Preschooler Gift Guide. The Best Toy Gifts for the 3-5 Crowd

Adorable Mantle Decor from Pottery Barn Kids

I absolutely love holidays with children. Little ones make the holidays so much more magical, I love doing all the fun little things to make it even more magical - I'll do another post on our Christmas Traditions,  which I'm so excited to share with you, but for now, here is my preschool toy guide. 

This guide is tried and true toys that my children love, you won't find any "hot toys" or "must buy deals" but the way I've linked the items it should show the current price, many of which I know will go on sale between now and Christmas. My favorite thing about the preschool age is the burst of imagination and imaginative play. So these items are perfect for imaginative, open-ended play. 

One of our favorite toys are Magformers Magnetic Blocks. We bought our first set when our oldest was three, and have added countless sets since. All three kids play with them regularly. They are so much fun, and there are so many different sets out there!

This is also the age range many kids go from Duplo blocks to regular Legos. My kids love both! At 3 1/2 our oldest went full in on the legos and hasn't slowed down since.

If you've got a little engineer on your hands, another awesome option are Tegu magnetic wooden blocks. I recommend them for the older preschoolers since many kids find the polar ends of magnets frustrating. But if you've got a big builder, they are amazingly fun and beautifully made. You can even buy them from my favorite boutique, Pi Baby.

Another amazing Fat Brain Toys option is the zoo-ominoes. Kids of all ages love setting them up and watching them fall. This is a great STEAM toy!

This magnetic set is so much fun!

My kids love these gears as well.

This year our 3 year old daughter is getting Maileg Mice.  She has the ballerina bunny and she is obsessed with it. I cannot wait to give her the mice, now that she's showing more interest in little dolls. These little mice are adorable and have the cutest clothes!

Maileg Mice from Pi Baby

Maileg Twins from Pi Baby

Maileg Book House from Pi Baby

All of our littles also love cars! Our favorite for preschool age and above are Bruder! They are impeccable replicas of the real thing. Our first got this for his third birthday and he still plays with it! 

But this Jeep was his first Bruder, and the first truck he really loved, it has been on many adventures.

He also has an ATV and loves to play with the construction/action men that come with them.

This Bruder hat is a great addition to a tool set and the hape work bench, all of which we love! Great imaginative play for both boys and girls!

I know what you're thinking, I don't want plastic tools, I want cute wooden tools. No, no, no, trust me, you don't. You know why? Because kids. One of my son's little friend's took the wooden Hape hammer to his pottery barn dresser and now my son's dresser is covered in about 50 hammer marks, so do yourself a favor, buy the tool bench, hide the hammer, and pick up this kit.

Preschool age is where the imagination really explodes, so we are doing a dress-up trunk for our 3 year old, who has been hit with the princess obsession. Here are a few of the dresses I've picked up for her. I also ordered a few from Trish Scully, but I haven't received them, so I can't attest to their quality yet. I'll keep you posted, but these are great - especially for the price!

Micro Kickboard Scooters are amazing! We started our girl on hers at 2 and she hasn't slowed down since! And baby bro has been riding it for the past few months as well. If a scooter is on your list this is a must buy!

If a bike is on your little's wish list this year, I highly recommend Cleary Bikes. They are amazing,  classic, sleek, and so much lighter than your typical kid's bike. 

For older preschoolers or taller children the 16 inch is a great fit. My oldest has this model in orange, and has requested the same orange in the larger size.

The play kitchen is another quintessential childhood gift. But it's that way for a reason - hours and hours of play. We bought our daughter this Pottery Barn Kids Chelsea kitchen when she was 18 months. It took me 30 minutes to put together - you heard that right 30 minutes! It was unbelievably easy! The hardest part was getting it out of the box. After almost 2 years of rough play it still looks brand new, and both brothers play with it regularly as well.

Play Kitchen 

Of course you can't have a play kitchen without play food! Our favorites are the Melissa and Doug, and Hape cutting food. Here are a few of our favorite sets:

We also love the Melissa and Doug and Hape kitchen appliances. How cute are these? The little pound cake with the mixer is my favorite!

The Melissa and Doug Shopping cart is also an awesome toy.

