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Staying Home Sawyer

Real Life Living on a Real Life Budget

DIY

Donut-cha Know How Much I Love You?

9.03.2015

Leave a little love with Donut Love NotesI’m just going to throw it out there. My husband can’t whistle. Yup. There it is. When you start feeling like you’re having a bad day, just think about how much worse it could be. You could be pursing your lips, blowing air through the little hole, and getting nothing in response. You could look like a total fool just trying to get some noise, any noise, to come out of your mouth. You could fail miserably trying to whistle along with your favorite songs on the radio. You could never whistle while you work. The devastation is endless.

Clearly my husband needs a little cheering up every once in a while. I can’t imagine a life without whistling. It’s just too traumatic. So in order to get him smiling again, I like to leave him little treats in his lunchbox. Preferably with pink tags that are extremely feminine. The more flowers, hearts, and stars, the better. I only wish I could see his face when he pulls out these treats at work, in a room full of macho men. I’m sure they’re all jealous.

Leave a Donut Love Note for Someone SpecialFortunately for me, there are so many talented bloggers out there who design cute little tags when I don’t have the time. I found these little donut printables on Damask Love. You can print them here. There’s endless possibilities with these little cut-outs.

These are perfect treats for friends, neighbors, or co-workers that might be having an actual bad day. Although I’ll take any excuse to make little treats for my hubby, not being able to whistle does not actually count as a bad day. We are well aware that our life is pretty dang good. We are thankful every day for the blessings we have, and try to take time to appreciate everything we’ve been given. When I’m having what feels like a ‘bad day,’ I try to remind myself that it could always be worse.

Take a second to be grateful for your bad days. And then make a little treat for someone else, someone who is having a day worse than yours. Making someone else smile is the best cure to your bad day. Trust me.

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DIY, Party Planning

The Best Thing About Fall? Football!

9.01.2015

Easy Football Gift Basket

Okay, okay. I’m starting to accept this thing you all call Fall. I’ll deal with it for one reason, and one reason only. And that reason is not the Pumpkin Spiced Lattes that I mentioned yesterday. That one reason is most definitely: Football.

By now you know that I hail from Green Bay, Wisconsin. And if you don’t, you’re clearly not paying close enough attention, now are you? Being born and raised in the biggest football town in the country (self-proclaimed; if it’s not first, it is most definitely in the top three) has made me appreciate football. And if it wasn’t that, it would be the fact that if I wasn’t into football, I would seriously disappoint my parents. And since I’ve already done that a time or two in my teens (okay…maybe in my twenties too), we don’t have time for any more disappointments. Especially since the last major disappointment had something to do with me marrying a Bears fan. I moved all the way to California, just to bring home one of our biggest rivals. Good thing he has such a great personality. And good looks. Everything helps.

Easy Football Gift Basket  Dollar Store IngredientsSo in honor of the upcoming season (the one, in which the Green Bay Packers will take the Lombardi trophy back home to GB), I put my green and gold on and hit the stores. I ended up with a little football gift basket. You know, for all the parties I plan on being invited to. I think if they see this basket, they’ll definitely extend the invitation. And if not, I’ll add jello shots. Who would turn me down with jello shots?

What to put in a football gift basket

The Dollar Tree is my first stop, because they always have the in-season items I want (no plug there, right?). But really. A football serving bowl, football napkins, football plates, and football party tape?! Hello, SOLD. I bought it all. I also bought the potato skins, chocolate, and the beer mugs there as well. I mean, as I told you before, I cannot walk out without ten items.

Easy Football Gift Basket IdeasI would say I am fully prepared for another amazing football season. And since the Superbowl will be held in our area this season, I am really hoping that the Packers make it that far! I think it’s a very realistic dream.

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DIY

Ding Dong Ditch!

