I am trying to be better about dressing in real clothes, aka no yoga pants, and taking pictures! It makes me feel better when I take the time to look nice for myself and my husband. It makes me happy and in all about doing more of what makes me happy. I am loving cozy, cute, comfy…but who isn't these days?!
My nail inspiration came from this--It looks darker here, but it's the same color!
Malaga Wine
But most importantly, no matter what you're wearing, put a smile on! Seriously. It's something I am noticing a lot lately…people just going thing the motions without any emotion! I get we all have bad days, tough times, etc. but there is always always always, something to smile about.
I know it's still a little early to talk Christmas, but I actually am ahead of the game this year and it feels great! I would love to help others who may be a little 'stuck' in their shopping. I'll be sharing every Tuesday until Christmas!!
If you're like me, accessories are certainly a part of pulling an outfit together. Unfortunately, it seems as though they can get lost or easily ruined (especially as a mama of two littles!) I just threw together some cute cold weather must-haves that would be great for a stocking stuffer or even a secret Santa exchange!
Sunglasses are almost more important in the Winter, because the snow can be so blinding! I love a good pair of classic black shades.
I am obsessed with the beanie look, and am dying to get my hands on one! This white would look so pretty with the snow.
A cozy Christmas tartan scarf is sure to keep you warm, hide any OJ stains from when your daughter spilled it on your shirt, and get you in the festive spirit!
Fingerless gloves. It's cold here, but you still need to be able to access your phone.
MAC lipstick, because…have you tried MAC? OMG #lifechanging
In the life of a stay at home mama, it can get pretty repetitive, pretty quickly! It's easy to fall into a 'routine' or make excuses of just staying home. For me? The weather changing has me like---whoa.
I absolutely love our house and am even more grateful we took the time to finish a room in our basement and deem it the "play room" but sometimes I still feel a little like we just do the same thing, day in, day out. It's funny how just going outside to color with chalk, play on the back deck, in the sandbox, or simply go for a walk makes such a huge difference! It hasn't even begun snowing yet, but I feel like we are always inside. I'm making note of that and hoping we bundle up and get moving more outdoors!
Anyway, what have we been up to? We have done lots of little errands or car rides. We've pulled out pots and pans and stirred wooden blocks into them. We've practiced crawling up the stairs. We've even worked on our letter skills and I've been talking/teaching a lot about Thanksgiving and being grateful. I'm pretty sure it's going right over their heads, but I still feel the need to do this and I know next year when I pull out my Thanksgiving bin, they'll be that much further along in their understanding.
Brooke is absolutely loving dance class. I didn't think she'd enjoy it as much as she is!! We got her some leg warmers and she wore those to class on Saturday. Of course I love that she dances, it brings back nothing but happy memories for me as a kid, but more importantly, she gets excited and really loves her teachers and friends. It's great! Not to mention, the girls are actually pretty good for being only 2-3 years old! It's a sweet bunch of girls and that makes a huge difference, I am sure.
Bradley isn't quite walking yet, he'll stand up and giggle and fall down to crawl. Fast. Like really fast. He loves all foods and is doing so great sleeping, eating, etc. He's all go go go when he's awake, but he sleeps like a champ--thank you bubby!!
Brooke is perfecting her "P" not too bad, I must say!
I have to say her favorite part of crafting is the glue stick.
My little bubs! He does have a cranky time from 5- bed. He would probably go down around 6:00-6:30 if we let him, but then he's up at the crack of dawn! So we try to keep him up until 6:45/7 and he's usually up around 6:30/7. The other night I strapped him in the Ergo and danced around to Bad Blood. Usually does the trick.
Love that crazy little face!
He can be pretty chill at times too.
And here's my 3rd weekly vlog, don't mind my singing voice!
{Dare I say I'm onto something with these vlogs??}
Some clips from our staycation and just hanging around.
