! 

I have a feeling we will be collecting even more Disney Pixar car sets and vehicles. This is only the beginning for our cars loving boy!! Check out the Mattel Disney Pixar cars toys at Walmart or here http://bit.ly/2HisZvu1 

Happy Lightning McQueen day! 

LET THE RACES BEGIN!!!!!!!!! 

Simple Scripture Advent

I have worked hard to take bits of pieces from many different advents to create a SIMPLE Christ centered advent for families (or anyone for that matter). It’s nothing fancy or beautifully decorated. I didn’t even type it in a fancy font.  I just felt so passionate about creating something that families can do to celebrate the story of Christmas together but feel NO pressure to be creative, fancy, Pinterest-y, etc! (Don’t get me wrong I loooove all the fluffy stuff too!) 
It’s so easy to get caught up in Christmas time “must do’s” elves, activities, presents, craft projects etc. this is simply ONE SCRIPTURE A DAY to read about Christ and his birth. I included ideas for treats or little gifts to go with the stories each day, if you’re into that. We have done this for a few years now and love the simplicity of it. 

I remember as a young girl being so excited to pull out a special ornament/trinket from our wooden advent calendar. It was the same ornaments every year, and I looked forward to it more than anything! So simple, yet so special. I hope you can make some memories with this advent and take a minute to focus on Christ without the hustle and bustle of the season. 

Xoxo 
Blakely 


Here are the scriptures with ideas for items representing each verse. 

Dec.1- Luke 1:26-27 ( small angel wings, paper wings, I made my daughter gold paper wings for her doll) 

Dec. 2 - Matthew 1:18 (ring, or ring pop) talking about engaged, Joseph & Mary. 

Dec. 3- Luke 1:46-53 { these are  short verses} Mary's song (music box, any musical instrument, target dollar spot has the cutest little wooden bells right now, sheet music, iTunes card etc) 

Dec. 4- Matthew 1:20- (white angel, anything white, or little trinkets representing dreams) 

Dec.5- Matthew 1:21 (cross, or anything with a world/globe representing the SAVIOR of the world) 

Dec.6- Matthew 1:22-23 (bridge or string, representing Jesse bridging the gap between heaven and earth.)

Dec.7- Luke 2:4 ( house of David- line of lineage)

Dec.8- Luke 2:5 (horse, pony, donkey) 

Dec.9- micah 5:2 (Lion toy- representing Judah or purple stickers, jewels etc. Representing royalty) 

Dec.10- Luke 2:6-7 (baby, anything representing baby Jesus)

Dec.11- Luke 2:7 ( soft cloth, blanket, scarf, cute Kleenex, etc. "Wrap/swaddling") 

Dec.12- Isaiah 9:6 (peace sign anything, prince of peace)

Dec.13- Luke 2:8-11 (sheep, finger puppet, shepherds hook candy cane)

Dec.14- Luke 2:12 ( hay or straw, thin licorice could be straw)

Dec.15- Luke 2:13-14 (bag of small gold rings, halos- the small oranges, representing multitude of angels) 

Dec.16- Luke 2:15-18 (bells, or anything representing spreading the word) 

Dec.17-psalm 95:6 ( pretzels for arms folded or pretty rocks/sand play dough for kneeling on the ground in prayer) 

Dec.18-Luke 2:19-20 , 33-35 (anything with a heart, heart candy, ornament, representing Mary's heart/emotions) 

Dec.19- Luke 2:21 (the name Jesus,)

Dec.20- Luke 2:22-24 (feathers, doves, dove chocolate, anything bird related) 

Dec.21- Luke 2:25-32 (mr. Potatoe head, eyes, glasses, small toy kaliedescope anything representing  revelation of Jesus as Christ the savior to Simeon and all the people )

Dec.22- Matthew 2:1( little note to child rolled up like a scroll, small book, representing the wisdom of the magi) 

Dec.23- Matthew 2:1-2 crown, necklace, representing Jesus being the king of all kings 

Dec.24- Matthew 2:9-10 (star- anything star to represent following the star. Glow in the dark ceiling stars) 

Dec.25- Matthew 2:11 ( three small boxes or bags representing the three gifts of the magi- gold, etc. ) 

Maclaren double Stroller for travel. Disneyland tips!

We recently went on a family vacation to Disneyland. With three little ones, packing flying, transportation, etc. has it’s challenges. We’ve had quite an adventurous life thus far, so traveling with our kids has become just part of life. I’ve learned a few things that make it easier. It’s still

Not seamless, and it will not always go as planned, but here’s something to simplify and help a bit.

