Milestone Gifts – Beautiful Wooden Watches from JORD

September 20, 2016 by Alyson 3 Comments

I remember turning 13 and it being a big deal. Officially a teenager. And, I clearly remember making sure my parents remembered that I was no longer a “kid”. For my birthday my parents gave a “real” gold ring with a blue topaz heart shaped stone in it. For 13 year old me that was a big deal, my first piece of jewelry that wasn’t fake and cheap. To this day, 24 years later, I still have that ring. I don’t wear it, but it’s tucked away in my jewelry box and still has the same sentimental value to me now as it did then. Two weeks ago Brookelyn turned 13, officially a teenager. Her birthday list was long and filled with clothes and shoes. For her 13th birthday, we wanted to give her somewhat of a “milestone gift“. Something special, that she could keep forever and that she’d love.

A milestone gift is just a great idea for anyone you’re close to. After all, who doesn’t like a gift that can last forever, has sentimental meaning and is practical? We chose the Wooden Watch from JORD because Brookelyn had expressed interest. She hasn’t worn or owned a watch since her grandma gave her a Tinkerbell one when she was maybe 5. With the watch being made of wood and the face being a rose gold, we figured the look would last a lifetime just as the watch will. She can love it and wear it at 13 and hopefully at 25 and 40 she’ll feel the same.

Milestone Gifts – Wooden Watches

A practical, beautiful and timeless gift makes so much more sense to give than something that she’ll outgrow or something that will break. It feels good to give a gift that lasts. And Brookelyn was thrilled to have her first nice piece of jewelry.

Right now JORD has an amazing contest going on! You could win a $100 coupon to use on any JORD Wooden Watch. And the best part? Even if you’re not a winner, you’ll still be emailed a $20 off coupon for your next JORD purchase! Win – win! Just click this link and enter for your chance to win!

4 Gifts – Something you’ll WEAR – A gift for everyone.

November 26, 2015 by Alyson Leave a Comment

Here we are in week 3 of the 4 Gifts blog series 2015. This week we’re talking about wear. The wear category looks different for every family, that’s for sure. For us, seeing as how winter is just begining, wear is all about comfy, cozy and warm! Like each year in the past, the kids have grown out of almost all of their winter clothing. So these choices are definitely necessities right now.

Not sure what 4 Gifts is about? It’s all about cutting down on gifting and giving gifts that someone truly wants, etc. There are 4 categories and the idea is that you buy something from each category for the people you’re closest to. Matt and I do this for one another and for each of the kids. Everyone ends up with something they want, need, (will) wear and (will) read. I’ll be honest, we don’t only get the kids one item in each category but we always stick to just a couple. Plus, they get one to two things from Santa. There are 10 or so of us bloggers participating this year and we’ve all got fun lists of want, need, wear and read. Hopefully our lists will help to take some of the guess work out of Christmas shopping for you!

Something you’ll wear… Women.

Striped Open Cardigan // Matisse Bootie // Fair Isle Cardigan // Boyfriend Jeans // Flannel Popover

Something you’ll wear… Men.

Levi’s // Sweatshirt // Adidas Pants // Dress Socks // Mens Boots

Something you’ll wear… Boys.

Rowen Christian Jeans // Contrast Sweatshirt // Plaid Fleece Shirt // Boys Sneakers // Abercrombie Hoodie

Something you’ll wear… Tween Girls.

Lokai Bracelet // Winter Hat // Nike Elites // Hollister Joggers // Nike Roshe Sneakers // Sweater

4 Gifts – Wear

Christmas Giveaway! $130 Target Gift Card || $25 World Market Gift Card || Lace Arm Warmers – Forgotten Cotton || Personalized Cutting Board (9×12″) – Laserworkz || Gypsy Dreamcatcher Necklace – Gypsies Box Jewelry || $30 Credit for Keep Collective with Kassie || Adult Coloring Book – This Girl’s Doodles

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4 Gifts 2015 – NEED – Practical Gifts & a Giveaway!

November 19, 2015 by Alyson 2 Comments

We are into week two of the 4 Gifts blog series for 2015. It feels a bit strange to be posting about needs, in light of what is going on around the world right now. Our needs seem ridiculous right now. Continuing with our series is important to me though, as we’re at least making an attempt to give intentionally with this series.

Be sure to check out the giveaway at the bottom of the post for your chance to win some wonderful prizes.

Gifts for Women – Need

Quilted Porcelain Mug // Camelbak Water Bottle // Printed Compression Leggings // Fitbit Womens Bracelet // Tea Carafe // Cable Clips Mango Ceylon Tea

Gifts for Men – Need

Hanging Sweater Bag Chukka Boots // Hook & Loop Cable Ties // Fitbit Wristband Pack // One Touch DVD/CD Box

Gifts for Little Boys – Need Slipper Moccasins // Cookie Baking Set // Rolling Cart // Bogs Winter Boots // Camelbak Waterbottle

Gifts for Tween Girls – Need

Cable Knit Beanie // Long Parka // Essential Oil Diffuser // Crepe Pan // Volleyball Backpack

Don’t forget to join us again next week for Need and in the following weeks for Wear and Read! And, more chances to win the awesome giveaway.

