We just celebrated our youngest son's third birthday. We love a good low key celebration on birthdays and holidays. If you are looking for some birthday inspiration for the toddler in your life, I wanted to share what we came up with. Right now, our three-year-old is into dinosaurs. He loves to play with the model dinosaurs we have, and watch Gigantosaurus on Netflix. This gave me a theme, and we went from there. I already planned on making sugar cookies for his birthday,

Phoebe Waller-Bridge wrote and starred as the lead character in this beautiful, hilarious, heartbroken story about a woman and her relationships with herself, family, friends, and the world around her. Waller-Bridge consciously breaks the fourth wall, and speaks directly to the viewer sharing her internal monologue, letting the audience hear how she thinks. This is also a remarkable feat of acting. The other characters remain completely unaware of the asides, and both actor

The second show I recommend is Marcella on Netflix. Marcella Backland is a former British police detective turned stay at home mom in contemporary London. She gets pulled back into an investigation involving a serial killer that she worked years before. Marcella is played by Anna Friel, as a complicated, heartbroken, tenacious, and brilliant detective. Marcella is an individual I have not seen on screen before. She is messy, unpredictable, and radiates her own style, authorit

So, I have a couple new shows I want to share with you that are currently on Netflix. First, Broadchurch, this is a fictional crime drama set in a small town by the same name, a fictional English town in Dorset. The town resides on the coast with sheer cliffs that are beautiful and daunting. The series focuses on two detectives, DI Alec Hardy, played by David Tennant, and DS Ellie Miller, played by Olivia Colman. Tennant and Colman do a beautiful job with their respective rol

So, this is my favorite marinade. It comes from the Southern Living Cookbook, and is intended for lamb chops, also delicious, and works just as well on beef. Here I use it with New York Strips. I marinate them overnight, and then baste them with the marinade as they cook. These are delicious broiled or on the grill. Enjoy! Ingredients 2/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar 1/2 cup Soy Sauce or Coconut Aminos 4 tablespoons ketchup 2 tablespoons lemon juice 1 teaspoon ground gi

The most used toys in our house are the duplo blocks aka the larger lego blocks. My five year old builds all kinds of machines, characters, and places with his blocks that he then pretends and creates his own imaginative world. He would often build ramps and slide many unsuspecting toys down. I wanted to add to his ability to create something that could create a track or a path that objects could move on. These marble run building blocks are perfect. This set gave my hus

This is a multi-step project that was a challenge, while also a project most can do. The collage took a total of six, forty-five minute classes to complete, including the initial day of lecture and demonstration. This project was created for a 7th and 8th grade art class, but can be modified for all age levels. Elementary students could color shapes on a coloring page, cut them out, and glue them down on an animal shape, with an emphasis on arranging the shapes symmetrical

Need a show to binge? Killing Eve is a British spy thriller starring Sandra Oh and Jodie Comer. This show focuses on a series of murders and a curious investigator attempting to identify the killer. If you love murder mysteries, detectives, spies, British intelligence, beautiful writing and acting, this show does not disappoint. It has two seasons with a third set to premiere Sunday, April 26. #killingeve #sandraoh #jodiecomer #evepolastri #villanelle #murdermystery #myst

The Witcher is a fantasy fan's dream. This show is based on a series of Polish short stories, by author Andrzej Sapkowski, following the adventures of Geralt of Rivia, the Witcher. These stories have also been transformed into a popular video game, and now, a gripping show on Netflix starring Henry Cavill as Geralt, Anya Chalotra as Yennefer, and Freya Allen as Ciri. Cavill, Chalotra, and Allen are all brilliant in their roles and captivating to watch. The show is brillia

This is a Carhartt Women's Utility Jacket. It's lightweight and not bulky, but keeps me warm and dry. It's waterproof, has lots of pockets, I like to carry my phone in the top zipper pocket when we are out hiking; so, I know it's secure if I slip and fall, but also handy for taking pictures and videos. This jacket is long, coming down to about mid-thigh, which gives more warmth and I like the way the length looks. It can be machine washed and dried, which is always a good thi

