What's Going in My Hospital Bag | From our Favorite Shops

footed pants | swaddle blanket (use the code KOZY at checkout for 25% off through April) | gown

crib moccasins

striped swaddle blanket | knotted beanies | suede pacifier clips

With just a few days left until my official due date with baby number 3, I wanted to share the second portion of my "What's Going In My Hospital Bag" series.

This time around, I'm sharing all of the things that I have packed for our sweet little guy, from some of our absolute favorite shops.

You might know pretty well by now, that I am a HUGE fan of supporting small businesses, so it should come as no big surprise that when it came to outfitting and accessorizing our new bundle, these shops and their products were a no brainer for me! All of these items are super high quality, extremely well made, and in my opinion, on point when it comes to style!

I've really been digging monochrome stuff for baby number 3... so you'll likely be seeing a lot of back and white in the near future, but I also went for pops of color here and there.

Here's to hoping that now that his bag is packed our little one will soon make his grand entrance into the world, because I am dying to see him in all of this stuff!

*** Some of these items were provided to me for the purpose of products reviews/blog features, however, all opinions are entirely my own, and I would never feature anything on this blog that I didn't absolutely love and wouldn't highly recommend.

Our Weekend | Camera Roll Unload

Every once and awhile, you have one of those weekends where the stars align and everything is pure perfection... That was this past weekend for us.

The weather was great and we got to get out and enjoy it as much as possible.

We ate great food, spent quality time together, enjoyed an amazing Easter mass, and indulged in some fun holiday traditions.

Holidays are just so much fun at M&E's ages... It's so magical to see their excitement over every little detail.

It's been awhile since I unloaded a bunch of photos on you guys, and since I took a few hundred this weekend, I thought I'd share a few of my favorites!

I hope you all had an amazing Easter weekend!

Swoon Worthy

Happy Easter weekend!  We've had a pretty busy week around here, playing the Easter Bunny, dying eggs, and trying to complete everything on our to-do list before this baby arrives!

Now it's onto enjoying a low key weekend together, celebrating all that this season has to offer.  I hope that whatever your plans may be over the next few days, that you all are too!

Here's the list of what I'm swooning over at the moment...

1.  We whipped up a batch of these no-bake monster cookie bites this past week, and I promised after I shared a photo of them on Instagram, that I would share the recipe here!

2.  I'm in love with this adorable free printable Spring Bucket List.

3.  One of my sweet and talented mama friends makes the most adorable dresses for little girls... I'm swooning over every one!

4.  This not-so-healthy, but super tasty recipe is always on my Easter dinner menu!

5.  Spring makes me think of white shoes, so naturally Ella and I needed matching mommy and mini pairs of these.

6.  I can't get enough of these new granola bars that we found at Target!

7.  I'm kind of excited that this trend is back, and hoping that my post baby bod can slip into a pair of these.

8.  I adore this lavender/pink shade of nail polish for this season?

9.  Swoon... white eyelet perfection!

10.  I am obsessed with this budget friendly line of candles, and this scent is seriously heaven!

Enjoy your weekend!

What's Going In My Hospital Bag | For Mama

So I know there are like a billion and one blog posts, articles, and Pinterest pins out there telling you what is absolutely essential to pack in your hospital bag when the time comes to prepare for the birth of your baby, but I figured, since I seem to be becoming an old pro at this by now (and because I'm nosey and love to know what other people put in their bags), that I would share what's going in my hospital bag for the delivery of baby number 3! 

There are so many things that the hospital provides for you (mesh underwear, pads, diapers, nipple cream, etc.), and I like to take full advantage of the SWAG, but there are also some things a lady just needs to have in order to feel as comfortable as one can after birthing a tiny human. 

So, without further ado, here are some of the things that are going in my bag...

oat mama lactation bars | bathrobe

dslr camera | nursing poncho | favorite slippers

boppy pillow | Nuroo Pocket | the coziest socks

For me, comfort is key, particularly when it comes to clothing, so I always pack soft and loose fitting pajama/yoga pants and shirts, some super cozy socks and my favorite slippers, a warm robe, and a sports bra style nursing bra &/or tanks.

