Tag: gift guide

Christmas

Amazon Gift Guide for Tea Lovers

by Mary LentzLeave a Comment on Amazon Gift Guide for Tea Lovers

Are you searching for a gift for the tea lover in your life? Take a look at my Amazon gift guide for tea lovers.

amazon gift guide for tea lovers
This post contains affiliate links. Should you make a purchase through one of the links I provide, I may receive a small percentage at no cost to you.

I absolutely love tea. Years ago, when I was in my twenties, I used to live in England. One thing, I learned when I was there was how to make a proper cup of tea. I am from the south and so when I came there with my version of tea which was essential iced sweet tea, they gave me looks that could kill. You would have thought that I had eaten roadkill. We all had a good laugh.

Although it has been twenty years since I lived there, I still find myself enjoying tea time just about every day. As a homeschooling mom and stay-at-home wife, I am busy all day long. But sitting down to tea is one of my treats during the day. It is quiet time. Sometimes I’ll write letters to friends. Other times, I may read scripture or do my bible study. Either way, it is quiet time for me.

It is also a good time to invite a neighbor or friend over before getting back into the kitchen to start dinner preparations. Friends of mine also know I love tea gifts. So I thought I would put together an Amazon gift guide for tea lovers like me.

Beehive Honey Jar

Friends, if you have a sore throat, I highly recommend some cinnamon tea with honey. You can even add a little echinacea to it if you like. Elderberry tea is also a really great choice for flu season. One of my favorites is an elderberry tea with echinacea.

I hate serving tea with a squeeze bottle of honey. I have found that this sweet little beehive jar that is meant for serving honey. I think this is perfect for entertaining as well as everyday use.

Tea Caddy

This is my own personal tea caddy. I purchased this 12″ bamboo tea caddy a couple of years ago and I love it. It has quite a bit of storage and it has an acrylic window so you can view the tea without opening. It is nice enough to display for entertaining so that guests can make their own selections. It has become one of my favorite, most well-loved pieces in my kitchen. I personally love that instead of having all these boxes of tea in my pantry it is all contained to a pretty chest.

A Blooming Tea Pot

I really love blooming tea pots. Tea is already a relaxing, calming exercise and blooming tea pots make it all the more fun. If you aren’t familiar with blooming tea pots, allow me to explain. Blooming tea pots are glass see-through tea pots. Most all can be put directly onto the stove. You can of course use it for any tea, but there is also flowering tea that you can purchase. This flowering tea contains whole edible flowers and plants that rehydrate, steep, and “bloom” in hot water. It is really pretty and makes for a fun entertaining experience as well.

This particular tea pot can go in the microwave or on the stove top making it very versatile. It also has an infuser for loose teas. It holds about 40oz which is enough for about four cups. If you have a tea lover, I know they will enjoy this!

Honey Spoons and Honey Sticks

A great stocking stuffer for tea lovers are honey spoons and honey sticks. The honey sticks below are really great. They even come in different flavors like pina colada, raspberry, peach and wildflower. What a great way to flavor up your tea. This also makes for a great hostess gifts as well, either way, these are some of my favorite things. Its a sweet way to sweeten up your cup of tea.

Downton Abbey Afternoon Tea Cookbook

If you haven’t watched Downton Abbey you don’t know what you’re missing. The period drama begins during the Edwardian Era (1912) and continues through the 20’s. It centers around an English aristocrat family and their servants at the precipice of changing times. The series, certainly inspires the beauty of old tradition which includes afternoon tea.

This adorable cookbook is filled with afternoon tea recipes which includes, classic British sweets, puddings, cakes, scones, and savory tea sandwiches. There are beautiful pictures from the series as well as etiquette to include how to make a cup of proper tea, how to prepare for tea service, and even how to properly dress for tea. So quaint and sweet and a charming keepsake for us tea lovers out there.

