Wednesday, 14 December 2016
Monday, 12 December 2016
Last Minute Gifts for Everyone on Your List
Some people consider it last-minute shopping if they aren’t finished with their holiday shopping the first week of December. Then there are the folks who are calm as cucumbers finishing their shopping on Christmas Eve.
That was my dad when I was growing up. He wasn’t frazzled about it, but every year he went out on Christmas Eve to get that shopping done. I know it drove my mom crazy, but he’s just a last-minute kind of guy.
I’m somewhere in the middle of these two extremes. I’m not done with my Christmas shopping yet, and I’m starting to feel a small panic start, but I know there’s still time to get it done. I won’t be waiting until Christmas Eve to finish, that’s for sure!
This list is for everyone who still has some gifts to buy. I tried to include as many random categories as possible, so hopefully this helps you get those last minute gifts purchased! Everything on the list is from Amazon, which is my favorite way to get my last minute gifts on time. I seem to have forgotten what life was like before Amazon Prime.
Ready to shop? I hope you can finish your shopping with this list!
Please note that links to Amazon are affiliate links, which means if you purchase using my links, I will receive a small percentage of the sale. Thank you for supporting Happy Healthy Mama!
Last Minute Gifts for Tech Lovers
Bose QuietComfort Wireless Headphones
Bose makes the best noise-cancelling headphones in the business, and these ones are wireless! Yes, this is the most expensive gift on my list, but I had to include it because these are awesome. Gift these to the splurge-worthy tech-loving love of your life.
I didn’t know this existed until I started researching this post, but now I want this. This thing plays music, answers questions, sets timers, can control your appliances, notify you about calendar appointments, give you traffic information about you commutes, and more! Seriously, the future is here. It’s called Google Home and anyone you give this to will be grateful.
This cool gadget turns your artwork, notes, or lists into digital files. With a push of a button, send whatever handwritten thing you want to your device. Think about the possibilities! So much fun.
Last Minute Gifts for New Parents
Any parent who’s been up late with a baby in their arms knows it can get boring. Bright lights or sounds can disrupt trying to get the baby asleep, but reading with a soft glow is perfect! This is such a thoughtful gift for new parents.
Give this one to the new parents in your life who have a sense of humor. The first time I read this book I was laughing out loud. It’s so relatable to any parent who’s felt frustration at bedtime. So yeah, every parent.
There are swaddle blankets, and then there is The Miracle Blanket. Newborn babies constantly startle themselves awake with their arms, and swaddling is a lifesaver for many parents. The Miracle Blanket was a God send for us as it makes swaddling super easy and keeps baby nice and tight. By far the best swaddling blanket we tried, and we tried a bunch.
GoPod Portable Baby Activity Station
Where was this cool contraption when my babies were little? This is a go-anywhere portable play station. I love that you can add (and change out when baby gets bored) your own toys to the velcro rings. This is a practical gift new parents will really appreciate.
Last Minute Gifts for your Crunchy Friends
The good thing is you can never have too many of these! The more you add to your dryer, the faster the clothes dry and the better the anti-static power.
Stainless Steel Drinking Straws
Every eco-conscious person will appreciate these stainless steel straws. They fit in a variety of travel cups or are great for smoothies or drinks at home. We love ours!
Perfect cleaning with just water! I recommend these e-cloths all the time because I think they are wonderful. They are proven to last for up to 300 washes and do a magnificent job on harder to clean things like stainless steel and also give me streak-free windows. Love, love, love these.
Organic sheets are better for the environment and better for our skin. This is a thoughtful gift anyone would love.
Last Minute Gifts for (Healthy) Foodies
Le Creuset Stoneware Casserole Dish
Le Creuset cookware is as beautiful as it is practical. The foodie in your life will be ecstatic to get a new piece of cookware for their collection. You can’t have too many!
