#SpreadCheer with Betty Crocker + $20 Giveaway!

One of my favorite Christmas memories is my Grandmother's cookies. She made all different kinds, but my personal favorite were her sugar cookies. They were amazing! She would have to make hundreds and we'd all eat them all up so she would have to hide them from the family. It was always a hunt when we came over and we only found them twice- buried in the snow! She was an amazing cook and baker and her treats always made us feel special.

Baking and cookies are something I want to share with my kids and loved ones. Now that I'm back to work, it's so hard to try and squeeze everything in on the weekends and nights before bedtime. I'm loving that Betty Crocker is here to help me through the holidays. Her cookie bags are simple to follow, make delicious cookies, and her cream cheese frosting is to die for.

This season, you can help #spreadcheer with Betty's new campaign to share the holiday spirit with friends, loved ones, and neighbors. It's so simple and a great activity to do with your littles and help teach them the joy of giving!

1. Download your coupon and grab your goodies at your local stores

2. Start baking easy holiday treats with your little elves

3. While you wait for cookies to finish baking, take advantage of their free printables! They have coloring pages for the kids, gift tags for the cookies, and door signs for the goodies!

4. Once your cookies have cooled- get to decorating! I hope our neighbors like sprinkles...

5. Tie up your cookies with the gift tags and drop them to your neighbors!

Our cookies turned out so good, we're baking them again this weekend! Can't beat a simple cookie mix, butter, and a single egg! It's so nice that these treats are so easy and quick to make. We had a great time baking and decorating them together and Ellie had so much fun delivering them to neighbors. The little boy above has been sick for a while and was ecstatic to have some treats! It was the sweetest moment, he couldn't believe they were his and it really brightened up his spirit.

Now for some fun and your chance to win $20 in PayPal Cash!!

Spread cheer with your family, snap a photo, then share it on your choice of social media with the hashtag #SpreadCheer and nominate two friends by tagging them to join in the fun! Come back and link to your share so I can check it out or tag me in your original post! I can't wait to see everyone's goodies!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Easter Basket Goodies

Easter has always been of my favorite holidays. I am so excited to celebrate this year with Ellie and see her face when she sees her basket the bunny left for her this year. I've already started looking for and buying some goodies for her. I thought it would make for a fun post to share and get some ideas from you guys too! Shopping for little ones can be so much fun, but when they're too young to really understand the holiday or the gifts it can be hard to see what would be good options for them. 

Outfit (here) // Towel (here) // Animal Eggs (here) //  Stuffed Animals (here and here) // Hat (here)

Books (here and here) // Blocks (here) //  Bath toys (here)  //  Swimsuit (here)

Sippy Cup (here) // Socks (here) // Sandals (here) //  Puffs (here)

Some other fun goodies would be bubbles, pool toys, a name puzzle (here), a teepee, or a porch swing. I plan on filling Ellie's eggs with puffs, Cheerios, and yogurt melts. I've gone back and forth with what type of a basket to get here. I'd love to get her a nicer basket to use year after year, but I don't have any Easter decoration and don't want to store just a basket by itself. I may wait until we're done having children and get them all the same type personalized. For now, I just got her a really cute throw away one. Growing up we had a variety of baskets; throw away ones, large wicker baskets, ones my grandmother made us, and it was kind of fun seeing what type of a basket you would get each year. Then, I also love the nostalgia of having the same one year to year like you do with a Christmas stocking.

What are some of your favorite Easter traditions? We always got our swimsuits every Easter and I look forward to continuing that with Ellie.

What goodies do you give your little ones?

Dear Diary

Throughout my life, since I was 8, I've kept a journal on and off. I wish I was more diligent about writing because I think it's important to pass stories and history on through the family. I would love to read any journals from my late grandma. Every time I'm with my maternal grandma or my paternal grandpa I always ask them about their childhood, what their holidays were like, how my parents were as children, etc. I wanted to keep a journal throughout my pregnancy, but I think I only wrote in mine twice, maybe three times max. I do have all my Bumpdates, but those didn't include any personal feelings, hopes, or wishes I had for Eleanor.

1/2/3

4/5/6

A few weeks after Ellie was born I went out and bought a journal, I wanted to write directly to her. She will only be a baby and child for such a short amount of time I want to cherish every moment I can. I want to be able to remember these moments and tell her about them later, all of our struggles, laughs, little moments we share. Plus, keeping a journal where I write directly to her is so much easier than just keeping a journal in general with no specific audience. Every few days I write directly to her about milestones she's made, how I want our relationship to grow as she ages, little fun facts about her, etc. I hope to keep a journal like this throughout her life and continue with each child. I'm not sure if I'll tell her about the journal or surprise her later with it, maybe when she gets married or becomes a mother herself. I thought of this project as something our family will always cherish.

Do you keep a journal? Do you have any secrets about being consistent in writing in it?