Parenting Choices & a $100 Babies "R" Us Gift Card Giveaway!

This post was sponsored by WaterWipes as part of an Influencer Activation for Influence Central. I received complimentary products to facilitate my review.

It's interesting how your life changes when you find out you're expecting your first child. You go from caring about things like what time you are meeting your friends for a drink to worrying about taking your prenatal and doing kick counts. I went from looking at racks of clothes for myself and fun new gadgets to picking out "future lady nerd" onesies and buying stacks of wooden blocks for her to play with... I'm not complaining, I'm so blessed to experience these changes; it's just funny how quickly your whole world begins to revolve around one tiny growing human and even funnier to realize you'll always be wrapped around their little finger, for the rest of your life.

A Simple DIY Dog Toy Tutorial + an Update on Beneful! #FriendsofBeneful

Thanks to Beneful for choosing my pups and I to be part of the #FriendsofBeneful ambassador program, regardless all opinions expressed below are my own.

I've already shared the fact that my dogs and I are pretty big fans of Beneful and we were overjoyed to recently share the news about the Dream Dog Parks that are in the works this year, but today's news may take the cake. While Beneful was already an incredible food, in my dog's eyes and my own (for obviously different reasons), I'm excited to share that it's gotten even better recently!

The Beneful team has been working to evolve their food into the perfect food from a dog owner's perspective for the past two years and it's official, they've mastered their craft and my dogs love the new recipe.

With meat as the #1 ingredient in both the beef and chicken dry Beneful foods and Salmon hopefully joining the extra meaty-train soon, it's obvious why my dogs are totally gaga over the new formula... and why I'm a happy dog owner knowing I'm feeding my pups something they love and something that provides nourishment for their little canine bodies. Not only did they adjust their formula to include more meaty goodness, there's no added sugar in any of the recipes so your dog can eat without a worry.

The best part of the news I'm sharing with you today is this: Beneful is so proud of their new formula, they are offering you the chance to sign up for a free sample for your canine friend! Once the new formula of Beneful has received two "paws" up approval from your doggy, be sure to share a review on Beneful's website letting the world know how much your furry friend enjoys the new food.

While the change in Beneful is a good thing, I suppose I should note that you can't just switch your fuzzy friend's food first thing. You'll want to transition your dog to the new food, to ease their tummies smoothly. Want to master the art of changing your dog's food? Check out other helpful feeding tips and tricks from Beneful here.

Speaking of change, my dogs are going through quite a bit of change lately... we're moving furniture around and getting things ready for our daughter's arrival next month and so far, they've been so very good about all of the new-ness and adapting perfectly. While they've been adapting well thus far, I've been trying to think of fun ways to reward them and remind them we love them since a BIG change is coming soon, which led me to make them a new toy this weekend. I figured we could buy a load of toys, but making one out of stuff that already has our scent, would be a more significant reward.

I'm super excited to say that their new toy is easy enough for anyone to make and the best part is you most likely you have the materials laying around your house to put it together right now, if you want!

For this project you will need:

a water bottle

an old shirt or dress
an old pair of pants
scissors

To get this project started you'll want to remove the label from the water bottle and the cap as well. 

Next you'll want to trim the bottom hem of the dress or shirt off, this will be your ties for the ends of the toy.

Following this step, you'll want to use the water bottle and measure enough fabric on the pant leg to cover the entire bottle and tie the ends, then cut the pant leg as needed.

After your fabric is "measured", cut one slit into each end of the pant fabric and tie the bottle inside with a double knot on each end. Cut the dress or shirt hem into pieces and tie them around each double knot of the bottle.

Since my pant legs were choppily cut anyways, I went ahead and added a few extra slits to the pant fabric to make for some frayed ends, if you would like you can do the same to add some texture and make it easier for your pup to grab.

Now's the fun part for you and your pup, hand this cute little tied fabric toy over to your fuzzy best friend and let them enjoy!

It's that easy to give your dog something they'll adore... and it's all made with stuff that would likely end up in the trash or recycling anyways! The best part of this toy is the fact it smells like me somewhat... so while we're at the hospital next month this will be a great way to remind them of me. If I don't say so myself, this is a great toy for a dog going through a transition... and I think my poodle friend agrees!

So tell me, have you changed anything major in your dog's life before? Thinking it's time for a change? Don't forget to snag a free Beneful sample here, then let me know all about your doggy's life changes in the comments below.

Summertime Starbucks: DIY Thank You Card Upcycled K Cup Project + Coffee, Chai Tea, or Iced Tea?

Thanks to Starbucks for sending over these awesome K-cups and other beautiful items to include in my post today and a big thanks for offering a great affiliate program that I've linked below, regardless all opinions expressed below are my own.

Summer & Starbucks go together hand-in-hand, in my mind... Well Starbucks goes with every season and that's why I'm such a big fan. With so many amazing flavors and such a versatile line up of coffees and teas, I'm a bit of a Starbucks junkie... so I'm having to limit my intake while carrying Delainey and I can't wait to get back into my multi-cup routine soon.

While I'm not drinking more than a cup a day currently, I was more than overjoyed to dish out some coffee, chai tea, and iced tea goodness at my latest little get-together with our buddies so we could sample all of the delicious flavors Starbucks sent me to try out this summer.

