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Fall & Halloween Books On a Budget

Updated: Apr 13, 2021


Well hey there!!! Ah the weekend is almost upon us, THANK GOODNESS.


Checking in with one of our favorites things. BOOKS. Books, are our love language. I use them for introducing new feelings, new subjects, seasons and especially holidays. So of course I was THRILLED to find a site that got us some incredible books at a great price. And with an extra 15% off until the 13th! Here are my Halloween & Fall picks!



I am working on one more post for this week, because as I shop for loungewear I found some awesome sets that I know you will love, so stay tuned. And here is to a long weekend and some R&R (well as much as can happen in mama-hood.


xoxo

Natalie

Bed Time Routines With Tubby Todd

Updated: Apr 13, 2021


Ahhhh what a dream partnership!!! Tubby Todd is a brand I have used since Zoe was tiny. I love how well the products work and how they as a small company thrive to keep them as clean as possible. We especially love their bubbles and use them as a part of their bedtime routine every night. And I thought what a better time to share our routine then in the beginning of the school year when everyone is thriving for smoother evenings.



1. After dinner treat! Depending on how well they ate or the timing that they ate, for our family this treat could be a piece of dark chocolate, or small (summer time) bowl of ice cream, freshly popped popcorn or fruit/apple/applesauce. Birdie's favorite buttered toast! I want the tummies full before bed so this is important but also something nice to look forward to because they think its so special. This is also a great time to get the wiggles out so I sometimes take this treat outside to walk the pup or let them scoot and others times they have it in the bath, hahaha.


2. Set the sleepy mood. While the girls are picking out pajamas. I dim bathroom lights, turn on the diffuser with essential oils going, currently it's gentle baby (I usually move the small bedroom diffuser I use in their bedroom into the bathroom while they bathe and back to the room while we read), I turn on bedtime music, pour in our favorite bubbles (the Tubby Todd ones are amazing, and gentle on the girls super sensitive skin) and 1/4 cup of epsom salt into the bath.


3. Bedtime Voices. This may sound silly but we also have "bedtime voices", they are simply whisper voices when we are talking. I tell the girls that we use these special voices so that our bodies know it's time for bed. I do have to remind them this a lot but I think it really helps for all of us, even tired mama.


4. I take them out of the bath one by one to brush/braid hair, give them a massages ( I love this for general points of massage to help promote sleep) and snuggles. In the winter I love using the unscented all over ointment for this, a dollop of cream and a drop of my gentle baby essential oil. This cream is incredible for eczema or rashes/dry skin patches. I even find it does wonder for me too, especially when my psoriasis flares up.


I always start by massaging in the cream into their feet, then calves and thighs, hands arms, shoulders and finally doing a nice lymphatic massage to the face ( I do a simpler version of this, I'll record next time!) and a quick one on their heads (this helps so much for sinuses and allergies. this video cracks me up!) When we do skip this for a quicker bedtime I find the girls need me to stay in the room longer or can't settle as quick, so we try and do this every night. I also love the chance to connect, one on one time with each babe.


5. Stories. Lately they each pick one and I pick one. Sometimes Zoe reads them all, sometimes Ami "reads" one and other times I read them all. Either way, we read every single night.


For the last couple years we have allowed that Zoe have a flash light to read her chapter books before falling asleep. She can stay up as long as she wants if she is quietly reading in bed. Recently Amani has started asking that we leave the light on so she can read too, so I dim them just enough for 10 minutes. Eventually she too will have a book light of some sort to read at night. This was something I LOVED as a kid, and still do. Only rules are no talking, and no getting out of bed. Ami usually falls asleep in just a few minutes, after arranging and rearranging all of her babies a few times, lol. Zoe usually reads for more or less an hour.

 

And that is our bedtime. Which guys is a LOT but I find that having a routine for them since they were tiny is such a respectful way to end the day with these little humans. It gives us time to connect, and time for them to unwind and always know what is going on. So whatever you choose to do make sure it works for your family but I can guarantee that adding a routine, some yummy products and oils, will be a really great way for you all to end the day, no matter how long or short it is.



Cheers to a great rest of the week and getting as much sleep as possible.

xoxo

Natalie


Diverse Books For Kids of All Ages

Updated: Apr 13, 2021




I want to create an entire tab on my website with books we are reading, loving and want to read (not just kiddo ones but parenting and self help or fun reads for grownups.) Reading to the girls and again now for myself brings me soooo much joy, so I have to share it.


And to be honest the way to raise a reader is to let them see you read, read out loud to them and have interesting (to them) books that get them excited. I have always felt that the best tool for parenting have been books, we use them to explain change (like moving or traveling), a holiday or event, we use them to explain emotions and what is expected, for bedtime and naptime etc. So why not just make sure that the people, the skin colors and the cultures are all different in the books? We made that conscious decision a long time ago, and I want to make sure you can too. Here

are some of our favorites.


Zoe has been zipping through chapter books the last few months and I decided that she needed to diversify her collection, so I ordered


(I printed out these little book report templates, we like the one with the circles and she fills them out for each book that she wants me to replace with a new one. She loves rereading them a few times before writing one.)


Island Born (on Dominican history),

Just Ask (on all kids being different!),

The Princess In The Pea (one of my favorites)


For more baby books:

Please Baby Please

Loved this one about nighttime hair, may get it for Ami in hopes that she will let me use a cap on her curls!


I pre-ordered this one on Martin Luther King Jr coming out this summer and can't wait because I love "The Story Of" series,

and also pre-ordered Black Heroes.

Let's Talk About Race is out of stock but I ordered it for when it becomes available.

Going to buy we are Different We are the Same (Sesame Street!),


For MLK books we have this one, this one, this one, this one and this one. So many great ones!! We also have this one on Coretta Scott King


So so so many more books I can share but for now I will stop here. I am going to share some of my favorite parenting books next.


I really hope that you are enjoying your summer, that you are finding joy in small moments and that although nothing will look the same that you are planning out some opportunities to make memories.


xoxo

Natalie


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