Ever just want to chat and talk about something on your mind with a good drink in hand? Me too. All the time. Thus the beginning of a new project I’ve ventured into called #NightcapwithJenni.
Join me in this new venture of sharing a beverage recipe or favorite beverage I’ve discovered while chatting about something on my mind each week on Instastories @JenniBost.
Currently I’m working on this project purely in Instastories and will keep it in this platform for the time-being. Perhaps as I get more comfortable in this habit I’ll move it to InstaLive .
The benefit of instastories is that there are so many opportunities for engagement outside of simply the time that it is posted. Each week I’ll update my highlights to include the weekly #NightcapwithJenni posts as well so that you are able to watch and message me throughout the week.
The world of blogging has changed so much! The engagement that used to be done through email or blog comments feels a little lost. I know it is because we have MUCH better tools for engagement nowadays such as Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. But, I’ve not been the best at utilizing those platforms for engagement. I guess I was stuck in my ways a bit!
So, I guess what I am saying is that I miss you! I really hope you’ll tune in each Sunday evening (or the following week) and chat with me about the topic at hand or about anything on your mind!
#NightcapwithJenni
Where: Instagram – Follow @JenniBost and check out my Instastories!
When: Sunday evenings approximately 6 PM PST
What: I’ll be sharing a beverage of choice and talking about a topic of interest. You may get a beverage recommendation from something I’ve been drinking lately, or a recipe of something I’ve created!
My first #NightcapwithJenni shared a sangria recipe and my thoughts on Memorial Day. My latest #NightcapwithJenni I shared a delicious NA punch and thoughts on flexibility. So many people shared their own tips for flexibility in their life as well! Tune in tomorrow night for a new beverage and a talk about JOY.
Questions for you…
What topics would interest you? What beverages should I share more of? Any other platforms I should think of sharing this on? Share in the comments or @ me! Cheers!
Maybe it is the season of life that I am in right now or perhaps it is because I like to host a lot of baby showers, but I’ve been getting asked frequently my thoughts on baby shower gifts. I often have a running list of ideas to share that haven’t really changed over the years…. however, very recently, I was introduced to two companies that I feel are out-of-the-box great ideas as gifts for new moms.
Both Finn & Co and Heartfelt Mamas were founded by mothers! They are both Spokane-area business women who felt a need was not being met and stepped up and met the need. I encourage you to check out their products or social media profiles and show them some support!
The following gift ideas are not sponsored, however, I received two of these items in a giveaway and was SO impressed that I had to share. All opinions are my own. These items were won through a giveaway without knowledge that they may be included in a blog post.
Finn & Co Gifts – Finn the Panda
The idea behind this lovely stuffed panda is one that is both so smart and one that was born from a true need. While a great gift for lots of new moms, the purpose of the creation of this little panda was as a gift for a mom whose child is in a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). I had the pleasure of meeting Michelle Armstrong, the creator of this adorable stuffie. (That is what my kids called all stuffed animals!)
Finn the Panda was developed to help comfort babies during hospital stays, as well as to foster the bond between the baby and their caregivers, even when they have to be apart. It features:
Finn is made of antimicrobial material to help prevent the spread of germs to baby. This is SUPER important in a hospital environment, but also a great idea for daycare or home.
He wears a washable heart-shaped scent patch that can be detached and worn, then reattached to the bear. This means that mom or dad can place the patch close to their skin for some time and then attach to the bear so that their scent goes with baby wherever they may be.
A recording device that allows a song or comforting words of up to one minute to be played back once or on repeat may help to soothe baby or help with familiarity. I could see this being great for a grandparent who may be far away.
The contrasting black and white colors that appeal to baby’s early vision.
Finn is made of 100% cashmere to be amazingly soft and cuddly.
Finn and Co Gifts offer free shipping on a purchase of Finn the Panda as well as a 10% discount if you sign up for their newsletter. (Visit the Finn and Co Gifts website and scroll to the bottom of the page to enter an email for their newsletter.)
Michelle Armstrong, creator of Finn the Panda, with her son.
We all wish for babies to be healthy at birth, but for many new mothers and many new families…this just isn’t an option. Finn the Panda is such a thoughtful way to allow family members an opportunity to feel that they are in some small way able to be with their baby even when they physically cannot be there. This would make such a lovely gesture to someone in your life. Or, perhaps you simply feel the desire to help SOMEONE in need. Sponsor a Finn the Panda that will be delivered to a NICU or ICU in your city.
As a mom who spent several months of her son’s first year of life in the hospital, I know the stress and pressure of hospital parenting. I wanted to do everything I could for my son and often felt the guilt of not being able to be there for him every moment during his 57 day NICU stay. I developed Finn the Panda so that even when you have to be away, you can leave a piece of you to provide comfort and bonding for your baby and you.
