Valentine’s Day cards are so much more special when they are handmade. With our easy to download valentines and guide, making them will be as much fun as giving them out.

Start by downloading our cute printable (tap here to download). Color, paint and add your own artistic touch to them. We love watercolor! Looks really pretty.  

Now it’s time to write a message! When coming up with a cute valentine message we have a few favorites… can you tell these were inspired by our dolls? 

 

 

 

• I love you beary much
• You are a beary special friend
• You are the cat’s meow!
• You are purr-fect (I’m not kitten!)
• You’re pretty stinkin’ cute
• You’re scent-sational!
• You’re foxy
• Some bunny loves you
• You make me so hoppy

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4 Tips for Traveling Without Your Kids From Parents Who Travel A Lot

What’s on your itinerary this month? Maybe it’s a work event across the country, a wedding upstate or a parents getaway weekend… whatever it is, there are no kids allowed! Whether you are traveling because of work or fun, leaving your kids at home is so hard. Give yourself a little peace of mind with these travel tips for when you have to leave your little ones behind.

Plan Fun Activities for the Kids

Along with your list of favorite foods and emergency numbers, give your child’s caretaker a list of recommendations for your kids to do while you’re gone. Maybe it’s an activity they rarely get to do (like stay up to watch a movie) or it means ordering a few new toys or supplies before you head out. Either way, you know your child best and giving your caretaker some insider knowledge can help keep them busy & entertained while you’re gone.

Snuggle with Their Lovie 

Ok, we’ll take any excuse to snuggle up to Stinky Reed or anyone in the R&O crew, but did you know it also has a calming effect for your child? Giving your child a freshly snuggled doll can reduce separation anxiety by comforting them during the transition and triggering good feelings. Not only that, but you can actually also help promote emotional independence because they will learn to sooth themselves in a comforting and safe environment.

Leave a Love Note in the Mailbox

Does your child enjoy getting mail as much as ours do? Before you go leave a letter in the mail box for your child to open after you're gone. For younger children you can leave some colorful drawings and maybe some stickers. For older kids, write the things you love most about them and if you’re feeling extra generous maybe surprise them with a little ice cream money!

Enjoy Yourself.

This time away from your kids is not going to be any easier if you are stressed the whole time. Before you go, think about what you might need to feel comfortable while you are away from the kids and do what you can to help curb your stress. As a parent or a caregiver, you deserve this time to yourself. Plus, you can set a good example for your kids! When they see that you are enjoying life, they will feel permission to do the same.

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Inspire Your Child’s Inner Artist with 3 Backyard Crafts

There is a connective and calming effect nature has on us when we get crafty with it. Here we share three of our favorite outdoor art activities that incorporate nature while deepening our appreciation for it. 

Cardboard Boxes as a Canvas

Cardboard boxes are great for forts and hiding, but they are also a canvas waiting for your child to express their creativity… and our Red & Olive Co. boxes come with ready to paint designs on the inside. Whether it’s delivery boxes or moving boxes or even recycled cereal boxes, give kids freedom of expression by encouraging them to draw all over them. For less mess, go with crayons, markers or colored pencils. If you’re down for a mess, try sidewalk chalk, water colors or washable paint. And for the ultimate creative explosion, take out everything and invite them to include leaves, dirt and other backyard finds into their art. It’s amazing what kids will come up with when given permission to think outside the box (see what we did there?).

Flower Stamping

Stop and smell the flowers… and then turn them into a beautiful piece of art. For this project, you’ll need white linen, parchment paper cut into small squares, painter’s tape, and a hammer (and parent supervision, right?). Take a stroll around the block or through your own garden and collect leaves and flowers in a basket. Look for different sizes and colors (we found that pinks and purples were awesome!). Lay flat on the ground a piece of white linen - even better if you can repurpose an old table cloth, tee or sheet. Take the painters tape and gently tape the flowers & leaves all over it. Place the parchment paper squares on top, covering the whole plant. Let your kids hammer away to allow the natural dyes to sink into the fabric. After it’s dry you have a stunning wall hanging or newly designed table cloth. 

