When Pigs Fly – Motherhood + Style Blog

Has your baby or toddler got you stumped when people ask what to get them for a gift? I know I’m the same way! My 16 month old son is blessed with multiple grandparents, family, and friends who have gifted him toys. He had his 1st birthday in July and received many things then. We also buy him many things as well. I want to share some ideas for gifts they probably don’t have yet that are both quality and educational items that would be perfect for a Christmas or Birthday list!

LOVEVERY PLAY KITS

Lovevery offers play kits for kids ages 0-3 years. The items arrive together either every 2 or 3 months depending on the age. We have received 4 play kits now and I feel like each one gets better! They are grouped according to a specific age range and the toys are Montessori principal based. This means they’re all extremely practical and teach life skills. They are also quality made toys that can be played with for years to come and passed down to other kids. Each month includes a social story in the form of a board book. There is also always a puzzle and item(s) that work on gross motor skills. As a teacher, I love that everything is based on brain development research for the specific age of the child. I cannot recommend these play kits enough. They have free shipping and you can cancel at any time if you decide it’s not for you. This would be a great gift to suggest for a grandparent who wants to give your child something! We have gotten the babbler, pioneer, realist, and companion kits so far and they have exceeded our expectations! Click here to get 30% off with code: PLAYKITS30 #lovevery #loveverygift

BUSY BOARD

My son received this for his 1st birthday and has had a blast using it! It’s another Montessori based learning toy. It has all sorts of different manipulative items to entertain and engage children. There are features like a xylophone, push light, plug in, locks, shoe laces, and more. It is a real life applicable toy that can be used to teach skills while allowing kids to have fun doing it! We got the large one but there are smaller sizes available. We just slide it in the closet when it isn’t being used but you can also mount it low on the wall for safe use or just lay it on the floor to use!

PLAY KITCHEN SINK

This toy can be used inside or outside. The sink runs using batteries and water you fill it with. It comes with plates, cups, and utensils your child can “wash.” We typically put it on the back porch and let him go to town with it! You could also place it in your bathtub without anything else in it in the cooler months to contain the water when playing.

RADIO FLYER 3-N-1 FOLDABLE WAGON

The perfect wagon for around the neighborhood or on the go! It can support up to two people and a total of 150 pounds. It has a padded seat with seat belts to keep your little one safe at all times! There are also two cup holders for drinks. When you aren’t using it or need to transport then just fold it up!

DOONA LIKI STROLLER & TRIKE

It’s a bit of a splurge but this stroller and trike combination will grow with your child for years to come! It begins as more of a stroller with a handle for the adult, sunshade, seatbelt, and protective bar. Slowly over time it can be transformed to fit the child’s current level of independence in four separate stages through age 3. Folds and unfolds easily in seconds and can fit in the overhead bin of an airplane. We have loved ours! My son has had so much fun riding it. We will be taking it on a trip to Florida this March when we fly for my sister’s wedding!

RADIO FLYER 4’N’1 STROLL

This is a less expensive version of the Doona Trike. I don’t have personal experience with it but the reviews are great! It doesn’t completely fold up like the other trike is the only main difference I can see.

BALL PIT

Hours if fun for them–maybe less for you if the balls get strewn all around your home! My son has kept them in there more than I thought he would be we still definitely pick up our fair share of them. We only let him play with it for a period of time before putting it up which helps keep it fresh and us sane!

INDOOR/OUTDOOR SWING

We have been having fun in this for months! We hung ours outdoors but if you have a spot in your child’s room or playroom I would go for it. It’s very well made and padded with pillows. I feel very safe allowing him to swing in it and it’s been a great activity for us to do and get a little fresh air!

NUGGET COMFORT COUCH

We are giving Turner one of these for Christmas but it hasn’t arrived yet! It can be used as an actual couch for children or you can configure the cushions and pillows into different set ups. Think professional fort building! The Nugget website and Instagram has tons of ideas of how to assemble them for different activities. They do took a while to ship and won’t make it in time for Christmas but if your child has a January or February birthday now is the perfect time to buy it!

