King Of Christmas Flocked Tree

Happy Sunday! I hope you all have had a fun weekend. I, unfortunately, have come down with a terrible cold and had to miss out on a family Christmas gathering. This time of year is always rough with sicknesses! I'm hoping to be on the mend soon since we have a busy week of celebrations ahead of us!

I wanted to share our new flocked faux Christmas tree from King of Christmas with you all because I have been loving it! I got the 7 foot prince flock (unlit) and it is the perfect size for our family room. This tree is beautiful and full! Looks SO real and has not shed as much as some other faux flocked trees I have tried in the past! It was so easy to put up too! 

This year I got some new ornaments and a metal tree collar from Hobby Lobby and went with a more 'farmhouse' feel. I just love all the galvanized metal against the flocked tree! We have also been mixing in some of the red pick up truck carrying the tree theme through out the decor with ornaments, a throw pillow and a few decorative signs. 

The boys have been loving the tree this year! They are so excited to see the presents that Santa has left for them under the tree on Christmas day!

There are so many beautiful faux trees still on sale from King of Christmas! Now is the time to buy one, even if you are just planning to have next for next year! King of Christmas also offers beautiful faux garlands and wreaths! 

Merry Christmas!! 

Give the Gift of Digital Photos with Aura

I am so excited to be partnering with Aura today to share with you all the perfect gift to give this season! Aura offers digital picture frames and a new print delivery service (Aura Analog). This would make a perfect gift for someone with family members that live farther away or who are not able to be near by for the holidays.

The digital frame plugs into the wall and needs to be hooked up to wifi. Once set up, you can send photos from your phone directly to the frame! There is a free app that you can download to manage the photos to send to the frame. You do not have to be near by the frame to send them. So, it's a perfect gift for a grandparent that wants to keep up with the grandkids, but may not be able to receive photos via email or social media. You can update the photos on the frame anytime and you can also add family members to the account/app who have access to share photos as well! The quality of the frames is top notch as well. There are several options to choose from. I received this 'Mason' frame in graphite and it is the perfect frame to display!

Aura Analog is a new photo prints delivery subscription that includes a complimentary frame. You can sign up for a year subscription which includes 5 high quality prints that are delivered each month to the recipient. You can use your Aura app to choose the 5 photos to be sent every month as well. The Aura Analog frame is just stunning and also has storage on the back for up to 60 5x7 prints!

We are planning to gift the digital frame to my parents (who are not on facebook) because it is an easy way for us to instantly share pictures of the boys with them and they can display the frame in their home. We plan to gift the Aura Analog print delivery service to Bill's parents because they enjoy receiving actual print photos of the boys. Since they live about 2 hours away, this is an easy way for us to send them prints of the boys each month. And this service comes with a complimentary 5x7 hand-finished frame that also has storage for up to 60 prints.

There are several different frame options to choose from for the digital frame. A lot of their frames are currently on sale as well! This 'Sawyer' frame is $50 off! They also offer FREE shipping and FREE returns if you are unsatisfied after 45 days! Make sure to place your order today in order to receive your frames by Christmas!

*I received an Aura digital frame as well as an Aura Analog frame and prints in exchange for this blog post. All views and opinions are my own!

Educational Toys, Games and Books for Kids ages 1 - 5

This year, I am trying to be a bit more intentional with the gifts for the boys. There were some toys we gave them last year that only ended up being played with for about a week and then just ended up adding to the clutter in our play room. This year I am really trying to focus on toys and games that will spark their creativity and imagination. I am trying to hone in on their specific interests and give them gifts that they will continue to be interested in for months to come. All of these gift ideas are perfect for toddlers and preschool aged kids. 

Shop all educational toys and games for kids below:

STE(A)M BASED TOYS AND GAMES

FINE MOTOR & BUILDING SKILLS

LARGE MUSCLE TOYS

PRETEND PLAY

EDUCATIONAL BOOKS (USBORNE BOOKS)

There's nothing better than giving a book to a child and seeing their eyes light up about the subject, illustrations and story line. I have made it a point to give the boys books that they will be interested in this year. We are in desperate need of updating their library and donating a lot of our 'baby' books and getting them more preschool age appropriate books. Camden has even started reading, so we are getting him some beginner level reading books as well!

Usborne books are our favorite at the moment. You can shop books by age, reading level, interest or top sellers. Some of our favorites are the 'Shine-a-light' books which are books with hidden messages that only appear when you shine a flash light on them! This would be a fun gift to give along with a flash light. Camden also really loves all the 'Big book of..' books of his favorite interests at the moment which are dinosaurs, space, sea creatures, etc. He also loves the '1001 things to spot' books!

Shop all Usborne books HERE

These books would make a great gift for any child on your list!