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Maggie Whitley

joy in motherhood, homemaking, faith & simple living

You are here: Home / inspiration / favorites / Gift ideas for mama dear…

Gift ideas for mama dear…

May 5, 2017 · 4 Comments
Filed Under: favorites, mamahood

Rather abruptly, just like a gust of wind blowing through an open window, I became an “early to bed” person. Perhaps it’s the I-birthed-three-babies-in-three-years (and no one’s sleeping through the night) that did it? Perhaps it’s because pajamas + evening tea + a quiet house for reading = sleepy mama? Perhaps it’s just because this is what’s right for me? I mean, really, all of the above applies ;)

As Mother’s Day approaches and I think about the women in my life who are about to become mothers for the first/second/third time, or the mothers who need a little hug (don’t we all?), or my own mother who is never really done mothering me… I wanted to share a roundup of a few calming favorites, just in case you need a few ideas, mama-to-mama.

And so, my list of favorites:

a comforting candle (and the jar is gorgeous!)

a cup of wild orange tea (caffeine-free)

a journal to write in

a book to read (I also really enjoyed this book and this book)

Cozy slippers (great for year-round wearing)

a new coloring book

THE BEST fragrance oil

a study Bible (the sidebar notes are fantastic)

the most efficient way to make dinner

and a colorful necklace.

Oh, and one more! We were gifted a Keurig a few months ago, and the ability to brew a cup of coffee, just for me, at any time of day, is such a treat! I definitely look forward to my afternoon cup. Oh, yes I do ;)

By the way, I started bathing the kids early in the day (before lunch or just before dinner) and it’s made our evenings so much easier! And, like I shared a few months ago, we stopped watching TV and minimized our toy collection, and it’s still amazing [insert A-OK sign]. In fact, it’s increased my laughter quota because the activities and conversations my kids come up with are hilarious. So yes, I highly recommend doing this, especially if you need a little more “calm” in your life, Mother’s Day nearing or not.

PS. this post is not sponsored but does include affiliate links. If you make a purchase from one of the links shared, I may make a small commission. All products shared here are things I use personally, and almost daily! If we were sitting together, these products would definitely come up in conversation, I love them and rely on them heavily ;)

What are some of your favorite “evening calm” gift ideas? What do you consider a personal indulgence? What gift idea is on your wish list? Do you love or hate your TV? Do share in the comments…

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4 Comments
Filed Under: favorites, mamahood

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  1. Rachel says

    May 10, 2017 at 1:25 pm

    I love that you have done away with the TV! We don’t have kids (yet! fingers crossed;) ) , but as we are getting everything settled in our new home (yes, you read that right, it happened!) we have been talking about not having a TV in our living room. We had a little dinner party the other day and we were able to fit 15 people comfortable in there, just chatting and having a good time! if we had a TV, that would been less seating, and something else to talk over or around. It was great!

    Reply
    • Maggie Whitley says

      May 10, 2017 at 10:21 pm

      I can’t tell you how happy this makes me! Yes, not having a TV gives you so many more decorating/furniture placement options ;) so fun. Tell me more about your dinner party???

      Reply
      • Rachel says

        May 11, 2017 at 8:01 am

        It was kind of for my birthday, but more than anything, we just LOVE hosting people. So we grilled wings, ribs, bbq chicken, we had pasta salad, potato salad, garlic bread, CAKES (yes, more than one, lucky girl right here). What I really need to figure out is how to decorate! Once I get my blog post up about it, would you give me some suggestions?

        Reply

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  1. Do you have a favorite magazine? says:
    May 11, 2017 at 7:00 am

    […] there’s still time to shop for Mother’s Day with this list of favorites, all Amazon Prime friendly […]

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ABOUT MAGGIE WHITLEY DESIGNS:
Maggie Whitley weaves her writings around joy in motherhood, homemaking, faith, and simple living. She homeschools her children, enjoys a quiet room while reading, and roars with laughter over the challenges & delights of motherhood. Maggie and her husband, along with their four young children, live in metro-Detroit. She has been writing online since 2008.
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JOY in motherhood & homemaking 🧺🌿💓✨

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Reflecting on this today 💓🕊 When I reflect o Reflecting on this today 💓🕊 When I reflect on the moments I’ve felt my mind spinning, my emotions swirly, it’s almost always when I’m not feasting on the word of God. Not that reading scripture is the cure for anxiety —no! Rather, it’s hard to worry when we’re worshipping.
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I fought every internal comment I could think of a I fought every internal comment I could think of and took my kiddos for a looooong walk today before dinner. ❄️✨ There’s just so much work required to raise children! I’m feeling like a tired lady. But sunshine & fresh air are good companions to keep around. 

We came home and I made “the best dinner ever”. Max specifically announced, “it’s so great you’re launching new meals to the world”. LOL— kids! 🤣👏🏻💓
How about a little Wednesday night introduction? 😘Social media sure has changed over the years and we don’t always SEE who we’re following or remember WHY we’re following certain accounts. 

So, hello! As you can gather, my name is Maggie ;) 

I started writing online (almost 13 years ago) to share the handmade products I was sewing. My shop was called Gussy Sews. ✂️👛I love the community that has grown from sewing & sharing online.

Let’s FFW to today: Zack and I live in Michigan and have four young children (2 boys & 2 girls). I slowly left the handmade industry and walked right into homemaking, homeschooling, and encouraging women through writing. 💕📝

Motherhood has been very hard on me. (And not just because of how close in age our four children are.) It’s been hard for me because I fought for years to accept that *it’s supposed to be hard*. 

I mean, how do you effectively teach another person to know and love the Lord? Bc that’s how I think of motherhood: a calling to nurture others by studying the One who nurtures me. So I gotta make the first move: study the Bible and seek Him first. As my friend Autumn reminded me, vulnerability births transformation. 

(I’ve had to be really vulnerable!)

So, yes motherhood has fully transformed me. But even more so, Christ has fully transformed me. My list of “all that He’s done for me” is off to a beautifully long start.

Something else I want you to know about me: I stalled for years before acknowledging I have anxiety and depression. It’s hard to talk about this because of course this isn’t forever “my hardship”, but rather because acknowledging this means to heal I have to work through some really difficult things. ✨

But my friend Jesus walks alongside me. He’s already done a mighty work in my heart, including helping me process my anger in healthier ways. I’ve also adopted a heart for sisterhood, mothering, and Titus 2 mentorship.

Sometimes our greatest losses are our greatest gains? That’s what I’m clinging to!

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We had gotten a bit lazy with our rhythms: screens We had gotten a bit lazy with our rhythms: screens in the morning (HGTV), playtime before lessons, and not enough quiet time after lunch. This made for a really, ummm, unenjoyable learning experience. 

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It was the perfect opportunity to rearrange the fu It was the perfect opportunity to rearrange the furniture as we took the tree down Tuesday midday. Def one of my fav things to do.🎄👋🏻 We made it through our first week back to school since mid-December! It was rough to begin but ended with high fives. ⭐️✏️This morning I zoomed with a mama friend and I’m impressed with the many topics we covered. Sisterhood is sooooo necessary! ☕️👩🏽‍🤝‍👩🏼

Just a few cheery memories from my week! How about you?
Book reading! One of my best “Maggie” activiti Book reading! One of my best “Maggie” activities. I finished my last book moments before 2020 ended, which brought my started list to a close. Small joys add up to big joys ;)

What are you reading this year? Currently?

How many books are you planning to read? What’s your goal?

I’ll share what’s on my list for 2021 soon as I received some nice titles at Christmas. 📖✨🤍
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