I swear i’m not always this emotional you guys. I’m usually much more focused on the fun parts of motherhood. Product reviewing and fashion finding is what I do best. But once again I find myself word vomiting onto my computer to share it with the world. You see, our world is changing. I don’t want to get too political here, but this new late abortion law for the state of New York has me in my feelings. It has me reaching out to God for a sign that better things are coming. It has me wanting to share my story with the world to let every woman know that just because your pregnancy is unplanned does not mean your child will be unloved. So here I am sharing my story on something near and dear to my heart and I hope it reaches the ones who need to read it most.

Deep Breath.

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Let me first start off by making one thing clear, I love motherhood. I love my kids and I love being their mother. I love my kids more than any thing on God’s green earth and would do anything for them. They are my entire world, my sun and my stars and they will always come before myself or anyone else.

But no one ever tells you about the dark side of motherhood. The side that sits in the back of your mind and comes over you when you least expect it. That little voice that makes you question every move, every word and every little thing you do until you suddenly find yourself feeling like you’re backed into the corner of the ring and life is making gut punches while you struggle to catch your breath.

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If you know me, you know i’m an amazon junkie. The fact that I can buy something from my phone and have it delivered in 2 days, or even better- same day, is incredible and just what this busy mom needs! So i went back through my purchase history through 2016 to find all my all time favorite amazon items to share with you!

1. Portable phone charger– I’ll admit, i’m on my phone all day long. It’s what I do and I have no shame in my social media game. Ok.. maybe a little shame. But this portable phone charger is a game changer. Whether you’re traveling for the weekend or just the day or maybe out for the night you know all too well that your phone can die quick with all your photo taking and facebook/instagram posting. Or maybe your toddler is like mine and is Youtube Kids obsessed. I’ve never seen my phone die faster than when my toddler gets ahold to it. So I always have my portable phone charger with me for instances like these. It charges my phone from 0-55% in less than 30 minutes and I can get a full charge in less than an hour! It hold about 4 full Iphone batteries and also has the capability to charge more than one phone at a time! Talk about a win win!
2. Apple watch band– Okay if you have an apple watch and need an easy, casual band-look no further. I bought this after my mom ordered one and I was obsessed. This has become my everyday watch band because of how comfortable it is. Getting the watch on and off is a breeze and it’s casual yet cute. It comes in about 7 different shades of stainless steel in both apple watch sizes and are all less than $12 each!
3. 10 Foot IPhone charger– Can someone please tell apple their phone chargers are whack? They break so easily and randomly stop working. Not cool! I found these chargers after searching for reviews on the best extended cable chargers and loved it. I’ve had the same one for almost 8 months now (which is a record i’m pretty sure) and it’s still going strong. They come in 4 different lengths and 5 different colors. And the best part, all less than $17!
4. Travel Potty– If you’re a mom with a potty trained child or maybe you’re working on it like us, you are all too familiar with the endless stops to let them go potty. But who has time for gas station bathrooms? Not this momma! I found this travel potty on a random search and LOVE it! It’s portable and comes in it’s own little carrying case, has legs so that it can stand up on a flat surface or can be folded to fit right onto any toilet seat. It’s small enough to fit in the basket of your stroller for shopping or keep in your car for those 911 emergencies. You can purchase disposable bags to fit onto it or if you’re on a budget like me, simply use grocery bags! It has little flexible flaps that hold grocery bags in place for easy disposal! Definitely a must have for all my mommy friends!
5. Stroller Fan– Summer heat in the south is no joke! Heat in general is awful but when our babies are in their strollers, sometimes the airflow isn’t as great so the temps get super hot. I found this portable stroller fan that runs on batteries or USB power and i am obsessed. We use this everywhere! The blades are enclosed so little fingers aren’t hurt and it’s powerful enough to cool down your toddler quickly! I’ve also been able to use the same batteries for quite a while without it losing power which is a huge deal because most of these fans drain batteries quickly!
6. Essential Oil Diffuser– Okay so these things are all the rage these days, but the prices are intense sometimes. I found this diffuser on amazon about a year ago and fell in love. We started with only one and now we have them in every room in our house. It has auto timers to shut off after 3 and 6 hours or continuous until the water has evaporated. It also lights up and is a neat little night light for kids or just a relaxing light for bedtime! They come in 2 shades and blend into furniture and decor easily! So don’t think you have to pay big bucks for them, this one is amazing and is less than 1/3 the price of most!
7. Portable Oil Diffuser– Okay, another diffuser but I PROMISE you need this one. I found this and wasn’t sure how the quality would be or if it was even legit. Update, it’s the best! I use this in my car or plug it straight into my Laptop when i’m traveling to diffuse oils. It plugs right into a USB outlet and requires nothing else. If you are an oil junkie, this is a must have!
8. Selfie Ring Light– Okay, some will joke about this one but hey, no shame. This ring light is amazing for all you selfie junkies! Or maybe you’re into vlogging or just like to take cute pics with your kids! You need this! It clamps onto any surface for easy stability, Has a clamp to hold any size phone, the light has 3 different shades to give you optimal lighting, dimming and brightening and comes with a remote for your phone to be able to take pics without touching your phone! What more could you need! Plugs straight into an USB outlet and is good to go! I use this for so much now and have found that my pictures are brighter and much more clear!
9. External Shelving– I am all too familiar with tight living spaces and cramped quarters. I mean college dorms? Hello external shelving. I found this shelving unit while searching for ways to spruce up my home office space and love it! Assembly is easy (If you actually follow the directions), quality is incredible and it holds all my things that I love to display for my office. If you’re living in a tight apartment or just looking for extra shelving, this is a great option for less than $100! Comes in a few different shelving options and shades!