Plant People

Find big leaves and flower petals, and small, easy to break sticks. On a piece of paper glue the biggest leaf in the center to be the body. Depending on what kind of plants, you may be fine with craft glue or might need some heavier duty glue like hot glue (again some parent supervision here is probably a good idea). Glue the sticks as arms & legs and then surprise your kiddo with some googly eyes. Share with them how this leaf, these flowers and those sticks are all living things that are unique, just like each of us. Take it a step further and give your new leaf buddies names and personalities.

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It is never too early to pull out the pumpkins and if you know anything about our founders, you know that they love to get into the spirit of Halloween. Have you seen Destiny’s living room? It’s... to die for! 💀

Lol. Here are some Halloween costumes and ideas to kick off pumpkin spice season!

The Easy Parent Costume 

Our face masks offer added protection from viruses and they also can be an easy costume for mom, dad… or any adult! With our cat mask, skunk mask, fox mask or bear mask you can dress up as your favorite animal just by wearing a solid color and adding some ears… voila! You put together a stylish and boo-tiful costume. With mask sizes from toddlers to adults, you can find one that fits you by clicking here.

  

The Kid’s DIY Doll Costume

Put together your kid’s costume with clothes from your kid’s closet!? Yes! Create your child’s Halloween costume by styling their outfit like their favorite doll. Not only is this a less expensive route to go, it also is way more sustainable than buying a store made costume (so we love that!). With our matching head accessories, this too cute to spook outfit is a fun and unique costume. Add a face mask to complete the look! 

 

 

Boo-tiful Doll Costumes 

Even your doll can look gourd-geous this Halloween with their own festive sweaters. With our hand knit pumpkin sweater or skeleton sweater, their dolls

are a fun decoration to spark your child’s imagination. With it’s soft and stretchy material, this sweater fits most dolls similar to the Red & Olive Co size so everyone can join in on the fun! Click here to shop.

 

 

 

 Halloween Hostess Gift 

Heading to a Halloween party and want to bring something festive? For our Mama’s Juice Box fans, you can use our sweaters to decorate a wine bottle. Simply slip the sweater over the bottle and it’s ready to gift your host! The wine may only last one night, but the beautiful hand knit decoration is something they can enjoy all season long. 

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With Special Guest Mara Ferreira of M Loves M

Finding time for ourselves or more time to just enjoy our kids can seem impossible. But this lifestyle blogger & mom of two has motherhood hacks to share that are straight-up magic! On this episode of Mama’s Lunch Box, Destiny chatted with Mara about tips & tricks to make our lives just a little easier (and more fun!).

Mara is a lifestyle blogger who focuses on a classic & feminine take on style, beauty, entertaining (she's a great chef!), and motherhood. This mom of two will be joining Destiny to talk about hacks to help live the lives we aspire to have and maybe have more free time for ourselves!

Click here to watch on IGTV. 

There is nothing better than sharing mom hacks. It’s so much fun to learn from other moms in a similar life stage what they’re doing. And it’s inspiring to hear from moms who got through it… their wisdom is everything. 

So Mara, what are your #momhacks? 

