Favorite Things Friday: 10 Christmas Traditions

Today I wanted to share my favorite Christmas traditions that either I have grown up doing with my family, or that me and my husband have started with our own little family.

Holiday Gift Guide: Stocking Stuffer Ideas

One of my favorite things to do for Christmas is find cute little gifts for my kids' stockings.  I usually give myself a budget of $10-$20 per stocking and will pick a few nicer items then fill the rest with things like oranges, candy, and things I already have to buy anyway like toothbrushes and toothpaste!  Mean right?!  Haha!  Here are some of my favorite things to stuff stocking with:

1. Art Stuff

Holiday Gift Guide: For the Guys and Novica $50 GC Giveaway!

1. An Awesome Box

You can never tell the men in your life how much you love and appreciate them enough, and these Awesome Boxes are a perfect way to do it.  Not only are they really nice and personable, but they also make it SUPER easy to get a lot of people involved - perfect for fathers, grandfathers, teachers, etc.   You won't believe the nice quality and how great they look when you see it in person.  I made one for my parents this last year and this year we are making one for our grandparents who have TONS of grand-kids and great-grand-kids and hopefully will love the messages and photos we send.

Holiday Gift Guide: For the Girls

1. Clothing 

I think my #1 request every year is some kind of clothing.  I am sure the girl you are shopping for has at least one piece of clothing she is looking for.  Online boutiques are a great place to start and I Shop Simply is one of my faves.  I was so lucky to be able to work with them and do some modeling.  I ended up spending more money than making any because I HAD to have like 10 things from their shop!  

This Perfectly Pink shirt was one of my favorites to wear.  Here are some more of my faves:

My Current Diet- Feeling Great and Not "Dieting!"

I have been asked by a couple people how I manage to stay skinny having kids, not working out a lot, and not being on a super strict diet (in my eyes) and thought I would share- not just for others, but also because I like to keep a food journal every few months when I'm feeling really good so I can look back for help and ideas when I'm not feeling as great.

outfit from I Shop Simply

Fireplaces and House Update

I know I REALLY need to do a house update!  Here is a quick one:

We have basically gone from digging in September to getting our window wells in today...it has taken quite a bit longer than expected due to delays with the subcontractors - bummer but not much we can do about it. :(  

Foundation  

Must-Have Road Trip Travel Gear

Macmillan Collector's Library Giveaway

Allie's favorite thing these days is to read.  I love it.  I wish I was more like her and could make myself sit long enough to enjoy a good book.  I am planning on making her a pretty little reading nook in her room in the new house.  There are so many great ideas!  

Halloween Costumes 2016

This year for Halloween we will be living in an apartment with all of our stuff in storage so I won't have my sewing machine to keep the Halloween costumes cheap.  Luckily, I was able to find out how to get the best deals on costumes online!  

Allie has been talking about her Halloween costume for the past YEAR.  No joke.  So, even though it is more than I would ever spend normally, I figured this year it was worth it.  She wanted to be Mal from Descendents and here is where I found her costume:

Purple Wig- Wish $5

Current Fashion Faves

I thought I would share my favorite pieces right now so you can grab a couple while you still can!

1) No Boundaries U-neck Tee

I am obsessed with these tees right now.  I bought one in every color.  They are so soft and comfy and fit just right!

Back to School Gear

I have found some really great back-to-school gear for my kids this year and thought I would share!  

1. Stride Rite Light-up Shoes Leepz

Let's Be Adventurers

Something about summer makes me want to get out and be adventurous.  I have been able to do a lot of really fun and exciting things this Spring and Summer!  I feel really lucky, especially since after having kids can make being adventurous hard to do.  I am actually really not dreading the teenage stage for this reason- I hope my kids will want to do exciting things with me!

This year there were a few things that I really, really loved having on my adventures:

Father's Day Gift Guide

Father's Day always creeps up on me so I thought this year I would be prepared and figure out what I was going to do for it as soon as June hit us!

1. An AwesomeBox

These are SO cool!  Basically you can get a whole group together online (or just do one yourself) and it is really easy to coordinate and organize.  They do all the work for you- all you have to do is enter the emails of the people you want writing messages and adding pictures to the cards in the box, along with the date you want it delivered.  I am so excited for my Dad to get his this year!

Summer Lovin'

We have had a pretty fun summer so far and still have lots to look forward to.  I thought I'd share the things I've been loving and using most this summer.

1.Superfeet Sandals

3 Best Baby Shower Gifts

I have been to a lot of baby showers lately!  I definitely used more things than others with my 3 babies, and I like to share the 3 I used and loved most for future moms and for those gifting future moms too!

