Gift Guide for Children

Hey Guys,

With holiday season around the corner (some consider it now), many struggle with keeping their children balanced. For the past two years Kayden has had a low key Christmas. His gifts haven't been extravagant, but as he is getting older he is becoming more aware of what holidays are about.

Curtis and I are lucky that we are on the same page about what holidays should be about i.e. family and religion. Christmas can quite easily be about getting a bunch of gifts, rather then it being a celebration. I never want my child to be overly spoiled or ungrateful. I have seen families buy so many gifts for their children that they loose track of the gifts they have bought, and find them hidden somewhere months later, not my impression of the holidays.

Curtis has no family in Canada, and my family doesn't celebrate Christmas, even if they did they wouldn't join us. Christmas is always a special time for our family and regardless of our financial situation we have always made the best of it.

With Kayden getting older I wanted some guidelines on how to approach gift buying, this is what I found

Buy something they want

Every kid wants something impractical that usually costs a lot. This is what I consider to be the 'main gift'.

Get them something they need

This is what parents pick out for their children. It's usually practical and something that children dread seeing

Something they can read

Something they can wear

I love all of these categories. It allows children to receive presents, enjoy that aspect of the holidays but it also keeps them balanced. It gives children gifts they want as well as parents giving them what they feel they need. A little fun with a little education.

As kayden gets older there will be two additional categories.

Something to do as a family within the home

This includes a board game, movie etc. This gift benefits the whole family. It is usually something the whole family would enjoy and is non-stressful.

Something to do as a family outside the home

This may include a nice dinner out, going to the park, seeing a movie, playing mini golf etc. I know for many families going out and doing these activities is cobsidered special. Its nice to go out and not have to celebrate a birthday anniversary etc and do something out of the ordinary.

Tips for saving $$ on children's clothes

Hey guys,

As the mother of a two year old toddler I know how expensive it is to buy clothes for you little one. I did a post a few months ago in the summertime about how to save money when you have young children, because the costs can add up quickly. I know one of the best things to do as a mother is buy clothes for my little one and just dress him up. Because we all know been a few years he's gonna have an opinion and is gonna buy what he wants and wear what he wants to wear.

Unfortunately at this age children grow so fast. I'm so lucky that he is at the stage now where he is the same size for about one year which makes it a lot easier and makes it less stressful to purchase clothing because I know it'll last a lot longer than before. I decided to share some of my tips for buying clothes.

Sign up for emails to your favorite stores

 We all have favorite stores we like to go to for our little one's, mine are, The children's Place, Osh Kosh and Joe Fresh. All of these stores have stylish clothing at affordable prices. There are so many benefits to signing up to their email program (if you don't mind getting an e-mail everyday). Many of these stores have online exclusives, which are amazing deals. You get access to sales that many don't, with many perks. For instance 50% outerwear, 50-75% off of clearance items etc. Even when you shop for clothes, items can be expensive, so whenever you can save money on daily/seasonal items I will take it. Usually these stores will have a different theme every week, which can be easy on your pocket. The stores also give you a heads up about sales going on in stores, so you are the first to know and can beat the crowds!

Take advantage of seasonal sales

We all love dressing up our kids in cute pumpkin shirts, and have shirts with cute christmas saying's on them. One of the thing's I don't like doing, is shelling out $20 for a top he will only wear for one month. What we often forget as parent\s, is that stores need to get rid of their merchandise before the holiday arrives. For instance, halfway through October, I was getting sales for Halloween items. One of the great things is you are getting fashionable themed clothing at a discounted price. Often times I love buying a size up so Kayden can have stuff for next year. This is applicable for anything, shorts, t-shirts, jackets etc. The great thing about children's clothing, is it doesn't go out of style over a year. To be honest, I see the same christmas pj's online that Kayden wore 2 years ago. That just shows children's fashion takes a full circle. 

You don't always have to buy name brand clothing

As parents we want the best for our children. We often want to buy our children Nike, Ralph Lauren etc. While their clothing is cute, there's often no point to it. I admit, I have bought a few brand name items for Kayden, but those are few. At this age children only wear clothing for about 3 months. Luckily I live in Canada, so sometimes I can stretch it out for a bit longer. Buying a sweater for 45$ that Kayden will wear a handul of times (if I am lucky), makes me want to sweat. Walmart is my friend. I know I know, when I was growing up, we would turn our noses up at that place. What changed my mind is Cityline. They often showcase fashion and one week they talked about Walmart. They improved their quality of clothing, and stepped their game up with fashion as well. I love buying pj's from there for Kayden. It's hard to find his size, but when I do, I jump on it. I don't always find clothing that I love for kayden, but if you search I am sure all of you can find something. Their clothing is reasonably priced, and it does last a long time. They also have a gurantee, that the clothing won't wear out before your child outgrows it.

How I clean my makeup brushes

Hey Guys!

I'm sure if any of you wear makeup, you know how important it is to clean your brushes. I'll be honest, I use to be horrible at this. I wanted to find a quick and easy way to wash my brushes and also something that didn't break the bank. The way I did it previously just didn't make the cut. I always had makeup left on my brushes, which isn't hygienic at all. I decided to take to google ( my lifesaver) and see what they had to offer.

I came across a website that suggested using baby shampoo and warm water. I thought to myself this is exactly what I have in my house Bristol using baby shampoo on Kaden so why not just try it out. So I decided to share with all of you this new way I have been clean my makeup brushes that is quick easy and inexpensive.

So I take a old yogurt container that I am no longer using and I fill it up with warm water. the amount of water you need will depend on how many make up brushes you are washing. 

 

 

Because I've gotten into the habit of washing my brushes after every use I fill it up about 1/4 of the way I pour a tiny bit of baby shampoo and a tiny bit honestly goes a long way, then add a bit more water.

 

 I dip my brushes into the water, make sure to only get the bristles in the water, and I swish it around for about 10 seconds and then I rinse it under the warm water.

 

 I continue to do this with all of my brushes.

For me this is the most convenient and cost-efficient way to clean my brushes. The last thing I want to do is go out and have to buy a specific cleaner for my make up brushes. baby shampoo/wash runs for about $5 maximum where I am and I always have it in the house because of Kayden. I never have to worry about running out of it. It is gentle on my bristles and so far I haven't had any makeup residue.