Little Poppy Co Bow Subscription Review

April Bows

Anyone who knows me knows that I'm a bow mama. I like them small, medium, large, printed, solid, polka-dotted. I love them to match, clash, or coordinate. I first heard about Little Poppy Co through Katie (know her? I love her!) and I signed up immediately. It was the middle of the night, I was up nursing which means I was also reading and shopping and when I got back into bed I told Matt about it and how excited I was. He just replied "cool!" and rolled over. Men. They don't get the importance of a bow. I've never signed up for a subscription box before, but went for this one without hesitation.

May Bows

Little Poppy Co sends out three bows each month for $11.99 (that's only $4 a bow, which is a steal!) and includes two solid felt bows and one specialty fabric bow. They're chosen for each month based on the colors and trends of the season. You sign up and it's shipped out a few days before the first of the month so you can enjoy them all month long. It's genius! Bows every month? What a perfect way to start a nice collection! You can choose from an elastic or clip, my first two months were elastic for Emma and I just switched to a clip for Ellie. Another great feature is that you can buy past months bows if you missed out! You can see all of the past months bows here.

Little Poppy Co is sweet enough to offer 30% off your first order using KRISTEN30 at check out. That makes your first order just over $8! There's no time contract, so try it out! It's a perfect and unique gift too. Enjoy your day!

Our Sleeptime Must-Haves

Throughout my entire pregnancy with Emma, I prayed and prayed that she would be a sleeper. Ellie was so hard at nights and rarely napped unless I was nursing/holding her or pushing her in a stroller and it took us months to find a routine that worked for her. It was one of my biggest fears about having a second child is that I would get another difficult sleeper. I just couldn’t imagine doing the zombie mom role while still having to take care of an infant and a toddler. I barely survived some weeks with just Ellie! How was I going to do it again if I had a bad sleeper?

Fortunately, Emma has been an angel from the start and is the sweetest baby ever. I totally lucked out with her, but being that this isn’t my first rodeo, I knew what we needed to do to help build and keep her routine and get her sleeping. Getting to know Emma and watching for her sleep cues were important to build a routine around her natural sleep tendencies. We wanted to instill a good sleep routine from the start and below I’ve listed what has worked best for us and my favorite tools that help us get there!

Diaper and Jammies: A clean pair of pajamas and a fresh diaper are the first step in our routine. No matter how new the diaper may be, we always change Emma right before we put her down to avoid any leaks. We learned how important that was with Ellie and I swear, anytime I thought her diaper would be find since she had only been wearing it for a short time, she would always have a leak if I didn't change her!

Sound Machine: We used one with Ellie and have used one still with Emma. She doesn’t require one to go to sleep, but she does sleep more soundly and in longer stretches when we have it on. It creates a white noise effect that’s steady and keeps other noise out, you know, like a crazy toddler who insists on talking/crying/singing at the top of their lungs when the baby is sleeping. We even have a travel one that we used with Ellie that’s nice when we’re out and about. The one pictured is no longer available, we also use this one which has a nice projector.

Books/Quiet Play: After a busy day, the girls will need some winding down and our favorite way to settle in is with some books (BabyLit is a fave around here)! We’ll also sing songs that have hand motions like Itsy Bitsy Spider or Wheels on the Bus. We’ve also done stretching and massages as well. This part we switch out depending on our day and moods.

Sleepsack: This is a must, must, must for us! Since Emma was first born we have swaddled her and I think it’s made a significant impact in keeping her a good sleeper. When it was time for sleep, we just swaddle her up and she nearly just goes limp and passes out immediately (even her new daycare teacher noticed!). Now that’s she getting bigger and can roll, crawl, and sit up we’ve been using the new HALO Sleep Sack that's 100% cotton muslin (available on Amazon). I love this sack and it’s perfect for warm nights to keep her covered and still comfortable. I love that it zips from the top down, making diaper changes a snap! We used their HALO Sleepsack Swaddle when Emma was younger and smaller and I'm glad to have a brand we can rely on as our babies grow.

Paci: Ellie had to have a paci to soothe herself to sleep, Emma does not, but does like to chew on the edges. Sometimes when she wakes up, she plays in her crib and I'll find her playing and chewing on a paci.

We keep our routines really simple so it's easy to do every day and can be done anywhere. It's important to us to do the same thing each night and even when Emma doesn't seem tired when I turn on her sound machine she rubs her eyes and when she gets her swaddle on, she's out! Follow HALO on Instagram for sleep tips and new products!

Thank you HALO for today's post! All opinions and experiences are of my own, a sleep sack was provided to me for an honest review.

Vegas: What I'm Packing

This weekend marks our 5th wedding anniversary and to celebrate, Matt and I are headed to Vegas! I'm so excited to get away and some time to ourselves. We rarely get any time for ourselves and when we do, it's always with an agenda. We have no plans and no schedule for the weekend and I can't wait! All we have on our to-do list is eat, sleep, and lounge by the pool. It's supposed to be cooler temps with possible rain so I'm not sure if we'll get too much time at the pool, but I'll be ready!

For the last week, I've been planning my outfits and what to pack and I finally had a chance to lay everything out to see how it would look together and make sure I don't forget anything. It's not a new concept by any means, but I like to lay everything out and see how I can make the most of what I want to pack. Can I mix and match them? Is there something I can leave home to keep a lighter bag? I always pack a few extra outfits or pieces like jeans or a cardigan and there's still one outfit I need to try on to see how they look together in real life, but I think I'm all set otherwise!

