Gift Guide 2021 | Low Toxic Life Gifts That Matter

As we enter the full blown holiday season you will see influencers and brands going absolutely nuts to try and convince you why you need this Amazon sweater or more Tula skin care. Let me drop this truth bomb for you: you don’t need any of it. I understand that gifts can be just for fun and enjoyment, but the consumerism of this season has gotten completely out of control. This may be a controversial take but this year more than ever my family and I will be focusing on the reason for the season - the birth of Jesus Christ! Since culturally we do exchange gifts, I thought why not give gifts that could actually improve and enrich the recipients’ lives? 

Operation Christmas Child Fundraiser 2021

I am so excited that we are heading into the holiday season! After the last two holiday seasons being really hard and just not the best, I have a lot of hope for this year! One thing I have been wanting to focus on is giving back. Even during uncertain times we are so blessed and as Avery is getting older and able to understand more and more I want to show her how important and wonderful it is to give to others.

Mom + Baby Must Haves | Fall 2021

This post is sponsored by BabbleBoxx.

Something that has become a real problem for families is the vast number of products available today. For ourselves, for our kids, for our homes, there are now a seemingly endless number of products on the market, all of course claiming to be the best for you. I love partnering with BabbleBoxx because it gives me the chance to test out and review a number of brands and products, and share my honest opinions with you. I hope you enjoy learning more about the brands below!

Taking a Break from Instagram

Hi Friends,

As some of you have noticed I have been MIA from Instagram as of late. I wasn’t going to make some big deal out of it, I just planned to quietly drop off for a bit. However I have gotten several messages from the sweetest of friends making sure I’m okay so I felt I should address it. I guess when you go from posting every few hours to not at all people do notice. 

9 Month Old Baby Schedule

This post is sponsored by BabbleBoxx on behalf of Triple Paste.

As a huge fan of reading other babies’ schedules I figured it was about time I share one of ours! I shared Avery’s schedule a few times when she was little and maybe I should share her current schedule as a toddler - let me know your thoughts on that! But today we’re going to talk about Georgia’s current routine. She just turned 9 months old and has had this schedule for about a month now.

Latest and Greatest Toddler Products for 2021

This post is sponsored by Babble Boxx. All thoughts and opinions are 100% my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that support Sugar Spice and Sparkle!

As a mom we are constantly inundated with new and different products for our kids. It seems like every day there are new items on the market and it can be overwhelming! I partnered with Babble Boxx to test and review several new toddler products and share my thoughts on them with you. Hopefully this is helpful and you're able to find at least one new thing for your family from a fellow mama.

2021 Word of the Year

Two years ago I chose a word of the year, and though its meaning ended up taking a different shape than what I'd planned for it, that word ended up carrying me through two of the hardest years of my life. 

Since I ended up relying heavily on my word of the year through many different stages of life I decided it was time to pick another word for 2021. I may be a couple weeks late but it took me this long to figure out exactly what I needed my word of the year to be and what exactly it was going to mean to me. 

Life Lately

Typical me *comes up with huge, unrealistic expectations for myself* *fails miserable at achieving them*. I knew blogging daily or close to it wouldn't last long, it's been over a month since my last general life happenings post, but it is what it is! Life is absolutely crazy lately and by the time both girls are in bed the only energy I have left goes towards tucking myself into bed. 

Is a Cricut Joy a Good Holiday Gift?

 This post is in partnership with Cricut, all opinions are 100% my own. Contains affiliate links.

Lessons From My Dad

May 5th, October 1st, October 18th, November 28th, December 5th

The worst days of my life. We’ve passed the one year mark, even two years, for most of these, but today is the worst one. The day we lost my dad. I have pages and pages of sadness written out. Trying to explain how I feel, how grief feels, trying to make others understand. But no matter how sad my story is and no matter how well I explain what grief is like, until you experience it you won’t know. So I changed my mind on what I want to say on this one year anniversary of the worst day of my life, I want to tell you about my Dad.