When it comes to nursing (if you decide to go that route), I also like to have a boppy pillow to support that tiny babe, a nursing cover (I realize not everyone feels the need to cover up, but I like to have one on hand for all of the visitors who will be popping in and out), and lots of fluids to keep myself hydrated... I don't know why, but Vitamin Water is my go-to beverage of choice every time that I have a baby!

A couple of absolute necessities for me, are a camera, and my phone (don't forget your charger), or a tablet to upload those photos to, and for sharing them with friends and family.  Also, in the off chance that you might have some down time (if you're lucky enough to have a newborn who sleeps), it's great to have a tablet/phone to read, surf the internet, online shop from your hospital bed, etc.

Oh, and another thing... I always bring a comfortable pillow from home... the ones at the hospital are generally paper thin and not very cushy!

Naturally you'll want to pack some toiletries to help you feel human again... A toothbrush, toothpaste, face wash, soap, deodorant... and because I'm a little bit crazy, I like to pack a blow dryer, brush, comb, and make up!

Lastly, some new and amazing finds that are going in my bag this time, are Oat Mama lactation bars, which are not only a great snack to have on hand, but great for keeping up that energy that I will surely need to keep up with the feeding schedule of a new baby... and a Nuroo Pocket... basically the most amazing invention ever.  I'm all about that skin to skin time that is so important during those first few days, and this super cool shirt is totally going to help with that this time around.

I'll be writing another post in the very near future that will include what's going in my bag for baby, so stay tuned for that!

Think Happy Be Happy | A Link-Up

"Happiness is letting go of what you think your life is supposed to look like and celebrating it for everything that it is." -Mandy Hale 

Hello friends! This link party was created as a way to create some inspiration and happiness as we begin our week. It can be hard to find the happiness in our day to day, and I believe it truly does help to take a second to find the positive. Please take a second to visit all of my wonderful co-hosts who will be sharing this link party as well!

• Kristen of Whiskey Tango Foxtrot
• Kristen of Blissfully Insane
• Autumn of Our Blended Home
• Corianne of iCorianne
• Jessica of Kozy and Co
• Liz of Lizz And Co
• Cathy of A Boy and His Mom

I am so excited to be joining in with some of my favorite bloggers for this weekly link party.  I am a huge believer that making an effort to think positively, and then spreading that joy and happiness to others, truly helps all of us to focus on what really matters in life.

It is so easy sometimes, to get caught up in negative thoughts and feelings we have, and to focus on what is going wrong in our own lives and in the world around us, but when you take the time to think about the things you have to be thankful for, for what you've been blessed with, both you and the people around you can truly reap the benefits...

So, what am I feeling truly thankful for and happy about this Monday???

***

If you have or have had kids, you're probably well aware of the fact that there are 3 types of days as a parent. 

There are those days when your babies are so sweet and well behaved, that you don't even want to put them to bed when the time comes, because you would so much rather snuggle with them, and dote all over every sweet and hilarious thing that comes out of their mouths. These are the types of days that you want to treasure and savor every single precious moment, because they are so very, very rare.

Then there are the days when bedtime can't come fast enough. You know the kind of days I'm taking about... The ones that leave you wanting to rip your hair out before it's even 8 am. Your kids are fighting over every single thing, there are meltdowns over what color juice you put in their sippy cup, and your youngest just pooped in the bathtub for the second day in a row!

And lastly, and more often than not, there are the days that are a combination of the two.  Within a time frame of 5 minutes, your kids are behaving like little angels, when suddenly, and out of nowhere, you are checking to see if they have grown horns.

This past week, we had our fair share of the second kind of days... As in M&E were bananas, and I seriously thought my head was going to explode!  It may be due to my lack of patience/exhaustion at 37 weeks pregnant, or it may just be that they are 3.5 and almost 23 months, but either way, my frustration level was high.

For the first time in a long time, on Saturday, I waved a little white flag, and begged my husband for a break!

