Staying Home Sawyer

Real Life Living on a Real Life Budget

Products I Love

IncrediBundles Diaper Subscription

Anyone else have a ridiculous time picking out gifts for new babies or baby showers? Now that I have one of my own, I realize there are a million things that each person thinks you need. And none of it is the same. But what is one thing that every new parent needs? Diapers. Lots and lots of diapers.

But there’s a problem with that too. Diapers are all different. Different brands, different types even in the same brand, wrong sizes, etc. So what’s the solution? A diaper subscription service of course. And not just from any old company, but from IncrediBundles diaper subscription.

Sound interesting? It’s super easy too. Both for the giver and the receiver (I’d know, because I went through the process just to make sure – can’t be steering you in the wrong direction now can I?). It’s as easy as 1, 2, 3.

Step 1: YOU Select a Subscription Length (there are 3, 6, 9, and 12 month options).

Step 2: THEY Send an Announcement Package: after you sign up, they send your recipient the cutest box and adorable stuffed animal (see Sawyer’s love for this toy above and below) that announces the gift package. There will be instructions and a gift code to redeem.

Step 3: YOUR RECIPIENT Redeems Their Diapers: this is the best part. They get to choose which brand (and yes they have all the good ones), which size, and when to have them delivered.

Click here to learn more!

Lifestyle, Products I Love

Teeth Whitening for an Instagram Worthy Smile

I haven’t always been in love with my smile. When I was in middle school I had the unfortunate experience of having two large front teeth which got me a very unflattering nickname. So keeping my smile white was always important to me – it was the only thing I could control. I’ve tried just about everything from whitening toothpastes to whitening strips and more. While they tend to help right away, I’ve never found the exact results I was looking for.

So I was absolutely thrilled when Smile Brilliant offered to send me one of their teeth whitening kits. I jumped right in to create my custom trays and got to whitening, because no one has time for off-white teeth. Especially when you’re taking this many photos. It’s all for the Gram guys.

Smile Brilliant is a super easy system to use, you just create your custom trays and fill with the whitening gel. You choose how long to keep the gel on, so if your teeth are a little sensitive, you don’t have to keep it on for a lengthy period of time. That’s also helpful for when you just don’t have hours to waste on teeth whitening. Because let’s be honest mamas, we don’t always have the time to spare. The kit also comes with a desensitizing gel, which I personally loved!

I’ve always had somewhat white teeth, but I didn’t realize how much whiter they could get before I tried this system. I’m so happy with my smile now (and have been complimented so much!), something that’s very important for me, seeing as how Sawyer is constantly making me smile and laugh!

I can’t say enough about this teeth whitening system. If you’re looking for something to help your smile be a little (or a LOT) brighter, this is your kit. And lucky for you, I’m partnering with them to give one of my readers a free kit! Just enter the giveaway HERE. Even if you don’t win, you’ll get 15% off your own purchase.












DIY
5 Year Anniversary Gift: Wood


  
I’ve always been a procrastinator. As in I usually wait until the day before I need something to start making it. It has always worked for me before, I did my best work under pressure. But then I threw a baby in the mix and now it just does not work out as well. I think I’ll have enough time and we’ll have a blowout and she’ll need a wardrobe change. She’s such a diva.




So this year, I didn’t go crazy for our five year anniversary. It just wasn’t happening. Unless Sawyer turned herself into a piece of wood, he wasn’t getting the cherished 5th wooden anniversary gift. We weren’t doing gifts. Nope, just dinner.




Until the day before our anniversary. Who was I kidding? It’s me. I had to make him something. It didn’t have to be anything special, just something. I’ve made the wooden coasters before, but I wanted to do something a little different for him. Just a keepsake, something special. You know, to let him know I was thinking of him. Because cleaning, cooking, and raising a tiny human is not enough (in my mind, not his. In his mind I deserve an award every day for keeping her alive).




I went to Michael’s and walked around the wood aisle. Yes, there’s a whole aisle dedicated to wood. I know, mind blown.




I decided on a wooden box that I would stain. I picked up some wooden slices (because I live in California, and I can’t just go cut down some branches from my backyard without the city fining me), and I printed photos for each one. I did one for each year, our anniversary photo on one side and the ‘best’ photo from each year on the other.




Not surprisingly, he loved it. I had to admit it only took a few hours, but he couldn’t have cared less. After all, it’s from the heart. My heart. 😉




Products I Love
Must-Have Baby Product: DockATot


  


I like to think of myself as somewhat low-maintenance. Perhaps my husband would disagree with me, but I’ll remind him when he’s blow drying his hair and applying his nightly face mask that I am the easy one. I mean, it’s been a few days since I’ve washed my hair (hello mom bun!), and I don’t think I’ve had more than five minutes to apply anything to my face in ten months. Since October 2017 to be exact.


So when it came to being a new mom, I didn’t think things would change too much. I’ve seen people lugging bag upon bag with them just to run into Target. Or five suitcases when they’re at the airport. I vowed I wasn’t going to be that mom, but then again, what did I know?


When I was pregnant I got hooked by a Pinterest ad for the Dockatot. It just looked so cool and sounded like such a good product. It’s a multi-functional lounger, co-sleeper and playtime lounger (with two sizes, one for 0-8 Months, and one for 9-36 Months). Usually my husband is the one that gets hooked by marketing, but here I was, wanting to buy this pricier item I found on Pinterest. Who was the high maintenance one now?


I had an unused gift card to Nordstrom (where I’ve never shopped in my life) and guess who sells the Dockatot? I figured it was fate, and I jumped on the “Add To Cart” button and bought that baby.




It arrived and it looked as perfect as I thought it would be. From the first night home from the hospital, Sawyer has been sleeping in her dock. And sleeping she does. She’s been sleeping twelve hours straight (on average) since she was about four months old. I’d like to say that it’s all because of how amazing her mama is, but let’s be real here: I basically don’t even know what I’m doing 90% of the time.




For nine months we loved that DockaTot Deluxe. She slept in it every night (with the exception of two trips across the country, where shocking, she didn’t sleep well). Best Nordstrom’s gift card I’ve ever spent.


Then she grew up. Okay, not really ‘up,’ but out. I needed to size up to the next size, which was a little more pricey. But guess what. I didn’t even question if we needed it this time. There was no question – getting good sleep is worth every penny. So for us, not having the larger size was not an option. We were getting the Grand. We received the product compliments of DockaTot, and boy were we thrilled!




And as you can tell, we take it everywhere. To the beach, on road trips, to our friends house for sleepovers. Everywhere. She’ll probably take it to college with her. And if you’re thinking she’ll have grown out of it by then, you’d be mistaken, because I may have crawled in there with her once or twice and fit quite well.


If you’re considering purchasing one, you definitely have my vote. I wouldn’t ever promote something unless I felt that it was a great product, so there’s that. But some added benefits include:


Made in Europe, designed in Sweden

Tested for breathability

OEKO-TEX certified

All natural, 100% cotton

Handmade in Europe

Ideal micro-climate for babies and tots

Grand is perfect for toddler bed transitions


Check out the DockaTot products on their website! You can find our exact one here.