1. Just Born Swaddle Blankets

Hair Products I'm Loving

I had been doing my hair the same for years and decided it was time for a little change last summer.  I really liked the "crimpy-wavy" look with more volume at the top of my head so I started trying new styling techniques and products.  I also read a few tutorials and ideas of how I should be styling my thin, fine hair.  Here are some things I figured out that have helped me be able to achieve the style I have been trying to:

1. I read this article and figured out that too much product would be bad for my type of hair.  I started using the volumizer shampoo and conditioner from VO5 new line and I love how it makes my hair light, better texture, and smells amazing.  In fact, all of their new line smells amazing and they have something for everyone- plus they are very inexpensive.

Free Box of Diapers with TopCashBack

For the next 5 days you can receive a free box of Luv's diapers (my favorite brand)  All you have to do is sign up as a new member with TopCashBack.  

Click on their link to order them at Walmart and they will send you a Visa Gift Card in the mail for the amount of the diapers!

I love these deals they do every so often and I have gotten paid with Visa Gifts cards multiple times so I know they work!

Platypus Hydration Pack and PackTowl

I was given a couple fun products to try out and took them with me to Hawaii.  You are going to think I am a little ridiculous about them, because having them made a huge difference made the travel and adventurous things we got to do go much more smoothly than if we hadn't.

First of all, traveling with the Platypus hydration-pack was amazing.  It fit SO much into it for seeming like a compact size.  I fit my books and magazines, big DSLR camera, snacks, wallet, phone, portable charger, sunscreen, chap-stick, sunglasses, and more all safe and sound in it.  Everything was really easy to get to since it was very well thought-out and organized.

Once we got to Hawaii I took it everywhere we went.  It was so helpful and so handy.  The weather was sub-par while we were there- rainy half the time and sunny half the time (off and on every day) so we really planned on getting wet and sandy/muddy pretty much everyday.  

I put my really nice, expensive Nikon camera in it and it stayed safe and dry the whole time with constant sand, water, rain showers, mud, kayaking down a river, boating along the coast for 5 hours, standing below a waterfall for an hour, etc.  It has a rain cover that comes out of the bottom pocket that is super easy to pull out and cover it with.  I honestly don' know if my camera would still be working after this trip if I hadn't had this bag.  It became a joke after the first few days of how much I loved this backpack and kept finding new things about it that I loved.  It was easy to talk about the many ways and bug Trey by purposefully talking about it so much haha!

The Pack Towls (luxe)were super great because they fit in a tiny little bag and we could bring them anywhere.  They soaked up the water really well and they even were easy to shake sand off.  I loved the extra big size of the purple and Trey liked the normal sized green one.  We didn't have to worry about asking for beach towels every day from the resort.  I will definitely be using these ALL summer long and probably even at home in the winter.

The Platypus backpack kept my hands and arms free to use at all times - I loved that!  I wore it with all sorts of clothing (even just a swimsuit) and it never rubbed or made me hot- the back has a mesh lining that keeps the back from even touching you so the air can move through the back of it and keep your back cool.  There is also a waist support you can clip and put all the weight on your hips when you are carrying a lot- I did this on our hikes and I felt like I wasn't carrying anything at all!

I am excited to have these for the summer this year!  I plan on taking the kids to the lake, pool, hiking, boating, and all sorts of fun things and both the towels and backpack will be so awesome to have!  If you are planning any fun adventures this summer you would LOVE to have either of these products.  Especially if you are a big outdoors-man.  They would also make really great Father's Day gifts if you are looking for something really fun for Dad. :)

Hawaiian Tropic Apparel

Well, we are back from Kauai and had such an amazing trip!  I will be sharing a few posts on the things we did, products I used while there, and things we learned so you can learn from our mistakes! haha!  First off, I planned to take this Hawaiian Tropic Apparel cover-up with me to Hawaii- the first chance I would have to wear it this year, and I am so glad I did!

(Pictured on the left in the middle)

The best place I found to wear it was on the beach.  It came in really handy this day because my hips had gotten really sunburned the day before and I didn't want to wear any shorts or even have them in the sun.  This cover-up covered the exact places I needed it to that day while still leaving my top exposed enough to be cool and catch some more rays, along with showing my cute tankini.  It was super stretchy and comfortable and I totally recommend them if you are wanting a cover-up like this for summer.

You can shop their collection here:  http://hawaiiantropicapparel.com/

Rainy Spring Days

We have had QUITE the rainy Spring here and Utah, and thanks to some really cute and comfortable rain-wear, I haven't complained a single time about it!  I always cook things that my mom used to cook on rainy days since it reminds me of home.  This last week I made no-bake cookies and chicken and broccoli casserole :)

Rainjacket: Helly Hansen, Boots: Joules, Leather Bucket-Bag: The Sak, Jeans: Rock and Republic, Half-zip Jacket: Upsessive

Hawaii Packing List

We leave for Hawaii soon so I thought I'd share what's in my suitcase- I am sure I'll be updating this post when we get back...

