Ashley – Page 2 – the MAD creative

MOTHERS’ DAY GIFT GUIDE: for the PRACTICAL MAMA

Post author:Ashley
Post published:April 26, 2017
Post category:KIDS LEARN LOVE
Post comments:0 Comments

Being a “Mom” doesn’t totally define me, but let’s be real: I’m drawn to things that label me as a Mom because it’s what I live for. I swoon over pretty, yet practical products, entertainment is centered around watching my kids dance in the living room, and I wear a backpack for a purse. So yeah. The mom game is strong over here. Moms’ Day is just around the corner and I wanted to throw another gift guide together of some current functional faves:

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THE PERFECT MOTHERS’ DAY GIFT with CASE STATION

Post author:Ashley
Post published:April 21, 2017
Post category:DESIGN KIDS LEARN TECH
Post comments:2 Comments

Thanks for everyone’s input on the last post regarding our family travels. Since then, we decided that the trip to Estes next month seemed more appealing to fly 1 hr as opposed to a 10 hr drive. Duh, right? So the flights are booked and the VRBO is reserved. We’re basically already there. 😉 The thought of minimal cleaning (oh, and quality time with my loves, of course) has me counting down the days. But now let’s talk about something else I’ve been pretty giddy about: my new phone case from Case Station.

I’m not a techie person, seldom wear a watch, and lose my phone daily. So getting me a tech-related gift for Mothers’ Day wouldn’t normally score the hubby many points. Until now. Recently, we each got a phone case from Case Station and I couldn’t be more satisfied with the design, quality and durability. In the world of a billion different phone cases, I wanted something personal and practical. “Personal” meaning I wanted the imagery to mean something to me. “Practical” meaning “when ~~the girls~~ I (who am I kidding?) drop it daily, it will hold up and prevent injury to my phone.” Here is why we think Case Station is a step above the rest in creating the perfect personalized phone case:

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DAYS AT HOME with BANNOR TOYS

Post author:Ashley
Post published:March 29, 2017
Post category:HOME KIDS PLAY
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You know how sometimes you have a plan for the day… and then you remember you have kids… and whatever vision you had was just a joke really? Pile up Mya getting sick, some gloomy weather, and post breastfeeding hormones and the past week was pretty thrown. But rainy walks around the block, lots of pajama days, and a daily dose of Moana seemed to do the trick. Last weekend, that’s exactly what happened– we stayed home to get well and recharge for the week. All the bins and baskets of playthings were thrown on the living room floor and we all just camped out by the fire. Most of the time, I have the girls pick up things as we are done playing with them because it leaves less of a mess for me after bedtime. And because #mamatired. But last weekend we just let it happen and looked past the mess to find two happy girls, perfectly content with being together at home with just us parents. Which I’m going to pretend will always be the case. Because this is my heaven.

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5 KID YOGA POSES with JoBea Kids

Post author:Ashley
Post published:March 26, 2017
Post category:HEALTH KIDS LEARN PLAY
Post comments:3 Comments

We might not always stick to a schedule around here, but we’ve got our morning routine down: The girls wake up by 6:30, we play and eat, then send Daddy off with his peanut butter and jelly breakfast sandwich. Derek feeds each girl a bite of it and kisses them goodbye for the day. Then the girls rush to the front door, Mya whips it open, and they wave and blow him kisses as Derek pulls out of the drive and down the street. It’s pretty much the most adorable thing ever. We’ve had a couple neighbors tell us they see the sendoff every day and I’m glad we have them fooled as totally calm, cool, and collected. Little do they know that when the door shuts, Mya usually has a meltdown of how she already misses Dada and Leah resumes banging on the pantry door for more food. But recently, the one thing that has been the best distraction from this and starts our girl days off strong are little yoga sessions. Mya takes out her yoga mat with this book and takes us through some “moves.” Leah pretty quickly ends up cozying up in the beanbag with another book, but Mya leads our yoga session and it’s always one of my favorite parts of our mornings together.

A couple weeks ago we met my Mom at a yoga studio and she helped us ~~play~~ document some of our favorite poses. My Mom is conveniently an Iyengar yoga instructor, so we pretty much have it made in the sense that she knows what to do and how to do it the right way. Since I can barely touch my toes, we keep it simple. These are our 5 favorite yoga poses for kids. I made myself look smarter by googling the sanskrit names and including them too:

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DADDY-DAUGHTER DATES with GOLDY BELLE (+ GIVEAWAY)

Post author:Ashley
Post published:March 8, 2017
Post category:KIDS LOVE PLAY
Post comments:1 Comment

As of late, Mya’s been super attention seeking. Most of it is for negative attention– ie “Mama, I’m picking my nails” or “Mama, when I was supposed to be doing quiet time I jumped off my nightstand.” Which explains the loud thump and tells me that we need to secure furniture to walls. And as much as it hurts my heart to see her out of her usual happy-go-lucky state, I know it’s just a stage and she’s still adjusting to life as a big sister. On the weekends, we try to make more time for one-on-one with her; and a couple weekends ago, Derek took Mya out for some extra special “Daddy time.” Leah and I tagged along at the beginning to snap some pics of them “dressed up all fancy,” but then we left them to do their own thing. Here’s how we (but mostly Derek) made the day extra special:

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GEOCACHING with MY GNOME ON THE ROAM

Post author:Ashley
Post published:February 23, 2017
Post category:KIDS LEARN LOVE PLAY
Post comments:1 Comment

Back in high school, Derek and his two brothers started a tradition whenever they went to Colorado to camp and hike: they took a troll and once they reached the top of a mountain, they would snap a pic with their colorful haired friend. When I saw My Gnome on the Roam, I was instantly reminded of Derek’s troll and knew it could be a fun way to document our family trips too. Last weekend, we stayed close to home and took “Rupert” (our gnome) geocaching– something I’ve been wanting to try with Mya for awhile… and with the help of Rupert, it was such a fun adventure!

