Holiday Finds for Everyone with Tuesday Morning

CHRISTMAS!! You all know this is the Glass Family’s FAVORITE. With two small kids ages six and seven, we are still at that fun stage of Christmas shopping! And because we recently discovered Tuesday Morning and how much they have to offer in all seasons, we were so excited to partner with them again for our Holiday finds. As soon as we walked in, 1.) our kids were ecstatic and 2.) we knew we could buy for so many on our list! We have avid DIYer’s to think of, entertaining experts, and imaginative little ones and guess what—Tuesday Morning had SO MUCH. One of my favorite parts was that they had so many unique wrapping solutions too.

The kids wanted to help with choosing presents for their cousins and Grandparents; that part is always fun for me as their mama. They actually take time to consider each individual person, and as they walked up and down isles, I could hear them discussing with each other what, “GG would like,” and “Cousin Arie,” or “Uncle Noah,” etc. Reese put a bunch of fuzzy socks in the cart because SHE said, “Mama loves fuzzy socks so we have to get her all of these.” I laughed and told her they could wait on buying for me but that I loved how she thought of me. Both our kids have such a big heart and are showing themselves to be super thoughtful people!

What I love the most about this store is that it really can be a one-stop destination to shop gifts; there is a TON of variety of products and categories, and all for inexpensive prices. We got things like fuzzy socks for family (of course), glassware for the host enthusiasts, remote control cars for some nephews, electronic gadgets for our nieces who love technology, giant Yankee candles, and even some bath goodies. Browsing through the home decor section I found an adorable pillow that I knew would look great on our Navy couch, and then the kids walked past the Christmas ornaments. We love to help them add to their ornament collection so they each chose one which is very fitting in their current seasons: Reese is such an animal lover, so she chose a kitty, and Pierson is obsessed with all things sports, so he found a football player.

Where is your nearest Tuesday Morning? Aren’t sure?? Click here to find out so that you too can enjoy an exciting holiday shopping experience FULL of savings. You will be able to shop for so many people on your list, if not ALL, between the gourmet food options, holiday decor, bath & body, small appliances, stationery, and gift wrap galore!

Our Journey through Potty Training [with Comforts for Baby]

Potty training is a real hoot. Truly, it's a gem of parenthood.  There are so many different ways to teach little people how to pee in the potty. There is the “wait and pee” and “potty  planner” or the “eyes on the prize” or the “Panty Raid”. Let’s be honest, cutesy (and kind of disturbing) names don’t make the ensuing mess and drama any less real. Guys, there is gonna be pee. There is gonna be poop. There is gonna be a lot of mop buckets. But there is also help and hope on this journey.

My son might be one of the most natural rule followers I know. He is meticulous with cleaning his room, excellent at school, always colors in the lines, just aims to be awesome at whatever he sets out todo. When he was just 18 months old, he hopped out of the tub, ran to his Elmo potty and never looked back. There were some issues with him building confidence to go, shall we say, number 2. But we ditched wearing diapers, and switched to underwear without thinking twice.

My daughter might be one of the most creative and free spirited children I know. She intentionally wears mismatched shoes on the wrong feet. She colors a rainbow on her page with no concern for the lines. She dances like no one is watching, and laughs with her whole body. When she was fifteen months old she hopped out of the tub and pooped on the potty--and then didn't do that again for a LONG TIME.

Reese was more stubborn than her brother about potty training. Not that wouldn’t use the potty like we were teaching, but at times it was like she couldn’t be bothered to stop her game, her lunch, her…creativity to go to the bathroom. When she turned eighteen months (the age her brother was when he mastered this endeavor), transitioning her straight out of diapers to underwear just wasn’t what she needed. The kindest solution that we learned with Reese, that I'm very glad we stuck to, was simply this: TIME. 

Sounds simple, doesn't it? But really, I stopped stressing out, I stopped bribing with sticker charts, I stopped giving myself straight anxiety at the thought of accidents because I just knew. I knew that Reese was different, and that as independent as she longed to be, that potty training would be OKAY. It's amazing what you remember in your child's lifetime and the things that you don't. I have friends ask me what age we started solids and with my son, I remember that he was six months old exactly. But with her, I have no idea?! I do however, remember potty training with BOTH of them. 

