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!
***
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!
![\"Quantcast\"/](\"//pixel.quantserve.com/pixel/p-1e3-7hOJ_U8Bg.gif\")
My daycare provider is definitely someone who needs thanks. She’s so wonderful with my son and the other kids she watches. You can tell they all love her.
I would love to give a basket to my best friend she is a soldier and has been through so much I am so very proud of her.
God Bless Our Troops.
I would def give it to my family friend that has been in and out of the hospital for months now and had multiple surgeries to remove her pancreas, spleen, colon, 3/4 of stomach, and a bit of her bowel. She’s a living miracle although she’s been in a lot of pain.
My friend who just had surgery
I would love to give a thank you gift to our frind who always house and dog sits for us when we are out of town. He’s always happy to help and we really appreciate it.
My sister! After I lost my job, she was there for me and made sure I didn’t get too down. She is the best and I did make her a similar thank you basket!
I would totally use this to stock up on items for these Sunshine baskets we have been doing for the ladies at our church! It’s a box or basket you fill with all yellow things (sunshine!) and then you bring it to them when they are going through a death in the family, illness, financial distress, etc. We have been finding things at CVS lately and this would be a huge blessing to our ministry!!
My co-worker who has been helping me out since someone left our team totally deserves this — she’d love some of those healthy snacks!
I would love to surprise my boyfriend with some goodies from CVS! That is such a nice gift bag idea that you shared!
Our neighbors — they’ve welcomed us to the street and have been great!
I would only give this to my Mom, such a wonderful person in my life.
I would either gift a basket to my mom or to the clinic that recently had me intern with them – depending on what was in the basket. My mom has always been there for me and I try to do everything I can to thank her.
The clinic gave me invaluable experience and I would like to give them a more proper thanks.
My mom! She does so much for everyone in our family, and she LOVES CVS, haha! 🙂 so thoughtful of you to put together!
My mother! She deserves the moon!
my best friend who is all alone on the holidays (his family overseas). He loves CVS for vitamins and snacks!
Over the past couple of months I have been struggling to create my own happiness. When I realized that most of this burden related to my current job, I decided to take a risk and make a change, hoping it would be best for me, my family, and friends. My mother and sister were both extremely supportive throughout the entire process, and gave me guidance and encouragement when I was at my lowest. If i were to win, I would treat them with the CVS giveaway. Happy Holidays 🙂
My coworkers would love some treats!!
I would love to surprise my boyfriend with a gift basket! He is the most supportive man I’ve ever met and brings so much joy to my life.
My dad has been dealing with some severe back pain and my mom has gone above and beyond to take care of him and get everything ready for Christmas. I’d surprise them both with a fun self-care/thank you/get well package!
A “thank you” gift basket this holiday season would go to my boss. She has been doing so much for all of her employees around the holidays that she deserves a gift of her own! She’s also just the best boss EVER. Because she is also health conscious I would definitely get her some of those nut clusters, I think she’d love them!
I would love to give my best friend a surprise basket. She has had a rough year and deserves a surprise.
Definitely my Dad. He is always there for me, even more so now that I live far away from home and has truly become a best friend?
I need to give one to my best friend who’s helped me through a roller coaster year.
My mom always deserves a thank you! She’s the best
What a great idea! Those goodies look awesome! My mom deserves this because she has selflessly helped me so much through my pregnancy! <3
My mom definitely deserves a thoughtful gift basket. She works so hard and does so much!
I would make a basket for my co-worker!
Bahama mama is my favorite!
My co-worker. She had a very tough year: lost her house & got cancer. She is such a trooper and deserves something nice!
I was promoted to a team lead position in my store and the GM at the time had just left and I had no one to train me. Our hiring manager took me under her wings during the most hectic time of year In retail to not only train me but support me in my new role. I would love to make her a surprise thank you bag! Such a great idea and so nice to know Chase is being watched by an amazing lady!
I’d pick my husband. He works so hard to support our family and is such a great father to our boys.
my mom! i wouldn’t know where i would be without her support and guidance through tough times. she deserves some goodies and could use a great gift card.
I would give it to my mom’s friend. My mom can’t drive anymore and her friend drives her to dr’s appts, etc. I am not sure what I would do without her. She saves me a lot of vacation time from work.
I would give it to my daughter who works 12 hour days out in the cold and snow, and who could really use these products! Those socks have her name written all over them and the clusters would be perfect for a midday snack.
I would give a thank you basket to my husband. He serves our little family so well and it would nice to give him something to show him how thankful we are to have him.
My husband! He has been working so hard lately and deserves some treats from CVS.
My husband. I’ve definitely had a hard time in my first trimester and he’s been SUCH a champ. Im just so thankful to have him!
My friend Gene, does so much for so many people. I could not even begin to list all the things she does for others.
My parents! They’re such a big help to me, always available when I need childcare or really anything, with my little ones. I’d be lost without them!!
What an awesome idea!! Plus, I love giving surprises! I would definitely choose my aunt who goes above and beyond for everyone in the family, her church and the community. She never complains ever and deserves an extra thank you!
My body pump instructor. She pushes me during each class to make every rep coun!!
I would give it to my Mom. She helps me so much and I couldn’t ask for a better Mom! I’m so grateful!
I would love to give a gift basket to my mama. She’s always surprising me with treats and little things so it would be nice to treat her as well!
I would love to make a gift basket for my wonderful aunt. She goes above and beyond to care for her daughter and grandchildren and she deserves a million and one gift bags! She has the biggest heart and I would love to make her something special to make her smile.
My mom is my hero. She has always been the person I turn to whether I’m happy, sad, angry, whatever. She’s the best person I know and is more than deserving of a gift basket!
My mom by far. She watches my dog while I am at work or on trips and is such a huge help!!
My running partner Kristin for getting me out of bed at 5:15am three days a week!
I would love to make one for my Mom! She is always putting others before herself and I am so thankful for her endless love and support.
Merry Christmas to you and your family, Julie!
I would love to make a gift basket for my parents who are generously helping me with my wedding this year!
My husband! He’s been so helpful through the holiday season. He keeps me calm when things get hectic.
Merry Christmas!!
My husband for putting up with me during finals