Author: jordan

  • Ballerina Birthday

    Ballerina Birthday

    Ok guys, you’ve been SO patient with me while I edited the 24,000,000 pictures I took at Ardyn’s 4th “Ballet” Birthday Party (…and I may have gotten a little lazy on the last 1,000,000 photos) BUT-they’re done. So without further ado, here are the deets and links!

    And if you love what you see, help a girl out and go right ahead and pin that little bad boy down alllllllll the way down at the bottom! 😉

    For starters I had NO idea what kind of party to throw Ardyn this year. Usually we are in California over her birthday and we skip “a party” and celebrate by doing something fun with her cousins. But this year, she actually asked for a party with her friends, for the first time. And although this may seem a bit extravagant for a four year old’s birthday, let me just say that this is actually the first real birthday party she’s ever had. (We celebrated her first birthday with a few close family friends at a play center- but I’m counting THIS as her first “real birthday party”! )

    Anyways, I was calling around to local dance centers because I wanted to switch the girls’ dance studio where they take ballet. I found this local one and knew how gorgeous and bright the rooms were- so, before I hung up with the receptionist I asked if they ever host birthday parties. She said no…BUT that the studios were available to rent hourly. So…the planning began! Tip: Always ask if a place you love “rents out their space”. Just because they don’t officially “host” parties doesn’t mean you can’t make it work!

    The lady told me I could hire an instructor to help run the party and we basically went from there! Our instructor ran an hour long dance class for the girls and then we followed with 30 minutes for lunch & cake! The timing was perfect & the girls were occupied the entire time! I included links to all the vendors below as well as some party planning and decor tips! enjoy

    We had these gorgeous tutus from Trevi Ave Co. available for girls to put on for the party and then take home as favors! They were a hit. AND Trevi Ave Co. is offering YOU GUYS an exclusive discount: 10% off orders $26.99+, ends 4/1/18. Use code: JORDANANDCO! My girls wear these around the house for dress up and to dance class all the time! They are so adorable!

    The incredibly gorgeous “Let’s Twirl” banner (along with all the food cards & wand tags) were done by the talented Alexandra over at Lady Bird Paper Co.  Seriously, go click on that link…her work is amazing!!!

    The leaf garland was an old find in the Target dollar section last year. The cute little rack was an Amazon find! I loved that it had two heights. I put it on the lower one so that it was right at the kiddos level!

    Ardyn’s outfit and crown are by Plum NYC. (She is wearing a size 4)

    To put the main cake table together, I contacted my girl Amy from Pearl and Jane. She is my GO-TO for all garlands and all things pretty. I gave her my theme and a few inspiration pics and she put together the most gorgeous package of goodies! The pink tutu puff garland, the “Tutu cute” banner, the gold star garland, and the “Tiny Dancer” chair garland were all by Pearl & Jane!. She is SO incredibly talented and you might recognize her work from all of my monthly “Book Nook” posts!

    To put the backdrop together, I use large command hooks on the studio walls (got permission first) and then hung this cheap white ruffle shower curtain up, and then this cute iridescent fringe curtain from Shop Sweet Lulu over it. Then I layered with my Pearl and Jane garlands and added some balloon arrangements from Balloons Everyday to either side!

    The adorable wands pictured above were by a new little shop I discovered browsing Etsy one day. It’s called Spartan54 and they were so great to work with! I loved how these little wands came out and the girls were SO excited to take one home with their Trevi Ave Co tutus! AND, more good news…Spartan54 is offering you guys 15% off your order of $40.00 or more!! Use code: JORDANANDCO15

    The perfectly dainty food name cards, and the wand favor tags, again, were by the talented Lady Bird Paper Co!

    The pink letter board was a find at my local Hobby Lobby!

    The tables and chairs I unfortunately had to rent. I got them from Big D Party Rentals. They were great but got stuck in traffic and arrived with all of my tables, chairs and table clothes (that needed to be decorated) TEN minutes before the party started! Thank GOD I had my whole family there to help set up!

    Fake flowers, feathers, pink gauze runner – Hobby Lobby | Swan Plates | Crown Party Hats | Placemats | Pink Stripe Napkins | Confetti | Leaf Twine – old from Target | Glass milk jugs | pink paper straws | Cookie on top of milk jar for an extra little treat! 😉 | Swan centerpiece | Giant Balloons | Tiny Dancer Chair Banner | Pink Dipped Wooden Forks|

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    The cake was custom from Society Bakery.  HOWEVER, I’m not linking them, nor am I recommending them…I need a new cake shop. Anyone local got one for me?! The customer service was awful, the cake was not cheap, and the frosting literally started falling off the cake halfway through the party. We had to rush the girls to sing “Happy Birthday” before the cake was completely ruined. It was the craziest thing…just as if the frosting was full-on melting off of the cake. I’ve never seen anything like it- and the room was NOT hot!!!

    The GORGEOUS fondant ballet slippers I ordered from Wonder Cake Deco and they literally MADE the cake!!! Society Bakery doesn’t do fondant either…another reason I need to go elsewhere!

    The signed ballet slipper was from our first trip to see the Nutcracker, we bought this slipper worn & signed by the Sugar Plum Fairy. It’s one of the girls most prized possessions!2018-03-10_0008Q’s outfit: Trevi Ave Co & Cute Bird Accessories Bow!

    2018-03-10_00092018-03-10_0010These wands from Spartan54 were totally a hit!! The tag from Lady Bird Paper Co says “you are tutu sweet for coming!”

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    Food Ideas:

    (we did a play on words with some ballet terms)

    “demi” donuts: white powdered donuts

    “ballet school of fish” : pink goldfish

    “pink puffs”: cotton candy on ice cream cones

    “tutti frutti”: fruit platter

    “tea sandwiches”: mini sandwiches from Corner Bakery

    “perfectly pink popcorn”: popcorn, yogurt dipped pretzels & pink marshmallow mix,

    2018-03-10_0013Do you not die over the little girlies picking out their tutus?! I cannot!2018-03-10_00122018-03-10_0014

    A few fun images from the dance class. Our instructor was incredible!2018-03-10_00192018-03-10_00202018-03-10_00212018-03-10_0022

    And then it was time for lunch & cake!