Easy 4 Step Crock-Pot Yogurt

Favorite Things Friday: Jensen

To finish the favorite things Friday with my cute kids, last but not least is Jensen:

1. Stride Rite shoes

Stride Rite is always coming up with creative and innovative ideas for kids shoes!  First we tried the Snoot (sneaker and snow boot combined) and they have been SO awesome for Macsen.  The newest thing now is the Phibian Sneaker Sandal.  These can be used as sandals, play shoes, and even dressed up a little...They are comfortable and Jensen loves them.  

The Ultimate Trip to Kauai

 I think I have figured out the main things we wanted to do on our trip so I wanted to lay it out here and get some feedback from those of you who have actually been!  

4 Best Storage Solutions

Favorite Things Friday: Allie

Today we are celebrating Allie's birthday, so it is only fitting that I share the things she is loving right now!

1. Biscotti Dress

Allie was sent this Biscotti dress for review and it came just in time for the Valentine's Day photo shoot I did with the kids.  When she opened this package she freaked out because she loved it so much- the heart print, soft fabric, and the cute cut-out detailing in the back.  She has worn it a lot and it looks great on her!

Favorite Things Friday: Macsen

I share so many of my favorite things, I thought I would do a little mini series of my kid's favorite things.  I'll start with Macsen:

1. The Beach

When we went to San Diego he could have spent the whole trip at the beach.  This boy is going to be a beach bum when he grows up I just know it haha!

Easter Spring Photoshoot

I hope you all had a wonderful Easter Sunday yesterday!  My new favorite thing lately is setting up cute little photo shoots with my kids on the holidays.  I never do anything crazy- but if I look for ideas online I can always find some really cute and simple ideas and I literally only spend 10 minutes with the kids to get lots of cute pictures.  Here are some simple ideas if you want to do a Spring Photoshoot with your kids:

$25 of ELF Makeup Free and Make a Buck

****Update: This has been extended one more day!!****

Who wants to get $43 of makeup for free ($25 your choice and $18 gift pictured above) and even make a couple bucks on top of that?  I already did it, and here is how you can too:

Living Room Redo- Board and Batten DIY

So for my birthday this year I requested a little spruce up of the living room/kitchen where I spend most of my time and where there are some things we have been wanting to change and add since we have been living here.  We did board and batten in the living room then decided to use the leftover pieces and get some more to do the bathrooms while we were at it.  It made such a huge difference and after doing that I changed out a few accessories and felt like I had a whole new house!  I also touched up the white paint in my whole house (baseboards, cabinets, dresser, etc) so that made a huge difference too.  I was able to complete the whole house revamp for under $700- here is the breakdown:

Make a Free and Easy Crib Teether

Easiest Blackout Curtains for $15!

After having 3 kids and Allie starting school early in the morning my kids bedtime became VERY important to me!  Haha!  Allie and I used to stay up til 1am sometimes when my husband was working full time AND in school full time just so we could see him.  After Macsen came along bedtime was still pretty late- around 9/10pm.  It makes me laugh to say that my kids are now rarely out of their beds later than 8 and I usually get them in their beds at 7!  It is AWESOME and keeps me sane, but when the sun starts hanging around later it created a little bit of a problem- that is, until I made their black out curtains.

4 Recipes and 10 Healthy Freezer Meals for the Crockpot

So I recently decided to help my mom put together some freezer meals for my brother and I decided I would share them on the blog because it was a very successful endeavor!

8 Ways to Get the Best Vacation Deals

Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy belated Valentine's Day!  I made my kids do a quick photo shoot before church yesterday - mostly a success except that Jensen's kissy marks looked like bruises haha!  Oh well- next year I'll improve on those ;)

Packing for San Diego

I am so excited to get out of Utah and into warmer weather for a week and I've been thinking about what I need to make sure I bring from past vacations- so I thought I would share if any of you are taking a trip soon.  

1.iPad

Parents of little kids know you never go on a long road trip without this ;)  Another thing I do for long car travel is stop by the Dollar Tree before we leave and spend about $20 on toys and other things to keep the kids entertained in the car.

5 Tips to Beat the Winter Blues

Wow this winter has SUCKED in Utah.  I DO NOT like this much snow.  It's pretty and fun for the first 2 months, then it just gets REALLY old.  If you can't tell this winter has been difficult for me- not just because of bad weather but because I haven't felt great.  The last month has been a time of trying some new things to help with the tiredness, boredom, sickness, etc.  I think I have found some great tips that can help beat those winter blues: