Friday Favorites

Woohoo, it's time for some Friday Favorites with  Andrea, Erika, and Narci!

ONE

I know it's only February, but a girl can dream, right? I swung by Gymboree this week to grab my kids some new swimsuits (I typically take my kids to the beach alone, and need SUPER bright swimwear to keep a close eye on them so I shop early). They've got some great deals going on right now, here's what I grabbed:

TWO

Call me crazy, but I love valentines day! I've been with my husband since I was 15, and at 15, you celebrate anything that involves gifts! We've continued to celebrate every year, but with a family dinner instead. We split it up, boys and girls, with the boys cooking a surprise meal and the girls making a special dessert or two...or seven. We finish off with a fun scavenger hunt (matching bible verses about love to the right verse number) leading to a bin or bag of treats for the kids to SHARE (no individual gifts), and then my husband and I usually head to dinner the next night to celebrate alone. This year, we got the kiddos some perler bead and rainbow loom refills and some yummy "Righteously Raw" chocolate, seriously, nothing major. Just fun. We are still recovering from Christmas, but it's about the right time to refill the parts to some of their Christmas gifts ;)

THREE

I'm on a mission to drink more water, and in doing so, I realized that my kids aren't drinking nearly enough, either. I've been sending them to the barn with water bottles and I'm finding them unopened at the end of a ride, so if they're not drinking much water when they're outside, how much less are they drinking when they're INSIDE? I whipped this up on Tuesday and told them that if they earned all of their stars by Saturday they would get new shopkins (for Bella and Jesse) or a minion surprise (for Eli). They're on a successful path :)

FOUR

I LOVE Shelby Jane and Co. I discovered her little etsy shop back at Halloween, and have since ordered quite a few dresses. Her dresses are so simple, timeless, and perfect for girls of any age. She recently sent us some dresses to photograph, and I think this may just be my daughter's Easter dress!

For this dress and more, check out Shelby Jane & Co.!

Happy Weekend!!!

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Friday Favorites!

WooHoo! It's been awhile since I've participated in a Friday Favorites and linked up with Andrea, Erika, and Narci!, and I am so excited to be back in the swing of things :)

Here's what I'm currently loving:

This age! Ahh, this age. The best. 

And these "Daddy aren't you proud" eyes!

And this snuggle munchkin. Swoon. 

And lastly, who has one of these? I homeschool, I should not need a lunchbox, right? But I have been drooling over those planetbox lunchboxes for two years! I finally decided to just go ahead and order them (great for the beach, right?) and then I found the yumbox! Ahh!! Which one?! 

 Happy Friday!

Friday Favorites!

It's Friday -  It is time to link up with Andrea, Erika, and Narci!

So normally I would share all of my favorite moments and things today, but this week we heard devastating news from family friends. Their 7 month old son was not only diagnosed with neuroblastoma, but diagnosed with stage FOUR, and considered high-risk. That is literally the worst neuroblastoma diagnosis you can receive. Here are some of my favorite promises to hold onto in hard times, and if you have any to pass along PLEASE comment below and I will share them with the family:

There is a gofund me set up in their name, here is the link:

https://www.gofundme.com/pu8s5yqk

And I also want to take a moment to recognize St. Jude's for their amazing staff, I have heard nothing but wonderful things from anyone who is there. Their "Thanks and Giving" campaign just began, so take the opportunity to round up to the nearest dollar when shopping anywhere that supports them. They also have a great online catalog with some great holiday gifts, you can find that here:

http://giftshop.stjude.org/?sc_icid=wtg-mm-giftshop

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Friday Favorites!

It's FRIDAY! Just one more week until Halloween and it seems as if we just couldn't be busier! This weekend we have FOUR parties to attend. FOUR. I'm going to have to teach my kids some processed sugar self control STAT. In the meantime, let's link up with Andrea, Erika, and Narci!

