2019 Family Gift Guide

It’s finally done! I’m sure many of you have almost completed your Christmas shopping, but if you’re still looking for some gift ideas for someone who is hard to shop for, here are some great ideas. 

Most of the items in the guides are things that my family either owns, are on our wish lists or things that I genuinely think would make great gifts.

See something you like? Just find the item number in product list below, and click the item name to shop it. (Note: This post contains some affiliate links. When you shop through those links, I receive a small commission, at no cost to you.)

Enjoy!

1. Wireless Charging Stand - Easy and convenient (what most guys look for) for quick charging.

2. Otterbox Commuter Phone Case - Rugged and practically indestructible - just like how most guys feel. 

3. Yeti Travel Mug - I was gifted one of these for Christmas last year and it’s been amazing! My drinks stay warm (or cold) for hours! 

4. Winter Thermal Gloves with Touch Screen Fingers - Gloves that aren’t thick and bulky, but still let them use their touch screen devices when they wear them.

5. Remote Car Starter - If you live in a cold climate - you get it. Keep in mind, there will be an additional cost to instal it.

6. Tile Mate - If you know someone who frequently looses track of their keys, this is a great gift. You attach the bluetooth-enabled tile to your keys and, with the help of the app, they can locate their keys next time they go missing.

7. SAXX Underwear - Let's just say, they're "friction free" underwear.

8. Money Clip - From my experience, most guys prefer slim to no wallet. I got this one for my husband a while ago and he loves it. He's able to put his important cards in it, a few dollar bills, and the magnetic clip also holds a few coins. I also opted to get it monogrammed with his initials for an added personal touch.

9. S-Biner Carabiner - This one comes in a 3-pack with multiple sizes. My husband loves to use carabiners for his keys, so when his hands are full, he can quickly clip it onto his belt loop. 

10. Beard King Beard Bib - It may look goofy, but if it will save our counter/sink from being covered by beard clippings, it's worth it!

11. Sandalwood Beard Oil + Leave-in Conditioner - Love that this one is Canadian made! This stuff will hydrate their beard and condition their skin that can get irritated from shaving.

12. Weighted Blanket - My husband loves a weighty blanket on him when he sleeps. Theses blankets also have some cool benefits linked to them, including helping with anxiety and stress relief.

1. Battery Power Bank Phone Case - It's a cute phone case AND a power bank. With the touch of a button, you can charge your phone on the go. Plus, they have some really cute patterns!

2. Pretty By Her Soy Wax Candles - These 100% natural soy wax candles are hand-poured and burn clean (no black soot). You have to check out all the scents and really funny/sassy names. They'd make a great hostess gift as well.

3. Hot Pink Toque - If you haven't heard, pink is in. Love the combo of the chunky knit and oversized pompom.

4. Custom Letter Necklace - You can select your material of choice (sterling silver, gold plated) and customize the letters or word. You could customize it to say their name, their kids' initials, or a cute word.

5. Keychain Bangle - Cute and practical. Keeps your hands free and comes in a few different colours/patterns.

6. Yeti Travel Mug - I received this as a Christmas gift last year, and I've used it a ton! My drinks stay warm (and cool) for hours! This would also make a great teacher gift.

7. Happy Plug Charging Cable - I love this cable because it's stronger than the actual one that came with my phone and it's long enough that I can charge my phone in bed, and still use it.

8. Oversized Babe Sweatshirt - These sweatshirts are so soft and cozy, and long enough to wear with leggings. #win

9. Leather + Sheepskin Slippers - Not only are they super soft and comfy, they're also super affordable.

10. Mascara Sample Pack - Try 8 sample-sized popular mascara brands, pick your fav, and trade in your gift certificate for a free full-sized version.

11. 2-in-1 Hair Dryer - Cuts down on styling time which means you can get back to life sooner.

12. Fawn Design Backpack Diaper Bag - Great gift for the any mom friend in your life. You can use it as a backpack or shoulder bag, and as a diaper bag...or really to carry anything. (You can use this link and sign up for free to receive $10 off your first order)

13. Smash + Tess Romper - For the lady that appreciates comfort...and pockets!

1. Glass Baby Bottle with Silicone Sleeve - It's cute and functional. Bonus, when they're ready to transition to a sippy cup, you can purchase a sippy lid attachment.

2. Stacking Wooden Rainbow Toy - Great for encouraging coordination and motor skills. Plus it looks cute on a shelf. 

3. Deer Humidifier - The base lights up different colours and it's small enough to put on a nightstand beside their bed. 

4. Good Things Grow in Ontario T-shirt - If you know, you know.

5. Water Pipes Bath Toy - These little pipes suction to the wall to create little pipe systems that they can pour water through.

6. Baby Teether Rattle - My daughter has been loving this little toy. The outer cube is a bendable silicone with a little cube rattle on the inside.

7. CamelBak Kids Water Bottle - A go-to in our home. They're spill-free, easy to clean, and come in some fun patterns.

8. Bath Crayons - Crayons that they can use in the bath.

9. Silicone Grip Dish - This silicone dish will grip to a table or high chair to help little fingers grad food and (hopefully) eliminate dishes and food flying onto the floor. 