WATER TABLE

Turner loved his Water Table all summer and into fall! You can also put sand in them instead. There are toys and accessories that come with it to keep your little ones entertained! We place ours on the back porch so he is shielded from the sun and it is a great warmer weather activity.

PIKLERS TRIANGLE

This is another Montessori concept toy. You can buy one piece or all three: climbing triangle, climbing arch, and/or slide/climbing wall.

I’m going to be sharing book and stocking stuffer ideas soon for children so be on the lookout for those posts! Let me know if there are anymore ideas you’re needing for the holiday season in the comments.

(As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases from the items linked in this post.) Last year my son was 3 months old and amidst COVID we wanted to dress up as a family even though we knew we wouldn’t really be going anywhere. One of our favorite movies is The Greatest Showman. I knew we could easily replicate a similar look as Zenya and Hugh Jackman’s characters in the movie. We chose to have Turner be an animal from the circus. The most coolest part of our 2020 family Halloween costume is that Zendaya actually shared our photo to our Instagram which means millions of people saw it! I still can’t believe that. Today, I’m sharing how we created each look on a budget if you are looking for a costume idea for your own family this Halloween.

My costume was all purchased from Amazon.[paid link] (Another option) [paid link] I wore a pair of white boots [paid link] I already had (two other good choices: here [paid link] and here [paid link]) and used a hula hoop [paid link] from my mom’s classroom as a ring. I’m fully aware not everyone would be comfortable in this costume but I danced for 15 years so I’m used to wearing leotards. You could always add a skirt if you prefer! The wig I had was not great quality and I would suggest something like this instead.[paid link] (One more option) [paid link] Of course you could always color your hair pink and style it as well!

My husband’s costume was partially items he already owned. The jacket [paid link] was purchased from Amazon. We borrowed the top hat [paid link] from my mom. He wore a dress shirt and pants with the jacket we purchased. He wore Jordans but dress shoes probably would have been a better choice! 

We found my son’s costume at Walmart on sale. He hated the headpiece and I’m surprised we even got a photo of him in it. Here is an affordable option [paid link] I found. You could also do other animals like an elephant, tiger, or giraffe. You can definitely go a step further and use face paint/stage make up [paid link] to match whichever animal you go with. If you have multiple children they could even each be a different animal!

I’m currently planning this year’s family costume. I’m not sure anything will top last year’s but I’m definitely going to try! What are you and your family being this year for Halloween? Leave me your ideas below in the comments!

Turner’s 1st birthday was in July and we had a “My First Rodeo” theme for his party! This theme has become very popular over the past few years so there is plenty of inspiration on Pinterest. We chose to do a pool party due to the Texas summer heat. We have quite a few kiddos within our friend group so we knew this would be the perfect option! I wore this adorable gingham number from Buddylove Clothing. Turner wore a custom smocked Jon Jon from the Smocking Mama that I will absolutely keep forever! It is beautiful and we had his one year old photos made in it as well. My husband’s outfit is all from Peter Millar.

My mom made the decor and I was her assistant. The backdrop holder is from Amazon and I bought a red roll over paper to go on it. The banner at the top was made from tied pieces of printed fabric. The balloons on either side were in a kit at Hobby Lobby. We blew them up and attached them to a holder it came with then placed them on either side. This wasn’t necessarily hard to do but it definitely takes time. It was good having two people and a hand pump. If you make your own balloon garlands just be sure to have patience and extra time.

We got cheap black frames from Dollar General and framed photos of his 1 year photoshoot and invitation. I already had quite a few various cactus and western decor items that I sprinkled throughout. We placed flowers in a pair of my cowboy boots (we a cup inside for water) and a pitcher. I purchased cactus toothpicks, vintage looking cowboy napkins both from Amazon and the gingham plates came from Target. We served Chickfila nuggets and had a large Charcuterie board from Grazing East Texas for guests to snack on.

I found many different ideas for cakes on Pinterest and sent them to Trystin Reed of Say Grace. I told her to just make it cute! She always delivers and I loved the end result. She also made his smash cake. The cake topper and candle came from Amazon.