• I have specific days I do for specific tasks. I crave structure and routine. WIth little kids it can be very hard to have that. So for example, Fridays are laundry day.  It’s nice because I have a bunch of laundry, but I can do all the folding on Friday night listening to a podcast or something. 
• Meal planning. I usually do it on Saturdays. Sundays we’ll do the farmers market or super market. I have a notebook and I’ll write like, cauliflower/cilantro and circle those. Then I’ll look through pinterest or my cookbooks that include those ingredients. I’ll prioritize that meal when I find it. And then I’ll do this for each day, Monday - Sunday. I’ll write whatever the dish is and I’m looking through the recipes, I’ll write down the dish in my notebook for some I’ll write the recipe next to it so that when I go and check what I have versus what I need. It makes the process so smooth because i am using what i hae in the pantry and only buying what I need. 
• Meal prep the night before you’re going to cook. I don’t really want to prep everything on one day because I feel like it will take my whole day. So instead, I do it the night before. On Sunday night, I might prep for Monday night’s dinner. It takes me 15 minutes extra and helps so much. I feel like when I start the next day I have things ready to go. 
• Trick kids into eating vegetables. I use chickpea pastas and red lentil pastas. My son is pretty good but my daughter is more particular. I try to do a smoothie everyday, I put spinach in there,hemp seeds, chia seeds, vitamin c powder... I can pack so much in there. I haven’t tried spirulina, but I have friends who love to add that and it makes the smoothie bright blue. If my son wants a pink or blue smoothie, I’ll add frozen cauliflower because that doesn’t change the color at all. We’ve been out because I use it so much! 

Mara’s final words?

Give yourself grace, if you can’t do it all. That’s okay!! Hacks help, but give yourself grace.

Resources from the Episode

• Follow @maraferreira for fashion, interior design inspiration, more mom hacks, and lots of family love.
• Check out Mara’s blog www.mlovesm.com
• Mara’s children have Foxy Bella and Mr. Beary.

If you’d like to listen to more live chats, you can check out the whole IGTV series at www.instagram.com/redandoliveco/channel/

Produced in partnership with The Purpose Pilot. Continue reading

Crafting with @mamarecomienda

On this episode of Mama’s Lunch Box, we are showing you how to turn recycled jars into glittery Calming Jars. This is the perfect project to do with your kids or give them for hours of entertainment.

Our special guest, Katie of @mamarecomienda is an interior designer and mom of three who loves to share her favorite finds, crafts and tips with other parents. She’ll teach us how to reuse jars to make glittery Valentine’s Calming Jars. 

Click here to watch on IGTV. Now grab your supplies and follow along! 

Benefits of Calming Jars

• Making calming jars can be a fun activity to do with kids since they can choose what to put in it and it makes it their own.
• If they are having a tantrum or a bad day, these jars are so cool to look at it can help calm them.
• Just looking at the jar can help regulate a child’s breathing.
• If you need to remove a child’s soother this can be a nice distraction (like for Destiny’s daughter when they had to let go of her pacifier).
• Anything that helps our children calm down is a good idea!

Tips & Tricks to Use Calming Jars

• If you see your child is building up frustration (ideally before the tantrum starts) show them the calming jar to help regulate their emotions and regain focus. 
• Once they are in the tantrum, you can leave them alone, let them kick the pillow, etc. and let them know you are there for them. When they come back to you ready to talk and/or hug you can also use the jar to reinforce the calming effect.
• This is also a great craft idea for grandparents to do with grandkids!

What You’ll Need

• A jar with a lid (mason jars are great)
• Warm water
• Glitter (various colors and sizes)
• Beads, sequins, etc. (optional)
• Glitter Glue
• Regular Glue or Hot Glue (to line the top)
• Food Coloring
• Stick for mixing

How To Do It

• Pour the hot water into the jar and leave about 2 inches on the top.
• Squeeze in your glitter glue into the jar (can you regular glue too). Use your muscles! 
• Stir with your mixing stick as you go.
• Add glitter… the more the BETTER! Mix different colors and see what happens.
• Add your beads, sequins or other larger items to add another texture to look at.
• Top off the water - warm or cold is ok.
• Line the inside of the top with glue. This is so important! Use any glue.
• Let the glue on the top dry before handing it to your child. 
• For extra fun glue a figure to the inside of the lid for a slow globe effect.

Resources from the Episode

• Follow @mamarecomienda for parenting support & more crafts like this one
• Buy your supplies at your local craft store and if you can, support family owned businesses like Craft Warehouse. 

If you’d like to listen to more live chats, you can check out the whole IGTV series at www.instagram.com/redandoliveco/channel/

Produced in partnership with The Purpose Pilot.

