Summer Bucket List & Survival Kit

This is a sponsored post, but all opinions are my own.

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We are just under one month away from Summer Break for Emily and the weather finally warmed up!!!!  Summer is my absolute favorite time of year and I just can't wait; I'm counting the seconds until it begins.  Since it will be here before you know it I'm already planning all the fun we are going to have.  I also have two girls who are used to being in school and if Spring Break taught me anything it's that we need lots of activities to keep my busy bees entertained.  Here are some ideas so help inspire you and if you're local these are items that I definitely recommend:

With activities in order you and your little ones are going to need a survival kit to get through Summer.  Here's what our survival kit looks like:

Disney Style

We don't get to travel to Disneyland several times a year or even annually so when we get a trip on the calendar it's a HUGE deal!  I never know who's more excited me or the girls???  Part of the fun of the trip is planning for it.  I'm that crazy mom who has every detail of an outfit planned and several activities for each day on the calendar {more planning posts to come}.  Because a Disney trip is such a special occasion I think it's totally acceptable to go over the top with the outfits.  Plus I have girls so it's even more appropriate.  I wanted to share with you some of the outfits I have planned for our upcoming trip.

Getting to  work with and collaborate with some small business is one of my favorite parts of authoring a blog.  I am so thrilled to share with you these boutiques: Disney Tribe Shirts from Splatter Customer Apparel / Bling Shoes from Sassy Soles Shoetique / Minnie Ears from Shop My Mouse / Backpack & Lunch Pail from Thirty-One Gifts / Thermos from Itsy Bitsy Wear

Surprising Kids with an Exciting Disneyland Trip Reveal

The girls are old enough now to get a surprise so I couldn't help myself when planning a Disneyland reveal.  We don't get to go to Disneyland but once every other year so it's a really big deal for us.  The anticipation just about gets me and I never know who gets more excited about a Disney trip, me or the girls.  I dug through Pinterest for weeks looking for the perfect items to help with the reveal as well as did some major damage shopping.

I decorated and set up the reveal for the girls to see all the new gear as a way to tell them about our trip.  Here's how it turned out:

Mother's Day Gift Guide

Some of my best friends and I were discussing a girls trip and trying to find a date that could work for all of us.  It was impossible to find an open weekend for all of us but for one weekend: Mother's Day weekend.  We joked and said well actually a weekend away sounds like the best Mother's Day gift!  Although no whining, begging or fighting sounds amazing in reality I couldn't imagine spending the holiday without my little family.  So since a weekend alone isn't the perfect gift I've come up with some other ideas.

Personalized gifts have always been on the top of my list for gift giving and some of my favorite to receive.  I believe it was my first Mother's Day that Kevin made me a garden stepping stone with Emily's foot prints and it was so very special.  Don't get me wrong I'll never turn down a spa day but it's a personalized gift that I will remember for many years.  With the digital age it's sadly rare that I actually print out our family photos.  So a canvas print is personalized statement piece that is extra special and a great excuse to get the photos off the camera or your phone and onto your wall.  I also love a canvas print because it captures your family in a moment and lasts a lifetime.  I love looking at older canvas prints and seeing how much we have changed.  I am planning a whole canvas wall in our hallway of all our family photos for this exact reason.

My favorite place to get a canvas printed is from CanvasPop.  They have so many options including canvases but also framed prints, collages, pillows, magnets and more.  The quality is fantastic which is matched by their customer service.  Best news is that you can get 45% off your order with code 45FORMOM.

I just hung our latest family photo and I'm in love with it.

Here are a few other ideas for you.  Basically every time I put together a gift guide I'm really just sharing my wish list:

This is a sponsored post.  All opinions expressed are honest and my own.

Easter 2018

Family time is my favorite time!  Our Easter weekend was so incredibly fun and blessed and I just had to share our wonderful pictures {be prepared for overload}.  We always celebrate with Kevin's family on Saturday and do church and brunch on Sunday.  After brunch we spent the afternoon just playing at home and soaking up the sun.  It was the absolute perfect weekend.  I hope that everyone enjoyed their holiday weekend.

A Snowy Spring Break

Due to a change in Emily's school schedule we took an extremely last minute opportunity to head to Shaver for Spring Break.  It's a good thing we didn't want to go a week later or I think we would have missed the snow.  Luckily, we had enough to sled and have snow ball fights every day right outside the cabin.  It was the perfect week filled with family, junk food, relaxing and fun.  I loved every bit of it and loved the memories we got to make.

Back from Spring Break and Back to School

We're back from Spring Break and getting back into the swing of things.  I wasn't ready for early mornings but honestly the girls had major cabin fever and I was extremely ready for them to be back in their classrooms.  I'm sure their teachers felt differently about the end of Spring Break!  I hope it's just not my kids but their gear doesn't even make it through a whole school year.  The lunchboxes and backpacks have seen their better day and Madi's sleeping bag was just not cutting it.  The Easter Bunny got word that Madi was in desperate need of a new nap pad and it was the perfect timing.  When Madi went back to school she got to take along her new nap pad and she was so excited.  The best part was the personalization because her nap pad has been switched with other students in the past.  Now there is no chance of that accident again.

The Easter Bunny shared where he did his shopping this year and I wanted to share the secret with you.  Wildkin offers a great selection of nap pads but also so much more.  You can find luggage, backpacks, bedding, rugs, teepees and so much more.  Several of their products can be personalized which is always icing on the cake for me.  I am very happy with the quality of material and construction and can't wait to select other items for the girls.  You may want to consider stocking up for Back to School next year and you will be ahead of the game!

Even though Spring Break is short it's gets us out of our routine and we have to find that groove again.  That includes packing lunches and meal planning.  I wanted to direct you back to some of my previous posts which tackle those issues.

Lunch Box Ideas

Meal Planning

This is a sponsored post.  All opinions expressed are honest and my own.