The Ultimate Mother's Day Gift Giving Guide

1. Spa Treatments - Being a Mom can be stressful, so send her off to a spa or salon to relax and be pampered. If full day of massages and facials isn't in your budget, a mani-pedi at a local salon runs between $30-50 and is always greatly appreciated.
   
2. Cleaning Service - We do our best to keep the house clean, but with all the other things on our to-do lists, we don't always get it all done. Give Mom a break and have a professional come in. I promise it's worth it!
   
3. Pre-prepped Meals - Going out to eat of Mother's Day sounds like a great idea, but tends to be more work than it's worth; trying to get a reservation, waiting 2 hours to be seated, entertaining the kids, etc. If you want a gift that keeps giving, ready-to-cook meals are a sanity savor. (I highly recommend Simply Fine Gourmet! Not only do their meats taste amazing, but they are 100% natural and organic as well.)
   
4. Family Portraits - I've been hearing a lot of chatter about husbands who hate family photo sessions. If your last set of professional family pictures does not include ALL of your children, or is over 2 years old, this would be a gift. You don't have to be matchy-matchy (in fact, please don't), you don't even have to smile and pose, go to the beach or a park and just play. If you have a great photographer, they will get some amazing shots and every time you see them on the wall, you will remember what a great time you had that day.
   
5. Appreciation - This one is so simple, but so necessary. Recognize that the special Mom(s) in your life do a lot, then say "thank you". (Don't be afraid to repeat this one often. It doesn't have to be Mother's Day to tell her that you appreciate all that she does.)

Happy Mother's Day!

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Product Comparison: Toddler Trikes

This product comparison is inspired by my little one, who just turned 1! He has been trying to take his big sister's bike and has been begging to ride with the big (little) kids on our block and at the park for a while now.

My requirements for this tricycle search was that it had to be easy for me to push, but could grow with him. It also had to have a buckled seat belt, since I don't trust that he will stay on the seat all by himself, and it had to be able to adapt and grow with him. Lastly, the tricycle had to be under $100.

* This post contains affiliate links*

Little Tikes 3-in-1 Trike with Deluxe Accessories $84.99 

• • Three stages to grow with child: Guided, Learning and Independant
  • Removable shade canopy adjusts to any angle, padded seat and protective safety bar
  • Includes handypack for storage and seat adjusts to 4 positions to fit children of all sizes
  • Adjustable, detachable push handle that allows parents one-handed control, 5-point seat harness and protective safety bar
  • Non-slip pedals, Foot-rests fold away and detach, Durable metal and plastic construction; Extra Large storage bucket with dumping mechanism
  • 3.7 out of 5 star review on (affiliate link) Amazon

Joovy Tricycoo Tricycle

$89.99

• Ages 18 months and up to 44 pounds
• Fold-down footrest and removable baby surround arms provide stability 
• Parent push handle is removable and height adjustable from 32.5" to 38"
• Wheels are injection-molded with urethane treads, rolls quietly on most floors
• The pedal lock can be unlocked or locked to allow your child to freewheel or pedal by themselves
• 4.3 out of 5 star review on (affiliate link) Amazon

 Radio Flyer 4-in-1 Trike

               $99.97

• Ages 9 months - 5 years
• Removable wrap around tray for safety
• 3 point harness to keep infants safe
• Adjustable grow-with-me seat
• Pedals become footrests when pushed
• Features quiet ride tires
• easily converts from a stroller to a steering trike, learning-to-ride-trike, and finally a classic trike.
• 4.4 our of 5 star review on (affiliate link) Amazon

Fisher-Price 3-in-1 Trike
$99.98

• Ages 10 - 36 months
• Grows with your child
• Removable, padded, child restraints
• Removable, padded, character backrest and storage bag
• Removable, telescoping parent handle and canopy
• No-slip pedals and quiet-ride wheels
• 5 out of 5 star review on ToysRus.com

Disclaimer: The products mentioned above were ones that caught my attention on my search. I was not asked by any company to write about or include their products in my post. I was in no way compensated by any of these brands, however, if you choose to follow the affiliate links and purchase one of these products, we do stand to make a very small kick-back for linking to the website. The descriptions of the products shown above are taken straight from the companies' product descriptions and are not my opinion nor the opinion or endorsement of Baby Bump & Beyond, LLC.

