My Favorite Things, moms edition

How many of you currently have a husband saying, "Honey, my mom wants to know what you want for Christmas?" Or maybe if your husband is a bit more of a planner than the ordering-from-Amazon on December 22nd type, he is asking for ideas of what to give you himself!

Either way, I know this can be a tough question for us moms to give actual, concrete answers to. That's why I have created this post.

 
 

 

Even though it is humbling to be the recipient of a gift, I think it also creates a bit of angst among us moms in this season we are in of constantly giving. We may secretly wish for a massage gift card to use any and every day of 2018, but since I have yet to find a massage studio that also offers childcare, we all are probably better off asking for some other realistic ideas.

On the flip side, we are likely friends with a fellow mom friend who has this same "problem" as us and would never straight say what she wants to ask Santa for.

So whether it is you who need ideas or a friend/family member you want to surprise with an unexpected gift, here you have it.

 

My Favorite Things for Moms list of 2017.

Complete with some of the items I have fell in love with over the past year plus some of the products I would love to receive in the upcoming year, here are a few of My Favorite Things for you, for me, and for Mama Bears everywhere.

You could ask for any of these yourself, use this list to come up with the perfect gift idea for a friend, or consider gifting one of these to a teacher, coworker, or neighbor. Whichever way you use this, I hope these ideas will spur on generous giving and grateful hearts for you and fellow moms.

 

My Favorite Things for Moms

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A Good Water Bottle

It is hard to believe that I was still rocking one of those massive 32 ounce water bottles they give you in your postpartum birth suite up until Siggi's sent me a new water bottle, like this one. Now, I daily find myself drinking even more water than I was with the breast-feeding mammoth hydration machine I toted around before. Plus, it stays consistently cold (kind of like my coffee!).

 

Coffee Tumbler

It seems like everyone now has heard of YETI. If you haven't gotten on this bandwagon yet though, now may be your chance to do so.

Enter 2018 as a year with hot coffee, Mama!

I know it seemed impossible to achieve this as a mom, but coffee cups like this one by YETI or other discounted equivalents like these have transformed that morning cup of joe for many of us mom. What I love too if the tops like these that come with a straw so you can also ice your coffee and keep a straw in it during the summer (or 10 months out of the year here in Houston).

 

Wine Glasses

The chance to enjoy a glass of wine doesn't happen on a whim for many moms, but ever since seeing these Goverre wine glasses on Shark Tank I have felt like they are the perfect solution for many moms. Whether it is enjoying a glass at a holiday party or sitting on the floor and playing with your little's new train set on the night of Christmas, this spill-prook wine glass is such a great gift for the mom you don't know what to get. While it isn't officially a "leak proof" sippy cup for moms, it can drastically cut down the number of wine glasses that break or spills that happen as part of our classiest mom moments.

 

Wine Club Membership

This past September, my husband and I had the joy of finally visiting the Napa wine country for a dear friend's wedding. While there, we decided to finally participate in our first wine club membership. While this is something we have long argued as "unnecessary," it has become something that we now deeply enjoy and appreciate for date night ins. This would be such a thoughtful and generous gift to the women who enjoys a good glass of wine but may not otherwise justified buying it for herself. Also for anyone who may be a bit behind on shopping for Christmas gifts, this is one you still have time to easily set up and send a "voucher" for as having ordered on their behalf!

Three of our favorite wine clubs, include:

     

    Grocery Pads and Meal Planners

    I know I am not the only mom who misplaces my grocery list or forgot to include an item on it until after I already left the store. I also know that I am among the many moms who are trying to simplify this daily to do of figuring out what we feed out families. That's why I met my need and the needs spoken by many fellow moms with my grocery list and meal planning tear off pad. At $10, this pad gives you six months worth of pre-filled grocery lists on one side and meal planning templates on the other. That works out to be less than $0.50 per week to organize and streamline one area of mom life I know we all need a little hand with.

    I also have a Meal Planning Playbook for any mom who wants to take control of their meal planning in 2018. It walks you through a five step process to "Less Meal Time Stress and More Feeding Success." You can buy the Meal Planning Playbook here.

     

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    Vital Choice

    Being a native Washingtonian, I have loved salmon for as long as I can remember. Up until this past October though, the only way I knew to get or gift fresh, local salmon was by calling one of the fisheries at Pike Place Market and shipping it. When I was at the Food & Nutrition Expo in Chicago this past Fall, I discovered a new seafood company from my home state that had me with the first bite.

    Anyone who has followed me on Instagram knows how much smoked salmon we go through in our home. I tend to buy a cost-effective and convenient one from Costco, which meets our needs on a week to week basis. But when it comes to the gifts to give and receive that get me really excited? Vital Choice takes the cake…or rather is a reel catch!

    That's why this Vital Choice Smoked Salmon Sampler is on my list. Not only is it delivering all the nutrition a foodie mom could ask for, but it gives options and variety that is perfect to put out for holiday hosting that I know even my kids will eat. I ordered the Vital Choice Vital Starter Box to send my 93-year old grandmother this Christmas. She lives alone, so these individual portions are perfect for her to pull out and enjoy! My husband and I are also going to enjoy the Vital Choice Vital Starter Box for "Date Nights In" in the coming year. It is cheaper than a date night out and yet we can still enjoy a nice dinner together...after we get the kids down.

