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Tag: Mom’s Priority

Adirondack Chair for Mother’s Day

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This is a great deal on an all cedar adirondack chair for Mother’s Day!  We bought cedar Adirondack chairs similar to these and they have lasted for over a decade!  Left out year round, they weather nicely and look so stately yet also relaxing.  With Prime, two day shipping is free, so if you don’t have prime yet you are missing out.  These would be a great gift for the family or for mom for Mother’s day!  For more Mother’s Day ideas, check out our Mother’s Day gift idea page.  Consider choosing a naturally rot-resistant wood like cedar for your outdoor furniture. Because these chairs last longer, they are better for the environment, meaning you are celebrating Earth Day in your own little way today! Try Amazon Prime 30-Day Free Trial

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Teacher Appreciation Week May 2-6

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Teacher Appreciation Week is coming up the week before Mother’s Day!  This always sneaks up but we can’t forget the amazing teachers!  At our schools, oftentimes the whole class will go into together and give the teacher small gifts for every day.  A few examples would be

  • Fresh flowers from your yard, in a mason jar that says “thank you for helping us bloom!”
  • Apples for the teacher!
  • A beach bag filled with simple summer items like chapstick, a magazine, lemonade mix, flip flops.  Different children bring in the various items and fill the bag.
  • A simple card signed by the class

Gifts for teachers vary from simple to elaborate homemade to simply purchased, but the most important thing is letting teachers know they are appreciated.  Check out Mom’s Priority’s Pinterest board for a variety of ideas, and thank those teachers!!

For the purchased route, gift cards are always appreciated, and Amazon gift cards are good for most anything!

For the semi-homemade route, go to Tagxedo and make a word cloud with your teacher’s name, the grade and any other words that fit your theme.  Put it in a simple frame and hang with ribbon!

Our teachers pour so much into our children all year long, and it is a gift to be able to show them how much we appreciate all they do!

Advertising Disclosure: Some tips include links where Mom’s Priority receives an incentive per click or per purchase.  If you ever have any questions regarding this, please contact [email protected]. For more information, please see our Privacy Policy and Disclosure.

 

6 Good Mother’s Day Gifts

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Mother’s Day is coming up on May 8, and everyone is looking for good mother’s day gifts, including myself!  As a mom, I can share what I think a good mother’s day gift would be and hopefully give you a few ideas:

  1. For a mom who is in the thick of motherhood, between messy diapers and friend issues at school, an amazing gift would be a gift card to the spa or a day of relaxation!  That, along with a heartfelt card, is a good mother’s day gift!
  2. For a mom of a capable teenager or for a grandmother, a photo book of recent memories would be so special.  MyPublisher (the company I use to make our books) has two fantastic offers right now: FREE photo book from MyPublisher! ($34.99 value) Valid through 4/18. and FREE 8.5″ x 11.25″ photo book with Free cover option! ($39.99 value) Ends 4/26.!!
good mother's day gifts- free photo book offer

good mother’s day gifts- free photo book offer

3.   For any mom or woman, a cute bag or beach tote would be put to good use!

4.   Jewelry is always a good purchase, and a specially engraved charm or bracelet for example is very meaningful.

5.   A card with a handwritten note never goes out of style.

6.   Homemade art from a child, especially if it has their handprints, will be cherished for years to come!  Check out Mom’s Priority’s Pinterest page for lots of ideas!

Moms, from new moms to great grandmothers, more than anything want to know they’ve raised, or married, thoughtful and kind human beings who think of others.  Just this simple act of thinking it through, buying the card or gift, and arranging the time to give it, means so much.  As I get older, I am realizing the importance of this!  It is never too late to show those who love you the most, how much they mean to you!

 

Advertising Disclosure: Some tips include links where Mom’s Priority receives an incentive per click or per purchase.  If you ever have any questions regarding this, please contact [email protected]. For more information, please see our Privacy Policy and Disclosure.

Unforgettable Baby Showers

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Unforgettable Baby Showers

Unforgettable Baby Showers

I have been blessed to be either invited to or helping host baby showers for seven moms-to-be within about a month’s time!  All the love, excitement, and catching up with old friends makes all the planning so worth the effort!   A baby shower is one of the sweetest ways to celebrate the pregnancy and upcoming arrival of a new baby! It’s all the good- the excitement, anticipation, and joy-that surrounds a new baby. A baby shower gifts the parents to be with cute baby bedding and clothing, the latest baby technology and gear, and supplies for feeding, diapering, and helping this new baby sleep!  Here’s what I’ve learned from hosting a fair share of baby showers.

