Top 25 Best Pieces of Advice from Moms

I'm not sure when exactly it happens, but there is a day post-parenthood that you open your mouth and your mom comes out! The 1st time I noticed it, I giggled to myself and then realized my mom had a few great sayings that I have carried forward into my own parenting. I have compiled a list below, gathered from my mom and the moms of those close to me, in no particular order. Would love to hear your top mom-faves too!

1. Treat others as you want them to treat you. (Not how they treat you, how you want them to treat you...my kids somehow get confused on this one often!)

2. Sharing is caring. 

3. Always wear clean underwear (then my mom would elaborate with the "if you get hit by a bus and have to go the hospital, you want to have on clean underwear...I don't think I needed the explanation looking back!)

4. It's less about words and more about actions. 

5. You can pick your nose and you can pick your friends, but you can't pick your family. 

6. Don't judge a book by it's cover.

7. Give more to your community than you take from it. 

8. Anything worth having is worth working for. 

9. Before making a decision, do the newspaper check...would you be proud to have your decision/action on the front page of tomorrow's newspaper. 

10. No matter who comes in and out of your life, always stay true to yourself. 

11. Things are much more enjoyable when you have earned them.

12. Drink lots of water and use moisturizer daily. 

13. Put the seat down.

14. Be a person that builds others up, not one that tears them down.

15. Always tell your loved ones how much they mean to you, even when they drive you crazy. 

16. It's not what you say, but how you say it. 

17. Sit up straight. 

18. This too shall pass.

19. Smile at people, it's a free gift that goes a very long way. 

20. Be kind & have courage (this was borrowed from Cinderella's mom)

21. People who seem the least lovable, need the love the most. 

22. Always have your own money. 

23. Live life with gratitude.

24. When you feel alone chat with God. 

25. Find the positive, it could always be worse. 

Visit our Pinterest Board for more fun mom advice. 

Birthday gift ideas for kids

So, if you are a fellow mom, you will completely empathize with me here...my children have entered the age of never-ending birthday parties! Don't get me wrong, this means loads of fun for my kiddos and a nice opportunity to meet new parents, but it also means a never-ending to-do list of birthday gift buying.

So you would think as the CEO of a children's apparel company, we would just gift our own stuff, but the reality is that most 7 year old girls and 4 year old boys don't get all that psyched when they open their new pair of shorts (or other everyday apparel). I also feel a little self-promoting at times giving out RB goodies. So, I have found a happy blend of the RuffleButts & RuggedButts stuff that always scores major points for my kiddos, along with a few go-to add-ons that fit the bill. I know how tough it is for me to get creative, so I thought I would share my top 5 go-to's here:

Cute and easy birthday gifts for girls:

1. RuffleButts Rash Guards ($26.50-$29.50) are always a huge hit. Want bonus points? Add their monogram. I don't know about you, but monograms are SUPER popular with my daughter's friends at the moment. We offer our swimsuits as small as size 3-6m and go all the way up to size 8. Want to go for the stand-out gift that everyone is talking about? Find a simple beach tote at Amazon, throw in the monogrammed rash guard, add a monogrammed beach towel and a pair of RuffleButts sunglasses ($14.50). While perfect year-round, it's extra perfect for a summer pool-themed birthday party! 
2. For our younger friends, girls ages 2 to 5, we often opt for a RuffleButts Petti Dress. Those were prime dress-up years and their little faces light up at the sight of these massively fluffy and feminine creations! I typically receive cell phone photos within a week of the party with the little lady twirling in her present and the text "she won't take it off!" Of course Aubrey always loves when her friends tell her that she brought their favorite present. I don't know where she gets that competitive side...wink, wink. 
3. This one can be in addition to #2 above, or a part of a collection of gifts. For Aubrey's 6th birthday, we invited their 18" friends to the party as well, and provided each of them a miniature version of the petti dress (above) to take home as a party favor. This was a BIG hit with the girls! If looking for a simple gift, you could pair the RuffleButts doll dress with some Our Generation accessories from Target, all for under $25-30. If you are looking for a more extravagant gift, put them inside this Wooden Wardrobe and cover your ears for the girly scream! 
4. When it comes to 1st birthdays, these are the easy ones. From what I have found, kiddos usually have more than enough toys at this age, so some over-the-top clothes usually work perfectly. Our go-to is this First Birthday Tutu Set ($39.50) and we usually add her name to make it extra special. 
5. For the Southern Girls (we live in Texas now, but it was always a hit in North Carolina too!), seersucker is almost always a winner. For little ones turning age 1 or 2, we usually opt for a monogrammed Seersucker Swing Top ($34 with the monogram) and the matching RuffleButt ($19). For the older girls, we have TONS of new seersucker styles coming in the Spring 2016 Collection! 