    (Bonus points if you can spot the “melting cake” in the pictures!!)

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    And then I took a million pictures with these gorgeous balloons (that were too big to come home with us) before we left. Balloons Everyday really does a superb job! We use them for all our parties! As we were leaving the girls asked if they could send one up to PopPop since he couldn’t be there to celebrate. Gah- that gets me everytime.

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    And there you have it! I think it’s safe to say that Cub enjoyed herself…seeing as how she fell asleep about 0.05 seconds after hitting the car!

    I hope you found this party guide helpful! I know a lot of you mentioned that you were also throwing Ballerina parties and wanted all the links and inspiration you could get. Honestly, I worked with some of the most incredible vendors and I HIGHLY recommend all of them for any of your party needs…ballerina or otherwise!

    LoveJordan

    pin me2018-03-10_0027

  • Motherhood Musings

    When I was in college I was a nanny for the most amazing family. I’ll never forget, one morning, when I was bringing the boys to school, I saw another mom dropping off her daughter. I saw her a lot. But on this morning, something just struck a chord with me. She was in…well, let’s be nice and call it “activewear”, but I’m pretty sure it was just full-on pajamas. Her hair was a mess, no makeup on, coffee in hand. She had obviously walked from her house to the school for drop off, and had her youngest babe in a wagon, wearing footie pjs, eating puffs out of a little cup. And this mom, she was so dang HAPPY-  hugging her biggest babe, telling her to have a great day, and smiling at her littlest babe in the wagon- just loving life. I remember I went home that day and told my best friend/roommate about it. I said, “I just want that. I can’t wait for that.” I must’ve been maaaybe 20 years old.

    Fast forward waaaaaay too many years, a marriage to the same guy I was dating at the time I saw that sweet hot mess of a mom, a move across the country, years of struggling with infertility, new houses, new friends, and then, finally…babies. Three babies! It’s been six years since I became a mommy. SIX years of love and pure bliss, but also exhaustion and work and mayhem and just- life. The days fly by and most days I’m struggling to get it all done. And although sometimes, through the joys of social media, it LOOKS like I get it all done, like I have my shit together- really, I don’t.

    I try- but I don’t.

    If I’m throwing Cubby an elaborate birthday celebration, you don’t the see the shambles that my house is in: boxes and helium tanks and tissue paper and hot glue guns still sitting on the counter from crafting party favors. When we take an amazing trip you don’t see the piles and piles and (ok- mountains!) of laundry that sit and sit- sometimes for weeks, waiting to get done. When it looks like I’ve got this “mom thing” down pat, you don’t see the notebooks full of lists of all the collaborations and projects and posts and photos and emails that all need to get written and edited and answered. It’s a lot- as I’m sure you ALL know; a juggling act 100%- this motherhood thing. And sometimes we can get lost in that mountain of laundry, in that enormous looming to-do list. We get buried and can feel like we are just in “survival mode” each and every day- with the end goal being to just get through another day. To get ALLTHETHINGS done.

    But today, I got Ardyn all dressed for school in the new sparkle unicorn headband a friend gave her for her birthday that she just HAD to wear, I grabbed her school tote, her coat, my coffee, and Max and headed out the door. I could hear Ardyn singing as she was getting herself buckled in the car and I started singing along with her. She rudely told me to stop because I was ruining the song and I started laughing so hard. That girl freaking cracks me up! And then I caught a glimpse of myself in the reflection of the window. A messy nest of hair that hasn’t been washed in days, no makeup, my pajama top paired with yoga pants, coffee in one hand, my baby in the other, his chubby dimpled hand gripping my arm, and a huge smile on my face. And all I could see was her. That mom. And it hit me-I am her. I’m the happy hot mess of a mom that I wanted SO desperately to be all those years ago.

    And I’ve rambled for so long and I’m just now realizing that I don’t really have a point…. so I’ll just end by saying this:

    Sometimes, we just need a reminder- a reminder that there was a time when all we ever wanted was what we currently have. Today I got that reminder. Screw the laundry and the lists. There will be a day when the house will be quiet, when I’ll have all the time in the world for those things, when my house will be impeccable with not one Peppa Pig figurine on the floor…and life will be filled with other, different exciting things. But today is not that day. And I’m insanely happy about that.

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    LoveJordan

  • Royal Baby Collection

    Ok, friends- whether YOU are having a baby or you know someone who IS, I’ve got you covered! I’ve paired some items from Baby Boden’s brand new lines: A Very British Baby Collection and Baby Cashmere Collection (click those links to browse!) with a few of the sweetest baby trinkets I could find, to make sure you’ll win all the gift-giving prizes…and if it’s for your own baby- your future self will thank you, I promise! 😉

    These pieces were designed in London to celebrate a certain little high profile arrival…and let me tell you- they are SO CUTE!!!  When my babes outgrow their clothes, I always choose a select few of my absolutely favorites to save for them and these pieces would definitely be the ones that made it to the Memory Box!! (Especially that cashmere bonnet…OMG!)

    Anyways, these collections are LIMITED edition ….so shop now so that you don’t miss out! I mean, putting my kid in these outfits kiiiiiinda makes me feel like Kate Middleton & I are BFFS. And that’s never a bad thing, right?  😉

    Have fun shopping for all of your little Lords & Ladies!

    2018-03-06_0011Corgis Sleepsuit & Little Sapling Wooden Rattle

    2018-03-06_0006London Sleepsuit & London Opposites Board Book

    2018-03-06_0012London Printed Sleepsuit & Soldier Baby toy

    2018-03-06_0002Frilly Cashmere Jumper & Ballerina Doll

    2018-03-06_0007Cosy Cashmere Blanket & Jelly Cat Bunny

    2018-03-06_0005Cashmere Knitted Romper & Ten Little Fingers Book

    2018-03-06_0001Pointelle Cashmere Cardigan w/ Corgis Body Suit & LouLou Lollipop teether

    2018-03-06_0008Cashmere Bonnet & Birthday Letters Book

    2018-03-06_0009Pocket Cashmere Cardigan & Rabbit Doll

     

    2018-03-06_0010A few more sweet newborn items to add onto any gift set: Noodle & Boo Essential Care kit , Goumi mittens or booties, BlaBla Stuffed Doll, Hooded Towel

     

     

    Want More?

