My 2017 Summer Bucket List

Hey gang,

Summer is so close I can almost taste it! 

There are so many things I love about this time of year:  sun-kissed skin and cotton dresses and trips to the strawberry patch.  I love sitting on the porch swing eating popsicles while the littles run through the water sprinkler in the front yard.  And this year my own sweet girl will be running through those sprinklers.  I just. can't. wait!

I want to make the most of this summer.  So I've been working on a Bucket List of all the things I want to do!  Some are geared specifically towards little ones - like making homemade playdough!   But I like to think that most of these things would be fun for all ages.  Because who doesn't love a good blanket fort and building sandcastles?

2017 BUCKET LIST

• Host a wine night
• Swim in a lake
• Have a living room dance party
• Jump on a trampoline
• Swing on a tree swing
• Stargaze in the middle of nowhere
• Make a blanket fort
• Grow lavender in a pot
• Reconnect with an old friend
• Drink fresh-squeezed lemonade
• Spend a day at the beach
• Build a sandcastle
• Pick strawberries at the patch
• Bake a fresh strawberry pie
• Take a boat ride
• Go tubing
• Play in a water sprinkler
• Make homemade popsicles
• Stomp through rain puddles
• Play a board game
• Make a flower crown
• Plant a butterfly garden
• Create sun art
• Finger painting
• Visit an aquarium
• Picnic at the park
• Have a pillow fight
• Take pictures on a disposable camera
• Say yes to an unexpected offer
• Send a handwritten letter
• Give an unexpected gift
• Listen to country music
• Take a road trip to anywhere
• Read a book
• Go on a date with my husband
• Book a couples massage
• Plan a cookout
• Sit out by the fire pit
• Play with sparklers
• Watch fireworks
• Tailgate with friends
• Go camping
• Roast marshmallows over an open fire
• Go bowling
• Sign up for a charity walk
• Take a break from social media
• Watch a sunset

Whew!  That's all I have for now - but I'm sure I'll be adding to the list as the days go on.  In the meantime, what are some of your plans for the summer?  Are there any special summer traditions that you can't wait to share with your family and little ones?  I want to hear all about them in the comments below!

With love,

Lace

Baby Registry Do's & Don'ts

Hey mommas,

When I found out I was pregnant, I couldn't wait to create a baby registry!  Between morning sickness and weight gain, it was a fun distraction from some of the more painful aspects of pregnancy.  But I was also really naive about the process.  And looking back, there are a few Do's and Don'ts that I want to remember next time around ...

DO research products thoroughly.  Check online reviews and read product descriptions.  When my daughter was born, I couldn't wait to use our new Ergo 360 Carrier.   The only problem?  It needed an infant insert that wasn't included.  If I'd done a little more research, I could have put it on my registry instead of shelling out $20 on it later.

DO register for items with a variety of price points.  While it's important to register for the bigger items, make sure to include more affordable products as well, such as a changing pad and crib sheets.  This ensures all guests can afford a gift you're sure to love.

DON'T register for items that you're not willing to buy yourself.  Keep in mind that you'll likely need to purchase the things you don't receive at the shower.  Only register for items that are within your budget, especially if they come as part of a matching set.

DO tell guests about the registry.  Include registry information on the shower invitations.  Make sure to list the name of the store, location, website, and the name the registry can be found under.  Older guests may have a difficult time accessing online registries so consider including step-by-step instructions.

DON'T expect everyone to purchase off the registry.  Better to be prepared for some unexpected surprises and practice your "I love it!" face before the shower.  On that note, try to keep an open mind.  You might just receive the perfect gift you never even knew you wanted!

DO check the registry frequently.  Baby products often go out of stock or get discontinued.  If this is the case, you'll want to know about it sooner rather than later and make changes if needed.

DO register at more than one store.  It's great to register with small, local boutiques.  But you should also select a few items at big name stores like Target or Babies 'R Us!  Guests will appreciate the options and you'll increase the probability of receiving a gift you love.

