Friday Favorites

Happy Friday, friends! I hope everyone had a good week. We got a break in humidity here and it has been glorious! I don't really mind the heat but it's the humidity that gets me. If it could just stay like this the rest of the summer it would be a beautiful thing. Wishful thinking, right?! 

Here's a look at some of my favorites from the week...

1. Ice cream: 

I feel like I'm usually the last person to know about these national days that come out. Seriously, who makes these things up and can I have their job?! When the museum of ice cream started back in NYC I was on their wait list for tickets (never got them) and have still been getting notifications about all the other cities this fabulous looking place has traveled to. I still think they need a permanent location in NY, but that's just my opinion. Anyway, I got a few emails that national ice cream day was coming up and the more they sent me emails, the more I wanted ice cream. I guess their marketing tactics worked. So what's a pregnant mama to do? Go and get ice cream, of course. A local ice cream spot near us has this fun wall mural with gummy bears doing some silly things, so how do you resist snapping a picture in front of it? The answer is, you don't resist. Our ice cream was melting faster than we could smile so we made our way back inside to finish our sweet treats. Little nugget likes letting the end of his melt so he can drink it like a shake and make a funny mustache. Not a bad idea if I say so myself.

2. Airstream update: 

I should be the first one to know that it's a rare occasion when timelines are actually met, but we are making progress with our Airstream which is a step in the right direction. The boys mattresses were delivered this week and they loved turning them into gym mats to do some flips on. We decided that next spring we are going to put bunk beds in over top of where their twin beds go, but that won't be something we tackle this season. The water heater was installed and our bathroom is now gutted. After Eric hooks up the pipes we can finish the bathroom and then the rest is really all little stuff. We are still hopeful we'll have this on the road by the end of the summer. I'm also sharing a before pic of what the bathroom used to look like and I can't wait to see the finished product.

3. Midweek day with the boys: 

this is probably my all time favorite of the week even though it came out of an unfortunate circumstance. My mom has been helping with the boys and watching them two days a week so they don't have to be in camp everyday and I can come home on my lunch to see them. Well she came down with shingles and has been in a lot of pain. She's not able to be around me or the boys for the next few weeks. I just feel so bad for her. Since we didn't have the boys signed up for camp the day she was supposed to watch them, I had to take a day and spend it with them. I'm not complaining though, any day with them beats being in the office. It was so nice to have some extra time with them and make the day special.

We had a picnic lunch, went to the park, and then ended the night at our church's community outreach picnic. It did break my heart though when both of the boys on two different occasions, and separately, asked me things about the baby. I shared last week a little bit more about what we are dealing with and I know that it's really affecting all of us. Some days I am so strong and think, he's going to be fine, we got this. And others, I'm fighting back tears all day. When we were at the park A came up to me and said, can we bring the baby to the park when he's here? I said, of course! I'm sure he will love that. He looked around and got kind of quiet and then looked at me and said, but what if people stare at him or make fun of his lips? I could have broken down right then and there. I just tried to remind him that sometimes people stare when things look different but we need to do our best to protect him and know that he is just as special as everyone else. Then when we were at our church picnic, A was standing in line with Eric waiting to get his face painted and little nugget wanted to dance with me because his favorite song came on by the Newsboys, God's Not Dead. We were jumping around and he asked if he could put his hand on my belly so he could dance with the baby. I thought that was just the sweetest thing. Then he looked up at me and said, mommy, if we bring brother to the picnic will people talk about his lips? I really tried to keep it together and explained things as best as I could to him as well. I'm not going to lie, the same concerns they have are some of mine as well. People can be so cruel, and this world can focus so much on perfection. I'm not sure I'm ready to face all of that and just hope that I can do my best with any situation that may come our way. I just wish I could shield him from everything, but I know that's not reality either.

4. Party planning: 

This section contains affiliate links in which I get commission for purchases or clicks made at no additional cost to you. Thank you for your continued support.