    View ALL The pieces from the Very British Baby Line HERE

    and

    ALL the pieces from the Cashmere Shop HERE

     

  • Easter & Spring Books

    Easter & Spring Books

    Spring & Easter Books are some of my favorites! All the pastel colors, the cute baby animals! Remember, think outside the box and don’t stress about building your collection overnight. Choose a few fun Easter books that catch your eye and then fill your Spring/Easter book nook with other books about warm weather, new beginnings, April showers & May flowers, gardening, ect. Short on those books too? Scour your book bins and set out any books that your kiddos haven’t had their hands on in a little while…bonus points if the covers are pretty pastels! 😉

    I’ve included a few different categories for this post so I hope you’ll find the perfect book- whether it’s for your library collection or for your kiddo’s Easter baskets!

    2020 FINDS

    EasterBooks2020

    The Great Egg-scape | E is for Easter |Easter is Coming |We are the Gardeners | The Honeybee |Goodbye Winter, Hello Spring |Wish |Eggs are Everywhere

     

    2019 FINDS

    Remember The Little Reindeer book I brought you in December and The Bad Seed I introduced a few Octobers ago? Well both authors have NEW books out for Spring this year. They were my two new purchases this spring and I think you’ll love them too! Too Many Carrots is another fun one we discovered this year!

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    The Little Rabbit |The Good Egg|Too Many Carrots

     

     

    Easter Specific Books

    I’ve included some cute newer releases as well as some Easter CLASSICS that I remember reading as a kid.

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    • Rechenka’s Eggs– When I taught third grade, I taught a whole unit on Patricia Polacco. She is a superb storyteller!!
    • The Country Bunny and the Little Gold Shoes – And old classic! Tells the story of how a new Easter Bunny is chosen once it is time for the old Easter Bunny to retire. Anyone can become The Easter Bunny- even this hard-working mama rabbit with 21 baby bunnies!
    • The Story of Easter – One of my favs, if you are looking for a religious tie-in. The illustrations bring me back to my childhood!
    • Wolfie The Bunny – A newer, sillier book- but super adorable!
    • The Easter Bunny’s Assistant– poor little skunk wants to help Easter Bunny get ready for Easter, but he just keeps getting a little TOO excited…will it result in the stinkiest Easter ever?!
    • The Biggest Easter Basket Ever – While trying to compete for the title of “Biggest Easter Basket” at their town festival, these two cute mice (from The Biggest Pumpkin Ever) learn a lesson in cooperation
    • The Easter Egg – It’s by Jan Brett, you guys!! This story is a beautiful classic!
    • The Golden Egg Book – A classic by Margaret Wise Brown (Big Red Barn, Goodnight Moon, etc.) about a sweet little bunny who just cannot rest until he finds out WHAT is inside an egg he finds.
    • The Easter Egg Artists – An old classic about an established bunny family of “easter egg decorators” whose son is discovering just what kind of artist he wants to be.

     

    Books with Bunnies

    (not Easter specific)

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    • The Tale of Peter Rabbit – I don’t think I need to explain this one!
    • Mr. Rabbit and the Lovely Present– Such a sweet story about a bunny who helps a little girl who is trying to find the perfect gift for her mother.
    • Home for a Bunny – Another Margaret Wise Brown classic, from 1956, about a little bunny’s journey to try and find the perfect home!
    • Marshmallow– Do you even care what this story is about?! Look at how CUTE the cover is!!! Ok fine, it’s basically about the cutest, most charming, most irresistible bunny ever. Seriously- that’s what it’s about.
    • Yoga Bunny – I mean, who DOESN’T do yoga these days? (me.)
    • The Runaway Bunny- Let’s just go ahead and call this the Margaret Wise Brown book list!  But seriously, this is the SWEETEST classic about a mama bunny who will find her baby bunny no matter how many times he runs away (while playing hide-and-seek) *Also fits in the “Baby Book” section below*
    • The Black Rabbit – super cute little book about a rabbit who is being “chased” by his shadow
    • Bunny Roo, I Love You – A sweet, sweet story about a mama’s love for her new baby! *Also fits in the “Baby Book” section below*
    • And perhaps, my very very VERY favorite Bunny story of ALL TIMES:

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    The Velveteen Rabbit

    I have my original edition and my brown bunny rabbit (that I truly believed was magical) from my childhood sitting on the bookshelves in our current playroom. LOVE this story so much!

     

     

    Springtime Books

    Since Easter is so early this year, we needed some non-Easter specific books to get us through the rest of the month once we’re feeling all Easter-ed out!2018-02-22_00032018-02-24_00042018-02-28_0002

