Holiday Product Spotlight with JORD Wood Watches

JORD Wood Watches

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Link to $25 e-gift card: Enter here

"We are focused on creating timepieces that are modeled after a modern lifestyle. We value sustainability, efficiency, and experiential living. We make our watches for people who don't just have somewhere to be, they have somewhere to go."

I was so excited to give Nick his JORD Wood Watch.... I couldn't wait until Christmas! I'm the worst at keeping secrets especially when it comes to great gifts :).  Nick spends a lot of time outdoors-- he's a Marine, volunteers for our county's search and rescue team and all his hobbies are outdoors: hiking, shooting, rock climbing, camping, exploring. When I saw these beautiful, wood watches I knew he had to have one. He was using a cheap, rubber watch that needed to be replaced with something more stylish but also functional. You can shop the watch I got for him here. Since wearing his new watch, he mentioned on one of our hikes that it's so light weight he forgets he has it on. The woodwork is incredible, and I think my favorite part about it is that you can see the inner workings of the watch.    

12 Days of Christmas: Small Shops

I am kicking off a mini series of 12 days of Christmas, so if you still have some shopping to do and need ideas check back to this post daily.
These are shops that mean so much to me. Shops run by mamas who work during naps and finish orders after the kids are in bed. Makers that have been through it all just to see their dreams happen. Products that my family genuinely loves and uses daily. Some of these posts are sponsored but the opinions are all my own.

rad revolution feature

Rad Revolution has been a favorite small shop of mine since Eloise was really small, but when I found out they are based out of the PNW I love them even more! My favorite leggings for Eloise are from there, and I squeezed her into them until just recently :).
We have a couple of rompers from Rad Revolution, too. They are so soft and stretchy, and I'm all for an outfit that comes in one piece. Since they are sleeveless, they are perfect for the summer and if you put a jacket over them they can be worn in the winter, too! And stretchy means they fit longer. So basically you should buy some because they will last you through multiple seasons and kids in rompers are just the cutest.

Be sure to follow along with Rad Revolution on all of their social media outlets to keep up with the latest deals, giveaways and products.

Instagram // Website // Facebook 

Opt Outside

For black Friday we decided to join REI and Opt Outside instead of shop. REI is one of our favorite companies, and  a couple of years ago they started to close all of their stores so their employees could enjoy time with their families and enjoy the outdoors instead of work. REI invites everybody else to "opt out" with them, and this year over 6 million people did! In a world where advertising and marketing are literally everywhere, it's nice to take a break and be in the moment.

We hiked Desert Queen Mine in Joshua Tree National Park. It's one of my favorite short hikes that we've done so far because there are so many different rock formations as you climb down one canyon and up another. It was only 2.8 miles and we planned it do we drove home during sunset. I will never get over how beautiful the sunsets are in the desert. It's magical, and if you haven't seen it in person you should put it on your bucket list.

Ikea Kitchen Makeover

Browsing through pinterest I was inspired to make over Eloise's play kitchen from Ikea. We picked this kitchen because it was simple and allowed for more imaginative play than the ones that make all the noise and come with 1,000s of pieces of food.

Fall in the Desert

It's FINALLY fall in the desert, and I mean like last week it was still 80 degrees so we are celebrating. We have 2-3 months of cooler weather so Nick and I are trying to hike as much as possible on the weekends. We just got a hiking pack from Osprey to put Eloise in and she loves it!

Last weekend we hiked Split Rock in Joshua Tree National Park. It was an easy 2 mile hike and the weather was perfect. Plus Eloise got a mini nap and the pics are too precious not to share.

First Birthday Party

I'm so excited to share the details of Eloise's Birthday. I wanted this day to be all about spending time with our loved ones and focusing on our little girl. We waited to open cards and gift so we could catch up with everybody since we don't visit WA very often. 

 We took a whirlwind trip, flying in Thursday night and back to CA on Sunday morning. We celebrated our 5th wedding anniversary on the actual day, and Eloise had her party on the actual day as well... so it was a pretty special weekend. There were over 300 photos from this day, so I'm only sharing a handful! It was the most beautiful day and a little over the top, but you only turn ONE once :)

4 generations // we do have 5 alive in our family, my great grandma couldn't make it :)

Eloise is ONE

Happy Birthday Eloise! 
I can't believe I have a ONE year old! It's so crazy how fast time goes by. Everybody told me that time speeds up when you have a child and it really does. One whole year ago, we welcomed this sweet angel into our world. She has grown so much, learned so much and taught us more than we thought was possible. We are so excited to watch her grow even more this year!