I mentioned last week that little nugget's birthday is coming up in a few weeks. He wants a nice shark party (like baby shark) so I've been trying to get some ideas together for him. We have a small spider-man sprinkler that's supposed to spin around, but it seems like he might have seen his day. I came across this giant watermelon sprinkler and I think it would be great for the kids. It's not one where they need to jump over it, or anything that needs to spin around to where the gears could break. It got great reviews, and it's super cute too. I'm anxiously waiting for this one to come in the mail. We are also stocking up on these water balloons that the boys have been loving.

He also really wants a bounce house so I've been calling around to a few places for rentals. The prices these places want I feel like could buy two of them for that. We started thinking more and more, and with three boys on the way, and many birthday parties to be had, we are considering just buying one. I'm sure the ones you rent are higher grade quality, and bigger, but I just can't see spending that price for a few hours and for only a one time use. We have our eyes on this one with the racing slides or this one with the ball pit area. Does anyone have experience with buying a bounce house or one that you would recommend?

5. Posts from the week: 

I'm kind of impressed with myself and how many posts I was able to pump out this week. Who am I? I think this little space has become more of an outlet for me than I realized and it helps me switch my focus on more positive things. I can't tell you how appreciative I am for those that take time out of your day to read my posts. I know I've been behind on responding to comments but I read each and every one and they mean so much to me.

In case you missed it, I shared some essentials for a summer pregnancy, because apparently I like to have all my kids in the summer or right after. I also partnered with Basic Invite and shared some of what they offer and the custom stationery and business cards I got. Then if you missed it, we also had our girl chat link up for the month and we shared our favorite summer recipes. I loved seeing what everyone shared and got some great ideas for some new recipes to try. If you have any summer favorites be sure to stop by and link yours up!

I hope everyone has a great weekend! Here's were you can find me linking for all the link up fun.

Floral Off The Shoulder Dress and Why Summer Needs To Slow Down

How is it the first day of August already? It feels like just the other day I was hanging up my light weight jackets and excited to break out my tank tops and flip flops. I know summer isn't over yet, but I feel like once August hits I'm clinging onto those summer nights a little harder. 

Don't get me wrong, I love fall too, but once all of the pretty leaves fall off the trees and everything looks dreary and barren I am longing for those warmer temps and longer days. The more I think about it, I really only love the first few weeks of fall. Sure the holidays are great too but this girl is not a freezing cold bitter winter kind of girl. 

This summer got me thinking about some of the joys it's brought and why I am hoping it would slow down just a little. 

-Longer days and warm sunshine (although I could do without the humidity)

-Going to the beach 

-Ice cream on a warm day (I don't enjoy ice cream when it's cold out)

-Seeing my little nuggets run around the backyard barefoot and laughing each night they get in the tub to clean their dirty piggy feet.

-The sound of birds chirping 

-All of the pretty flowers 

-Farm stands and all of the yummy fresh fruits and veggies

-Watching the nuggets enjoy all of the water play, even if it means me getting in the kiddie pool and joining them in a water squirting match #boymomlife

-Eating lunch and dinner outside, and if I had more time in the morning I'd probably try to squeeze breakfast in there too.

-Summer travel and taking some long weekends 

-Summer outfits 

I love a great sweater and fall look too, but there's something about being able to show some leg and throw on a pair of open toed shoes (when you have your toes done of course). I love this pretty floral dress from PinkBlush with it's mixed pattern and off the shoulder look. They have so many great looks to choose from and I want all of them. Being on the petite side I do wish they offered some of their clothes in an extra small option. This dress is currently sold out in a small but they do still have other sizes available. I also love this one and this one and now they might need to make it on my list too.

What's been your favorite thing during the summer?

Dress c/o- (here) | Shoes-(here)

Friday Favorites-End of Summer Camping & Beach Trip

Happy Friday! We made it, one of our favorite days of the week is here. Even though it was a short week it felt like there was so much going on, celebrating Labor Day, a Birthday, and back to school. But we're here now looking back on some of our favorite moments from this week and sharing them with you (sorry for the picture overload).

1. Our Camping Trip: We had so fun much in the outdoors and roughing it in our tents. Little man did great as a first time camper and it was a great time to relax and create memories with family. There were a lot of smores being made and cornhole being played. We also decided on a camping theme for little mans first birthday party. 