Before you do that though.. consider visiting NuDay Syria, an organization that helps displaced women and girls from Syria. NuDay Syria advocates for these women and girls who have so little skills and experience, yet need to provide for their families.

4 Gifts

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Giving her the space she needs – Life with a 12 year old.

November 11, 2015 by Alyson Leave a Comment

I will be the first to admit that since having children, I always feared the “tween” years. And while I hate the word, it is accurate for the in between stage that Brookelyn is in. It’s even possible that when she was very young the thought of the tween years scared me more than the thought of her teen years. Things have changed though and now I am definitely a little more frightened of her teen years after getting a glimpse into the life of a tween. She’s a great kid, I’ve got to say that. We’re lucky and we must be doing something right. That’s not to say though that we don’t have our days or our moments when we all want to pull our hair out.

But I can say that while the tween years are proving to be difficult thanks to the mood swings, the desire for more independence and more material items, there have been just as many wonderful moments and memories made with Brookelyn. She’s reached the age that we can have real conversations about anything from daily issues & struggles with friends, to more serious things like politics and grown up stuff. Brookelyn always has lots of questions and for the most part Matt and I try to have answers for her. We don’t tend to sugarcoat things, but instead we’ve chosen to find the most appropriate way to tell her the truth. The two of us agree that we’d rather her hear the truth from us than to hear it from someone else.

It’s nice though, to be able to talk to Brookelyn and teach her about more grown up topics. I love spending time with her, as does Matt. Brookelyn is my daughter though, not my friend. She’s my shopping buddy, my Gilmore Girls watching buddy, my coffee shop sitting & sipping on a nice drink buddy.. but most of all, she’s my daughter and she knows that one day when she’s an adult we will be friends. But for now, our relationship isn’t a “friends” relationship, because she needs me as a mom, as a mentor, as someone to turn to, encourage her, love her and raise her to be the best person that she can be. I’m thankful that she understands and enjoys our relationship. For the most part, she seems to come to me (or Matt) when she needs to talk, she’s open about her struggles and shares every single one of her joys… and I hope that she always will. Though I won’t be naive and think that she’ll always tell me everything, but I hope that she knows that she can tell me anything and can always come to me.

Picnic Blanket

While you’re here, I’ve got to share about this amazing picnic blanket from Ooh Baby Designs. This was our go to beach blanket all summer, and has been the only picnic blanket we’ve taken anywhere with us all fall! It’s soft knit on the top and has a waterproof PUL backing on the bottom, keeping it dry even if the grass or sand is a bit damp. The kids loved taking it out back to lay on in the summer with a book too. I’m excited to include it in my future 4 Gifts posts coming in the next weeks as well! The blanket would make a great gift this holiday season.

Girls Birthday Party Photo Shoot – Historic Third Ward in Milwaukee

October 7, 2015 by Alyson Leave a Comment

A little over a month ago, our sweet Brookelyn turned 12. And this year, just like last year, she asked for a girls birthday party photo shoot with a couple of her closest friends. I was all for that, because it was a blast last year, the photos are fun to have to look back on and it’s really a cheap birthday party if you happen to have a photographer friend who is willing to help you out!

Karri happens to be pretty great with a camera, and was kind enough to take photos of the girls and drive us all around the city. We started off at our house with some treats, snacks, music and got the girls dressed & did their hair and then made our way into the city. All of the photos were taken in different areas of the Historic Third Ward in Milwaukee. We had so much fun celebrating my girls birthday!

Girls Birthday Party Photo Shoot

Brookelyn & Jessica have gotten so close over the past year and they have a blast together. They practiced hard to get this photo down and I love how cute it turned out.

Brookelyn met Lily in 6th grade, so she’s a newer friend, but one that is special to her. They have so much fun being goofy together, but also having serious talks. Their relationship is so sweet.

I could say so much about Norah & Brookelyn. They’ve known each other since they were 7 or so I believe. Norah was Brookelyn’s first friend in Wisconsin (they knew each other before we moved) and the bond they’ve created over time is that of sisters. They refer to one another as sisters, Norah is like an extra daughter in our family and Brookelyn in theirs. I hope that they’ll always be so close.

All of the girls are special friends to Brookelyn and I know that she’s thankful to have them by her side. I can’t wait to watch them grow & mature together over the next few years. Love these sweet girls. Below are some fun outtakes of the girls being goofy! Fun to see their crazy personalities!