3-Tiered Cake Stand

You can’t do afternoon tea and not have a three-tiered cake stand. So traditional afternoon tea includes a small meal which consists of three small courses. On the bottom tier is savories which may include sandwiches, (One of my favorites are pimento sandwiches as well as cucumber sandwiches.), meat pies, and canapés. The second tier typically includes things like clotted cream, jams and jellies, scones, popovers, and other breads. Lastly, last and smallest tier is for the sweets like petite cakes and sweets.

I’ll be honest. I have several three tier cake stands. I will give you a few of my favorites on Amazon.

amazon gift guide for tea lovers
Photo by freestocks.org on Pexels.com

Traditional Tea Set

What good is tea without a traditional porcelain tea set. As a tea fanatic, I have several tea sets. I thought I would put my five favorite sets that you can find on Amazon. I’ve even bought a few of these as gifts.

Tea Sampler

Tea samplers are always a great gift for tea lovers. Vahdam is one of the most respected tea growers. In fact, iI’ve heard t’s Oprah’s favorite tea brand. I concur. Vahdam has delicious tea varieties. All the tea is loose, so you will need an infuser. My favorite is this 24 sampler pack which contains Chai teas, Green teas, Herbal teas, Oolong teas, Turmeric teas, and Black teas. Its perfect for Christmas because it is almost like a tea advent calendar!

Tea For One

Cup Warmer

I admit, I love my Yeti, but I certainly enjoy drinking out my cups. If you want to keep your drink warm at your desk, cup warmers are awesome. Obviously you can use it to keep any hot drink warm including a cup of soup. Today I’m sharing the cup warmer I keep at my desk. I think you’ll love it. If you are concerned about using a cup warmer, I’ll also include a link to my favorite Yeti for coffee and tea.

amazon gift guide for tea lovers
Photo by koko rahmadie on Pexels.com

Smeg Tea Kettle

Allow me to introduce you to the Rolls Royce of Tea Kettles. Smeg is

Iced Tea Brewer

Ice Tea is practically its own food group here in the south. I absolutely love sweet tea. I’d prefer it over soda any day of the week. If you love freshly brewed ice tea, but hate making it in small batches, an iced tea brewer needs to be at the top of your wish list. This iced tea brewer makes 12 cups of iced tea. You can also do iced coffees with this wizard.

I hope you enjoyed sharing some of my personal favorite tea gifts. Thanks for following along. Be sure to check out my post 10 Beautiful Christmas Traditions to Start!

Pregnancy

10 Pretty Functional Diaper Bags

by Mary LentzLeave a Comment on 10 Pretty Functional Diaper Bags

So you’re gonna be a mama! Being a mom isn’t all mom jeans and frumpy diaper bags. Here are 10 pretty functional diaper bags to add to your registry.

10 pretty functional diaper bags

Hey, friend. If you are here I’m guessing you are a new mama. Welcome to my blog where I share all about my life as a mom and try to help other mamas find their footing. One of the most important purchases you’ll make as a mom is in a diaper bag. In the beginning, you may be a little hesitant to venture out with your little one. That is totally normal. I promise that getting out is very important. In fact, you can read all about how I stay sane as a stay-ay-home mom.

In this post, I’m going to share 10 pretty functional diaper bags. Getting a great diaper bag is so important because being prepared when you are out will ensure you can get your errands and playdates done with minimal stress. Diaper bags don’t have to be frumpy. These days there are lots of cute options. As with everything on this blog, I only link to things I own, I love, or want to own. I’ll be sharing some diaper bags I adore that are owned by other mommies I know. I always do my best to recommend only the better products. Congratulations on your new baby! Let’s dig in, shall we?

LuliBebe Monaco Vegan Leather Diaper Bag

This premium luxury diaper bag comes with adjustable straps to use as it as a shoulder bag or you can wear it as a backpack. I really love that option. Believe me, you will too once you have more than one child! It also comes with stroller straps and a diaper changing pad. Complete with 9 pockets, this bag has plenty of room for large items as well. It has a quilted outside pocket that is great for keeping quick things at hand. This diaper bag comes in four shades – tan, black, blush and light grey. It’s also made of cruelty-free, vegan leather.

