3 Reasons to be Prime Member on Amazon

We love Amazon. There isn't a week, or a few days that go by that we don't get something in the mail. We buy everything from faucets to toilet paper. Yep, my husband found a great deal on toilet paper and ordered a huge pack. Ha! And here are 3 reasons why.

REASON #1

The shipping is what gets me. Only 2-days and you will have the product you want at your door step. Most items Amazon sells are their warehouse and that's millions of products that are available to ship like now. For example, I needed a one piece bathing suit. That means, get a babysitter, go to the mall, try million things on, see nothing fit, return home very disappointed and still have to cook dinner. Instead I scouted the site and found a few I liked. Read the reviews and ordered them. They arrived in 2 days I tried them on and picked the one I liked most. They rest went back. DONE! 

REASON #2

Free returns. Like I already said, you can order a bunch of things, try them on and pick what you want. I love the fact that there are many different designers and price points on Amazon. Also, they have more then enough no brand, cheaper items. If there is something I'm looking for, I first look on Amason knowing that if anything doesn't work out, I can always return it without any hassle, which give me and my husband a pieces of mind. 

REASON #3

All the movies, TV shows and music. We don't have Netflix and the only movies that we watch on a Friday night or a rainy day are on Prime. And there are quite a few. Any time, anywhere on your computer, phone or TV you can watch or listen to the huge selection of videos. I love the fact that I can rent something as well if it's not available with Prime subscription but trust me there's enough.

FEW OF MY FAVORITES

Swim Suit (runs true to size and I love it!) 

Almond Oil is the only moisturizer I use all over my body. 

That's how I prevented stretch marks during my pregnancy.

The most adorable sandals that I ma or may not have ordered. 

The cutest summer dress ever! (notice it's lined which makes wearing it a breeze)

My favorite tea! Yum! 

FOR KIDS

Car Seat

Honestly, the best car seat for kids transitioning from carrier to booster. It lasts for a long time and has few reclining positions forward facing as well. Our daughter loves it. 

Magnetic tiles

The best toy in the world! My 4yr old and 2 yr old love to play. They have so much fun building it and destroying it together. Honestly, if you buy any toy, this is it. 

Puzzle

Our kids love puzzles and these are so cute! 

Stacking Toy

Most amazing and captivating toy! 

Pre-K Learning best tool! 

SIGN UP AND ENJOY ALL THE BENEFITS OF AMAZON PRIME! 

{Simple Celebration} Independence Day

plates, napkins and dinnerware // large twin pack // cute straws // decor

Happy Independence Day weekend. I know the 4th is not until Tuesday but who are you kidding thinking that you will be actually doing anything remotely productive Monday. Even though I love following different accounts on Pinterest and looking at all the incredible parties, I always wonder how long and how much energy did it take for them to set it all up. Yes, it comes easier to some people but in the end, people will remember the conversation, you demeanor and maybe the food. Pretty much no one will remember what your set up was the next year. Except maybe those who pay very good attention to the details.
I do like to make special occasions pretty and inviting. I always make birthday parties cute and interesting, so this 4th of July we are thinking about having a few people over and enjoying the time together. 

I really didn't want to spend too much money on all the decor so I pulled out stuff that I have and got patriotic plates and napkins. Everything turned out be under $10 at my local ALDI. Talk about being budget friendly! If you want to order something similar I place links under the last photo. Don't over think it and use what you have, and remember to enjoy yourself!

Have a happy 4th of July!

5 Things My Kids Taught Me About Life

Her Boots (also love these) //  His Boots (he still wants another pair)

When I had my first boy, Jonathan, life changed. Dramatically. Everything from what time we went to bed to what was on TV changed. I was determined to be the best mother - to teach them, mold them and guide them where to go. But one of the things I didn't expect is to learn something from those little people that we brought into this world. So here are 5 things I've learned from my kids

1. Be In The Moment. How many times we are too preoccupied with life or stuff to just enjoy simple life's pleasures. Like Rain. I mean, seriously. When it rains, my kids get excited because they get to go splash in the puddles and carry their umbrellas. They forget that it's wet and dirty, they just enjoy the splashing and stomping into giant puddles, getting wet and dirty. Life is full of moments that are enjoyable and it's up to see to see them.

2. Enjoy The Small Things. Getting rain boots in the mail was the highlight of their week. From picking them out to seeing UPS truck pull up to our house, everything was so fun. Then getting to go and explore outside right after the rain, it was simply joyous occasion. They were happy with the little things like rain boots and puddles.

3. Get Carried Away. As adults we like to rationalize things and put a limit onto how much is a reasonable amount of fun. Even I get myself caught saying, "that's enough now", but why? There should never be enough laughter, fun and joy. Kids don't think that at some point they had enough laughing and playing. They would rather crash on the floor while playing, then go to bed. Getting carried away with things you enjoy is the best you can do with your life.

4. Let Others Join The Fun. My kids always ask me to come and play, or go climb trees or jump puddles with them. They never hesitate inviting our neighbors to pool parties or to our backyard to play. They simply want to spread the joy around them. They don't think that this person isn't good enough or they don't fit some social standard - they love people for who they are. Bring others into your life and see what surprising treasure you may find in those relationships. Maybe it requires you to step out of your comfort zone, give someone a call or invite them into your home. You will never be sorry for doing more, but you may regret not doing enough.

5. Look For Extraordinary in Mundane. The day we went outside for a walk around the neighborhood, was a rainy, gloomy, windy and cold day in the middle of June. We were stuck inside all morning, kids wanted to go play but it was raining non stop. The moment it stopped we hopped outside for a quick walk. Half way through it started to rain again. There was nothing really exciting going, but we just made do with what we had. They enjoyed themselves in the small window of gloomy and boring. Life is what you make it out to be. You can be in the most picturesque place in the world and not see it, yet someone can be in the dead of winter and recognize beauty of it all. 

So today, try to be a kids again, and you will see how much more joy you will find in your life! 

Thanks for stopping by.

Wholehearted Motherhood

We were running late. It should have known by now that something is about to go wrong. Something is about to go completely off the schedule. The shoes were on the wrong feet, the diaper bag was missing diapers and I could not, for the life of me, find my phone. I was telling my son to go do this and that, and for crying out loud, change his shoes. My daughter was taking everything out of the coat closet in hopes of finding her coat.

I was snapping at the kids and completely disregarding the fact that my son was trying to ask me something and daughter was happy to find her favorite little jacket. I was not paying attention. I was doing the thing I was meant to do, the role God created me for yet my heart wasn't fully in it. My mind was running ahead of me, my lists were getting a hold of me. I was desperately trying to fit into my own time line that I have created for myself. I was trying to do it all for the sake of doing it. Just to prove that I can.

I wasn't present. I wasn't at peace.

In the back of my mind, I was giving up important things (i.e. full time job, blogging and career) for these children. I had to do it for the time being. Yet I was waiting for the time when they are grown enough to put their shoes on themselves. Then I can go on to do those 'important' things and achieve new heights in personal accomplishments.

I didn't think I was achieving anything important that very moment.

Of course, I knew my kids are important but not to the extent of making motherhood my life's mission.

In the modern society, we teach girls to do everything except how to make a home, take care of a family and children. Somewhere along the decades of 20th century we have rationalized that family isn't worth it. Having a family, children and home to take care of isn't enough. And with thousands of years of history behind us, all of a sudden we thought we knew better. 

We are women.

We can. We can do it all.

Of course we can, but at what cost? At the cost of a failing society desperately trying to redefine family and miserably failing at it all along.

Hear me out, I'm not promoting a full abandon of yourself as a human being. I'm not even talking about an outside of home job. That's secondary and totally up to what your family needs are at the moment. 

I'm talking about motherhood being done with the whole heart. A motherhood where we are intentional about our time, we set boundaries of how much time we spend outside of home and how we prioritize. Raising our children with a whole heart of love and patience, where time is of essence and yet we are in no rush. Ceasing the moment yet, letting it all fall into place on it's own. Finding a tricky balance to life where we know our place, happy to be where we are yet strive to be better. 

Wholehearted motherhood is fulfilling because it has an eternal focus. When we as mothers realize we are not just doing laundry, making dinners and picking up the living room day after day, but shaping the future of our children we become less focused on how and more on why. 

Mothering with the whole heart means knowing who you are, knowing your children's place and how God designed it all to work. It does not mean we forget about everything in the world and just focus on our children making sure they become the most successful people by the world's standards. Absolutely not! It means, we strive to reach our identity in Christ before we find it in our children. When we grow and find fulfillment in the Lord, we are ready to give our best to our home. We are no longer questioning our place as women and strive to be everything we were never meant to be. 

Having a personal relationships with Christ does answer a whole lot of questions in life and gets rid of a lot of insecurities. When our hearts are filled with God's loved and humbled by His grace, we are more likely to sacrifice and serve without constant need for attention. When we make priorities for our home and time with our children, we our sowing seeds that will grow now and reap for all eternity. 

Day by day, learning to be the women of God with uplifting, nurturing, loving and caring attitude. Women that inspire, while showing by example of servitude and grace. Mothering with our whole hearts and giving our best is what God created us to be. 

Toddler Activity {Making Rain}

Hello there! Having two children at home all the time, gets them a little bored. This passed winter was so long and cold that we were looking for ideas on how to stay busy and not to loose our minds. My son Jonathan is 4 years old and loves all hands on activities. He loves cooking with me, mixing things and see what comes out. On a particularly rainy and cold day, I was looking for something to keep him occupied and found this cute idea on Pinterest, Honestly, I can't even find the link of the original blog post. But whoever you are, I give you credit for being so creative and finding a way to use common household things for such a fun experiment, We learning about rain and how it works because I'm sure God does have fun when it rains. So, I hope you enjoy making this fun experiment with your little ones over and over again, because we sure do. 

Things You Need
- Shaving Cream
- Large Glass Vase/Jar
- Colored Water
- Ramekins
- Syringe

How To

Pour water into a clear glass jar and leave room on top for shaving cream, about 3 inches. Mix colors of your choice with water and make sure it's really concentrated. It will become much  more pale when mixed with shaving cream and more water. Fill the rest of the vase/jar with shaving cream and set it up on a table. Fill the syringe with color of your choice and sprinkle all over the top of the shaving cream. Do not put it all in one spot, you will end up with cloudy mess instead of pretty drops. Keep going alternating colors and watch the colored water fall to the bottom of the vase/jar. After a while Jonathan got bored of the 'right' way of doing it and made cloudy with spraying syringe directly into one spot. After a while water was dark and cloudy and we started all over again. Enjoy! 

Thanks for stopping by!