Tips:

  1. Simple or elaborate- keep the focus on the guest of honor!
  2. For invitations, evite works, but a printed invitation for such an occasion is simply classy and a special keepsake for the new mom!

owl invitation baby showers

    Owl baby shower invitation

3.   Send out invitations a month in advance to give guests a chance to clear their schedules.  These adorable stamps from Zazzle are perfect!

owl baby showers stamps

owl baby showers stamps

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4.   Think about asking your guests to bring an item around a theme, such as books to stock the shelves of the baby’s library.  Or, if there is more than one guest of honor, think about filling baskets per mom to be around a theme, such as diapers, so the burden to come isn’t so great.  This works great when the shower isn’t for first time moms.

Baby Shower Décor

  1. Gather your boutique or heirloom baby clothes to hang on a clothesline for décor!   No extra cost!
  2. If you want to go along with this woodland owl theme, use burlap, sticks, nests, moss, and outdoor materials to decorate
    baby showers birch place card holders swoozies

    baby showers birch place card holders

    inexpensively.

  3. Keep it simple!

 

Baby Shower Food

  1. Keep the food simple, especially if it is an afternoon shower!  Petit fours or cupcakes, snack mix, a little fruit or veggie tray, and a sparkling punch is the perfect amount of food.
  2. For those of us who like everything to be coordinated, check out these plates and napkins from Zazzle.  Aren’t these great?!  There are many customizable options!
owl baby showers paper plate zazzle

baby showers owl paper plate

3.   Solid colored paper products or using your dishes are other great affordable options.

Baby Shower Activities

  1. Ice Breaker – Have guests write 3 AM messages on the diapers to give new moms and dads a laugh in the middle of the night.
  2. Games- Play identify the candy bar!  To prepare, place crushed candy bars in the baby diapers.  Wrap up the diapers like you are going to dispose of them, and have each guest take turns guessing.  Have prizes ready for the winners!
  3. Owl Bingo- Have each guest guess at which gifts will be given by writing them on the  game board.  The first to get 5 in a row is the winner!
baby showers owl bingo game swoozies

baby showers owl bingo game

Baby Shower Favors

  1. Don’t forget a small favor for the guests!
  2. For the grandma, this would make her day!
baby showers grandma button owl

grandma button owl

3.   These honey jars are adorable, and would be perfect to send home with guests.

baby showers favor honey jar

baby shower favor honey jar

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

At the end of the shower, you want to feel like you helped make the day extra special for the mom to be because of all of the love that was shared, and not over the top decorations, in my opinion.  These are just a few ideas for making that happen.

 

Advertising Disclosure: Some tips include links where Mom’s Priority receives an incentive per click or per purchase.  If you ever have any questions regarding this, please contact [email protected]. For more information, please see our Privacy Policy and Disclosure.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

7 Ways to Keep Your Toddler Happy While Dining Out ~ Dining Out Kit

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Dining Out Kit for Toddlers

If you’ve written off dining out until your kids are teenagers due to previous experiences dining out, you are not alone!   We’ve all been there, done that.  Some of us kept taking our kids out to eat, whether out of necessity or desire, and we’ve learned a few tips and tricks to share.  Here are Mom’s Priority’s Dining Out kit recommendations:
1.  Choose a small bag to call your dining-out kit, like this one from Swoozies.

Initial Colorblock Tote Bag

2.  It’s important to have a healthy snack or two that takes time to eat while you wait for your meal.  Children at this age may not understand that it takes time for the restaurant to prepare your food to order, and may become impatient waiting.  While children as they get older need to learn patience, at this age it may be impractible and futile to teach this skill in a restaurant setting especially.  Make it a healthy snack like cut up apples or cheerios.

3.  A sippy cup with non-spillable lid and non-sugary drink is a must. Chilled water is great!

4.  Include a coloring book or tracing letters book, with a  small* set of crayons to pass the time.  *Small, so you don’t spend your time picking crayons off the floor.

5.  Include a small toy or two, like a toy car or pretend phone with buttons.  Anything that can clip onto the bag comes in very handy.

6.  Disposable sticky placemats are the best for putting down on the table in front of your child.  They make it easy to clean up afterwards and gives you an immovable spot to serve food.  This set also has 4 sticky sides so your toddler is less likely to pull it up!

  1. 7.  A small pack of wipes, for obvious and who knows what else reasons!

 

 

Hopefully this gives you a few ideas to make dining out enjoyable with a toddler! When dining out is a necessity, having this dining out kit ready to go is a real life saver! With a little prep, dining out can be  enjoyable and fun!

Advertising Disclosure: Some tips include links where Mom’s Priority receives an incentive per click or per purchase.  If you ever have any questions regarding this, please contact [email protected]. For more information, please see our Privacy Policy and Disclosure.

