• Gift Ideas for Preschoolers | Wish List Ideas

      by SimplyHollyJo on November 21, 2019 , No Comments

      It’s sometimes difficult to think of things to give as gift ideas to family and friends for my boys. I have to navigate what things will be turned into weapons, and what things my toddler will only destroy or scatter across the house. So here are my current gift ideas for preschoolers. Everything listed is either owned and well loved by my preschooler, or is something on his wish list. Many are things he has asked for or played with a loved outside of the home as well. Snow Fort Molds I saw our neighbors with these last Winter and […]

      Kids, Recommendations + Reviews
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    • Playing in the Leaves | Fall Tradition

      by SimplyHollyJo on November 18, 2019 , No Comments

      Can I call it a Fall tradition if it’s only happened for two years? Is that a tradition yet? I plan for it to be one. The boys LOVE playing in the leaves. My oldest talks about it all year with joy and excitement. He continually asks when the leaves will be falling again and how long until we can rack them up and throw them around. He dives head first into piles. My youngest was very excited this year as well. So much so that he had a meltdown when we actually picked the leaves up. He soon calmed […]

      Kids, Motherhood, Photography
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    • Gift Ideas for Toddlers | Wish List Ideas

      by SimplyHollyJo on November 14, 2019 , No Comments

      It’s November. Some people are already decorating for Christmas before Thanksgiving is even here. So I thought I would share some gift ideas for toddlers. Are people asking you for Christmas ideas for your family yet? I started getting the requests in October. So I knew I needed to get my lists in order. I personally use Amazon Wish Lists for my entire family. It helps me keep everything in one lace since I can add things from website all over the internet, and then just let family members join to see the list. Some times I still end up […]

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    • TinkerActive Workbooks for Kindergarten | A Review

      by SimplyHollyJo on August 26, 2019 , No Comments

      Recently, I was chosen to test out workbooks by TinkerActive . I received the K-2nd books for math and science and have been using them with my 4 year old (the Kindergarten ones). He’s really preschool age, but I thought we could still learn a lot AND have some fun! So below is my experience and thoughts on these particular workbook. First of all, here’s a good description of the workbooks from the website: Each workbook starts with interactive and entertaining exercises that cover the essential math, science, and problem-solving skills. Then, apply what you’ve learned with exciting hands-on tinkering, making, […]

      Homeschool, Kids, Recommendations + Reviews
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    • Evenflo Pivot Xplore All-Terrain Wagon Stroller Review

      by SimplyHollyJo on August 13, 2019 , 7 Comments

      I was lucky to be chosen as a WeeSpring Parent Panel member years ago when my first was just born. I have thoroughly enjoyed the few programs that I have been able to participate in, and today I’m happy to share a review on the new Pivot Xplore All-Terrain Wagon Stroller from Evenflo. First thing’s first… Is it a Stroller, or a Wagon? It’s BOTH! For the last year or so I’ve been noticing the “stroller wagons” popping up here and there. I thought they were great inventions. The boys love wagons. I also love that you can use them […]

      Gadgets + Gizmos, Kids, Motherhood, Recommendations + Reviews
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    • Prime Day 2019 Deals

      by SimplyHollyJo on July 15, 2019 , No Comments

      It’s Prime Day ya’ll! I’m going to share some of my favorite Prime Day deals! 1. Instant Pot DUO Plus 60, 6 Qt 9-in-1 Multi- Use Programmable Pressure Cooker I love my instant pot. I have the 8 Qt so that I can make insane amounts of yogurt and stock at once, but the 6 is great too! Take advantage of the discount to try it out. I got rid of my crockpot and my rice maker, and I love it for hard boiled eggs and cooking frozen meats. I mean, it’s ridiculous how many times I forget to thaw […]

      Gadgets + Gizmos, Kids
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    • Sprinkle and Splash Play Mat | A Reveiw

      by SimplyHollyJo on July 15, 2019 , No Comments

      Hey all! I just wanted to share one of our favorite outside toys for babies, toddlers, and above: a sprinkle and splash play mat! Let me start by saying this family LOVES water. My kids would be in water all day long if they could, I’m sure. They do have moments where they complain about getting wet…when they are already dripping from head to toe. I’m not sure what that’s about.  ANYWAY! Today I want to talk about the Splashin’kids 68″ Sprinkle and Splash Play Mat Pad from Amazon.  We originally had the Banzai 54 inch water play mat since […]

      Kids, Recommendations + Reviews
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    • Fiona’s First Birthday Shoot | Lemon Photoshoot

      by SimplyHollyJo on June 24, 2019 , No Comments

      I can’t even you guys. Seriously. This lemon photoshoot has me all giddy like a school girl. It came together so fluidly. A nickname turned into a first birthday photoshoot. Perfect. This precious little girl dove right in to the setup. She wasn’t content to sit in the chair once she realized there was water WITH lemons in the bucket. Time to eat! She stood there for some time quite content to nibble on her lemon slice and look at me like I was crazy. She was a blast to work with, even with a few tear filled moments about […]

      Kids, Photography
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    • Room-Sharing for Toddlers | A Transition Story

      by SimplyHollyJo on June 19, 2019 , No Comments

      Room-Sharing : A Goal Room-sharing. It’s been on our mind for years. It was a goal we always had. I just always felt that it would be nice for the boys to share a room. It would give them bonding time, help with the dreaded scared of the dark/scared of being alone issue, and it would also help when traveling that they would be use to not having their own room. Mom-Fear The problem was that I was scared to pull the trigger. The boys were sleeping well and I didn’t want to change that. I didn’t want to go […]

      Kids, Motherhood
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    • Easter Mini Sessions | Photographing Your Kids

      by SimplyHollyJo on April 22, 2019 , No Comments

      Happy Easter! Oh, Easter, how I love you. The pastels, the eggs, the bunnies, the crosses, the family time, the church events, the celebration of the cornerstone of my faith. What’s not to love! I knew I needed to do an easter mini shoot for the boys. As usual, I ended up finding WAY too many Easter themed props that I loved, and spent days arranging and rearranging them and getting frustrated. I forgot how to attach fans to my backdrop and they fell down the first time. Then I wanted EVERYTHING in the photos…because they were all so cute! […]

      Kids, Photography
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    • How to Encourage Your Kids to Go Outside

      by SimplyHollyJo on March 22, 2019 , No Comments

      Are you trying to encourage your kids to go outside more but aren’t really sure where to begin? Well, I am still a work in progress, but let me share a few ways that have helped me… Go Outside This is pretty self explanatory. Go outside. Step out of your home and move forward. Most kids want to be where their parents are, even if they don’t want to admit it. So when you model going outside, or making the outdoors a priority, then your kids will follow. (You can sneak back inside later if you want.) Explore Once you’re outside, […]

      Kids, Motherhood
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    • Valentine’s Day Mini Session | Olathe, Kansas

      by SimplyHollyJo on February 18, 2019 , No Comments

      Happy Valentine’s Day mini session post season! So the last few weeks have been full of snow, suddenly warm weather, more snow, and lots of photography fun! I finally got my studio completely set up, my Valentine’s Day decor just right, and little ones to destroy it. It was a lot of fun. I got some great shots of my boys and I’m thrilled! Wyatt was originally uninterested in actual photos, only my gear. But once the setup was complete he was a photo pro for about 2 minutes…which is all you really need for a kiddo! That’s why they […]

      Kids, Motherhood, Photography
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