10. Walkie Talkies - My six and three year old are all about playing super heroes and spies. They've been asking about getting walkie talkies to up their game. I think it would be cute just to hear what they say to each other in them.

11. Laser Tag - My three year old son played this at a friend's house, and is hooked. I think my husband might be even more excited about it.

12. Magna-Tiles - My kids have a variation of these and love creating different things with them. It's cool that they're magnetic, so you can creative different types of structures that you can't with blocks. 

If you liked what you saw, or want to remember any of these gift ideas for later, feel free to pin this post on Pinterest. It's an easy way to come back to it.

Thanks for shopping with me!

x Kaleena

Grace

Photography | Jessica Rediker

I remember when it was just her and I on mat leave. When I had one perfect little baby. I remember watching her sleep during the day. Taking her to the mall, her sitting in the stroller, staring up at me, watching my every move. I forget sometimes that I won't get those moments back. I fear that I won't remember them one day. 

I remember thinking that she is just so sweet and innocent, I don't want to ever hurt her. And now, here we are. I find myself losing my patience and thinking the worst. There are moments when she just wants to spend time with me, and I just want my space...and I feel guilty for that. 

But every day is a chance to start again. We are not defined by our mistakes or missed opportunities. There are things that I wish I could have done differently, or that I could take back. I'm not perfect, but there is grace. It is there with me in my coming and going...everyday. When I sleep and when I wake. My past is for yesterday and my present shapes the future. Today, I choose grace.

RENO REVEAL

Jesse and I bought our first rental property back in October 2017 (you can read more about that here) but we never shared the final reveal. Well, here it is! It took about two months, a lot of hours, a lot of driving back-and-forth, a lot of helping hands, stress, blood, sweat and tears, but we're so glad to say that the renos on our first rental property are done.

It definitely wasn't an easy task, but I'm so proud of Jesse! While working his full time job, he was driving forty-five minutes to the rental house (most days), working late into the night, managing all the projects and communicating with trades people. This was also our first reno project, so it was a huge learning process for both of us.
As this was a rental property, our goal was to keep costs low so that when we had renters, we would have a positive cash flow. We did our best to purchase supplies on clearance, second hand, or price match where we could. We also did most of the work ourselves (with the help of family), with the exception of the plumbing and roof work which we had contracted out. Jesse did most of the labour, liaised with contractors and handled the numbers. I managed the interior design and helped with labour as babysitting was available. 

KITCHEN:
In the kitchen, we painted the walls, built an open shelf to visually balance the cupboards, refinished the cupboards, added hardware, and replaced the sink, counter, backsplash and floors. We also installed a range hood over the stove and replaced the existing fridge.

Where we saved money:
Kept the existing cupboards, but just repainted them and added hardware. The backsplash was on clearance (we got the last few boxes). The fridge was second hand, but barely used.

DINING ROOM:

The fresh paint, fireplace and new ceiling were the biggest changes in this room. It's amazing what a little bit of paint can do. In place of a fireplace, there was a dated gas heater which vented out the side of the house by the driveway. The vent would get incredibly hot and was a major hazard. We replaced it with a gas fireplace which was more visually appealing and didn't vent out the side of the driveway.

We replaced the popcorn ceilings with wood slats and gave it a white wash. 

Where we saved money:

We did all the painting, installed the ceiling and built the frame for the fireplace ourselves.

BATHROOM:
Unfortunately, we didn't get too many before photos of the bathroom. I think we were too eager to start demos. So when I tell you what it used to look like, you'll just have to take my word for it. 

We gave the room some fresh paint, redid the shower by replacing the tub and adding a surround. We also updated all the hardware in the shower, redid the floors, and replaced the vanity.

Where we saved money:
We did all the labour ourselves (except for the plumbing), kept the existing toilet and light fixture. We kept the mirror above the vanity and just repainted the frame.

 

We have some great tenants who have been renting the place since we completed the renovations in December 2017. So far, our first experience as landlords has been a positive one and we look forward to acquiring a second rental property in the future.

Special thanks:

To our friends Mike and Sean for drywall and bathroom help, and Karl for help with the electrical.
Jesse's sister, Judy, and mom, for painting, cleaning and babysitting.
My dad for help with the plumbing, drywall, and framing the fireplace.
Jesse's dad for help with the ceiling, painting, and bathroom.
A huge thank you to Jesse's sister, Vicki, who seemed to be there all the time and would work hard most evenings after we had left.

THEA AVONLEA: MY BIRTH STORY

First of all, I want to say a BIG thank you for all of your love and congratulations that you sent our way after we announced the arrival of Thea. Although I wish I could have responded to all of you, as you can imagine, life has been a little cray-cray lately. But please know that we appreciated how you were all celebrating her birth with us.

Being pregnant while also parenting two small kids definitely kept me on my feet. Most days I was feeling great, with the exception of some minor aches and pains (nothing a massage couldn't fix). The only symptom I found extremely challenging (emotionally speaking) was the acne I got. My whole chin area was covered, you may not have been able to notice from photos, I got pretty good at hiding it with makeup, but it was BAD. It was the worse I've had in my life, including when I was a teenager. I am still trying to heal the scaring that has resulted from it. But I will say, after having Thea, my skin is so MUCH better.