I could probably list like 50 more things, but those are my absolute top picks from my amazon history. Short and sweet!

XO-Jordan Lee

 

 

Every mom understands the need for a quick “Get Ready” routine and how valuable that routine can be to your everyday life. When my first child was born, I struggled balancing my morning routine while trying to do hers as well. I started having to wake up super early just to make time for makeup. After a few youtube tutorials and some product hunting, i’ve finally mastered what I like to call my “10 Minute/10 Step Glam” and i’m here to share with you! My Go-To look is a super natural, nothing over the top look. Also, check out my very informal tutorial on these products here- 

My everyday routine is definitely worthy for office, errand running or a casual date night. The products I use are easy, you don’t have to be a professional or watch a million different youtube videos to learn how to do what i’m going to explain. It’s super simple!

Step 1- First, I always start with clean and moisturized skin! I use my Korres cleanser on my Foreo and follow up with Clinique moisture surge moisturizer. This moisturizer is my go-to favorite for my dry skin!

Step 2- Next I move onto my base which is the Maybelline BB Cream for a more full coverage or the Drunk Elephant Umbre Tinte for a more natural look. I take the product and put dots on my face and blend out using clean fingers. I tend to avoid my under eye area because I will be applying concealer there anyways and I don’t want to build too much product on top of another!

Step 3- Next is my concealer. I use Tarte Shape Tape  on a beauty blender and work from under my eyes down onto the top of my cheek bones out to the corners of my eyes and up towards my hair line. I blend this out and add product to achieve the coverage I desire. Warning, it does not take much of this concealer!

Step 4- After concealer, I set my entire face with finishing powder. My all time favorite is the It Cosmetics “Your skin but better” powder. It gives me a little coverage and blends out all products on my skin beautifully. I’ll just use a large powder brush and swirl the product around my face, tapping under the eyes to set the concealer in.

Step 5-7  Next is my trio of Bronzer, blush and highlight. My favorite bronzer is the Hoola Bronzer by Benefit. I use another powder brush and simply start at my natural contour and work from the hairline in towards my mouth, stopping about halfway. This gives you a natural and not quite defined contour and a sun-kissed look! Blush is MAC Mineralized blush and I just take any blush brush and simply dust the product onto the apples of my cheeks right above the bronzer. Highlight just simply goes onto any areas the light would naturally hit your face. This is usually on the highest point of your cheekbones and a small amount on the nose. My favorite highlighter is the Becca shimmering highlight in Champagne Pop!

Step 8- Next is eyeshadow. I go back and forth on palettes but my go to neutral shadow palette is the Tarte Bloom palette! It has the perfect neutral shades for an everyday look. To start, I take the beauty blender I used earlier and press any left over concealer straight onto my eyelids. This acts as an eyeshadow primer. Then I will take a fluffy brush and pick up the lighter neutral shade and blend the shadow all over my eyelid in circular motions. Then I move to a shade that is slightly darker and start to carve out my lid. (This is better explained in my tutorial on my Vlog channel). I continue to grab a few darker shades and keep each shade below the other until I have a good neutral look that i’m happy with. The key to this step is just blending and blending!

Step 9- Next is my brows! I always carve out my brows using a brow pencil by Anastasia Beverly Hills . I don’t add any unnecessary marks, just simply fill in any spare areas and give a shape to the brow. I also fill in little hair like strokes in the front of my brows where over-plucking has ruined them!

Step 10- My last step is Eyeliner/Mascara. I use a simple Gel liner to line my water line. My choice in mascaras change almost weekly. I always just grab whatever is first at hand, but here lately my go to has been the Benefit Bad Gal. Few swipes and i’m good!

From the moment you find out you’re expecting, every new mom starts thinking of everything they will need for their new baby. The overbearing lists online, the never ending baby isles in department stores and the constant advice from friends and family on what you need.. but what do you really need? After my first child was about a year old, I realized a lot of the stuff we bought was pretty useless. It either didn’t work for her, didn’t fit our needs or just took up too much room in our then tiny city apartment. So when my second child was on the way, I narrowed the needs down to the bare minimum and am here to share my must have top 10! Each item is listed below and i’ll explain why I love it and why you need it in your home!

