8.24.2017

Thoughts for Thursday: Back to (Pre)School Favorites

Happy Thursday Everyone!  It seems like everyone's kids are back in school already but we are lucky enough to not start until after Labor Day so we're soaking up this last week and a half of summer the best we can!

This year both my boys will be in school!  It will be the first time in over four years that I'll have five hours to myself a week ;).  I'm not even sure what I'm going to do with my time.  Miller will be going three days a week from 9:15-2:45 and Matthew will be going two days a week from 9:15-11:45.   They both seem very excited to start school this year!  I know Miller will be fine since this is his third year at this preschool but I'm afraid Matthew isn't going to love it when he realizes that he's in his own class and not in Miller's class but we'll see how it goes.

Today I decided to round up some of our favorites for back to school. This is the first year that I'll be packing lunch for Miller and I have to give most of the credit to one of my good friends who has four kids and is a pro at lunch packing for her suggestions!  I'll keep you posted as the year goes on how everything is holding up.   




1. Pottery Barn Kids Small Backpack- I purchased this backpack for Miller for Christmas last year and so far it's been great! Right now he just uses it to carry a change of clothes to and from school but I'm hoping this size will last him into the early years of elementary school.

2. Dinosaur Name Labels from Etsy-  Since I'll be sending in lunch items with Miller this year I wanted to have labels on everything in hopes that it will return home with him every day!  I found these adorable dinosaur ones on Etsy and couldn't resist them.

3. Thermos Funtainer water bottle-  My friend suggested these and said they're the best ones she's found that fit the PBK lunch box and do not leak.  They're a bit pricer but she said most of hers have lasted 2 years plus.  I got Miller a solid color blue one and this fun dinosaur one I linked above.  They also sell them in lots of fun prints and characters as well as lots of solid colors.  I found that Target and Amazon had the best selection.

4. Fit & Fresh Cool It ice packs- This was another one suggested to me since they fit perfectly in the front pouch of the PBK lunch box.

5. Pottery Barn Kids classic lunch box- I bought these lunch boxes for the boys for Easter this past spring to take to the pool this summer and we've loved them! I love that they can fit a bunch of stuff and there is a holder for drinks on the side.  Miller has the dinosaur one to match his dinosaur backpack.

6. Pottery Barn Kids Spencer bento box- I just purchased these for Miller to take to school.  I decided to go with this one since there are five compartments and I can send a variety of food with Miller for lunch. I'm a little nervous about how much he'll actually eat at school so I'm hoping a variety will help.

7. Mini Boden Raglan Tee- I love these tees for the school year.  They are a bit pricier but they are so well made and really will last through the whole year.  I also love the raglan style and love that the sleeves are long enough for my tall skinny boys.

8. Dinosaur vs School- I picked up this book for the boys, mostly Matthew, in hopes of easing any school nervousness they might be feeling.  We have the potty version of this book and my boys absolutely love it and think its hysterical so I know they'll love this one.

9. The Night before Preschool- this is another one I picked up to prep Matthew for school.  We have the Christmas one and love it so I'm hoping this one will be just as cute and help with getting ready to go to school.

10. New Balance 888 Sneakers- I've been putting the boys in New Balance sneakers since Miller started walking and love them.  This year Miller really wanted them to have the "big kid" ones as he called them so these are the ones we purchased.

11. Old Navy Pull On Pants- Miller has to have easy to pull on and off pants for bathroom time so these Old Navy ones became a favorite last year.   We have already stocked up for this winter in the next size up.

12. Patagonia Down Sweater Jacket-  While the real cold doesn't hit until closer to December I always purchase these jackets for the boys in early fall before they sell out. Matthew always gets Miller's hand me down and then Miller gets a new one.  I'm leaning toward this green color for this year.


Any good back to school essentials I'm missing?  Any advice for packing lunches?  Do you do it in the morning or night before?  Any fun lunch ideas for a picky eater?  


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8.17.2017

Thoughts for Thursday: OBX 2017 Vacation

Hi Friends! I wanted to pop in with a little vacation recap.  It was our last one of the summer and school starts in a little less than 3 weeks :( I'm happy and sad to say goodbye to summer this year.