2. Beach Trip: After a few nights under the stars we decided to make our way over to finish out the summer on the beach. For us the summer just isn't summer without the beach. Unfortunately our attempt at crabbing again didn't go as well as last time. That's ok, better luck next time! We snapped a few pictures of little man and enjoyed watching him play him in the sand.

 

3. We are excited about the giveaway we have going on and we hope you are too! Motivated Tanks N Tees is a great Etsy shop with a variety of shirts to choose from. If we have any gentleman readers this ones for you too! They have shirts for you as well, so don't forget to enter for a chance to win $50 towards Motivated Tanks N Tees.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

4. Excitement for the fall. As much as we LOVE summer there is just something special about this next season approaching. 

5. Embracing new journeys. Both of us have a lot going at this point in our life, back to school, back to work full time, new experiences with little man and life in general. We look forward to what is to come and and are approaching each new challenge with a positive outlook. 

We hope you have a great weekend!

    We are linking with...

 

Friday Favorites-The Real Jersey Shore

Happy Friday! We hope this last unofficial week of summer has been enjoyable for you. We are taking advantage of the nice weather as much as possible. Although we are excited for the fall we plan on enjoying summer until it is officially over come mid September. Starting the weekend off we are already in a chipper mood because we will both be together and have some fun festivities planned (one of us has a birthday :) For now we would like to give you a glimpse of the jersey shore. With several reality tv shows (although very entertaining) they have caused some non-jersyans and jersyans from certain parts of our own state, to form stereo types about our beautiful state and the people in it (rightfully so, we're guilty of our opinions of other states as well). Although fist pumping and tons of drama would add for some great captions to pictures, we are sharing some jersey shore photos from our stay this past week and highlighting the natural beauty it has.

We would love to hear what you are looking forward to this weekend and if there is anything you are hoping to squeeze in before summer is over? We hope you all have a safe and fabulous Labor Day weekend! 

 

 Homemade margherita pizza with fresh ingredients from the garden. 

 The largest sunflowers we have ever seen!

We are linking with...

 

Fruit and Herb Infused Waters

Summer may be winding down but there's still time to add a little something extra to your water. If you've been reading along, and we thank you if you have, we previously did a post about Infused Waters. This time around we decided to incorporate herbs and some of them fresh from the garden. Not only does this add some great flavor to your water but infused waters have also been said to help increase energy and can act as natural detoxes for your body. We hope you find these combinations enjoyable and would love to hear some ways you have naturally flavored your water? 

Combinations

Watermelon + Basil

Cucumber + Lemon + Lavender

Blackberry + Sage

Beach Days-Packing for a Baby & What You Get With Us

In honor of the first "official" week of summer, we decided to do a combined post of what to pack for your baby's beach day and also about what type of experience you would have if you spent a day on the beach with us. 

Before bringing a little one along, preparing for the beach was not a detailed task. Beach towel (check), sunscreen (check), water (check), ok let's go! Now, there is more that goes into it. We made an effort to pack as minimally as possible but still make sure we had the necessities. We always feel bad for the dads that are trailing behind their families struggling to carry everything through the obstacles of scattered people and hot sand. 

So what did we pack for the little guy? Here is a list of what worked for us and what we needed to have a successful beach day with a baby. 

Sunscreen-it's a must

Bathing suit and long sleeve swim shirt to minimize sun exposure

Umbrella 

Beach blanket and towels

Swim Diaper

Extra change of clothes

Sun hat-the kind with a neck strap so it doesn't blow off

Plenty of fluids and snacks-depending on baby's age

Sunglasses-if they will wear them

Disposable changing pad and extra diapers

Beach toys

Corn starch-it helps knock off the extra sand

To our surprise these items worked fine for us and there wasn't anything extra we came across that we needed. Everyone is different and we're sure that as he gets older the list will grow. If you haven't ventured to the beach yet with your little one, it's important to realize your first few beach experiences will be very different than what you are used to. Just a pointer, embrace the sand, it's inevitable they are going to want to explore it. Make the most of your day and try to enjoy yourself. 

