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 Mom totally rocks and would be a great person to receive a thank you gift bag. She is always helping out either my sister or me with a lot of things. She also will lend a helping hand to her neighbors as well in her senior housing building. I know there are a lot of things that she would find useful at CVS.
My mom deserves so much more than just a gift basket, but I think that it would be a wonderful way for me to show her how much I appreciate her. She is selfless, loving and goes to work everyday so that I can go to nursing school for free. She would drop anything in the blink of an eye to help anyone and does not get any recognition for it. I would love to make her a last minute gift basket! Thank you! ?
To my daughter – she is a wonderful mom to our beautiful granddaughter Zoey.
I would make a gift bag for my little sister. She’s 28 and on dialysis and she’s been going through a lot the last couple years. I would be a thank you for being a great little sister!!
My mom definitely could always use a BIG thank you, she’s the best!
As you can probably relate, I have a high energy vizsla as my ‘child’ and I found a woman who does not work because she has lupus to take care of my boy on long work days. She takes Tanner on hikes (his favorites) and cuddles with him on the couch. She knows and understands the love and attention my boy needs and I couldn’t be more blessed to have her in my life!!! She gets sick often and will have to cancel on me last minute but I am always willing to work around her illness because she brings such joy to my boy.
Great ideas for a gift bag! I definitely need to make something for our neighbor, Lori. Throughout all the trials and joys of having a new baby, she has always been there to lend a hand, watch the dog, and just to listen to my fears and excitements as a new mom. She deserves a great thank you.
Stephanie
My Crossfit Coach deserves a Thank You bag. She coaches the early morning class and is always pushing us to work harder.
Oh I love this for a quick gift stop. I definitely owe a gift basket to my sons babysitter. She is amazing and I can’t thank her enough!!
My mom. She has helped in more ways than ever and never expects anything else in return. She will drop anything to come watch our son if we need her or rearrange her schedule if we need her to pick him up. Help with a child is so precious and I am so grateful for it.
Hands down my mom !
My parents deserve the biggest thank you gift. They’ve been watching our puppy while we travel for the holidays, and it’s been so nice to know that she’s staying with people that love her and doesn’t have to be boarded.
I would enjoy putting a basket together for my coworker/great friend. She is like a mother figure to me and is always there for me or anyone who needs her without question. Thanks for the giveaway!
My Crossfit coach, Vanessa. She was my first coach on My Crossfit journey and almost two years in she continues to give of herself tirelessly and selflessly.
My BFF, Tracey… She is always putting others first and doing thoughtful things for others. She is amazing 🙂
My sister. Not only is she a mother of two young ones, but she also teaches special education and is such a giving person. She is so compassionate to her students and others while taking care of two of her own. I don’t know how she does it sometimes! She defiantly deserves a big thank you!
I’d love to give my daughter-in-law a gift basket. She and my son have been trying for over a year now to have a baby with no success. I’m hoping this new year will bring them everything they want, especially a wonderful bundle of joy!
I would love to give a thank you surprise to my mom! She deserves a special extra thank you for doing all the food prep, house cleaning and hosting during the Christmas holiday!
I would give to my friend Marianne as without her I would be probably fired from my job. She picks my daughter up from school daily and let’s her stay at her house until I get home from work. She helps me out when the kids have an early basketball softball and volleyball game. I can not thank her enough
my boss. she def. goes above and beyond for our workplace and for me.
This is an awesome giveaway. I would love to spoil my mom with some treats, she most definitely deserves it during a tough time in her life.
I would love to put together a special thank you gift basket for my boyfriend. I injured my back 2 months ago unable to lift or perform daily tasks. He has been a huge help stepping in and taking over the daily chores, house cleanup, etc. He is the absolute best. Not only is he working long work days, but he comes home and has not problem helping out and taking care of me. He truly deserves a nice thank you gift basket!