Popular and easy birthday gifts for boys:

1. My go-to for pretty much every age is our Rugged Butts Birthday Number Tee. Funny enough, most little guys get pretty psyched to wear their new age plastered on a new tee! Sometimes I'll pair the tee with our Rocker Gray Wash Jeans to make a great outfit, other times I pair it with a sweet lego set. Really depends on the child here. 
2. Legos, legos, legos. I don't know about you, but my little guy is pretty much obsessed with legos and has been for a few years now. This is my easy go-to on Amazon Prime for any upcoming birthday bash. 
3. For 1st birthdays, I am usually thinking more about the parents than I am the kids, let's be honest. So, for the football fans, I usually go this route with themed apparel. From Rugged Butts, I know it will come all wrapped up and ready for me to throw in a birthday gift bag, which works extra well for moms with no time...well, that's all moms really! 
4. One of the best birthday gifts we gave was put together in a mad rush, but the mom raved and raved about how much she loved it. I combined one of our Rugged Butt fedoras with a coordinating bow tie, short sleeve dress shirt and chino shorts. If you are looking to keep it under $30, a fedora and coordinating bow tie works great! 
5. In more of the $50 range (which is more than we spend on just a regular classmate friend), the VTech Kidizoom Action Cam has been a huge hit. Jonas received this as a gift at Christmas and has really enjoyed it. A little pricey for a kiddie toy, but certainly less than a real Go Pro! 

Two years, really??

When I glanced at the blog and realized that nearly 2 years had passed since my last post, I was half embarrassed and half reflective on how fast life truly flies by. Am I the only one that had at least two dozen moms and grandmoms approach me when I was preggers with the "flies by" advice? They all told me how fast it will fly by and to make sure to take it all in. Last week, I opened my mouth and realized that with complete unintention, those words were pouring out at the sweet pregnant lady I had just met. It was a moment that made me feel older, but also a bit wiser.

Seeing that January 2014 date as the last published post was a moment that stung slightly, as I realized how thin I have been spread over recent years, but also a moment of triumph as a mom, wife and entrepreneur that I have survived and thrived. I am filled with such gratitude that my life is so full, but like many other women, it is a rare minute that I don't feel like I am dropping one ball or the other. Writing has always been something enjoyable to me, a way of paying it forward of sorts, sharing my experience, and selfishly a way to chronicle my journey. Unfortunately writing is one of the things that was sacrificed over the past 2 years as it easily fell below the priority of time with kiddos and time at RuffleButts. It is today that I make the conscious effort to move it back up a few notches on the list.

Oh where to begin? How about a plan? So, it is my plan, going forward from today, to share all parts of me. Or at least all parts that I think you may find of any benefit or interest. I will share 1 piece business journey, 1 piece beneficial business tools, 1 piece motherhood and 1 piece life lessons to pay forward. This has been the blog past in general, but I will do my best to share on a regular basis go-forward. If you have any other questions or requested information, please feel free to post questions and comments here and I will do my best to respond. As always, I am truly grateful for your interest and support along the way! 

~Amber