Michelle Armstrong, creator of Finn the Panda
While I don’t want to take away from the purpose of Finn. When I heard about him I wished I would have had one of pandas for the first few months that I went back to work and my son was getting used to a his new daycare. I believe it would be a wonderful gift for working moms (or dads), grandparents, and other loved ones who may wish to be near baby, but are unable to.
Heartfelt Mamas Gift Boxes
When I go to baby showers I often gift something from a registry or something I feel will be useful to baby and mom. However, when I get the pleasure of visiting a momma in the hospital or at home after a birth, I try to gift her something simply for her. She has gone through a lot!
Heartfelt Mamas for sure has something for brand new mamas, but that isn’t where this company stops. There are boxes curated specifically for different aspects of motherhood including miscarriage, grief, post-partum, or just an day-brightening everyday gift box. Each curated gift box features local Inland NW products and services.
Some of the items that may be found in Heartfelt Mamas Boxes:
Wild June Co Coffee Scrub and Lavender Nourish Skin Cream
Winterwoods Pacific Coast Lavender Tea
Bucket of Moon Beams Accessory Pouch
Chocolate
Gift Cards to local services
Sparkles Bakeshop Granola Rounds
Caring Coconut Soothing Spray
Gift boxes may be purchased from anywhere, but those within 45 miles of Spokane, WA have the option of purchasing the “local” gift box which sports services from local businesses such as fitness classes, coffee shops, nutrition consultants, spa services, and more.
Heartfelt Mamas stems from my own personal experiences and journey to find joy, happiness, and peace in this crazy thing we call motherhood. My heart is to help reduce anxiety, stress & comparisons in mamas in order to create happier, healthier families.
Cheree Sauer, Founder of Heartfelt Mamas
I love a company with a heart. Gift boxes can also be sponsored to give to a woman in need. In addition, a portion of the sales of gift boxes goes to create and give a box to a woman in need.
Mother-Lovin’ Gifts
I know that I would have appreciated either of the above gifts as a new mom and beyond. It has been a joy for me to stumble upon both of these mother-ran and operated companies with a genuine heart for fellow women. Whether you are shopping for the perfect baby shower gift, a gift for a new mom, a thoughtful gift for a mother who is grieving, or a way to give back to local moms, check out these two great companies!
Guys, life is interesting. So interesting that I’ve dropped in and out of this blog for a bit now and I just now jumped on the train for 2019. I figured it was high time for a life update and an update on how things are moving forward in this little corner of the interwebs.
Rather see parties? Check out the post I shared earlier this week on Galentine’s Day ideas. Hanging in there for the no-holds-bar update on life in the world of this blogger… read on! It isn’t a short one (over 1,000 words!), but I appreciate you reading!
Some background…
I’ve been blogging here for nearly nine years now. I started this blog well before kids were in the plans and I needed a creative outlet like WHOA. This blog has opened SO many doors for me including my current career in brand development. Blog readers that have stuck around from the beginning have followed me from being a bartender and party enthusiast to full-time blogger, blogger with full-time marketing job, two kids, and three moves. The latest move being from Portland, Oregon to Spokane, Washington.
Our new home…. in Spokane, WA! I said I’d never move from Portland… here is me eating my words!
So, that is where we are now. I moved to Spokane this past July, all while continuing my career. I’ve been trying to make my house a home, keep my job, make sure the family is surviving, and trying my damnedest to create fulfilling relationships here all while missing my social circle from Portland. January came around and I felt… nothing. I had no goals other than SURVIVE. (Yes, a tad melodramatic.) But, now that we are at the end of January things are looking up. Before I get into PLANS let me share a bit about the past that is influencing these plans.
Health: Fibromyalgia
I always feel slightly uncomfortable sharing my health stuff online. (Though I have dabbled in it to raise awareness for issues such as anorexia and skin cancer.) However, I also feel grateful when others share their experiences with health issues that I share. So…here it goes:
One of many…many doctor’s appointments trying to get to the source of pain.
I’ve been struggling with pain and extreme fatigue for years now. I’ve been diagnosed with PPD and Hashimoto’s Disease in the past. While I don’t doubt those are accurate (especially since my thyroid levels are hard to argue with) I still was dealing with pain even with treatment.
Sometime over the past year or two, I was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia and began a very long and frustrating path of finding treatments that would work. The most successful treatment of Fibromyalgia (according to my doctor) is frequent aerobic exercise—which sounds easy… but, I was unable to even walk the recommended steps in a day without so much pain that I couldn’t bend down to go to the restroom. There were a few nights I honestly didn’t know if I was going to live until the next day— the pain was so bad.