Birthday Books

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Something I have done for our kids since they were born is to make them birthday books after each birthday, to look back over the past year and record milestones, favorites, and special events.  Because we don’t regularly print pictures, unless we are using them in a frame or for a special project, all these pictures that we take are not going anywhere other than on a screen!  I make these books so we can look back and see how much he grew in the past year, what he was interested in, and even special stories that impact his life.  Because the years pass by so quickly, I don’t want us to miss it.  They are also my way of “holding on” to special artwork and writings.  I take a picture of the artwork and include it either as a background  or a photo.  Then, for most I discreetly discard the original.  The artwork goes along great with the story I am trying to tell of their lives!

MyPublisher, Inc.

So I make these books, and my go to software and development company has always been MyPublisher.  I have made over 10 books using their program, and have been very pleased with the quality of the books and the ability to customize completely.  They all match and their name and birthday date are on the books’ spines.  You can create custom, or use the quicker method which automatically arranges the photos for you.  I love these birthday books!  Currently, you can receive up to 65% off!  See below!

 

FREE 8.5″ x 11.25″ photo book with free cover option! ($39.99 value) Ends 3/24.

50% off quality hardcover photo books from MyPublisher!

Spring Sale! Up to 65% off photo books through 3/31.

 

 

Advertising Disclosure: Some tips include links where Mom’s Priority receives an incentive per click or per purchase.  If you ever have any questions regarding this, please contact [email protected]. For more information, please see our Privacy Policy and Disclosure.

Top 11 Apps for Kids in 2016

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Moms, no doubt your kids like mine use apps on their ipads and devices to play games and learn!  There are some amazing apps out there that have taught our kids so much…we just have to be vigilant in limiting the amount of time spent on technology and get our kids to GO OUTSIDE AND PLAY!!  Balance and monitoring the sites/apps (see this article) is they key, I think!  The apps below are chosen because they are our kids’ favorites!  They are usually free or very inexpensive, and honestly, very valuable to our kids’ learning and development.

Top 11 Apps for Kids

Apps for Kids

Mom’s Priority’s Top Eleven Apps for Kids in 2016

  • 11.      Starfall – This app is great for preschoolers and kindergartners, helping them learn ABCs, including beginning reading and math in a fun format with games and graphics.
  • 10.       Teach Me– Another great app, this app features customized learning by saving kids’ progress.
  • 9.       A Kid Like Me– This app is great because it teaches children about kids around the world through videos and games, opening their eyes (in a good way) to different cultures around the world.
  • 8.       The Bible App for Kids– Animated short videos of Bible stories help our kids visualize the great stories from the Bible.
  • 7.       ABCYa – This app includes many games for kids from Kindergarten up to 5th Grade that make learning concepts in math and reading fun.
  • 6.       Epic – We love this app because you have a whole library of books at your fingertips!  Over 10,000 books available with unlimited access for kids age 12 and under.  This app costs $4.99 per month, but our kids love to read so it is worth it!
  • 5.       ABC Mouse – For little ones, this is a popular app for teaching letter sounds, colors, numbers, and beginning reading through games, books, puzzles, and more.  Check the app for pricing.
  • 4.       Minecraft – Not to be left out, this app is so popular with kids and the learning aspect is phenomenal.  Building constructions out of textured cubes to create worlds, using their creativity and resourcefulness to survive in that 3D environment.
  • 3.       Brain POP and Brain POP Jr – Educationally aligned around curriculum standards, these apps include a variety of subjects to help kids learn and master educational requirements for school in a fun way!
  • 2.       LEGO Jr – Kids can use their imaginations to create LEGO vehicles and figurines to help them navigate through the scenarios in the apps.
  • 1.       Stack the States and Stack the Countries – Tied for Number 1…Our kids LOVE these apps!!  Very inexpensive for the paid version, but sooo worth the cost!  Our kids have learned state and country capitols, their locations on the map, and facts about these places.  WARNING: This app is addicting- your kid might not be able to put it down and may learn more than you know about geography in the process!

The technology out there for the next group of kids growing up is amazing!   These are just a few of the apps for kids available.  Check out iTunes for these and many more!  What are your favorites?

 

 

Verse of the Week Update

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Pinners all over have created such amazing artwork to display verses that glorify God. Check out Mom’s Priority’s Inspiration Board for many more verses displayed eloquently that motivate and encourage, and most importantly, glorify GOD!  This year, we are not updating this page weekly, but are pinning on Pinterest the most beautiful and inspired work!  If you have a verse of the week artistically displayed that inspires you, please send it to us so we can include it in our gallery!

verse of the week

Love the Lord Your God

  • Vera Bradley Designs, Inc.