A topic that I could research and think about for a long long time- strollers. There are strollers for jogging, strolling, comfort, multiple children, multiple use, strollers for  tight packing, etc. it’s overwhelming. We have tried so many strollers through the past six years, and I have come to conclude there’s not just ONE perfect stroller. (They can’t just make it easy on us and have one super-magic stroller that can be and do anything ha ha!) depending on what you need it for, there are many options. 

We’ve learned as we travel via airport, it is such a pain to take apart strollers with multiple seats and pieces. We have tried many options and this time we found the most convenient AMAZING Maclaran double stroller. It is umbrella style, which is SO convenient for airport travel. When you get to security it folds up in a quick minute, there are no separate parts. When arriving at the gate, it’s always stressful to get everything taken care of while boarding the plane. Here again the stroller folds up in one step and as a mom with only two hands, it’s easy to do. 

It fits so compactly into the back of our car or any traveling situation. 

We always need two seats, so that’s key here. The storage space underneath is also important because we somehow always have so much stuff - wink wink.

We’ve loved Maclaren for years and had never tried their double stroller until now. My parents bought this blue and red Maclaren stroller for my nephew when he was a baby, 11 years ago!!! It’s still in great shape and basically a family heirloom ha! It’s fabulous! Would recommend it for anyone. 

We love the quality of Maclaren, it’s unbeatable. 

I’m so excited to be doing a giveaway with them. We are giving away a stroller!!!! To enter head to my Instagram page @blakely.b 

Kids labels, stocking stuffers with Name bubbles

Guys, I've discovered some super awesome labels for all of your needs. Name bubbles

These labels are great. They are perfect for toys, clothes, water bottles, sports gear, camp items, pool gear, yo name it. They are dishwasher, laundry, microwave and freezer safe. SO basically once you put them on , yo don't have to worry again. 

I can't even count how many times we have misplaced a dance shoe at the dance studio and trying to track them down is not easy...... hundreds of ballet shoes. If they had their names on them it would have been much easier to track them down. 

I'm also loving these other labels, the write on labels. They're so great for food storage, pantry's, toy organization ( hunt... new years resolutions here). They are just awesome and so useful. There is something special to kids about having their name on things too. These are great stocking stuffers for something other than candy or toys. 

12 Days of Toys Giveaway- Cuddle and Kind Doll

Hi there. It's been a while since I hopped on the ol' blog. 

I figured there's no better time than now to get a post up for the Holidays. 

I am SO thrilled to be joining The Chirping Moms for their 12 Days of Toys Giveaway series!!!

Today I'm hosting the giveaway and it's a gooooooood one. 

We have been fans of Cuddle and Kind since they first opened a few years ago. 

They are AMAZING!! The quality is phenomenal, cutest characters, and most of all they are ethically made and with each doll purchased- 10 meals are provided for children in need. 

Now tell me that isn't a win, win? The most darling handmade dolls + helping another child. 

I am so proud of this family owned business and the way they have built their platform. 

TO ENTER THE GIVEAWAY 

Head to my Instagram page HERE

Once you're there:

1. Like the photo

2. Comment tagging 2 friends

3. For an extra entry you can repost the photo and tag @blakely.b

Owlet Smart Sock 2

So, I have to start off this blog post with a little preface, I am totally one of those moms who literally hovers over her new baby as they sleep for those first few weeks, (ok months, ok maybe years ha ha ha!) 

Anyways, like many parents, I always worry while my babies sleep at night. I end up losing sleep myself. While those sweet little babies are finally sleeping, I couldn't quite get the right sleep myself. 

I heard about the owlet smart sock after my second baby, and I couldn't believe what an awesome idea it was. This time around, with baby Johnny, we've had the owlet smart sock 2, and it's been a complete game changer! Comfort, peace of mind, and sleep, what a difference it has made for us.

This sock is designed to notify you if your baby's heart rate or oxygen fall outside the preset zones. It fits so easily and comfortable on either the right or left foot.The app has been enhanced and updated, making it extremely user-friendly, and the Bluetooth range is now able to reach up to 100 feet between the smart sock and the owlet base station.

I was worried we might be dealing with false notifications often, but we have actually only had the notification one time and it was accurate. That made me feel so relieved.

I have to say, I knew this was a going to be a great product before I even tried it, but it has exceeded my expectations and brought a peace of mind that I really couldn't have known. }

Owlet provided me an Owlet Smart Sock 2 to facilitate this review. All opinions (and much needed peace of mind) are my own.