Last week we spent the week in Duck, NC with Kyle's side of the family. I always look forward to this trip because it's so much fun for my boys to see their cousins!  All the cousins live in PA except my boys so it's always a special treat for them to all be together.   The weather didn't look good going into the week but ended up not being too bad thankfully.

Our first day out on the beach was absolutely gorgeous and the weather was perfect!


 My boys continue to prove they are beach babies through and through.




If you're not using them already you need to get yourself some Scout bags for the pool and beach! I usually get mine from our local boutique Whimsicality but Amazon sells them with Prime shipping which is awesome!   I have the Three girls tote, the Deano tote, and The Stiff One Party cooler.  They're all lightweight and waterproof which means you can just hose them down and let them dry in the sun.  


We captured this great picture of Kyle and all his brothers out on the water with the cousins.  So lucky to have extra uncles to help out ;)


We did have one day of bad storms and rain so we took the kids to the North Carolina Aquarium on Manteo.  The aquarium isn't huge but they have the best shark exhibit I've ever seen! My boys were obsessed! 








My nieces found this old Girl Talk in our beach house and it was so funny to get to play agin with them!! It was also so funny to see how much technology has changed since this came out in 1991!

I have dirty beach hair and no make up on but I love this picture on Matthew and me that my brother in law's girlfriend snapped at sunset. 


I didn't snap a ton of photos the last few days and we ended our vacation with a trip to Surfin Spoon in Nags Head for frozen yogurt and a late night walk on the beach.  




This was the one and only family photo we took on the vacation!  Thanks to the kind strangers that overheard me saying we didn't take any photos and walked over to snap one for us.





As I mentioned above I'm sad to say goodbye to summer but I'm also looking forward to starting the school year and getting back into a routine!



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8.16.2017

Current Obsessions

Hi Friends!  I'm still getting back into the swing of things after our vacation to OBX last week but I wanted to pop in today and share some things I'm loving lately. I haven't shopped since the Nordstrom Anniversary sale and I'm itching to add all these adorable fall and fall transitional pieces to my wardrobe.  I don't want to wish summer away but I have to admit I'm a little excited for a chill in the air (and for school to start ;)



How adorable is this top?! I love the stripe and that is has a subtle shimmer.  It can easily be worn now with shorts and into the fall with jeans.  


I missed this dress when they had it in black last fall so I'm not going to let this one pass me by!! Such a cute flattering style that can be dressed up or down 


I'm obsessed with this cardigan!! I just love that it's got a bit of a different cut and lay than your standard oversized cardigan 


I've been hunting for a brown bootie like this for the past year but haven't found anything I love until these! I worry the heel might be too tall but I think this is the perfect fall brown 


I can't quite get on the cold shoulder trend but I'm willing to give it a try with this adorable one for my Old Navy, plus the price tag makes it totally justifiable.  

I've wanted black skinny jeans for awhile but don't really want to spend over $100. These are only $69 and have 5 star reviews so I might need to give them a try this fall 


How adorable is this lace top?! That would look so cute with the above black skinny jeans! 


I'm always looking for little cross body bags for nights out or trips with the boys where I don't need my big tote and this Kate Spade one is the perfect fall neutral 




How adorable is this ruffle shift dress?!  Perfect to dress up or down for fall 


I've been eyeing these jeans ever since I saw them on Tuckernuck! I just love the color!! 


These were my favorite slip on shoes this year and I'm loving the navy color for fall and winter, don't you think they would look cute with the jeans above! 



Love this bell sleeve trend and this shirt looks like it could be comfy for running around with kids or add heels and big necklace to dress it up for date night. 




Just another pair of statement earrings to add to my collection!! I'm thinking this pink color would be good with my black dress for a wedding this weekend 



You can't ever go wrong with a striped tee from Loft, can you?! Perfect for now with shorts or layered under a cardigan in the fall 






I know I've posted this before but I just don't wear my tall Hunter boots as much as I thought I would because they're so clunky so I'm thinking of getting a short pair.  Does anyone have these?  Are they easier to wear than the tall ones?  



