Mother's Day Gift Guide (that your mom actually wants)

Every year my sister and I begin thinking about what we can get our mom for a present...Anyone else out there give a big joint gift every holiday with siblings? And to be honest, sometimes it is a HIT or a complete bust.  (Of course, as all moms do, our sweet mom still "loves" anything we gift her)

This year my gift to my mom was intangible though, I am flying home to see her! But I thought I would make up a list of all the ideas I had for Mother's Day celebrations before deciding on booking a flight.

Say goodbye to the candles and robes- give your mom what she actually wants.

The following are all linked and provide different price points and categories.

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All Moms want:

"ME" TIME $$

After asking over 20 moms as research for this post, this was the number one desire. Whether you are gifting your mom a massage, a mani/pedi trip, day at the spa, or a fresh blowout, I can promise your mom will be happy with this. And if the kids are older- having them tag along for some rare bonding time means even more. She better not pay for the gig though.

If your mom is super busy and doesn't have the time to get out of the house for the appointment, try booking through Priv . They come to you!

 

Health lovin' moms want:

Hush up + Hustle Blender bombs $

I cannot rave enough about this product. They are small balls full of yummy & healthy goodness. Pop one into a smoothie as a meal replacement or eat alone for a snack. For the mom on the go, these are perfect for a morning smoothie to keep her full of energy all day. Buy a couple different flavors for her, and check out those ingredients. Clean as could be. Plus, If you order soon you can get their Mother's Day package!

A fun, new workout experience $$

Book spots for a workout class and enjoy the experience with her! Whether it's pure barre, orange theory, zumba, or yoga- find something new for you both. Pack up the water bottles and just go! If you're looking for something really different that will keep you both on your toes- try a pole dancing class or an Aerial skills class. You will be so sore from both laughing and the moves.

Fashion lovin' moms want:

Pashey Bella $$$

No matter if your mom wears jewels all the time or can't find one she likes enough , she will love these! Their line is simple, elegant, and can be worn any day with any outfit. She can layer with other pieces or wear them solo. Everything from rings to necklaces can be found here. Warning, though, it does come from Hawaii so the shipping time can be from 5 days to two weeks. Either way, the pieces last forever and are gorgeous. It works for the mom going to pick up kids at day care, work at the office, or a late night dinner out.

Gift cards to her favorite boutique $-$$$

If your mom is anything like mine, she NEVER shops for herself. Gift her with a chance to go shop for herself; she deserves it. Can I get an "amen" to that? Make sure it's enough for her to finally buy something shes been eyeing but won't ever pull the trigger on. Plus, if she has little ones- put in the extra $30 and pay for a babysitter for her to take a couple hours out alone.

 

Stella Valle Bracelet $

These are the sweetest bracelets that you can layer and pair with anything.  They have so many unique designs, and also sale other jewelry pieces. Find one that's meaningful to your mom. One that represents her, your relationship, or her kids. These can be worn anywhere and are simple enough to stack on with any other favorite pieces she has.

Adventure Lovin' Moms want

An Experience $$-$$$$

How many times have you heard your mom/wife mention "I've always wanted to go there" or "I've always wanted to do that" ? Well, Mother's Day is the perfect reason for making that happen. Whether it's a booked  week at the beach, a weekend getaway to the mountains, or just a day trip riding bikes on a local trail, DO IT. This takes a bit more effort than shopping at Nordstrom and buying a scarf...but it means so much more. Spend the money, time, and effort to plan it out and surprise her with an experience. Enjoy it with her, be present, and create the memories.

 

Concert Tickets $$-$$$

This may be a buy now, enjoy later gift. But the giddiness she'll have knowing there is something to look forward to is worth it. Pick out her favorite group in a nearby city and find a fun way to surprise her.

Whatever you choose to give or do as a celebration of your mom, remember that it is just that: a celebration of her. At the end of the day, share your love and appreciation of her by giving her your full attention.

As a final note: take a personal second during this celebration to say a prayer and reach out to someone who may have lost/ doesn't have a mother to celebrate in person this day. Can mean the world to them to receive your love and thoughts during this tough day.

May you all have the happiest Mother's Day celebrations!

5 Steps to Creating Custom Instagram Story Highlight Covers

When I first started seeing highlights show up on Instagram I wasn't interested in them, but as time went on I began seeing how many highlights I looked at on other profiles. I knew I should start saving my stories on highlights.

I first made some really crappy looking ones. I could never get the spacing and centering correct, so I decided I needed to learn how to make the pretty ones with fancy icons and colors.

It took me a while to research how all of these Instagram users were making their highlight covers look aesthetically pleasing but I finally figured it out.

So, I created a simple guide to making them here for anyone else wondering how the heck to do this. If you have ANY questions feel free to contact me and I'll help you out.

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I designed these highlight covers with the Canva app. You can download it in any app store. It looks like this, and is FREE. ->

1. Open Canva and select "Your Story"

You can choose any template you'd like but for the covers I found starting blank is the best choice.

 

2. Set your background color or image.

I chose to make my own color by selecting the "Used" button. You can also select a default color already shown. To select an image for your background, click on "Images."

 

3. Add your icon or text.

This was my favorite part, you can really get creative here. Begin clicking the "+" button in the corner, then select "graphics" or "text."

You will be able to search whatever you would like to add. Feel free to create your own icons using two or more together, or building one with lines and shapes. You can change the color, size, and rotate the icons also.

*Not all are free. Make sure you're paying attention so you don't spend money, unless you just can't live without the icon*

 

4. Add more pages for other story highlight covers

You'll repeat step 3 & 4 until you have finished all your desired highlight covers.

 

5. Now to add the pictures to your phone

You're almost done! Share, choose "Quick Look", you then need to click "Preview Content." This way you can save each photo individually to your camera roll.

Wahoo! You are finished.

Now go add those pretties to your Instagram Story, save them as highlights, and make them the cover photo. If you need help with figuring out how to create a highlight let me know. 

I was able to create every single highlight cover on my profile without paying a dime, get creative!

WE HAVE A HOME!

Finally, after searching and calling almost all apartments in the area...we signed a lease. We are all moved in, meaning we put away everything from our two boxes we live out of, and we (really Caroline) can't wait to start making this place feel like home. We're filming a home tour this week so stay on the look out!

In the video below:

• Learn how much we have to pay
• Hear our process of signing this lease
• See a sneak peek inside our apartment
• And more :)

Don't forget to subscribe to our YouTube channel to be the first to know if we have a new video out.