Stay at Home Date Ideas

My husband and I have never really been the “go out on Valentine’s Day” type of people. Between the crowds, the increased fees, and now the inability to get a babysitter, staying in looks better than ever! Although we can just be lazy and watch Netflix like any other night, I decided to brainstorm some ideas to make staying in on Valentine’s Day special. And then, I figured lots of others couples and families probably stay home too- so, why not write a post with some ideas for everyone?! These are easy ideas you can whip up in a few hours or less- so, pick one you like and get to planning!

The best part is that these ideas can be used ALL YEAR LONG! So, pin this blog post to your Pinterest and reference it any time you want to add a little more fun to your date nights at home!

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Stay at Home Date Ideas for Adults

-Pick a country and "vacation" there (ex: watch an Italian movie while eating Italian food, drinking Italian wine, and an outfit you would wear to vacation in Italy!)

-Wine and cheese night (brie, bread, wine, various cheeses and crackers). Listen to romantic music, make a fire, or watch a movie.

- Order your fave takeout, watch your fave movie, and fave dessert

-Take a "cooking class" by making a new dish following a recipe you find online together. Bonus points for adding a dessert!

- Do a wine tasting or beer tasting. Get different wines or beers. One of you places them in random bags, the other one adds numbers and pours them into glasses. The surprise won't be ruined!

-Watch a video on Youtube and learn a new dance together!

-Have a picnic in your yard (if it's warm where you live) or on your living room floor.

-Give each other massages or some other spa treatment

-Learn a new skill (like juggling) together

Stay at Home Date Ideas for Families & Kids

-make a love fort & fill it with pink, red, white or purple sheets and pillows, or just all the items they love.

-Do a craft day together

-Hide valentines around the house for kids to collect (write what you love about kids and hide them or spell out an activity to do together another day)

-Create games at home- bowling with half-empty bottles, ball toss with buckets, etc. Pinterest has about a billion ideas for this!

-Do a photo scavenger hunt. Come up with items they need to find, and watch as they peruse the house for the items. Give them a kid's camera to take some pics of their treasures! (Also, this helps avoid a broken iPhone screen!)

Stay at Home Date Ideas for Friends

-have a spa/pamper day (each friend picks a treatment, like face masks, nail polish, etc). Or, pick up a few of these kits!

-Rom-com marathon. Get some popcorn and add gourmet flavoring for a special twist!

-Do a craft together (like making your own candles!) with wine and a cheese platter

-Do a paint nite together by following a Youtube video or letting each person pick their own idea. Grab a set of canvases and some paints!

Stay at Home Date Ideas for All Ages

-Karaoke! Get a cheap microphone on Amazon or fake one using a hairbrush. Watch videos on Youtube or get a fancy machine. The choice is yours!

-Make fondue! I think this would also be great for kids.

-Host a game night!

-Make smores and sing campfire songs! Bonus points if someone knows how to play guitar.

-Make breakfast for dinner! Switch it up and make homemade waffles.

There are TONS of ways that you can make staying at home feel special. You just need to be creative! Do you have any other great date night ideas? Or, is one of these your fave? Let me know in the comments below!

Perfect Valentine's Day Gifts for Moms

Ah, moms. The women who give their all to raise amazing little humans. They’re also notorious for never doing anything for themselves! This Valentine’s Day, how about giving a little gift to the special mom in your life? Whether she’s your sister, wife or friend, I bet she would appreciate a small gift for herself! Here are some ideas for gifts that a mom will love- no matter your budget! Oh and also- TOTALLY perfect to buy them for yourself as well!

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Under $25

Box of Teas - Moms can definitely use something to relax! This box of teas is SO cute and looks fancy. As a bonus, add in some fancy honey and you’ve got the perfect gift.

Blackhead Remover Pore Vacuum - This is perfect for getting a facial without actually leaving the house! Give it as a gift with Tea Tree Essential Oil for a perfectly pampering experience.

Silk pillowcase - These pillowcases are great for your skin and hair! They also feel super luxurious, so there’s that!

Travel Coffee Mug - Since mom’s coffee never stays warm, give her this insulated travel mug so she can take it on the go! For the mom with more than one kid, go for the bigger option. She needs all the coffee she can get!

Headbands - All moms love to throw their hair up in a mom bun! Or maybe not love to.. but it happens. Give them a nice set of headbands to add a little flair to every outfit, and add a headband holder to help them stay organized and nicely displayed!

Makeup Brush Holder - mostly just so that she can store them nicely and feel like a rockstar while she does her makeup!

Dry Erase Calendar - As a bonus, add a set of dry erase markers to go with it!

Reversible Tote Bag - It’s a fact. Moms have a lot of stuff that they need to carry. This way, she can do it in style!

