Tag Archives: fun

Lessons at Goldfish Swim School {4}!

18 Tuesday Jul 2017

Posted by in Daily Happenings, Life's Loves

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Good afternoon!! Hope your weeks are off to a great start!! Today I am so excited to update you all on E’s progress at Goldfish Swim School!  Lessons have been a little spotty with the arrival of Claire and adjusting to life with two under two, but the second we walk into Goldfish, E’s eyes light up and she picks up right where she left off!  Swim lessons have truly become a way for E and daddy to bond while I hang out behind the glass with Claire.  They practice kicking and pulling to get ready for lessons–so sweet.

Her newest skills:
can kick her feet and pull her arms when asked
can climb out of the pool with a little nudge
go under water without freaking out
swims to instructor and back (HUGE)
not losing her mind when she spots me behind the glass or when I come in and watch her the last five minutes (also huge)

Activities she loves:
going after the balls with the floaty barbell and putting them in the bucket
highfiving on the way into lessons
people watching
getting on the floaty duck and immediately jabbing her fist into the eye
getting in the canoe (THE BEST)

Still working on:
floating on her back

To take a look back at how far she’s come:
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SO little in that first lesson!!  I love seeing how far she’s come, scared and only consoled by a baby doll to giggling and loving her time in the water!  Thank you so much, Goldfish for helping her overcome so many fears!!

Has your little overcome any fears this summer?  Such a special thing to watch them blossom and practice with their new confidence!

To find a location near you, head here!
Have a great day!
Erin

*This post was written in partnership with Goldfish Swim School, but all opinions, as always, are my own!

 

E’s Big Girl Room!

11 Thursday May 2017

Posted by in Daily Happenings, Life's Loves, Uncategorized

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IMG_7232IMG_7191IMG_7243IMG_7215IMG_7208IMG_7228IMG_7824Good morning!! I have seriously been dying to share this post with you all!  Essentially, I have been planning E’s room since she was born.  Since we didn’t find out the gender until she was born, we kept her room neutral, but it turned out kinda boyish because we were 99% sure she was going to be a boy.  We decided almost immediately that we would just keep the nursery as is and begin planning her big girl room.  Once we found out about baby #2, the plans officially began!  E now knows this is her room and has been sleeping all night in her big girl bed for the last week!  The transition I wrote about here is officially complete thanks to Dockatot!

But without further ado…here are the pieces that we’ve been collecting for E’s room!

Bed Area
Adjustable Toddler Bed
Dockatot Deluxe
Pom Pom Comforter Set
Be Awesome Today Pillow
Flamingo
Large Ballerina Doll
Pom Pom Pouf (old)

Shelves (handmade by Matt!)
Books: Once Upon an Alphabet, Flora and the Flamingo, Ellie, The Tiny Seed, The Day the Crayons Quit, Paris Up, Up and Away, Stuck, Waddle!, Gallop!
Pineapple Print (she may restock?)
Pom Pom Bin
Instax Mini Camera
Phoebe the Fawn Doll
Yellow Hunter Boots

Play Area/Tent
Metallic Stripe Tent
Woolen Pom Pillow
Gray Stripe baskets I found at Michaels!

Dresser Area (my dad actually made this dresser for me when I was a little girl!)
Pictures in the gallery wall are either gifts from showers or baptisms and then I cut out prints from old Rifle Paper Co. Calendars!

Clothing Area
Rolling Cart
Pink Stripe Hamper
Sound Machine
Nursery Heater

But, YOU GUYS, the real star of this room is this rug from Lorena Canals!  It really pulls the whole room together and makes it look like a room for a little kid!  And it is literally the softest rug I have ever felt, machine-washable, and all natural!  There are so many options on the website that will fit perfectly into any room really, but especially nurseries and kids rooms!
PLUS, now through May 17th all rugs are 15% off!!

With just three weeks left, it feels really good to get E’s room checked off the list!  If you see something that I haven’t linked just let me know in the comments and I will do my best to get you to the right place!

I hope you are all having a great week!
Erin

*This post was sponsored by Lorena Canals, but all opinions, as always, are my own!

A Family-Friendly Day in Grandview + Giveaway!

28 Friday Apr 2017

Posted by in Daily Happenings, Good Eats, Life's Loves

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Good morning!  Today I am so excited to be partnering with Nakturnal on behalf of real estate in Columbus, Ohio to share a few family-friendly activities in Grandview!  We absolutely adore Grandview. It has that small town quaintness feel, but with TONS of activities throughout the year for all ages.