COST ON AMAZON: $159

Skip Hop Linx Luxury Quilted Vegan Leather Bag

Skip Hop bags make some of my favorite diaper bags. I really think they have a bag for every mother! This particular bag is one of my favorites. The gold metal accents make the bag look very expensive and the quilted vegan leather really makes it fashionable. This trendy diaper bag comes with stroller attachments as well. Working mamas will love this bag becomes you can even fit a laptop in it! It has two bottle pockets and a changing pad. If you are looking for a good quality mid-range bag this is a great one.

COST ON AMAZON: $79

3-1 Backpack Diaper Bag with Travel Bassinet

If you are trying to keep your cost down on a diaper bag, this one is my favorite. This really came in handy, but especially when we were traveling. There were occasions when bathrooms didn’t have a changing station or where there was no convenient place to change your baby. Enter the 3-1 diaper bag. This bag is pretty large measuring at almost 17″ long. It has stroller straps and a front pocket with 3 bottle pockets. Inside it has 4 inside pockets. This was really helpful for the mamas who are constantly on the go. It comes in black and a charcoal grey and has a wipe pocket on the side for easy access.

COST ON AMAZON: $39.99

Itsy Ritzy Large Capacity Diaper Bag

This is a really adorable, functional bag. This diaper bag comes in a large variety of colors: blush, black herringbone, black & white, handsome heather grey, coffee and cream, black with gold, and vanilla latte. Honestly the vanilla latte and the coffee and cream are my favorites. Really lovely. This diaper bag has a whopping 17 pockets. If you are like me and want everything to have a place in your diaper bag, I think you will really like this bag. One nice thing about this diaper bag is that the it has rubber feet on the bottom so when you set your diaper bag on the floor it doesn’t get dirty. Why don’t more diaper bags have that? Once I had two kids, this bag provided plenty of room for both my toddlers things, my newborn’s stuff and my own essentials. Its one of the largest ones at 18″. Comes with an easy “parent pocket” for your stuff as well as a changing mat and stroller straps. Backpack is made of faux leather for easy wiping. Itsy Ritzy has a lot of accessories they sell a la carte so you can customize your bag a bit more. I’ll include them below.

Itsy Ritzy Tweed Diaper Bag

Like the Itsy Ritzy this is diaper bag is also a large capacity diaper bag with plenty of room. I really loved this bag but saw only discovered it once my youngest was growing out of the diaper stage. I love Itsy Ritzy bags because they look stylish. This one looks like a Chanel suit! This lovely diaper bag is an elegant black and white tweed with gold hardware. They also have grey and black version in vegan leather if tweed isn’t your thing. This bag also has 19 pockets both internal and external. Itsy Ritzy bags come with rubber feet on the bottom to keep your bag clean as well as a changing pad. You can purchase a pacifier holder and accessories separately.

COST ON AMAZON: $185

Wren White Vegan Leather Diaper Bag with Charging Port

My days as a stay-at-home mom have always been so busy. I had no idea they even made bags like this until my friend bought this one. Wow. This diaper bag is white vegan leather with cognac (dark tan) accents. This combo really gives this bag a sophisticated look. For the mama on the go you can fit a laptop in this bag and best of all, it has charging ports! I wish I had this for all the times we were traveling with little ones. That would have been so helpful! The interior of this bag is very roomy. Has insulated pockets on the inside and non insulated bottle pockets on the outside. Includes shoulder strap and stroller straps.

COST ON AMAZON: $149

Hafmall Water Proof Multifunction Diaper Bag

This sweet pink and navy diaper bag is waterproof and is a both stylish and economical choice. This large capacity bag is very spacious and features a wide mouth opening. It has a back opening for quick reach and can be attached to a stroller. On the side you have tissue and wipe holder. You can carry by the handles or wear it is a backpack.

