Mermaid Crowns for Summer

Isla has a Summer birthday, so I'm thinking about making these crowns at her party for the craft/take home party favor.

Spring Nature Table - May

Paradise, This Place We Call Home...

Isla was really excited to surf the other day, so we got her all suited up and she paddled out with Daddy.





While they surfed, Lyr and I played in the sand and cheered them on:



After they caught about a dozen waves...







...we spotted dolphins! How exciting. I love being out in the water with dolphins, so I was thrilled my daughter was having that experience:



But wait! Did you see that? Three WHALES decided to cruise on by. Now my child is absolutely living my dream. I have never been that close to a whale, and she gets to have the experience of literally feeling the mist from their spray in her face! This is one of the best moments of my life, to see my sweet four year-old out in the ocean with three beautiful whales:









She will only realize the magnitude of this experience when she's older. Right now, it was fun and maybe a little magical, but only as magical as nearly everything is to her at the moment: a minute or two after swimming with the whales, she ran up to me on the beach, breathless and beaming, proudly proclaiming, "Mommy! You'll never BELIEVE this...I dunked my HEAD underwater!!!" Ah, yes you did, you amazing little person. You dunked your head under the water and that was awesome, too.


**All photographs, besides Lyr as Sand Centipede, were taken by Mike Billgren, and I believe he and his wife Alma also take family portraits in fun settings. You can find them on Facebook, or leave a comment here.**

The Best Pregnant Lady Treat... Ever!

Ok, so truthfully, I am not even pregnant right now. But that didn't stop the giddy feelings of excitement when THIS BOX showed up on my doorstep:



Although I adore Anna, co-creator of the Mama Lana Box, I promised her and myself I would be 100% brutally honest about my impression of the boxes. Well, I am happy to say that she and her sister-in-law have easily surpassed my hopes and expectations. I won't ruin the whole surprise, but I will let you take a little peek at a few of the treats that were inside this box:



Mother of two little ones, and avid parenting enthusiast, I thought I knew all of the cool mama-to-be gifts and luxuries, but it turns out there are still some amazing surprises out there. Among them, one of my favorite items from the box, is this book, which is described as "[a] global treasury of age-old wisdom for pregnancy, birth, and childcare brimming with inspiring suggestions for the modern mother - from ways to choose your child's name to planting a birth tree and using Feng Shui to plan your baby's sleeping place":



Although I have to say, my favorite part is these cards. On one side is a beautiful, inspiring image by one of four gifted artists, and on the other side, an empowering affirmation and meditation. I have never seen anything like this, and I wish I would have had these for the labors of my first two pregnancies. (Every box has a few cards, so at the end of your pregnancy you have a complete set.):



Soulful, sweet, and so fun, the Mama Lana Box is the perfect way to honor pregnancy, the beautiful goddess mama-to-be, and the growing baby. I can't wait to buy them for my lovely pregnant friends (you know who you are;)) and maaaaaybe, one day, myself!

And just in case you're in the market, use this code to get $10 off each box purchased anytime before August 10th: SaveShareClub1305-WRA6VJIRRY7V

Baby Rattan Love

One of my closest friends just gave birth to a sweet little girl a couple of months ago, so I have had baby on the brain a bit more than usual. I can't help seeing everything through the mama-lens. For example, how sweet would this little bamboo tiki cart be as a diaper station? Then, when Baby is out of diapers it can become an art-supplies organizer... Just sayin' ;)

The Nest!

It really is Spring! I am beyond thrilled about the sweet little nest two birdies decided to build in Isla's bike helmet.



We always hang the girls' helmets up right outside our front door, and a few weeks ago we noticed a couple of birds flying back and forth, carrying grass and twigs. We have been lucky to watch them build their nest bit by bit and now... Look - eggs!



They are so darling, they almost look fake. It will be so amazing if they hatch and we get to see teeny, tiny baby birds in there...

MamaLana Bliss Boxes!

My dear, dear mama friend Anna, together with her sister-in-law Lauren, has created an amazing company: a first-ever subscription box service for mamas to be! I am not surprised; she is incredible. I am, however, feeling the need to get pregnant again so I can subscribe to the mail-order bliss boxes for each month of pregnancy.

About the boxes, they say, "We want to help make pregnancy inspirational, transformational and beautiful. The Mama Lana box is the ideal pregnancy purchase, either as a gift to self or to an expecting loved one. Each Mama Lana box includes essentials from six categories: mind, body, soul, belly, baby, and bliss. At Mama Lana, we work hard to make sure you get exceptional value on excellent products. The total retail value of a Mama Lana box ranges from at least $65 to $100+. We are a luxury subscription box service – ours is not a paid advertising box or one filled with teensy samples. Our team of experts ensure we're choosing the best products for each month of pregnancy. In addition to the savings you get through our lower prices, you also save time and worry. All the overwhelming sifting of pregnancy products has been done for you with our boxes.

We deeply believe in women's wisdom. We seek to empower mamas, and help them embrace the beautiful transformation of motherhood. We don't push any particular philosophy when it comes to pregnancy, birth or parenting. We are here to celebrate the mama: her intuition, her choices, her journey. We believe in each and every product we put in our Mama Lana boxes. The companies we choose as our partners all make the world a better place. As a whole, they are fair trade, organic, green, and socially conscious. We donate a percentage of every box purchased to Madre - www.madre.org - a nonprofit that advances women's human rights internationally. When you help mothers, you help the world."

Wow, right?!

Also, I am honored to have some of my jewelry included in the mama boxes!

I will be writing up another post reviewing the boxes, once I see one, but knowing Anna, I'm have no doubt they're as inspired as they sound.