04/11

Beach Days: Must-Haves For The Beach

Beach Must Have Accessories

We are heading to the beach soon. But, we can’t head to the salty shores without some of our favorite beach day accessories. Here we go…

  1. Phone Pouch - Keep that phone from heating up, as well as safe from the water (this pouch even floats).
  2. Elta Face Sunscreen - We’ve tried many face sunscreens, and this is by far our favorite. It works, and it feels light and smooth going on.
  3. Sunbum Sunscreen - This has been our favorite sunscreen for years. It’s free of some chemicals, and we love the smell. If your scalp gets fried like ours does, this is a great hair sunscreen mist by Sunbum, as well.
  4. Foldable Buckets - Sand toys are a must with kids at the beach. Be sure to save space with these collapsible buckets. Mesh bags, and shovels are clutch, too.
  5. JBL portable and waterproof speaker - We love our JBL speakers. We don’t travel without them – we use them at the beach, at the park, golf course and hiking in the Rocky Mountains.
  6. Stanley Water Bottle - We finally brought our own water bottles from home last spring, and it was life-changing. The water stays nice and cold, it’s easy to carry with the handle, plus dishwasher-safe to clean (big WIN).
  7. Cooler backpack - This is a big investment, so if not a yeti, buy a backpack cooler to keep water and snacks close by. Another great brand made in the USA is Cordova.
  8. Sunglasses – We love our Quay, Goodr as well as our favorite Italian brand, Carrera, sunnies.
  9. Surfer Dude - Great toy for the kids. The little surf toy rides the ways all day long.
  10. Splash UNO - This is a fun pool-side game to play. The cards won’t get ruined by water splashes, so the UNO competition pool-side will remain strong all day.
  11. Beach Bag - Jodi has this, and it’s adorable both on and off the beach.
  12. Hat - Protect your face with a hat. This Salty Crew trucker hat is so cute, and I think I have to add it to my cart.
  13. Neso beach tent - This tent is amazing. We use it on our family vacations in Florida, and it provides good coverage, very portable and it’s stronger than an umbrella against that beach breeze.
  14. Birkenstock sandals: Jodi and Jess both own a pair of these, and want them in all the colors. So comfortable and versatile. We wear them 24/7 by the beach, and all summer long.
  15. (Not pictured) Utility Wagon - Traveling with kids means traveling with a whole bunch of stuff! This wagon has saved us so many times walking from the beach to the condo. Load ‘n go.

Have fun in the sun!

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02/08

Non-Candy Valentine’s Day Treats for Kids (Plus Free Printables)

Valentine’s Day is coming up. We have a fun post coming up for girlfriends (with a sense of humor), but today is all about the kids. This year, we’re doing a sports theme, with Star Wars intertwined, too. The kids get inundated with candy, so we like to do non-candy options when we can. There are so many amazing ideas, including Parachutes, slap bracelets, cars, straws, slime, popcorn and tattoos.

Hope you have an all-star Valentine’s Day!

Slam Dunk Valentine’s for your baller – The pens are from Amazon – order them now and you will get them in time. Free printable available here.

you're a slam-dunk - kids valentine and basketball pen

Star War’s Chopsticks - Jessica’s boys got these light up light saber chopsticks for Christmas in their stocking and love, love them. They eat with them, and also play with them. If your son or daughter would prefer a keychain or headlamp, this light up Lego keychain is awesome too.

Star Wars light up chopsticks

Star Wars light up chopsticks - gift idea for Star Wars fans

Tennis LOVE – for your tennis star, these are adorable tennis keychains (you will also get these in time).

tennis LOVE keychain for valentines day

You Light Up My Life: For the kids who love to doodle, write, or journal, these are fun light up pens that can be used everyday. These finger lights are also cute for elementary age kids. Free printable available here.

light up pens for valentines day - you light up my life

Let’s take a trip down DIY Valentine’s Day memory lane. Maybe you will see something you like…

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12/14

Let’s Get Lit: DIY Paper Lanterns for Kids

diy paper lanterns-holiday kids craft

It’s that time of year when Pinterest overwhelms us with fun and crafty ideas to get in the festive holiday spirit. There’s so many creative people in the world who share such amazing ideas, it’s hard to narrow it down to our favorites. We want to do them all. Every year, this DIY lantern remain a top holiday craft for our families. We can’t take credit for this idea. A local library and art business host this craft every year in Vail, then the kids walk through the village with their lit lanterns. It’s a favorite tradition for all ages. There’s always something magical about lights, and when our kids artwork is illuminated, it’s even more special.

You can use various mediums with this project including water colors, acrylics, or tissue and mod Podge. Tissue and mod podge, along with water colors were our kids favorite. Order these items this week to get them in time for Christmas break! It’s really fun to get kids together for an afternoon of art, especially when it’s cold outside.

Let’s light up the night sky this season with magical DIY paper lanterns.

DIY Paper Lanterns

Materials:

  • Paper lanterns
  • Tissue paper, scissors and Mod Podge (these cut outs are a great option for tissue paper)
  • Watercolor paints, and paintbrushes
  • Acrylic paints
  • Light (this or this will work)
  • Pipe cleaners (you need to hang the light inside, and also to hold and hang on a tree, or hook)

Directions:

Step 1: Open the lantern, and add wire to keep it open

Step 2: If you choose to use tissue paper and Mod Podge, cut the tissue paper into various shapes. Add Mod Podge to the lantern, add tissue paper and then cover with a thin layer of Mod Podge.

If you choose to use paint, then let your creative side take over so you can create a winter masterpiece.

Step 3: Insert the pipe cleaner through the mini light, and then hang from the internal wire. Also, add a pipe cleaner to the top two wire circles to hang the lantern.

Step 4: Find a special spot to hang it. This makes a fantastic gift for grandparents, too. You can press try to press it down when the season is over, and hang it next year.

diy paper lantern for kids - holiday craft

 

diy paper lantern to make with kids - holiday season craft

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12/01

‘Tis The Season to Bee Joyful: Honey Gift Idea + Free Printable

bee joyful holiday gift tag-local Colorado honey

Last week, we thanked teachers, friends and family with a Thanks Fir Everything label to go along with Frasier Fir scented all-purpose cleaner. It makes cleaning smell so good! Today, we have another FREE holiday label for you + a sweet gift idea for this holiday season! We’re sharing a BEE JOYFUL label to go along with a honey-themed gift! It’s the sweetest!

We purchased local Colorado honey from Bjorn’s Colorado Honey this season. To go along with the honey, we bought adorable honeycomb waffle makers (for less than $12, these are must buy). Next, we made cute labels. You can either print the label on sticker paper, or attach it with a tag. These two items are great price points – the honey is $14 and up. The waffle maker is just $12. So you can buy both, or one or the other, but the label works either way! Get the free labels below (6 per sheet).

You still have time to order these gifts, especially the honey. That’s the beauty of ordering small and local. It’s not made in China. :)  If you don’t live in Colorado, they will ship to you. It arrives quickly, and they have deals happening right now.

bee joyful colorado honey -holiday gift and free printable

We bought raw local Colorado honey for tea, baked goods and cooking. We also bought Propolis Honey. Propolis, sometimes called bee glue, is a mixture of plant sap, beeswax, and honeybees’ natural enzymes that helps keep the beehive in one piece, and prevents the growth of fungus. For humans, propolis has benefits, too. The flavonoids function as antioxidants, which helps with free radicals (can reduce risk of cancer), it’s a natural anti-histamine, has anti-inflammatory properties, and it’s rich in B-complex vitamins. Plus, it has anti-microbial properties, as well. Um, yes please. A tablespoon a day is what the bee ordered.

bee joyful free printable and gift idea - honey and honeycomb waffle maker

colorado honey gift

bee joyful free labels - holiday gift idea

You can download the Merry Christmas free label is here. And, the Happy Holidays free label is here.

Happy gifting!

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11/29

Beauty Gift Guide

beauty gift guide - stocking stuffers

Last week we shared our gift guide for men, then we shopped for the women in our lives with our women’s gift guide and now we have fabulous beauty finds in our beauty gift guide. Many of them make excellent stocking stuffers, and most are some of our tried and true favorites. Let’s get right to it.

  1. Uncle Bud’s HempFace Mask: Jenna does this face mask weekly, and has been obsessed with it for over a year.
  2. JR watkins hand cream: This lotion smells wonderful (several scents to choose from), and it’s a rich cream for those dry, winter hands. Jessica keeps one next to her bed, and Jennas keeps one in her purse at all times.
  3. Sara Happ lip gloss: This is a pretty shade of pink for those luscious lips.
  4. Nars cream blush and eys stick: This make up stick is a make-up bag necessity. We’ve had it for years, and use it for blush, and sometimes eye too.
  5. Rosebud Salve: Dry lips no more with this set of lip balms.
  6. Living Proof Dry Shampoo: Jessica has oily hair and has tried many different brands of dry shampoo to combat the grease, and this is her favorite. This is the best dry shampoo we’ve found and perfect for those non-shower days.
  7. Billie razor: This is our favorite razor. Jessica has been using for over a year. They send refills every 6 months or so. One less thing to think about from the store, and a colorful package that arrives in the mail at just the right time (you can set the frequency).
  8. Dime perfume sampler set: Try all the lovely scents in this set for $20. This is a great gift for those teens in your life.
  9. Native deodorant: Keep the smells at bay with a more natural approach (aluminum free), and it smells yummy. We use this everyday.
  10. Botanic Tree Glycolic face wash: This is our favorite face wash. It’s affordable, smells good, and has small beads for exfoliation.
  11. Steamer and exfoliator: This is on our list this year for that at-home steaming, following by exfoliation and black head removal. Can’t wait to try it.
  12. This is not in the photo above, and we cannot even believe we forgot it when we put together the collage, but these Mighty Hero acne patches are our nightly heroes. These are amazing for tweens, teens and husbands, too. Seriously, amazing!

Happy shopping.

 

*this post contains affiliate links. 

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