baby, Family, Favorite Things, Uncategorized

My perfect Baby Sprinkle

September 13, 2018September 13, 2018 GabbingGinger

Cactus Baby Sprinkle

Baby showers and sprinkles are so much fun! I am lucky to have a friend who LOVES to party plan and has a business that helps plan events, design interiors and even does gift giving. Needless to say when she plans something it becomes something perfect and wonderful.

Taylor has helped me put together home decor around my house and has helped me plan baby girls cactus nursery (reveal coming soon). She knew how much I loved the nursery theme so she transitioned that into a theme for the baby sprinkle.

I will link everything possible below. Taylor and one of her long time friends run Southern Reflections, LLC.

You can also find them on Facebook and Instagram. So if you are in the DFW area (or even further) they can help you with interior design, event planning and even gift giving!

I really do feel that every baby should be celebrated and it was so fun that my sprinkle was small and intimate compared to my baby shower with Tripp (which by the way Taylor planned too)! I loved getting to chat and of course opening all of the girly gifts was a plus too!

The Dessert

The shower theme was cactus and we enjoyed brunch and these super yummy cupcakes and cookies from GC Cakes. She did such an amazing job they not only looked fantastic but tasted amazing too!

The Decor

Seriously, pictures don’t do the balloon/floral centerpiece justice. It was so beautiful and fun! The flowers are from Trader Joe’s and the Balloon Centerpiece is from Party Warehouse.

Everything was seriously so stunning and perfect for a cactus baby sprinkle! I loved the pinks, greens and creams. It was perfect in every way!

The Thank You’s

My hostesses all did such a fabulous job so I wanted to give them something useful, cute and of course pink! My friend Meg over at Gingy Love made the vinyl monograms for me, I purchased these cups and made this printable (you can download it for free here: Sprinkle Thank You.)! I just cut and glued to plain white gift bags and added a pop of pink tissue paper.

For the thank you gifts for attendees we did small succulent plants from Lowe’s and I printed the same graphic a bit smaller. I I got small wood sticks and glued mini clothes pins and stuff them in! Super easy and affordable!

I seriously had the most perfect sprinkled loved getting to spend time with my friends and family! Baby girl is sure lucky to have so many wonderful women in her life! I want to thank everyone who was a part of it and especially my friend Taylor who made it truly magical!

Thanks to these beautiful hostesses!

XOXO Gabbing Ginger

Family, Favorite Things, football, fort worth

I ❤ MY TEAM NFL Football #Kickoff2018

September 6, 2018September 6, 2018 GabbingGinger

A LITTLE SOMETHING SWEET TO CELEBRATE NFL KICKOFF

Please note this is a sponsored post but all opinions are my own.

Football season is here and we are so excited in our house for fall! Now if the Texas temps could just follow suite! I love that crisp football air and the enjoyment that comes from everyone gathering together and watching some football!

Football Fans

If you don’t know my husband grew up in Fort Worth so he is a HUGE Dallas Cowboys fan. We love NFL Sundays! In addition to spending time as a family and watching football we love hosting football watch parties at our house. The time spent unwinding with friends and family is so fun and makes for memories that last a lifetime.

Mom Hack #ForTheWin

One of my favorite #MomHacks in getting ready for a fun football watch party is heading to my local grocery store to pick up an easy and themed dessert option and it is affordable! When I saw these adorable officially licensed NFL cakes I just knew I needed to try one out! The reaction in this photo was about how excited I was when I saw our cake in the store! #pregnancycravings I also loved how easy it was to pickup while I was out grocery shopping. I LOVE a one stop shop for dessert! Since I’m almost nine months pregnant and lugging a toddler around I definitely love easy solutions for when I am entertaining guests

As a toddler mom I am really enjoying teaching Tripp tricks in the kitchen and my little helper makes setting up for the party even more fun! Tripp loves to help put snacks in bowls and REALLY likes helping cut up desserts or cake!

I would say that Tripp definitely approved with the how the cake look AND tasted! I can also agree that the buttercream frosting was incredibly yummy!

So moms, friends and family: if you are looking to make a touchdown this football season head to your local bakery and find the officially licensed cakes for every game.

We really enjoyed getting to try out these amazing officially licensed NFL cakes with our friends and family. We are looking forward to having more at our Sunday watch parties!

