Category "Baby Shower"

Dropping Off Meals for New Parents | Easy Chicken Tacos Recipe

After having my first child, I felt so thankful to friends and family who came and visited bearing gifts of prepared meals. Between breastfeeding and let’s see… more breastfeeding, there was no time for anything else!

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Drop off this ready-to-eat meal for family and friends with new babies. It’s easy to make and it will provide them with several hot meals!

Just by popping the food dishes we received straight into the oven or microwave, my husband and I could eat lots of hot meals with very little work.  It was a blessing I tell you!

Our favorite dish came from one of our family members, Terri, who dropped off shredded chicken tacos and everything we needed to go with it.

Not only was it delicious, but we were able to get two dinners and two lunches out of it which was awesome because those were four meals we didn’t have to worry about at all.

I asked Terri for her chicken tacos recipe, and she happily shared it with me. Thanks Terri!

EASY PEASY CHICKEN TACOS

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Baby Bump Maternity Photo Shoot

Did you know there’s a whole industry in baby bump/pregnancy/maternity photography? Google it and you will see hundreds of amazing pregnancy photos.

pregnancy-photos-thoughtful-gift-ideaIt’s a wonderful way to celebrate the upcoming birth of a baby by showing off the “bump!”

My maternity outfits were much like my mother’s and grandmother – big flowing tops that hid our pregnant bellies.

In my grandmother’s day you couldn’t even say “pregnant.” The correct term was “in the family way.” Thank goodness that taboo is no longer the norm.

My mother told me when she was pregnant, you said the word “pregnant” in a hushed tone.  Oh, how glad I am times have changed! It’s exciting to be pregnant and maternity photos are a great way to share the joy with loved ones.

My friend’s daughter, Kelsey, is a professional dancer and her pregnancy photos feature her as a ballerina.

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Why I Gave My Son a Baby Doll

I’m raising a little human. He happens to be a boy.

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Playing is learning!

In our culture, many unsaid rules exist about how little humans called “boys” should act. Even more so for “girls.”

At the age of two, I bought my son a little doll, a newborn baby dressed head to toe in pink pajamas. I wanted to give him access to a wide variety of toys, not just those considered “gender appropriate.”

My son will grow up to become a father one day, and every parent needs to know how to nurture and nourish.

We give boys race cars and doctor kits all the time although only a very small percentage of them will actually grow up to become race car drivers and doctors. Compare that to how many boys will one day become fathers.

As soon as I showed my son the pink box containing the doll, he grew excited. He yelled, “Baby!”

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“Love You Forever” | The Perfect Book for Mothers

I read a book in which the author recommended the book called Love You Forever by Robert Munsch.

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The book “Love You Forever” makes a wonderful Mother’s Day gift.

When I read it for the first time, it made my cry three times. Each time I started to cry I put down the book to catch my breath only to continue crying once I started reading again. Let me mention, the book ONLY has 14 short pages of text!!

This timeless story of a mother’s constant and enduring love for her child puts into words the emotions that mothers feel.

I say it’s the perfect book for mothers because if I had read “Love You Forever” before I became a mother, I know I would not have reacted to it the same way.

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Easy Peasy Money Umbrella Surprise

At Sunburst Gifts, we love coming up with creative ways to give money. This time, shower someone with cash with a Money Umbrella!

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Money umbrellas are a fun and creative way to give cash gifts.

When they open the umbrella, they’ll be completely surprised by all of the cash that falls out from the inside!

If you give the Money Umbrella gift in person, watching them open the gift and seeing their reaction is half the fun so make sure they open it in front of you. And get your camera or video camera ready!

You can attach a note to the umbrella that says “Open Me” but I prefer say something like,”Open it up so you can see that it’s a lot bigger than it looks. It will really protect you from the rain!”

Yes, little white lies are completely appropriate in these situations.

If you’re mailing the gift or you won’t be there when it’s opened, definitely include a note that says “Open Me.” You don’t want the gift recipient to miss out on their big surprise and, even worse, lose the umbrella and the cash because they had no idea what was inside!

