Gift Guides, Planners, and Memento Mori {7QT}

Oh hiiiiii the baby has been up since before 6 and nobody else is waking any time soon so... Might as well get some blogging in (apparently I'm publishing one million posts this week, sorry?).

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I'm hosting an Usborne party with my friend Sarah and asked the kids to gather up some of their favorite books to share... It didn't take long for them to find several! We're pretty excited that there are more classic graphic novels out this year, which are perfect for non-readers (Peter ADORES them), reluctant readers, and advanced readers. And apparently there's a periodic table PUZZLE to go with the book!! So excited.

You can get free shipping if you order $100+ today (not hard to reach that if you've got grandkids/nieces & nephews/godchildren/your own kids to shop for!) and we earn free books if you shop though my party link so THANK YOU!

Speaking of books, I spotted this one at the library and it's just as weird as the title suggests. I thought to myself, "Can they please stop taking ALL her unpublished manuscripts and turning them into new books??"

But... This one was published while she was alive. These are just new illustrations. Apparently it's supposed to be good for helping kids with grieving? Except the basic premise is, "the kids found a dead bird and buried it. They visited its grave until they forgot about it. The end."

I... Don't think that's how grieving works? Memento Mori for kids I guess, or something.

But speaking of *actual* Memento Mori for kids, my friend Jenna put together this awesome All Souls Day/Dia de Los Muertos printable bundle, and it is so cute!! The kids are really excited to do the activities, and are annoyed they have to wait until November.

And while we're talking about books... How beautiful is this planner? My sweet friend Chiara sent me one even though I'm totally not a planner person but... I think it's time to change that, because this is so darned pretty!! And has major feast days in it already. With type A John Paul helping me out, I think 2020 will be the year I actually manage to use a planner! It's UK-made so you'll see slight differences if you're used to US products, but they also have a US distributor so shipping isn't a huge cost, and you can get 10% off with the code BLOGFORMYMOM10 :)

I showed Peter how to clean the baseboards the other day and he is OBSESSED. Never underestimate the appeal of a spray bottle.

Another excellent use of a spray bottle? I sort of tamed the baby's wild mane with nothing more than a spray of water & a quick scrunch with my fingers! Would that it were so easy to tame my own hair...

Meanwhile, the best hair day I've had in ages involved: shampoo, conditioner, mousse, curl cream, gel, diffusing for a few minutes, air drying most of the way, and plopping for an hour before air drying the rest of the way.

Ridiculous, I know!! But my day 2 hair is pretty great too, and it sounds like much more of an ordeal than it really was, particularly since I only wash my hair once a week.

Products, if you're curious: shampoo, conditioner, mousse, curl cream, gel, diffuser (most of these should be cheaper at your local store of choice!)

Last! I'm putting together my annual small shop gift guide and would love to include your shop!! Or pass the link along to your friends with shops so we can get the word out! The form closes Monday so I can get the post published in early November, so don't wait to fill it out!

Linking up with Kelly for 7 Quick Takes!