So, last I mentioned, I signed up to be a part of "No Spend November." Like I typically do with challenges or group things, I didn't really think everything through. It sounded awesome and so I jumped on!! So, excuses or not, this hasn't been my best version of No Spend November. I think it's a tricky time of year with all things holiday coming out, and shopping for presents etc. so that I'm not stuck the week before Christmas trying to get everything accomplished. I want a STRESS free Christmas season, so I am working on it little by little.
Here are a few areas I feel as though I'm doing well:
Not buying things I just want. Like, new foundation primer or the Naked Pallette 2, or a gazillion cute dresses from online boutiques, scarves, jewels, ya know, basic girlie things that we never really need, but can't stop/won't stop usually. I've noticed that I like to take home momentos or trinkets too; for instance we went to Cracker Barrel for lunch and I really wanted to buy a mug. Or a Christmas ornament. Or something. It's not that it wasn't cheap, because nothing was really that pricey, but that's the problem. We can easily buy things because "they're only $4" or whatever. And then you drain your money and have a lot of useless junk. (In my opinion)
Not buying books. I absolutely love books. I love books of all kinds…and books? They take up space and your money! I see nothing wrong with having a lot of books, but they can get a bit overwhelming. I am really using the library as much as I can with the kids and myself. I also am asking for cookbooks for Christmas, because I just love a good cookbook. Online recipes are great, but there's something wonderful about recipes in a book, with photos and sometimes stories or tidbits. I'll sit down and look through a whole cookbook! I have Laura Vitale's on hold at the library.
Food Waste. With a baby, toddler, a husband with Crohn's and myself who really tries to eat 80-90% clean, it is a bit of a juggling act when it comes to food around here! I sometimes find my veggies and fruits start to go quicker than we can eat. Partially, because I am the one who eats most of them. One thing that I noticed, is I'd almost get through a bag of, let's say carrots, but they'd get a little funny and weren't so good to eat fresh outta the bag. Enter in: Dave Ramsey's Budget Soup. Essentially, it's just that old world concept of not wasting your food. You can save anything from beans, rice, potatoes, pasta, chicken, and veggies and throw them in a pot and make a soup!
I threw in:
Onion
Leeks
Carrots
Cooked asparagus
garlic powder
1 bag small potatoes
2 boxes chicken stock
parmesan rind thrown in for added flavor
Brought to a boil and simmered until all veggies were soft
1/2 of a whole chicken I made in the crock pot the day before at the end
I figured it was perfect for this time of year, cold/flu season and the babes actually really liked it!
Grocery Shopping. We are totally spoiled with grocery stores, they're like mini malls. I didn't realize it until I started blogging or when my mom moved down South and says how much she misses Wegmans. That said, there is a lot of extra crap I want to buy because it's pretty or cute or whatever. I have been good and saying no to the nude eyeshadow in the makeup aisle or the adorable Christmas spatulas in the home goods section. I stick to our list and buy the necessities, for the most part.
Here's a haul I just did this week:
Not eating out too often. So, we totally had a date night, but it was honestly the cheapest we have ever spent probably!! We only ordered entrees, a salad, and I had a glass of wine. No apps, no dessert…that all adds up! We did grab breakfast and lunch with the kids, like I said "Staycation" but we did fairly well with that, as the kids can basically share a meal at this point.
No coffee runs. The red cups came out--gasp--and boy do I want one, 'just because' but really…I think I'll be fine until Dec. 1st to officially enjoy one grande peppermint mocha. I haven't died yet. Cancelled monthly subscriptions. I had quite the list going and it all, adds, up. So like I mentioned before both my husband and I misplaced different credit cards, so all those #'s that are saved into a computer system, no workie!!! Which, as much as I love all of our 'extras' they are not needed. Examples?
Netflix. We have Amazon Prime--why do we need Netflix too?
Essential Oils. I have enough, always want more, but really, I think we are set for awhile.
Next Issue. I love the idea of having any magazine at my fingertips, but I just don't read like I want to.
Care.com That was a lovely auto renewal…oy!
Saying No to Target. I get it. It's our happy place. Even my almost 3 year old daughter asks if we can go to Target. But Target is just a place to avoid, for me, if we are trying to save money. I had to make diaper, wipes, formula run and I went to Walmart. I kid you not, I spent $100 less most likely because I wasn't enticed by any super trendy home decor, scarves, kid goodies, or anything else.
