Life Lately…

05 Friday May 2017

Posted by Planning for Paris in Daily Happenings, Life's Loves

Tags

36 weeks, blogging, easter, Easter Basket, Easter bunny, Goldfish Swim School, inspiration, Life, lifestyle, pregnancy, style, swim lessons, toddler, two under two, update

It was so nice for the first few weeks of April! Sunshine was just what we needed.

And then the Easter bunny came crashing down on E’s whole world. For real, I love that the mall we had this taken at took the time to edit and frame this keeper.

If you caught my Insta Story, egg dyeing went a lot different in my head than it did in actuality. She thought they were golf balls so she chucked them as soon as she could get her hands on them. Then she just dipped her fingers in all the dye.

I posted a roundup of my favorite spring styles for the toddler girl and boy! So much cuteness out there!!

Gah. This girl. How cute are these sunnies with that smile??

I seriously couldn’t wait for E to get her Easter basket–so much fun!!

The egg hunt was also a total success! This dress was so perfect for Easter!

I shared an update on E’s swim lessons here!

My little bestie!

We spent an awesome day as a family in Grandview…I posted all about it here! And there’s still time to get yourself entered to win a $25 gift card! Hurry, it ends Sunday!

Got some extra time with family last week as we said goodbye to my sweet Grandma…

My sister threw us the sweetest sprinkle for baby girl last weekend with our families. Baby girl is already so loved!
I am dying over these sandals and this book!

I am officially 36 weeks today and am getting QUITE anxious for baby to get here! Other than the final touches–the major thing we wanted ready to go was baby girl’s room and E’s big girl room and it is officially done!! I will be sharing pics next week!!!

I hope you all have an amazing weekend!
Erin

Ps. If you still need ideas for that special mama in your life, I posted a gift guide here! Just a little over a week left!

Lessons at Goldfish Swim School {3}!

19 Wednesday Apr 2017

Posted by Planning for Paris in Daily Happenings, Life's Loves

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Tags

advice, baby, fun, Goldfish Swim School, health, learning, Life, lifestyle, spring, summer, swim, swim lessons, swimming, toddler, water safety

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!

Spring Style for the Toddler Boy!

13 Thursday Apr 2017

Posted by Planning for Paris in Fashion, Life's Loves

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Tags

accessories, boys, clothing, fashion, lifestyle, rainboots, spring, spring style, style, summer, summer style, sunglasses, Target, toddler style

Good morning!! As a follow up to yesterday’s post, as promised, here are some of my favorites for the boys! Back when I thought Eleanor was going to be a boy, which now seems so so odd, I stocked up on boy clothing and many of those items remained in her wardrobe which I kind of love. I really love boy clothing and there are some amazing pieces out for spring/summer this year!

1. How stinking cute are these sunglasses!? AND they are only $5.

2. I just about keeled over when I saw this hat. And again, a steal at $8.

3. For those chilly mornings and evenings, this light sweatshirt and jacket are perfect.

4. Leggings like these or these are great for transition or evenings and then SHORTS! I like that these can be dressed down with a tee or tank or up with a linen shirt!

5. Like I mentioned in the girl post, rainboots are toddler gold–E can almost get hers on by herself! I love these!

6. These striped shoes I actually bought before I had E and she wore them because I just love them. So, so much.

7. I thought my love for Natives went deep and then I saw that this pair GLOWS IN THE DARK!! They actually have several colors that do!! How perfect for the spring and summer evenings!?!

8. And don’t forget about my post on Swimwear for the Littles!

Happy shopping and a very happy Thursday!
Erin

Life Lately…

05 Wednesday Apr 2017

Posted by Planning for Paris in Daily Happenings, Life's Loves

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Columbus, easter, family, fun, holiday, inspiration, learning, Life, lifestyle, mommy and me, shopping, spring break, staycation, stroller, style, toddler, two under two, zoo

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

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!

I also posted about E’s eating and we celebrated St. Patrick’s day in style!
hairbow/shirt/leggings/necklace/table/chairs/plates

I posted all about what’s going in the girls’ Easter baskets–I cannot wait!!!

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

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.

I wrote a post about trying out this stroller that will eventually become our double stroller!
E’s shoes/my bag/my shoes

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!

Seriously, can it please stay warm out all year long?!

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

E graduated to Mini 2 at Goldfish!! I posted an update this month here!

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!
E’s Sippy/sweatshirt/jeans

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

Maternity Essentials!

23 Thursday Mar 2017

Posted by Planning for Paris in Daily Happenings, Life's Loves

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advice, baby, essentials, lifestyle, maternity, must-haves, pregnant, preparation, two under two

Good morning!! In the last two years, I have been pregnant for a total of 70 weeks. And somehow I have yet to write this post! So, today I thought I would share a few of my essentials that have gotten me through!

Clothing: The simpler the better. I have collected most of my items from generous friends who were done with babies so I have been lucky because buying seasonally appropriate items that fit for only 10 months can get ridiculous. So, my advice is to go simple and buy things that you can mix or match so that you can wear them several times in new ways! I also try to get things that I would wear after too like a baggier sweater or one that has slits down the side that can grow with you. I also have the added constraint of thigh high compression hose. Which by the way, I was reading one of my fave bloggers and she put a link to this video on how to actually put on compression hose. I almost cried. I have been putting them on incorrectly/painfully for almost 70 weeks so if you have to wear them, watch this! So most of my outfits revolve around how to cover them up which is usually not cute especially when it warms up! But overall, these four things are my staples along with a solid collection of leggings:
Olive Skinny Jeans
Maternity Tees
Long Cardigans
Boots

Sleep: At some point, probably early on, you are going to want to get yourself a a body pillow for between your legs while you sleep. I know some people that have a lot of pain will invest in something more fancy, but again here I was hoping to get away with something that I could potentially use beyond pregnancy and a simple one from Target has worked out pretty well!

Vitamins: I went pretty simple here too with just the Target Brand, but I also take these!

Oils and Lotions: I chose to invest my money here versus the other three categories so far because the majority of my pregnancies have fallen in the cold/dry months so moisture is no joke because you are already itchy as it is. Plus, compression hose aren’t exactly anti-itch. I use all of these multiple times a day.
Belly Oil
Kiehl’s Creme de Corps
Refresh Oil
Fresh Sugar Tinted Lip Treatment

Food and Drink: All of the things, but especially tea will be your new best friend. I drink around 3-4 cups a day.

Other Random Things: Root Coverup has been a lifesaver because I am too tired to do anything in the first and third trimesters and my hair grows ridiculously fast as it is, plus add vitamins. General fatigue is also why dry shampoo and Face Wipes are also staples around here. Oh, and gum. Gum is literally the only thing that keeps me from eating 24/7.

What else would you add? What am I missing? I still have ten weeks left and this is about the time my mind turns to complete mush so any ideas to help with that would be much appreciated!!

Have a great day!!
Erin

P.S. Don’t forget to get yourself entered to win a Re-Play Recycled Feeding Set! Ends tonight!