I recently celebrated my 30th birthday (yikes!) with friends and had a blast. It was so fun getting together and catching up. The older I get the more I realize how crazy and busy life gets that I oftentimes go too long without seeing my friends so it was great to reconnect. I always have so much fun planning and decorating for my kid's birthdays but usually don't do much for my own; this year was different though! Since it was a big one we decided to go all out. It can be tough (and very time consuming) trying to coordinate party decor when you're running one place for plates, another place for balloons, another place for a cake topper, etc. and as a busy mama and business owner it can be stressful. Insert Confete Party Box. I told them my color scheme, showed photos of items I liked, told them my favorites from their website and bam! they created a box full of goodies for me delivered straight to my door. Adorable, stylish, coordinating pieces and it was so easy! (Thank you to Confete Party Box for sponsoring this post. All opinions are my own.) I received a DIY balloon garland, 40" balloons in the numbers 3 and 0, a Happy Birthday cake topper, silverware, napkins and the cutest plates! Everything arrived in a timely manner and in perfect condition. The DIY balloon garland came with all of the balloons, fishing line to tie the balloons together and a pump to inflate the balloons. The box provided instructions as to how to create the garland and also information on how to access their YouTube instruction video. I watched the video and found it very helpful! I was very happy with the outcome; such a fun addition to any party! I made the garland the night before the party and we were able to stuff it into the SUV we took to the party location. As you can tell, it is a good sized garland but the balloons were easy to bend, twist and maneuver to fit into the car. I had such a hard time deciding on a theme/color scheme for my party so ended up pinning a lot to my Pinterest account before finally deciding. You can check out all of my birthday party ideas here.
Confete Party Box is offering my followers 10% off with code PARKERSTYLE10 until March 23, 2019! You can check out their website here or follow them on Instagram here. They have so many fun boxes available and the option to design your own like I did too! If you are local to the Seattle area they also provide installation if you choose. These boxes are handy and so fun for birthdays, graduations, retirement parties, baby showers and more! What's your next big event? Let me know if you have any questions! xo- Haley
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{Originally published December 4, 2018}
Bailey and Madison - Purple Rose Bows Purple Rose Bows is founded by two sweet sisters and it is the most adorable bow subscription service. Each month your little girl will receive 3 bows that are perfectly on trend for the season for only $12.99! You have the option of the bows being on a clip or a nylon headband, whichever works best for your little one. They have also just released scrunchies for little girls and adults too! They are so cute and I quickly became a huge fan. I love how they have bow scrunchies as well for that extra fun touch. Website: www.purplerosebows.com Instagram: @purplerosebows Kate - EllePlusRose We just received the cutest package from EllePlusRose! My girls each received a reindeer tee and a matching one for each of their babies; they are in love! I love the shirt and design quality. Kate has so many adorable designs in her shop to choose from. You should have seen the look on my girls’ faces when they found out their babies could match them; so fun! Website: www.elleplusrose.com Instagram: @elleplusrose Amanda - Little Wild Sprouts My girls love their new yoga waist leggings from Little Wild Sprouts! Most items at Little Wild Sprouts are made to order and customizable plus most fabrics are grown, printed, processed and dyed in the USA. Amanda always has such fun prints to choose from and I adore the tree design we got! My girls asked to put them on the second they saw them; they quickly became a favorite around here. Website: www.etsy.com/shop/LittleWildSprouts Instagram: @little.wild.sprouts Kim - Liberty Moccs Emma just received a pair of Liberty Moccs (not her first, we have loved them since she was a newborn!!) and they are so cute! I am completely in love with the fur but she has so many adorable styles to choose from, both for girls and for boys too. I love how they stretch around the opening making it easy for little feet to get in. Emma is totally in love with them and refuses to take them off. She uses them as her house slippers and she even wears them to bed some nights; it’s hard