Gift Guide - Small Businesses

I’m excited to be sharing my first gift guide of 2020 with you! It seems very fitting that this would be for small businesses! I think it’s important to support small businesses year-round but especially during the holidays. Typically we are all guilty of turning to Amazon because it’s quick and easy and usually the price is right. But aren’t there so many times you wish you could find the perfectly fitting, unique gift for someone? Small businesses are great for that! The easiest way to find a small business to support is to search for what you’re looking for on Etsy.

Cricut Joy Holiday Gift Idea - Girl Dad Shirt

Can you believe it’s already time to really get going on holiday shopping? Where did this year go?! I’m excited to be partnering with Cricut on this blog post to bring you a gift idea for the Girl Dad in your life.

Why I Went Dairy Free + My Favorite Dairy Free Finds

If you’ve been following me on Instagram stories then you know I have been dairy free for quite a few months now. We pretty quickly realized that Georgia was having some issues (mucus in her poop, sorry TMI  but I get questions about it!) and that cutting out dairy was the solution. 

If you think your baby may have a dairy intolerance I definitely recommend working with your pediatrician to figure it out. Dairy is tricky and can take 3+ weeks to fully get out of your system so it’s not something you can easily try and see if it helps. 

To My 2020 Baby

To My 2020 Baby,

This year is one for the history books. It will be one that everyone remembers but I’m afraid they won’t be looking back with fondness. 2020 is the year that everyone wants to end, the year that everyone wants to forget. 

The Pumpkin Patch Saga

About a month into fall we finally made it to a pumpkin patch! It was only 85 degrees and blindingly sunny but we did our best to imagine what fall might feel like if we actually had a fall here in Florida.

So today was quite the adventure. Brian took the day off work and we were going to go to a local farm that has a pumpkin patch, sunflower fields, and other fall activities. We’ve been planning this for over a week now but of course I had to go and mess it up. You have to buy tickets to the farm, which I completely forgot about until Brian reminded me last night at about 11PM and at that point they were sold out for today. 

Mommy + Me Matching Lilly Pulitzer Outfits

This weekend I finally got myself and the girls into our first matching Lilly Pulitzer outfits! I bought these well before Georgia was born and I guess I didn’t anticipate her being such a tiny nugget because it’s already fall and she just now fits into the dress! But luckily the Florida weather makes these outfits still very much appropriate. 

3 Beginner Projects with Cricut Joy

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Cricut. All opinions are 100% mine.

Thank you to Cricut for sponsoring today's post! As some of you may know I started my blogging journey as a craft blogger (head over here if you want to see some amateur work lol) so this collaboration is a dream for me! This post contains affiliate links. As always all opinions are 100% honest and my own, and I only work with brands I 100% believe in! 

Who is ready for a little craft time? Since we've all been spending more time at home than ever before it's the perfect time to pick up a new (or bring back an old) hobby. I'm going to share with you 3 step by step tutorials for projects I made with my Cricut Joy machine. Whether you're a Cricut veteran or are brand new to the machine, I think you'll be able to handle these with ease!

How To Find Coordinating Family Outfits

Thank you to Burkes Outlet for sponsoring today’s post. Since I haven’t been going out much at all due to concerns around the coronavirus, I did all my shopping online at burkesoutlet.com and you can expect the same great prices and quality items as you can find in store. I will also say that I was pleasantly surprised with the shipping speed! My order arrived within 2 days of ordering!

If you know me then you know I love pictures (and videos) of my family! As much as I share online, I take even more than I show! While our kids are little I have made it a priority to do family photos frequently, which can get pricey when you’re talking coordinating outfits, photographer, etc. We usually get a professional photographer once a year and use a tripod and our own camera for the other times, but that’s for a whole other post! Today let’s focus on outfits for the whole family, without breaking the bank!

At Home Newborn Photoshoot | Tips and Tricks

Baby Georgia is here! In case you are not following along on Instagram (which if you’re not you’re missing out on a lot of newborn cuteness!) I’m thrilled to announce the birth of our second daughter, Georgia Anne.

Maternal Mental Health Awareness Week - Pregnancy and Grief

This week is maternal mental health awareness week and as someone who follows a lot of other mamas, it has been at the forefront of my social media. Though the main focus seems to be around things like postpartum depression and anxiety related directly to motherhood, it has still brought up a lot of emotions in me related to grief and how motherhood has affected my grief journey.