diy mama

lifestyle blog sharing diy, family, travel, organization & disney tips

Birthday

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How is My Baby One?

Lilly just turned one. Being a parent is full of bittersweet moments and realizing my last baby is no longer a baby is a tough one. With all the hustle and bustle of life, a second child’s milestones can easily be overlooked. I don’t want that to happen in our family and so I will always make a big deal out of them! Even if it is a small party with close friends and family, I always want my girls to feel loved.

Johnson's at Walgreens

When Sophia was little, she was always happy. Always smiling in photos and such a joy to take with me on adventures. When we were thinking about having another baby I very clearly remember thinking ‘we shouldn’t have another baby because they won’t be as good as Sophia.’

I know! But, that’s my pessimistic brain.

A bit over a year later and I laugh at that though. Lilly is every bit as happy as Sophia and is such a joy in our lives. The bond that she has with each of us is so heartwarming. I can already see the differences in relationships.

Her family

She knows that her sister will always be there for her when she falls down and will always make her laugh even when she wants to be sad. Her sister will always be there to share her treats and play with her outside.

She knows her Daddy will always be there for late night snuggles and movie watching. He will be there for her to climb over and twirl with. She knows he will be there to play music and read with.
He will be there for her.

She knows Mommy will be the one to give her kisses all over her face and tummy and toes. She’ll be there to sing her to sleep and have dance parties with. She’ll be there to bathe her, clothe her, feed her, teach her, hug her and all the other wonderful things that comes with being her mom.

I am so thankful we didn’t listen to my pessimistic brain. I can’t imagine life without Lilly and our adventures have just begun.

If you want to see how similar Lilly and Sophia were at age 1 go here.

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The Gift of Experiences

Today is my 33rd Birthday. For me, it’s a number. I’ve never been worried about my age or getting older, it’s just something that happens. I am a big fan of having others celebrate and make a big fuss over me on my birthday. This year I’m asking for the gift of experiences rather than things.

gift of experiences

On my 30th Birthday my friends and family orchestrated the most beautiful celebration of my life and goals. I’d written a post called 35 by 35 that outlined a bucket list of things I wanted to experience by 35. They pooled together to get me 30 separately wrapped gifts that were tools to help me achieve those items on my bucket list. It was special to me because I was in another state and unable to be with them on my big day.

I was also a heavy consumer at the time. It’s embarrassing to look back and see how frivolous my husband and I were at spending our money. To be honest, spending the money we didn’t physically have.

modern diy house tour
The home we built in Illinois

We built a home outside of our budget, bought all the top notch baby gear when Soph was born and ordered things on a whim daily on Amazon. If there was a want for something, we bought it. It became a habit over the years and took us until we moved to Indy to realize what a disease that consumption was on our lives.

And now, we’re paying for it.

The Grass is Always Greener

You wouldn’t be able to tell by the way we live. We still have our nice cars, our nice home filled with nice things, our daughter that goes to the best school and photos of our vacations up on Facebook.

We were living like 90% of Americans who thought they were entitled to wrack up debt for their high standard of living. When we lived in IL we were in the top 1% financially but spent that money like we were Millionaires.

We took a massive paycut when we moved to IN and it jolted us to reality of how selfish and inappropriately we had been spending.

Fall Fun at Piney Acres

The Gift of Experiences

As we try to chip away at our debt and feel like we have a slight glimmer at the end of the tunnel we decide to have another baby. We don’t want Sophia to be too far apart in age from her sibling. And THIS is where I realize there is no more light at the end of that tunnel. Thankfully, I also realize that there is NOTHING else that we need. Nothing.

We will obviously still be paying for diapers and consumables but all of the other baby necessities we already own. We own everything we need for our homes to cook, clean and be entertained. At this point, there’s nothing that I even want.

Our favorite local spot- Conner Prairie

Less stuff, more fun

That is why I’m asking for the gift of experiences for my Birthday from now on. Less stuff, more fun. Time spent with my loved ones or a chance to spend time somewhere fun with my family. Movie tickets, restaurant tickets, Disney World gift certificates or just a date on my calendar with someone special that I care about. The gift of their time is the greatest gift someone can give.

What are your thoughts on asking for experiences over physical objects? It’s a hard concept for a lot of people to understand.

Related Posts to The Gift of Experiences:

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Sophie’s Dinosaur Birthday Party

Dinosaur Birthday Party
Dinosaur Birthday Cake
Our smiley, funny, inquisitive, compassionate, friendly little girl just turned two. A lot of moms get sad when their kids have a Birthday because it indicates they’re growing older and the day that they leave the nest is growing nearer. I am excited and happy about Sophie’s Birthdays! I love seeing everything that she’s learned and accomplished over the past year. I love watching how she’s grown and all of the new friendships she’s made. She is such a joy to have in our lives that I wish everyone could know Sophie.