Self-care and awareness are essential to managing life with fibromyalgia. Stress and overdoing can set me back weeks. I can look at my blog and literally see when my fibromyalgia began messing with my day-to-day, times when I got it under control, and times I’ve over-done it.
August to November change in weight after decreasing carbohydrates for pain management. Weight loss = 26 lbs.
I’ve made a lot of changes to my life over the past five months including cutting out a LOT of carbohydrates. I’ve found that extra sugar in my diet causes inflammation and thereby causes excess pain. Have I been perfect? HECK NO. Pizza is my downfall. 😉 But, it has helped. It has ALSO helped me drop 35 pounds so far (26 pounds pictured above). The weight loss has gone a long way in allowing me more room to exercise which has in turn seriously helped with the pain of fibromyalgia. (BTW– looking for a low-carb pizza alternative… check out Caulipower pizza. SO GOOD.)
New Town, Meet New Girl
Dear lord…moving to a new town is HARD. I came into this move with eyes wide open, knowing that it wasn’t going to be easy. I had spent a LOT of time and effort building the friendships that I had in Portland. However… I had a lot more energy then! I didn’t have two kids (at least not the entire time) or a full-time job and a new house. I also had the benefit of being very similar in beliefs to those around me in Portland.
Enter Spokane… where, literally everyone I’ve met has been lovely. But, at least in the beginning, I was wondering if I’d have any friends that would share the same belief system I did or value the same things I valued. We don’t need to be the SAME, but we needed to have at least one or two things in common to build a friendship.
One thing that Spokane seriously has going for it—and perhaps there are these same resources in Portland but I didn’t need them at the time— are some great meet-up groups for women! I’ve encountered mom’s groups, business groups, and just women’s groups that have introduced me to really fantastic women who make me… I guess the word is HOPEFUL. I’m hopeful that I’ll find people that will eventually become my Spokane peoples.
New girl… plus, new hair! Woot.
Looking forward
It has been difficult for me to look farther than the week ahead while trying to control my pain, manage my home, and not fall into the depths of despair (Anne of Green Gables fans… anyone?). However, after three weekends of…
little to no pain
engaging moments with new friends and
news of old friends visiting my new space
I’ve finally been able to make some decisions and plans. I’ve decided that I’m not quite ready to move away from this blog. I love sharing ideas, stories, and DIY content. I’ve also decided that while I want to strive for regular content, I’m not gonna let that stress me out. I know that regular content will grow my blog to where it used to be or beyond. I know that readers like to know when I’ll be posting. However, I also know that right now… that isn’t super realistic. I’ll aim to hit my goals, but I won’t be fussed if I don’t meet them right now because my focus right now has to be my health and my new life in a new town.
2019 Goals & Blog Plans
My 2019 blogging goals are simple:
Blog at least every Monday and Wednesday— I’ll aim to post a party topic every Monday and a lifestyle topic—including beauty, fashion, parenting, self-development, current reads, podcasts and more!—every Wednesday. If I’m feeling extra frisky I’ll get in a Friday post. 😉
Post more in Instagram/Facebook. Gosh… I work in marketing and social media… I KNOW how important it is. I think sometimes COMPARISON is hard and wanting to SHARE is hard. I don’t really want everyone to know every detail of my life… so, I struggle with WHAT to share and how often. However, I do know that I enjoy other people sharing so I am aiming to share daily on these channels at least throughout the week.
Share my house stuff on my house blog. What!? I can’t keep up this blog yet I started another. Yep. That’s me! Anywho… while I’m sure to share some of the new house updates here, I did start a blog called A Well Crafted House where I plan to update about house projects.
Being more present as a mom is a personal goal of mine.
My personal goals are a little more important/ harder:
I’ll continue with my health journey to decrease overall sugars and increase exercise. It’s f***ing hard. But, it is making an overall difference in how I feel, so I gotta keep with it.
I want to be a more present mother. I’m tired of my kids hearing, “Mommy doesn’t feel great.” While true… I want to make the times that I am engaging with them to be fully engaged.
I want to indulge in creative pursuits. I love painting. I love writing. I truly enjoy decorating. I want to intentionally focus my time in these areas.
Enough about me…What about you!?
Okay, so you’ve read about ME, ME, and more ME. I’m pretty much bowing down that you’ve hung on this far to my indulgent update. But, I promise you… that all of this ME isn’t without wondering about YOU. Tell me… what are your goals this year? What are you prioritizing? How can I help? Because, I seriously would love to help!
This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognizing you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.
You can adjust all of your cookie settings by navigating the tabs on the left-hand side.
Strictly Necessary Cookie should be enabled at all times so that we can save your preferences for cookie settings.
If you disable this cookie, we will not be able to save your preferences. This means that every time you visit this website you will need to enable or disable cookies again.