The Thursday before Thea was born, I had a midwife appointment. At this point I was 37 weeks pregnant, so still not expecting the baby to arrive for another 3 weeks (give or take). I remember my midwife specifically asking me if I was going far for Christmas, which was alarming since Thea wasn't due to arrive until January 6th. Although both Averie and Remi were 4/5 days early, I didn't expect this baby to be that much earlier.

If you follow me on Instagram, you know that I was praying that I wouldn't have the baby in the midst of my Christmas celebrations. I didn't want them to have a Christmas birthday and have to get those birthday/christmas combo gifts, plus, I  didn't want to miss out on all the parties and food. A selfish request I know, but COME ON, it happens once a year.

Sunday, December 23rd our church had a Christmas potluck and right after the service we all worked to turn the room into a banquet space. I chipped in by moving decor and chairs around the room. I'm not one who easily sits back while things need to be done, I like to keep busy. However, Jesse wasn't happy that I was moving furniture (even if it was just chairs) but despite his efforts to get me to sit down, I kept going.

I do have to say, with both the other kids, I went into labour immediately after some sort of social gathering. So there was a reason for Jesse's concern and a very real possibility it could induce labour.

That night, after both kids were in bed, around 11pm, I went to lie down and felt the same little twitch in my lower torso that I had felt when I went into labour the other two times. Then, 5 seconds later, it was followed by a gush of fluid. I managed to leap out of bed before any leaking happened in bed (gotta save the mattress). At the time, Jesse was downstairs playing video games, so I called his phone (didn't want to yell and wake the kids) and this is how that convo went:

Me: Guess what just happened?
Jesse: Your water broke?
Me: Yup.
Jesse: Are you kidding?
Me: No! Why would I joke about that?! Can you come up here and bring me a towel?!
Friend listening in gaming headphones: Did I just hear that correctly?


Even after 2 (now 3) pregnancies, he's still shocked every time my water breaks. Haha.

After cleaning myself up, and calling the midwife, my sister (who was going to come to the hospital) and dad (to watch the kids), in true procrastinator style, I raced around my room to finish packing my hospital bag. At this point, didn't even have the carseat or bassinet! My sister ended up bringing those over with her when she arrived that night.

Around 11:30pm the midwife showed up to check me and let me know that I was 2cm dilated and said to give her a call once things had progressed. I was still in shock that this was happening 2 WEEKS EARLY and that it meant we were going to have a Christmas Eve baby!

By 2am we left the house and headed for the hospital. I was super disappointed when we got to triage and my midwife told me that I was only 3cm dilated. I felt like I was in store for a long night and that freaked me out.

Although I wasn't that far along, she knew that my history showed my pregnancies usually progress quite quickly, so they admitted me anyways.

Once in the hospital room (3am), I asked my midwife for tips on speeding things along. I was already tired and eager to get the pushing done while I still had some energy. Haha. I did a lot of walking and bouncing on a yoga ball which I felt progressed things quicker than when I was just lying in bed in triage.

Around 4am I felt the baby drop significantly and told Jesse and my sister (who were in the room). My midwife had left the room at that moment to collect supplies for the birth. Once she came back in the room, I shouted that I could feel the baby coming and I needed to push. At this point, I was still fully clothed and leaning beside the bed. She wanted me to get on the bed but I said in a panic that I couldn't move and that someone was going to have to take my clothes off. They quickly undressed me and hoisted me onto the bed, with the next contraction I automatically started pushing. The MW was still waiting for her partner to arrive for the birth and asked me to stop pushing and instead just breathe through the contractions. Ya, you try not pushing through a contraction like that. At this point, my body was just doing what it had to to birth this baby and I felt like I had no control. I felt like it was impossible to just breathe through the contraction but I hyperventilated and yelled my way through it.

I heard the midwife call the front desk and request a nurse come to assist with the delivery IMMEDIATELY. It was clear that there wasn't going to be any time for the other MW to arrive. With the next push, Thea was here! They placed her on my chest but because she arrived so quickly, she swallowed a bunch of fluid, and her umbilical cord was wrapped around her neck, she had stopped breathing momentarily. I said a prayer for her as they wisked her away to clear her lungs. It all happened so fast that I forgot to check to see if the baby was a boy or girl. I yelled over to the nurse clearing Thea's lungs and she let us know that we had a healthy baby girl.

By 6am, all the paperwork had been completed, Thea was doing well, and we were told we could either stay or go home. Normally, I would've suggested we stay and sleep at the hospital - without two small kids running around, it's almost like a hotel stay. But the room we were in had nowhere for Jesse to sleep, so we opted to just head home and sleep in our comfy bed.

It's really crazy that you can pop out a baby, and end up at home all in the same day. But yet, here we are, adjusting life as a family of FIVE.

Thea Avonlea Schultz
December 24th, 2018 | 4:32am | 6lbs 2oz