Let Them Be Little #HugTheMess

Proudly sponsored by Huggies and Family Dollar; however the views and experiences expressed here are my own.
 Save 2$ on Huggies All YEAR Long at your local Family Dollar

I've never been one of those uptight mom types... it must come with the third baby syndrome.. you know, the one where your so worn out and drained from the other two that the last one gets away with murder!!

 I remember the first baby... Every move is planned. Every moment is special and photographed perfectly. The milestone are celebrated. The eating and sleeping schedules are on point, you may even be lucky enough to find yourself sleeping through the night,

Let's fast forward to the last baby... Mom's is still trying to keep up with number two!! No longer am I blending every baby meal to perfection, washing and massaging at bath time and marking everything on my calendar. Now, I'm lucky if I remember what day it is and get away from those little fingers long enough to brush my teeth and wash my face for the day! Everything is far from perfect and at some point, if you want to remain sane, you have to let go of what your idea of perfection is.

 That is one of the most valuable things I learned from having three boys. The first baby, you want everything to be perfect, just how you envisioned. Then second, you compare and contrast everything from if you love them enough, to how different their personalities are. The third teaches you a very valuable lesson; that everyone has their own personality and their own way of being. So let them BE LITTLE. That was the number one lesson I have learned as a mother of  three. I learned that the best thin I could do was to relax and enjoy the moments before they are gone. There's plenty of time for cleaning their rooms and doing things the 'way that they're supposed to.' So now, I enjoy the little moments. Because they are everything. And they are short lived.

My favorite things about Sky are the way he walks with his chunky little legs. The way he explores and makes the funniest expression as he checks out the world and discovers how things work! When I stop being a worry wart long enough to enjoy the moment, that's when the gratitude comes in. I let go of everything that is 'supposed' to be, and I enjoy what IS, before it's gone. Just like that.

 I love the curiosity as he splashes water and pulls his red wagon as hard as he can with his little chubby arms. His sweet curls as he shakes his head at me and runs off to play in the dirt. And that mean mug. Oh he kills me with his expressions.

It's so important that they have the space and freedom to explore their world, express themselves and just BE LITTLE. We all know that it goes to fast, so why waste it worrying about a constant mess that we cannot help.

One thing we can help, is how we clean up the mess... I have LOVED Huggies One And Done Wipes since Jace was born...it is my absolute favorite smelling wipes EVER. You can find these Huggies Snug and Dry and my favorite Huggies One and Done at your local Family Dollar and you can use this Samrt coupon to save ALL YEAR ALONG!!

 

Handmade Eye Candy

OK, so I've been secretly holding these hostage from you all. I admit it. I'm beyond STOKED to bring you three AMAZING brands; I'm pretty sure if you haven't heard of one of these shops, you've been living on Mars or haven't learned what the word "App" means.

 

                                                            Shop at FreshlyPicked

Freshly Picked. I mean even my mother knows all about Freshly Picked moccs and she can't even work the Instagram app!! Freshly Picked has set the standards for shopping small and what you put on your babies feet. If your babies have chunky little feet like mine, than you have found yourself looking to stylish moccs to keep those toes warm. Instead of buying shoes that I can't get on past the toes, moccs are the way to go. You know that moment; when you just bought a brand new pair of Nike's for your babe and you realize that not only are Nike's super narrow...but you just wasted your money because they wont even get all the way on his feet. Literally. So, you do the best you can and get the pictures, right?? Yeah. And next time you go to Freshly Picked and love your baby's feet.

 

Beanie & Shorts: VonVolo

Tee: Hip Kid Apparel

Moccs: Freshly Picked

 

When I took these, it was one of first cold days in Florida. I wont lie, we skip shoes a lot here in Florida. They are pointless. Put them on, only to be ripped off. NOT THESE BABIES!! Can I tell you how happy I was when, not only could I get them ON his feet, but he wasn't getting them off! And those sweet little chubby feet were Warm. And stylin'.

 

 

 

For all you girl mamas, Freshly Picked has the most beautiful - I repeat BEAUTIFUL - prints for their girl's moccs. But while my ovaries hurt everytime I look at them, (I didn't know it was possible for my ovaries to hurt after having Irish Twins, but hey - life is full of surprises!) I'm a boy mom and sometimes it's harder to find boys' things.

Not with Freshly Picked. Look at these urban styled moccs that go so great with two of my absolute favorite shops VonVolo and HipKidApparrel.

Now, over the past year of discovering the handmade world; I've learned that shopping small is more than having quality handmade items for your precious little and breaking out of the blue-prince-elephant-mode that is so typical for baby boys. Its about the individuals behind the clothing. The heart and spirit that goes into owning your own business and seeing children wearing your work. The mamas behind these shops mean more to me than just a purchase, I read their blogs, rally together for their ideas and we band together as a community to help another in need. Oh and of course, help each other figure out how to get the most AMAZING shots possible.

Beanie: VonVolo

Tee: Hip Kid Apparel

Please, please, please check out one strong, inspiring mama's blog at Hip Kid Apparel.Talk about purpose and conviction!!

And last, but not least....let me share a little sentiment with you. My first small shop love. I'm gonna be real with you guys, when I first got on Instagram, I knew NOTHING. But the first shop I fell in love with was VonVolo. I LOVED her vibe and everything about her style. She was having her fist brand rep search and I thought Oh. MY. God. I entered, of course. With a blurry cell phone picture, in a walker, with a generic Carter's onesie.....This is where you can laugh hysterically. It's ok. Because I didn't give up and a year later, as my overall EVERYTHING has much improved, I'm thrilled to work with such a talented woman.

All of these shops are insanely talented, full of passion and motivation, and a staple in the homemade community. Make sure you check our their social media for newsletters, discounts and giveaways!

Shop Freshly Picked
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Freshly Picked Pinterest

SHOP Hip Kid Apparel
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Hip Kid Apparel Instagram
Hip Kid Apparel Pinterest

Shop VonVolo
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