to find her without them! Website: www.libertymoccs.weebly.com Instagram: @libertymoccs Katie - Little Farmhouse Baby I have been using Little Farmhouse Baby products for quite some time and adore each new item I try! Don’t be fooled by the name, it’s not just for babies! Kids of all ages can benefit from their products and they even have a Mama line for women too. Among my favorites are their bath sprinkles, lip balm, lotion, liquid soap, and nighttime rollerball. Website: www.etsy.com/shop/littlefarmhousebaby Instagram: @littlefarmhousebaby Andrea Ames - Dot Dot Smile We adore DDS dresses and Andrea is always so helpful when it comes to finding the perfect ones for us! My daughters are in love with the twirly skirts and soft fabric. I’m in love with the quality and wearability. They continue to fit as they grow (we just put leggings underneath as they get shorter). They come in so many fun styles and beautiful prints; definitely a favorite around here! Facebook Group: https://m.facebook.com/groups/434806250228785 Instagram: @dotdotsmileandreaames {Originally published on November 11, 2018}
You guys, I’m so excited! My Amazon store is L-I-V-E!! Gift guides for him, for her, for kids, for baby, for pets and more are up! I get so many questions regarding my makeup and self care products that I made a section specifically for those and linked my faves. There is also a home section that includes items I get asked about frequently, like my super cute sofa table in the entry and my favorite $30 blender that I use daily for my shakes. I tried to link multiple finds of certain items, like slippers, so that depending on your price point you can choose to “splurge” on some high quality name brand items or “save” on some super cute affordable pieces! Hope you enjoy! My Amazon Store direct link is: www.amazon.com/shop/blushingwillows Be sure to follow me! {Originally published on October 21, 2018}
Gift giving can be so tricky, especially for kids. Will they like it for five minutes? Love it for two years? Instantly throw it in the bottomless pit of the toy chest never to be seen again?! I’ve compiled a list of the recent winners at our house (plus a few we have in our cart for birthdays and Christmas) to hopefully make your holiday (or birthday) shopping a bit easier. My girls are 2 and (almost) 5 but most of these items would be suitable for a greater age range. Brooke saw this doll on a commercial and quickly added it to her birthday list. You add water and the doll will cry tears (which is highly anticipated around here). Want your baby to stop crying? Shove a pacifier in her mouth and she stops. Can’t wait to see how this goes. If you have one, let me know if it has been a hit! Ours will be unwrapped at her birthday soon so time will tell. Shop this doll here: https://amzn.to/2CfKjiX My girls have Bitty Babies from the American Girl Doll Store and they are the most important to them and most played with dolls in our house. They’ve been wanting more clothing options but buying the American Girl outfits are on the spendy side and my girls always want their dolls to have matching outfits so any outfit we get is times two. I’ve been searching and purchasing outfits for them on Amazon at much lower costs and they are just as happy with them! Here are a few of our favorites: We bought this outfit https://amzn.to/2Cdpg0x and it has been a hit but I just realized you can get it plus 4 other outfits in a pack of 5 for around twice what we paid for one so this is definitely the better value: https://amzn.to/2CJ6HlT This cheetah print outfit https://amzn.to/2pUcj4e has also been a hit. It does NOT come with the shoes pictured. My girls love it though I don’t love giving them something with a headband since headbands always come off and in our house that means mom has to put them back on multiple times a day. Regardless, we got it and they love it. Here’s one toy that I had heard of but didn’t quite know what they were until looking into it further. These LOL Glam Glitter Dolls come in a ball that can be converted into a purse carrying case or doll display. Which doll you get is a surprise which makes them even more exciting to my girls. They come with accessories and each one cries, spits, tinkles, or changes color. Disclaimer: these aren’t recommended for children under 3 but my youngest always wants to do what big sister is doing and loves this type of toy so I make her keep them at the table to play so I can keep a close eye on her. Shop LOL Glam Glitter Dolls here: https://amzn.to/2EmW9L0 I bought these bath tablets https://amzn.to/2J0ia0Q over 2 months ago and they continue to be a hit! My girls never let me forget to add them to their bath. The set comes with 300 multicolor tablets