Gift Ideas for Mother’s Day!

by sugarsunshinelife | May 11, 2023 | Lifestyle, Motherhood

This post may contain affiliate links! If you click on a link in this post, it may be commissionable, and I may earn a small amount when you purchase off of that link. Thank you for understanding!

If you’re like me then you LOVE gift giving! I have such a passion for spending lots of money and gifting people. Recently, I’ve had to majorly control that urge but Mother’s Day is a holiday when I really want to show how much I appreciate the women in my life.

It can be really hard to find gifts and it’s not always easy to find the right gifts. Everyone is so different!

Are you struggling with gift ideas? Below is a great list of affordable gifts for the mothers in your life! ♥

Jewelry & Accessories:

• Boho String Watch Band, I definitely have been eyeing this one!
• Women’s Waterproof Anti-theft Backpack. (Um, how cool is this???)
• Mama Necklace + a coupon for $2 off!
• Fanny Pack ~ Great for when you’re on the go!
• Nana Bracelet. These come in different sayings and you can even get them customized!

Clothing & Shoes:

• Mommy & Me Matching T-shirts.
• Mama Smiley Tee, I love this one!
• Cushionaire Cloud Slide ~ So comfy and the colors are great!
• SAHM Tee. I’m so loving this shirt!

Home Decor:

• Custom Kitchen Towels.
• Mother’s Day Puzzle Sign. (So sweet!!)
• Soft Blanket ~ This one is a Barefoot Dreams lookalike for a fraction of the cost!
• Personalized Wooden Spoon. Perfect for women who LOVE to cook!

Beauty & Self-care:

• Essie Nail Polish, I love this color!!
• Summer Feet Prep Gift Kit. Ooooh la la!
• Gua Sha Facial Roller.

Bible Studies & Books:

• Steadfast Motherhood Devotional, I really can’t wait to purchase this one myself!
• Gentle and Lowly by Dane Ortlund ~ I have heard so many good reviews on this book! 
• Suffering Is Never For Nothing by Elisabeth Elliot.
• Write The Word Journal: these come in so many different versions and are by far my favorite devotionals.

For The Expecting Mom:

• Kindred Braverly PJ’s ~ These were my absolute favorite to wear in the hospital!
• Kindred Braverly Nursing Bra. soooo soft!!
• A pair of slippers!

Don’t forget to shop the Kindred Braverly Mother’s Day Sale where you can score up to 50% off!

If you spend $125 during this sale, you will get a $25 store credit to use at another time!

P.S, don’t forget to use code MADISON15 for 15% off your purchase!

See something you like or would add to this list? Let me know in the comments! I love hearing from my readers!

Be sure to join my Mother’s Day Giveaway! Head to this post to enter!

Mother’s Day Giveaway & My Motherhood Journey!!

by sugarsunshinelife | May 3, 2023 | Lifestyle, Motherhood

This post may contain affiliate links! If you click on a link in this post, it may be commissionable, and I may earn a small amount when you purchase off of that link. Thank you for understanding!

As Mother’s Day approaches, I wanted to reach out to all of the strong, hard-working moms out there. Every mom is one! Whether you read my blog, follow me on social media, or know me in person, I want to shed some light on mothers.

What Is a Mother?

A mother is Strong. Protective. Loving. Selfless.

The perfect example of a mother is the Proverbs 31 Woman. She is described as trustworthy, hardworking, fruitful, strong, a volunteer, crafty, wise, kind, blessed, a homemaker, fearful of the Lord, and praised by her husband for her work.

Personally, I aspire to be this woman every single day. I look up to this woman in the bible. I believe this is a perfect example of how every woman’s character should be.

The job that a mother has is so important and our characters must be well-defined before we can start building the characters of others, especially our little ones.

“Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.” Proverbs 22:6

As mother’s, we are responsible for the upbringing of little humans until they are adults. While this is no easy task, having that biblical strength is so necessary!

The world wants mothers to be weak and dependent on others for how we raise our children. But, if you just look to God, He provides so much wisdom and knowledge on how to manage this part of life!