Nugget Comfort is one of my favorite things we've ever purchased! We bought the Lagoon, pictured below last year for our then 2 year old, and it has been played with every single day since! Dr. Nick, who was not on board with this purchase, on the end of day one, said "we need at least one more of those, probably two more". So when our son asked for one thing, and one thing only, for his birthday - his own Nugget, we had to oblige, and ordered him the submarine aka navy. Nugget does not do sales unless you buy 2 or more. Their pricing model is simple - fair and consistent pricing always. They are made right here in the USA by a small team in North Carolina. Such an amazing product & company! We are huge fans! 

Nugget Comfort Couch 

Waldorf Boards and Pickler Triangles are another great open-ended toy for hours and hours of adventures.

We are also huge fans of arts and crafts, but this mama doesn't play with anything that isn't washable, after much trial and error, Crayola is the clear winner in the actually washable and great color department. I've also found that paint and markers are the easiest to clean up, so skip the crayons and stick to paint, markers, and colored pencils. 

We love both these rolls of paper, and the drawing pads for on the go.

Other arts items we love include water wow books, paint by numbers, and random craft kits from Michaels, Hobby Lobby, and Target Dollar Spot.

You can check out some of our favorite Bath Toys here. And other great ideas in the Toddler Gift Guide. Next up is our Book Guide!

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Toddler Gift Guide

Adorable Toddler Tree from Pottery Barn Kids

You know what's better than baby's first Christmas? Baby's second Christmas! Christmas with toddlers is so much fun! Their amazement and excitement at everything is just so magical.  While we try to focus on experiences and family traditions, of course they need a few gifts. These recommendations are 100% tried and true things our family loves. 

This first gift is a fan favorite in our house, we gifted it to our youngest for his first birthday, and all three kids love it! We are big fans of Tegu magnetic blocks, and this train and peg people are so much fun - magnets + cars + people + building blocks - how could you not love it?

This Boogie Board is an amazing "quiet" toy. The chunky "pens" are perfect for little hands. My babe started scribbling on ours around 10 months, the bigs also love them.

The Tomy Hide & Squeak eggs are fun,  and bonus they teach color and shape matching. They also make an excellent addition to a play kitchen. 

Hape makes excellent toys. They are unique, heirloom quality, and educational. We've had this one for over 6 years, and it's still well loved.

I know, I know, another fat brain toys pick - listen, they just make amazing toys. The squigz make excellent bath toys (for more of our favorite bath toys check out the baby gift guide),  great travel toys, and really are fun just about everywhere. I love open ended toys like this. 

The Lalaboom beads are another great find. My kids are always making different things with them.

We are huge fans of Grimms Toys as well, another beautiful heirloom quality, open-ended toy line, that spans a huge age range when it comes to play.

Grimms Cars from Pi Baby Boutique 

Grimm's Rainbow Friends From Pi Baby Boutique

Full disclosure - we do not own this, but have purchased it for our youngest who will be 17 months at Christmas, I know he will love it because he is always trying to play with the marble run at his grandparent's house. This way he can build and play without the choking hazards.

Lego Duplos are another amazing STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art, and math) toy. All of my kids love building.

Brain quest stacks are another of our favorite things, they start at age 2 and have pictures with simple questions to help kids identify objects, sizes, colors, and sequences. 

Every little needs a cuddly buddy! We love JellyCat - no matter what your child's favorite animal, JellyCat has a stuffy to fit the bill. I'm currently obsessing over this new JellyCat Tiger which comes in classic Bangle orange & this adorable white, both of which you can also buy at Pi Baby.

We also adore this Lion

Now for the big gifts. In our house Santa only brings stockings, we do this for 2 reasons; first we want our kids to appreciate the value of things, and that we work hard to give them the things they want. The second reason is more pure, when my first was just a baby I read a post by a teacher talking about how sad it was when kids would get embarrassed after Christmas hearing what Santa brought other kids, and then admitting they got necessities. So we told our son, and now all of our littles, that we told Santa to just bring them stockings, and use his money and workshop to bring toys to other children. They still see Santa, and can ask him for a small gift. This is something anyone can do, at any time, just give Santa a call and tell him the new rules of the house.

I think a Rocking Horse is a classic Christmas gift. One every child loves. This adorable horse from Pottery Barn Kids is currently in my garage waiting for Christmas so we can give it to our babe. All of my kids have loved this horse, and I finally decided it was time to bring him home. 

Pottery Barn Rocking Horse 

The Pottery Barn Anywhere Chair is another amazing gift. We gifted them to our first two kids for their first Christmases. These chairs are so durable! Our oldest played with his non-stop for the first five years, it was always some type of vehicle or house in one of his adventures. After almost eight years of  rough and tumble play, other than the handle being ripped, it is still in excellent condition. My daughter is a little milder, so her's still looks brand new, even though she uses it daily.