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With Special Guest @SharzadKiadeh

Sharzad is a host, podcaster & Youtuber known for being honest (and hilarious). She's literally a digital do it all - creating, producing and hosting content that are entertaining while opening people up to tell meaningful stories. So how does she maintain a healthy relationship with social media? 

As a mom of two, Sharzad gets that parents juggle A LOT. As a storyteller, she knows how to turn those challenges into conversations that we can learn from and even laugh about. On this episode of Mama’s Lunch Box, Destiny chatted with Sharzad about what healthy social media habits look like, how to set boundaries and deal with the anxieties of social, all while actually having fun.

Click here to watch on IGTV. 

What do healthy social media habits mean to you?

• I started to create some because I noticed changes in my mood. I tried different things to elevate my mood. I check in with myself regularly and try to pay attention to what makes me feel good and what doesn’t. 

What are your top 5 healthy social media habits?

• Do an audit of who you follow pretty regularly. I unfollowed people that make me feel insecure, or make me feel jealous, or less than. If I don’t want to unfollow, then mute them. I’m really mindful about what I’m seeing on my screen. I like to laugh. I'm very into comedy. It's a cure for everything. So I follow people who do funny shit on the Internet. Instagram has a lot of fashion bloggers and I felt like I had to follow them. Then I realized I don’t want to follow them because they don’t make me feel good. Tt’s empowering to choose. 
• When with friends or eating or doing things that you love so much, don’t be on a screen. I want to be in the present moment. I don’t want to be on a screen all the time, and I don’t want my kids on their phones all the time either. I don’t want to miss out on life and that means putting my phone away.
• Have a 90’s day! My sister will text me to let me know when she’s not using her phone, she’ll just tell me I’m not going to use my phone today. It’s going to be a 90s day!

Take a detox. Accidentally make eye contact with someone. It’s good to take a break. 

• During the day put my phone in one spot. I do this as a general rule. I’m pretty strict with my rules, but when my husband is out of town or something and I want my phone near me, obviously I’ll do that. But most days it stays in the kitchen.
• Don’t sleep with your phone in the room. I started doing this thing, I think this is someone else’s rule - I don't get credit, you do! I love it. I don’t want my first thoughts in the morning to be what someone else is doing on Instagram. I don’t want it to be the news, I don’t want to see someone else’s stuff when I wake up. No matter how strong minded you are, whether it’s good or bad, it’s going to affect you.

All in all, what do you hope parents remember from learning about healthy social media habits? 

I love social media. It’s not like I’m above it. I’ve been doing online content creation for 10 years. I have made genuine friends from social media. We just need boundaries.

Resources from the Episode

• Follow @SharzadKiadeh for funny videos and family love.
• Check out Sharzad’s YouTube series, Not in My Circle where she has unfiltered discussions meant to inspire growth, curiosity and meet people outside of her world.
• Sharzad’s niece has Foxy Bella. 

If you’d like to listen to more live chats, you can check out the whole IGTV series at www.instagram.com/redandoliveco/channel/

Produced in partnership with The Purpose Pilot.

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With Special Guest Shawna Kaszer of @shawnakaszer

Click Here to Watch on IGTV 

In this episode, we search for the balance between consumerism and sustainability while learning how to contribute to society with our dollar. 

At Red & Olive, we know everyone in the world has a part to play and that we all need internal healing. This is what Red & Olive is about. We want to sell dolls to impact the lives of children that not only bring them joy, but also create a path of empowerment for the women (and their families) who make them.

Shawna says, “It’s all about the shift to the mentality from consumerism to contribution.” 

In this episode, Shawna Kaszer, author of memoir, Mountains into Roads, guides us through the process of taking action to make an impact in the world. She tells us to start by turning away from individualism and being mindful that how we spend out money plays a huge deal in that. 

Tune in as Shawna explains that it’s time to shift our mindset from consumerism to contributors, from transaction to generosity. 

