20 Must-Read Children's Books: You'll Want to Add All of These to Your Baby's Bookshelf!

As I mentioned recently, I'm super excited to share my love of books with our little miss. I'm sure I'm not the only parent that's eager to read to their child and watch their wonder of books blossom, so today I want to share a great little list of books for any baby to enjoy with their parents!

Whether you want to read a book about little creatures who love cookies or a book about how much you love your little one, there's a little bit of everything included in this list! With beautiful illustrations and creative tales, you and your little one are going to love this collection of good, clean books and since most of them can be bought as "board books", they are tough enough that your little one can handle them without a worry!

Go ahead and buy one, two, or maybe even a few of these awesome books... I've linked all of them below so you can easily find them and stock up your babe's library!

1. If You Give a Mouse a Cookie by Laura Joffe Numeroff

2. The Wonderful Things You Will Be by Emily Winfield Martin

3. How Do I love you? by Marion Dane Bauer

4. A Book of Sleep by Il Sung Na

5. The Swing by Robert Louis Stevenson

6. I'll See you in the Morning by Mike Jolley

7. Numbers by Orla Kiley

8. A Color of His Own by Leo Lionni

9. Gaston (and Friends) by Kelly DiPucchio

10. The Quiet Book by Deborah Underwood

11. Ten Tiny Tickles by Karen Katz

12. Dear Zoo by Rod Campbell

13. The Pout-Pout Fish by Deborah Diesen

14. Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin Jr

15. Dragons Love Tacos by Adam Rubin

16. I Love You, Stinky Face by Lisa Mccourt

17. The Day the Crayons Quit by Drew Daywalt

18. The Hiccupotamus by Aaron Zenz

19. Snuggle Puppy by Sandra Boynton

 20. Love You Forever by Robert Munsch

That's TWENTY different books you can add to your kiddo's library and I guarantee you'll love each book every time you read it. If you are already a parent, I'd love to hear what your favorite children's book is and why it's your favorite in the comments below!

Interested in finding more awesome items for babies and new mamas?
Click here to check out my Baby Shower Gift Guide!

11 Simple Ways Everyone Can Improve Their Daily Productivity

I try to be as productive as possible, but sometimes life gets in the way... I think most people can relate, unless you are super human. Whether you're a mama of 4 or a busy entrepreneur it's hard to fit everything you want to accomplish into a short 24 hour day! While I'm no expert, I have found a few simple ways to increase my productivity each day and I want to share my secrets with you today.

Let's get to the point and start getting productive:

1. Don't spend all day replying to emails (and/or texts). While it's wise to take some time to formulate a great response, don't dwell! Spend a minute or less contemplating what you want to convey and go ahead and hit send before you change your mind.

2. Visualize the end result you desire. It may sound simple but knowing what you want to accomplish makes accomplishing your goal easier because you know what you would like the end product to be.

3. Do the easy things first. If you have a list of tasks to accomplish, get straight to the point and check off your easiest tasks before attempting the difficult - this will save you time and hopefully some energy while allowing you to prioritize and focus on the things that really need your attention.

4. If you work on a computer, like most of us do, it's time to learn and use keyboard short cuts. Simple commands like CTRL and  + can zoom in your screen quickly and save you time and energy. You can set your keyboard up to follow all kinds of commands, use this to your advantage and you'll instantly feel more productive with all of the time you save!

5. Start a "note" on your phone with all of your brilliant ideas. These ideas may not result in much more than a passing thought, but they could lead to a new invention or a great new way of accomplishing tasks... it doesn't hurt to write them down and come back later when you have time!

6. Treat your time as money. Stop wasting time twiddling your thumbs or liking your friend's dog photos on Facebook. While it's great to support your friends and their love for pooches, you need to make sure you are using your "work hours" productively - no matter how cute the pup.

7. Manage your anxiety. Don't let the "what if" thoughts get in your way... I know this is easier said than done, but you may find some comfort in yoga, running, swimming, dancing, etc

8. Sleep more, it will result in you accomplishing more and feeling more inspired!

9. Eliminate trivial decisions... Don't waste time trying to figure out what you want to wear or where you should eat, make decisions in advance and stick with them.

10. Make your diet into a routine. This doesn't mean you have to eat the same thing everyday... but if you make regular meal plans and stick with your choices, your life is easier and your body is happier.

11. Let yourself breathe... Sometimes it's okay to take a break, it makes it easier to focus when it's time to come back to the drawing board. Spend some time running around with your kids before you dive into your next assignment, you and your kids will feel better!

Do you have any tips to improve your productivity? I'd love to hear all the details in the comments below!

The Cutest Clothes For Little Explorers: Baby Bear Outfitters

Thanks to Baby Bear Outfitters for sending over these cute pieces of clothing to include in my Baby Shower Gift Guide, regardless all opinions expressed below are my own.

If you've been following the blog lately you may have came to the realization with all of the items I've been sharing that I'm a bit of a clothes hoarder when it comes to Delainey... but can you blame me with all of the cute items available for little girls? There's plenty of pink in her wardrobe and possibly WAY too much gold, especially if you ask my hubs... but I think she could use a few more items!

While she has such a great collection of clothing and it's all worth talking about, you really will understand my addiction to tiny pieces of cuteness when you check out Baby Bear Outfitters. Let me warn you, you are going to want to snag a few pieces of clothing for your little one's wardrobe (or maybe the next bestie of yours that is expecting) - it's all so cute, you won't be able to resist!