I just found out my daughter’s favorite day care teacher is leaving after the holidays! I’d love to surprise her with a thank you gift before she goes 🙂
My boyfriend deserves this. He is the best 🙂
My mom! She does so much for me – especially now that I’m in full on wedding planning mode 😉
I LOVE gifting, its the best! I would make up little thank you gifts to our security guards at work, baggers at the grocery, anywhere I can spread holiday cheer in an unexpected way 🙂
I’d make up a basket for my sister! She needs some pampering
I would put together something for my son’s daycare. Honestly, it took a long time before I settled on daycare. Luckily, I found the best! The ladies there treat London like he is their own. They teach him things I would never have time for, rub his back at naptime and make sure he knows he is loved and appreciated.
I would more than love to give this to my mom this year!! She’s the best and closest person to me!!!! It’s an easy way to show her how much she means to me even though I’ll never be able to explain it to her.
Giving people small, unexpected gifts all year long really brightens up my day as well as their day! Coworkers, neighbors, dog watchers…everyone loves a little suprise.
Would love to make a gift bag for my Mom. She not only does so much for me and my Sister but she is an awesome grandma to all of the grandkids. She is always also thoughtful about her friends and neighbors, some of them that are alone on the Holidays she invites to her home to enjoy a festive dinner and company.
That Mistletoes is so cute!! I think my friend Christine deserves it for doing so much for me the past few months!!
My parents! They help out so much this would be wonderful! Thanks 🙂
My boyfriend! He is so good to me and I would love to tell him even more so how much I appreciate it
My sister 🙂 She’s definitely my go-to person and even though she has a full life with her husband, 3 boys, and dog, she still always manages to take the time to call and send sweet notes when I need them most!
I would give away two – one for each of my younger sisters. One just took in a brand-new foster baby and she needs pampering, and the other is incredibly generous with her time and is the most selfless person I know. They are both my heroes. 🙂
My neighbor deserves one. Always there to help me out!
My husband deserves a big THANK YOU! Since I am pregnant I am finding the little things harder to do and he has been such a big help in keeping the house in order and also keeping me in order!!
I think my Grandma deserves something like this. She is the most supportive person I know! She is there emotionally and financially when someone in my family needs a helping hand. She has the best advice, and someone I can always go to for advice. She has gone through two cancer treatments in her life but has remained positive and strong through it all. I truly do look up to her as a role model for how I hope to become as I get older. I would love to treat her to a little gift basket to show her how much I appreciate all that she does for me.
my BFF. she’s expecting her second baby boy and we live farther apart now so I haven’t been able to be there for her!
I went through a seriously tough break up (after 9 years together) at the beginning of the year. I was devastated. I had way too much time on my hands so a friend suggested working off my stress and heartache. I joined a new gym and met an amazing instructor. Not only did she get me moving and help De-stress, but she became a great friend as well. She introduced me to a small group at the gym who have now become amazing friends that I did not know I needed at that time. She has been above and beyond and really deserves a gift like this to say thank you.
I can think of WAY too many people to give this to, but at the top of my list is my best friend Virginia and my Mom. The two of them know me inside and out.
My advisor at school deserves this! I am finishing grad school in the spring, and she has been so helpful helping me look for jobs after graduation.
Love this idea! I would put together a bag for my hair stylist. She just had a baby and is back at work 4 weeks of maternity leave to get everyone ready for the holidays!
My mom, she’s the best!
My mother-in-law as she helps us out when we need her!
I’d love to win this for my Dad. He’s between jobs and working like crazy to find a new one, while supporting 2 young kids under 7 whose mom is out of the picture due to an addiction. His “can do” attitude and positive face in the spite of some insanely challenging life circumstances. It would be so incredibly to give this gift card to him so that he could load up on a few essentials without having to worry about where the funds would come from.
I love this post! I definitely appreciate the ladies at gym daycare for sure!
I’d give it to my husband or sister!
OH MY…… This would be the best gift to give to my mom! She is so deserving of this and so much more!!!
Alice, our amazing dog sitter.
My husband and I have a three legged rescue dog named Barney. We took our first vacation since adopting Barney and were super nervous to leave him with someone. We were so fortunate to have found Alice. She sent us pictures and updated us regularly while we were gone. It really put our minds at ease.
It’s amazing how certain people can just put you at ease automatically when they watch your baby. It took a year and a half to find 2 amazing babysitters and I feel blessed to have them in our lives and my daughter loves them so much! So I will be gifting them something special this holiday!