Deciding when to have children was pretty important to us. We were 34 years old when we had our first child and then 36 when we had our second child. When the majority of our friends growing up had their children in their 20’s, it just wasn’t right for us at the time. It’s not that we didn’t want children, it was just a matter of when we were ready. We dated, we moved across the country, we got married, we worked, we travelled. We knew it was time to have kids…something just clicked. Even though we are older than most parents with children our age are, we found it to be all worth it in the end.

Our first child was born in the beginning of 2014 and we waited to find out the gender. When it’s your first child, there is something about waiting to find out when the big day arrives and it totally was. I was convinced it was going to be a boy and it was a lively little girl! Charli was and still is the apple of our eye. She’s spunky, sassy and quite possibly the cutest girl in the world (who still manages to drive us nuts each and every day).

Being full-time working parents proved to be challenging, but it made the time we spent with her that much more worth it. I remember her first smile, her first foods and her first step. Even though we were not there for every single milestone, the memories of her when she was little will always be meaningful to us.

Our second child was born this last January and we decided to find out the gender. We were having another girl! this time around we were more prepared for what to expect and less worried about every little detail. Getting through the newborn phase (all of the crying, nighttime feedings and diapers) is no joke, but it’s all worth it! I remember thinking that this would be our last child because I didn’t know how I would have the energy for another baby while chasing 2 toddlers around. Now she is four months old and on a great schedule. She’s such a good baby and her giggles melt my heart. How time flies! Soon we will be ready for the next milestone: first foods.

After Emmy was born, we decided that I would be a stay-at-home mom. After an almost 9 year career in sales with a major company, I’m appreciating my time with my girls even more. I’m realizing that this is a valuable time in their lives (as well as ours) and that I do not want to miss anymore milestones. Working was very important to us both. I honestly didn’t know if I would enjoy staying at home all day, but it has proven to be all worth it when I get to see their smiling faces all day and know that they need me.

I’d love for you to check out some of the great first foods from Gerber! My favorite to place to buy them is from Target!  Now is your chance to win a $20.00 gift card from Target! Enter to win from the Rafflecopter Giveaway below!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

We’d like to wish a Happy Father’s Day to all of the new or seasoned father’s out there!

The post Having Children- It Was Worth The Wait appeared first on The Lavender Ladies.

When we first found out that we were pregnant, we agreed that we did not want to know the gender of the baby, that way it would be a surprise to us once they arrived. That meant that in designing the nursery, we would choose a generic theme: think Winnie the Pooh, Rubber Ducks, or even Jungle Animals theme.

Since we had done a little bit of traveling, we thought, why not make the room a “world theme”? I thought of globes and maps instantly. We registered for these things at Babys R Us and the room turned out so cute. We got these “world map” sheets and these Sahara print blankets and diaper changing table cover.

These wall decals were meant to stick on the wall, but we chose to frame them instead and put them into two corners of the room:

To tie the room all together, we were blessed to work with Lorena Canals on a great rug for the room. The World Map rug is simply stunning! It is handmade and 100% natural cotton and non toxic dyes (super important factors for our kids rooms). What is great about this rug is how soft it is. The whole family loves to come in here and lay on the rug. When I first received it, I washed it right away. It fits right into a home washer and dryer and came out beautifully with no snags or tears.

I love knowing the my kids can play on this for time to come and that I can just wash it when needed! This is a must have for a nursery or play room, plus it’s huge!  Check out their website for tons of other great prints and ideas for your themed rooms!

What theme did you choose for your little one? Or are you still deciding?

-Kim

*Although I received the World Map rug in exchange for this review, all opinions are solely my own

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I heard about the Baby Merlin’s Magic Sleepsuit when I was looking up ways to help her transition out of a swaddle. My girlfriend told me that her daughters both used it and she swore that it helped them sleep well! The Magic Sleepsuit is suited for infants that are around 3 months old and ready to transition to larger sleeping areas and sleep for longer stretches of time. The Magic Sleepsuit helps prevent their arms from twitching and thus less likely to wake themselves up. The suit keeps them cozy, secure and able to have a great night sleep on their back (which it is specifically designed for). Once your baby is able to roll over, you would then transition out of the Magic Sleepsuit, giving baby more freedom to move around in their sleep.

I’ve been putting Emmy into the Magic Sleepsuit during her naps in the day and I can definitely say that it has been a success. Within a few minutes of placing her into it, she dozes off and sleeps very well. She used to only take short naps of 30 minutes-1 hour. With the Magic Sleepsuit, she sleeps for 1-3 hours in it.