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Stauf’s Coffee is the perfect way to start your day.  I feel so fancy walking in, the aroma hitting you even before you walk in.  And then the beverages?  Artwork.
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Grab a donut at the counter at DK Diner (the sour cream donut is my absolute favorite.)  or you can sit and have an amazing brunch on the patio!  The whole atmosphere is super casual:  You can get a donut as an appetizer and they put coffee out for you to sip on while you wait for a table if you decide to stay for a full breakfast!
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Grandview is full of these little touches; so fun for the littles!! This community library is located near Stevenson Elementary!
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Lunch at Sweet Carrot!  They have an amazing indoor and outdoor dining area.  And the food is SO good.
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Stop by Little Green House Play Cafe and let the littles run around while you grab a cup of coffee.  Yes, please!  Eleanor was obsessed with the firetruck!
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Our favorite park is Wyman Woods Park.  The ground is squishy which is perfect for those toddler falls!  And then when you are on your way home, make sure you stop by Mama Mimis for a take and bake pizza and a local six pack!  You will feel like a domestic goddess when it comes out of the oven.  Fresh and gourmet and you didn’t have to do a thing.
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…and now for a fun giveaway!!  Comment below with what your favorite spot in Grandview or Columbus is and then enter your information into the Rafflecopter to get yourself entered to win a $25 gift card to Staufs Coffee!  Good luck, friends!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

And if you are interested in checking out German Village, my friends over at Wander and Whine shared their favorite spots and are giving away a gift card to Pistacia Vera (remember how little E was on her first trip there?!)!

Hope you all have a fabulous weekend!!
Erin

*This post was written in partnership with Nakturnal, but all opinions, as always, are my own!

Lessons at Goldfish Swim School {3}!

19 Wednesday Apr 2017

Posted by in Daily Happenings, Life's Loves

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Good morning!! Eleanor has officially graduated to mini 2 classes at Goldfish Swim School!  Mini 2 classes are for ages 16 months-35 months and at 35 months she will be ready to swim on her own!  She has developed so many skills already, but the one we are the most excited about is her confidence in the water.  If anyone remembers back to that first lesson, Eleanor screamed her head off which was super embarrassing because I’ve actually never seen a child cry or even throw any kind of fit at Goldfish.  It’s the happiest place on earth.  But that first lesson was rough.  Luckily, we had a great instructor who loaned her his baby doll and we made it through.  With each lesson since she has grown to love swim lessons and her time in the water.  She happily jumps back into the water when she practices crawling out, collects the balls without any help kicking, and goes under water without freaking out and sputtering when she comes back up.

Another key part of E’s lessons that we really appreciate is how she is learning to get out of the pool.  With just a bit of a nudge, she can get herself up out of the pool.  It will obviously take some time before she can truly do this on her own, but she is learning the skills that she could use in an emergency if she needed to.  It is never too soon to start learning water safety!  The week of May 14th will be Water Safety Awareness Week at Goldfish and they will have a special focus on the skills needed to be safe in and around the water all summer long!

Has anyone else started swim lessons?  What skills has your little one mastered?  Which do you appreciate the most??
If you are interested in getting your little one signed up you can check here for a location near you to get started!  Summer will be here before we know it!
Hope you all have a great day!
Erin

*This post was sponsored by Goldfish Swim School, but all opinions, as always, are my own!

Life Lately…

05 Wednesday Apr 2017

Posted by in Daily Happenings, Life's Loves

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The weather has finally been nice enough to get out and play a bit.   We definitely have an outdoor girl on our hands.  She will just start bringing you items one by one to put on her and yourself…coats, hats, etc…and then will grunt and point outside.  I really need the nice weather to stay because my toddler does not understand fickle Ohio weather.
E’s shoes/Leggings
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I posted about E’s Transition to her new room and one adjustment we’ve made is having her sleep with her Grand Dockatot in her crib first before we switch her over to using it in her bed.  She’s been sleeping so well ever since…no more waking up at night (knock on wood!!!!).  Be sure to check out the whole post for links to items and to see what else we’re doing to make the transition a bit easier!
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I also posted about E’s eating and we celebrated St. Patrick’s day in style!
hairbow/shirt/leggings/necklace/table/chairs/plates
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I posted all about what’s going in the girls’ Easter baskets–I cannot wait!!!
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Little miss diva’s uncle Paul came to town so we headed down to the Brewery District and had a fancy lunch at Rockmill Tavern!
E’s boots
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I finally got my hair done over spring break and when I went to pick up E at the sitter she didn’t recognize me.  Yowza, gotta do maintenance more often.
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I wrote a post about trying out this stroller that will eventually become our double stroller!
E’s shoes/my bag/my shoes
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E’s first trip to the zoo of the season!  She was very unsure of the large animals like the gorilla, but LOVED the animals that she sees on Barney and in her barn books.  She waved at them and everything.  Pretty much the cutest thing ever.  I cannot wait to take the girls this summer!
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Seriously, can it please stay warm out all year long?!
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It’s been a mix of sun and rain here in Ohio which I kind of love!  So fun to be outside right before the storms roll in!
headband (similar)/sweatshirt/shoes
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E graduated to Mini 2 at Goldfish!!  I posted an update this month here!
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Last weekend we got takeout from Milestone 229 and headed down to the river with some friends to have a picnic and walk around!  It is seriously so gorgeous down there!
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I am almost 32 weeks and starting to get to that really uncomfortably large stage so picking up E has become quite the task…especially when she just wants to run after ducks and trash.

Time seems to be flying now that we are in the home stretch…June 2 will be here before we know it–we’re ready to meet you baby girl!

What have you all been up to?  Hopefully out there enjoying the sunshine when you can get it!!
Hope you are having a fabulous week!!
Erin