Best Mom Ever Candle - Perfect for the rare moment that mom gets some time alone- like, maybe a bath?! A girl can dream, right?

Sexy-ish PJ’s - I think these are fun to give as a reminder that although she is “mom” most of the day, she can still be her sexy self in the evening.

Under $50

7-Piece Pajama Set - This set is so fun for all the moods! Sexy mom, check. Lazy mom, check. It also means that she’ll be bale to mix and match the pieces while still looking put together!

Wine Glass - Add in a bottle of her fave wine and you’ve got a winner!

Gift Card for Date Night - Every mom needs to get out once in a while! Throw in an offer to babysit, and this is probably the best gift ever.

External Hard Drive - Moms love to take pictures. Get her an external hard drive to hold all those precious photos and keep them safe!

Heart Necklace - Jewelry is fun. As a bonus, this one can be engraved!

Wine Bottle Holder - There’s a reason that pretty much every mom mug and t-shirt mentions wine. Get her this cute bottle holder to store that wine in a pretty way!

Cozy Blanket - This is perfect for time spent on the couch with the kids, or watching a movie in peace after they’ve gone to bed!

Picture Frame -So many pictures end up buried on our phone forever. With a pretty frame like this one, she’ll have a great reason to display them! To be the best friend ever, offer to take a family photo so that she can be in it.

French Press Coffee Maker - Moms need coffee, and this set is SO PRETTY.

Essential Oils Diffuser - Help her to relax and feel like she’s at the spa, even if she’s just watching Frozen for the 700th time. This one is really pretty and fits in with anyone’s decor! As a bonus, add a set of essential oils.

Around $100

Dreamy Baby Photography - Moms take lots of pictures. With this course, she can take amazing photos of her baby no matter the device. By enrolling her in this course, she’s getting a new skill plus all the memories of her child. It’s a win-win.

Robot Vacuum - Kids make messes and we hate to clean the. This vacuum does the work for her.

Handheld Massager - Raising kids is stressful and we don’t get to move and stretch as much as we should. Things get stiff! This massager helps to loosen things up.

Custom Initial Necklace- Perfect for her initials, her husband’s, or her children!

Amazon Echo Show - I have one of these and love it. I can play music, write down a grocery list, set a timer, hear the weather…. all without touching my phone that I can’t find because it’s been hidden by a child or the dog is sitting on it.

Ninja Countertop Blender - Perfect for morning smoothies! I have the Ninja and love it. It’s probably been at least 6 years that we’ve had it!

Keurig Coffee Maker - Because again, momma needs her coffee. This one comes in so many pretty colors!

Towel Warmer - This is a fun gift that really will make her feel pampered. Nothing better than a warm towel!

Fitbit Versa 2 Smartwatch - This connects with Amazon Alexa which is awesome! It also syncs up notifications with your phone and can control your spotify app. All of that in addition to the heath tracking benefits like tracking your heart rate, steps, etc.

Pamper Yourself In An Unlikely Way

Oftentimes when we hear the word “pamper” or “treat yourself” we are automatically tossed into a luxury hotel suite, soaking in a claw food tub and snacking on macarons with a glass of wine in hand. It’s often something of a quick escape, a way to momentarily forget about what ails you and insead enjoy a moment of peaceful relaxation.

Well I’m here to challenge that thinking. What if, instead of chocolate cake and face masks, the way to relax was in doing the hard work? That the way to pamper yourself isn’t a few minutes (or hours) of forgetting your life, but remembering exactly what you want it to look like? Deciding to carefully craft the type of life you want to lead, instead of trying to get away from the one you have?

Let’s think of it in terms of baking ingredients. Doing things like facials, taking a bath, or shopping is like butter, flour or eggs. Good enough on their own, sure. But it’s when you make it more complicated- growing a business, advancing a skill, or training for a marathon- that’s how you go from butter, flour and eggs to cookies. It’s through these more complex forms of self care and pampering that you create a true reward for yourself. It’s not always about what’s easy or even what’s relaxing. It’s about what sustains your life. Mixing relaxing with hard work that you do for yourself. A balanced diet, if you will.

How do you do it? You just gotta change the narrative. Folding clothes sucks. But having a neat closet and an easy time getting ready in the morning feels indulgent. It feels like shopping without spending a dime. Maybe you dress better or wear those earrings because now you can actually see them.

Sure, taking a relaxing bath now and again is nice. And sure, folding clothes every day sucks. But it’s all about mixing it up and balance. Listen to that inspirational podcast while you take your bath. Jam out to music while you fold your clothes. Don’t let being lazy with half-assed “I deserve this break” derail you from the things you want in life. A break is fine and needed and should be enjoyed! But putting a break and the easy thing over everything else is sometimes the worst type of self-care you can do. It’s self sabotage.