XOXO, Gabbing Ginger

Decor, Family, Favorite Things

Laundry Room Revamp & Organization

August 29, 2018 GabbingGinger

Please note this post may contain affiliate link.

Laundry Room Revamp

I don’t know about y’all but our laundry room quickly becomes our “catch all” room. It was desperate for some organization. The room is right when you come into the garage so it is a drop zone on top of a laundry zone 24/7. One of my biggest “mom hacks” is just to always be thinking about how to keep things organized and flowing well. This helps make sure there is less stress in the home. I wanted to get things in better order so that when things are dropped there is still some organization and so that the “drop zone” doesn’t start overflowing into other rooms in our house.

I knew getting baskets to help organize all the laundry (dirty and clean) would help tremendously. We have a two story house so we have a bin that I throw things in that need to go up and at the end of the day or at nap time I run it upstairs when we are going up anyway. I knew these baskets would help from the piles being put all over the place and would help keep the locker areas open for bags/personal belongings.

I love the baskets under the locker seat to use for shoes, diaper storage, cord storage and so on. It helps keep the area clean but organized but still gives us a space to put miscellaneous items. Keeping this are from becoming the “pile zone” is important to me. I hate walking into a disaster but want it to serve its purpose for storage and function. I found a lot of this decor at my local home goods and At home but I have linked similar items below!

Woven Blue Storage Bins

Similar Baskets with Linen Inserts

Seersucker Backpacks

Louis Vuitton

What are you favorite ways to organize your laundry room?

XOXO Gabbing Ginger

baby, Family, Favorite Things, FItness, pregnant

Fit Pregnancy

August 15, 2018August 15, 2018 GabbingGinger

Fitness is one of my favorite ways to implement self care into my life especially during pregnancy. I also have a little obsession with workout clothes. When I saw this tank from Fit & Flirty I knew I needed it in my life. Thanks to Fit & Flirty for gifting me such a fun product!

I really love this shirt because while I know I can’t enjoy rosé right now but yoga and wine on Sundays are some of my favorite way to unwind and get ready for the week. Also, check out this awesome article of 8 reasons to include champagne into your life because it explains how a little bit of bubbles can benefit your health! I really am looking forward to being able to enjoy a glass of wine and some yoga… I know it is still a bit a way but it is something that I really do enjoy and can’t wait to start getting back into getting my body into shape and enjoying a little treat every once in awhile!

Fit&Flirty has so many great merchandise options! They were so kind to give me a code for 15% off it is SWEATPINK6. Seriously SO many cute tops with fun sayings!

For those of you who have been following my pregnancy I wanted to let you know some of my favorite you tubers for at home pregnancy workouts! Perfect for some namaste on your Sunday or any day of the week! Seriously, these workouts are perfect for busy moms because they are short and sweet but keep you moving!

I love that they have so many options from yoga, to cardio to kickboxing! It helps keep things interesting which I for sure need during my workouts! Check out my two favorites below:

@bodyfitbyamy

Body Fit by Amy Pregnancy Playlist

@moretonic

TonicPregnancy Yoga Playlist

What are some of your favorite fitness clothes and what are your favorite online workout programs?

XOXO Gabbing Ginger

baby, Favorite Things, pregnant

How we chose our baby girls name!

August 13, 2018August 13, 2018 GabbingGinger

Hello everyone!

If you didn’t know we announced our sweet baby girls name; Annabelle Jeanne. Check out the video when we revealed the name!

I have gotten some questions on how we chose her name. For starters for those of you that don’t know our son is named after his dad and grandad but his nickname is Tripp (because he is a third). When we found out we were pregnant I actually went through my ancestry.com page and looked at all of the names in my family that were “A” names. I wanted to have at least one of the names be something from my family. Also, just an FYI I love names that can have nicknames!

The First Name

Through my research and once we knew we were having a girl I had found that my great grandmothers name was “Anabel” and immediately loved it! I mentioned the name to my husband and he loved it too. However, we kind of felt like hey that was too easy… so we went through a ton of other names seeing if they fit…. but in the end we came back to the name Anabel. We both however, wanted to spell it differently. After some talking we decided on Annabelle and I loved all the nickname possibilities!