Oh She Glows Everyday cookbook
The healthy foodie in your life is sure to love Angela Liddon’s second cookbook. I’ve never been disappointed in Angela’s recipes.
These infused olive oils will bring some unique flavors into a lucky foodie’s life! Perfect for bread dipping or salad dressings, these make a great gift.
Last Minute Gifts for Book Lovers
If you have a reader in your life, why not get them a cute and fun tote for their library books? This is hilarious!
For the person who has so many books, but can’t give them away, some fun bookends would be a thoughtful gift. These bicycle bookends are super cute!
If you have a serious reader in your life who also loves to cook, I’ve found the perfect gift! The recipes in this cookbook are from great books of literature. It also includes the passages from the books that feature the recipes. This is a really unique gift!
Last Minute Gifts for Teens
I actually know a few tweens with this camera on their list, so this one isn’t just for teens. These instant cameras are so fun and much cuter than the polaroid cameras from back in the day.
Back to the Roots Water Garden Fish Tank
What teen wouldn’t love to have this garden fish tank in their room. It’s looks super cool and they can pick their own betta fish to live in it (it comes with a coupon for the betta fish). Bonus: they get to learn all about how this aquaponic tank is a closed-loop ecosystem.
Teens Cook: How to Cook What You Want to Eat
Every teen needs this book. If you know a teen who doesn’t know how to cook, do them a big favor and buy them this cookbook. Their 25-year-old self will thank you!
Need more inspiration? Check out all my holiday shopping guides!
Unique Gift Ideas for Kids
Gift Ideas for Grandparents Who Have Everything
Gift Ideas for Mom (That She’ll Actually LOVE)
Unique Gift Ideas for Men
The post Last Minute Gifts for Everyone on Your List appeared first on Happy Healthy Mama.
source http://happyhealthymama.com/last-minute-gifts-everyone-list.html
Friday, 9 December 2016
Wednesday, 7 December 2016
Monday, 5 December 2016
Sunday, 4 December 2016
Unique Gift Ideas for Kids
Do you need some unique gift ideas for kids? It’s time for another holiday shopping guide! How are you doing on your Christmas shopping? As I’m writing this, Christmas is only three weeks away. How can that be? I’ve scoured the web to find some great, unique gifts for kids. I’m pretty sure I’ve finished my Christmas shopping for my own kids as I researched this post! I hope you find some great gifts for your own kids, grandkids, nieces, and nephews!
Please not that affiliate links are present. That means, that if you purchase through my links, at no extra cost to you, I will receive a small percentage of the sale. Thank you for supporting Happy Healthy Mama!
Unique Gift Ideas for Kids
Seriously, how cute are these?! There are eight different animals–you must check them out. Any little girl will look adorable in these fun socks. If you have or know a little girl who is into fashion or just loves animals, these are the perfect gift.
Click here to purchase the Animal Knee Socks on Amazon.
Not only will kids love hiding out in this teepee, parents will love it because it’s gorgeous! This is a neutral color (duh–white) and will compliment any decor. It’d be great for a play room, living room, or bedroom. My kids love playing in tents, and I’m sure most kids do.
Click here to purchase the White Canvas Teepee from Etsy.
A Little Passports Subscription
My daughter Meghan received this gift from an aunt and uncle a few years back, and it’s still one of my all-time favorites. Every month a package would come in the mail with a new country to explore. Her passport got filled up with different countries around the world and she loved the activities that went along with the learning. So much fun!
Click here to get 15% off your order at Little Passports. Use Code JOLLY15.
This engraved guitar would make a special gift for a little girl or little boy. Do you have a music lover? This is a personal and thoughtful gift!
Click here to order the engraved guitar from Etsy.
Do you have kids who have more energy than they know what to do with (raises hand…). The Gorilla Gym is what you need! Let them get all that energy out when the weather is bad with this awesome gift. It hangs right in the doorway and comes with interchangeable parts for different activities. Check out over 200 positive reviews on Amazon. This one is a winner.