There are always exceptions to the rule. In 2018 I was pregnant and exhausted. I did FAR less work on the blog. And now in 2019 with a baby I’m taking it slow. But I didn’t give up. It’s not about working until you’re totally burnt out or stressed. It’s about taking small steps towards what you want in life. It’s never giving up. It’s finding a way to prioritize yourself and your goals however possible, even when it’s easier to flop yourself on the couch or make yourself busy with menial tasks like the dishes.

It’s about balancing those necessary types of self care (like dressing nice or doing your hair) with the mundane tasks that make your life work in a practical manner (like folding laundry, or doing it to begin with) and combining it with long term goals (like learning piano or growing a business) to create a life that truly feels fulfilling. It’s about not getting so bogged down with the everyday “urgencies” that you end up putting aside the goals and dreams you really want to achieve. We’ll always be busy. It’s about making time for what’s most important to you.

Self love and treating yourself can be eating an extra cupcake, or doing your hair, or re-decorating your home. There’s no one way to do it and by flopping on the couch with Netflix every day, you’re relaxing in a way that isn’t moving you forward. By all means, watch your tv shows. But do what you love too. Don’t be too scared or too busy or too tired to go for your dreams. Work towards them and you’ll see how amazing and fulfilling your life will become.

The Easiest (Reusable!) Packing List

I think there are several different opinions on the worst part about traveling. Some say it's packing, others say flying, or jet lag, or unpacking. Personally, I think the worst part (and my greatest fear) is forgetting something I needed. I have dreams, even when I'm not traveling, that I forgot to pack and therefore have to grab everything at the last minute. Also because in my dream I apparently "forgot" I had a trip too! Even if this were to happen someday, somehow, I'd be prepared. I have a packing hack that surpasses alllll the packing hacks. And the best part is that all you'll need is your iPhone or iPad. It's totally free, and really easy to use.

All you need to do is go to the Apple pre-downloaded Reminders app. It comes standard on all iPhones and you’ve probably even used it before for something like a grocery list!

The first thing you want to do is open up your reminders app, press the (+) sign and create a new list. You can call it Packing List for now, or label it after the destination you are going to. Then, you're going to want to start typing out all the things you need to bring with you. I think the best way to do this is to use a laptop or other device to see a generic packing list online, and adapt it to your own items. Keep adding items, one at a time, until you have a completed list. Then, as you're packing, click each item to "check” it off your list.

Oh but wait. That's not all! This hack gets even better, because this list is reusable. Next time you are traveling, you can rename the list, click "show completed" and uncheck the items that you need to bring with you. You'll leave all the other stuff on there, but it'll be checked off so it doesn't show on your packing list. You can use this over and over, and you'll never have to worry about forgetting anything again! Plus, as long as you have your phone on you, you have your list. This makes it really easy to add things on the go!

Other features

If you want to be a little bit fancier, you can use one of these features as well.

1. Share with a friend/spouse. If you're traveling with a friend/spouse, chances are that they need the same items you do! So, create a list with all the items you both need and share the list so that they can be as organized as you are. This is perfect for avoiding double the items, so you can add things like a selfie stick, sunscreen, toothpaste, or even a portable speaker! Since the list is shared, this won’t be ideal for packing clothes because when they check the items off, your list will be checked too. But, this feature is great for a family because you can add all your kids’ items and know what exactly has been packed already!

2. Set a reminder for a location. This is perfect in case you need to get something from a certain store, pick up something a friend borrowed, or grab items from your storage unit. Or, you can set a reminder at the airport to grab a bottle of water, a magazine, or a snack.

3. Set a due date. You can set a deadline for the items that you don't use often, the ones you need to pack at the last second, and everything in between.

4. Add a priority. If you're an overpacker like me, this feature is great for prioritizing what needs to come, what you want to bring, and what to include only if you have room.

5. Add notes. You can use this section to list out the individual items (i.e., pink swimsuit, blue swimsuit, black one-piece). It's also handy for listing out a quantity (i.e., 6 pairs of undies) or a location (from garage).

Here’s a handy dandy video showing off the features! It doesn’t have sound, but you can see how I navigate around the app to get to the features and settings I mentioned above.

So what do you think? Will you be using this app for future trips? Do you know a better way? Let me know in the comments below!

How I Find Time For Doing My Hair

For years, I’ve wanted to be the kind of woman who does her hair. You see, I have curly hair that I usually do nothing with. Sometimes I put some product in it when I’m going out. Most days, I just wash it and let it air dry with nothing in it at all, because I don’t go anywhere. This has been going on for years, and I can count on my hands how many times I’ve truly felt like I had a good hair day when my hair was curly. But that’s a somewhat separate issue. 