Use coupons. It is NOT as easy as it used to be. Before I had kids, I was starting to get a kick out of clipping, sorting, using coupons. I still clip, but now they get shoved into my holder, I try to make a list, pull from the holder and trying to buy what you have coupons for/and remember to use them while making sure the kids aren't fighting, falling out of the cart or screaming, is really a mini workout. But it works. Some things you just want name brand (ie. feminine products) and there are always coupons! So to save a few bucks, always helps. Even if you're not saving a ton, you're saving something and that's worth it!
Be vocal about it. The more I talk about it, the less I'm likely to veer off course. I am dying over Naked Eyeshadows, but spending $54 right now is not in the budget! Encourage others to hop on the saving train with you and just have fun with it. I feel like we live in a spend, spend, spend some more world, and none of us are really happy about that! Figure out what your big goals are and really keep that in mind. In the long run, I'd rather have a nice new home to raise our babies, land to have a garden, walk the woods, be all together on our homestead. That means more than a new pair of whatever.
No party shopping. Everyone is involved in some sort of MLM. I love supporting other ladies, but it gets out of hand. There is only so much you can spend--so maybe this is where I need to have a separate budget, "fun money" or whatever, so that I can spend, but have a limit.
Where I'm not doing so well:
We did eat out a few times. I did get my nails done. Waxed. Hair appt. tomorrow. Babysitters cost $. We threw a get together so extra plates, cups, plastic ware, drinks, food, added a little more into our budget. Granted, it was pasta and meatballs, so that didn't break the bank! And I have bought some stuff for Christmas…and we made a major purchase like a new mattress and pillows. So like I said, it hasn't been a "NO SPEND" strictly, but I have been making progress. I am being brutally honest because like anything, it should be about progress, not perfection. I firmly believe if I continue to do these little things all the time, it will help in a major way!
If anything, it's really making me look through what we have in cupboards, drawers, organize what we own and USE IT!! It's also giving me a nice list of things we may like for Christmas, so when people ask I don't have to say, "I don't know!"
I am not sure how well we will do when we go away to Arizona, but the trip {airfare, hotel, spa treatments, meals} are all accounted for, so we should be okay?! I will try to pack as much food/snacks as possible, as I hate having to pay airport food prices, but sometimes ya just gotta do what ya gotta do.
Hey hey hey!! I feel totally revived after our relax/staycation! I have lots of goals and am ready to keep sharing lots of fun things on this here old blog. Hope ya don't mind!
Today I thought I'd share how I get my hair curly, like so-
It's a different curl than when I use the straightener, and I honestly love both! This is more of a flirty, fun, beachy wave, and it can get a little crazy! In my opinion, it's perfect for date nights and times when you want to stand out a little bit. Plus, the hubs loves it, so that's always good.
I have ridiculously thick hair, which lead to the mom chop pre-Bradley and post Brooke. I loved it, but then missed my longer locks. I have been growing it out since then, and the last hair cut I got, I actually added more layers so it evened out when I part in the middle and I think it looks fab!
My products I talk about are sold in salons only, I believe, but I am sure you can find similar products! For me the key is to use a volume mousse--something to give your hair texture before you blow it dry. Usually I use smoothing creams or gels, but when you want that crazy curl, I think that works best. A good hair spray is key after you curl it, but I hate the crunch of some sprays, so a sea salt spray works best for me. I like to be able to still run my fingers through the curls.
I just started recording on a whim, I thought maybe it'd be helpful for some of my friends to see how I achieved this type of curl, so by no means is this an excellent tutorial! I was getting ready and the kids were playing--Bradley was in his crib with toys and you can clearly hear, them…hope it's not too distracting. If you'd like to see more tutorials, let me know! PS you can totally see my crazy bruises--I still don't know how I got the big one on my wrist, I think I banged it in the door Halloween, but the small ones on my triceps are from the baby! He's such a pincher---ow!