I love how comfortable and soft the material of the Sleepsuit is. I chose the cotton suit in pink. (You can choose blue, yellow or cream cotton color). They also have a microfleece suit in pink, blue or yellow). You will see right away how your child will be comforted by this suit- it zips up very easy and their little limbs fit comfortably and not restrictive at all. Since the Sleepuit acts as a blanket, no additional blankets or covers should be used with it. I also only keep Emmy in a light onesie in it so that she stays cool inside of it. The arm and leg holes are open so that their hands and feet have airflow.

Thank you to the team at Baby Merlin’s for providing me with a Magic Sleepsuit to try out on my own! I will be recommending this suit to any mom with a new baby who is ready to transition out of the swaddle!

Now for the fun part! I have been given one Magic Sleepsuit to give to a reader!

Enter through the RAFFLECOPTER giveaway HERE 

and then visit Baby Merlin’s Magic Sleepsuit HERE for more great information and to learn more about infant sleep and best practices for  sleep as your infant gets older.

*Giveaway begins at 12:00am on 5/22/16 and ends on 5/29/16 at 12:00am. Winner will be chosen by random based on total number of entries received on Rafflecopter widget and announced within one day of the end of the giveaway.

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Since becoming a big sister, Charli has been very good about helping mommy out when I need and “trying” to stay quiet when Emmy is sleeping.  We were excited to work with Pip and Bean on creating some superhero capes for my new dynamic duo!

The capes turned out great! Charli was so excited to see that she was a “super big sister” and that she had a “sidekick” (AKA Emmy).

The capes are handmade out of a soft polyester satin and they velcro close for a safe and easy release. They are also reversible so you can choose what color you want to represent that day! How cute are these? And they flow in the wind, just perfectly!

You can really get creative with the designs of the capes.  They have superhero, princess, costume and monogrammed capes, as well as matching armbands and masks!

I would definitely order these for my kids again, maybe with their names monogrammed next time! I love that they come in different sizes and even accommodate my littlest one, who is only 14 weeks old!

Do you think this would be a great gift for someone you know?

-Kim

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The best part of the day was cooking with my little one. We had won a baking kit from an Instagram contest from The Happiest Little Baker, so we baked some snickerdoodle bars! She’s been wanting to help me in the kitchen lately, anytime she sees me stirring things in bowls, so I thought this would be a good time to start letting her in on the fun! (Plus, how cute are kids when they are helpful?). Here are some pics of Charli helping mommy mix in the ingredients and our final product!

These boxes are so fun because all of the dry ingredients are sent to you and already pre-measured out. All you do is add in the perishable ingredients; in this case the butter and eggs. Since Charli is only 2 years old, her hand coordination isn’t perfected yet, so when we stirred the ingredients, we made sure to do it slowly and in control so that he learned to be careful and take her time with the spatula and whisk.

These turned out delicious! They were soft and buttery tasting! I would definitely make these again! The content made a whole tray of them and we had some to share with a neighbor.

I hope this sparks her interest in cooking and seeing how fun and educational it can be to work in the kitchen. We have tons of “baking” and “cooking” toys for her that she plays with all the time. I believe it helps her learn what certain foods are how to prepare and serve them!

How was your Mother’s Day? Did you do anything fun with your little ones?

-Kim

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The class was scheduled to run from 9:00am-12:00pm. It was just enough time to keep your attention and make a few really tasty items.

We started off using dough that was already prepared for us (from the last French Croissant 101 class). This was a great way to start as we got to work with dough that was already rolled and prepped. (It takes about 3 hours to actually make croissant dough before it’s ready to bake!)

We started out by rolling out croissant dough, cutting it and shaping it into typical classic croissant shapes. The instructor showed us how to make small appetizer-sized croissants. We would cut larger sizes if we wanted larger croissants. The silicone mats used in the class were the best! A must have in a bakers kitchen. It will be next on my shopping list, as I have a kitchen island and usually just lay down parchment paper on it.

What is great about these classes are that you learn the science of why the certain ingredients are used and how the prepping and cooking methods effect the final outcome of the product. The preparation work in making croissants is pretty time consuming. It involves a lot of rolling of dough and making sure that the butter is incorporated into it well and in the correct way. The thing that separates croissants from any other baked good is the way that layers of dough and butter are blended. The right temperatures and consistency of the dough are imperative in creating the perfect product.

We made a total of 3 different croissant items: plain croissants, chocolate filled croissants and ham and cheese croissants. I’ve never worked with chocolate sticks before, so those were neat to see how those were incorporated into a chocolate croissant that you would buy at a pastry shop.

Tips to making the perfect Croissant Dough:

1. Don’t overwork the dough block, or else too much gluten development will cause it to be difficult to roll
2. Brush off any excess flour on the surfaces that you are rolling the dough on so that the dough doesn’t get too tough and it also prevents the layers of dough and butter from adhering to one another
3. Keep the butter cold at all times or else when you’re handling it or rolling it, the butter gets warm and oozes out of the dough and sticks to everything
4. Wrap your prepared dough in plastic when in the refrigerator to prevent a hard “skin” from forming
5. Keep track of how many times you “turn” your dough and what side you started on

Our finished products turned out delicious and we were easily filled up on all of our goodies.