While I’ve wished that I was one of those women who actually styled their hair, I spent years just going around with hair I hated. In high school, my hair was split right down the center and extraordinarily long. In college it was usually down or in a lazy bun. When I’d go out, I’d straighten my hair and make loose waves and I felt gorgeous. But aside from those days, I was basically living life on the curly side. 

When I started working full time, I became even lazier than I was in college. I went out less, aside from going to work every day. It seemed pointless to do my hair just to go to work- I wasn’t doing anything special. For the most part, I felt secure with how I looked even if that meant disliking how I looked most of the time. It just didn’t really matter THAT much to me. 

Well, let’s flash forward to a few months ago. The post-partum hair loss began. The pesky knot I always got at the base of my neck suddenly became 3 times as big. In fact, my hair was starting to tangle at the roots! I sat around at home all day on maternity leave, so that whole “not doing anything special” kicked in big time. I had my hair down a day or two then it would get super tangled and I’d just toss it into a bun, making it MORE TANGLED. Wash, brush, rinse and repeat. After spending 10+ minutes brushing out my hair in the shower a few times, I was tired of it. There had to be a better way. 

Despite not going anywhere, I’ve straightened my hair the last 3 months and I don’t regret it one bit. Here’s 7 reasons why I do it and how I find the time- all while taking care of a baby, a puppy, 3 cats, and trying to grow a business. 

1. I look good, so I feel good. Me lounging in my pjs with straight hair? I consider myself a 9. Pjs and curly hair? A solid 4, maybe. Some girls really rock the curly hair look. I don’t feel like I’m one of them. Feeling good (human, I should say) is essential when you’re home all day with a baby. It’s so easy to lose yourself and say you’re “too busy” for this or that (SHOWERING) so by doing my hair, it helped to remind me that I’m still a woman, a wife, and a sexy one at that!

2. It prevents tangles. Although I don’t brush my hair when it’s straight (I guess that’s a curly hair habit that stuck with me) it just doesn’t tangle nearly as much. Even if I put it in a bun those last few days or sleep with it down, somehow it just doesn’t form that giant knot anymore. Hallelujah!

3. It really isn’t as much work as I thought to blow dry my hair. It takes about 20 minutes using the Revlon One-Step Hair Dryer and Volumizer. That’s only 10 minutes more than it was taking me just to brush my giant curly knot. And my hair ends up looking 10x better. This magic tool leaves my hair looking smooth and full of body. I talk alllll about it here.

4. It’s silly, but it’s important. You may be thinking that it’s pointless to style your hair when you’re home, or that you have better things to do, or you don’t have the time. And whatever you believe to be true... well you’ll convince yourself it is. I know I did, for years! I finally decided that I was going to prioritize my looks a little bit. You won’t see me in a full face of makeup anytime soon, but I can at least run a round brush through my hair to make myself feel presentable. 

5. If you prioritize feeling good, you’ll find the time to do it. I blow dry my hair while Hailey takes her nap. If she wakes up after my shower but before I can do my hair, I’ll put her in her bouncer and pop on a Disney movie. She loves it and although I feel a little guilty sometimes, she never finishes the movie. It’s only for about 20 minutes and then I whisk her back into my arms. You can also do quiet time or activities with the kids, like having them do a puzzle. Or let them be kinda wild and play pirates or something together. 

6. If all else fails, get your husband/partner involved. You may be thinking that your husband won’t understand why you even care about your appearance. It might be hard to justify at first, because it’ll seem so frivolous. I felt a little embarrassed the first time my husband came home and my hair was done. It seemed silly and unnecessary. But after a couple of weeks I don’t even care what he has to say. I care for Hailey all day long and this is my way of feeling sexy again. Once your partner sees how confident and sexy you feel, they’ll likely get on board with it. It’ll probably have some perks for them if you feel good too!

7. Maybe you’re thinking that your husband is useless with the kids, so you can’t expect him to watch them while you do your hair. Um, girlfriend, that’s even more reason to get him involved. Your husband should be your partner, and there’s no reason why he shouldn’t be able to carry his weight with the kids. Even if you’re a stay at home mom, you deserve a break. Even if he acts like he doesn’t know what to do with the kids, this is how he’ll learn. I’m 1,000% blessed to have a husband who’s probably more useful than I am when it comes to running a home, but this is how the dynamic should be in every family. We all pitch in to help, and it’s much better for your kids when their dad is happily involved in all aspects of their lives.

My motto for this year is “if not now, when?” I’m tired of living for “someday”. My entire life has been me putting off the things I truly want while waiting for me to magically be the type of person who did the things I wanted to do. You don’t magically become that person- you gotta do the things to actually… you know, do the things, and become the person. Whether it’s dressing better, being braver, being more present, or even just doing your damn hair.  If you keep living for “someday” you’ll die waiting for it.