8.31.2015

Ding Dong Ditch your Neighbors with this cute treat  I cannot believe how fast summer came and went. All this talk about Pumpkin Spice Lattes is making me sick. I am not a fall/winter type of gal. I will take my summers year-round thank you very much. I can’t very well be expected to read next to the pool in 40 degree weather, now can I? Who needs a PSL when you can have a cocktail next to the pool? I need to move to an island; the sooner the better. Until then, I will continue bringing smiles to the world. Or maybe just my condo complex. Okay, maybe just to Lucy.

I made these Ding Dong Ditch treats last year, and decided to re-vamp the tag a little. You can print the new tag here.

Lucy Loves Ding-DongsAs you can see, Lucy clearly enjoyed the photography session today. In Brendan’s words, “She is such a gorgeous beast.” She eyed those Ding Dongs as if they were a can of freshly opened tuna.

You've Been Ding Dong Ditched Ding-dong ditch your neighbors*No Cats Were Harmed in the Photography of the Ding Dongs*

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Travel

Evelyn Takes the Bay Area

8.27.2015

San Francisco, California, Golden Gate BridgeIn case you haven’t noticed, I’ve been a little MIA lately. I just thought I’d let you know, since you probably didn’t actually notice. My mom noticed, so I guess that’s all that counts right? Right.

So where have I been? Traveling the world? I wish. Really, I’ve just been bumming around the Bay Area again. We had house guests for a while, which is typically the only reason I go bumming around the Bay Area. The traffic in and out of San Francisco is a good reminder of why we don’t make trips up there that often. Unless I’m getting ready to try out a new cheeseburger place in the city, my heart is just not in the trip.

San Francisco California, Toddler on the BeachI promise I’ll get back to crafting again soon, but until then, I thought I’d share a little visual tour of our weekend. Mostly through the eyes of my cousin’s daughter Evelyn. Who is the most beautiful five year old I’ve ever seen. That, and the random toddler in the photo above. The photo was just too good not to share!

San Francisco, California Golden Gate Bridge.My favorite photo of the entire weekend is below (to see it in color, check out Instagram –  you’ve got to see her beautiful eyes). Maybe I’ll get real ambitious and enter it in a photography contest. What do you think?

San Francisco, California Golden Gate Bridge

We found a cool playground in the middle of Chinatown, in San Francisco. It turned out to be pretty fun for Evelyn, who was a pro at the monkey bars. I, however, pulled every muscle in my body attempting to cross them. This mysterious ‘getting old’ thing really blows. I used to be a borderline Olympic athlete when it came to the monkey bars.

San Francisco, California, Chinatown playgroundChinatown, San Francisco California Card GamesWe had to make a pit-stop at CREAM (ice cream sandwiches). Clearly, she didn’t enjoy her sandwich at all. I don’t even think she left one bite uneaten.

Cream Ice Cream Sandwiches.Cream Ice Cream Sandwiches

We took Evelyn to Santa Cruz, where she had a blast in the waves. Being from Wisconsin doesn’t leave you with a lot of ocean experience. She was a natural.

Santa Cruz, California

On the last day, we took her to Big Basin State Park, to see the redwoods. She was more excited to practice her “balance beams” with the fallen trees than seeing the in tact ones. Apparently she’s practicing her gymnastics to take the Olympic athlete title away from me.

Big Basin State Park, RedwoodsI think Evelyn (and her mom) had a pretty eventful weekend. They saw almost everything there is to see in this area and then some. So tell me, which photo is your favorite?

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About Me

About Me

Hi Mamas! My name is Shauna, a 30-something (big emphasis on the 'something') new mama and wife living in Southern California. I've become a Stay At Home Mom to Sawyer, and I would do it forever if I could! I'm originally from Wisconsin and am a total Cheesehead! I'm here to share DIY's, travel tips, and baby stuff I'm sure!

