Month: March 2023

I always enjoy seeing what other accounts I follow are purchasing on Amazon. It’s like a little glimpse into what you are currently obsessing over or what season of life you are in. From my current Amazon order history you’d quickly see I have a baby that is eating, making messes, and we were recently sick with a cold. Also you’d notice I’m in the mood to Spring Clean.

I’m going to share some items I’ve ordered and used recently and a few I have on-the-way. *Note there are no commissions to these links. Someday I will get my act together and maybe even get a storefront with my top recommendations but until then just message below if you were inspired to purchase anything, purely out of curiosity for me!

For Baby:

Bapron Bib: I was on the hunt for a good bib for the baby. I have a silicone catcher bib and a super absorbent towel bit but I kind of wanted something that was in between. A bib that was water resistant and covered her more than the silicone bib did but not as much as the towel bib. Enter in the BapronBaby Waterproof Stain Resistant Bib, which comes in so many cute patterns with matching splash mats to put beneath the high chair and even adult aprons. I have been enjoying my purchases and highly recommend for the quality and function. They are kind of pricey (for a bib) but worth it!

Bath Set: I was just going to buy the whale cover for the faucet in the bathtub but decided that the Skip Hop Moby Baby Bath Essential Set made more sense which comes with a Bath Rinser Bucket, Bath Spout Cover, Bath Kneeler, and Bathtub Elbow Rest . I’ve been kneeling on towels (which is totally fine) but I liked that there was a kneeling mat included along with the elbow rest to go on the edge of the tub. I might as well be comfortable while my baby splashes in the tub.

Nasal Aspirator (aka: Electric Nose Sucker): When your baby is sick with a cold sometimes those bulb nose suckers just don’t cut it and if you’re like me and my husband the Frida Manual Nose Suckers seem to spread germs more than contain them (yuck)! I read the reviews on this Electric Nasal Aspirator and some people rave about it and others comment on the “low” suction power. We will give it a try when we get sick next. Of course I received it when were all feeling better.

For the Home:

O-Cedar Mop: A new mop was a must having a baby that is crawling all over the floors and a small living space means that we walk through the house a lot and the high traffic areas are also the areas that baby girl is crawling around on, with her HANDS on the dirty ground. It didn’t take long for me to vacuum daily but now I want to make sure I am mopping more frequently too. Here is the O-Cedar EasyWring Microfiber Spin Mop that my friend (a house cleaner) suggested and it was super reasonably priced.

Silicone Toilet Brush: I haven’t used this purchase yet but I have heard good things about the silicone toilet scrub brush. The brush with the bristles always grosses me out and I think the silicone will be easier to clean and will last longer than the bristle brush scrubbers. Plus you can mount the holder for this brush to the wall and it is sleek and small. Words I never thought I’d use to describe the aesthetic of a toilet brush, ha!

Underbed Storage Box: Currently I have a few hard totes with lids under my bed. One has extra toiletries and the other has my workout clothes. I want to use the totes for something else and came across these storage bins with a clear top and a zipper, they look perfect! I am so excited to move my stuff over to these underbed storage boxes and use the totes for something else.

There you have it. A few of my latest orders on Amazon.

What have you been ordering lately! I’d love to know, leave us a comment below!

Recently my Aunt (and godmother) passed away. She wasn’t just any ole Aunt, she was a special, generous, traveled, hospitable, and loving Aunt. There are so many things about her that I absolutely loved and only a few things that made it hard to live with her, haha. And I did live with her for two years (Feb 2016 – Feb 2018). I moved in with my Aunt because of grief, she had just lost her husband and a month later she lost her mother (my grandmother). It was a tough time and if I knew anything about grief, it was that the person grieving would feel supported in the moment but what about a month or five months from then. I wanted my presence to be a support to my Aunt after all the initial support faded, so as a single late 20’s/early 30’s bachelorette, I decided to pack up my studio apartment and move into one bedroom at my Aunt’s house. It was a special time that I knew I’d look back on without an ounce of regret. I’ll say it again, she wasn’t just anyone, she was special and fiercely loved by me, and so many.

Her passing comes with mixed emotions. I am both so grateful that she doesn’t have to deal with her inability to communicate and also sad that she isn’t here for me to visit anymore. The lack of communication was tough, especially to someone like my Aunt. It was probably the cruelest thing brain cancer could have done to her besides shorten her years… was to take her ability to carry on a meaningful conversation. Before cancer, my Aunt would tell you in detail what she had for dinner three weeks ago, I joke but it was true 🙂 She loved those silly Sudoku puzzles and would always do the crossword puzzles in the newspaper. Shortly before she was diagnosed with Glioblastoma, she had gone on several trips with tour groups. She was on a trip to Colorado when her illness took a hold of her.

The last time I hung out with my Aunt (before she took that trip) was Labor Day weekend 2021. My husband and I decided to walk down to the beach from my parents house. It’s about half a mile or a little more. She quickly popped up and said she could use the walk and asked to come with us. “Sure!” we said. I remember my husband giving her a hard time about something she had said when I just started dating him years prior. She had said, “oh I’d never date a guy with a beard”. I laughed so hard and loved that Alex was still teasing her about it. She had so many things she was particular about and didn’t mind saying them. Instead of disagreeing I’d just say her name and shake my head and we would both laugh. We laughed about everything.

Oh grief.

So many moments and memories cruise through my mind when I think about her. I think about visiting her and my Uncle in Bothell as a child. Calling her a “good cooker” because I loved a meal she made. She would still quote the ‘good cooker’ phrase even into my adult years as a favorite memory. She would call me “Shari-kins & Shar-bear” and tell me how cute I was when I was little and how my Uncle wanted to freeze me at age 3. I remember shopping with her in Seattle and getting ridiculously spoiled with new clothes for school. She took her role as “godmother” very seriously and I loved that she was “more than an Aunt” to me. She was a Corporate Event Planner by profession and would tell all her friends (with pride) that I followed in her footsteps. When I lived with her she would tell me to invite friends over so she could make us dinner, she was next-level hospitable and had a placemat to match every occasion. Pure class with a huge wardrobe and enough jewelry to fill a boutique all on her own, she kept her favorite outfits even if she would never wear them again. Her home is filled with art and collectibles that have a story attached to each one. What I wouldn’t give to hear her tell me about them again. I still have the last voicemail I received from her on my birthday a year before her diagnosis. I listen to it sometimes. It will be a sad day when it gets deleted.

The last 16 months of her fighting brain cancer have been bittersweet. I found out I was pregnant a few days after she was diagnosed. My heart sank knowing that my baby may never meet her. But she was there to watch my belly grow, attend my baby shower, and hold my tiny two week old baby at her 80th birthday party. My baby girl is her namesake, Koralyn. Even though I know those 16 months were hard for her, I’m so glad she fought. She fought to extend her life and end it on her terms. She passed away at home knowing she was so deeply loved by all of us. That is one wonderful way to go. Peacefully and loved.

Aunt Kory, you are missed.