    • Blueberries for Sal – a classic story that I always bring out for Spring/Summer
    • Make Way for Ducklings– another classic! And perfect for Springtime.
    • When Spring Comes – Kevin Henkes (author of Waiting) is such a wonderfully simple storyteller. *Buy this in the board book version and it fits perfectly in the “Baby Book” section below*
    • You Belong Here – a richly illustrated book that reminds children that they are right where they belong!
    • The Blue Songbird A beautiful book, written in prose, about setting out to find your destiny. An empowering and sweet story!
    • The Carrot Seed – From the creator of Harold and the Purple Crayon. A cute story about patience.
    • Hatch, Little Egg – EVERYONE is going to see the little egg hatch…but they’re all in for a little surprise. Filled with satire & humor.
    • Up in the Garden, Down in the Dirt – Got this at the kids book fair in the Fall and I’ve been waiting for Springtime to put it out! Love this book that take a look at a Garden from above & below!
    • A Walk Through the Woods – Poetic text and beautiful paper-cut illustrations
    • Florette- The story of how one little girl finds nature in the big city!
    • Bloom– Apparently this is the story of fashion designer Elsa Schiaparelli, who “dared to be different” UPDATE: While I LOVE the look of this book and may use it as decoration in my library- I didn’t love some of the messages and ideas for young children. I feel like maybe none of the editors had children?! The girl plants flower seeds in her ears, nose, and mouth “trying to be beautiful” and her imagination leads her to get a little carried away at times. An uplifting story for adults or older “fashion students”, etc. but in my opinion it is not really a great read for little children…especially little children with big imaginations! 😉
    • Be Kind – oh this book is so sweet about a little girl whose mother taught her to be kind. She goes out of her way to help another child feel better. LOVE!
    • Everything Spring– a great non-fiction option for your library! You know I always love to include some non-fiction.
    • Egg – Kevin Henkes, back at it with another “graphic novel” type picture book- great for preschoolers, with comic-book like panels, wordless pages, repetition, and surprises
    • The Big Book of Bugs – Another book I’ve been hoarding from the book fair back in November…October? Can’t Remember. But nothing says springtime like some creepy crawlies!
    • A River– A sweet book about a little girl who allows her imagination to take her on a journey, out of her home in the city and into the wild…on a river.
    • Morris Mole– Poor little Morris is always misunderstood- but he finally gets the chance to save the day….can he do it?
    • **Lola Dutch is a Little Bit Much – one of my FAV new books for Spring. I bought this the day it was released and loved it so much I thought about trying to plan Cub’s birthday around this book- it’s THAT adorable!
    • The Pink Umbrella– a beautiful book about friendship and “giving back” to those that are always going out of their way to make others a little bit happier.
    • The Digger and the Flower – “When Digger discovers something growing in the rubble, he sets in motion a series of events that will change him, and the city, forever.”

     

     

    Non-Story Nature Books

    Although I never like to put an age on a book (my 6 1/2 year old still enjoys board books!) these are probably more suitable for older, school-aged children (I’d say ages 5/6+. Q will love these because she’s SO interested in learning “allthethings” and especially loves nature and animals!)

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    • Nature Anatomy: This book is GORGEOUS & full of fun facts and info. I’m putting this one in Q’s Easter basket. She will love looking through it all year long!
    • How to be a Wildflower: A Field Guide. Stunningly illustrated little gem of a book for your nature-lover. Note: this is not a story book, it is a “field guide”!
    • Nature’s Day -This book walks readers through nine different locations through each of the four seasons. Also has an activity book that goes along with it.
    • Bees: A Honeyed History an encyclopedia style text all about the history of bees, with the most beautiful illustrations!

     

     

    Perfect Books for the Tiniest Listeners

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    Hope you find something you love!

    LoveJordan

     

    pin meEasterbooks

  • Easter Baskets

    Before I get started let me just say that Easter baskets are my favorite! They are so fun to put together & shop for without the stress that comes with Christmas. Growing up, I remember a few things that my Easter baskets ALWAYS contained, year-after-year without fail. They were:

    1. Something cozy (like new pjs, slippers, or socks)

    2.  A new VHS or DVD (obviously these are kind of irrelevant these days so I like to replace these with some books!)

    3. Toys that encourage outside play

    4. Fun knick-knacks like hair ties, bows, small toys, new crayons, etc.

    5. Candy ( a chocolate bunny and haribo gummy bears were a must!)

    So, once I had kids I always tried to keep within the same 5 themes when shopping for Easter basket goodies. I’ve categorized my picks below!

    Please note this is a list of ideas I complied, not a list of everything my kids are getting!! Some are items they’ve gotten in years past & loved, some are items Ardyn is getting for her upcoming birthday but I thought would also make great Easter gifts! Anyways, Happy Basket stuffing!!!

    BASKETS

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    First off- Baskets! THESE are the baskets we use. I like to get the big size since some of their little gifties take up a lot of space. I’ll get them new liners every few years but I also love the look of them without liners! This year I’ll be getting Max THIS basket for his first Easter! I also make sure I have some cute smaller baskets for when they go to egg hunts, etc. I love THIS Bunny ONE from Pottery Barn and THIS Simple White basket for $6!!!!

     

    EGGS

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    Next, let’s talk eggs! I usually put a few pieces of candy inside plastic eggs but this year I am using these adorable paper mache eggs from the Target:Magnolia line. As far as egg decorating goes, I love this Natural Egg Dye (must easier than making your own…which I tried one year). And last year I was way too pregnant to deal with real eggs so we painted wooden eggs and it was actually WAY more fun- plus you can use them every year. Here is a cute Wooden Egg Kit.

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    While decorating eggs, here are some of my favorite books to read: Rechenka’s Eggs, The Easter Egg Artists, The Easter Egg, and The Golden Egg Book

     

    Girl’s Baskets

    ART

    2018-02-21_0004rock crayons |gel crayons |  Dollhouse Book

     

    COMFIES

    2018-02-21_0006rainbow pillow |new slippers | pjs

     

     

    JEWELRY

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     I always like to get them a special piece of jewelry that they can store in their jewelry boxes and wear on special occasions. This year I’m doing these precious silhouette charm necklaces from VonJet Silhouettes! And a jewelry box is always a great Easter gift! This one from pottery barn is my favorite- both girls have one!

     

    OUTDOOR

    2018-02-21_0014Pool/Beach Towels| Flamingo Float (Cheaper version) |Rainbow Sprinkler (This sold out last year!) |Fairy House book & Fairy Garden Starter Kit, or THIS is a cheaper option |Water Beads & Fine Motor Tools |Bubble Blaster |Gardening Kit |chalk & stencils

     

     

    TOYS/FUN

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    100% Natural Bath Bombs with surprise toy inside (are your kids as obsessed with these as mine are?) |Wooden Wagon Rainbow |Camp Castle Mini Play Mat |Non-Toxic Nail Polish |Little Cosmetics (100% fake makeup) |Blue Tooth Microphone |Disney Emoji Journal of Quizzes |sushi play food |Pretend Lunch Box Set– my girls love playing school, so they will think this is super fun! |Tea Set &Breakfast in Bed Set |LOL Dolls– My girls are currently obsessed with annoying little surprise packs and they happen to be sold out everywhere. I linked some on Amazon, but here’s a little hidden secret, you can get them HERE on Ali Express for under $5 (but the shipping will take a long time!) Just FYI!!