     

     
     

    Gift certificates to Hello Fresh, Blue Apron, One Potato Box, Home Chef, or Fish Fixe

    You know what these are? Permission to take a week off. You all know I am pretty committed to meal planning and prep (as I share in my Meal Planning Playbook), but even I get burnt out or am straight unable to some weeks. That's why this past year I have wished I had given myself permission to just skip.

    For 2018, I am! On the weeks we are returning home late on a Sunday night or when I have been at home with sick kids and just need to reprioritize where my time and energy is invested, I would LOVE permission to pass on the meal planning and prep by having one of these services do (and deliver!) it all for me.

    • Hello Fresh
    • Blue Apron
    • One Potato Box
    • Home Chef
    • Fish Fixe
     

    Lettering Journals

    I understand that adult coloring books have been out for several years now and changing the way that we as adults find little pockets of stress relief. They're a popular stocking stuffer or easy gift idea, which is precisely why I know a lot of women who will LOVE these lettering journals by my dear friend Alex over at Prairie Letter Shop. For as long as I have known Alex, she has had that hand writing that you just drool over. Now, she combines her giftedness in lettering with her mastery of teaching to show anyone and everyone the stress relief, joy, and leisure of hand lettering. She has so many resources available, including her very popular Daily Lettering Journal, Second Edition and Daily Lettering Journal, Scripture Edition (which I had the honor to contribute to!). Anything that Alex offers I know will become an outlet for moms to unwind and enjoy.

     

    Comfy Mom Tees

    I asked y'all over on my Instagram what small businesses you loved comfy mom tees from and here were a list of 10 faves:

    1. Banky Girl Creations (@bankygirlcreations)
    2. Walk in love (@walkinlove)
    3. Crew and Co. (@crewandco)
    4. Jane.com
    5. Audience of One Apparel (@ao1apparel)
    6. Living on the Veg Tees (@living_on_the_veg_tees)
    7. Farm Fresh Designs (@farmfreshdesignsok)
    8. Declan and Crew (@declanandcrew)
    9. The BE Brand (@thebebrand)
    10. The BB Tee (@thebbtee)
     

    Little Dumpling Apron Set

    I admit, I will probably be asking for one of these Little Dumpling Apron sets for Mother's Day 2018, so I am going to go ahead and throw these out there for you now. I adore the high-quality aprons and eye-catching designs of these matching mother-child apron sets. So whether you have a lot of holiday baking you already need this for, or you plan to get inspired to have your kids in the kitchen more for the upcoming year, these are by far the most darling and endearing way to go about it.

     

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    Letterfolk Boards

    I don't know if anyone else out there is dying for a girls weekend away at the Silos as much as my girlfriend mamas and I do, but it just sounds so fun. Gawking over Joanna Gaines and anything and everything she creates, designs, and inspires. One of the small businesses that I know has made an appearance in Waco before is that of Letterfolk boards. You all may also recognize these from my "#whatIbuyandwhy" posts, which is just one of a million fun ways to use them! Be it for a pregnant mom friend who wants to announce how far along she is week by week, the mom with a wee-one sharing the month by month pics, or a mom just documenting funny quotes for motherhood, these are a gift I think most any would enjoy finding a use for.,

     

    Books

    Between an Audible subscription, Kindle edition, or book in print, there are so many ways to gift the perfect gift or cookbook for the coming year! I personally have asked for Emily Ley's A Simplified Life and Jen Hatmaker's Of Mess and Moxie (affiliate links) as inspirational books. Professionally, I hope to read Rising Strong and The Challenger Sale in 2018.

     

    iRobot Vacuum

    I can't help it. My husband and I gave this roomba to each other last year and yes, it indeed became one of my favorite things in 2017. The ability to have the vaccum run itself at any and every time of day has been AMAZING. So while it is a big investment, it can be an amazing gift that any busy mom (aka ALL OF US!) could likely use and appreciate.

     

    Custom Silhouettes

    I have prepped my husband for years that as soon as our family is "complete," I want custom silhouettes of each of my kids. There is something so magical, timeless, and priceless about the work that Le Papier Studio does to capture these silhouettes of children, I truly can't think of anything more wonderful than these as a gift for any mom. What I am particularly swooning over is our family ornament each year being these ones. How memorable would it be to have a tree 20 years from now covered with these keepsake ornaments on it from your family's most precious memories?

     

    Plus 10 Stocking Stuffer Ideas for Mom

    1. Exercise socks (I am obsessed with these for running)
    2. Chocolate (that's JUST for mom, like BarkThins or Justin's PB cups!)
    3. New undies (yes, I said it but I will skip linking any)
    4. A new set of frames (geek alert since this is my first year in my glasses!)
    5. Reflective gear for working out (since we often work out in the wee hours)
    6. BAMR bands (my FAVORITE work out head bands)
    7. Planner (I asked for this one)
    8. Bath bombs (my hubs sometimes gets these for me at airports after business trips - WIN!)
    9. Candles (these are made in Texas and heavenly)
    10. Gift cards for mani/pedi, new makeup, a massage (slash cash for a babysitter when you go!)
     

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    Merry Christmas!

    While these are far from an end all, be all list, but I hope it helped you to think of a few last minute ideas that were within a range of price points and could appeal to a lot of different people. Whichever items you ask for or give, I hope that you and those you love have a very, Merry Christmas!

     
    Ashley Smith