COST ON AMAZON: $30

Itsy Ritzy Crossbody Diaper Bag

I’ve included this diaper bag for the minimalist mama. This is for the mama that doesn’t want to carry a full diaper bag. I had a good friend from California that never wanted to carry a bulky diaper bag. Instead she used this bag which is basically a crossbody purse except it has a separate area to stash a few diapers and some wipes. In the front is a separate compartment for your things. This is also once you child gets older into the toddler years. You will find you don’t need all the baby stuff. Just diapers and wipes when you head out. This cute purse comes in blush, black, tweed, and taupe.

COST ON AMAZON: $75

Miger Leopard Backpack Diaper Bag

If you are an animal print lover, I think you’ll love this leopard print and black diaper bag. This is an inexpensive diaper bag This diaper bag is very light weight, only about a pound compared to the 2 lb weight of other bags. One thing that is nice about this bag is that it is machine washable which is why the bag is on the thin side. If you are looking for something more rugged, you may want to pick one of the more expensive bags. This bag has a bottle pockets on the front pouch and adjustable straps.

COST ON AMAZON: $30

I hope I’ve given you some ideas about some of the cute bags out there. Before you go, be sure to download my free Baby Registry Checklist to help get you started with all the things you need before baby arrives.

Parenting

The Best Toys to Get Out Toddler Energy

by Mary LentzLeave a Comment on The Best Toys to Get Out Toddler Energy

I feel how tired you are, mama. That’s why I’m sharing the best toys to get out toddler energy so they can get out wiggles and you can get rest.

the best toys to get out toddler energy

This post contains affiliate links. Should you make a purchase through one of the links I provide, I may receive a small percentage at no cost to you. Your support helps to offset the costs incurred with this blog. I only link to things I love or own.

Toddlers seem to have never-ending energy. If you’re a mama like me with multiple toddlers it can feel like a zoo in your own home! Let’s be real though – there is no such thing as truly taming toddler energy. It’s more about finding safe ways to get it out! As a mother of boys, let me tell you, these are some of the best finds that keep my very active boys busy!

I have always found that some of the best toys at this age are the ones that encourage them to run, jump, crawl and otherwise stay active. It’s not always easy to keep the attention of toddlers which is why I love keeping them busy with things that keep them active and interested.

The Best Toys to Get Out Toddler Energy

Click on any of the pictures to purchase from Amazon

JumJoe Kids Trampoline

Both my kids absolutely adore this. Don’t be surprised if your little ones fight over it. We love this one because it has a bar that little kids can hold on to which reduces the risk of falling. Even a 20-month old will love this. Its such a great way to get out their wiggles during the day.

Little Tikes First Slide

An aunt gave us this as a gift when my oldest was about a year old and let me tell you, it has become a favorite in our house. We personally keep this indoors in our playroom, but you could use it outside. We love keeping inside for rainy days or summer days when we want to stay cool indoors and still get out bursting energy. My oldest is almost five and it is still a favorite of his. Definitely worth the $30!

Little Tikes Easy Score Basketball

We really grew to love this indoor/outdoor basketball hoop. What is great about this toy isn’t just that it gets the wiggles out, it also helps them work on eye and hand coordination. This has also become a favorite when we have playdates. It comes with 5 balls so multiple kids can play at one time. Also, it comes in pink for your girls. You can find it on Amazon for $29.99

Step2 Rain Showers Splash Pond Water Table

I love water tables. They are wonderful for hot summer days. But best of all, they keep little hands busy. I swear this keeps my little guys busy for so long! I grab my coffee, sit on the porch and let them splash and play. It gets them outdoors and it’s also a safe, fun, sensory experience. There are lots of great water tables out there, but we like this one.

Big Wheels

Who had a big wheel growing up, raise your hand! I loved ours when I was a kid. We had a smurf one. That should tell you what era I’m from! Today, my kids love this one. It’s been a lot of fun to watch them ride this around the neighborhood. Big wheels are fun because there is no risk of falling they are low to the ground. There are lots of big wheels that are centered around a cartoon-like Minions and Disney princesses, but I’m including this classic Radio Flyer one.