The Middle Name

For a middle name we knew we would some how incorporate my mom’s name; she passed away about 6 years ago. We went back and forth on using Jeanne or Marie but in the end thought it would be fun to use the name “Jeanne” pronounced “Jean” [FYI my mom pronounced her name “Jean-ie”]. Jean is actually my husbands mom’s middle name and was her mom’s middle name too. So it worked out that it actually is a family name from both sides!

So there it is… how we chose the baby name. I won’t lie it was really hard and it took us awhile before we finally had a name and we went back and forth for awhile.

PS Did you have a hard time with baby names? Also, would y’all like to see a “top ten” names list video?

XOXO Gabbing Ginger

baby, Family, Favorite Things, pregnant, Uncategorized

3D Ultrasound| Little Brother sees sister for the first time in 3D!

August 7, 2018August 7, 2018 GabbingGinger

A couple weeks ago Mark, Tripp, my in-laws and myself went to have a 3D Ultrasound of baby Annabelle (name reveal video here). This was my first time ever experiencing a 3D ultrasound and I want to thank Hello Baby for hosting my family to this wonderful experience.

Family of 4 — HelloBaby First Family Photo

My first pregnancy I didn’t think I “needed” a 3D ultrasound. This pregnancy I wanted to do a few special things because so many things are different the second time around (like I totally forget to do weekly belly shots). That’s where the 3D ultrasound came in. After this experience though I would recommend anyone to do this during pregnancy. You get SO much more time to see your little one then in the typical doctors office ultrasound. All in all we were there for almost an hour and the majority of the time we were getting to see baby!

I loved that if the baby wasn’t cooperating that they build in time for you to walk around and drink some juice. If that still doesn’t work you can reschedule once for free! Another thing I absolutely loved is how family friendly they were. They engaged with the whole gamily and let Tripp get up close and personal!

Everyone was welcome and they were SO accommodating to my two year old. They had a play basket, let him sit with me and even let him press buttons on the ultrasound machine (I mean that is every two year olds dream, right?!).

Future doctor? — Tripp Playing on the Ultrasound Machine

Some odds and ends if you are local to Fort Worth Area and want to visit Hello Baby.

Pricing:

Heartbeat Experience: $50
Gender Experience: $75
3D/4D Bonding Experience: $130
3D/4D Total Experience: $190

Add on’s:

CD with all images from Ultrasound $10
USB with all images from Ultrasound $15
Small Heartbeat Bear $25
Large Heartbeat Bear $35

Regular vs. 3D ultrasound — Sweet Annabelle

I absolutely loved visiting Hello Baby and they were so sweet during the whole experience. It is something that I will cherish for the rest of my life and would tell anyone it is a must do during pregnancy!

Did you have a 3D ultrasound during pregnancy?

XOXO Gabbing Ginger

Family, Favorite Things, Gabbing Girls, Maternity/ Pregnancy, pregnant

Self Care

August 2, 2018August 2, 2018 GabbingGinger

I am so excited to be collaborating with my friend Meg again for this post on self care! We have been instafriends and have collaborated on a “red head” post in the past. This time we are both bringing you our take on self care. After you read below make sure to head over to her post and tell her I sent you!

Self Care. You hear it talked about especially in the mom world. I think that is because self care techniques are constantly changing and evolving based on our life situations. You add a kid or two (or three or four), you move, you get a new job, or your schedule changes…. All of those things cause a seismic shift and you have to reevaluation how you execute your self care. A perfect balance is always the goal but I think a HAPPY balance is what is important.

Personally, lately I have had to scale down working out because of my pregnancy and so to replace it every few weeks I am heading in for a mani or a pedi. It helps keep me relaxed and it is something that is a treat. I also have enjoyed some time reading and watching a few netflix shows. I am doing this all knowing that in a few short months a new baby will be here and my self care routine will have to change. Taking a little extra self care time during these months is hopefully setting me up for a positive mental health level as we shift into a new normal.

There are so many different ways to fulfill your self care needs. It can be hard to get the ball rolling [especially if you are a newer mom #momguilt]. But I promise it is so worth it not only for you but for your family. Self care can be done in as little as 10-15 minutes but that time can do so much for your mental and physical health.