Th Money Umbrella gift idea is so much fun to give and receive, and it’s easy peasy to create!

HOW TO CREATE A MONEY UMBRELLA

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Cookie Monster in a Cookie Jar

My niece loves stuffed animals that sing, talk or play music and I wanted to give her fancy chocolate chip cookies for her birthday. Hmmm? How to combine the two as a gift?

Cookie-Monster-in-cookie-jar-thoughtful-gift-ideaWho likes chocolate chip cookies more than anyone else? Cookie Monster, of course! “Me want cookie!”, “Me eat cookie!”, and “Om nom nom nom” said the Cookie Monster through a mouth full of cookies.

I found the perfect Cookie Monster stuffed animal singing a song by counting from one to 20 cookies. For a thoughtful twist, I purchased a large cookie jar so he would fit inside. Cookie Monster in a Cookie Jar!

We do not want Cookie Monster eating the fancy cookies so I placed the cookies outside the jar. Cute! Huh?

This was the centerpiece for Whitney’s birthday party. It was a hit and everyone loved choosing their own cookie.

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We’ve Opened Up an Etsy Shop!

Sunburst Gifts Thoughtful Heartful Etsy ShopYou can now visit the Sunburst Gifts Etsy Shop at www.etsy.com/shop/sunburstgifts!

We’ve had requests for babysitting gift certificates so we made that our first product. Thoughtful gift givers can purchase instant downloads of our printable babysitting gift certificates in yellow, pink and blue colors or buy them as a 3-pack bundle.

Every parent can use more time for themselves so babysitting gift certificates always make popular  gifts for baby showers, birthdays, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day and Christmas.

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Record Your Own Read-Along Story Book for Children

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One of my favorite books as a child was The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams. After reading it, I hugged my favorite stuffed animal even harder so that it too would become Real.

The Velveteen Rabbit book and a stuffed bunny

Pick your favorite childhood story, record yourself reading it, and give the book and the recording as a gift to a child. Pair it with a matching toy or stuffed animal if you can.

When threads on it started to come loose, I grew excited because I knew I was getting it even closer to the day the nursery magic Fairy would turn it into Real.

The Velveteen Rabbit is a timeless story about the power of love and the bond that forms between a child and his favorite toy. Now that I’m an adult, I’ve realized that it’s also a story about loving someone for who they are and not how they look and about being real to yourself and to others.

I bought a copy of The Velveteen Rabbit for each my sister’s three daughters, J’menii, Jeah and Jozlyn, so I could share this amazing story with them. On the inside page of each of their books, I wrote:

Always be real to yourself and to others because God made you one-of-a-kind. Continue Reading

Baby Bump Congratulations Cards for Mothers-to-Be

- - $20 or Less, Baby Shower

Do you know someone who is pregnant? I’m sure you told the person, “Congratulations!”

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Baby bump congratulations card by Hallmark

When I was pregnant with my first baby, my co-worker, Jody, congratulated me and gave me this amazing card. At the time, I didn’t even know congratulations cards specifically for pregnant women and mothers-to-be existed!

The card showing a woman with a cute baby bump touched me emotionally. It expressed how happy Jody was for me to experience both the miracle of growing a baby inside me and the many joys of motherhood.

I proudly displayed the card on the shelf behind my desk. It was the only card like it I received during my pregnancy.

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Instant Photobooks Delivered Monthly | Groovebook

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Click. Click. Click. With the camera on our smartphones, we can quickly capture any moment with ease. Many of of us have hundreds of photos stored in our phones.

instant-photobooks-groovebook2-sunburst-giftsBesides the ones you’ve shared on social media, most of the photos you’ve taken on your phone have probably never been seen by another human being. That’s too bad!

You also probably don’t get many of them printed either. Heck no! That would be waaaay too expensive!

Or is it?

What if I told you that you could print 100 photos from your phone each month and have it shipped to you in a keepsake photobook for just $2.99? That’s the total price. No tax. No shipping and handling.

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