Little Tikes T-Ball Set

We love this t-ball set and play with it outside in the backyard. This is great for eye-hand coordination. It also makes your little one run to fetch the ball when they hit it. Thank goodness for toys like this one that wears their little legs out before naptime.

ToyVelt Kids Golf Club Set

This toy is a lot of fun, especially if daddy golfs as well. You can do this indoor or outdoor, but I’ll tell you being on grass makes it harder for them to hit and control the ball. We prefer to do it on the carpet inside. It retails for about $25 on Amazon.

5pc Kids Ball Pit Tents and Tunnels

This is one of our favorite toys! Honestly, we love doing this as an indoor activity. This is a great way to get out toddler energy on rainy days. We set this up and let them play away. It’s funny how much they squeal crawl – and all that crawling tires them out! One thing that is really nice about this is that crawling babies, toddlers and preschoolers can use it. I love toys that grow with my kids for a few years and this is one of them. Just remember you’ll need to buy the balls separately.

Little Tikes Easy Score Soccer Set

This is fun for both girls and boys alike. If you are considering putting your little one in soccer, this can be a great tool to gauge their interest. I definitely recommend using this outside. Let your little one run to their heart’s content and work on eye-foot coordination at the same time. Available on Amazon for about $32.

Little Lab Creations 67″ 4-in-1 Inflatable Splash Pad

Once the weather is warm enough we love going outside to run around, but here in Texas, weathers can be wildly hot. So we love to bring out the splash pad to stay cool in the warmer months. It’s so fun to watch the kids run and jump in the water. Dare I say that nap time almost always follows this fun activity!

Eezy Peezy Monkey Bars

Once you have a toddler you realize they love to climb! So how about giving them a place to channel it instead of on coffee tables and furniture. The nice thing about this is that it grows with them for a while. It’s safe for almost eight years of age.

Nova Kids Seesaw

I loved teeter-totters as a child. I would have loved to have one at home. This might be better suited for older toddlers closer to the preschool age, but I still included it because I know three-year-olds who love it. Also, seesaws work best when you have kids around the same weight. Under $50 on Amazon.

As a mama of a toddler and preschooler, I know how tired you are, mama. Keeping kids entertained is a full-time job and they move from one toy to the next. I know that you are constantly battling the clutter of toys which is why I like toys that keep them active. It seems to keep their interest a little more, especially if you applaud for their performance. It keeps them physically healthy and makes sure they are good and tired before bedtime. Don’t forget to PIN this post for later, especially when people ask about birthday gifts for your kiddo.

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Christmas, Holidays

Stocking Stuffers for Babies & Toddlers

by Mary LentzLeave a Comment on Stocking Stuffers for Babies & Toddlers

Stumped on what to put in your child’s stocking? I’ve got a great list of stocking stuffers for babies & toddlers to take some of the guess work out of Christmas shopping!

Stocking stuffers for babies & toddlers
This post contains affiliate links. Should you make a purchase through one of the links I provide, I may receive a small percentage at no cost to you. I only link to things I truly love.

Hey there, friend. Christmas time is here and you may be struggling on what to put in your child’s stocking. So I’ve put together a quick guide of stocking stuffers for babies & toddlers. In full disclosure, some of these may not fit in the actual stocking. These small, inexpensive gifts are some of my families favorites! We personally love all these items, which is why I am suggesting them.

As always, use your best judgement when it comes to age appropriateness. Just because something is marked for a certain age, doesn’t always mean it’s right for your little one. Mamas know best!

Under 6 Months

As a mom I know I always appreciated clothes as gifts because they go through them so quickly and clothes are surprisingly expensive. But I absolutely loved some of the items I’m sharing today.

It seems like when your child starts drooling and teething it seems like it happens before are fully able to grasp items well. That’s where some of these things really come in handy. Some of our favorites were drooling bandana bibs. They have an attached teether on them. This keeps it fairly clean since it isn’t falling on the floor all the time and it’s always handy. Same goes for the munch mitt. This was a favorite by both my boys. Its a mitten that is secured to their hand. They can munch away on it without it dropping to the floor all the time! If you haven’t tried Baltic Amber for teething, I highly recommend it. Amber (genuine) has natural healing properties and it is a great soother for sore gums.