‘DinoRAWR’ was the theme of her big day. We celebrated with close friends and family who care more deeply for her than I could ever hope for. Loads of sugar, bubbles and presents kept Sophie and her cousins very entertained. I spent a lot of time but not a lot of money on the decorations for Sophie’s Dinosaur Birthday Party. I was inspired by my event planner friend Misty at Frosted Events for the table set up. She helped me out by making custom pink and green printables to go along with our color theme. I based the pink and green scheme around the dinosaur party hats. I’d found the pink polka dot hats at Target and thought the green dino scales would be a perfect addition. I simply cut zig zags out of green card stock and attached them using glue dots. 

Dinosaur Birthday

Dinosaur Birthday Party
I wanted the food to be both dinosaur themed and toddler friendly. I had fun thinking of ways to name the snacks and recruited my family to help with the ideas. Sophie’s Grandma made a fruit tray (Dinosaur Nest) with all of Sophie’s favorite fruits. There were dinosaurs on top that were cut out of a sandwich cutter. We also had pretzel rods (Dino Bones) and Jelly Beans (Dino Eggs). The party favorite was the easiest to make! Layered Chocolate Parfait (Dig Site) using chocolate fudge pudding and crushed oreos. I topped them off with a dinosaur that the kids could take home as a party favor. 

Dinosaur Birthday Party
We also had rock candy, raspberry lemonade (Lava Juice), personal veggie sticks (for the Herbivores) and BBQ turkey meatballs (for the Carnivores). The cake was by far my favorite though. I had Jeffrey drill a hole in the top of a triceratops toy for the candle. It was secured using a glue dot because it was constantly falling down into the hollow dinosaur. Using the Cricut Explore, I made dinosaur straw toppers and dinosaur garland for the front of the table. I found free svg files of the dinosaur silhouettes and cut them on pink and green card stock.

Dinosaur Birthday Party

Dinosaur Birthday Cake Candle

Dinosaur Birthday Party

Birthday Cake Eating

Dinosaur Birthday Party


I don’t think we could have done anything different to make her Birthday more perfect for her. Dinosaurs, bubbles, sugar and most of her favorite people all in one place. She didn’t stop smiling the entire day. The only thing I would change for future Birthdays is to figure out how to slow down time so I can enjoy it longer. It was a whirlwind of fun.
Bubble Machine for Toddlers

Dinosaur_Birthday_Table2 (1 of 1)
Every day after school Sophie comes home and says ‘beans’ and I only just figured out yesterday that she’s referring to the jelly beans from her party! I’m so thankful we were able to have a small celebration for her. I know there will be years where Sophie wants 30 best friends over or to take everyone laser tagging, so I’m happy to do chill parties for now. What is your go-to party food that everyone seems to request? I might have to do that pudding cups every year from now on!

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Birthday Present Ideas for Two Year Olds

This post contains affiliate links through the Amazon Associates program. 

Yesterday was my little Sophie’s second birthday! That day in history will be marked as my favorite and least favorite day back in 2013. Physically it was the worst but nothing could exceed it emotionally. I wanted to do a roundup of cool birthday present ideas for two year olds because I know it can be tough to buy for kids. In our society, kids often have everything they need so it’s difficult to buy a birthday present that will be used often. Sophie is one of those children who is fortunate to have everything she needs as well as a ton of other cool toys. I’m always torn between wanting to buy her more stuff and trying to sell her toys because she has so many.

birthday present for two year old

 Birthday Present Ideas for Two Year Olds

These birthday presents for two year olds were selected based on their ability to help a child learn. The Disney Frozen Sparkle Anna of Arendelle Doll would be a huge birthday present success in our family, however, I wanted to choose toys that would be fun and entertaining for boys and girls. We’ve been introducing ‘real world’ toys lately where Sophie can learn to be like Mommy and Daddy by mimicking with tools that are her size.