Pottery Barn Anywhere Chair

A classic wagon is a childhood must-have! Our first got his for his second Christmas and it has been well loved. I particularly love this model with the "all terrain tires" it's much easier to pull than a standard wagon. 

Strider Bikes are a must these days. I'm pretty sure I was 6, maybe 7 years old when I learned to ride a bike without training wheels. Our oldest was 3!!! Yes, 3! I credit the combo of having a strider bike and a traditional tricycle.

Speaking of tricycles, we love this Kettler one. I love that it has a handle and the wheels can be locked to use it as a stroller as well, so when your little gets tired on a ride, you can push them home. This trike is legit, three kids and it is still going strong - the paint hasn't even faded!

Play tables are another must have for childhood. We bought a kidkraft one 7 years ago and I cannot believe how well it has held up! Other than a few marker marks, it's good as new. 

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Gift Guide for Babies

Tis the season for gifting.
Anyone else stress about buying the right gifts? the right number of gifts? Not getting caught up in the fads, or ending up with a pile of junk your kids' won't touch? If so, I've got all the gift guides of tried and true items my kids love! We're going to start with the littles and work our way up.
Buying gifts for babies is so hard, you want to make that first holiday so special, and are tempted to buy them everything - even though they need very little. My goal is always to buy quality toys my kids will love long term. I'm not into trendy toys, or the top toy list,  I like tried and true toys that promote brain development, and are fun to play with.

While this list does contain some affiliated links, meaning I get a small commission if you purchase from some of these links, it is not sponsored. I do not share things that I haven't used and loved. Everything on this, and my other lists are 100% items we have owned and loved.
Let's kick off the list with one of our newer favorites, the Fat Brain Toys Dimpl, this was one of our babe's few gift's last Christmas. When he opened it his uncle and 8 year old cousin both took it over at one point, it's such a fun toy.

The Manhattan Baby Beads are one of the few toys I bought for my second. I bought them to fill a spot on her Crate and Kids Honeycomb Shelf, but it quickly became a favorite toy. She currently rotates between using it as a decoration and an accessory.

The Fat Brain Toys Name Puzzle is a classic first holiday gift that can be used for years.

Every babe needs a few on the go toys, the mini spinny is awesome for home or on the go.

Grimms are beautiful and classic. The flower is so pretty, and so fun. We also love the rainbow.


I think everyone agrees stackers are a must! I love this Fat Brain Toys one, because it's different from the norm.


The Wimzel is another great on the go toy.

I remember seeing this when I was pregnant with my first and thinking it was so cool! It was one of the few toys I put on my registry. It was a good pick, after 3 babies it still looks brand new, and still gets plenty of play time.

This is another baby shower gift from our first that has been well loved by all our babies.

This Fisher-Price gumball machine is so fun! I am not really into "hot toys" or common toys, but this one is a huge winner! We have the previous version and I randomly found it in my 7 year old's room last week in some elaborate set up - he got it for his first Christmas, and still randomly plays with it - I call that a win!

This little octopus is the best stuffie for little hands - with 8 arms to grab, it's easy to cuddle up to this guy - plus, he's so soft and cute!

My babies are early movers, so we used this around 3-4 months until about 9 months. The great thing about this Skip Hop activity Center is it turns into an activity table once you don't need babe to sit in it! Plus it is way better looking than anything else on the market.

Bath Toys! I love bath toys, they make great stocking stuffers, and are one of those toys that have a very long "play life". Here are a few of our favorites.
The pipes were our first boon bath purchase almost 7 years ago, and we still love them!

These little suction jellies are so much fun. My kids love sticking them all over - especially on their foreheads and tummies.

The best Squirties out there! These boon spurts pop open so you can let them dry out - squirties kids love without the mold - win-win!

I have to include the Tones Boats - they're a little big for my liking, but they are really fun, and my kids love tapping on them to make them whistle.

I have to include the plui - I'd say it's more for the 18 month + club, but it's such a fun one. Like the boon toys, it pops open so you can dry it out.

And our all time favorite bath toy! We've had ours for over 3 years and it's still going strong, hands down the favorite!


And let's not forget the Best Teethers. I've used the Zoli teethers with all three of my babes. With my first I literally dropped hundreds on various teethers he rejected. Thankfully we found a winner!