Baby Bear Outfitters offers a wide variety of everything adorable, so it was really tough to narrow down what to include in my gift guide! I finally decided a mommy & me set seemed like the perfect addition as well as a very special gown just for our princess to wear when she's "brand sparkling new" in the world!

The mommy & me set from Baby Bear Outfitters is the perfect mixture of adorable and comfortable, everything a new mama & baby could want! This mama bear is in love with her new set and while my baby bear still has a little bit longer left in my belly, I'm so excited to have her rocking this adorable onesie in just a handful of weeks! I imagine these additions to our wardrobes will get regular use, because what could be cuter?

Well, I think I know maybe one item in her wardrobe that is cuter... her "Brand Sparkling New" pink gown! This little beauty is going to be one of her first and most fashionable get-ups to wear once she makes her appearance in the world. With a gorgeous gold detail printed on a perfectly feminine gown, she will be the talk of the town once she arrives and dawns this beauty and I wouldn't want it any other way! Paired with a headband made to match, I'm in love with this super comfortable addition to her wardrobe and can't wait to share photos of her in it while we are at the hospital.

While these few items are just the cutest, I can't help but checking out Baby Bear Outfitters Etsy shop and planning what I'll buy little Delainey next. Chloe is the girl behind the shop and she's actually a wedding photographer based out of Utah who started her shop after making a few items for her little bundle of joy and the adventure of Baby Bear Outfitters began there. With her great love for the outdoors and a good adventure, her shop blossomed into the inspiring beauty it is today - full of creations made for people with a similar mindset. Plus, if you're looking for something customized, give her a shout - she's a creative genius capable of making your dreamy visions into a reality.

So tell me, are you a mama on the hunt for an adorable outfit? Click on over to Baby Bear Outfitters and you'll find some of the most trendy and fashionable items to add to your little one's wardrobe. I'd love it if you let me know which item in her shop is your favorite in the comments below, it may just end up in Delainey's closet next!

Interested in finding more awesome items for babies and new mamas?
Click here to check out my Baby Shower Gift Guide!

A Baby Shower Gift Everyone Will Love: I See Me! Personalized Children's Books

Thanks to I See Me! for sending over these adorable, customized items to include in my baby shower gift guide,
regardless all opinions expressed below are my own.

Ever since I can remember, books are something I've always been pretty fond of. Story time was my favorite time of the day in Pre-K and I've been a bit of an over-buyer when it comes to trips to the book store. My husband has always been the same way, story time with his mom was something he looked forward to and when he grew up he found a sense of comfort in books. While there are plenty of amazing hobbies to have, reading is one of my favorites that we share and one that I really want to encourage Delainey to partake in. We can't make her have a specific hobby, we plan to read to her often and hopefully influence her to love books just as much as we do.

We have a growing collection of books in her library already and we even asked guests that attended our baby shower this weekend to bring a book instead of a card, which greatly expanded her library! She now has some of the classics, an amazing amount of new books, and even a few books I've never even heard of but look forward to reading with her!

While we have an amazing stash of books now, I have a feeling I know which ones will always be her favorites... Her personalized Snuggle Bunny book and her personalized ABC What I can be book! How do I know these books will be loved so dearly? They are books specially written about her made by I See Me!

The Snuggle Bunny book actually came as part of a set that includes the most adorable snuggly bunny stuffed animal and a placemat that's equally as cute. The story is all about the 10 different ways this cute little bunny loves your child, with their name sprinkled through out the book and beautiful illustrations to match!

Whether your son's name is Jacob or your daughter's name is Hannah, you'll be able to have to book customized to include their adorable name and it'll be one of their favorite night time stories for life. My little niece was gifted this book by my grandmother and it's one she constantly grabs to read at night, even though she's 3 years old and has read it almost every night since she was born. Plus, Snuggles (her little bunny) is her favorite stuffed animal that she owns... I can't wait until Delainey is here and we get to share the snuggly love with her too!

The other personalized book we ordered for Delainey explores different careers while also teaching her the alphabet in a fun way that includes her name on nearly every page! Whether she wants to be a gardener, a musician, a novelist, or a dentist, this book is a fun way to teach her while encouraging her to be whatever she wants to be and will be perfect for any little curious kiddo in your life!

I love that as she gets older she can recognize her name in random spots through out the book and learn to think creatively about who she will be when she's bigger. It's such a fun book and one that I think I may order for my niece as well so she can have another amazing book from I See Me!

While these two books are amazing, I suggest you take a look at the other options you can customize for your little one! If you want to get your little girl a personalized book about being a super incredible big sister or your niece a book about how she can change the world, I See Me! has the most amazing options and at a great price they make the perfect and most thoughtful Baby Shower Gift! They don't just make books either, your little one can get everything from a personalized lunchbox to coloring books and growth charts that have their name!

Plus, I See Me! is celebrating their 15th year anniversary of the book that started it all! You can get the 15th Anniversary Edition of My Very Own Name this year and celebrate with them!

So click here and check out the great selection, if you find something you just love, let me know what it is in the comments below... plus be sure to sign up here and receive their coupons in your email so you can score an awesome discount on your next purchase! I know I signed up right away, because I'll definitely be investing in a few more of these cute personalized books before Delainey arrives. As I said, I want her to love reading and having a huge stash of books is the perfect way to instill that!

Be sure to follow I See Me! on social media:
Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Instagram | Google+

Interested in finding more awesome items for babies and new mamas?
Click here to check out my Baby Shower Gift Guide!