     

     

    WEARABLES

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    Rainbow Backpack (I feel like this is going to be a hot item- GRAB IT NOW!) | Nailmatic water-based, non-toxic nail polish set! |Tennis Racket shaped bag (obsessed!) |New Mini Melissa Shoes (these are great to wear to dance class!) and THESE jellies are perfect for all Spring/Summer long! |Ryan and Wren Clips how cute is this set I’ve dubbed “The Mermaid”?!|Fun Hair Pom-Ties |Rose Gold Rain Boots (um hello. I want these in my size!!!)

     

    DOLLHOUSE FURNITURE

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    Doll House furniture (for the Magnolia dollhouse from Target that we got for Christmas. The dollhouse is no longer available at Target. I did find it on Amazon from 3rd party sellers at a more expensive price HERE  but HERE is another sweet favorite, as well as this THIS one from Pottery Barn.) Ok, Favorite Furniture Links: Living Room, Kitchen, Bedroom, Bathroom, Kid’s Room, Playground, Car   If you’d rather just buy one complete set: THIS one from Land of Nod is super cute! Also, Ardyn plays with her Peppa Pig figurines in her dollhouse which I think is so cute! Here is a cute set: Peppa Pig Family Figurines & this cute Peppa and Friends Set

     

    BOOKS

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    I also always include a few books in their Easter Baskets. This year I chose more “Spring Themed” books as opposed to Easter books so that they can enjoy them for the next few months!  For a complete list of fun Spring Books see Easter & Spring Books . These are a few of my favs: Nature’s Day & the accompanying Collecting & Activity Book , Bees: A Honeyed History Book, This book is also stunningly beautiful: How to be a Wildflower and I’m eager to get my hands on this new book: Bloom  (UPDATE: Please see my Easter Book post for an updated review of this book. In my opinion, it may not be appropriate for young children. BUT, it is a beautifully illustrated book and will LOOK pretty on a shelf! It may be one to save until your children are older. )

     

    Boy’s Baskets

    I’m keeping this list a little shorter than the girls only because I feel like lots of the items in both categories can be gender neutral! Also, because…I’m still learning boys! 😉

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    inflatable basketball hoop | shark kite | chalk paint | magnifying glass | Ferry Boat pool/bath toy |Wooden Tool Set |Rock, Paper, Scissors Card Game |Magnetic Slime |Mash’ems Mystery Packs |Harry Potter Illustrated Edition -um, I also bought this for my girls. I’m hoarding the whole set in my attic until they get a little bigger!! | Adventure Design Kit |Terry Hooded Cover Up |Babiators – 100% rubber, flexible and 100% UV protection | Skateboard jams – come in other colors/designs |racetrack playmat – ps- also bought this for Cubby! Pair with some matchbox cars and you’re all set! |Travel Lego Case – yep, also got this for the girls! Pair with a mini version of your kiddo’s favorite  lego set!

     

    Baby Baskets

    Goodies for your baby boy OR girl!2018-02-21_00112018-03-07_0009

    rubber duck |ride on bike with basket  |dinosaur sprinkler (I’m stashing this one away because it’s so flipping cute!) |Water Buckets |Wooden Camera Toy |Puzzle |new pjs (and a cheaper, almost identical option HERE) |new rash guard & swim trunks for our June vacation |Pantone Box of Colors Board Books| Treats- since Max can’t have candy, I’ll throw some of these Yogurt Melts into his basket. The Happy Baby brand is our favorite! |A new lovey- THESE from Milk Barn are Max’s fav. Plus I don’t need to worry about the safety hazard of sleeping with a full sized blanket. |Carrot Teether | Bunny Puppet – my kiddos LOVED puppets and this one reminds me of my pet bunny Kitt’ny I had as a kid! | Sweet Pink Chicken Bubble perfect for summer! |BANANA pjs!!!! | Sand Toys come in different color sets for boy or girl!| The Secret Garden Baby Lit Book

    I can’t wait to see what you put in your Easter baskets! Tag me in a photo on IG- I’ll post some of my favs on my stories!  @jordan.and.co

    LoveJordan

     

     

     

    pin meeasterbaskets

  • March Books

    March Books

    Don’t ask me how in the world it’s time for MARCH books already, but it is! Maybe we spent so dang long in January that now the rest of the months are just trying to catch up?!

    Anyways, I know St. Patrick’s Day isn’t the biggest of holidays for everyone, but WE are Irish (& Italian- thanks Dad!), so in our house it’s a green-wearing, leprechaun- trapping, Lucky Charms-eating kinda day.

    So, that being said, you know I have a stockpile of St. Patty’s Day books ready to hit the Library shelves! Here is a little round up of some of my old and new favs!

    stpats2019

    Fiona’s Lace (on the longer side, but Patricia Polacco might be one of my favorite story tellers EVER so it’s ok!)| How the Crayons Saved the Rainbow | The Story of the Leprechaun | Light Makes a Rainbow (you know I always like to get a good non-fiction in there!) | Mixed: A Colorful Story | Anne of Green Gables (a babylit board book) | The Night Before St. Patrick’s Day

     

    MARCH BOOK NOOK PICKS:

    2018-02-13_00012018-02-13_00022018-02-13_0004

    1. Leprechaun in Late Winter: (a MTH novel) perfect for your monthly read-aloud or for your older readers.

    2. How to Build a Leprechaun Trap: Just got this one and I’m SO excited to get crafty & build some traps with the girls this year!

    3. This is Ireland : a simple book, highlighting the best/favorite traits and places of “ye old country”

    4. Emeraldalicious: for your girls-girl. Cause green is cool, too.

    5. How to Trap a Leprechaun: I linked it on Amazon but when I wrote this post it was already SOLD OUT there. If it’s still sold out, here is a link to Barnes and Nobles.