↠ Weighs 22 pounds and is 31.5 tall 
↠ Is wearing 9-12 month clothes, size 4 diapers
↠ Sleeps through the night with 2 naps a day
↠ She is still crawling, not really trying to walk yet! She is pulling up on everything and walking along the furniture. And she climbs the stairs really well!
↠ Has 6 teeth, the 7th just poked through
↠ Thinks her dad is the coolest, loves his flashlight, wallet, sun glasses, his hat.... and the way she looks at him makes me melt every.single.time
↠ Yodels-- have you seen the videos on instagram? I can't handle it. 
↠ Loves all dogs. She gets so excited when she sees one, and barks when she hears them during the day
↠ Is obsessed with her lovies. She can find her little owl and can "who who" to it when I ask her to. And when we say "snuggle" she hold them tight and tilts her head
↠ Hates: french fries, all vegetables (I keep trying!), and getting her diaper or clothes changed
↠ Favorite foods: blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, cheese, avocados, bananas, turkey, bread with hummus  
↠ Signs "eat" and "milk"
↠ Loves playing at the park and on the swings
↠ Can bark "Baaa" and shake her head "no"
↠ Would sit outside all day and just watch if we let her
↠ Can say: mama, dada, hi, ni ni (which we have learned is no no... like she will go up to something she knows she can't touch and yell NI NI NI), baba, and sometimes dog and owl. She nods her head yes and no, but doesn't understand what she's doing yet, she just does it for fun. 

Family Photo Session

I am so excited to share our gallery from our family session with Alexis Ralston Photography. We went to a beautiful spot in the Morongo Canyon Preserve. If you haven't been following along with Eloise's chair picture updates (you can find all of the updates here) we take weekly pictures of her on a rocking chair to show how much she has grown each month. The rocking chair has been in my family for a long time. It was my Grandma's mother's and she passed it down to my grandma, who passed it down to me, and I will pass it down to Eloise to rock her children in some day. It's beautiful, heavy and nick was amazing for carrying it to our photo spot. It was actually my photographer's idea and I am so happy we ended up using it! 

Disney Half Marathon

I did it! I ran 13.1 miles!!! 13.1!!!  and then walked over a mile back to our hotel :) We had the best weekend and Nick took such good care of Eloise so I could focus on my race and now she likes him better than me because he's the cool, fun parent.

I signed up for a half marathon before I could even run a mile without stopping. That definitely motivated me to train, and it's so amazing to see what your body can do with some hard work and dedication. I was NOT thinking about the timeline, which I ended up training through the summer in the desert where all of my runs were in over 100 degree heat. But I made it happen and pushed through. My goal was 2 hrs 30 min but the first 4 miles we were shuffling through thousands of other runners through Disneyland and CA adventure, I stopped for the bathroom and a few pictures in the park, and ended up with a final time of 2:34 which I am so proud of! I ran almost the entire race and accomplished something I thought was not possible.

Now onto the next half marathon in 6 weeks!!

Pink Blush Boutique Feature!

When I was pregnant with Eloise, I used to stalk Pink Blush Boutique weekly. Their maternity clothes are so beautiful and comfortable, I lived in a couple of tops from them! With affordability in mind, Pink Blush offers a wide variety of comfortable, fashionable and beautiful clothes. Their pieces are easily usable throughout all stages of motherhood-- pregnancy, nursing and after baby.

When they reached out to offer a giveaway for my followers I didn't hesitate to say yes. Most women don't realize (me included!) that they have an amazing women's clothing line, not only maternity. The dress I have is so comfortable,  beautiful, and nursing friendly. It's perfect for the days when I don't have a ton of energy but still want to look put together. It's so flattering, making it a perfect transitional piece after having a baby.  You can shop their dresses here.
And you will probably be seeing more pictures of me in this dress, it's already becoming a staple weekly item in my closet. Yes, I love repeating outfits :).

Their robes are so pretty too! One of those is next on my wishlist. 

My giveaway is running on instagram for a $50 credit to Pink Blush (@theburleytribe) until Thursday September 1st at midnight. I will announce the winner over there, so make sure you enter!

11 months of Eloise

Our little flower is 11 months! I've been busy planning her birthday party, training for my half marathons, and getting ready for Mexico. We have a fun, busy next couple of months! 

At 11 months, Eloise:
↠ Is wearing 9-12 month clothes, size 3 diapers
↠ Sleeps through the night with 2 naps a day
↠ crawling so fast!
↠ Has SIX teeth 
↠ Pulls herself up on everything
↠  Loves "obstacles"... if we are laying on the ground with her, she will purposely crawl and dive over us
↠ Started walking along furniture 
↠ Understands words and phrases. She points at the right things when we ask "where is lucy?... where are your books?... Where is your water?" and when we say "bye bye water" in the bath, she tries to pull the drain.
↠ Loves sharing everything... her bottle, paci, anything she finds on the ground like dust, a rock or fuzz she hands to us and is so excited about it. 
↠ Is really independent right now. She won't eat anything unless she does it herself. I can't even put a little bite of what I'm eating straight into her mouth. She wants to grab it and then eat it on her own terms :). 
↠ Favorite foods: blueberries, strawberries, avocado, bananas, and cheerios
↠ Signs "eat" and "milk"// we are working on "all done" and "more".  

