mother's day gifts // ellie fun day

Hello & Happy Monday!

It's almost Mother's Day, and I'm popping in to let you know that I'm sharing my Top 5 Gift Picks over on the Ellie Fun Day blog today.

Some of you may remember when I first found Ellie Fun Day (and how much I raved about them), so I was really honored when their founder, Sarah Lin, asked me to guest post for them.

They have a commitment to helping marginalized women through handcrafted design and fair trade, which I so admire. (And in case you missed this news, they make the. best. baby. blanket. on the planet). I hope you'll check out the post for all these goodies:

I've got sources, stories, and one very telling secret about my abominable lack of a skin care regimen. Stop by and tell them I said hi!

mommies behind the blog // a dose of pretty

A few weeks ago, I was contacted by Sara Mueller from A Dose of Pretty, who asked if I'd be a part of her 'Mommies Behind the Blog' series. I will spare you the details of my subsequent freak out and kitchen happy dance, but suffice it to say, I was thrilled. I've been a long time fan of Sara's gorgeous blog and Instagram. She has impeccable style and makes everything she touches...well, pretty. So to be a included in her series is an absolute honor.

I immediately grabbed my favorite photographer, Ellen Swalley of Red Sweater Photography, because somehow iPhone selfies of me with the kids didn't quite seem like they measured up to the occasion. I'm so thrilled with what she captured!

You can pop over to A Dose of Pretty to read my interview for Sara's series and to see my very favorite photos that Ellen took.

And here for fun are a couple extra snaps:

I have to laugh at this one because my poor parents have mountains of photos in their archives where I'm assaulting my little brother's face in hopes of getting him to look at a camera...while not looking at a camera.

Anyone else notice how quickly those idyllic snuggly bedtime reading moments can escalate to full-on WWF style wrestling? Or in the case of my now strong-enough-to-actually-conquer-mom 8 year old, maniacal armpit tickling?

I was so happy that Sara gave me an excuse to get some pictures of me with the kids and that Ellen was able to capture these moments. I'm always the one behind the lens, so I don't have a lot of pictures with me and them. Also, we wrestle in bed a. lot. and it's a memory that otherwise would probably have never been preserved. I mean, you have to draw the line at total mom weirdo if you set up a selfie-cam to shoot that right? So these pictures are really precious to have.

Thanks Ellen for your beautiful photography, and thanks Sara for having me on your lovely blog. Head over and I'll meet you there!