mom Archives - Cammo Style Love

gift ideas, mil-spouse, mom, mother, motherhood

8 Mother’s Day Gifts for the MilSpouse in Your Life

March 30, 2018 No Comments

Whether you are looking for a gift for your mom, wife, something you can hint to the hubby or even for one of your best friends, the idea of supporting military spouse and/or veteran businesses while I’m gift giving makes me so happy! We have so many creative military spouses and veterans in our space that we can support. The list is probably extensive, but these are some of my favorites! Share yours in the comments below!

Designs by Katie Leigh ~ I met Katie just recently and I was so excited because this girls knows how to make jewelry! It’s affordable, well made and her customer service is stellar. If you have an questions or an issue she’s there and will do her best to answer or fix. You have probably seen her stuff all over my feed since I am a brand ambassador for her, but I can’t go anywhere in her stuff without someone commenting on it. Enter “Rheanna” on your checkout for a little surprise

Sword and Plough – I had the extreme pleasure of meeting the ladies behind this brand last year. Their motivation and company in general is so inspiring and I think that what they are doing is amazing. They have a commitment to donating a portion of their profits to support service members and their families through various organizations. They employ military veterans and spouses in every stage of their design and manufacturing. S&P uses recycled materials and packaging and have a goal to maintain a low carbon footprint, as well as manufacturing their bags in the good ‘ole USA!

This is the bag currently on my wish list!

Hope Designs Ltd – Lauren from HDL combines two of my favorite things jewelry and vintage brooches. You guys, seriously this stuff is so beautiful. I’ve been a brooch fan for a long time. Well before I had kids I would ask for brooches and wear them on my wool jackets in the winter time. Even now you will find a brooch on my nicer jackets. Its my thing and I love it. But Hope Designs is much more than just your grandma’s brooches. You can find earrings, bracelets and even men’s accessories, all celebrating our military lives of then and now. The items below are some of my favorite.

MasonChix – founded by a military spouse and special needs mom, purchasing from MasonChix will get you two things. First, it will get you an amazingly comfy and cute shirt (I have several), and second, you will be contributing to the purchase of special needs swings for playgrounds! You guys, if that doesn’t make you feel good about your purchase I’m not sure what will!

THEY ARE IN THE MIDDLE OF A HUGE SALE RIGHT NOW, TO GET READY FOR SPRING DESIGNS! SO HURRY AND SNAG A DEAL!!!

Daisy Fae Designs – I can’t remember where I first stumbled upon this shop. On one of my many late night Etsy rabbit holes most likely. But the bright colors and fun designs drew me in to this wonderful lady her company. I feel like the picture will say it all! You can find all sorts of fun designs including the adorable prickly pear and lemon prints in her Desert Collection! And don’t forget about the super adorable skinny scarf trend that is making a comeback! Adorable prints in that and traditional cowl scarf designs are available as well.

Bottle Breacher – One part self-defense, one part bottle opener? Put it on a keychain and color it pink?! I’m sold! I love my bottle breacher!! Plus, this isn’t just for mother’s day guys. Bookmark this one for promotion, retirement, birthday, wedding gifts, whatever! Full size bottle openers, Shirts, wine bottle openers, coolers. They’ve got it all.

Combat Flip Flops – Also someone I was so grateful to have spoken to and met last year was the founder of Combat Flip Flops. He and his wife are pretty amazing people, and the purpose of this company makes my heart melt. Buy any product and you are funding a day of education for an Afghan Woman. Buy any Peacemaker (Jewelry from their Peacemaker, be a better human line) and fund the clearance of 3sq meters of landmines. Buy a Perfect Circle (beautiful lapis lazuli bracelet – currently sold out) and employ American Gold Star families and Afghan war widows. Plus, their flip flops are just comfy…got mine in pink (are we surprised?) The ones pictured below are the ones I have. Super comfy and made with a combat boot outsole! Recycle and reuse my friends.

The Rosie Company – Founded by MilSpouses, The Rosie Company started out with these adorable planners – “The Rosie” and have branched out into so much more. They have apparel, accessories, cute pens and a ton more. I haven’t seen the planner up close and personal, but I have a lot of good things, especially for newer military spouses or new to paper planning. There are a ton of reviews out there for those interested in delving into the paper planner world (trust me, we know we are crazy). Check out all their products by clicking the link.

babywearing, clothdiaper, convention, mom, MommyCon, MommyCon 2015, natural parenting

MommyCon is Coming To a Town Near You! discount code

March 3, 2015 No Comments

I’m so excited to be attending MommyCon this year! Also, exciting to announce that I am an officially MommyCon blogger this year. It was such an exciting opportunity to be a part of that I just couldn’t resist.

If you’ve never been to one of these events let me give you the run down:

MommyCon is a “boutique-style convention” with Natural and Organic parenting topics and products as the primary theme. You can expect to see seminars and demonstrations along those same lines, as well as a ton of products to peruse. As if that wasn’t enough there will be giftbags and amazing giveaways!

awesome babywearing seminar

The MommyCon Atlanta, the next top of the tour, is going to be chock-full of some really amazing things. Make sure to check out the full, newly-released, schedule of events. But here’s a few little tidbits:

Cotton Babies will be there with a Cloth Diaper 101, The Baby Guy NYC (whom I love, love love) will be there with a little car seat safety discussion for you and there will be a ton of babywearing seminars and discussions (like the picture above). You can expect to see more of the same, amazing things at the other stops along the tour.

Be sure to stay tuned here on the blog as I will be starting to post a ton of related topics from my perspective, and sharing my experiences; as well as sharing with you all about MommyCon as it travels through the US the rest of this year.

If you would like to purchase a MommyCon ticket for one of the Convention I have a code for you guys! Use Cammo15 for $5 off your ticket!

MommyCon 2015

Minneapolis – April 15, 2015

Orlando -May 23, 2015

Washington, DC – August 22, 2015

Columbus, OH – September 19, 2015

Have you ever been to MommyCon? I want to hear about it! Maybe I’ll see you at MommyCon DC!

post signature

children, home, mom, parenting

Parenting 201: The Bored Box

January 23, 2014 No Comments

It’s an affliction I think all children get in their childhood….the ability to use the phrase “I’m bored.” I’m not sure exactly where it comes from or how they get it. Someone should invest some money in developing a vaccine for it. Maybe it isn’t the actual being bored part I don’t like, its the whiny proclamation that is like nails on a chalk board!

I’m of the opinion that children should be bored, at least once in awhile. It forces their brains to work, tests the limits of their imagination and makes them just be for a minute. Rest is vital to growing. It seems that no matter what all children utter the phrase, despite what we think we are doing as parents, or the rules and values with instill in our children. Basically I’m going with, “its not my fault.” Otherwise I’ll beat myself up. When I was young I think I remember my mom saying something to the effect of, “If you’re bored you can scrub the floors with a toothbrush.” That’s not off my list of possible things to do yet, but yesterday an epiphany was had.

This is the ‘Bored Box’. What is the ‘Bored Box’ you ask? You know those random toys you find all over the place? You know, under the kitchen table, in your bedroom, in your bed, in the couch cushions. Well they get tossed in the ‘Bored Box’ and when the little ~~devils~~ darlings need some assistance in coming up with something to do they get to put away the same number of toys as their years on this planet. We’ll see how it goes. Seems like a genius idea….from much strife comes great success right?

post signature

#MyPlatinum, Cascade, mom, Mom Central Consulting, review

Cascade Platinum Dishwashing Pacs Sponsored post

June 15, 2013 No Comments

“I participated in a campaign on behalf of Mom Central Consulting for Cascade. I received a product sample to facilitate my review and a promotional item as a thank you for participating.”

Of all of the things I do as a mom, doing the dishes is probably my least favorite. I mean, it really is one of my least favorite things to do. Laundry ain’t no big deal, the bathroom doesn’t bother me; but for some reason, doing the dishes is the bane of my existence. However, I continually count my blessings that I have a dish washer. I remember doing dishes by hand when I was little girl. Growing up we didn’t have a dishwasher, until I was a little bit older. Needless-to-say, this mama is thankful for modern day convenience and I try not to take them for granted. Currently we are an adorable house built in the late 50s. Its a small little home (thankful for the add-on!) and I actually have to hook up dishwasher to my sink….its totally weird. I’m not sure if its the detergent I’ve been using (another name brand) or what, but sometimes I feel like my dishes don’t come out super clean. Who wants to wash the dishes before you wash the dishes, if you know what I mean. One wash with the Cascade Platinum pacs and I’m telling you, whoa, what a world of difference. There was no way I expected to be able to tell a difference that quickly. The fact that it has Dawn grease-fighting power is another huge plus for me, seeing as that I’m already a big fan of Dawn. The downside of it all is that Cascade Platinum is slightly more expensive, at about at 12% increase. I may check out the Cascade Complete Pacs to see how they fair, but I feel like I’m going to be spoiled now with the fancy Platinum pacs. I used to use Cascade powder back in the day, and I know that the brand is good. There are few things that I don’t skimp on (by buying an off brand), dish-washing detergent being one of them. So we’ll see how it goes.

Cascade Platinum Pacs are a unique, new dishwashing detergent, featuring a triple-action formula that targets 24 hour dried on food, hard water film, and food build-up on your dishes, as well as your dishwasher. This last one is a new feature for Cascade, and something I really wish I had had when we lived in Northern Nevada. You wouldn’t believe the hard water there. It was so crazy and affected everything we did. Living here I’ve found that hard water isn’t as much of an issue, but the overall cleanliness of my dishes is very important to me. Making sure they look good, with no spots or streaks, is always a plus. Now that I’m hosting people more (our amazing military surrogate family) I want my dishes to look good. Who knows when one one my plates might end up on facebook or twitter (don’t lie, you know you take pictures of your food too)?!

Thanks to Cascade Platinum I can now be sure that my dishes look good, on and off camera. Since this is such a huge thing these days Top Chef judge and editor of Food+Wine, Gail Simmons has partnered with Cascade to talk about why presentation is just as important as preparation.

Watch Gail discuss Cascade and her Chicken Panna Cotta

And while we’re on the topic of crazy plate picture taking people (which none of you are right?), Cascade has also launched what looks to be like a super fun Instagram #MyPlatinum contest! Who doesn’t love a good photo contest on Instagram. There will be weekly winners and a grand prize winner, that will be chosen based on pictures that line up with a particular theme for the week. Sounds like fun right? We are coming up on Week 3 of the contest, so make sure to check out the contest and start snapping those amazing pics!

Stop by and visit Cascade on facebook to learn about the new Cascade Platinum and get involved in the conversation! We know moms really know the down-low on all this stuff.

mom, mother of boys, parenting, sons, Wandering Wednesday

Wednesday Walkabout: To the Mother of Boys

May 29, 2013 No Comments

Yesterday I was playing in the park with some mommy friends, and since we have a lot of boys among us we talked about what its like to be the mothers of sons. Most of the boys that I know are boy’s boys…you know like the phrase, “he’s a man’s man.” We also share the same experiences when it comes to having our boys out in public, to play with other kids. Who do you find climbing things, jumping off things, creating jungle gyms out of tables, chairs, fireplace hearths, couches and basically anything else that might (or might not) hold their weight. It’s almost always a boy. If you hear a strange growling type noise, its probably a little boy making a car noise…he will make that noise…ALL. The. Time.

To the mother of boys with only friends with little girls. You are a good mom, you just have been blessed with the life and passion, tightly wound up in a little adorably grubbie package. He’s wild and loud, but looks at you like you could walk on water. Don’t apologize for your boy being a boy. Help him grow and learn…to know when to let his boyness flow…and maybe sometimes to pull it in a little. But when he’s two and just wants to be a lion, let him be a lion. The other moms, that look at you sideways, need to be able to adapt as well. It shouldn’t be all on you to calm and quiet your little man. To hold him back from experiencing worms in the dirt, and then getting that dirt over every inch of his little body.

To the mother of a boy like mine…..

let him take stuff apart, find the show “How It’s Made,” right this second and record every episode. Look up Discovery TV on youtube and watch every episode about planets. Then, go make some planets out of rocks. Put him in martial arts (put your girls in too), it was one of the best decisions we ever made. Teach him to be a gentleman, even when he’s 4. To be sweet to little girls, to say excuse me when he burps, and to share his worms (if they want them).

I love being the mother of boys!

I don’t often mention or suggest parenting-style books, but if you have a boy check out the book Wild Things: The Art of Nurturing Boys.

1 2 Next »