Pretty shortly after Reese turned two, she announced that she wanted to be done with diapers. Instead of underwear [which we immediately went to with our son], we let her pick out Pull-Ups. She has always been a girly girl, and instantly drawn to everything princess related. Thanks to Comforts™ Diapers we found the happy medium, and were able to purchase their Princess Themed training pants (which she LOVED). Within several weeks of wearing training pants, Reese was able to transition to little girl underwear during the day; however, at nap and bedtime, she still slept in a pull-up. The Comforts for Toddler Training Pants that we use, have really made potty training engaging for Reese. She loves the princess characters, and the product itself is thin and comfortable. They are simple for her to pull up and down, and the flowers fade when wet, letting me know if she had an accident. 

To go along with the Comforts Pull-Ups that she wears, we mostly have used their Sensitive wipes. I'm not sure at what point we'll stop purchasing wipes, I like to always keep a package in the car for meals on the go and for when and if accidents happen! These ones in particular smell very refreshing, are gentle on my kids' skin, and they serve many purposes beyond cleaning up toddler bottoms-- like teaching Reese how to care for her baby dolls for instance ;) 

Now our big 4-year old only relies on a pull-up only when she sleeps at night, and they're easy enough for her to pull down, put herself on the potty, and go BACK to bed. (Motherhood goals, right?!) Thank you, Comforts for Baby brand for helping us through this process and for all my readers, these products are exclusively at Kroger® Company family of stores. You can check them out and read more about Comforts on their Facebook page here.

A Family that Rides Together: Our Partnership with Kent Bicycles

Oh the memories of my childhood riding bikes with my big brother Sean! I still remember the first time I rode a bike, and of course the very first spill. We had a gravel driveway at that time and little stones were stuck inside my kneecap. I remember sitting on the bathroom sink with my mom, while she patiently cleaned up my hysterical mess of a self, making sure every scratch and boo boo was kissed and taken care of. But do you know what's kind of funny...? I don't remember the last time I have RIDDEN a bike. 

Well, that is until now! 

When this partnership first came on the horizon, I thought to myself, "Seriously, Ashley. You haven't ridden a bike in probably a decade." But wait, it has to be longer than that because a decade ago, I was nineteen and a college freshman. Was it middle school?? High school?? [Side note to my mother who I know reads my blog: WHEN was the last time I rode a bike?!?]

Kent Bicycles reached out to me just as school was starting in August. When they asked if Asa and I would also benefit from their bikes, we of course excitedly told them YES. Our kids love riding bikes, and they were just on the cusp of completely outgrowing theirs. Reese's fourth birthday was also on the outskirts and what better birthday present than a NEW BIKE!? We let Pierson choose his from the catalogue, and we let Reese browse, but didn't make the promise of one to her (as we wanted it to be a surprise). She saw an adorable pink Pinkalicious one and she squealed with delight--Pinkalicious is one of her FAVORITE book character's, and we read them often at her bedtime. Kent was amazing to work with us so quickly, and sure enough, we had it in time for her birthday party! 

Is it super obvious Reese had a princess themed party? And she was thrilled when she opened her eyes and saw her dad rolling the bike up to the deck! [Thank you, Kent Bikes for making this SUCH a fun present and surprise!!] 

Pierson chose an awesome green bike that will be perfect for him as he grows. It has front pegs for stunts [later, Pierson, LATER!!!] and maximum braking control with coaster brakes AND front/rear brakes. He is already zooming all over the subdivision on it and is excited for the day that he can try those pegs ;) 

I wanted a bike that would be comfortable and easy to ride [I was actually scared that I had maybe forgotten how to?! Don't laugh!] And it turns out, the one that I chose was the perfect fit (that I am doing just fine riding by the way, haha). The Northwoods Ladies Pomona is super cute, lightweight, and is the perfect city bike.

Asa has a road bike that he rode around our park, but it is really old and worn. There's of course nothing wrong with a well worn bike, but he thought it would be fun to pick something brand new and a little on the different [for him] side. The Retro Hybrid Bike was calling his name, and he LOVES it. We have gotten so many compliments as we ride together through the neighborhood and lots of friends ask where we got them from. 

Kent made sure we were well prepared safety wise, and sent some great helmets for the kids too. Pierson has had one pretty big wipe-out on a large hill in the subdivision, and we were incredibly grateful that he had it on!! 

What I am most excited about is the memories that we'll continue to make while on these bikes. Motherhood is a constant rollercoaster; lots of ups and downs--but these days really are fleeting, I know that it won't be long that my kids are cruising around the neighborhood without necessarily needing me, and I am so thankful that in THIS season, we often all go together. 

Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving. -Albert Einstein

Thank you so much, Kent Bikes, for sponsoring this post and helping our family stay on the move!
 

You CAN Teach an Old Dog New Tricks: Thanks, Nature's Recipe®

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #NutritionWorthWaggingFor #CollectiveBias

It's been a long time since we've allowed dog toys IN the house, but in the last year or so, we've noticed a huge incline in missing KID toys. Our Golden has always been the stuffed animal lover, but all of a sudden our Chocolate Lab decided he was going to be in on it too. Except because we haven't really had pet appropriate indoor toys, they were running to our toddlers' instead! I do mean literal running too; we would come home from work and they would bound to the kids' toy box, which houses eight square fabric bins. They always go to the center basket, and grab with their mouth whatever is on top: stuffed animals, plastic toys, dress-up shoes, ANYTHING! 

We figured it was about time that they deserved something different. Elsa our Golden is nine and Humphrey, the Lab is ten. They've welcomed each of our children home from the hospital so greatly, but well, quite frankly, we can't afford to keep buying new toys for our KIDS. Ha!

Well, also in the last several years Elsa has started to really itch and scratch at her paws. I've always known she has some slight allergies and have really wanted to explore new food options. We've been a little concerned that grain free dog foods just wasn't something we could regularly budget, so we were thrilled when a friend told us of the brand Nature's Recipe®. It is a highly affordable pet food with very high-quality ingredients AND we just discovered that Kroger, our continuous go-to grocery store, carries it! There are many options to choose from and each one contains NO artificial colors or preservatives, and is an all natural food with added vitamins, nutrients, and minerals.

My husband and I decided that while training our dogs to fetch the toys that they are ALLOWED to, we'd also hopefully better their lifestyles with a switch in food. I put together a super simple tutorial for y'all to create your own pet gift basket, and I promise, your pups are going to love it.

1. Choose a basket that is simple to your needs. We had an extra wicker one lying around, and the dogs know how to meticulously pull these from the kids' toy storage box WITHOUT destroying them--so we went with what they already knew.

2. Our dogs are Retrievers, so fetching is obviously in their nature ;) I can't tell you how long it's been since they've fetched a frisbee, but oh my goodness they were SO happy when they saw these!! At nine and ten, we are very thankful that they are still healthy and active.

3. Choose toys that you know they'll gravitate towards. Funny side story: Since she was a puppy, Elsa has always been obsessed with lamb stuffed animals. We always call them her "lambie" and she will make them last for MONTHS. My mom typically sends her one on her birthdays and Elsa will carry it around wherever she goes, resting her head on it and legit cuddling the heck out of it. Eventually she'll rip the stuffing out though, so it's been since September that she's had one. Notice the 'lambie' in this photo and just wait for the photos below. She's still obsessed.

4. Select a couple of items that are good for your dogs chew play. A little fetch, some tug-o'war... they'll be thrilled!

5. Put it all together and you have yourself (and the dog or dogs) quite the gift! 

6. This is the formula of dog food we chose to go with: lamb meal and rice recipe. This is largely due to the fact that their current food has lamb and rice involved in the ingredients so hopefully it won't taste too different to them. You'll see on the labeling that there are no corn, wheat, artificial colors or flavors and that it is high in quality protein. We chose this as the final gift basket item! 

I wish I could have gotten Humphrey (the Lab) to cooperate for some photos but he was WAY too excited and couldn't be still long enough. I've always called Elsa the model dog; sorry Humpty, I love you just the same!! 

All of the toys pictured were also found at our local Kroger, so we were able to purchase the food AND these treats all at once--win win! Nature's Recipe isn't a new product, but it IS new coming to Kroger retailers, and I want to spread the word for all my dog loving friends and family. You can follow Nature's Recipe on Facebook to stay updated on their newest recipes and coupons too!

What fun changes have been inspired by YOUR furry friend? I'd love to hear from you in the comments below, and you can use the hashtag #NutritionWorthWaggingFor

See which toy Elsa gravitated towards? CALLED IT! Also: we went to the gym this evening and came back a couple hours later; Humphrey was the first to bee-line it to the basket (which we had put in the kids toy bin) and he came bounding at us full speed, with the rope ball from the photos above. I am SO happy we did this, these sweet pups absolutely deserved ALL of it.Below is where you can find Nature's Recipe dog food at Kroger stores, ours was in aisle 14 with the bird seed + dog food and as you can see, there are a lot of great options!