Sweater (old, similar here) // Soft Shorts // Sandals (love these too!) // Purse // Necklace

I've tried these shorts on so many times at Target and I've always loved them because they're so soft, but just never bought them. They're on sale for $15 and I thought they'd be perfect for walking the strip or driving home. My SIL gifted me this gorgeous blue handbag from my Spring Wishlist for my birthday and I can't wait to use it this weekend! There's a ton of pockets and the color is perfection!

Tank // Shorts (Old Navy last year, similar here) // Purse // Necklace

I'll probably wear this outfit on the way there. This peplum tank has been on repeat a lot lately (I have it in white too), it's so easy to just throw on and head out the door. I bought these shorts last year when I was pregnant and they're so comfortable. They have pockets too! I wish I bought every pair last year, luckily a lot of shops have similar styles in this year so I can add some more to my closet.

Hat (Old, similar here) // Cover up // Suit (Victoria Secret- in store only, similar here)

Sunnies // Kimono (Forever 21 last year, similar here) // Top // Bottom

I'm really hoping and praying that there's good weather this weekend, because all I want to do is lounge around the pool and the hotel's lazy river. What's a vacation without a pool day?

Pants // Top (similar here) // Necklace

If you follow me on Instagram, you've already seen this outfit- I wore it on Sunday to celebrate my birthday with a family BBQ. I'm obsessed with these pants and necklace! Palazzo pants are so cozy and soft to wear and they're great in the summer since they're so lightweight. The necklace is amazing, I won it from Brittany's IG giveaway and I love it! It pairs so perfect with the pants and my blue crossbody above, I always get so many compliments on it! It's a great statement piece for sure.

Top // Shorts // Sandals (love these too!) // Lipstick (Coral Crush)

I'm still loving this outfit! It's definitely a go-to for me. I plan on wearing this for walking the strip and shopping during the day. I picked up this fun bright coral and haven't really had the chance to wear it, but I hope to bust it out this weekend.

Top (similar here) // Jeans // Purse // Lipstick (Long Legged & Fabulous) // Shoes

I've been saving this look for a date night (see it on in this post) and we plan on doing a nice dinner one night and this is what I'm gonna wear. I LOVE the lace detailing on this top and flutter sleeves. It's so feminine and chic. I ordered a dress too last week and if it arrives in time, I'm going to pack that too as an alternative or second nice meal outfit.

Only three more sleeps until our trip! Can you tell I'm excited? I haven't been to Vegas in so long and I used to go all the time to party back in college. It's definitely going to be a different trip this time and I've never gone just Matt and I. I'm really looking forward for us to reconnect and get some adult time and recharge together.

What are your favorite Vegas shows and restaurants? He wanted to surprise me with Britney tickets, but she just had her last show last weekend! We want to check out a show while we're there, what do you suggest?

In the Pool with Beachfront Baby Wraps

One of the best things about living in California is the weather! It’s warm nearly year round and we can swim from March through October. Every summer, we spend a lot of time outside playing, barbecuing, and almost every family party is by the pool. Having all of our children comfortable in the water is important to us, Matt played water sports all through high school and worked as a lifeguard for years. He’s such a natural swimmer, I wish I was too! Ellie started swim lessons last summer, took a winter break, and started them again last month and I think she’ll be ready to swim without floaties this summer. Fingers crossed!

Swim Diaper // Hat // Wrap

Suit (from Target, it's not online, but I love this and this one!)

One Size Beachfront Baby Wrap in Passionberry
Suit (Victoria Secret- not online, similar here)// Sunnies

Both our babies love the water and with this Beachfront Baby Wrap, I can keep Emma close by and allow her to enjoy the water while remaining hands free to enjoy the pool myself or help with Eleanor. The first time I took her in the pool with me, she loved being in the water and fell asleep on me for two hours she was so relaxed! The wrap was easy to figure out how to use and it held her securely and comfortably for us both. I was afraid that when Emma was sleeping that if I got out of the pool she would be cold and wake up, but since the wrap is a polyester jersey mesh, it doesn’t hold water and dried really quickly, so I was able to get in and out of the water without waking her or being cold. It was awesome! It will also be great when our summer heat sets in and we head to the zoo, splash pad, or other outdoor activities since it’s lightweight and breathable.

Beachfront Baby Wraps sent me this product for review, but all opinions and experiences are my own.

Spring Wishlist

Some people love different seasons not because of the weather or holidays, but because of the fashion. My husband's favorite season is fall when it's nice and chilly (you know, like all of 4 days here in CA) because he loves to wear jeans and hoodies. Me? I'm all about spring. Always have been and always will be. I literally just want to add everything to my cart and check out.

Gloss - Signs of Spring // Top // Earrings // Purse // Sandals

Spring just gets me. It's my favorite season for clothes, parties, weather, and I love all of the colors it brings with it. It's exactly what I need after the winter slump of January and February. There's a few things coming up (like my birthday) so I've been trying to think of what I want and what I need. Matt has been asking me like every day so I thought I'd share what has caught my eye.

I love, love, love this off the shoulder top! It's so cute and could easily be dressed up or down. I also have this pom pom tank in my cart too. A girl always needs a nice pair of stud earrings and pink gloss. I haven't seen/heard of this MAC shade before and it's looks so gorgeous online! I'm dying to check it out. I have a blush tote that I've been using and I've become obsessed with this little saddle bag. It's so feminine and the color is perfection. I also like this baby blue one and I've been stalking this giant weekender bag at Target.

What's your favorite season? When do you find yourself shopping (or just online browsing, adding to cart and never checking out) the most?