Gift Ideas for Her!
I’ve found the cutest, affordable jewelry, perfect for sentimental gifting! JoyCuff!
JoyCuff has such cute pieces! Check out this 18k gold initial necklace!
I love how you can choose an initial, making it a sentimental gift for yourself or someone you love!
I completely adore anything customized with my boys’ names or initials and this momento gives me all the feels! I think this would be an amazing gift for a mama (hello Mother’s Day!), your bestie, a grad, or even yourself!
I also adore their Morse code bracelets! They have the cutest sayings coded in the beads! This one says “badass”!
Yup, mamas are badasses. Another perfect mama gift for that BA chick in your life. My gal pals are all getting one for Mother’s Day!
They even have sayings and mantra bracelets that are super cute!
Use code 20JESS01 at this link on all your purchases too!
AND, if you want to win a Badass Morse code bracelets, check out my giveaway on Instagram, here!!
XX,
Jess
Toddler Packing
I’ve posted before about baby must haves and essentials, and talked about diaper bag supplies for babies, but what about when babies become toddlers?! Little different, right?!
No worries, I’ve rounded up everything I pack for a trip out with my toddler. All very handy!
Don’t worry, I’m an over packer, you can pick what you think would be helpful from the list. 😉
First, diapers, wipes, changing pad and extra change of clothes. Even if you toddler is potty training or has learned, these are super handy for emergencies. Believe me, I know. Also, a folding potty seat. Game changer. (This changing pad is so nice, and super wipeable/cleanable! )
Feeding supplies. Always snacks and water. I bring an extra bottle to refill our cups too (and use code Jessimarie15 on Swig bottles and mugs! 🙌) Having a bib, even if grown out of them at home, is super handy for keeping nice clothes tidy. I stash a fold up plate and silverware too, for when the eating situation is less than toddler friendly.
Also, these cups from Elk and Friends have solid lids that make packing snacks super easy too! 👌
This is where face wipes and wash clothes come in handy. And kid friendly sanitizer.
I always have safe sunscreen and bug spray. Plus Fight Bite is amazing for taking away bug bite and poison ivy itch!!
Bandaids and medicine are a must! These metal kits from Welly come loaded and are so handy. I buy the bandaid kit and med kit and swap half and half to put in places like the diaper bag, car, camper, etc. Their meds include stomach soother, fever relief, and allergy relief. And are rated for ages 2 and over. So handy!!
I like to pack a pouch of toys that the kids rarely see so that they are interesting. And soft headphones. So handy when they need to swipe my phone for entertainment.
A clip on fan for the stroller is helpful too!
And our Tubby Todd Dream Cream goes everywhere with us. Great for dry skin, rashes, etc and works for the whole fam. (This link saves you 10% automatically! 😉)
I also always add a mini CleanSmart spray. This guy disinfects surfaces with just a spray and is safe for the kiddos! CleanSmart and sanitizer both go in an easily accessible side pocket, not a pouch, for quick grabbing.
Our Lily Jade diaper bags are our favorite and their packing cases make great spots for all the things we need. I like to pack them by category. I even use one pouch for “mom stuff.” Think lip gloss, lotion, Tylenol, etc.
I also always add some Bumkins pouches. Handy to pack snacks or to stash things on the go. We’ve even filled one with shells and treasures on an adventure before. 🤣
Anything I’m forgetting? Always forgetting something. Hope this helps! 😉
Jess
XX
New Way to Clean!
Let’s face it, life’s messy. Kids, pets, busy lives… husbands. 🤣
I’ve found something that makes it very simpler to keep it all clean. CleanSmart. Period. Spray it on. Walk away. That simple. How?! This cleaner is made with natural Hypochlorus Acid and made with 100% natural ingredients. It dissolves to saline solution and leaves no chemical residue. And no fumes!
This cleaner can be used on anything, door knobs and appliances to countertops, highchairs, toys, and switches. It’s even safe for use on baby’s pacifier, and safe to spray around food and pets.