He wasn’t quite sure what to think about all of the attention or the cake! He didn’t eat as much of it as I thought he would but it was still fun. We placed a plastic tablecloth underneath for easy clean up. The banner on his chair was made by my mom.

These delicious cookies were made by Basket Full of Goodies! I found photos and sent them over to her. She also heat sealed them individually so guests could take them home with them!

The invitations were from ETSY and I had the digital file printed at Office Depot!

The balloon garland and “1” pictured here were done by One Sweet Soiree. Overall, I feel like for a first birthday party I controlled my urge to go too far overboard pretty well. I liked how everything turned out and all the guests had a great time. I’m already dreaming of next year’s 2nd birthday party and what the theme will be!

We just got home from the beach this past weekend! It was our first time taking our son. He was 10 months and actually turned 11 months while we were there. We had a great time but it is certainly different traveling with a little one. I’m sharing a few essentials that made our time at the beach much easier! *This post does contain affiliate links that a make a very small percentage of commission on if you purchase from them. This helps me pay for my domain name, WordPress subscription, etc which are all costs I have to maintain this website! :)*

Beach Tent

This is an absolute must have for me. Not an umbrella but an actual beach tent. Make sure it is one that has a bottom attached so your baby will not be directly on the sand. This is the exact one we have. I found a more affordable option here! Our tent kept him shaded which protected him from the sun and kept him cool.

Kiddie Pool

We just grabbed one once we got there but you could totally bring one with you! We placed the pool underneath the tent and killed it with fresh water. We were afraid the saltwater might irritate his skin. We only put about an inch or two of water in the pool but he was more than happy with that. It kept him cool especially one on day it was super hot with no breeze.

Stroller Fan

We used this inside the tent to circulate air. The one we have charges using a USB port. It also has 3 different settings. I take this thing everywhere and it comes in handy!

Hat + Rash guard

Keeping him protected from the UV rays at the beach was very important to me. I know he was still exposed to them despite spending 99% of the time in the shade while we were there. I love these hats since they shade the entire head and stay on well. I have him wear a rash guard to cover more skin as well!

Baby powder + make up brush

I had heard about this trick forever but was pretty skeptical it would actually work. I purchased some baby powder and a cheap makeup brush to apply it to his body to remove sand. It works really well! If you use it on skin with wet sand you do have to work a little harder but it truly is a lifesaver. I will never go to the beach again without it!

Sunscreen

You want to have plenty of sunscreen! We applied it before we even headed to the beach. I have been using Babo Botanicals both the stick and spray all summer. It has not irritated his skin ever. He will even rub it into his eyes sometimes and there has not been any issues! I love that the ingredients are pretty clean so we aren’t putting a bunch of chemical junk on his skin.

Squirt bottle

I literally had a 99 cent squirt bottle in my bag for tanning and ended up filling it up with freshwater for him to play with. He loved for us to squirt him and he would also play with the bottle himself. Cheap and easy entertainment!

Water book

A friend had one of these at the pool recently. It floats and this exact one changes color as it gets wet. He has been loving it lately!

Wagon

We did not need this because we stayed on the beach this time. If you aren’t staying directly on the beach then I would highly recommend having a wagon for transporting everything and baby. I have heard amazing things about the Veer Wagons but they are super pricey! A less expensive option I have looked at is the foldable Radio Flyer one. It has great reviews!

Pool float

We did not take Turner in the ocean and also did not have a pool where we stayed so we didn’t take a float. We do have floats at the pool we use at home and lake. He liked this one when he was much younger and now he enjoys this one. The one he likes now is pricier but it will last a long time. You can put them in it so many different ways and it has a pretty high weight limit so we will get a ton of use out of it!

Bonus things to bring are lots of patience and another set of adult hands to help if you are able! We had my parents and sister which was so helpful for getting him up to the room for nap time. We also had more people to help set up at the beach. I highly recommend help if you can swing it! What’s your biggest baby hack for the beach? We head back in March so I’d love to have some more tips for the next trip! Leave them in the comments.

Love,

Megan