Now on a different note, if you were to spend a day on the beach with us (no kids involved) it would go a little something like this...

We would need to get there early, preferably by 10:30-11am. If not, you can meet us there.

 We would be sitting close to the water with a beach chair.

We would be listening to either reggae or country.

 We would take several pictures and more than likely have to take a few do-overs 

because it's hard to get one where we both like the way we look.

 It would be inevitable that one of us is stepping on a crab (more than likely it would be Faith).

 When we go down to the water, Faith is on a mission to find sea glass and Sierra would be 

looking for the shells that look like a fan.

When we actually go in the water we aren't afraid to get our hair wet. One of us, if not both, is usually getting knocked over by a wave (you know the beach day isn't complete until someone gets smacked by a wave).

If we were eating lunch a Wawa hoagie would be packed (they're so good!) 

and we would be fighting off the pesky seagulls. 

 We would talk about what is going on in our lives, probably something family

 related (our three brother's always have some situation that makes for a good story).  

A nap towards the end of the afternoon always feels amazing.

Summer Date Nights

The sun is shining, the birds are chirping, love is in the air...or is it? Whether you are married and looking for some fun date night ideas to reconnect with your loved one, or single and ready to mingle, the best part is, you are getting ideas from both sides of the spectrum. We hope that you can use some of these suggestions and create memories with the one you cherish. 

Picnic in the park

Drive in movie

Strawberry or blueberry picking

Summer concerts

Nature walk or sunset hike

Make your own ice cream

Bike riding around your town or beach
Visit a local fair, take a ride on the ferris wheel
Visit a museum
Go to an open mic night
Make dessert for dinner
A day at the beach and boardwalk
Go to a jazz bar
Take a dance class together
Take a road trip
Go on a coffee date
Go to a dive bar, play pool
Indoor/outdoor rock climbing
Horseback riding
Go on a ghoust tour
Rent jet skis
Wack some balls at the batting cages
Take a scuba diving lesson
Dolpin/whale watching

Take an art or pottery class together

Fire pit, wine, and smores

Visit the zoo or aquarium

Baseball or sports game

Mini golf

2 person game night

Fishing and canoeing

Visit a local farmers market to buy ingredients for an at home cook off

His and hers personal pizzas (make them for each other, share if you'd like)

Wine or beer tasting

Wine trivia (each buy a few small bottles of wine and snacks to pair them with. Hide the labels or get creative and blind fold each other to test your flavor knowledge)

Camping (not near a campsite, pitch a tent in your backyard)

Summer Activities For Babies

Summer is hands down one of our favorite seasons, just the thought of it gets us excited! We've decided to take advantage of the nice weather and put together a list of summer activities to do with your little one. This doesn't have to be for just mom's and babies, but for dad's and aunties too, or maybe you are a nanny or summer camp worker that could find some of these suggestions useful. 

As a first time mom with a little boy who is gaining more and more energy and constantly wanting to explore things, I often think to myself, how in the world am I going to keep him occupied or make sure he is getting the stimulation he needs. He is only 8 months, and when researching, it was hard to find activities for babies under one. This is our first summer together and a learning experience for both of us. I wanted to share some fun activities that have kept him occupied thus far, allowed us to enjoy the warmer weather, and have only made our mother and son bond stronger. I have tried to incorporate several sensory activities so that while he is playing he is still learning. 

I'm continually looking to grow my list of activities and definitely don't have it all figured out yet. One of the biggest supports as a first time mom is partnering with other mom's and sharing experiences and ideas. If you have some fun activities that your little ones enjoy I would love to hear them! 

Taking tummy and play time outside

Sensory play through texture touch and feel

Sensory play through sound-making music
Learning colors

 Nature walk

Swimming

Reading outside

Exploring with bubbles

Stacking blocks

Visit to the zoo

Visit the park-enjoying the swings

Visit the farm-loves singing Old Macdonald

Playing with finger puppets

Learning to take things in and out of his play basket

Mirror play-looking at his reflection and things outside

Bucket or container filled with water and floating objects