I needed some new leggings and decided to check out Fabletics. I am not sponsored or advertising for Fabletics; I just wanted to share some leggings I love, and a way to get two pairs for $24. Fabletics.com has a deal where if you join, and become a VIP member, you can choose any two pairs of leggings for $24. As a VIP member, you will be automatically charged $49.95 each month, this is a credit to purchase whatever you want from the site if you do not skip the month during

Alright, I have hit a bump in the Bear Pillow Project. I made Prototype Number 2 and the shape is still far from where it needs to be; so, now I am going to do a deep dive on the internet, and consult all the stuffed toy/pillow experts. I'm still hopeful I can figure out a shape that will work, but my back up plan is to make a square pillow and focus more just on creating a pattern with the shapes and ink. So, I'll keep you updated. Thanks for following the process. A fe

This idea for birthdays is my new favorite. Let me back up a little and explain. Kids have brought an enormous amount of stuff into our home. This all started with baby showers before they were born, and then continued with every Christmas, birthday, and holiday in between. My oldest soon turns four, and with this knowledge comes the dread of the onslaught of gifts we will receive. Then, I read about a fiver party. This idea is the perfect solution to the overwhelming pr

Another app that I found helpful while pregnant was The Bump. This app tracks baby’s development as he or she grows while pregnant. It has a 3D model of what baby looks like at each week of development, and describes how baby is growing and changing. The Bump app also has helpful articles related to pregnancy and preparing for baby's arrival. If you are looking for a great resource covering all things baby and pregnancy, I recommend this one. #thebump #thebumpapp #bumpapp

I finished printing both sides of the pillow. For the second side, I taped down the fabric, so, it wouldn't move while I printed, which worked great. But where I had tape, some of the threads came apart when I removed the tape. So, I'll add fabric tabs on either side of the bears that can be cut off after printing, but can be a spot to safely secure the fabric while printing without worrying about damaging the fabric. Once, I printed both sides of the pillow and the ink dr

This Radio Flyer Wagon is the perfect size for little ones learning to take their first steps. It's solid and stable giving little ones a secure walking toy to hang on to. I have also had plastic walkers and found that my little guy would loose his balance and the walker would easily teeter over. This wagon remains upright and does not tumble over like other walkers do. The wooden sides in the bed of the wagon slide out and are removable which we have found out can also be

I've started making a smoothie regularly in the morning and this blender is able to blend all the ingredients into a smooth, yummy consistency. I have ingredients that were a challenge for my handheld blender: frozen banana chunks and chia seeds. Inevitably the blender would not chew up all the banana chunks and the small chia seeds remained whole, making them a difficult texture to drink. The Ninja blends everything smooth. All I have to do is push the programmed smoothi

This little dump truck is perfect for a one year old. There are buttons to push that light up, make sounds, and play music. There are balls to drop into the hole and push into the dump truck's bed encouraging hand eye coordination, and it keeps little ones entertained. It also counts up to three when a ball goes through the hole. The blue lever on the side can be pulled to dump out the bed. This little truck is also a fun push toy with wheels that easily glide over the f

So, this is a warning for expecting Mommas who haven't had their first baby yet. Once you announce to loved ones, colleagues, and friends that you are pregnant, brace yourself, your body will now become an object to those around you that can be discussed openly, and as if you are not there, and can be touched without invitation. Let me explain. Once you are pregnant, all bets are off, as far as personal space, boundaries, and discussing how big you are or aren't. Now that

We got our three year old the Uptown Natural Play Kitchen by Kid Kraft. He loves to pretend and act out whatever Mom and Dad are doing, including cooking. Let me start by saying this kitchen took two and a half hours to build. It comes with a lot of pieces, but once we put it together, we we're happy with the result. So, be prepared to spend an afternoon or evening putting this together. It all came in one big box and was packaged really well. I did remove the towel bar