Click here to purchase the Gorilla Gym from Amazon.
This is for the child who loves to build. What a unique way to encourage that! The pegs can be assembled 7 different ways and it encourages fine motor skills. If you aren’t sure what toys the child you are buying for has, this is most likely not a toy most kids already have.
Click here to order the Deco Tress from Imagine Toys. Hint: right now you can save $30 on orders over $100 from Imagine Toys. Use code countdown30.
This might be the most perfect doll ever. Goldie is more of an action figure than a doll, with bendable joints. The child builds the zip line for Goldie and then she can use it! This toy encourages basic engineering skills, spatial skills, and problem solving. So cool!
Click here to order GoldieBlox and the Zipline from Imagine Toys. Hint: right now you can save $30 on orders over $100 from Imagine Toys. Use code countdown30.
It’s My Biz Ultimate Business Guide
This is a gift that speaks to my heart. I think it’s so important to encourage and nurture the entrepreneurial spirit. This gift shows kids the basics of setting up and running their own business. It’s never to early to learn and kids love doing it! This one is geared towards girls. I tried to find something similar for boys, but didn’t have any luck.
Click here to purchase It’s My Biz Ultimate Business Guide from Imagine Toys. Hint: right now you can save $30 on orders over $100 from Imagine Toys. Use code countdown30.
You know I love gifts that encourage active kids! This one is great. My kids have been asking for a slack line for years, but we don’t have the two perfect trees for it, so this looks like a great alternative. Bonus? You can use this inside or outside, so it’ll get used all year long!
Click here to get the Balance Blox from Imagine Toys. Hint: right now you can save $30 on orders over $100 from Imagine Toys. Use code countdown30.
At first glance, this doesn’t look like much. But when you think about the possibilities, it’s awesome! The plastic thing carries a piece of sidewalk chalk, and then it attaches to a bike. Then kids can use their bike to draw! Think of the huge designs your child will be able to make in your driveway! You have to check out the video (follow the link) to see this thing in action. It’s one of the best inexpensive unique gifts for kids!
Click here to purchase Chalktrail for Bikes from Imagine Toys. Hint: right now you can save $30 on orders over $100 from Imagine Toys. Use code countdown30.
We got this for our daughter, Meghan, when she was three and it still gets used for dress up by both kids today. You can personalize it by color, style, and of course, letter. It’s great quality and has held up very well despite getting used a lot for five years. I highly recommend!
Click here to purchase the personalized Superhero Cape from Amazon.
I hope this gift guide helps take some of the work out of your Christmas shopping. These unique gift ideas for kids are fun, different, and great for a wide range of kids. Happy shopping!
Please check out the rest of the gift guides I’ve published this season:
Gift Ideas for Grandparents Who Have Everything
Gift Ideas for Moms (That She’ll Actually Love!)
The post Unique Gift Ideas for Kids appeared first on Happy Healthy Mama.
source http://happyhealthymama.com/unique-gift-ideas-for-kids.html
Friday, 2 December 2016
Healthy Year Challenge Update
Wow! We are in the last month of the year, which means that it’s the last month of the Happy Healthy Mama Healthy Year Challenge. I started this challenge in January as a way to keep us focused on our health all year long, not just during those first few months of the new year when ambition and motivation are at their peak. I wanted to keep health a priority throughout the year, when New Year’s Resolutions are typically forgotten.
It worked! I kept my health and my family’s health at the forefront of my mind every single month. I focused on a new aspect of health each month. It feels good. Let’s take a quick look at the different challenges we did each month.