At the end of the class, they give you a 10% off coupon to use in the store for anything you purchase that day! Check out their classes sometime, we would definitely do it again!

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Do you hate when you go to burp the baby and you end up getting spit on in the spot you weren’t covered?! It happens to me all the time! In fact, it happens almost everyday!
The Burp Necessity Burpshawl™ was created by Kathy Fitzgerald, of Seattle, WA and her mother, who hand craft each Burpshawl™. Check them out HERE and see all of the cute designs you can choose!

I love that it has the cotton fabric outside and a soft, minky fabric on the inside.

You can wear it as a burp cloth around your shoulders, or you can even use it for nursing, by tying the ends together and using the back side to cover the baby for modesty.

The Burpshawl™ easily packs into your diaper bag with your other necessities!

I hope you can find a pattern that suits you! They have a lot of cute designs and are always coming up with new color combinations.

Happy Feedings!

-Kim

The post Burp Necessity- A Must Have BurpShawl appeared first on The Lavender Ladies.

If I had to choose one thing that is amazing about having a sister, I don’t think I could do it. There are too many wonderful attributes to count! Here are my 10 reasons why having a sister rules!

1. You have an unconditional love for one another. You might fight like cats and dogs one day, but then you are back to being besties the very next day.
2. You understand each others “looks” and “languages”. My sister and I used to have funny sayings and words for things when we were growing up…some of them even stuck until now. We can also just look at each other and know what we are thinking.
3. You can share clothes (hopefully!). Luckily we are similar in build, so we can actually share each others tops, bottoms and shoes!
4. Who else can you talk about your other family members to in confidence that they won’t repeat what you say?!
5. Even if you haven’t talked to each other in days, weeks or months, you can still pick up like no time has passed at all.
6. You help each other in times of need….love, finance, life goals…no one has your back like your sister, even if they don’t agree with your choices.
7. You trust no one with your children but them! A sister just knows you and your crazy ways of doing things. You make them your children’s godparents and protectors.
8. You never want to see them hurt or unhappy. You protect your sister like a mama bear and no one will hurt them or bring them to tears.
9. You influence each other: to work out more, eat better, or get out of the house more. You’re having the most fun with them when you enjoy life events together.
10. You can’t imagine your world without them. They are your blood, sweat and tears. Your bond will last forever. You are sisters for life and no one will take that away from you.

I look forward to the day that these kids realize how much they love and need each other. They are forever united in life. They are forever each others best friend.

Do you have a sister, or have daughters that are besties? Share below your stories or best memories with them!

-Kim and Jamie

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You know that we love products that are free of toxic ingredients (Sulfates, Parabens, Phthalates, PEG’s, Synthetic Colors and Fragrances), etc. When I discovered that babo Botanicals®  made a 3-in-1 Shampoo, Bubble Bath & Wash I was really excited to try it out! I have used their Calming Body Lotion with Lavender for the last year and it’s my go to lotion for my hands before I go to bed at night.

I’ve now used the 3-in-1 Shampoo, Bubble Bath & Wash for my 2 year old and baby and I have to say that the smell is very calming and invigorating! I am partial to the smell of lavender, but this is not overpowering at all. It also produces a lot of bubbles, surprisingly. I didn’t think it would. So naturally my daughter loves it.

Benefits:

Pure Flower Extracts

Sulfate Free

Paraben Free

Tear Free

Hypoallergenic

Gluten, Dairy & Soy Free

No PEG’s or Mineral Oil

Works for the entire family, not just kids!

Head over to my INSTAGRAM PAGE for a chance to WIN your own bottle of  “babo BOTANICALS® Calming Shampoo, Bubble Bath & Wash”

Have you tried any of their products yet? If so, which ones?

-Kim

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Luckily for us, our two year old has been sleeping through the night (very well) since she was six months old. We transitioned her to her big-girl bed about three months ago and we leave a lot of her books on a table next to the bed so that she can easily grab them to read. We make it a point to read to her before she goes to bed. I truly believe this has helped her vocabulary, as she can now finish the sentences in the story and recognizes her colors and shapes. She also reads them when she gets up in the morning. We can find her quietly sitting on her bed with 5 books at any given time!

Hopefully we can continue this routine and keep her reading books for a long time to come! I know that I enjoy our time together reading! I believe she will be excited to pass these books onto her baby sister in a couple of years.

Here are a few of her favorites:

What are your kids favorite books to read?

-Kim

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