ONE

I am in the process of switching my 2014/15 Lilly planner to the 2015/16 Lilly planner and I am in LOVE with the new print and matching travel mug . Lilly Pulitzer planners are my favorite birthday gift :)

TWO

This first quote popped up on a homeschool group page the other day, and it really means a lot to me.  That same day, one of my dear girlfriends sent me the second quote. It's my last few weeks in a nutshell! We recently pulled the plug on our many homeschooling groups in order to combat the need to do anything other than focus on our family, and set some boundaries. I realized at the end of last year that our homeschooling path is far off of where we started and where we wanted to be. At first, it sucked. I missed everyone and hated keeping in touch through text. But you know what happened? Our family roots grew deeper, my impatient mommy heart softened, and my kids eyes became brighter. I trust that following God's leadership will produce it's fruit in due time, whether that be now or ever in my lifetime. But that doesn't always mean it's easy. Sometimes it's hard to say "no" to our friends, but after many long phone calls and heart talks, I realized that I'm not the only one who has felt that way. Good friendships will last forever, whether you see one another on a weekly basis or not, but childhood? It happens fast, and I don't want to waste it keeping up with the Joneses. Activity, even when it seems like a good thing, will always cause chaos in our schooling, and that will always distract us from our ultimate homeschooling goal. Every time I say "yes" to a friend or an invitation, I say "no" to pajama days, a mommy daughter manicure, hanging out on the floor with my kiddos, or a lazy day playing at the barn. The past couple of months with my babies hold some of the best days of my mommy life, and I am so thankful that the Lord cares to gently initiate change in our home. Quiet moments with my precious little ones are my favorite.

THREE

I could go on and on and on about how much I love the weekend. We had a nice lazy Sunday last weekend, and it was just what the doctor ordered. Rain or shine, we were outside playing together for the entire day, and we finished it off with dinner by the fire. Can I just freeze time, please?

FOUR

Tonight is family movie night, and therefore my favorite night of the week! Last week we watched Spookley the Square Pumpkin - if you're looking for a fun fall movie this weekend, check it out!

In honor of it being one week before Halloween, I will be posting again every day next week. Get ready for some fun recipes, crafts, and party ideas. Happy weekend!

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Friday Favorites!

It's Friday! Time to link up with Andrea, Erika, and Narci!

WooHoo! I love a good 'ol FRIDAY, and this weekend is my husband and my birthday weekend, sharing birthdays is my FAVORITE :) Here's what else I'm loving this week:

Birthday mail! Haha. My mailman delivered this on Wednesday and said "Oh my...what did you DO?!" assuming that it was all ordered. I LOVE this cute mug that my Aunt sent me from my FAVORITE little store in North Carolina. 

 I love watching my girlie ride, she seems SO small on top of this big 'ol horse! My friend and I ride with our kiddos together one morning a week before school, and it is my FAVORITE way to start our school day! Last week we spent a good half hour playing "follow the leader" around the barrels and had so much fun with our "big kids".

Speaking of one on one time, one of my girlfriends and I took our girls out for breakfast and shopping last weekend. Mommy daughter dates are my FAVORITE!

They grow up too fast, don't they? Timehop is just KILLING me! Here's him yesterday, and four years ago yesterday. Oh my goodness, those mama loving eyes from four years ago are my favorite! 

Right now my kiddos are LOVING their Snackeez! We've had our share of car breakfasts thanks to these, and popcorn and juice for family movie night is suddenly a lot easier to clean up :)

Our late afternoons have just been GORGEOUS lately, and my kids could honestly spend HOURS outside. On Sunday they didn't even step foot inside except for meal times! The other night my sweet mother's helpers sat outside and did some fun art projects while they all soaked up some fresh air! These "childhood unplugged" moments are my FAVORITE!

And last but not least, I posted this on my instagram last weekend:

This night was one of those memories that I will always hold close to my heart when my babies are grown. I never want to forget the simple moments like these. These "muddy feet, sticky face, time doesn't matter" nights are my FAVORITE! 

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