And of course our favorite baby bath products, Tubby Todd! Every year for the past 4 years I've done their winter scents for stocking stuffers. I also am obsessed with their dream cream and all over ointment, which I add to stockings as well.

Tubby Todd x Rylee & Cru Holiday Scents

Those are a few of our baby favorites! I hope these fill some holes in your shopping list. Happy Shopping!

Thankful Tree

Happy November

November, when fall turns crisper, winter creeps in, and hearts are filled with gratitude. One way we celebrate gratitude in our family is a thankful tree; a tradition we started  six years ago. What's a thankful tree? Basically, it's a way to share something we are thankful for each day. Every night at dinner, each person says something they are thankful for - no repeats allowed - and then we write it on a leaf and glue them on or thankful tree. 

Each year I sketch a tree on a big sheet of paper from a craft roll (you can find it at hobby lobby, michaels, or on amazon, or from Melissa and Doug) My tree is usually about 4 feet tall.

 I start sketching branches, from the top, keeping in mind that trees are naturally perfectly imperfect, so your tree should be too, don't get hung up on perfection.  Just like real life  - it isn't perfect, but there is still so much to be grateful for. Focusing on the million little good things makes your tree so much more perfect! I just use the Crayola Super Tips. 

Once I get the branches drawn, I start adding lines to look like bark. If you check out my highlights on Instagram I talk about the process, which took about 30 minutes from cutting the paper to hanging it up.

One of my traditions is to add a heart knot with our name and year.  

If you aren't a DIY fan, but like the idea of a Thankful tree, I've seen several options this year - there are several printables on Etsy, and a few premade options as well, Target is even carrying one this year. Another option is a thankful pumpkin. One of my friends gets a craft pumpkin and they write what they are thankful for on the pumpkin each night.

For the past 4 or 5 years I've bought this leaf garland, and cut it apart, but this year I discovered these cute place cards, so we'll be using both this year. 

Last year I saved a lot of our leaves. As you can see, anything goes as far as what we are thankful for! Cookies, technology, friends and family, earth, puppies, nature, electricity, and quiet all made the list last year. 

I love the opportunity to talk with the littles about all the things we have to be grateful for. Hearing what everyone comes up with each day is so fun, and very often funny - today we started with gravity, school, my clean room, treats, and books. 

I hope your November is filled with good food, fun, family, friends, and gratitude. 

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Halloween Traditions + Skeleton Wreath Tutorial

Can you believe Halloween is only a week away?

Are you a Halloween loving ghoul? or a I'm just her for the candy dandy?
I'm going to be real with you halloween is not my favorite holiday - I am not a dress up for Halloween girl - I've never really been in to it - but I LOVE celebrating and making magical fun for my kids. One of my biggest role model parents is my friend Jen, when we met  I did not have children yet, and she had 2 beautiful daughters who were 4 and 2, and she celebrated everything! I mean, decorations, fun food, perfect costumes, and she loved every minute of it - she did all those things for her and her children, and only for them - not because she felt she had to or was trying to be pintrest perfect - but because she loved it. I was in awe of it, but never thought I would be that kind of a mom - then again I was working 45-70 hours a week when I became a mom, so I'm sure that had something to do with it). Anyway I loved Jen's house, she made everyone feel welcome, she made everything fun, she really is just one of those incredible women you need in your life. I wanted my house to feel like Jen's house, like my house growing up, where everyone was welcome and there was always something fun happening.

I remember my first Halloween as a mom, I bought the perfect costume (which all three of my babes have worn), and we did pumpkins and handed out candy, which was just enough for me. Then one year I hung up a little banner for some random holiday I bought at Target, and my oldest who was about 18 months said "oohhh pretty, mommy, I love your decorations" and that right there turned me into a crazy decorating lady! For some reason my kids love holiday decorations - so I decorate for all the holidays. This year we added this awesome dude, inspired by Anna McFarland of Annaistheworst. Isn't he amazing?!?! Bonus he was so easy to make.

I bought the skeleton at Michaels for like $12, the flowers were around $20 from Michaels, and $4 from DollarTree. I used a piece of cardboard from a shipping box, and cut it to the desired size. I tied the skeleton on with some bakers twine and hot glued the holes closed.

Then I popped the flowers off the stems & cut the little plastic part off the back so they would be almost flat. I laid out the flowers - it took a few layouts to find the look I was going for.

Then I just started hot gluing the flowers on. I also added some leaves to fill in the background.

