Favorite Things in April

We walked to the beach the other day after school and my 38 week doctors appointment. The beach felt so amazing. The air is cooler and your senses are heightened and you cant help but relax. I wanted to get down to the beach before I have baby boy. We plan on going back this weekend if baby doesn’t come. I gave my hubby my camera, which I never do but I wanted some pictures of just the girls and I. The beach is one of our favorite things and we love that we can enjoy it right now. I gave my girls matching purses as a little pre-baby gift. They are another one of my favorite things and that is what inspired this post.

The girls collected sea shells and put them in their new purses. Ella put one on my belly and said it was like a table. Nice. My necklace is another favorite thing. It was made by a woman, Lazima from Uganda. She has eight children and she is working to provide healthy meals and clean water for them and those in her community. The company she works for is Akola meaning “she works” it is a company that is empowering women who are in poverty. (you can save 30% by using the code BROOKE30) What a great mothers day gift idea.

Our sweet “Mommy + Me” bags are hand made bags by refugee women rebuilding their lives in Dallas, TX after being forced to flee their homes due to violence and oppression. I am in awe of this company GAIA who really is empowering women. They are helping these women feed their family but what I really love is that they are building their confidence and working with their talents. You can find our Mommy + Me bags HERE.

I get asked often on my Instagram account if we own a TV. We actually do, we have one in our family room upstairs. They girls normally watch maybe a 20 minute show a day. We just aren’t in the habit of watching it. We love music on and creating. I thought I would share some of things my girls have been loving this past month. Hopefully to inspire more creativity in the home and also great gift ideas. They love painting and coloring. They aren’t into coloring books as much as they are into blank white paper. Seriously blank paper is the greatest gift.

They also love this art kit. It came with a little stand to prop their art up on and a lot of different crayons. They set it up everywhere. I don’t know why the hall is appealing….but it is.

The other day I suggested they draw pictures of our trip to the zoo and write stories about it. They love to create and loved that idea. They set up their little art station in the front room.

I really want to establish a love for reading for my girls. It is such a rewarding thing for me to watch them  find a quiet corner and dig into a good book. Right now we are reading Disney’s Star Darlings. I read it to them in the morning while they eat their breakfast or at night. I liked the message behind the books.

It is a series of books based on a different “Star Darling.” Each Star Darling has her own wish that she pursues with full force and determination and the help of her friends. I like that each girl is so unique and really encourages individuality and highlights the power of making positive choices. My daughter is at that age where she wants to be like her friends and fit in, wear what others wear, dress how they dress, do what they do. I want her to stand up and be who she wants to be. We are always talking about this at our house. So this book series was perfect. You can find more about the books HERE.

My daughter won a window marker at a school fair. It has seriously been their new favorite thing. I had to go online and order more because one marker amongst two girls was not cutting it. Then friends would come over and want to draw on the window too. These would be such a good gift, I ordered extra to have on hand for birthdays. You can find some HERE.

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