Plus, CleanSmart kills 99.9% of germs, including Coronavirus, cold, flu, strep, RSV, staph, MRSA, E. Coli, salmonella, and listeria, to name a few! The EPA has approved CleanSmart to kill a while list of germs!
I even throw the mini bottle in my diaper bag to spray down items as we go (think shopping cart handles!)
So what I’m saying is, get some! Seriously. CleanSmart will change your house cleaning game. How much more simple can it get than spraying and done?! I’m so pumped that not only is it easy, but effective and safe for my whole family and the Earth. 😉
It’s now available on Amazon Prime too!!
Let me know what you think!
Jess,
XX
Bath/Laundry Room Update
We knew we wanted a fixer-upper, and we sure got it with this one! But we are enjoying putting in the work and making it into what we want for a home. The bathroom was no exception. We can’t afford a complete gut and overhaul of every room (I wish!), so this is a little refresh.
Before:
After:
We will put a new faucet in soon and plan to redo the bath and laundry room floors in a few months. But for now, wow. Its clean. Its peaceful. I’m in love.
We made the bathroom hook boards because in old houses you are at the mercy of where the studs may or may not be when hanging things. Attach the hooks in the spacing you want and then attach the boards to the wall where the studs allow.
We also made the shelves ourselves and hand “grayed” the boards by smearing white paint with fingers. Tedious but so worth it. The brackets are plumbing hardware and can be found at Mendards. We painted the parts with a light oil rubbed bronze spray paint.
We made the jar light fixture by painting the old silver fixture with oil rubbed bronze paint and adding the jars. We took solid jar lids and made holes in them to fix the jars to the fixture. Once it’s all painted you can’t see what method you used to attach them.
All on a budget for a quick fix up. We did add a new shower, as ours was a walk in when we bought the house and we needed a tub for the kids. Paint and curtains, and especially shelving, make a huge, but affordable difference!
Here are some fun detail shots.
A few detail links:
What do you think? Any recommendations?
Xx,
Jess
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The Rug Hunt
Remember seeing the antique rug in the dining room?
Well, we thought this rug was a bit too bright and attention grabbing for this area. Plus, it was really taking a beating being in the center of our home. We were on the hunt for a rug. A very specific rug. Most importantly, we had to be able to afford it on our teeny tiny budget. We also wanted it to be big. It had to be at least 3 feet wide and at least 12 feet long. Wider and longer would be even better. This was the hardest part. Almost all runners were only about 2 feet wide. Not going to cut it with a large room and two dogs creating a lot of traffic. We were also hoping for either a print we could agree on, or something fairly neutral, but also not too light so that it would get dirty fast. Gravel roads and a farmer living in the house, oh and those two dogs again, means dust, dirt, and crud on a frequent basis. Do we sounds picky yet?
We hunted and hunted. Then we debated and debated. We found the one. Or at least what will be the one for a while! It was a “dark natural” colored banded jute rug. This one was 3 feet by 12 feet and was from the Home Decorator’s Collection, bought from Amazon.
We really like how the rug choice turned out. Its nothing fancy, but the neutral-ness of it allows for us to paint and change the room when we get the chance. This rug seems strong and durable, but is also soft and welcoming. Actually those bands you can see in the close up picture are super comfy on your feet, almost massaging! It does slip some, and in the future we may get a no-skid rug pad, but for now it has been perfect!
We couldn’t leave the dirty old door mat there with the pretty new runner! Here’s the old grungy mat:
It just so happened that I fell upon an awesome, and very inexpensive door mat right after getting the runner. You will never guess where I found the new mat! Dollar General! $12! And so adorable! It is also jute and looks so great with the runner!
So, what did we do with the antique rug? We put it upstairs in the hallway. We had some traffic issues with the light colored carpet in the hall, but not enough to continue to wear this rug out super fast, so we are trying it out up there. So far I think it is growing on me!
I think this little rug rearranging is going to work out just fine! 🙂
Make Mine Eclectic 