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Shauna Bligh

stayinghomesawyer

When I became a stay at home mom, I thought it wou When I became a stay at home mom, I thought it would only be for a year at most. But as it turned out, I was lucky to be able to make it last as long as it has. What no one ever tells you though about becoming a SAHM, is that your whole identity can get wrapped up in being a mom. And for some women, that’s not a good thing. But for me, it’s a phenomenal thing. It’s an incredible time in my life that I wouldn’t trade for anything. That doesn’t mean I’m not exhausted or irritated at all, it just means I’ll take all of the negatives because the positive completely outweighs it for me. 

This should go without saying, that if you AREN’T satisfied with just being a mom, that’s okay too. For some women, having something else that is THEIRS makes them a better mom. And more power to you!

#stayathomemomlife #stayathomemoms #motherhoodquotes #motherhoodinspired #motherhoodintheraw #motherhoodmoments
Back when I was growing up (wayyyyyyy back then), Back when I was growing up (wayyyyyyy back then), it seemed like most people grew up around their extended families. By the time I was in my twenties, it just seemed more likely that you’d be living away from your home towns, starting your own life. But what we didn’t realize was what that meant down the road, when we would start our own families. That our village wouldn’t be made of our family, but instead close friends. The only problem with that, is that most other young parents are working to support themselves, thus aren’t always available to be your village. It can be hard to ask a friend for help when you know she’s simultaneously drowning in her own house. 

So if it “takes a village,” but you’re doing it on your own, I see you. It’s HARD, and it is exhausting. But one day we will be on the other side of these days, telling our babies that it takes a village. And hopefully, we will be right down the road to help them. 🩵

#ittakesavillage #motherhoodquotes #motherhoodlens #parentsupport #parentalk #momtomom #momproblems
After having my first daughter, I felt like I knew After having my first daughter, I felt like I knew a lot about parenting. I had it down, we had a routine and a schedule and she was pretty easy to handle. Then we had a second. And I realized that everything I THOUGHT I knew about parenting was a lie. I wasn’t a pro at “parenting,” I was a pro at parenting HER. Now I do everything I can not to laugh when a mom of only one child talks like I did. I get it, we’ve been there too, and I’m not judging. But the more kids you add in, the more experience you get as a parent. Because every personality is SO different, that the way you parent one isn’t always the same as the way you parent the others. 

Thoughts?
When I heard this audio, I instantly loved it. It’s such a crazy thing to see in nature, that God is showing us just how stressful and depleting being a new mama can be. 

So if you’re in the thick of it mama, just know you’ll get your pink back soon.

#momtruth #momlifeunfiltered #realmomlife #realmoments #thisismomlife #mamaofgirls
We can’t always wait around for someone else to We can’t always wait around for someone else to take the videos we want of us with our babies. Set up the camera and take it yourself, you won’t regret it for a second.

#momsanddaughters #mybabygirls #momlifeunfiltered #realmomlife #realmotherhood
Motherhood is quite the adventure. Tell me, where Motherhood is quite the adventure. Tell me, where can I find a map?

#motherhoodiscolorful #motherhoodisdarling #parentinghacks #parentingquotes #mothering #mamaofgirls #girlmama #strawberrypicking
Too bad we can’t bring her home with us! I guess Too bad we can’t bring her home with us! I guess it just means we will be visiting the library a lot more often. 

#dogbestfriend  #adogspurpose #dogsbestfriend #furbabies🐾 #motherhoodintheraw #amotherslove #corememory #locallibrary
Listen, in my defense, we saved $400 and it was on Listen, in my defense, we saved $400 and it was only an hour flight…

#spiritairlines #spiritairlinessucks #cheaptravel #budgettravel #budgetfriendly #funnyhusband #husbandgoals
I don’t think we talk enough about how great it I don’t think we talk enough about how great it feels when your child feels safe with someone else. It may be a family member or a best friend, but it’s such a good feeling to know they have another rock in their life. 

#supportsystem #childhoodwonders #parentingquotes #parentinggoals #raisingdaughters #momlifeunfiltered
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