    6. The Leprechaun Who Lost His Rainbow: …give me all the rainbow books! I mean, the leprechaun’s name is Roy G. Biv. Need I say more?

    7. How to Catch a Leprechaun: A cute little book, written in verse

    8. The Luckiest St. Patrick’s Day Ever: Another cute little rhyming story.

    9. St. Patrick’s Day : the story of St. Patrick…cause we’re Catholic and I used to love learning about the Saints as a kid!

    10. Too Many Leprechauns : I’ve had this book FOREVER! It’s a cute story about the trouble the leppies get into during the other 364 days of the year!

    11. Lucky Tucker : Not gonna lie, the title got me on this one! I’ll have to make sure I read carefully to the children…wouldn’t want any slips of the tongue! A cute story of one pup’s rise from having nothing to being the luckiest of them all!

    12. St. Patrick’s Day: A cute little book about how the kids in one classroom celebrate the holiday

    13. Jamie O’Rourke & the Big Potato : Ireland is all about folklore and this is the perfect little folk tale! I love this story about a man who’s wife gets sick and he needs to (gasp…) fend for himself! Plus, it’s by Tomie dePaola you guys! (Have you heard of Strega Nona? yeah-him!)

    14. That’s What Leprechauns Do : A story about what Leprechaun’s do best: get into mischief! Plus, Eve Bunting can do no wrong in my book! 😉

    15. St. Patrick’s Day in the Morning: Another tale by Eve Bunting. I swear, you guys- her story telling is just phenomenal. This isn’t a quick rhyme and play book, its a beautifully written STORY. My favorite kind.

    16. Tim O’Toole and the Wee Folk: It starts “In a little cottage, on a little hill, at the end of a little lane in Donegal…” Sign me up, I’m already hooked.

    17. O’Sullivan Stew: The story of how one young lass uses imagination to save her family from trouble. A great read, but a bit on the longer side. Maybe for older readers or if you’re feeling really invested in bed-time stories one night! 😉

     

    Happy Reading, friends…and good luck trapping those Leppies, this year! If I come across any more gems I’ll add them here:

    LoveJordan

     

     

    pin memarchbooks.jpg

  • Family Stationery

    Family Stationery

    Ok, so remember when I did the post on thank you notes and I talked about the importance of having personal stationery? Well, friends. The search for cute stationery is OVER…I’ve found the best, cutest shop EVER and I’m sharing it with you here… along with an awesome custom listing and exclusive discount code for YOU GUYS! So be sure to scroll to the bottom!

     

    I recently received this family starter kit of goodies from the talented Stephanie over at Joy Creative Shop and seriously, you guys…it’s the most beautiful stationery I’ve ever owned! I’m not even kidding. I’m obsessed.

    Here’s what I got:

    1. “Gift tag” stickers, a set for each girl and one set with all three kids’ names on them. These will come in SUPER handy for the 18,000 birthday parties we go to every weekend. I love the ease of a sticker and Stephanie’s designs are just SO fun! 😉

    2018-02-09_00012. I also got a set of cardstock gift tags (non-sticker form) with all of our names on them. They come pre-punched with tiny holes and a bag of gorgeous twine perfect for finishing off any gift.  In the pictures below you can see the tags with just our first names but those were mostly just for pictures. The real tags that we’ll be using have our last name (which I’ve blocked out of our stationary for privacy purposes) in script font at the bottom. They are seriously so gorgeous!!!  I LOVE them and I feel like the script font last name really ties the cards together!

    2018-02-09_0003

    2018-02-09_00053. The last thing I got was a set of stationery/envelopes for everyone! Each kiddo got his/her own stationery with their first name in big, bold caps and our last name in script below. We also got one set of family stationery that says “The M____ Family”.

    2018-02-09_00022018-02-09_0004Everything from Joy Creative Shop was absolutely BEAUTIFUL; from the paper quality, to the color combinations, to the packing! Honestly,  the pictures don’t even do the products justice- they are THAT good in person!

    2018-02-09_00062018-02-09_0007

    So, if you’ve been on the hunt for a quality set of family stationery- I’m telling you- RUN over to Joy Creative Shop and order! She has SO many fun options in her shop, but this set that she designed for us just fit our personalities and our family so well.

    She is truly talented! And also, she doesn’t just do stationery! She has a full-range of paper goods including weekly meal planners, notebooks, cards, notepads, and even glitter font!! So be sure to check those out too!

    And, just for you guys, Stephanie created a special Family Starter Kit listing- a perfect one-stop shop with all the goodies you need to get started. Shop it here: Family Stationery Set

    AND, also just for you guys, she’s offering 15% with the code JORDAN15 !

    2018-01-16_0002

    I cannot wait to use our stationery, and I will 100% be reordering when my stock runs out! And just for fun- I’ve also linked some of the other “office/stationery” items I love having on hand!

    -Address stamper, I got this one pictured above from Ink Me This on Etsy. Love their designs so much!

    -A polaroid camera, to add that “extra fun” touch to thank-you cards and other correspondence

    Fun washi tape for envelope sealing

    My fav FERN stamps from Amazon!

    LoveJordan

     

  • Family Stationary

    [ *SCROLL TO THE BOTTOM FOR AN EXCLUSIVE DISCOUNT CODE!* ]

    Ok, so remember when I did the post on thank you notes and I talked about the importance of having personal stationary? Well, friends. The search for cute stationary is OVER…I’ve found the best, cutest stationary EVER and I’m sharing it with you here… along with an awesome custom listing and exclusive discount code for YOU GUYS! So be sure to scroll to the bottom!

     

    I recently received this family starter kit of goodies from the talented Stephanie over at Joy Creative Shop and seriously, you guys…it’s the most beautiful stationary I’ve ever owned! I’m not even kidding. I’m obsessed.