I think the very first piece of self care advice I have is once your child is on a good schedule getting up before them is so imperative. Even if it is to just lay in bed and check social media. It is so nice not to feel rushed into getting up and getting the ball rolling. Some other Ideas on self care include:

Read a book

Workout (even small at home workouts get those good endorphins going)

Take a Bath

Pamper yourself… get a mani, your hair down, something that makes YOU feel beautiful

Have a glass of your favorite drink

Enjoy a cup of coffee HOT before the kiddos wake up

Enjoy time with friends WITHOUT the kid (s).

Taking care of yourself will help make sure you are functioning as your best self. Whether you are a mom or not taking time for yourself in our “go, go, go” world is important for your mental and physical wellness. I love that people are finally talking about it because I know that I need to constant reminder to take care of myself and not just those around me!

What are you favorite strategies for self care?

PS Make sure to head over to Instagram and follow Meg and don’t forget to head on over to her blog post on self care!

Family, Favorite Things, Food

Soli Meal Delivery Review

July 16, 2018July 17, 2018 GabbingGinger

I don’t know about you all but as a work at home mom I am ALWAYS looking for easy but healthy meal solutions. I can easily get burnt out making the same few things over and over again.

When Soli came across my radar I was so intrigued about their program. They kindly sent me over several different meals and snacks to try out and share with y’all!

I love that Soli provides healthy food that is convenient so you can stay on track with your personal nutrition goals. I really love how the meals are color coded by protein. They also offer dietary options for those who may need/want them (like carb conscious, diary free, gluten free, paleo, sodium conscious, spicy, vegan, vegetarian and whole30).

I’m obsessed with how easy these containers are to grab and go. Easy heating instructions and the nutritional information is easy to find! My favorite thing is that this is a meal service with so little ‘prep’ involved. You can have your meal ready to eat in less than 5 minutes. Which is PERFECT for a busy mom!

Soli has weekly delivery options available. Pick Monday or Thursday to ship. They have a three day lead time to ensure fresh shipping! Also, to ensure freshness, they only ship to locations that their shipping partners can reach within one to two days.

If you are loving what you are hearing head over to Soli and use discount code Gabbingginger for $20 off.

PS So far my favorites are the baked ziti, brownies and the blueberry stack pack!

XOXO,

Gabbing Ginger

Family, Things I Love, travel

Tripp visits Disneyworld

July 12, 2018July 12, 2018 GabbingGinger

Thanks to Disney World for gifting me a day of tickets to venture around the park.

If you would have asked me about taking a two year old to Disney a year ago I wold have laughed at you. But I can tell you Tripp (and all of us) had a blast. In an upcoming post(s) I will talk about traveling with a toddler tips and what its like to travel while pregnant!

We stayed at The Grand Floridian and it was AMAZING. Their property is top notch with lots of activities for kids and good choices of places to eat.

Tripp loved the “beach” area they had! It was near a pool and a splash area too which he LOVED. This was such a fun little perk of staying at this park. We also had awesome views of the fireworks from Disney!

Tripp absolutely loved riding the rides and see all the sites. I was worried he wouldn’t be super into the rides but he laughed looked around and never cried! The only time we had to really work with him was if we had wait times in line… which wasn’t ever a long period because we used fast passes and timed when to go to other rides based on what the Disney App told us… SO HELPFUL!

**Please ignore my cheesy mom voice.

Of course this pregnancy lady NEEDED a dole whip. It was AMAZING and you can actually order ahead through the app and miss the line. This is SO helpful during “heavy” food traffic time.

Disney makes everything so easy with their app. We signed up for fast passes (which by the way made meeting characters SO much easier) and all the ride photos/attraction photos go right there in your app! I also loved the map and locator feature so we could see how to get places the fastest and where we were.

Thanks again to Disney for an amazing time! We can’t wait to visit again soon!

Whats your favorite thing to do at Disney?

XOXO Gabbing Ginger

Beauty, Empties

Empty Products 8.0- VLOG Style

July 5, 2018July 5, 2018 GabbingGinger

*Please note this post may contain affiliate links.

Y’all know how much I love reviewing empty products! So this time I thought I would do it VLOG style to help explain what I LOVED and what I didn’t about a product a little bit better!