1. The Ollie Swaddle– This is my holy grail swaddle and I would pay their asking price without batting an eyelash. My little guy was super gassy during his few few weeks of life and we struggled with getting him comfortable to sleep. We tried everything under the sun and then one night I pulled this thing out and wrapped him up and it was like a light switch. Instant soothing. The fabric sits snug to their body and it a very soft/stretchy material. The velcro is super strong and stays in place without shifting! Overall, 10/10 recommend this if you are in need of a good swaddle!
2. The Rock N Play– So i’ll confess, I brushed this off with our first child and went straight to the MamaRoo. We still have the MamaRoo and we prefer this Rock N Play over it. It’s much more portable, making it easy to carry around the house or on travels, plugs in or you can purchase one that works on batteries. The angle it sits up at makes it a great option for babies with reflux issues. It also plays about 5 different “white noise” sounds. The price is amazing for what you get on this, totally a must have for every mom!
3. The DockATot- Okay, i’ll admit I bought this one only because I saw everyone else with one and felt like I had to have it. But when baby got home and we laid him in it and he went straight to sleep, I knew it was worth the money. I’m in NO WAY suggestion this as a co-sleeper because the only safe way for babies to sleep is on a mattress with a fitted sheet on their back with nothing else, but i’ll confess to having this by our bed at night to let him lie down in if the side bassinet just isn’t cutting it. It’s an awesome way to let baby rest around the house safely without fear of him/her rolling around or to have with you when on vacation to give baby a comfy place to rest! I also HIGHLY recommend having at least one backup cover. Babies are definitely going to spit up while lying flat, and this is definitely going to get dirty! The backup covers make late night accidents an easy clean up!
4. CeraVe Baby lotion & Wash– Baby skin is extremely delicate and sensitive and 9 times out of 10, babies end up with some degree of baby acne and/or dry skin. When my little guy’s flared up we tried so many different lotions and washes and then another mom suggested we try this. I am not kidding, 2 days and his skin was crystal clear. There is no scent to is but it cleans baby so well and leaves their skin feeling soft and moisturized. We now use this and only this on his skin and have zero issues with acne or dry skin at all.
5. Pacifier clips/Paci- This is kind of hit or miss with babies so what works for my child might not be what yours likes. But we tried a handful of different pacifier brands and found these Natursutten pacifiers to be the best fit for him. Their are made from an all natural rubber and are a neutral color so easy to pair and coordinate with outfits. And every pacifier needs a clip. We love these softy cotton clips from Madelines box. A lot of pacifier clips are bulky for newborns and really just get in the way more than they help. These are super flexible and come in a variety of colors making it easy to pair with babies OOTD. (linking a few more pacifier options- Butterfly/Round)
6. Diaper Caddy– If there is anything I learned after my first baby, it’s that you need a lot of stuff on hand at all times. Diapers, wipes, burp clothes, changes of clothes, I mean the list is endless. I discovered this Parker Baby diaper caddy and it has made things so much more neat and organized around our house. The size is great to store everything I need for both baby and myself. This also makes night time changes and pumping sessions a breeze! Such a great option and a must have item to keep you organized!
7. Primary Clothing Footed Zip up Sleepers– I don’t know how else to say this, but you will go through footed sleepers like you run through toilet paper. Have tons on hand. These from primary are my all time favorite because they fit snug to babies body, are made with a soft cotten and come in a variety of solid colors which are my favorite.
8. Moses Basket & Stand– Everyone needs a good bedside sleeper for baby since it is recommend that baby sleep in the same room as parents until about 6 months of age. We found this moses basket and stand off amazon and love it. It’s just small enough to sit beside our bed, gently rocks baby and isn’t an eyesore like most bedside bassinets. It’s also much more affordable than some high end sleepers! The quality is amazing and we have had zero issues. It also makes for a cute picture prop or laundry basket!
9. White Noise Machine– HOLY GRAIL BABY PRODUCT. If you aren’t using white noise while your baby sleeps and baby is constantly waking up or you’re constantly shushing your friends and family, invest in a good white noise machine. We play this anytime baby is napping or sleeping and it keeps him nice and calm and helps us to avoid having to remain super quiet around baby! I also have a great portable white noise machine that I love to carry on road trips or place in the stroller while we are out and about!
10. Baby Carrier– Having a good baby carrier is key those first few months when baby constantly wants to be held and comes in handy again when baby is too little to walk and you’re out and about. I have a few favs in this category, one being a Wildbird ring sling. Ring slings are amazing for when baby is very young and easily pliable. When baby is a bit bigger a more structured carrier like the Tula is a great option! Either way, you’ll want to invest in one for sure!