Don’t forget to also lean on the older and wiser women in your life. They have been here before! I go to my mother-in-law so much for advice and she always tells me exactly what I need to hear, even if it’s hard.

Motherhood is HARD!

Oftentimes, we moms feel overlooked. We feel like our needs aren’t met and like everything we do is for others. Well, it is. Everything that a mom does is for someone. Whether it’s her kids, her husband, family, or friends, the list could go on and on.

Being a mother is truly about being a servant to others. And it’s hard! It’s hard to give yourself all day, every day. Mothers need someone to lean on. Someone to pick them up when the daily routine of life is too much.

I personally experience times when I’m just completely overstimulated. I’ve learned that identifying the things that overstimulate me has really helped me throughout the day when I feel like nothing is going right.

A lot of times, I am my own worst enemy. I start thinking of everything that I have to do and I make myself stressed. Writing a daily to-do list has helped with that so much! 

One thing that really has helped me with overstimulation is reading scripture and listening to worship music. It is so easy for me to get into my own head and think only about myself. As a mom, I do everything for my boys and for my husband.

There are times when I get selfish. Sometimes I crack and make everything about me. I’m a flawed human. I have to constantly remind myself that by serving others and being a helpful hand is pleasing to the Lord.

A verse that really speaks to me is Galatians 5:13. It says, “For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.”

I believe one of the biggest acts of love is through service. By dying to yourself and giving to or helping others. Putting others’ needs and wants above yours.

Man, is that hard! It’s hard to be selfless. We are selfish by nature. It’s a daily struggle to be selfless. For me, being a mother has helped me overcome that natural instinct.

Trials

Growing up, I had an overly critical mother. Everything I did was criticized and/or downgraded. While it was abusive and very difficult, little did I know that it was teaching me how to be strong as a mother. 

I have learned many things from my mother. These things she did not teach me intentionally. They were taught through the fear I had of her and through the hope I had in God. The best thing? God showed me how to grow from that!

Our trials make us stronger. That trial, while weak at the moment, has helped me grow today. God’s timing is always perfect and He knew what I needed, even if I didn’t believe it at the time.

James 1:2-4 says, “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.”

There were many things that I learned in my teenage years. My youngest sister was born, my parents were divorced and then married again, I was a ballerina, and I was being homeschooled.

In those years, I developed a sense of motherly love for my younger sisters. Again, I think this is another thing that helped me grow as a mother. I already had the instinct to care for younger ones at a young age.

I became a mom at nineteen. I was married and had just graduated high school. I was ready.  I truly believe that God put me through that trial as a child and teenager to help me become the woman I am becoming every single day.

God sent my husband to me during our Senior year in high school. He was the first person I had ever told about what it was like growing up in my household. After we graduated, we made the decision to get married legally. I left home, he proposed, and then we were married before God. It was all in God’s perfect timing.

Looking back on it all, I am grateful for the hard times that I went through. They made me who I am today. I am prepared to be a mother and wife from the trials I have been through.

I love my boys and I genuinely want to serve them and my husband. I want them to be the thing that my life revolves around and it does. 

One of the greatest sacrifices a woman can make is by becoming a mother. By raising arrows every single day. We are responsible for the health and well-being of our families. Whether you’re a working mom, stay-at-home mom, or both, it’s hard!

And It’s tough. Really tough. But, I wouldn’t trade it for the world. I know motherhood is where God has me and I love it. 

Resources For Moms:

Some incredibly helpful resources that I have bought for the special women in my life have all come from The Daily Grace Co. I just love their company foundations and what they stand for! You can read their statement of faith here.

Here are some of my favorite motherhood resources that they provide ~ and they’re super affordable, too!

• Gospel-Centered Motherhood
• Steadfast Motherhood
• Prayers For My Children
• Thirty Truths for Common Lies for Women
• Hymns for a Mother’s Heart (My personal favorite!!)
• Quarterly Planner 

A Special Gift

If you’re a mom, you know that getting time to yourself can be difficult. With Mother’s Day right around the corner, a few other bloggers and I wanted to host a special giveaway for all of the wonderful mother’s out there!

Mother’s Day is the day we get to not only tell but also show Moms just how special and appreciated they really are.