and my girls like to “make” more colors by each throwing in a separate color and watching them mix together. We have a white tub and have had zero issues with the colors staining or sticking to the tub. One thing that really grabs my girls attention is little tinker toys. They love sitting up at the table and playing with Shopkins, Polly Pockets, and Hatchimals. This quiet time can be a game changer for when I need to get things done so I save pulling these out for times when I really need them to play quietly! Shopkins: https://amzn.to/2R61ec7 Polly Pockets: https://amzn.to/2PI7VR7 https://amzn.to/2CUr27T Hatchimals CollEGGtibles (what we have): https://amzn.to/2CSdk5D Hatchimals also makes a cute nursery playset for the CollEGGtibles: https://amzn.to/2R3bqSy and an interactive Burtle Baby: https://amzn.to/2S0fkNk Another thing that that has been a huge hit in our house is our KidKraft wooden dollhouse. It’s about 5ft wide and 5ft tall and my girls spend so much time playing with it! It came with adorable wooden furniture and is the perfect size for Barbies. I get my girls the Disney Princess Barbie sized dolls (like these $8 ones https://amzn.to/2R4sgjV ) for it and they love them. I couldn’t find the exact dollhouse we have, this one is a bit smaller, but we have a very similar (and same brand) castle dollhouse as this one: https://amzn.to/2qbFznv Belle Doll (other princesses also available!): https://amzn.to/2R4sgjV Here is ours that Brooke woke up to on her 4th birthday. Side note: it took us a couple hours to put together so if it’s a gift I recommend putting it together BEFORE you show your child-otherwise it might be really hard for them to wait to play with it since they’ll be so excited! This next one might just be our best purchase ever. It’s spendy but we have had it for two years with zero issues and it has gotten so much use! Our girls love it. We have this exact one: https://amzn.to/2JcjUEn Additional favorites and staples in our house for the last few years: Magnadoodle: https://amzn.to/2JafAoW Flash cards: https://amzn.to/2PNMSNa Memory: https://amzn.to/2PJV5lq Play-Doh: 10 for $8! https://amzn.to/2PMDucu Legos: https://amzn.to/2S8t60C Any thing your kids have been loving lately?! Boy moms: what are your little guys into? I have such a hard time shopping for boys since I only have girls-let me know what I should be getting for boy gifts! I’d love to get some ideas for Christmas! Haley Parker is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com {Originally published October 10, 2018}
I get asked quite frequently about the 30 Day Challenge I recently completed (and have now completed a few times) so thought I would create a post better explaining what it entails and how it has helped me balance my weight and nutrition. I have struggled with my weight as long as I can remember. I gain weight very easily and have always watched what I eat. Whether it be the toll (and incredible blessing) of my body carrying two babies or just the changes that happen as we approach 30, I definitely noticed it getting harder in the last few years. I noticed my sweet neighbor losing weight and not just that but she was always in such a great mood, literally glowing, so I had to know more. She told me all about it, answered all of my questions, helped me sign up, and I became hooked. Prior to this program I was already eating grain-free and (mostly) dairy free. I was drinking a couple cups of coffee in the morning and doing everything that I could to stick to vegetables, protein and very limited fruits for lunch and dinner but it wasn't working. Back to what the 30 days entails: no alcohol and no coffee. Yep, you heard me. I lived for coffee. I loved it. It was the first thing I did when I woke up each morning and I loved the flavor and how it made me feel. I was pretty worthless before getting my first two cups in each day so I was a little worried about eliminating it. When I signed up for the program it was about a week until that challenge group started so I took that time to gradually wean myself from coffee, having a little less each day until not having any. Much to my surprise, it wasn't that difficult. I was desperate for a change so I would have done it either way. The 30 Days to Healthy Living Challenge incorporates Arbonne nutrition products with healthy, balanced meals and there are no workouts involved in the plan. It is strictly nutrition based which I love. I know exercise is great for your body and love incorporating it into my life but YOU CAN'T OUT TRAIN A BAD DIET. Period. After signing up and purchasing my nutrition products to use in the challenge I was added to a Facebook Group with fellow challenge go-ers and coaches. It is very laid back, you are not