 This is such a fun and easy craft because there's no wrong way to do it - you just keep adding stuff until it feels right! I can't tell you how many people have come to my door asking about this guy, do yourself a favor and make a skelly wreath ASAP.

Now that the decor is complete we are ready to play. One thing I love to do for different holidays and seasons is read books that coordinate. We have a decent stash of holiday books, but I always hit up the library to get more so we can read them all month leading up to the holiday - in this case halloween.

A few of our favorites are: Happy Halloween Curious George,  Room on the Broom, Where is Baby's Pumpkin,  Duck & Goose Honk! Quack! Boo!, Goblin Moon, How to Scare a Ghost, Monster Trucks, Skelly's Halloween, Dino-Halloween, B is for Boo, Pick a Pumpkin, to name a few!

Time to Dress up! Other than the first year or two I let my kids choose their costumes. My oldest has been 1. Peacock, 2. Shark, 3. Tiger, 4. Dinosaur, 5. Astronaut, 6. Police Officer, 7, Darth Vader, and this year he is too cool for a real costume, so he will be a football player.
My daughter has been 1. Peacock, 2. Ruth Bader Ginsberg (yup Attorney mom here - this was the only year we did a family costume - I was my hero & first woman on the Supreme Court Sandra Day O'Conner, she was RBG, my son was a police officer, and husband was a prisoner - it was so fun!) 3. Fox, and this year she is going as a kitty.
Baby is celebrating his second halloween, he was a peacock for his first, and will be a shark this year. Gotta get my moneys worth out of those costumes 😉.

As for events, we will attend our Church's Trunk or Treat Halloween Party,  I'll volunteer for my second grader's class party, and attend my preschooler's halloween program (which I cannot wait for, her school has the cutest programs & and she's been practicing her songs all month). Then we will do a simple trick or treat around the neighborhood. One of my beloved childhood memories was trick or treating to my own house. My mom always had something special for us when we knocked on our own door. My kids will trick or treat to our house and will get a new book and a special treat. Here's what they are getting this year.

Big Book of Stars & Planets, Deep in the Ocean, Nibbles, Kinder Eggs

Food! If you know me, you know I love food! The bigs will both have school on Halloween, so they will get a special lunch of Spider Sandwiches, pumpkin oranges, hard boiled egg ghosts, and Trader Joe's ghost chips. For dinner we usually do mummy dogs - we wrap pizza dough around a chicken sausage to make it look like a mummy. I do the classic halloween mars mix for "normal" trick or treaters, and then I have special treats for our friends (pirate's booty for friends and kinder eggs for our besties).
Once they get all their candy we go through it, make sure everything is safe, let them choose a handful of things they don't have to share, and then everything good goes in a communal container in the pantry. The things we don't like get dropped off at our dentist's buy back event. How you handle treats is a totally personal decision, and we allow a fair amount of treats in our house.

However you choose to celebrate I hope you have the best Halloween yet! Make it Magical in your own way! Happy Halloween friends!

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The Perfect Family Photos - A How To Guide

It's that time of year again, where the leaves start turning, and families run out in droves to capture the perfect family photos. Have you had your family photos done yet? Or are you still spending hours searching for the perfect outfits - not too matchy-matchy, not too weird, not too plain, not too much like last year....well my friends, if you are in the former category, congratulations! If you are in the later, congratulations, you're in the right place, I'm here to help.

I don't know about you, but I always stress about family photos. I think it has to do with how few family photos my family did when I was growing up,  that I'm obsessed with getting them every year. Then since they are going on my wall, and in my photo books, and on my Christmas cards, I want them to be just right. I always tell my husband "photos are my love language" to which he responds "that's not a thing" and I respond, "it is to me", so he ignores my crazy, and smiles on cue. 

So how do you have a stress free photo shoot, and photos you love?

1. Photographer, Photographer, Photographer 

Find a photographer you love, and if possible have the same person take your photos every year. Building a relationship with a photographer is so helpful, not only does it help you as the planner, but it helps your children feel more comfortable working with someone they know.  My kids love our photographer, she is amazing with them. Their favorite thing is that she brings a treasure box with her to photo shoots. Before the shoot she pulls out the treasure box and gives them a three second peek to get them excited about what they might earn. Whenever they start acting crazy she just says "how many items from the treasure box do you think you'll get?" and already, my 7 and 3 year olds know to step in line (for the record they each got 5 things this year! they were rockstars). She is silly, and fun, and knows how to make everyone comfortable in front of the camera - if you live in the Boise area, check out Rebecca of Merrakai Photography, she is a dream. 

