Valentine's Day is approaching!  Here's a quick and easy CANDY FREE Valentine idea!

I created these little printables a couple years ago for Landon's class.  I threw them together pretty quickly and the kids loved them!

I used the 1 oz "party size" play-doh for this, but you can do whatever size you wish!  I put mine in a clear treat bag, tied a tag on them and done!  (FYI: if you search for these on Amazon, there's a pack with 10 of these little sizes for only $5)  #sharingiscaring

I also created a card option if you wanted to go that route.  For the cards, just cut a hole in the middle of the heart to stick the play-doh through.  You could also tape the play-doh to it or tie it on somehow.  Whatever it easiest for you!  (I always have a ton of treat bags so I went that route)

To download this printable PDF, simply click here and save the PDF to your computer!

Happy Valentine's Day!

 Since starting Shape Her, I've shared my family's Advent plans with you each year.  If you follow me on Instagram, you know that at the end of October Landon prayed to surrender his life to Jesus, making Him the Lord of his life!  Absolutely one of the best days of my life and one of our biggest answers to years and years of prayers.  Now, as we embark on Advent as a family, I'm utilizing a few new "routines" we already have in place as a family and using some new products I got for this year's Advent season. 

This year, we've been more intentional about doing quick family devotions at a meal time.  Sometimes it's a devotion in a book that we read or working on our memory verses or grabbing one of our awesome scripture cards from any of the companies we use: Daily Grace Co., Crew and Co., She Reads Truth, and Tiny Theologians.  In keeping with that "routine" we've began to establish, we're using the Family Advent Cards from the 2019 Advent line at Daily Grace Co.  We're also using the Family Advent Devotional "The Way to the Manger" by Jeff & Abbey Land.  This devotional outline goes perfectly in line with our Daily Grace Co. Advent cards for this year! 

We also have a Shepherd on the Search that the kids like playing with.  He isn't magic and doesn't "move" every day.  In fact, he stays on our kitchen table and 2-3 days a week I put him in a fun place for the kids to find and see what goodies he's brought them.  Those goodies include fun family activities like indoor snow ball fights, family Christmas Light Scavenger Hunt, and hot cocoa night.  He also brings Christmas crafts to help the kids celebrate!

I also have The Donkey in the Living Room that I bought back when Landon was really young.  I've used it in various ways over the years, and this year plan to use it 12 days before Christmas as we study a nativity character a day, leading up to Christmas.  I'll also utilize some nativity cards I made last year for this too!

I keep it simple.  I adjust it for my kids and their maturity.  I make it fun and keep the focus on Jesus.  We read a devotional at a meal time each day, we read a card once a week at a meal time, and the Shepherd brings a couple fun Advent Activities each week.  As Christmas gets closer, we focus on the nativity characters and dig into them a bit deeper. 

My biggest encouragement to you is to make it fit your kids' age and maturity.  Do what works for your family and keep it simple.  Don't stress yourself out with your family's Advent plans.  Choose something that easily fits into your family's routine and daily/weekly dynamic.

Here's a quick rundown of other things I've done in the years past:

{2015} Landon was 2.5 and I picked 8 simple Advent activities for the month.  I put them on a little banner on our fireplace and we chose 2 per week.  

{2016} Very similar to the year before, I just added a few extra activities for the month.  This is a great list of Toddler Activities! I also started using the Donkey in the Living Room book this year, too. 

{2017} This was our first year with the Shepherd on the Search.  I also made my own printable Advent activity cards.  There's a printable here for you too!  Check it out!

{2018} Last year, we kept using our Shepherd on the Search and I utilized one of the kids' Christmas toys and created my own Nativity Advent Cards.  The cards focus on each of the nativity characters and corresponding scriptures and pages inside the Jesus Storybook Bible.  There's a free printable of the cards for you so check it out! 

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Age: 2 months

Milestones: She's started smiling and cooing at you now.  It's adorable!  She'll do it a lot when she should be nursing instead.  It's precious.  She's also started kicking her legs while she's laying on her back.  And she's doing great at tummy time.  Her neck muscles are getting stronger.  She is also great at "turtle head" which is what we call her bobbing her head around when you hold her up on your shoulder.  She is always up bobbing her head around, taking in everything.  She's only laying her head on your shoulder if she's sleepy or asleep.  Landon loves it because she'll do it when I burp her and look at him beside me.  He always says "She's looking at me!" and laughs.  Her umbilical cord finally fell off at almost 7 weeks old.  That thing held on FOREVER.  She got her first bath tub bath that night.  At 7 weeks old, she had 1 bottle at the same time of day, for 3 consecutive days.  (Advice from a lactation consultant friend on introducing the bottle)  She ate about 2 oz the first day, refused it the 2nd day, and about 3 oz the third. 

