When I was first cleared to exercise after Chase was born, I quickly realized a few of my old favorite ways to work out weren’t going to work for a while for me because of the lack of childcare offered at some of my favorite fitness studios.
Not only could I not resume teaching my regular classes at the gym (they do not offer childcare until a child can sit up), but I also had to temporarily forgo Pure Barre workouts as well. I was quite bummed about this, but sometimes when one door closes another one opens. In this case, the door lead me to my local Burn Boot Camp.
(The above banner is hanging on the wall at my local BBC. LOVE it.)
I heard wonderful things about Burn Boot Camp (BBC) from other moms in my area. The workouts sounded seriously challenging but, most importantly for me, the childcare offered at my local boot camp received rave reviews.
I visited BBC two times by myself before I felt comfortable enough to bring Chase along. I wanted to meet the woman who worked there and speak with her about bringing my baby boy there soon. She instantly made me feel at ease and the first time I arrived with Chase, Miss Lindsey held him swaddled in her arms the entire time.
As weeks went by and I fell more and more in love with my BBC workouts, I also fell more in love with Miss Lindsey and her incredible passion for caring for children. Not only does she come up with the cutest craft projects for the children, but she plays with Chase when he’s excitable, snuggles him when he’s sleepy and gives me peace of mind during the 45 minutes of the day when I’m not in full-on mommy mode.
During the holiday season, I knew I wanted to give Lindsey a holiday gift bag to say a big thank you to her for taking such great care of Chase and the other BBC kids. She truly goes above and beyond and the other mothers and I know how lucky we are to have her watching our children during our workouts.
I picked up a bunch of goodies at CVS and tried to stick with a fitness/health/holiday theme!
I filled the gift bag with hair ties, cucumber hand lotion, facial cleansing towelettes (perfect to use to freshen up post-workout!) and nail polish for a little something fun. Side note: I am in love with Essie’s Bahama Mama color. So pretty!
I also had to add some festive holiday items to the gift bag and hoped Lindsey’s adorable daughter might like the fuzzy socks I included.
And because gift bags should always include some kind of delicious treat, I added two of my favorite snacks.
I know Lindsey is fairly health-conscious so I wanted to include snacks that were tasty and a little sweet but still mostly healthy and free from artificial preservatives and flavors. We LOVE the Gold Emblem Abound Berries & Nut Clusters in our house and I think the Fuji Apple & Raspberry Clusters are a perfect healthy option to grab when your sweet tooth hits.
We also included two cards (our family Christmas card from Chase and a thank you card from me) and a VISA gift card in the gift bag. I really hope Lindsey knows just how much she means to our family. A thank you gift bag doesn’t even begin to do her justice, but hopefully it added a little bit of holiday cheer to her day last week!
Gift Card Giveaway
Now it’s giveaway time…
Today’s giveaway is for a $100 CVS gift card!
You may use the gift card toward anything at CVS, though I encourage you to use your gift card to assemble a surprise “thank you” gift basket for someone in your life who means a lot to you.
I highly recommend adding some of CVS’ tasty snacks from their Gold Emblem Abound line in your gift basket, as all of the the ingredients in CVS’ Gold Emblem Abound snacks are totally recognizable (no artificial preservatives and flavors) and they offer both sweet and savory options you can feel good about gifting.
To enter this giveaway, please leave a comment on this blog post telling me about someone in your life who you think deserves a thoughtful thank you basket from you! I’ll randomly select and email a giveaway winner tomorrow so we can get you your gift card ASAP!
Good luck!
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Disclaimer: This blog post is part of my ongoing partnership with CVS. Though this post features some of my favorite CVS snacks, the gift bag idea was mine alone and was assembled and paid for by me as a big thank you to a woman who means a lot to our family.
I’m proud to partner with CVS/pharmacy as one of the “Gold Emblem Abound Trail Makers” this year. I am being sponsored by CVS/pharmacy for my Trail Makers posts and activities, but all opinions expressed are my own, and all product claims or program details shared should be verified at CVS.com or with the appropriate manufacturers. As always, I am so appreciative of your support surrounding sponsored posts. Thank you!
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my wife who is a teriffic wife, friend, sister, mom and teacher
My parents
This is a great idea and so cute! I would love all the things in this bag and Im sure she knows how much she is loved! 🙂 I would put together some treats for my mom. We recently moved and her (and my dad) have majorly helped. Everything from lending us a truck to wiping down my blinds after construction!
My mom!
My mom, I definitely don’t say thank you enough for everything she’s done for me, including putting up with me in my previous terrible teenage years!