If you don't have a photographer yet, scroll through your local Instagram, Facebook, and Blogs to see who they use and recommend - search their social media, their sites, find a photographer who fits you. It is so important to find a photographer who matches your style. I remember when we were looking for a wedding photographer and everyone swore by this one photographer, I looked him up and his photos were racy - I mean racy, and I was like hmm I don't think that's my vibe. But I called him anyway, because everyone said he was the best. I told him what I was looking for - dude was a total jerk to me, because that wasn't his style, there was no need for his attitude, but he had his style and I had mine, and we were not right to work together. Then I restarted my search, and found a photographer who's work I loved. I seriously just went down the line saying - yes, yes, yes, I want all of these photos but for me. I loved pretty much every photograph on her entire site. She was perfect for us and I am so glad I found someone who fit my style instead of "the best one", because you know what, she was the best one for me. 

2. Share Your Vision 

Once you find a photographer you love, share your vision with them. Do you want perfectly posed photos in a studio, more candid shots in your home, big city streets, or wide open spaces? Let your photographer know what you want. If you have a location you love let them know and they can scout for the best time of day to get the right lighting. Not sure where you want, photographers are great at knowing all the right spots to match your vision.

Last summer when I had our third child, I opted for an in home lifestyle session, more candid, less structured, and it was so perfect. I love having photos of each kid in their rooms, in their element, doing normal things they do every day. This year I went back to my signature outdoor photos, I just love golden hour photos in a beautiful natural setting. Know what you love and make it happen. If you don't have a vision search family photo shoots until you find something you love and ask your photographer to help you make it happen.

3. Plan Your Outfits

I think planning your outfits is the most stressful part of photo sessions, okay second most stressful after wondering if your family will cooperate. When I start planning outfits I try to find one thing I absolutely love and plan around that item. Usually, that means planning around my daughter, because little girl clothes are just the cutest.  I also stick to the rule of one bold print, one light print, and the rest in complimentary solids. Too many patterns is just too busy, while too many of the same shade of solid is just so boring. This two pattern ratio is like magic! 

This year, I loved a lot of things for both my daughter and myself, so I ordered, tried on, tired to coordinate, and went through a few rounds before I found my ah ha piece. My original vision was my daughter in a plum dress - well the dress I wanted sold out lightning fast, and I couldn't find anything else in that color I loved. So I started over, and settled on this beautiful Mini Boden Pinafore dress, which I paired with a Mustard Pie top we already owned, and shoes we already owned - we settled on her Mon Petite Saddle Oxfords.

From there I found and fell in love with a Rachel Parcell Dress for myself. And things just fell into place from there. I went with J Crew CrewCuts for my 7 year old son, and found the perfect Rylee + Cru top for my 1 year old son, which I paired with a Mini Boden Sweater, and his Freshly Picked Cedar Oxfords. My poor husband is always last in line for clothes, which is fine with him. Here is my layout as I was still deciding which sweater for him.

I find it very helpful to lay things out together to see how they look. I will move things around and make sure I like the look of each thing in different combinations, I lay out shoes, accessories, everything we will use. This is another place a good photographer comes in handy. I had another dress I like equally for myself, so I sent Rebecca the photos asking her opinion, she has a good eye and pointed out that even though the other dress was amazing - it was a show stealer, and wouldn't fit my vision. Likewise I sent her one of the dresses I chose for my daughter since I wasn't sure how it would photograph, as well as a few different shoe options for myself. Between my girlfriends and Rebecca (who is one of my girlfriends) we got the outfits down.  Here were my final two combos we narrowed it down to. 

  

In the end we opted for the light blue sweater because it is just so different from what he normally wears, and the color not only looked fantastic on him, but really made all of our eyes pop.  

Hair and Makeup: I like to look like me, just a more polished version of me, so I wear a little thicker eyeliner, heavier than usual mascara, and blush, but still true to my usual self. I know some people get their hair and makeup done for photos and if that's your style, awesome, you do you. If not, make sure you give yourself plenty of time to get ready so you feel beautiful and confident. (having your kids do quiet time for an hour is a great way to get ready)

I know every budget is different, and I firmly believe that having clothing that makes you feel confident, and items you want to see long term is far more important than having new things. Find things you love either in store or in your closet, things that make you feel confident, mix it up with different accessories, or a jacket, make what you have look new. I don't buy all new clothes for family photos, but I do like to get a few new things for family pictures each year. This year everyone got something new, partially because I found what I loved, and partially because we needed some new things. Find what works for you, and ask your friends and photographer for their input as well.