What does this mean? It’s being intentional about what you consume and measuring how much you contribute. You can contribute through time – cook a meal, donate what you don’t use anymore– it’s the heart posture of showing up wanting to contribute & not just endlessly consuming. 

Shawna recommends to ask yourself:

Am I contributing to society as much as I’m willing to take?

Destiny reminds us that this practice is definitely seasonal. Sometimes you won’t be able to do more of one or the other, so remember to give yourself grace because you never know what can happen to change a season of your life (speaking to you, COVID-19!).

As the holiday season approaches, it will feel difficult to choose sustainability. We can ask ourselves: what is driving our consumerism? Are we being led by convenience or by conviction? 

It’s important to remember that our money contributes to the health of society. When driven by convenience (Amazon!), you run the risk of being self-serving. As a culture, if we err on the side of convenience and instant gratification, but what if we thought of others and how our choices affect society? What if you looked into brands that bring us joy through their products and benefits the makers?

Remember, thinking of others doesn’t mean forgetting yourself!

As the latest generation of mama’s and entrepreneurs, we’re in a position of influence to shape culture the way we want to see it. Our jobs are to equip the next generation and teach what our parents didn’t. We can remind our kids that it’s not bad to receive, but it’s just as important to give and be charitable. We can ingrain generosity with joy.

Fill your glass with your mama juice and listen as Shawna and Destiny share more tips on teaching the balance between consumerism and contribution and bringing all that home. 

Watch the conversation here. 

Resources from the Episode

• Shawna’s book

If you’d like to listen to more live chats, you can check out the whole IGTV series at www.instagram.com/redandoliveco/channel/

Produced in partnership with The Purpose Pilot.

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With Special Guest Ash Castro of @thepurposepilot

Click Here to Watch on IGTV 

In this episode, we walk through steps to help us manage our expectations as we face this long-term reality of a pandemic. 

We were all operating on pre-COVID expectations of ourselves and using band-aid solutions to get through the pandemic. So how do we find space to focus, how to shift expectations, and not just “survive” this pandemic, but really find a way to thrive? In this episode, Ash, mom of two kiddos and founder of The Purpose Pilot, guides us through steps to manage our expectations so that we’re not just surviving, but thriving.

Ash was already working through her identity as a mom (her kids are under 2!), but now she’s faced being a mama and also running her digital communications business. Since COVID-19, it’s been difficult to get in a creative headspace when having to work from home with Peppa Pig in the background and two wailing kids. Like everyone else, she started using band-aid solutions like putting on her “work clothes”, making to-do lists, creating a workspace, but in the end, these are just short-term solutions that can be helpful, not long term. Does this sound familiar?

Ash recommends starting by journaling! This isn’t your typical long task list (which works to a certain extent) but for this exercise, be intentional by getting into a headspace in the short windows you have to think about what your expectations are. 

She reminds us to check-in with ourselves to ask:

What emotions are you carrying? How are you perceiving yourself in the current situation?

Ash tells us to see if you’re experiencing things with grace or exhaustion. Maybe in your head, you already feel ahead or behind. Check-in to see how you are receiving and reacting to the situation. 

After checking-in with ourselves, we have to check-in with our expectations. 

Ash recommends asking:

What are your professional, personal, and family expectations?

When we verbalize our expectations that we’re holding and checking in with what they are, we find what we believe has true value and purpose in our lives.

Once you’ve checked in with yourself and your expectations it’s time to 

Prioritize. Pause. And Let go!

It’s time to check to see what your priorities are and which expectations are essential. Destiny shares that she wants to prioritize celebrating her friends on their birthdays! Ash reminds us to make space for whatever we feel we need to feel like we show up. That might mean having to pause longer conversations with friends and letting go of lists of people to check-in on. Ask yourself:

How can we show up in a way that’s healthy and makes us feel like we’re succeeding?

Give yourself permission to pause and let go in order to succeed and feel fulfilled. Remember: 

it’s not about just surviving, but thriving. 