Nicknames: Sugar Britches, Sweet Girl, Honey, Sis, Little Sister, Sugar

Sleeping: We start bedtime around 7/7:30 each night.  That includes a bath and her last feeding.  She's typically in bed by 7:30.  The first couple weeks of this month, she would take her dreamfeed at 10:00pm, but the last couple weeks she hasn't eaten at her dreamfeed so I've just pumped and frozen the milk instead.  Also, up until this last week, she was getting up anywhere from 3:00-5:00am and then for the day at 7:30.  (I wake her up at 7:30 if she isn't awake)  This last week, she's slept until 6:30am!  Woop Woop!!  I feed her and put her back to bed until 8:30, then adjust her schedule as needed for the day.  I'm excited that she's getting close to sleeping all night long until that 7:30 wake time!

Eating:  We do a Babywise eat, wake, sleep schedule.  She's eating on a 2-3 hour schedule.  She had a couple days where she went 3 hours all day, and some days where she went 2.  Most days, it's a combo schedule of 2-3 hours.  She's getting 7-8 feedings in a 24 hour period.  I started pumping after our first morning nursing session to start a freezer stash.  I did that for a couple weeks.  Now I just pump the dreamfeed at 10:00pm since she hasn't wanted to eat at it.  I'll do that for a while to keep the freezer stocked.  As I said above, in sleeping, she's doing great at night and eating before bed about 7:15/7:30, waking from 3-5:00am (the first couple weeks) and has had a couple nights of pushing it to 6:30am.  Yay!!!  So proud of our girl!!  She's a good eater and has gotten much more alert and wiggly when she eats now.  She eats on the go a lot because we're out and about quite a bit.  She's a champ at it, thank goodness.  Landon thinks it's pretty fun when we feed her in the car.  :)

Highlights:  I think the night time sleep and all the smiles and coos.  Love it!!!

Allie's Likes:
- Bath Time.  She just sits and looks around.
- Her activity mat.  She lays and smiles, coos, and kicks her legs.
- Her swing.  That's probably her favorite thing at this age.  She loves to sit and watch the elephants on the mobile.
- Smiling.  She gives adorable gummy smiles.

Allie's Dislikes:
- Getting her PJs on after her bath.  She screams the whole time.
- Tummy time.  She doesn't mind it for a few minutes, but then she's had enough.
- When she's sleepy and she's not in her bed.  She fusses if she's in her carseat or stroller for a bit until she gives in and goes to sleep.

Favorites at this stage of parenting:  The smiles and coos.

Challenges at this stage of parenting: Honestly, I can't think of anything relating to her.  It'd all be related to the wild 3 year old older brother.  :)

Doctor appointments this month:
1.  2 months: weighed 11lb, 6oz, 23.34 length
She got her first round of vaccines and had a pitiful afternoon after.  She seemed to be in so much pain and you could hardly move/touch her legs.  She also ran a fever that got up to 101 at one point.  Scared the poop out of me.  She slept a lot that afternoon and slept great that night.  She woke up back to her normal self that next morning.  She did have a low 99 fever, but it was gone by mid-day.

Diaper and clothes sizes:
Diapers - Size 1
Clothes - 0-3 and 3 months

How Momma feels: 
Emotionally - It's been an emotional month for me.  I'm a perfectionist and it's hard for me to not give 100% to each kid at the same time.  I'm learning that it's just not possible at this stage to do that, and that's hard for me to accept.  Unless one of them is napping or gone, it's just not possible.  I'm working on accepting that and giving myself some grace.  Having 2 kids 3 and under is so fun and sweet and full of joy....but it's also flat out hard.  As a stay at home Mom, I'm around them 24/7 (outside of the 2 days a week that Landon has MDO) and it can be exhausting and overwhelming.  I'm so happy as a SAHM and LOVE IT....but it's hard!  I told Ben, this month, a lot of times I feel like I'm getting a big fat F in all the hats I'm wearing.  It's an adjustment for sure and one that I'm continually having to take to the Lord to work through.  As far as Allie goes, she's great and I feel so confident in dealing with her daily needs.  (The joys of baby 2!!)  She's still fussiest from 5:30pm until bath time each day, but we've figured out how to adjust and deal.  It doesn't mean it's easy, but we're managing!  Landon is a wild 3 year old boy who is hyper and always wrestling and running and refusing to do what he's told.  I'd say it's been an emotional month because he's wearing me out most days and then I have a 2 month old as well.  Again, working on giving myself grace and reminding myself that it's all just a season.

Physically - I'm feeling great!  I've been getting in 3-4 days of exercise a week and that's helped a TON.  It's made me really sore, both in my muscles and C-section scar area, but it's getting better each week.  I'm doing a variety of things, at home, including Body Pump, 21 Day Fix, 22 Minute Hard Corps, running/walking, and my own workouts.  It feels great to be able to sweat a lot and push myself in my workouts.  There are still lots of limitations because of my C-section and a small case of distasis recti.  That's frustrating.  I'm also having a harder time this go round with my post-baby body.  I'm pudgier in my mid section than I like/want to be and it's hard for me to remember it takes time and patience.  I'm always so hungry #nursingappetite so I'm continually eating and having to make sure I choose healthy food choices.  I know it's a marathon, not a sprint, but it's hard to accept sometimes.  Again, continually taking those insecurities and frustrations to the Lord.