I sipped on a glass of the Tazo Chai Vanilla Caramel Latte while I made a cup of Creme Brulee flavored coffee for my hubs, my friends each wanted to try something new so I served up a glass of the Tazo Iced Peachy Black tea and another Tazo Chai Vanilla Caramel Latte for each of them... paired with some delicious vegan, oatmeal cookies! We were all so impressed with the "homemade" beverages, I think I've officially earned the title of "Barista" at this point... Lucky for me, making delicious Starbucks coffee and tea at home is as easy as pressing a button.

While making the coffee is super easy and enjoyable, the same could be said about having great friends. Our buddies blessed us with so much adorable stuff for Delainey recently, I had to make something for them in return. I couldn't think of a thing they needed so I decided making them a little thank you card with a personal touch was the best way to thank them, with a little gift card attached to the back - I'm sure they will be more than happy with their little surprise.

Do you want to tell some one "Thanks a latte" for something amazing they've done for you recently? It's as easy as making a k-cup to make this adorable little card!

For this project you'll need:

a Starbucks Keurig Coffee or Tea box
a used K-cup (rinsed and cleaned)
a hot glue gun with glue
3-4 cotton balls

scissors
a black marker or pen

First things first, to get this project started go ahead and plug in your glue gun and warm it up.

Now go ahead and cut out the Starbucks logo from the Keurig box, being sure to leave the outer side without perforation untouched.

Your next step is to hot glue the Starbucks logo to the side of the K-cup.

Following that, quickly use the top of the K-cup to measure and cut out a circle piece of cardboard from one of the side pieces of "scrap" of the Keurig box, be sure to cut it large enough to cover the entire top of the K-cup. Glue this piece to the top once it's trimmed to fit.

Next you'll want to let the glue on these pieces dry and write a cute thank you message on the untouched, un-perforated side of the box. I wrote "Thanks a latte" but you could go with something like "Words cannot espresso my thanks" or whatever punny coffee line you want!

Once your message is written, go ahead and unravel the cotton balls. The brand I bought comes apart fairly easily so they became long strands within seconds. You'll want to have enough to "swirl" on the top of your cup to mimic whipped cream. My suggestion is to start forming it before gluing to insure you get the look you want with minimal effort. Now use your glue gun and glue the cotton balls/whipped cream to the top of the cardboard covered K-cup opening.

Take a quick second and add a few dots of glue to the back of the K-cup/Starbucks mini-cup, pressing it onto the piece of cardboard that has the thank you message written.

Now hand one of these bad boys out to every Starbucks loving friend you need to thank and they may just be thanking you for the adorable card showing your gratitude!

Plus, don't miss your chance to save some money... Click here & save Up to 30% on New Summer Markdowns at Starbucks.com! 

The Cutest Accessories for You & Your Baby: Copper Pearl is Where You Need to Shop!

Thanks to Copper Pearl for sending over these adorable items to include in my Baby Shower Gift Guide, regardless all opinions expressed below are my own.

Keeping my little girl stylish and safe through out every stage in her life is definitely one of my goals as a first time mama. While I want her to be safe I also want my babe to have the cutest, newest, and best version of almost everything... that's kind of what being a parent is all about, wanting the best for our kids and doing everything we can to hopefully provide the best in life for our kiddos... Right?

With that said, I've found the cutest, newest style of bibs via Copper Pearl and I'm absolutely obsessed! They are so stylish, they almost count more as accessories than bibs but they are so functional and I'm so happy that little Delainey will be rocking an adorable bandana bib instead of the traditional style.

Whenever I showed these adorable bibs to my sister, who had my niece a few years ago, she was overjoyed to find out about the new, stylish bibs on the market. While Copper Pearl has ALL kinds of adorable prints to choose from I opted for the bold, adorable Jewel bib set! I'm thinking her next set of these cute little bibs will either be the Rosie set because it includes a little purple mermaid looking bib along with a collection of other patterns, but I'll be honest, I've also got my eye on the more gender neutral Pacific set that includes a shark bib as well as some other fun, nautical inspired prints. Have you taken a look at the Copper Pearl bibs yet? Which print is your favorite?

While Copper Pearl has some of the cutest bibs for babies, I feel the need to mention that they also make some other amazing products. From crib sheets, to wash cloths, to multi-use covers... I'm obsessed with all the cuteness in their shop! Lucky for me and Delainey, they sent over the cutest multi-use cover I've ever laid my eyes on.

These little car seat, nursing, cart, and just straight cuddly covers are the best, they are so soft and they also come in a wide variety of patterns making one for everyone's personal style. I received the "classic" pattern and I adore it and can't wait to rock it as a scarf, throw it over myself while I'm feeding D, and then put it over her carseat whenever we need to run an errand. It's that versatile... I'll be able to use it in all these ways in one trip out of the house. Now do you see why I love it so much?

Now that I have a handful of bibs and an adorable 3-in-1 cover from Copper Pearl, I now want everything in their store...but don't let my husband know, we're on a spending watch after a few shopping sprees while I've been "nesting". HA! Click on over to Copper Pearl and let me know which items you love the most, I can't wait to hear all about your favs 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!