finds: halloween picks for tots

Happy October, Everyone!

October might the most universally loved month of the year. The crisp air and promise of cozy sweaters and those pumpkin lattes that everyone is talking about just get people in a good mood.

Of course, in addition to all of the other fall fun, October always brings to mind Halloween so I thought we'd kick off the month with a roundup of some of my favorite Halloween finds for kids.

Books:

one / two / three

four / five

six / seven / eight

Duck and Goose Find a Pumpkin holds a special place in my heart - we read it hundreds of times last fall without getting tired of it. We always love Llama Llama and Little Blue Truck books and the Baby Lit series is awesome. We own Peek-A-Who? and I'm sure this Halloween version is just as fun.

For Girls:

one / two / three

That cat dress is so sweet and it has the cutest little cat tail on the back side. I wish it came in toddler sizes for Elia. Thankfully, the Boo pajamas do and she especially loves that the little stars glow in the dark. And that monster sweater, that puffy little monster is so charming!

For Boys:

one / two / three

Both pairs of pajamas are darling and could be worn by boys or girls. Wells will be rocking his Peek-A-Booo bodysuit this month for his first Halloween.

What are your favorite picks for Halloween? 

finds: september

This type of post is a little different for the blog but I love discovering and trying new products and services and these three have all really struck a chord with me lately so I wanted to share them with all of you. Let me know what you think!

1. cuddle + kind

I am a huge fan of knit dolls. They are soft, they are sweet, and there is just something so adorable about them. They also tend to come with a big price tag. These aren't cheap either but they come with something that other knit dolls don't - ten meals for kids with each purchase. 10! That's amazing. The company's goal is to feed one million children per year after they launch later this week and that is something I can get behind. The dolls are handcrafted by Peruvian artisans, which helps create economic opportunity as well.

If all of the above doesn't convince you to purchase a doll (pre-sales start on September 16), consider following cuddle + kind on Instagram, Facebook, or Pinterest. Each follow equals one meal for a child - no purchase necessary! I just think this is such a great mission and company.

2. Kidizen

I don't have much patience for bargain hunting or resale shops - there's no guarantee that you'll find anything worth buying and with two babes, I just don't have the time of energy for that. I'd much rather pay full price at Baby Gap than spend time rummaging around a discount bin hoping to find something cute at the bottom.

And then came Kidizen. Kidizen is an app that lets you buy and sell used children's clothing. The interface is really user friendly and attractive which goes a long way in my book. I've found a few real gems and love that I can search for items whenever I have a few minutes free. All of the items I've purchased so far have been in great shape and it's just perfect for picking up some extra things when your babies are growing so fast. Some sellers offer gear and maternity clothes as well. The app is available for both iPhone and Android. Download it now and get shopping!

3. Mommy Mailbox

I started noticing a few Mommy Mailboxes popping up on social media while I was on maternity leave and when I saw what was in the August box, I started wishing that I had signed up for this monthly subscription service. Thankfully, they had a few extra boxes left so I was able to order one at a discounted rate - double score. Each month, a blogger curates a selection of products that are aimed to "uplift and reward mothers". Who doesn't need a little more of that in their lives? Honestly, it's not just mothers who would love these boxes, they would be great for any lady interested in receiving a fun surprise in the mail every month.

Photos of my August and September boxes are below. Subscriptions start at $30.95 and arrive in your mailbox the first week of the month. I can't wait to see what comes to my door in October!

I hope you've enjoyed hearing about some of my favorite recent finds.

Are you interested in trying any of these? If you do, let me know how you like them!
Have you found any great new products or services lately? I'd love to hear what they are.

find: emily ley printables

As a working mom, I am constantly thinking of ways to be more organized both at home and at the office. There are tons of beautiful products out there for getting you life more organized.

Like:

The Day Designer. This gorgeous planner is meant to help you keep you on track for both your day-to-day activities and help you thinking strategically about your year in full.  I love the look but it will set you back $60.00.  Though, if you want to try it before you buy it, you can by downloading a sample page on the website.

The Passion Planner is another great tool that helps organize both your personal and work life. A free download is also available for this planner on their website.

Target also had a great variety of day planners this year and I picked one of those up with great intentions. Honestly, over the last few years, I've tried all sorts of different methods for list making, task prioritization, and day planning but none of them has been so good that they've stuck for very long.

Enter Emily Ley.

Emily Ley offers a variety of products from her Simplified Planners to notebooks to children's growth charts.

My very favorite thing she offers is her Printable Library. I started using her Simplified Day PDF a few months ago and it has stuck like glue.

Every morning when I get into the office, I use this sheet to start a list of to-dos and then look back at my sheet from the previous day to see what's been completed and if anything needs to be moved forward. After meetings, I use the same sheet to gather to-dos. It sounds simple because it is. And the simplicity has made it functional for me. I know that everything I need to do will be captured there so tasks don't get lost.

Since I started using them, several co-workers have noticed and adopted their use as well. That's always a good sign that something really works.

The sheet I use is no longer available on the website but an updated version is that includes a space for dinner planning. Another instance of incorporating both work and home life in one place. For your copy of the Daily Planner sheet visit Emily Ley's printable library and download a copy.

Her free printable library offers dozens of printables for everything from to-do lists to baby milestone tracking to blog planners and everything in between.

If you're interested in the full Simplified Planner experience, they are currently sold out but a new edition will be offered in May.  For all of the details, click here.

If you like feeling on top of things, I highly recommend that you check out everything that Emily Ley has to offer. Happy organizing!

What are your favorite methods or tools for organizing your life, at work or at home?