Tidbits:
- I started running some.  I've ran 5 minutes without stopping and had a day where I ran about 15 on and off during a 30 minute walk/run.  So proud of that progress.  Any C-section Mom can tell you how much it hurts to start running post-birth!!
- We took Allie to the zoo for the first time!  Landon and I LOVE the zoo.  We spend a lot of time there, so it was fun to take her.  The last time we went, she was in my belly!  I was exhausted and really sore for a few days after around my incision, (hello heavy double stroller) but we had a great time and I felt like Super Mom for conquering it!
- Ben and Allie are starting to bond, which is an answer to prayer and absolutely adorable.
- Landon is OBSESSED with her.  Still.  He is always in her face, touching her, talking to her, asking where she is, what she's doing......the list goes on.  It's hard to find that balance between letting him love on her and making sure he doesn't accidentally hurt her.  She got a stuffy nose last week and I'm convinced it's from big brother's germs. 
- 2 funny Landon stories: I looked over one day when I was nursing her and he was sitting beside me and he had her big toe up his nose.  LOL  Another time I looked over and he was straddling her while she was doing tummy time.  Geesh.  (See what I mean!!)
- She moved to the pack n play in the office to sleep.  She had been in the rock n play in our closet but we noticed her head was starting to get flat because she wasn't able to move her head much in the rock n play.  We moved her to the pack n play and put her in the office because we sleep better without hearing her noises when she sleeps.
- We started Potty Training Landon this last week.  :)

Hey y'all! My name is Hillary and I am a daughter of the Most High King, wife and SAHM to our 16 month old son, Jaxon. We live in Southeast Texas, and of course I have BIG curly hair, because everything is bigger in Texas right?

What comes to mind when you hear “momdrobe” or “mommy fashion?” I'll bet you think of baggy shirts and the infamous “mom jeans!” Let me give you a piece of advice, everything you think a mom has to wear or should wear, throw it out!!! Being a mom doesn't have to be a fashion faux paus or mean that you have to throw out all of your favorite heels.

Being a SAHM has been the most rewarding thing I have ever done, while also challenging to not lose myself. I'm not going to lie, the first 6­8 months, I was lucky to get out of my pajamas or workout clothes before noon. Most days, I wore my workout clothes all day. The most important things to keep in mind when dressing for your role as a mom, is to be comfortable and functional. If that means you stay in your pjs or workout clothes all day (that is currently what I'm STILL wearing), go for it! There will be times that those are your OOTD. There is nothing wrong with it, and don't let anyone else convince you otherwise!

Here are my 5 tips to help you dress for the role of mommy, while not losing your sense of style:

1. Utilize Pinterest! Pinterest can do one of two things, make you feel like a big “fashion don't” or inspire you to embrace your role as a mama! I love to browse “mom fashion” every now and then when I feel like my outfits are becoming too “blah”. A lot of times, I already have pieces that I can use to copy different looks or it gives me items to put on my “want” list for when I FINALLY get to go shopping.

2. Invest in at LEAST 3 pairs of pants/jeans that fit your new “Mom bod”. I found that my body changed a lot after pregnancy, and jeans that fit me great before weren't so comfortable anymore. There is nothing better than a great fitting pair of jeans to make you feel sexy and sassy while fulfilling your role as WONDER MOM! I suggest a pair of
skinny jeans (for boots), boyfriend/relaxed jeans (for comfy days) and a pair of bootcut (for dress up.)

3. V­necks, V­necks, V­NECKS! These were soooo essential to being a breastfeeding mama. I could wear a cami underneath and be able to breastfeed in public without exposing myself to the world. They are also really easy to dress up or down and can transition from season to season.

4. Before you buy something, ask yourself “will that be comfortable for chasing after my baby, washing dishes, grocery shopping or playing outside?” It's great to have a few really trendy, stylish pieces that you can wear for special occasions, but don't get caught up in being a fashion statement that you can't function as Wonder Mom. I find that buying cuter workout clothes helps me do my job as a mom and still look cute for those unexpected
outings.

5. Buy clothes that FIT! I'm all about loose tops and leggings or skinny jeans, but don't let your new “mom bod” force you into the frumpy “mom” look. While you shouldn't wear clothes 3 times your size, also don't buy clothes that are too tight. You're going to be doing a lot of bending over, sitting on the floor and running after your little one and tight clothes just don't mix with all of that!

My last little piece of advice, is just be YOU! Having babies doesn't mean your personality changes or your style. Being a mama is one of the greatest jobs and callings in life, but don't lose yourself. Make time to work on you and let your personality shine!