Kelsey Diane

Cariloha Bedding Review & A Giveaway

This August my husband and I will celebrate eight years of marriage.

We didn't have a bridal registry when we got married, and we were only 19 & 22, so all the items we needed for our home were purchased on a pretty strict budget.

One thing we didn't feel the need to splurge on back then were bed sheets.

We purchased a couple sets of clearance twenty dollar sheets and have been rotating those for the past 8 years.

We were long overdue for some new bedding, so we decided it was time to try something new!

We went with Cariloha's Resort Bamboo Bed Sheets after hearing great reviews from friends.

You guys!
I never want to leave my bed now that I have these new sheets.
If I could go back 8 years - I would tell my newlywed self that good bed sheets are a MUST.
Boy, have I been missing out!
The Resort Bamboo Bed Sheets are the SOFTEST bed sheets ever!
The kids have requested that our nightly Story Time be switched to Mommy & Daddy's room so they can lie on the soft sheets!
The Resort Bamboo Bed Sheets are also 3 degrees cooler than cotton.
It's basically like your sleeping on the cold side of the pillow all night long.
AMAZING.
I've teamed up with Cariloha to give away a set of their Resort Bamboo Bed Sheets to one of my readers.
Hop on over to my Instagram to find out how to enter!

Kelsey
Ox.

Thank you Cariloha for parterning with me for this post.
I received this product in exchange for my honest review.
Thoughts are 100% my own.

It's Okay To Ask For Help
You know that famous saying
"It takes a Village?"
Well, It's 100% true!
It really does take a village to raise a child.
I was so hesitant to ask for any help with our first born that it wasn't until she was 8 months old that I left her with family for a few hours.
Even after that, I never left her overnight with anyone until she was over 2 years old.
I was sleep deprived and overwhelmed and I still couldn't bring myself to ask for help or accept it when it was offered.
I've learned now that asking for help does not mean your failing.
Everyone needs help sometimes, and trust me, you will be a much better mom after some much deserved rest.
I ask for help often now.
Anytime we go on any vacation or outing, the first thing I do is invite my mom.
We love the extra company and help.

You Will Learn To Love Your Body
I was three days shy of my 20th Birthday when I gave birth to our first born, which made it really hard to accept my new "mom body".
After our daughter was born, I wasted so much time body shaming myself.
I hated what I saw in the mirror.
I didn't recognize myself anymore.
I had stretch marks and fat in places I didn't before and swore that I would never wear a bikini again.
Fast forward three kids later and I have learned to love my new mommy body.
Life is too short to worry about your imperfections, and we all have them.
My belly has been home to three babies, and its mind blowing all the incredible things a woman's body is capable of.
So, love your body, no matter what body type, imperfections and all.
We are all beautiful.

Making Time For You And Your Partner Should Be A Priority

Having children is one of the most beautiful gifts, but it is also one of the biggest tests that you and your partner will face in your marriage.

It is important to remember that your children are here because of the love you and your spouse had for one another first.

When you become a mother, your childrens needs become priority, but it is so important not to forget about your partners needs as well.

Make time for date nights, leave love letters in each others lunch bags.

Little things like this go a long way in reminding us that our marriage is important too.

You Will Never Be That Pinterest Mom

"Comparison is the thief of joy"

I can't tell you how many hours I've wasted comparing myself, to other moms.

Some moms are "Pinterest Moms" that appear to have it all together, and other mothers like me, will never be able to look like I have it all together and that is OK.

We all have our struggles.

I became a much happier mother when I stopped comparing myself to others and started doing ME.

Your kids don't want a perfect mom, they want a happy mom.

Some days your going to feel like you have totally figured out this mom thing, and others your going to ask yourself what the heck you got yourself into.

I give you permission mamas, to let yourself feel these emotions. and to love yourself for who YOU are as a mother, Pinterest Mom or not.

Trust Your Mama Instincts
I read more books than I can count on pregnancy and motherhood when I was pregnant with our first baby.
It made me a nervous wreck!
Who knew there were so many things that could go wrong?
If I could go back I would throw out all the books and trust my mama instincts.
You will know what is best for you and your baby.

This post was originally posted over at Bonjour Baby Baskets.

Photos taken by AMP Studios

What would you go back and tell yourself as a new mom?

Luca's Big Boy Room Makeover - Inspiration

Happy Weekend Friends!

Hope everyone is having a lovely weekend.

We started working on Luca's Big Boy Room Makeover this weekend so, I thought I would share the rooms that inspired his room makeover.

I love a monochrome theme for a boys room but I also love to see bright pops of colour!

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I love the geometric shapes in this room and the pops of colour that are introduced through the toys on the shelves.

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I love this superhero monochrome room!

Luca has just started to show an interest in super heroes, so I am hoping to subtly incorporate some superheroes into his room and I think it was done perfectly here.

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I love the wall decals in this room and the pops of colour on the walls and in the bedding.

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I love the simplicity of this nursery and I seem to be drawn towards rooms with lightning bolts.

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This room might just be my favourite!

What little boy wouldn't love a bright yellow bed with superhero pillows?!

As a kid, I loved spending time reading chapter books and getting lost in them.

I feel pretty lucky that both my girls show a strong interest in reading and both did very well on their report cards in that subject.

I think its very important to encourage reading over the summer months so they don't lose that love of reading.

Every summer since our oldest was in Junior Kindergarten, I would enrol our kids in Summer Reading programs with the local library.

The kids had to read a certain amount of books by the end of the summer and once they completed they received a little toy from a treasure box.

This year we are going to try something a little different.

I found out about this amazing program TD Canada Trust has set up that encourages both Reading and Saving for children in grades K - 5.

TD will deposit $10 into a new or existing Savings Account for your child when they have read 10 books.
How amazing is that?!
It couldn't have come at a better time either because we are just starting to teach our girls, ages 5 & 7, about savings - but more on that in another post!
You can find out more about this awesome program here.

***This is not a sponsored post - I'm just really excited about this amazing program! ***