January was Cut the Sugar Month
February was the Eat More Plants Challenge
March was the Healthy Sleep Challenge
April was the Move More Challenge
May was the Use Less Plastic Challenge
June was the Gallon a Day Water Challenge
July was the Mindfulness Challenge
August was the 31-Day Smoothie Challenge
September was the Declutter Challenge
October was the Try New Foods Challenge
November was the Healthy Home Challenge
Isn’t it cool to see all the different things we focused on this year? What I found very encouraging was even after the month of the specific challenge was over, it was still on my mind and I continued to focus on it. The month of focus cemented it into my brain. Each challenge has had a cumulative effect and I’ve been more aware of every aspect of my health this year than ever before.
Now let’s take a look at how the November Challenge went and what we are focusing on this month!
November Healthy Year Challenge Update
Healthy Home Challenge
At the beginning of this challenge I realized that I really do many of the things on this list already. So I really had one main focus I wanted to think about this month: indoor air quality. As I read more and more about how poor the quality of air is inside our homes and the negative impact it can have on our health, it’s become a concern for me. Really concerning is that poor indoor air quality can lead to health problems down the road, so it’s easy to be unaware that the air is unhealthy and having a negative effect.
Himalayan Salt Lamps
One thing that I did was purchase some Himalayan Salt Lamps for our bedrooms. Himalayan Salt Lamps create negative ions in the air, which help neutralize positive ions. Positive ions are created by electronic devices and can make health problems such as allergies, stress, or sleep trouble worse. Negative ions are most often found in nature, especially near water.
According to Wellness Mama, “Places like waterfalls and beaches where negative ions are naturally produced can have a negative ion concentration of up to 10,000 negative ions per cubic centimeter whereas busy cities can have negative ion levels as low as 100 ions per cubic centimeter.” (source)
Himalayan salt lamps are thought to release negative ions by heating, which many claim can boost blood flow, improve sleep, increase levels of serotonin in the brain, and calm allergy or asthma symptoms.
The salt lamps are also thought to help purify the air because salt is hygroscopic. That means the lamps attract water molecules from the air; and in turn trap dirt, pollen, and/or smoke particles which are carried in water vapor. It is thought that once these airborne contaminants have been locked in the salt, clean water is re-released. There’s your purifying affect.
I think it’s too early to tell if I notice any difference from the salt lamps. I do plan to get at least one more for our main living space, I just started with our bedrooms because of the cost.
Open the Windows
The other thing I’ve focused on is remembering to open the windows every day for fifteen minutes. Such a small gesture, but it’s simple and free and can have a great impact on your air quality! I hate doing it when it’s so cold outside and we’re trying to heat the house, but just 15 minutes a day is worth the return of cleaner air for us to breathe. Wouldn’t it be great if it was perfect open-window weather all year round?
Plants to Improve Indoor Air Quality
Lastly, I have been researching which plants to buy to improve our indoor air quality. I decided to wait until after Christmas to buy the plants, but you can check out this list to see some of the plants I’m considering.
I would love to hear what you did this month to make your home a healthier place. Please share in the comments!
December Healthy Year Challenge Announcement
December is a busy, hectic month for everybody. As I brainstormed ideas for what I wanted the challenge to be for December, I realized something. Adding a challenge to this month, even a challenge that focuses on health, is adding another thing to my every growing list of things to do. Adding something more could actually make my health worse by adding stress.
Instead, I decided that when it comes to my health there’s going to be one focus this month: maintenance. This month, the challenge is to MAINTAIN our healthy habits. NOT put our health totally on the back burner because we’re busy. I’m not looking to start a new habit or do anything more than what I usually do, but I don’t want to lose ground, either. (SO easy to do during the holidays!)
That’s my challenge to you and to myself during this month. Make good choices, indulge, but not too much, and keep on a healthy track. Even if you aren’t as healthy as you want to be right now, just work on not getting worse during December. Maintain.
I hope you’ll join me in this last month of the year’s challenge to maintain our health! It’s too easy to let it go during the holidays. Let’s work together to not let that happen!
The post Healthy Year Challenge Update appeared first on Happy Healthy Mama.
source http://happyhealthymama.com/healthy-year-challenge-update.html