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Payton
We rarely go on dates that require leaving the house and getting a babysitter so we have to improvise a bit and get creative when we want to spend time together (watching The Office on Netflix). Don’t get me wrong, I love seeing an actual movie in a theater or going to a nice restaurant but we also like spending time with our daughter and I’m sure my mom could use a baby-sitting break because she has 8 grand-kids and 2 great-grandchildren.
Look at those cuties. So young. So energetic. No bags under their eyes. Haha.
I thought I’d share with you my 5 favorite date-at-home ideas for when you can’t find a baby sitter but you desperately need some time with your hubby. Our toddler goes to bed pretty early at 6:30pm. No we aren’t mean, she literally can’t keep her eyes open past 6:30 and if we try to keep her up past then, she turns into a fire breathing dragon and we must face her wrath. This leaves our evenings freed up which is wonderful for date nights at home.
I just love a good routine and even though my evening routine looks much different than it did before having a baby, it still leaves plenty of time to get everything done, spend time with the family and have some self care.
My evening routine begins the second I get off work, usually about 4:30. I pick up Isla from daycare at about 4:50 and then we head home.
I’m still carrying a diaper bag for outings that last more than a few hours. If it’s a short trip then I’ll just throw some diapers and wipes in my purse and go. My daughter is about to be 15 months old and still feel like I need a few items when we go out for the day. It puts me at ease knowing that I’m prepared for diaper blows outs with a change of clothes or medicine if she gets sick.
The Bag
The diaper bag that I use is the backpack from LAND. We had a similar one before this one and it was not made as well. This one was purchased from Amazon and you can find it here. It seems like it’s much better quality and the gray color stays clean. It has nice pockets inside that are water proof and big pouches for bottles/ snacks or whatever you want.
This is not your average travel post that tells you to buy an international outlet adapter. You likely already know that. This post is about the more uncommon travel tips that I’ve picked up over the years. This post will hopefully help you be a more prepared traveler for your first time or eighth time across the pond.
You are here because, like me, you tend to be an over packer or not an organized packer. I too used to pack 30 t-shirts, 4 swimsuits, no pants, ski suit and 5 pairs of wool socks. I remember the days of not having a packing list and trying to cram as much stuff into my giant suitcase for a 3 day trip. This is not realistic when traveling and in order to lighten your load, I’m going to tell you why and how you can pull off traveling for at least a week in nothing but a carry-on, or a backpack for that matter.
Aldi is my go to grocery store, but my favorite time to go is during the holidays because they have so many wonderful items that normally are not available. I cannot live without these! The list below shows off my top 5 must-have holiday treats from Aldi.
Isla just had her first birthday in October and let me tell you, our house is jam-packed at the moment because she got a rocking horse, a cozy coupe car, and a bunch of smaller toys. What I’m planning on doing in the weeks leading up to Christmas is a little toy clear out with the intention to donate some of her stuff that she doesn’t use anymore or has outgrown. We are doing a few smaller gifts for Isla and some stocking-stuffers this year. She has so much stuff that i’m kind of dreading go through it all.
She will be 14 months old by the time Christmas rolls around so it will be much more fun than last year. She kind of knows what is going on this year. Well, she knows that she likes to open presents. I can’t wait to be Santa, you guys. I might even dress up but I will most definitely eat the peanut butter cookies that I make for him.
These are the items I have purchased for her for this year: I’ve also posted the links to each to make it even more helpful. I’m not including shoes or clothes in this list because I feel like that should be a separate post. This list is for toys only.
Update: I did a post on what books I got Isla for Christmas and you can find that list here.
Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase.
1-My First Stacking Cups:
My girl loves to stack things. Need I say more? These are such a simple and great gift. They are compact when stacked and travel well in the diaper bag or my purse.
2-Endangered Species by Sud Bath Crayons:
Isla loves to play in the bath and the only thing I’m worried about with these is her trying to eat them but I never leave her in the bath so it shouldn’t be a problem. I plan to use these to write letters and shapes and let her draw some in the bathtub. These are made of soap so don’t just leave them in the water – they will eventually dissolve. The manufacturer of these crayons donates a portion of the profits to wildlife conservation as well.
The countdown to Christmas is on and Trader Joe’s Holiday products have hit the shelves! These are a handful of my go-to items that I can’t leave the store without picking up.
- Advent Calendar – These are so great! They’re only 99 cents and they had several prints to choose from.
- Jingle Jangle – This is a mix of chocolate goodies that is great to keep in your pantry for when you have guests. I can’t live without chocolate pretzels during the holidays! So. Good.
- Gingerbread House Kit – Who has time to go to the store and find all the ingredients for a gingerbread house? Not this Mama. This kit includes everything you’ll need to make an amazing and customizable house! The best part- It was only $7.99!
- Hot Cocoa O’s-Who doesn’t want to start their day off with a bowl of hot chocolate flavored cereal? Haha. Seriously though, So good. Its like a more sophisticated Count Chocula.
- Hot Chocolate Spoons – These are 99 cents and come with marshmallows. Just add them to a mug of hot milk and you’re in business! I will have these in my Christmas eve box to enjoy with the family while we watch a Christmas movie.
Just so you know, I’m snacking on some jingle jangle mix while I type this.
Does anyone else find inspiration in the target dollar spot? I know I can’t be the only one. We live next to the target with the absolute best dollar spot. It’s always stocked up with seasonal goodies and usually a line of Starbucks armed mamas are trying to squeeze in and find some treasure.
On one such treasure hunt last week I found favor with the dollar spot and came home with 2 packages of these snowballs. They were $3 each and came with 10 snowballs in each bag.
I got to thinking about all that cute pom-pom garland I’ve seen all over Instagram on everyone’s tree and started reading tutorials on DIY pom poms. Who has time for that? Not this mama. So I bought these snowballs in hopes of making some faux pom pom garland.
Here is how I did it:
