Girl Chat - November 2018

Hey hey everyone! Hope your week is going well! Ours is but oh my gosh it's getting cold around here!!

Today is another installment of Girl Chat! We're talking all about how we juggle the holiday season



Here's some things I do and it really helps relieve from stress!

Buy Christmas presents as early as possible

I start buying Christmas gifts around September - if I see something at a great price that I know will make a good present, I grab it! Right now I have a huge stash already and am so close to being done! My goal this year is to finish by December 1st so I can enjoy December

Wrap presents early

This goes with the above - I hope to be wrapped by the first weekend of December so I can free up any free time I'll have!


Mark your calendar!

By staying on top of holiday parties, class parties, family get togethers, date nights and whatever else this holiday season will bring, you must mark things down! I already know there are a couple traditions we do every year that fall on certain days, so I make sure to mark those as soon as I know them and continue to update as plans get made


It's ok to say no

This time of year can be SO CRAZY! I know me personally, I have something going on every weekend until Christmas with the exception of 1 day - I don't feel it's too much but if I did I would say no to certain things.


Remember to enjoy the season

With this season brings busy, and with busy can bring frustration. I try and remind myself the reason of the season and that my kids are only little once - that helps me relax and enjoy all the fun festivities!!


We hope you link up below!!

And don't forget to follow your hosts!

Danielle - Bloglovin / Instagram / Pinterest

Emily - Bloglovin / Instagram / Pinterest 

Lindsay - Bloglovin / Facebook / Instagram / Pinterest / Twitter

Lizzie - Bloglovin / Facebook / Instagram / Pinterest

Sierra - Bloglovin / Instagram / Pinterest / Twitter / Facebook

Friday Favorites {9.21.18}

Hey hey, it's the weekend!! I am so excited for this one because I think it's the one where our temps will finally drop a little. Yes, I'm complaining about the 90 degree weather we've been having because once September hits, I'm over it. My perfect temp is 65 and sunny but I'll take anything under 90 at this point

{ONE}

Me and this guy celebrated 10 years married this Wednesday! We went all wild and crazy and took the kids to our local pizza place that finally reopened after having a fire last year. It was cool to see it all re-done and of course the pizza is delish! Then it was home to watch our wedding video which the kids lasted a whole 10 minutes and we ended the night falling asleep on the couch to Ozark #wereold #andtired #wishistilllookedthisyoung





{TWO}

Thank you for all the comments on my coffee talk post from Tuesday.  We are still deciding what to do (talk about last minute!!) as the place we originally planned for took a turn for the better the past 2 days - if that continues we will keep our original plans, otherwise, we'll be scrambling literally 2 days before to where we're going, but at least now I have a pretty good idea of where that will be.


{THREE}

Yesterday was our Girl Chat linkup and we talked all about Fall Bucket Lists - if you missed it, you can read mine here - lots of good stuff going on this season!

{FOUR}

Target had their 40% off Halloween costumes this week so I was able to grab Brayden & Avery's - Ella is being Peppa Pig so instead of buying the costume (it comes with an actual pig head to put over your head) we are just getting her a red dress, pig ears & tail and we'll make her look as close as she can.

Avery chose to be this witch cat and she is going to be ADORABLE!!!

Brayden wasn't sure what he wanted but he had said Black Panther for several months so I ordered it figuring I could return if he didn't like, but he loved it!











I really like being on top of costumes rather than waiting until last minute - it's just one more thing out of the way so I can focus on other stuff!


{FIVE}

I made this recipe this week to have for lunch and oh my gosh, it is SO GOOD!! It was super easy and of course I substituted greek yogurt for the sour cream - seriously, if you're looking for a semi-healthy side dish, try this! I paired it with some chicken sausage and it's been my favorite this week!

And that's a wrap for this week - I'm off to enjoy some cooler temps! Hope you all have a great weekend!

linking up with:

Momfessionals

Carolina Charm

Living on Cloud Nine

Friday Favorites {9.14.18}

Happy Friday!! Today is going to be a great day because I get to run a bunch of errands by myself!! Haha it's the little things people.

We've had a great week but I think we are all ready for the weekend. With everyone in activities I am flat out exhausted by the end of the week!


Anyway, here's some Friday Favorites!!

{ONE} -

Taylor Swift here we come baby!!! This Saturday we are driving to Indy to see Miss Swift in concert and I couldn't be more excited! It's all girls and I'm bringing Ella, my SIL is bringing my 2 nieces, my other 2 SIL's are going and one of their friend - it's going to be a BLAST!! We had shirts made and I can't wait to wear them! Adults are wearing Rep and the little girls the other - so cute right!?!?!

{TWO}

Who has seen this mug floating around the internet? OMG I need this, my Mom needs this, just about anyone know loves Hallmark Christmas movies needs this!!!

{THREE} 

This cutie patootie starting tap dance this week and it seriously was the cutest thing!! She has a really good teacher so I'm hoping there will be lots of progress this year :)

{FOUR} 

I've mentioned before how Ella is our little artist - she is always drawing! The other day I saw she "decorated" our wall and she was so proud so 5 days later, it's still there. I can't bring myself to take them down, I just love it!

{FIVE]

Girl Chat is next Thursday and this months topic is all about your Fall bucket list! This is a great topic since I haven't gotten around to posting anything yet, so this means I will next week! We would love for you to link up with us!

And that's all I've got! I'm off to go enjoy the quiet for 5 solid hours today since it's Avery's extra long day at preschool!

linking up with:

Momfessionals

Carolina Charm

Living on Cloud Nine

Friday Favorites {9.7.18}

Oooo I'm so excited it's Friday!! I got sick mid week and that has made the week draaag. But hopefully I'm on the up and up and just in time to enjoy our weekend!

Let's get to some Friday Favorites!

{ONE}

This adorable little girl had her first day of preschool this week and she couldn't have been more excited! Literally I had to run after her for a hug & kiss!

{TWO}

On that same day, my sweet Ella Bella turned 6!! I cannot believe my baby girl is 6, that's just crazy! She wanted breakfast in bed just like Brayden so that's what she had.  It had to be quick though because it was a school day!




{THREE} 

I ordered this new bra and it's more than I would normally spend but I'm so tired of having tons of $20 something crappy bras - here's to hoping this one is great! Also it's on sale!

{FOUR}

I ordered these KIND Protein bars on Prime Day because they were an amazing price and they are now my go to quick breakfast! Have you tried them? YUM!!!


.

{FIVE}

Now that pumpkin season is upon us, I can't wait to start baking! I bake more this time of year (well other than Christmas) and I really want to try this recipe!

Happy Weekend!!

linking up with

Momfessionals

Carolina Charm

Living on Cloud Nine

Friday Favorites {8.31.18}

Happy Friday Friends! Phew, we are week 2 and 1 with the bigs and getting back into a schedule has been good but also a little rough - I was totally enjoying those slow summer mornings! But back to a routine is just what I want/need right now.

{ONE}

Ella had her first day of all day Kindergarten on Monday and my gosh was she excited!! I wanted to be sad letting her go but how could I when she was so darn happy!? I sent her off with a big hug and she didn't look back! She has been LOVING it all week!

{TWO}

Everyone knows finding a deal is my jam so when I saw Natives were on sale at Nordstrom I jumped on it! I know there are plenty of other knock offs but I do love this brand and they hold up SO WELL!

{THREE} 

OMG I posted this in my FB group, but had to share here too!! I ordered this for Ella and it is the CUTEST!!!

via

{FOUR} 

I saw this online and just thought it was so cute!! Growing up we always did the "see ya later alligator" "in a while crocodile!" I want to start saying some of these to my kids!

{FIVE}

OMG did you see this?!!? Aldi is having advent wine & cheese calendars this year!! I remember seeing this last year but it was only in another country, I am so excited and will definitely be getting myself one of each!! #merrychristmastomama

I hope everyone has a great Labor Day weekend!! We need our weather to turn around so we can enjoy our towns festivities!!

Momfessionals

Carolina Charm

Living on Cloud Nine

*affiliate links used

What's Up Wednesday {8.29.18}

Oh look, I finally got my act together so I could do a What's Up Wednesday post 😜 I'm hoping this continual blogging becomes more of a thing now that 2 kids are in school!


Today I'm linking up with Shay to talk all about our month!

What we're eating this week:

Some easy stuff since our nights are back to being jam packed! Pasta/meatballs, tacos, and a favorite dish we haven't made in a while, cheeseburger gnocchi!

via

What I'm reminiscing about:

What am I always reminiscing  about, my kids being smaller! I swear, I'm blinking and time is flying. I'm thinking back to when Brayden started Kindergarten and how nervous I was and how little he was, how Ella was just 2 I swear, and Avery, wasn't I just nursing her to sleep?