    Here’s what I got:

    1. “Gift tag” stickers, a set for each girl and one set with all three kids’ names on them. These will come in SUPER handy for the 18,000 birthday parties we go to every weekend. I love the ease of a sticker and Stephanie’s designs are just SO fun! 😉

    2018-02-09_00012. I also got a set of cardstock gift tags (non-sticker form) with all of our names on them. They come pre-punched with tiny holes and a bag of gorgeous twine perfect for finishing off any gift.  In the pictures below you can see the tags with just our first names but those were mostly just for pictures. The real tags that we’ll be using have our last name (which I’ve blocked out of our stationary for privacy purposes) in script font at the bottom. They are seriously so gorgeous!!! You can see the little “M”s peeking out in the picture below. I LOVE them and I feel like the script font last name really ties the cards together!

    2018-02-09_0003

    2018-02-09_00053. The last thing I got was a set of stationary/envelopes for everyone! Each kiddo got his/her own stationary with their first name in big, bold caps and our last name in script below. We also got one set of family stationary that says “The M____ Family”.  I’ve blocked out our last name in all the pictures, but I hope you can tell just how gorgeous these designs are!

    2018-02-09_00022018-02-09_0004Everything from Joy Creative Shop was absolutely BEAUTIFUL; from the paper quality, to the color combinations, to the packing! Honestly,  the pictures don’t even do the products justice- they are THAT good in person!

    2018-02-09_00062018-02-09_0007

    So, if you’ve been on the hunt for a quality set of family stationary- I’m telling you- RUN over to Joy Creative Shop and order! She has SO many fun options in her shop, but this set that she designed for us just fit our personalities and our family so well.

    She is truly talented! And also, she doesn’t just do stationary! She has a full-range of paper goods including weekly meal planners, notebooks, cards, notepads, and even glitter font!! So be sure to check those out too!

    And, just for you guys, Stephanie created a special Family Starter Kit listing- a perfect one-stop shop with all the goodies you need to get started. Shop it here: Family Stationary Set

    AND, also just for you guys, she’s offering 15% with the code JORDAN15 !

    2018-01-16_0002

    I cannot wait to use our stationary, and I will 100% be reordering when my stock runs out! And just for fun- I’ve also linked some of the other “office/stationary” items I love having on hand!

    -Address stamper, I got this one pictured above from Ink Me This on Etsy. Love their designs so much!

    -A polaroid camera, to add that “extra fun” touch to thank-you cards and other correspondence

    Fun washi tape for envelope sealing

    My fav FERN stamps from Amazon!

    LoveJordan

     

  • Class Valentines

    Class Valentines

    *Don’t forget to scroll to the bottom for a fun giveaway!*

    Don’t have Valentine’s yet? Don’t panic! Here’s what we did this year, along with links for everything to make this as painless as possible! 😉

    For the girls:

    OB-sessed with these clips in general…but giving them out as Galentines? Genius! You can still order in time for V-day, so hurry over!

    Ryan and Wren Clips

     

     

    Gender Neutral:

    ZDOUGH: We gave this Zdough as favors at Q’s birthday party this summer and it was a hit! Each batch is handmade and is scented. We got strawberry flavored, custom stamped with a heart & I found these perfect “berry much” cards to go with them over at Minted. I linked them both below! Ardyn is giving these to her whole class.

    ZDough   |  Berry Much Cards

    COLOR MY WORLD: Since I did the clips for the girls in Q’s class, I needed something for the boys. I loved these cards I found on Minted and taped some crayons on the back to complete the gift. I added the “tic-tac-toe” option to the back of the cards to give the kiddos a little something extra to color! Linked below!

    Also, how cute is it that I was able to find two completely different companies/cards for the boys and the girls with the SAME sayings? Love it!

    Color My World Cards | Crayons

     

     

    Teachers:

    I opted for some personalized Initial stationary from Paper Source for our teachers this year. I went with their FIRST name initial so that they could use the set outside of the classroom! I bought the cards and envelopes and then bought a bunch of fun trimmings to wrap them up all cute. I then had the girls write a quick note to their teachers on the little red heart cards, stuck them in the pink envelopes they came with, stuck an xoxo stamp on the envelope and then slid that into the back of the stationary bundle. I linked everything below. 🙂

    Letter Stationary   | Colored Envelopes

    (You can go as crazy or as simple with this as you want with decorating the stationary bundle. I linked everything we used below!)

    Colored Twine |Paper (similar)  I bought one sheet and cut it in thin strips to wrap around the stationary bundle for a pretty pop of color |Gold Foil Trim (Similar) | Valentine’s Day Stickers |Gold Heart Doillies |Red Heart Cards |XOXO stamp

     

     

     

     

    And here are a few other ideas that we’ve done in years past:

     

    “I heART you”

    (I love this one! Completely handmade cards- we used index cards, I wrote out the words in sharpie and let Q go to town with her paints. Then I tied on some cheap water color paints, you can buy them HERE. This was one of my favorites for sure!)

     

     

    “Main Squeeze”

    Super easy: bought the applesauce pouches at target and had the cards made at Love Lucy Design

     

     

    “Thanks a Latte”

    Last year I ordered these cute cards, you can get a free printable HERE, glued on a cardboard coffee sleeve and stuck a Starbs GC inside each. A Teacher hit, for sure!

    free-printable-for-coffee-lovers.jpg

     

     

    “Anything Goes”

    Looking for super sweet & simple Valentine cards or stickers that could go with ANYTHING? Check out Joy Creative Shop  I adore her stuff!!

    il_570xN.1402169538_kxpc

     

    “In My Heart”

    Two years ago I actually gifted Q’s teacher one of our favorite books, In My Heart. She wrote a message to her teacher inside and we wrapped it up all cute with supplies we found in the Target Dollar Section! This is a great (and sentimental) Valentine idea.

     

     

    Thanks all I’ve got for now…so many cute ideas out there! I’d love to know what YOU are doing! Let me know in the comments below.

    AND if you are interested in winning a shop credit to ZDough and RyanandWren (why wouldn’t you be?!) head on back to my IG page to enter!

     

     

    Good luck, friends!!

    LoveJordan

  • Thank You: say it, write it, make it pretty

    So, let me start off by saying- I’m not an etiquette expert (…by any means!) but I do bring hostess gifts to parties and I am a stickler for a hand-written thank you cards. In a world where EVERYTHING is done and accomplished through a screen and a keyboard, I’m a firm believe that a good old-fashioned hand-written thank you card will NEVER go out of style!

