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 best friend who’s been so stressed lately going on med school interviews! Would love to help her ring in 2016 with a little a little something special!
I would make a gift basket for my husband. He works very hard to support our family and very rarely buys anything for himself.
I would give it to my friend with 2 kids under the age of 3! She would love it!!
Our doggy daycare owner deserves a thank you gift basket. She is always so knowledgeable and sweet with our puppy!
I’d like to give a thank you gift bag to my local librarian! She’s really helpful and friendly.
I’d love to put together a gift basket for my Father, he’s going through a rough time at work lately and could use some healthy treats as a pick me up during the day!
I’d actually love to gift a thank you basket to my husband. He’s really helped me this year since it’s been a rough month for me and has picked up the slack when I needed help. I appreciate him so much!!
My mom 🙂
My sister, she is always 100% willing to listen if I need to talk and is my biggest supporter.
I would choose a sweet nurse who takes extra good care of my 92 year old grandfather at the nursing home he stays at. It gives my grandmother and mom such peace of mind knowing she watches over him.
Our dog walker Deborah deserves a thank-you basket! She is wonderful with our two dogs and has been such a huge help when we’re in a pinch with work.
Definitely my mom who is always helping me by watching my baby when I have appointments and encouraging me when I’m feeling like I’m failing as a new mom.
A dear friend!
My mom! She watches my 5 month old when I’m at work and I am so, so thankful. I know she loves taking care of my daughter but it is a big job and I owe her BIG!
Our dog walker deserves a BIG thank you. She is awesome with our puppy and I always feel relaxed at working knowing she will be there to take care of him.
My old roommate Suzy! she’s a wonderful person who’s always thinking of others. I actually sent her a holiday inspired gift box a couple weeks ago 🙂
All 3 of my kids have amazing teachers!
I would do it for a few of my pledge sisters! Since I moved up to Nashville I feel like I haven’t been able to se them or show them how much they mean to me in a while!
I would do a thank you basket for our wonderful family photographer! She has captured so many precious moments for us and is just the sweetest spirit!
My best friend Rachel who has had a tough time finding a job at a new job and has always supported me through my I
M my best friend Rachel who has had a tough time finding a job at a new job and has always supported me through my illness i
My mom! She helped me so much with my wedding this year. She is the sweetest and most thoughtful person I know!
I’d love to make a basket for my best friend who is about to have her first baby.
My vet! My poor puppy got hit by a truck earlier this year and we had to take him to the vet late at night. Our vet is so understanding, caring and helpful and my precious pup is on the mend!
My mom and dad! They live so far away but always send goodies for their grandson!
My mom and mother in law have both helped me so much with our children while my husband has been out of state for three months!
My aunt who always treated my brother and I as the children she could never have!
My roommate! We just made it through a really tough nursing school semester and even though she was going through the same thing as me, she was so incredibly supportive of me and my rock.
Cute gift, Julie! I bet it was totally tough to leave Chase with a stranger at first! So it’s awesome you can feel comfortable now. I’d LOVE to give a gift bag to my Mom, who deserves an extra treat! 🙂
I would love to make a gift basket for my mom! She does so much for our family, especially around Christmastime, and I would love to have a special way to say thank you to her!
MY MOM for sure. She is always helping others and totally deserves it!
I would love to give one to my Mom who is always willing to help us out!!
I’d love to give gift baskets to the women who help my grandma out at home.
The aid in my classroom is doing the work of two teachers aides. She deserves a nice gift!
My sister, she is a new mom!
My sister! She is a new mom!
My best friend is in the middle of her 4th years of med school, and she is traveling all over the country doing rotations. We don’t do gifts for each other during the holidays, but I would love to make her a basket and let her know I’m thinking of her!
I’d put one together for my mom. This is my first time being away from her at Christmas 🙁
Our nanny Sarah is awesome and definitely deserves a nice gift for all the effort and love she gives our lil Liam:)
My mom definitely deserves a gift basket!
Gosh, you are so thoughtful! My son is in daycare full time while my husband and I are at work, and our daycare provider definitely deserves a thank you basket!
my mom certainly deserves a thank you basket- she does so much for our family always holding us together through encouragement and prayer.
My mom definitely does! She does so much for our family and watches my son anytime I need her to!
2015 has definitely been the hardest year for me. Going to work has helped me get up every single day and one of my coworkers has been the most uplifting friend. I would love to thank her!
I would never have thought to get a bunch of goodies from CVS, but it’s perfect. They have such a variety for everyone!
I would give a big thank you gift bag to my aunt. My cousin passed away a couple years ago unexpectedly and she has been the one helping take care of the little girls. It’s been difficult but she always seems to have a smile on her face and put them first. She deserves an award for everything she has done with the girls and a thank you bag would be a wonderful gift for her!
i’d make a basket for my son’s teacher!
I would love to give a basket to my grandpas caregiver, she really has the patience of a saint.
P.S Love reading your blog!
Merry Christmas to you & your family:)
My little guy’s daycare teachers for sure!
My mom deserves a thank you gift. She does so much to help me and my family out. I could never repay her.
my parents!! i can’t even begin to describe how much they’ve done for me as i work my way through med school (and my whole life!)
Our son’s special Ed teacher. I would gift it to her in the middle of January as a surprise since we already gave her a Christmas present. She is the BEST!!!