What I'm loving:

My new Facebook group!! I'm still rocking We Heart Deals (I would love for you to join!) and now I'm also doing Frugal Fashionistas which is all about looking cute without spending a ton of money!







What we've been up to:

This month has been jam packed with so much fun! We had our annual vacation with Ricks family, crammed in the last bits of summer and Brayden & Ella started school!

What I'm dreading:

Nothing at the moment - that's a good thing, right?!


What I'm working on:

Oh I have so much I want to get done once Avery starts preschool - organize our life is the top priority!



What I'm excited about:

This weekend is our towns fest and it's always a good time! Rides, games, the craft fair and the parade!



What I'm watching/reading:


Recently I finished Girl, Was Your Face and I know there's controversy over it but I personally loved it! I found it very relatable





Rick and I are watching Very Cavallari and loving it, especially when Jay Cutler makes an appearance!

What I'm listening to:

We are jamming out to Taylor Swift these days since Ella & I are going to her concert next month!

What I'm wearing:

If you're in my group you have been seeing my outfits - I've been on a total Old Navy kick

This tunic I ended up buying in a few colors because I will totally wear them all the time once the weather drops!

I scored this tee for $5 the other week and I'm loving it! (it's still on sale too!)

What I'm doing this weekend:

As I mentioned, it's our towns annual fest so we'll be there a couple of days, we also have my cousins baby's 1st birthday party so it will be a fun filled weekend!

What I'm looking forward to next month:

So much good stuff!! Ella's birthday, going to see Taylor Swift, Rick & I are going on an adult only weekend getaway with 2 of our couple friends, we have the Bears game too, it's going to be a really fun month!

What else is new:

Not much other than it's pretty quiet around here with both Brayden & Ella in school! I can tell Avery misses her sister because she's always known her to be around, she was use to Brayden being gone because that's all she remembers, but Ella, that's her sidekick.

Bonus: Favorite back to school tradition:

I always drive the kids on their first day and then have their favorite snack or treat ready for them after school

Friday Favorites {7.27.18}

Happy Friday!! Another fun week has passed and we're into the weekend!

I thought today would be fun to share 5 summer soups that I'm dying to try!! I love soup no matter what time of year so I'm really hoping to get these into the rotation before summer ends!

{ONE} - Summer Fresh Corn & Zucchini Chowder 

{TWO} - Summer Vegetable Stew

{THREE} - Summer Minestrone

{FOUR} - Italian Orzo Spinach Soup

{FIVE} - Summer Squash Soup

Have you tried any of these? Do you like soup in the summer? I can't be the only one 😜

Happy Weekend!!

Linking up with:

Momfessionals

Carolina Charm

Living on Cloud Nine

Friday Favorites {7.20.18}

Woohoo for the weekend! I don't know what it is, but this week has kicked my butt and my patience is running pretty thin with the kiddos, so the weekend is welcomed!!

{ONE} - My kids have been at camp all week and they've been having a blast! Brayden & Ella are doing VBS at our church all week and since Avery wasn't old enough, she is doing this kiddie camp through the park district (just 3 days) - aren't they just the cutest little campers!?

{TWO} - I managed to not go crazy with the anniversary sale but here are some things I am loving!!

The Barefoot Dreams Circle Cardigan is da bomb! This is from last year so the color isn't available, but there are other good ones, and today the sale opens to the public!! You can find it here

I am still debating on this pullover, it just screams cozy!! Find it here

I love the BP tees! Find them here (with lots of colors)

{THREE} - So who participated in Prime Day?! It was for sure a favorite of mine this week because it kept me busy posting aaaaaaaaaalll the deals, so much so that I even missed some stuff I wanted! I heard Amazon say it was their best sale to date which I thought was surprising since almost the entire first day was impossible to get on - just imagine how well they would have done if that wasn't the case!!

{FOUR} - Yesterday was our monthly Girl Chat linkup and we talked all about summer recipes! You can check mine out here and read through all the posts that linked up, some good stuff was shared!!!

{FIVE} - We have our last baseball tournament this weekend and then the season is over for Brayden's travel/tournament team - we are excited but it will be a long weekend so tonight me and the girls are skipping the game and I'm bringing them to paint pottery at a local place - they are going to have so much fun!

I hope everyone has a good weekend! 

Linking up with:

Momfessionals

Carolina Charm
Living on Cloud Nine

{FIVE} -