Finally, it’s time to take action. Ash advises us to ask:

What actions can you take to realign the things that came up here? 

She tells us that this is where communication is key. This is the chance to communicate with yourself (and your community!) on what you can let go, pause or prioritize or communicate with others on what your plan is.

When you come from a space of clarity, you will show others that you have a vision for your wellbeing (and likely theirs) so DO it.  

Remember: we have to start by doing the work ourselves, so check our hearts to see what it takes to reach success. 

Tune in to get more applicable tips on managing your expectations and see how you’ll thrive. 

Watch the conversation here. 

Resources from the Episode

• The Purpose Pilot Website
• The Purpose Pilot Instagram

If you’d like to listen to more live chats, you can check out the whole IGTV series at www.instagram.com/redandoliveco/channel/

Produced in partnership with The Purpose Pilot.

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With Special Guest Dr. Kim of @theparentologist

Click Here to Watch on IGTV 

In this episode we talked about the anxiety parents are feeling with COVID-19 and shared tips on how to cope and move forward from them.

We might be biased, but all moms are super moms. That’s why it’s extra amazing when we get to chat with and celebrate moms like Dr. Kim. If it’s one thing Destiny and Dr. Kim have in common is their passion to give children joy, each through their own gifts. In this episode, Destiny was joined by Dr. Kim, a mom with a doctorate in psychology, licensed marriage and family therapist, registered play therapist, university professor, and blogger of The Parentologist. She also works in a clinic with children with autism! 

But before all the amazing titles she holds, just like Destiny, Dr. Kim is first and foremost a mama. Dr. Kim guided us through all the anxieties and fears that parents are experiencing with the trauma that COVID-19 is causing. There are so many decisions to make right now and the media isn’t providing a clear light. We are being asked by society to “move forward” but how?

First, Dr. Kim explains that 

the ambiguity of the unknown is causing the anxiety.

If we had all the facts, we’d be able to move forward quickly. 

Dr. Kim recommends giving ourselves daily positive affirmations because speaking positivity to ourselves lowers anxiety by giving us inner empowerment to handle hard days and situations. 

She also advises parents to 

try mindful activities like meditation, deep breathing, and gratitude practices. 

As mamas, we tell our children to think good thoughts and to think about what things bring them joy and make them feel grateful? So why don’t we do it, too? This is the perfect reminder that what works for our little ones, will also work to help our anxieties as parents. 

Dr. Kim explains that traumatic events stay with us forever, we just learn how to live and cope better. What we’re experiencing now is a traumatic event and it’s okay to acknowledge that! COVID-19 and the Black Lives Matter movement isn’t going away anytime soon, so neither are the traumas that many of us are feeling. 

Then, Dr. Kim guides us on ways to raise our children to be anti-racists. She tells us that as parents, we have to make it a priority in our lives to keep talking about the BLM movement and make it ongoing. These conversations should be a part of our everyday lives. Dr. Kim reminds us that 

it’s a process, not a destination. 

She tells us to give ourselves grace because we’re better than we were two weeks ago and parents don't have to have all the answers. It’s okay to not know and look up the answers with your children.  When we as parents don’t know things, it takes away the pressure of perfection from our children. Dr. Kim advises us to learn alongside of our children and that 

parents need to be educated before they can educate their children. 

Times are different and difficult, but it’s important to remember that we’re not alone. Others are going through the same thing, so we can lean on our community and learn from this year together. 

Tune into the episode to learn more tips and book resources Dr. Kim shares and remember to really make space to figure out your balance. Don’t burn out. Don’t give up. And, keep moving forward with the gifts of 2020. 

Watch the conversation here. 

Resources from the Episode

• The Parentologist Instagram
• The Parentologist Blog
• Little Justice Leaders
• The Conscious Kid

If you’d like to listen to more live chats, you can check out the whole IGTV series at www.instagram.com/redandoliveco/channel/

Produced in partnership with The Purpose Pilot.

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