DON'T put the same items on both registries.  It can be uncomfortable when two people purchase the same gift.  Even more important, it's a hassle to return items after the fact. 

DO think long-term.  You might not need a high chair or convertible car sear right away, but a few months down the road you'll be glad you have them!

I wish I'd had this list BEFORE my baby shower!  Hopefully it will help make things a litttttle easier for you - especially when it comes to managing expectations about gifts :)

With love and best wishes,

Lace

A Step-By-Step Guide for How to Take Weekly Bump Photos

Hi mommas!

Pregnancy is such an exciting time!  And the photos you take during these months will be the same ones you show your son or daughter one day.  So why not make them count?!

I started taking weekly photos as soon as I found out I was expecting.  I was four weeks along and so so so excited.  It didn't matter that I wasn't "showing" yet.  I jumped right into weekly photos and never looked back!

It took a little creativity, but I was able to shoot my weekly bump photos by myself without a single bathroom mirror in sight.  I did it - and you can, too.  Here's how:

• Choose an outfit.  Select a single outfit that you can wear throughout your entire pregnancy.  It makes it easier to track your bump as it grows and takes the guess work out of what to wear each week.  My pick?  A white Liz Lange for Target maternity tank and everyday grey leggings.  Simple and comfy.
• Choose a pose.  Just like my outfit, I stuck with one pose rather than switching it up every week.  I like the one-hand-on-your-hip-the-other-on-your-belly stance for a nice skinny arm effect.  Ha! 

• Choose a location.  If possible, use a blank stretch of white wall.  We moved halfway through my pregnancy and sticking to a white wall made it MUCH easier to recreate the scene at a second location.
• Be consistent.  Take your photos on the same day each week and around the same time.  I always took mine on Fridays in the A.M.  :)
• Set up your camera.  If you have professional photography equipment, great!  If not, don't stress.  I didn't have a fancy camera (or camera stand) when I was pregnant.  I was using a good old iPhone6!  And my husband is a terrible photographer (sorry, babe!) so I knew I couldn't count on him to help.  Instead, I propped my phone in a bowl on the counter, aimed it at the wall, then set the timer to give me time to get in position.  Sounds crazy, right?  But it worked! 
• Do some test shots.  Once everything is in place, try a few test photos.  Are you standing in the right position?  Does your hair look good?  Are your clothes bunched up?  Make adjustments before you take the final photo.  Also, try to position yourself using the Rule of Thirds.  In other words, you don't want to be in the exact center of the photo.

• Get creative (if you want).  I've seen so many cute ideas out there, like using letter boards or chalk boards to track pregnancy cravings.  So sweet!  While I love those ideas, I kept a video journal throughout my pregnancy to keep track of the little details so I didn't necessarily want to include them in my photos.  But I did do something a little creative ... When I was 30 weeks pregnant, I posed with my husband for my weekly photo.  For every other photo, I posed alone.  But I planned all along to use THIS particular photo to announce the pregnancy on social media and I wanted my husband to be a part of it.  If you're wondering what I did with all the photos I took before week 30, they were just for me and my immediate family :)

• Crop and edit.  Most phones have capable photo editors these days.  My favorite (free) editing tool, though, is Instagram!  I used it to crop all my photos and also added the Moon filter which gives you a soft black-and-white effect. 
• Choose what you want to share.  I'm super selective with my social media posts.  In my experience, a single striking photo gets a lot more "likes" than dozens of posts featuring similar content.  So while you could post every photo, you could also space it out to once a month or once a trimester.  I only posted two pregnancy photos - one announcing I was pregnant (at 30 weeks) and one just before I gave birth (at 38 weeks, pictured below).  With that being said, do what works best for YOU.  This is your pregnancy!

Well, that's all I've got for today! 

Are you going to try some these tips at home?  If so, I'd love to see the final photos or projects ... a mini flip book, maybe?  Whatever you do, have fun and don't forget to share them using #laceandlubump!

Good luck momma!

Lace