Mega Bloks First Builders Big Building Bag– Building blocks are one of the best ways to improve a toddler’s motor skills and hand eye coordination. This bright colorful set comes with a sturdy carrying bag for easy clean up.
Little Helper Broom Set– I was always more of a vaccuum person when it came to my hard floors but I’ve noticed the broom does a much better job. Sophie always wants to help so I got her a Little Helper Broom set and she helps sweep up crumbs after her meals (win win for both of us).
Little Tikes TotSports T-Ball Set– T-ball sets are great for long term fun. Using hand eye coordination to hit the ball, chasing the ball and replacing it on the T is an activity that takes a good amount of time to master. Once they do, they’re so proud and can then hit it to you while you toss it back.
Schoenhut 25-Key My First Piano– Forbes quotes a study where students who play piano have a higher IQ by three points. Introducing music at a young age may help that child to be interested in learning an instrument later on in life.
My First Touch & Feel Picture Cards: First Words– These flash cards are one of Sophie’s favorite toys. Each flash card has a touch and feel image on the front with the name written below. The back side of the flash card has questions you can ask your toddler about the item on the front. The Animals version is a big hit in our family
Joie Fruit And Vegetable Wavy Chopper Knife– Nothing makes a toddler more confident and therefore happy than being independent. This wavy chopper knife is a perfect way to get your toddler to help prepare dinner or their lunch for the next day. Apples, bananas and cucumbers are some of the snacks Sophie cuts for herself after school.
Guidecraft 1 to 5 Ring Counter– A great way to introduce colors as well as numbers. As the child uses this toy they start associating the number of pegs/rings with the written number. It also is a great toy for color sorting.
Toysmith Big Kids Garden Tool Set– Food will be in your child’s world for their entire life. A great way to help them understand where food grows is to plant a garden with them having them help you with their own tools. A small plot of land or even soil in a container can grow several plants. These tools help them with motor skills, learn about plant growth and may encourage them to try more foods.
Melissa & Doug Deluxe Standing Easel– Art is major in a toddler’s development. The delux standing easel has a chalk board encourages creative expression and fine motor skills. The amount of awesomeness i ncluded in this easel is huge! Includes: dry-erase board, chalkboard, locking paper-roll holder, child-safe paper cutter, 4 easy-clip grips and 2 large plastic trays, that can be removed for easy cleaning. Two kids (or parent and child) can be creating together easily at the same time.
Melissa & Doug Easel Accessory Set– The easel set goes along with the easel, obviously, but I love the products included that are specially made for little hands. The no-spill paint cups with lids are a life saver when toddlers are just starting to be creative in painting.
Minnie Mouse Over-the-Ear Headphones with Volume Control– Headphones are another toy that make your child more independent. There are read along books that have audio CDs at our library that Sophie loves to check out. These headphones are also great on airplanes to help replace the noise of the loud engine with music or a movie.

It was hard to narrow our top favorite toys and tools down to eleven. Do you have any go to birthday present ideas for two year olds? I also love giving books but you never know if they already have that book at home. Gift certificates to fun places like Sky Zone or a museum are always great to fall back on as well (especially in the winter months). What is/was your toddler’s favorite toy?

I also have a great hand-made gift guide for one year olds that we used last year.

Christmas and birthday gift guide for two year olds.

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30 is the New 30

Hello loves! Today marks my 30th Birthday celebration here on planet Earth. I’ve never been one to be worried about getting older or telling my age. I don’t see age as a bad thing, in fact, I see it as a way to show how wise and experienced you are!

finding_nemo

I don’t have any special plans to celebrate my Birthday since we’re on Whole60 and most of my friends and family live a couple hours away. I am very excited to spend time with my family, inside, with a fire and look forward to the big Birthday celebration that will happen in September (Disney World)! For my blog life celebration, I wanted to share with you 30 things that I have learned over the past few decades. Some of these nuggets of wisdom are profound, some are silly, but they are all very meaningful in my life.

30_things

  1. Invest in people that invest in you.
  2. Don’t compare your weakness to another’s strength.
  3. Always use SPF.
  4. Don’t cut your own bangs.
  5. If something isn’t working, don’t give up, just try something else.
  6. Some people can’t breastfeed, and that’s ok.
  7. If you feel sad, it’s possible that you’re just bored.
  8. It doesn’t hurt to ask.
  9. If you want to be better at something, you have to practice.
  10. Finding a great stylist, masseuse and nail tech in the same town is near impossible.
  11. If there’s something you like, just do it/wear it/sing it/read it/make it!
  12. Coloring books are the poor person’s therapy.
  13. Germs are good.
  14. NASA is awesome.
  15. The Beatles are the best choice for any mood.
  16. There is no ‘too old’ or ‘too young’ for Disney World. Ever.
  17. Photography is an invaluable skill.
  18. ‘Making someone’s day’ makes my day.
  19. Never move if there is a sleeping child on you.
  20. Tell people you love them, every chance you get.
  21. A BigMac and Gatorade will cure any hangover.
  22. Say what you’re thinking.
  23. Don’t be afraid of power tools.
  24. Do be afraid of spiders. They’re the worst.
  25. Nothing is more calming than the sound of the ocean.
  26. Buy yourself flowers.
  27. Living in all four season’s is awesome, except the 80% of the time when it’s too cold or too hot.
  28. There’s no such thing as too many Christmas decorations or nail polish
  29. Volunteer. It makes your heart happy.
  30. Puppies are so worth it.

What’s the biggest nugget of wisdom that you’ve learned from your past? Am I right about the spiders? Ew.

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