For 2.5 blissful hours, Mike took both kids and left me with the house to myself. Naturally, I spent much of the first hour cleaning house, but the second hour was spent peacefully lounging on the couch, and indulging in some Food Network.  There's nothing quite like watching someone else cook to calm the soul.

I can't even explain how good it felt to just lay down for a few minutes without being asked for anything, or having to play referee for a full-blown brawl over a Buzz Lightyear action figure. 

I felt so refreshed by the time everyone came home, and so thankful to my husband for providing me with the time to myself that I so desperately needed!

Sunday we spent the day together exploring Maple Weekend, a weekend dedicated to sampling local maple syrup, and learning all about how it is made.... one of those "good" days.

Our time as a family of 4 is slowly dwindling, so I'm finding that these days spent making memories together are truly special.

In closing, for this week's "Think Happy, Be Happy" link-up, the moral of this post is, that I'm thankful for all of the types of days with my babies... I'm thankful for the crazy days because they make me appreciate it that much more when my husband swoops in and saves the day, by giving me some time to recharge, I'm thankful for the in between, and I'm thankful for the sweet days, because they're the ones that prove that all of the craziness is 100% worth it.

I hope you all had an amazing weekend!

Feel like sharing what you're thankful for or feeling positive about? Feel free to join us, link up and share!



RULES OF THE PARTY:
Leave a link to your actual post and not your homepage. A link back to your host, is greatly appreciated. Feel free to grab our link party button to add to your post. Please link up only your happiness related posts. Don’t link up and run, please visit other bloggers. Make new friends or say hello to old friends. Please follow your hosts and guest hosts in some way. Have fun with your posts! I truly hope it helps with starting your week off on a positive note!

Swoon Worthy

{pajamas}

Another weekend is here, and at this point, for me, I feel like it's just a little game of crossing yet another couple of days off of the calendar.  My due date is less than three weeks away now, and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't ready to be D-O-N-E... but I'm sure no one wants to listen to my incessant complaints about being HUGELY pregnant at this point, so on to much lighter and happier things!

Here's the list of things that I currently swooning over...

1.  Tassels, and pom poms, and so much color... I had to have this bag... and I'm pretty sure that through today, all accessories, clothing and shoes are buy one get one 50% off, so now is the time to buy!

2.  I love a good blueberry muffin recipe... especially when it comes along with a super cute printable recipe card.

3.  Bright colors and fun prints are my favorite, so when I came across this dress, I just knew that Ella had to have it.

4.  Businesses that give back are ALWAYS the ones that I enjoy supporting.  I am obsessed with these  super soft swaddle blankets, and for every item purchased from this company, they donate a blanket to a child in need.  XOve Baby was also kind enough to offer my readers 25% off your purchase, now through April, if you use the code: KOZY at check out!

5.  This Easter treat combines so many of my favorite things!

6.  Did you guys happen to catch this super easy DIY project that I posted the other day?

7.  This stuff is my latest beauty obsession!

8.  Well, this is the type of Easter egg that I can totally get on board with.

9.  I cannot wait for maxi dress season.  This one is so gorgeous!

10.  This recent salad recipe discovery is EVERYTHING!!!

Hoping you all have the best weekend!

DIY iPhone Case

I finally upgraded my iPhone recently... I know, welcome to 2016... and naturally since the size of my phone changed, the iPhone cover that I had been using on my previous phone, wouldn't fit on my new one.

So, I hopped online and started shopping for a new case, and though there were a ton of amazing options, I wasn't so thrilled about the prices.  $40 for a case just seemed a little ridiculous to me... so I decided to take matters into my own hands with this super simple and inexpensive DIY project!

Materials

Clear iPhone case (I got mine here)

scissors

exacto knife

scrapbook paper (I used leftover Rifle Paper Co. paper I had from Ella's dollhouse DIY)

pencil

Instructions

Trace the outline of the phone case on paper of your choosing with a pencil.

Using scissors, cut out your iPhone shape.

Place paper into case, design facing out.

Using an exacto knife, cut out the opening for the camera.

Place phone in case on top of paper.

Enjoy your awesome and super inexpensive iPhone case, and make a bunch more so that you can switch out the design whenever you feel like it!