    I mentioned on my Instagram stories the other day that I always keep thank you cards and stationary on hand at the house. You never know when you may need to send a little “thanks” to someone. Listen, I know what you’re going to say- you can always drive to Target and pick some generic thank you cards up in a pinch, BUT there is something so nice about receiving a note on pretty personalized stationary, don’t you think?

    Here are a few of my favorite picks for Thank You cards in kids, baby, women’s, men’s and family categories:

     

    KIDS THANK YOU CARDS

    I want my kids to learn the art of sending a thank you note, however- when my children are just learning to write, I like to keep it as simple (and tear free) as possible. Of course, I write thank you cards for my children until they are old enough to write themselves, but even in Ardyn’s case- even though she can’t write yet, I still make her “sign” her own name on the card. That being said, for younger children, I think the “fill-in” cards are adorable. I love the ones that also allow the child to color them in. I think it adds so much personality and really shows that an extra effort was made.

    v1v2

    Kid’s Color-in TY

    face

    Fun Face Fill-in TY

     

    v4

    Kids Rainbow Font Fill-in Thank You

     

    v5

    Rainbow Dot Fill-in TY with pic

     

     

    v3

    Simple Thank You

     

     

    summer

    Fun Summer TY

     

    BABY THANK YOU CARDS

    Here’s my general rule for baby cards (and this is totally just a “me” thing)…I WANNA SEE A PICTURE OF THAT CUTE BABY’S FACE! Hah! But really, though. I always try to opt for a baby thank you card that has a place for a picture on it. For Max, I used a cute & simple picture from his newborn session, put it on a very simple, personalized thank you card, and I used that card all the way up until, well- last week, when I received a baptism gift from an Aunt. Of course, the trouble with those cards is that you obviously can only use them for about 6months to a year before the child way outgrows the photo. For Q&A, when they outgrow their personalized picture thank you cards, I give them the extras for their art center to play “mail” with. Great letter-writing practice! 😉

    Needless to say- simple, beautiful, non-photo thank you cards are always a great option as well!

    blue

    Cloud Baby TY

    ele

    Elephant Baby TY

    baby

    Baby Photo TY

     

     

    WOMEN’S THANK YOU CARDS

    I’m just a sucker for pretty stationary and I like having cards that are personalized and “thank you” specific, on hand at all times. I only order them once a year (about 20 of them) and I love that when something comes up…ie an Instagram BFF sends me a fun surprise in the mail 😉 I have a card ready to send. Here are a few of my favorites:

    v7.gif

    Personalized Watercolor TY

    v9

    Personalized Flowers TY 

    dots

    Personalized Gold Foil Dots TY

     

    MEN’S THANK YOU CARDS

    So, I don’t have anything for this category mainly because of two things (And I’m just going from personal experience here): 1. Ahem, I’M the one writing alllllll thank you cards for any gifts that come through the house around here and 2. On the rare occasion Ryan needs to send a thank you note of his own- it is usually business-related and he will send it on company letterhead, OR if it’s personal- I still think he’d chose a simple masculine card with his name and or monogram embossed on it. I just can’t see him reaching for any sort of “thank you” card with polka dots and gold foil borders! Haha. I DO get him his own stationary (see below) just not “thank you” specific cards.

     

    FAMILY THANK YOU CARDS

    Going on what I said above, I feel like having a family thank you card on hand is a good idea because it covers all bases and yet, still feels personal. I like to keep our family card super simple. Again, I buy about 10-15 of my favorite design once a year and I rarely go through them all. These are great to give to party hosts, to give as thank yous for gifts after Christmas, for family/friends that hosted you on a trip, or for anytime you feel the need to say thank you to someone on behalf of your whole family! Again, simple stationary would do the trick here, but I do like having just a few “thank you” specific cards on hand!

    v8

    Gold Foil Family TY

     

     

    STATIONARY FOR ALL

    Ok, so now that Thank You cards are out of the way, I also LOVE to have really pretty, really simple letterhead stationary for each member of the family. Not a ton, just a small handful for the rare occasion when a written note is in order. I’m in love with Joy Creative Shop’s stuff. She also makes notebooks (you all know how much I love a notebook!), stickers, meal planners, gift tags, etc. And I just really like how clean, simple, and fun all of her stuff is! You have to go check her out for all of your family’s paper good needs!

    2018-01-16_0001

    EXTRAS

    So I keep a few bins of “letter writing essentials” in my office. Here’s what I keep in them:

    1. Pretty stamps. I know it’s dumb…like spending money on cute checks…but I can’t help it. A pretty stamp makes the whole package come together, you know what I mean? No? Ok, maybe I’m going a bit overboard here. Anyways,  I buy cute stamps on amazon whenever I see ones that I love. THESE fern ones are my favorite!

    2. Address stamper, I got one from Ink Me This on Etsy. Love their designs!

    3. Cute washi tape to seal my envelopes with. HERE are some cute neutral ones that I love but I also really like supporting small Etsy shops like Pretty Tape  (bonus points for her being local…anything to speed up shipping to my impatient online-shopping self!)

    I find that writing a note or a thank you card isn’t such a huge ordeal when all of my supplies are in one place!

    2018-01-16_0002

    I also keep an address book file on my computer as well as a print-out in the top drawer of my office desk so that it’s always on hand. I use excel for my address book so that it can be easily uploaded onto sites like Minted or Tiny Prints during Christmas time or any other time I’m sending out a bunch of cards.

    The last thing I do sometimes, is I keep THIS Polaroid camera on hand in a bin in my office. Sometimes when I’m writing a fun/personal note or thank you to someone we haven’t seen in a while (or just for fun) I’ll take a quick Polaroid of the kids and slip it in with the card. People really love it…because, let’s be honest, although they’re appropriate and necessary (in my opinion), thank you cards aren’t typically very fun to open. But, whether it’s with some super cute stationary, a prettily addressed envelope, or a fun picture inside, I figure, if I’m sending snail mail…better make it worth the hand cramp! 😉

     

    LoveJordan