Feeding spoons always come in handy and my boys loved wrist and foot rattles. This made floor play super fun and it was handy even when they were in the stroller. Both my boys were disenchanted with tummy time. I received the water pad / mat as a gift and it turned tummy time around for us. It is a non-messy sensory experience and the water is very soothing to babes.

When your baby is first born their retina isn’t fully developed and therefore their vision is also undeveloped. They see high contrast images better. Thats why high contrast books, like this one are a great choice for newborns and young babies.

6 to 12 Months

With a little one, I always felt like I never had enough bibs and socks. Socks always seem to disappear in the wash and between starting solids and the constant dribble of teething, I felt used bibs like they were going out of fashion!

Six to twelve months is a great time to start introducing spatial reasoning. This is an early math skill. Believe it or not, at six months, children begin to be curious about the relationship of objects’ size, distance, direction, and space. You’ll notice your little will try to stack objects which makes stacking rings, bowls, and cups an awesome toy. They’ll also start trying to fit objects inside another which is a great time to start introducing shape sorters. They’ll need your help with it for a while, but it’s a great time to introduce it. Additionally, babies enjoy feeling things with different textures, which is why sensory balls and toys make a great addition to your play area.

Ages 1 to 2 (12 to 24 months)

At about a year old, your child’s world becomes colorful! You’ll find they are now interested in objects that are bright in color. Brown Bear, Brown Bear is a great book for learning animals, colors, and the noises they make all in one easy board book. My boys learned all their animal sounds with this book by 18 months.

You’ll also notice your little one loves bath time and this is actually another play time for her. This is where bath toys like squirters and stick-on-the wall pipes become super fun. I also used bath time as an opportunity to teach colors. I used color drops (below) and I would put toys that coordinated with that color (e.g. green water, green toys). Finger paints are great for both a sensory experience and learning colors. If you are worried about a mess, take it outside or you can do what I did – we did it in the bathtub! It’s easy to hose them down afterwards and the mess is contained. Palm crayons are awesome for kids of this age that might get frustrated with traditional crayons.

Also, your little one will be very interested in things that make noise like play phones and musical instruments. This is also a great time to read as your babies language is starting to develop at rapid speed. Board books are great at this age because they can’t destroy them.

Ages 2 to 3 (24-36 months)

Congratulations, you have a busy bee who wants to copy everything you do! This is a great age to start introducing play kitchens, household sets, play food, and other pretend toys are always loved items.

Kids love to play outside in the dirt. My son loved having his own little garden tool set where he could play in our garden bed. Kids of this age also are interested in fine motor activities which is an early writing skill. Fishing toys, lacing toys, dot markers, even wooden puzzles are great for this.

This is also a great time to work on the alphabet and counting. All kids are different, but my oldest was able to count to ten and knew his alphabet by 36 months.

Around this time, I started to introduce a rimmed sippy cup to my toddler to help transition him to a normal cup. Also the Munchkin snack catcher is one of favorites! It’s great for holding puffs, goldfish and other toddler snacks without crazy spills. Stuff can still fall out, but it certainly mitigates messes.

Ages 3 to 4

As you start approaching preschool age, fine motor activities will be a forerunner to writing. We loved using fine motor tools in our sensory bins.

Pattern blocks and counters are great teaching tools and it feels like play time to them. These are great for developing early math skills with patterns, shape, and color recognition. This is also a great time for them to start learning their name and a name puzzle is a great fun way to do that before learning to write it. Magnetic writing boards and mess free painting like Water Wow are fun pre-writing activities.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this list of stocking stuffers for babies & toddlers. Hopefully, it will take some of the headache out of Christmas shopping. Don’t forget to PIN this post for later. Also, be sure to take a look at how to make Christmas special with a Hot Chocolate Bar.