Things every Grandma needs.

I love being a grandma! Just love it. In fact, I love it so much that my husband and I moved to be closer to our newest and littlest granddaughter, Eleanor.

We now see Eleanor 2ish times a week and I love the sleepovers, dinner, dessert, bubble bath and her fave movie, Klaus.

Besides the main items of a crib and a car seat I realized that we needed some toys for her to play with. As I searched for things that would be appropriate for Eleanor, I am also looking at price, quality and educational value. PLUS what is cute and fun. Because there are things that every Grandma needs, right?

First up – something for storage.

Eleanor needed a basket that she could easily get to and pull out what she wanted to play with or read (we love reading books). And so I thought I would share with you what I decided to get and what Eleanor loves.

Pottery Barn and Amazon have great basket choices. Since I used to work at the Barn I chose this basket – I love it.

Second – she loves to pretend that she is eating.

I can't tell you how many sticks she gives me to pretend to eat. As a result I got her dishes. I thought wooded dishes and wooden fruit and veggies that you cut up would be perfect. And guess what? They are! She is practicing her fine motor skills when cutting the fruit and veggies apart and having fun at the same time. We also practice saying the name over and over – she now knows apple and banana!

Next up was clothes.

I needed things to keep here PLUS Eleanor's birthday is around the corner. I know that Nicole likes neutral colors…but the Grandma in me needs to have some type of print and color! We all love H&M so I started there. And I found so many things. Dresses, shorts, cardigan and pjs. Check them out for sure. Here is what I chose and they are ALL so wonderful.

I kept some of the clothes I purchased and will give the rest to Eleanor for her birthday next month.

And then I needed diapers.

Nicole has been using Dyper.com since Eleanor was a baby. Did you know that diapers have SO many chemicals in them, including bleach? And all of those chemicals can break down a baby's skin. I grabbed a box of diapers and wipes and a few bath products…just in case. (I linked to a few other things that I thought you might like too.)

I couldn't forget about the bibs and cups.

Nicole has a lot of products from Mushie. And so I went there too. I purchased the basics plus a Contigo water bottle for kids. E loves that water bottle!

And last…books.

Which books to keep here….because she has so many already at home. We chose our faves – Good Night Moon, Love You Forever (still makes me cry), and Guess How Much I Love You. I figured we could start with those 3.

And there you have it…the beginnings of what we use when Eleanor comes to visit.

And here is a pic of the 2 of us hanging out on the floor…and it is SO hard for me to get up! I hope that the Pilates classes I am taking will help me out!

What is Joyful Living all about?

Joyful Living is ALL about not letting let the circumstances of YOUR life determine who you really are. You learn to choose YOU instead! Not sure how to do that? Let me help! 

To begin, go ahead and read:

• What is Joyful Living?
• 5 Simple Steps to Choosing Joy
• Finding Joy in All Things
• What Does God Say About Joy?
• Difference Between Happiness and Joy