Our oldest sons preschool teachers! Not only are they the sweetest women who devote 3 mornings a week to teaching our son, creating art projects with him and making him feel safe and cared for but were due with our 3rd son in January. The past couple of weeks our oldest has started to have meltdowns at drop off time in the mornings. His teachers have gone above and beyond to help him when he’s feeling sad that Mommys left (which we think might be a reaction to the impending 2nd baby brother), distract him and remind his very pregnant and hormonal mama that it’s all going to be ok (and to keep an extra eye on him in class to make sure he’s doing well). They’re lifesavers.
My husband! He works long hard hours and never complains:)
I would give it to one of my professors since she really goes above and beyond with teaching and mentoring me! She always is there to offer advice, explain concepts, and just lend a listening ear! 🙂
My grandma – she always has so much on her plate, I don’t know how she does it all!
My dad deserves a thank you gift basket because he always quietly and humbly supports me.
My beautiful mom!! For supporting me while I’m in school and basically just being an all around caring, selfless, and awesome person.
My co-worker Sue. She is always doing little things for us to keep morale boosted in a busy medical clinic. She often leaves little treats for each of us and inspirational messages. I’d love to surprise her with a wonderful and unexpected gift basket!
My running partner!
My mom! I’ve had a rough 2015 and she’s supported me all the way.
My sister who just put her daughter in daycare after her maternity leave. She needs a definite pick-me-up!
Definitely my mom – she does so much for our community: running the local food pantry, running the outreach committee at our church, and so much more. I would love to show her how much we appreciate her!
My boyfriends dad watches our dog every day while we are at work and spoils him with lots of walks & playtime!
My PhD advisor!
I’d surprise a worker at my daughter’s daycare who always goes above and beyond!
So cute! My doula will certainly need one.
My father in law has helped my husband and me so much as we settle in to our new home! He’s painted, helped with yard work, and so much more! I would love to show him how thankful we are for his help and guidance!
My mom is the best and I would definitely love to surprise her with a big thank you basket!
What a thoughtful idea! I would make a gift basket similar to yours for our daycare provider. Going back to work was so difficult after having my little guy, but he goes to a small in-home daycare and the woman is INCREDIBLE. She loves the kids like her own, and I know after running around with them all day she has little to no time for herself. She’d love it! Thanks Julie!
I would love to assemble a thank you gift basket for my mom! <3
Our dog sitter! It is such a relief to be able to go on a vacation and not worry about Charlie getting enough food, activity, and treats while we are gone.
I would love to give a gift basket to my mom!
My Father-In-Law! He has done so much for my husband and I that I can’t even begin to write it all out. He’s the most generous and kind man you will meet. He is taking care of his 101 year old mother and 86 year old aunt full time, living in a different state from his wife (and only child up until we moved to be near him over Thanksgiving) for the last 6 or so years.
My best friend!
The daycare ladies that watch my children. They do such fun things with them and I know my kids are in a safe and caring environment.
Our babysitter!
I think I’d surprise my hubby with the gift card! He’s been working very hard at work and has been an awesome daddy to our 9 month old!
There are so many people I couldn’t chose but would definitely have enough to makes several gift baskets!
I have 2 new mom friends that could really use some TLC. I’m thinking lotions, candles, yummy snacks, etc. 🙂
My mom!
My older sister – she takes on a lot, helps a lot of people, and is rarely thanked 🙂
my sister! she’s the best and my rock!
My mother in law, for sure! She watches by baby boy twice a week and makes an hour commute each way to do so. She could use some extra goodies this Christmas!
I have the greatest co-workers! I would give them each a little something!
My mom! She always has and does go above and beyond for her kids!
My future mother in law who is battling cancer and chemo treatments!
My mom! She took off 10 days of work to come watch my 9 week old son while I went back to work for the first 2 weeks right before the holidays. It made the (HARD) transition slightly less painful for this mom.
I would create a gift bag for my neighbors. They are going through a tough time right now due to the loss of their dog. I think a thoughtful gift bag would help cheer them up.
Dealing with pet loss is tough. Encourage them to adopt from a shelter or rescue group soon, even to just have some meet & greets. Shelters fill up this time of year & there are so many deserving dogs & cats who need loving, forever homes! Thank you!
My sister and my mom 🙂
My dad. He not only works full time, but is a caregiver to two aging family members. He shows me how to be selfless and to think of others.
I have an older coworker (70s???) who is just AMAZING. She is quiet but powerful. She is so intelligent and thoughtful. We make an odd pair at first glance, but we are one successful team. I am lucky to have her in my life!
Definitely my Mom. She is so thoughtful and caring. Would be nice to surprise her with a gift basket of her own!
I would make one for my daughter’s preschool teachers. They are great. ?
My mom! She is so helpful ( and it happens to be her birthday today!)
our 6am spin instructors – their energy each morning is inspiring!!
My MIL Cindy… She works so hard and is such a wonderful person. She has been there for me when I needed someone the most.