These are the tried and true products that I would buy again and again. Below I dish all of my top recommendations—whether you're looking for household essentials that save you time, the perfect toy for your kids, or an indulgent book to fall into after a long day—I've got you covered. These are my GOAT products that I recommend to everyone!
Household Essentials
1. Tineco Floor ONE S3 Cordless Hardwood Floor Cleaner
For cleaning, this wet/dry mop is my NUMBER ONE recommendation. We use this vacuum Every. Single. Day. It is pricey, but well worth the money in my opinion because it actually cleans the floors! Seriously, if you take a paper towel and wipe the floor after you've run this mop, it comes back clean 
It also comes with a sample-size bottle of cleaning solution (it will last you a really long time because you don't use a lot!) and if you want, you can choose to clean with the "water only" option. This has been a game-changer for our family, Whether you have small children or pets, or just want a quicker, easier option, this is the wet/dry mop to get!
2. Magnetic Dry Erase Menu Board for Fridge
Okay, this might seem a little extra, but trust me, a magnetic dry-erase menu board is exactly what you need to meal plan. I use this every single week and I would be lost without it. On Sunday night, I set aside ten minutes to plan our meals Monday thru Friday. It helps me to avoid scrambling to "whip something together" at 5:00 PM when everyone is starving and whining. Another plus: It helps me mentally catalog which groceries I have vs. what I need to buy.
If you want to go crazy (#MomLife), you can use these color dry-erase chalk markers to color code your meals and make your menu pretty. I may or may not have been known to have a little too much fun menu planning...
3. Vegetable Chopper + Spiralizer
Speaking of meal prep, this vegetable chopper and spiralizer is an ah-mazing!
Picture this: You've just come back from the grocery and have stocked your fridge with healthy vegetables— cucumbers, carrots, and celery. This is the start. You WILL eat more vegetables. Fast forward two weeks later and said vegetables are still sitting untouched in the back of your refrigerator.
Sound familiar? You're not alone. We've all been there. As much as we want to eat healthier, washing and chopping vegetables takes time, Enter the chopper.
Once a week, I clean and prep our vegetables so they are ready to go when I need them for a salad or meal. And you know? I eat more vegetables. No more moldy broccoli for this girl!
This chopper is very easy to use, comes with 2 different size slicing blades, 2 spiralizer attachments, and 2 cleaning brushes. Even better? All parts are top-rack, dishwasher safe.
Pregnancy Must-Haves
Coming soon!
newborn Essentials
1. Electric Baby Nail Trimmer
My hands down number one recommendation for new moms is this electric baby nail trimmer.
Even though I bought the Frida Baby Nail Clippers I was terrified to use them. Baby's hands are small and scrunchy. Their nails? Thin and razor sharp.
This nail trimmer is so easy to use, quiet, and most importantly safe—seriously, I ran it against my face to test it out before I used it on my son because...I'm crazy, but that's beside the point. If your baby jerks his hand away, no biggie. And you can get their fingernails (and toenails!) done in record time.
I love this so much, that when my daughter was born I bought her a pink one so she'd have her own. Did I mention, I'm a little crazy? LOL
Toddler Must-Haves
1. Disposable Stick-on Placemats
If you're a bit of a germaphobe like me, you will OVE these disposable placemats to use when dining out. No more worrying about your baby's food touching the dirty table or falling off his plate. Plus, the high-interest print will engage you baby—he or she is bound to point to the colorful cars and animals—and keep entertained...for a few minutes, anyway LOL
They will last forever (there are FORTY in a pack) and are very easy to use—simply, peel and stick on the table. When you're done, pull away and discard.
2. Leak-proof, Insulated Water Bottle
This is another must-have for your toddler. Both of my kids never used a sippie cup—I tried, but they preferred drinking from a straw. After a lot of trial and error, I settled on this water bottle. It comes with 2 separate straws, a brush to clean the straws, and a sponge to clean the inside of the bottle (note: the bottle is not dishwasher safe).
Because the bottle is metal it is a little heavier than some other bottles, but I never found the weight to be a problem with either of my kids!
3. My First Find & Match Eggs
Both of our kids absolutely love this matching shapes egg set. We bought this for our daughter on her first birthday and it is a toy that she and my son, who is three, come back to again and again.
As a teacher, I love toys that are educational and fun. This set is great for developing fine motor skills and teaching shape and color recognition. Plus all the eggs store neatly in the plastic carton for easy cleanup!
4. "Teach My" Learning Series
The "Teach My" Learning Series is one of our all-time favorite "toys" and my top educational-based recommendation. I love how the series grows with your child developmentally and builds upon each set of skills. Each set contains four individual "lessons" or themes (more on that below). There are instructions, ideas, and game suggestions that come with each set, but to be honest, I have always let our kids play with them as is. I didn't make it formal or rigorous, but rather another "toy" for them to learn and explore.
Teach My Baby is the first in the series. It contains four separate lessons: first numbers (1-5), animal sounds, first words, and self (body parts). Each lesson has its own activity: finger puppets, two-piece puzzles, picture matching cards, and stacking cubes respectively.
We purchased Teach My Toddler just before my son's second birthday. This series focuses on the alphabet (upper- and lowercase), numbers (1-10), shapes, and colors. All the activities in this set are soft and foam based.
Teach My Preschooler is the newest to our collection. This set is the most advanced and has the most pieces. It focuses on numbers (0-100), basic addition and subtraction, early literacy (sight words), and writing letters, shapes, and numbers. My son loves using the "magic drawing board" to practice writing his letters. The kit includes small transparencies of each letter to place on the board so the child can trace over them.
Overall, I can't say enough about this series. This is an easy way to incorporate educational, age-appropriate activities with your children every day in a way they will be sure to enjoy!
Books
Coming soon!