required to post or participate at all, but coaches post helpful information, recipes and tips along the way to get you through the challenge. I really enjoyed being a part of this group. I learned so much about not only what I should and shouldn't be eating but also WHY. I had done plenty of research on my own, eliminated food groups, etc and was shocked at the results I received just within the first week of this program, let alone a whole 30 days. The concept behind the 30 Days to Healthy Living Challenge is that once the 30 days are up your tastebuds and habits have changed enough that after the program you can continue to follow the plan 80% of the time (and going off-plan 20% of the time) while still maintaining your results. The Challenge incorporates various Arbonne nutrition products along with a healthy, balanced diet (explained further once you are involved in the program) but the main products I used during the program and continue to use daily are the Protein Shake Mix and the Fizz Sticks. I have the shakes for breakfast and lunch just about every day and have at least two Fizz Sticks per day; they are my new, healthy version of coffee. Does it cost money to purchase these nutrition products? Yes. Does it cost money to eat how you currently do and buy fancy coffee drinks? YEP. The difference is you purchase enough for 30 Days at once so yeah that can be harder to stomach but you pay for food and coffee just the same in the end so I don’t feel like it’s an “added” cost. When I purchase I’m buying pretty much all of my breakfasts, lunches and my coffee substitute (fizz sticks) for 30 Days. All I have to worry about is dinner. Back to the good stuff. The Protein Shake Mix comes in Chocolate, Vanilla, and Chai and provides 20g of vegan protein, over 20 essential vitamins and minerals, and has been clinically tested and certified to have a low glycemic index, which has little effect on blood sugar levels and does not cause a spike in blood sugar. It can be shaken with water or almond milk or blended with ice, water, almond milk, berries, vegetables, seasonings, etc to your preference. My current favorite is the Vanilla blended with ice, water, pumpkin pie spice seasoning and a dash of cinnamon-perfect for fall! This is the blender I use. Under $35 on Amazon and works great! I also have a healthy 3 ingredient treat I make with the Chocolate mix for guilt-free snacking and use the Chai to make tasty pancakes! The Fizz Sticks come in a powder form that you mix into liquid to create a yummy, bubbly treat! I most commonly mix them in water but La Croix is a great mixer for it too! My favorite flavor is Blackberry but I like to switch it up with Pomegranate and Citrus too! Fizz Sticks contain antioxidants and a botanical blend of green tea, guarana and ginseng, combined with B vitamins and chromium and help boost energy temporarily, help promote alertness and enhance cognitive performance, help promote endurance and enhance motor performance, and help reduce fatigue. I definitely notice a difference after having one! It's the boost I need and I'm so glad I'm now getting it in a healthy manner. During my first 30 Day Challenge I lost 12 pounds and the second time I lost 10 and continue to maintain afterwards while continuing to follow the plan 80% of the time. Not only am I thrilled with the weight loss but my body feels so.much.better. I'm happier, less brain fog, sleep better, and my skin has cleared up quite a bit too. I didn't even realize how bad I felt until I realized how good it was possible to feel. Sounds super cheesy but this program has totally changed my life and I'd love for it to help even just one person feel better too. Another bonus that is huge for me is what a time saver it is. As a busy Mama and business owner I no longer need to think about what to make myself or spend much time making it. The downfall of most healthy meals is the prep time so I love that this is such a quick, healthy option for me! The shakes are also approved for kids and my girls drink them too. My youngest especially is a HUGE fan! For more information and to shop these products click here or feel free to message me! To become a preferred customer and receive 20-40% off all products click here. After completing my first 30 Days to Healthy Living Challenge and about 4 months of continuing to follow the program 80% of the time I signed up to be a coach/consultant and would be happy to answer any questions you may have. It's something I really believe in and have seen my own and others amazing results and love sharing about it in a very low key, no pressure way. |
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December 2021
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