If any companies are interested in a hands-on product review, you are always welcome to email me at heather@babybumpbeyond.com

How to Make an Uncommon iPhone Case

First off, I have to tell you how much I L-O-V-E my custom iPhone case from Uncommon! This is the 4th case I've ordered from the company and I've loved each one. 

My phone has become a permanent business card. Every time I hold it up to take a photo of the kids at the park or at dance class- there's my logo. When I'm at an event tweeting - there's my logo. And when I'm working out of the house, my phone goes face down on the table next to me, so that (you guessed it) my logo is right there. 

As a business owner and blogger, I've found that it's a great conversation starter. I have had tons of complements on my case and have had many people ask me where they can buy one (hence this post). Even better, though, are the times that people come up and say "Oh, YOU'RE Baby Bump & Beyond! I know you!!" or "I read you blog". That's when I get a big dopey smile and turn a little pink. Sometimes it feels like I'm talking to myself online, so it feels pretty great knowing that I'm not the only person that reads my little blog.

If you don't have your own business, not to worry. You can upload one of the many many adorable photos you have of your children, their artwork, your own artwork, a favorite quote, or they even have predesigned cases ready to go. You'll probably recognize some of the ready made designs if you've shopped in the Apple store, since Uncommon cases are sold there too.

I created my custom logo case in photoshop (which I use as a glorified paint app) by making a brown box and small green box on a white background, then added text and icons. Super simple! You can also add text to a ready-made design.

The possibilities are endless!

Seriously, check out how easy this is:

-->

I can't wait to show off my new custom case at Bloggy Boot Camp tomorrow!

*Disclaimer: I received a case in exchange for a blog post, however my opinions are 100% my own.  This post contains affiliate links. 

The Great Cloth Diaper Change 2013 - Yuma, AZ

We are excited to be co-hosting the first ever Great Cloth Diaper Change event in Yuma, AZ!

The Great Cloth Diaper Change is a Guinness World Record event that will be taking place on Saturday, April 20 at 11am in cities all over the world!

(We encourage you to look up a location near you.)

If you are in the Yuma area, we would love for you to join us at the First Christian Church. The first 25 participants will receive a goodie bag filled with samples and coupons and all participants will be entered to win giveaways from our fabulous sponsors!

For up to date information, RSVP here.

For more information about cloth diapers, click here and here.

Quick and Easy Easter Treats

Today I called my parents to get the recipe for these bird nests that I remember making as a kid. It was one of the many recipes that my mom had torn out of a magazine and added our family cookbook, however we never seem to be able to find it when we want it. We found similar recipes online, wich reminded me how easy this is to make! 

What you'll need:
Chinese Chow Mein Noodles (1 5oz can)
Butterscotch Chips (1 bag)
Egg shaped candy (Mini Cadbury eggs, jelly beans, etc)


Melt the butterscotch in a pan...






...like so.





Then add the crunchy chow mein noodles.

Don't worry if you break them while you are stirring.




Scoop out balls of butterscotch-y noodles and form them into nests.
*TIP* have a helper add the candies to the nests before they harden. That way they will stick in the nests and be easier for transporting.

They set up fairly quickly in the fridge and then they are ready to be served. Start to finish, I'd say this project takes about 20 minutes (without a helper).

The best part is that they don't have to be perfect!

Happy Easter,

My Morning Routine with #TonxCoffee

Those who know me, know that I am NOT a morning person. My husband and my son wake up ready to take on the day, but my daughter and I, we need our space and take our time waking up.

Laila's general morning routine involves some stretching before getting out of bed and getting dressed on her own. Then she checks on me and if I'm asleep still she will go downstairs and play quietly or draw pictures in her playroom. If I'm awake, she'll jump into bed with me and try to get some game time in on the iPad.

When I wake up, it's usually to an adorable little boy head-butting me in the face. That's when I know he's ready to start the day. I bring him downstairs and get him changed and dressed before sitting everyone down for breakfast.

Ok, I don't eat this well every morning,
but there is always coffee.

While the kids are eating, I sit in the oversized rocking chair next to them, taking advantage of the opportunity to check my emails, check in with the world via Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, and sip on my coffee. 

I normally don't think too much about my coffee, other than pouring copious amounts of carmel syrup, creamer, and whatever else to make it taste like...well, liquid candy. That is, at least, until I tried Tonx Coffee. I ran out of my usual sugary elixers and to my surprise, the coffee was sweet on it's own! 

This inspired me to do a little research on coffee to find out why Tonx Coffee is so much better than anything else I've ever tried before. 

Here's what I found: For starters, they source all the coffee beans themselves, so they have the best ingredients to begin with. Then they roast the beans, which is what brings out the flavors. Lastly, they package and ship directly to customers within hours of roasting, so that you receive fresh coffee beans at the peak of flavor. 

In my research I also found out that most of the coffee that is in stores is stale, which is why it tastes bitter.

Coffee is an experience, so we should want to drink good coffee, right?

Sign up for a free trial to see for yourself what a great cup of coffee tastes like!

**Full disclaimer: Tonx will ask for credit card and automatically subscribe users to the lowest monthly subscription unless they cancel. They provide very clear messaging and reminders (via email) before moving users to a paid subscription.

They believe that once you try their fresh coffee, you’ll want more!

The Tonx team is made up of experts with years of experience from seed to cup. They know that home-brewed coffee can be just as good as your favorite cafe. It’s not as hard as baristas make it out to be – but it all starts with fresh beans, which you can’t get if you buy bags of beans from grocery stores. Pre-ground coffee is even worse. Great coffee actually has very little to do with fancy gadgets and expensive gizmos. 

The best part? Your Tonx Coffee subscription is very easy to manage, and they have great customer service because we appreciate every customer. They will always be transparent with how your subscription is being managed, and it’s very easy to pause, cancel, or adjust your quantity for your needs. If you ever need tips or advice on how to get the most out of your coffee, they are always available to chat. 

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Tonx Coffee.

Tricks of the Trade: Crafting with Glitter

Last night, and into the early hours of this morning, I was working on a custom banner for a friend's baby's 1st birthday party. I, at some point, decided that it would be a great idea to add a glitter outline to all the letters to jazz them up and help them "pop". It all seemed like a genius make-it-work moment, until I realized that working with glitter means that glitter gets EVERYWHERE!

This little one year old is pretty special to me (her parents met at my daughter's birthday/superbowl party a couple years ago), so I don't mind the extra mess. Somewhere around 2 or 3 AM I vaguely remembered a trick using hairspray.

Now that I think about it, the trick was actually for sealing cards colored with chalk. The idea is that if you spray hairspray into the air, above your paper craft, the hairspray will lightly sprinkle over the paper and seal in the color, so that it won't smudge.

(Tip: aim the nozzle up towards the ceiling. If you spray directly at the paper, you get water droplets. However, if you spray upwards, the droplets become more evenly dispersed as they fall.)

Well, the same principals apparently work for glitter! The glitter was flaking off and I was sure that all the extra work I put into it wasn't going to last until the party today, but a few shots of hairspray was all it took.

For these glitter drenched butterflies, I sprayed directly on them and I can rub my finger across the top without any glitter flaking off!

I'll add more pictures of the full banner after the party. I don't want to reveal too much before the birthday girl and her family get to enjoy it first.


Happy Crafting!