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PICNIC READY with PLANETBOX

Post author:Ashley
Post published:February 19, 2017
Post category:FOOD KIDS LEARN PLAY
Post comments:2 Comments

Let’s be totally real here and admit that kids “helping” you cook isn’t helping you at all. Doing twice as many dishes and prepping a meal at half the pace isn’t making anyone’s life any easier. But it brings them joy, so that’s why we let them scoop out the flour, leaving a trail of it until they (finally) dump it in the bowl. I do love cooking with Mya, but most days I just need to whip up something quick because when hunger strikes, it strikes hard. The food prep times when I welcome Mya’s help more, though, are when we picnic. Building a sandwich or stacking fruit and cheese kabobs is a lot easier than baking something from scratch. Suddenly, you’re a lot less frazzled when you don’t need 15 ingredients and precise measurements. With the help of PlanetBox, we’ve put together a how-to list to be picnic prepared.

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BOOKIN’ GOOD

Post author:Ashley
Post published:February 17, 2017
Post category:HOME KIDS LOVE
Post comments:0 Comments

Can you believe that when I first met Derek, he had never seen a Pixar animated movie? Like he hadn’t seen Toy Story. It was almost a deal breaker for our relationship. But I eventually got over it and gave him another chance. 😉 Because I don’t care how old you are, those movies are classics. (Mya and I are currently obsessed with Moana.) And little did I know, children’s books would also become a love of mine.

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BANDED for LIFE with QALO

Post author:Ashley
Post published:February 8, 2017
Post category:KIDS LOVE
Post comments:3 Comments

Last weekend, we were running errands and decided to be spontaneous and took the girls out to a nice lunch. Yes, we like to live on the edge. 😉 We sat in a booth to “trap” them in and hoped for the best. It always amazes me how sitting at a table in public can be so eventful: excuse us while I wrestle my 1 year old from crawling across the table to suck on a splenda packet, explain the difference between a booth seat and a bouncy house to my 4 year old, and order myself a sweet little sangria. The girls weren’t horrible, but by the end of our 45 minute lunch I was definitely sweating. And sorry-I’m-not-sorry to be mushy mushy, but I kept looking over to Derek, very grateful to have him rally our girls with me in that restaurant… and every other day.

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LOVELY FINDS for LITTLE GIRLS + GIVEAWAY!

Post author:Ashley
Post published:February 3, 2017
Post category:KIDS LOVE
Post comments:12 Comments

It’s probably because I’m a girl Mom, but the florals, all shades red, any heart craft, and everything XOXO are out in full force. We don’t go crazy on gifts for the girls on Heart Day, but I did ~~pick up~~ order the wooden heart bead set because I know Mya will love it. I also use this holiday to be a bit more practical than intended. Instead of buying chocolates and flowers (although, that’s still welcome in our home, Derek), I’m on the hunt for the girls’ spring rain gear. And with a bit of shopping around, I found some sweet deals. (Since writing this post, some links may no longer be available. We have found alternatives below, yet some links will not match the pictures here.)

heart glasses || dress || double heart charm || pillowcase ||
rain boots || ombre stacking toy || bead kit

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FAVORITE ART SUPPLIES and ART STATION TIPS

Post author:Ashley
Post published:January 18, 2017
Post category:KIDS LEARN LOVE PLAY
Post comments:6 Comments

One thing I’ve learned after having two kids is that “self play” is a pretty valuable trait to instill in your child. Yes, I would love to “play cars,” pretend I’m a cat, and become a master chef by just wearing underwear on my head for the day’s entirety. But then I realize that there are dishes and laundry and dust and sometimes Mama needs to just take a breath “by herself.” Because I think people usually visit the bathroom without an audience. And yet honestly, if I didn’t have Leah hanging on my leg and Mya asking me questions about puberty, it really just wouldn’t seem right. But when I do need fifteen minutes to throw dinner in the pressure cooker, the main lifeline I use is Mya’s art station. Mya does something productive and Leah throws all the supplies on the floor. And if that fails for Leah, I just open up the tupperware or spice cabinet and we’re good to go. 😛 Here are our tips for art station success:

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8

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LEAH LYNN’S 1st BIRTHDAY

Post author:Ashley
Post published:January 7, 2017
Post category:KIDS LOVE
Post comments:2 Comments

I don’t know about any of you and the holidays, but it was a serious blur for me. A beautiful, magical blur; and a lot of that magic this year has come from our little Leah. I was having some serious Mommy guilt about having Leah born so close to Christmas. (Like I could’ve planned that or something, right?! 😛 ) Since we had seen all of our extended families so close to the holidays, we decided to forgo throwing Leah an actual party. I know it’s ridiculous, but not having a first birthday party kind of bothered me. But then her day came (December 27th) and we were all tucked away at home– just us four– and it felt pretty special to me. The hustle and bustle of Christmas and traveling and shopping and cooking had all settled and it just felt right. We were in our PJs for most of the day, were all super tired, and ate leftovers for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I’m not sure if Leah will be jazzed about this arrangement for the end of time, but she seemed pretty happy this time around.

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