Acceptance // Raising Wild Discount

I have been wanting to post this for a while, but I've been having a hard time with expressing what I really want to say. I've written and deleted with post over and over. I don't want this post to be an "asking for attention" post, because it's not. It's simply my thoughts on how I want to be a healthy example while raising my daughter in a world that has put extreme pressure on women to be "perfect."

I have struggled with body image for a very long time.  I have tried out my fair share of unhealthy diets, cutting calories, obsessing over exercising and every flaw... and it's exhausting. Ever since I found out we were having a girl, I started thinking about how I can be the best role model for her. A role model that will have a stronger presence in her life than anything she sees in the media or in public. An example of a strong, healthy, happy woman who embraces her body, genuinely thinks she's beautiful and accepts her insecurities.

10 M o n t h s O l d

We have been really busy this last month! We've been having a lot of indoor play dates, and a good friend of mine agreed to take turns watching each other's babies so we could each attend a work out class every week. Eloise loves playing with the bigger kids so it really works out perfectly. I've been doing HITT classes, which are very similar to crossfit and I love it! So thankful for good friends to keep us busy during these long summer months.

Nick has been training on the weekends for Search and Rescue so it's just been us girls. But the weekends that he's home we have been taking little day trips to escape this heat. It has been over 100 everyday, and this heat wave it's been in the 110's (it doesnt make for a very fun half marathon training schedule). It's nice to get away to cooler weather, and Eloise is obsessed with watching trees, plants, and everything outside. We are also starting to plan her first birthday... I can't even believe it! I'm hoping the next 2 months go by slowly! 

At 10 months, Eloise:
↠ Is wearing 9 month clothes, size 3 diapers
↠ Is about 21 pounds
↠ Sleeps through the night with 2 naps a day
↠ is crawling everywhere
↠ Has SIX teeth 
↠ Pulls herself up to kneeling, almost standing 
↠ Is eating everything and is mostly feeding herself. She's starting to not love purees... so I've been on the hunt for finger foods that she likes. Her fav right now is pita bread with hummus 
↠ "Open mouth" kisses us all the time, she initiates the kisses and it's so sweet
↠ Loves sesame street, especially "the letter of the day" song
↠ Loves story time at the library, swinging, and the pool
↠ Babbles mama, baba, dada, yaya, luc. Copies sounds like "woof woof". She is making so many new sounds, and having full conversations with herself that I wish I could understand
↠ Is little miss independent. She doesnt like to be held as much (and I'm emotional about it), and she loves to play on her own

6 months - 10 months 

Newborn - 8 Months

Summer Trip to WA

After spending 10 days in Washington with a 9 month old without Nick, traveling all over the state to see family, Eloise getting four teeth and starting crawling, sleeping terrible at night and waking up every 1-2 hours... I could sleep for a month straight. We did have a wonderful time, but it's definitely not easy traveling with a baby. For those who think "oh it's just a 2-3 hour flight, no big deal...". It's 2-3 hours to the airport, shuttle from the parking area, waiting at the airport, 2.5 hour flight, and then going to our house, it ends up being a 8-10 hour day. I need at least 2 weeks to recover before I think of our next adventure, but I'm sure we will take more trips!

For anybody traveling soon with a baby, I have a few tips that helped me. I feel like every age is different in what you need, but this is what helped for 9 months old. Also a lot of our mistakes were silly and could have been avoided, oops!

• Invest in a umbrella stroller. I still wore Eloise for naps at the airport, but the stroller was super helpful for eating lunch, the parking shuttle, and gives us a place to strap her in when she's not in the ring sling or Tula. 
• Bring snacks, like puffs and the baby squeeze packs. One of my friends suggested to bring those to go squeeze foods for Eloise to eliminate bringing a bowl, bib, spoon and baby food. 
• One of our bottles exploded everywhere because of the airplane cabin being pressurized. Um...common sense right?! These are the days that I wish I could still breastfeed, so much less to pack for the airplane. 
• If you have time, sit and eat lunch. I filled Eloise up before the flight and she stayed really happy. Also, I stayed happy because those little airplane snacks don't really help when you're hangry. :)
• Separate all liquids/ baby food/ formula/ and baby wipes in a big ziplock bag so it's easy to take it all out when you're going through security.
• Eloise loved playing with a cup of ice that the flight attendants gave her, it kept her busy for a good 15 minutes.

if you have any really good tips, please please please let me know! 

// 

Here are some pictures from our trip! Eloise had the best time, spent a lot of time with all of her family and went on a lot of little adventures.

Papa calls Eloise "petal" for her middle name "rose"

4 generations

Bow from ZoZu Baby