Celebrate your motherhood journey and yourself this year! I’ve teamed up with a wonderful group of bloggers to help pamper four amazing moms!

There will be ONE Grand Prize Winner and THREE $100 gift card winners – for a total of four winners!! The Grand Prize winner will choose between a combo Air Fryer/Toaster Oven, or a Kitchen Aid Mixer (up to $300!!)

It’s our hope and prayer that we will add to your blessing this Mother’s Day and also show you just how much we appreciate you, our mom readers.

To enter for your chance to win this Mother’s Day Giveaway, simply use the Rafflecopter form below to enter. I know that is quite a few entries for you, but each of these bloggers generously chipped in their own money to bring you this giveaway.

I hope you will take the time to do all of the entries. Don’t forget, the more entries you do, the better your odds are of winning!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

This giveaway ends Friday, May 12th at 11:59 pm EDT. The winner will have 48 hours to respond to the email to claim the prize. By entering this giveaway you may be added to the email lists of the participating bloggers. Please be sure to read the Terms and Conditions upon entering the giveaway. By entering the giveaway, you agree and acknowledge your understanding of the terms and conditions.

Good luck to everyone who enters! If you’re an expecting mother, please check out my latest post, Hospital Bag & My Favorite Items!

Experience 4D Mommies of Birmingham With Me!

by sugarsunshinelife | Feb 8, 2023 | Lifestyle, Motherhood

I am so honored to have been able to collaborate with 4D Mommies of Birmingham this past week! I got to experience their wonderful facility along with a beautiful ultrasound of our baby boy. I can’t wait to share my thoughts with you but first, let me tell you all about 4D Mommies!

About them!

4D Mommies has been proudly serving Birmingham for 11 years! They offer a wide variety of services including 3D and 4D Ultrasounds, Gender Determination, Sneak Peek DNA Test, DVD video of your session, CD with 15-30 3D images, color prints, and more! Their packages start at just $50 and includes a five minute 3D/4D imaging session along with 1 color 3D print. If you want to check out the other packages that they offer, head to this link here.

What is a 4D ultrasound?

“4D ultrasound video is a heartwarming experience where you can actually see your little one moving around inside your womb. Be prepared to see smiles, hands covering shy faces, and wiggles as they explore their space and get comfortable. 4D video is the next chapter in the ultrasound imaging book. While 3D gives you beautiful detailed images of your baby’s face, hands, feet, and the capability of determining the gender of your unborn child, 4D is the addition of being able to see your baby move inside the womb. Facial features, smiles, thumb sucking and more can be seen in detail. This experience is really a sight to behold, and you will love how close you will feel to your child after seeing what all the movement is going on inside.”
-4D Mommies

Perks of choosing 4D Mommies!

~4D Mommies provides a relaxing environment for mom, baby, and anyone joining the ultrasound experience.
~They highly encourage you to bring along your closest loved ones to your appointment and I found that so refreshing!
~You can choose from a broad selection of ultrasounds packages so that you can easily find which one best suits your family.
~ Enjoy the comfort of seeing your baby without the need for a doctor’s visit.
~All packages come with a picture and a 3D/4D imaging session!
~Even if you aren’t expecting, you can purchase a gift certificate for the mommy to be in your life!

How to get a FREE ultrasound!

Each month, 4D Mommies gives away a free ultrasound. All you have to do is hop on over to this page and let them know when you’re due. What a blessing!

I was so impressed with 4D Mommies of Birmingham! My family had come down with a sickness this past week so we had to cancel our first appointment. They were so helpful in rescheduling for us! 4D Mommies made such a magical moment for us by being able to see our little one for so long!

One of the coolest parts about having a 4D ultrasound was how defined our little one’s face was! It was so amazing to see his features like his little button nose, opening and closing his eyes, yawning, and seeing some of his hair!

We are so blessed to have been given this opportunity to work with 4D Mommies of Birmingham and I can’t thank them enough. Thanks to them, many smiles have been made and lots of tears have been shed. I recommend going and seeing 4D Mommies to all expecting moms, you won’t regret it!