4. Managing The Chaos 

Children are unpredictable! In order to get the best photos possible I plan rest time so that it will end about an hour before we need to leave for the shoot. On the weekends and non-school days all of my children have a 30-60 minute rest time. During rest time they can quietly play, read, or nap in their rooms. Giving them this down time really improves everyone's attitude, and gives mom a chance to get ready. Once rest time is over, everyone gets a hardy snack before we get dressed. This way we avoid the tired hangry people. For this shoot, I wanted to capture our Sunday Charcuterie tradition, so I made a charcuterie board for the end of the shoot - the kids were so excited! I also bribed them with Kinder Eggs, which I placed on the center console of the car when we got to the location, with a big flourish to keep them excited about earning them. 

Once we get to the shoot I try to live by the "worry about yourself" mantra, and let the photographer wrangle the littles - unless I'm asked to direct them, or need to chase down the baby. At this point, I've set myself up as well as I can, so I just have to let it be. Having this mentality not only relieves stress, but it relaxes your face so you look your best! 

I also try to have as much fun as possible with my family during the shoot - joke around, play with your kids, this gets everyone in a good mood, and gets those bright eyed, genuine smiles that make your heart melt. Happiness always photographs well!

In summary, to manage the chaos as best you can: 1. Rest time; 2. Feed the children; 3. Bribe the children & spouse if necessary; 4. Make it fun.

5. Manage Expectations

I'm going to be honest here, I might not always be the best at this - but I really try to keep it in check. One of my big ideas this year was a little picnic to commemorate our Sunday Charcuterie tradition. Dr. Nick took one look at it and said "could your expectations be any higher?" so I checked myself, and continued to put the board together for our little picnic. It's such a special memory to me that it was worth the extra work transporting and setting it all up. 

Don't forget to manage your family's expectations. I am very honest with my kids. They know mom loves family pictures, they know the faster they cooperate the faster it is over. So on the way to the shoot, I remind them, we are paying a lot of money for our family pictures; however you look - the pictures are still going on the wall, in books, and on Christmas cards; the faster we smile and and hit the mark, the faster we are finished; and I always let them know in advance what their reward will be.  This year my oldest asked for kinder eggs, and I was thrilled to get off so easy! Obviously, this doesn't work as well for younger kids, but the younger ones follow the lead of the bigs, so if the bigs are happy, the littles will likely be happy too! 

6. Be Prepared

I double check everyone before we go out the door: shoe check; teeth check; hair check, clothing check... I also bring a tote bag with me that has all the little things we might need: comb, brush, spray bottle, chapstick,  baby wipes, lint roller, makeup bag (mascara, lip stick & gloss, blush, powder, q-tips for clean ups) extra shoes & bows -  just incase I change my mind; waters for everyone, and tictacs! I can't believe I haven't mentioned tictacs! Tictacs are my secret weapon - they make everyone happy and are zero mess! I know it sounds a bit "extra" but you never know when you will need these things. I'd rather have a bag I don't need, than be in the middle of a field wishing for a tissue.

7. Final Thoughts

Do your prep work! Prep your outfits, location, attitudes, and your bribes. 

Once you get to the location, your job is done. 

Relax, have fun, and smile pretty.

The Perfect Shrimp for Any Recipe

There are so many amazing shrimp recipes out there, but so many fall flat on getting the shrimp just right. Here's my tried and true, perfect every time shrimp recipe. Short sweet and to the point.

First, you need good shrimp. One of my favorites is the Argentine Wild Shrimp from Trader Joes.

Defrost your shrimp and pat dry.

Toss with olive oil and sprinkle with salt.

Spread out on a baking sheet and bake at 400 for 9-10 minutes.

Voila! Perfect Shrimp every time.
Tonight we had shrimp tacos so I added a little sweet paprika & garlic salt.

RECIPE

1 pound of Shrimp

Olive Oil

Sea Salt

Preheat Oven to 400 degrees

Pat shrimp dry

Toss shrimp in olive oil

Spread on baking sheet

Sprinkle generously with salt and any other desired seasoning

Bake on 400 for 9-10 minutes.

Promptly remove from oven and add to any recipe.