Are you ready for fall or are you hanging on to summer as long as possible?  Anyone else a sucker for fall fashion like myself?  




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8.03.2017

Thoughts for Thursday: For your Dinosaur Obsessed Toddler and Preschooler

This post as been a long time coming but I've finally rounded up some of our favorite dinosaur toys, books, and movies.  Every time I share something dinosaur related that my kids love or use on instastories I get so many of you asking me where we got everything and how I found it so I've finally put it all in a post for you.

If your kid is dinosaur obsessed like my two are you will slowly find that dinosaur toys and books aren't quite as popular as all things trucks, cars, and trains for little boys.  So I've had to get resourceful and do some researching to find out and online digging to find the best toys, games, and movies for my boys.




1. Learning Resources Jumbo Dinosaurs- I like to call #1 and #2 on this list the dinosaur starter pack. If you have a kid who is newly into dinosaurs I highly suggest both of these. These toys give you the perfect starter pack with five jumbo, and they are jumbo, but perfect for little hands dinosaurs.  These five are probably the most commonly known dinosaurs so it's good to start here.  

2. Usborne Big Book of Dinosaurs-  I bought this book on a whim when I was invited to a Facebook Usborne party online last spring and I'm so happy I did because it is still hands down one of our favorite books.  The illustrations are the perfect mix of cartoon-y but realistic for toddlers the history and details of the dinosaurs is exactly what your toddler wants to know about while still educating you as a parent (since the names are so hard to pronounce!) 

3. My Big Dinosaur Book- this is another favorite around our house. I always kept this one in the play room so we could look at dinosaur pictures through out the day with Miller when he was younger and he could start to name and identify them.  

4. ABC Dinosaurs- when we were working on Miller learning the ABCs this book was great because he had no interest in learning them if dinosaurs weren't involved.  This book is written by authors from the American Museum of Natural History, they have an ABC book for dinosaurs, space, animals, oceans, insects 

5. Terra Dinosaurs- this brand of dinosaur is at my local Target.  At this point I'm pretty sure we own all of them but my boys love these! These are much more lifelike in their coloring and features and they're a little bit heavier and sturdier than some of the other ones we have.    

6. Boley Educational Dinosaur 12 Pack- this is the biggest bang for your buck!  If I've learned anything over the past 2 years, dinosaurs toys are expensive.  If you're looking to get your little one a lot of dinosaurs for a good price I highly suggest this pack. They're not the highest quality but are lightweight and perfect for little hands.  They survived lots of dinosaur battles at my house just fine.  

7.My First Match It Dinosaur Friends - if you're looking for a quiet activity my boys love these match games.  We have the one for  cars and trucks too.  They're perfect for two and three year olds and while I feel like Miller is out growing this game he still seems to love it.  

8. How Do Dinosaurs Play with Their Friends?- this is another book series that we absolutely adore! They have a how to dinosaurs count to ten, go to sleep, go to school, say I'm mad and tons more. These have been great over the past couple of months with Miller and helping him express his feeling better when he's mad or sad or trying something new. 

9. Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs- this is hands down our favorite dinosaur movie.  The plus side is there is lots of adult humor too so you won't get bored if you watch.  

10. Land Before Time DVDs- I didn't know this until Miller got into dinosaurs but there are like 14 Land Before time DVDs and my boys love them! I haven't shown them the first one yet (too sad) but the ones that were made in the last 10 years are so are great.  Our favorites include Great Day of the Flyers, Journey of the Brave, and Wisdom of Friends.  

11. Dinosaur Rescue- Again another book series we love because this one combines dinosaurs with cars, trucks, fire engines, diggers, etc.  So if you have two boys and one loves dinosaurs and one loves trucks you're good to go!  

12. Schleich T-Rex and Other Dinosaurs-  If you're looking for really nice well made high quality dinosaurs then this brand is a must.  The dinosaurs are expensive but they are big, well made, and very realistic looking.  My boys have a few of these and they hold up so well to the rough and tough boy play.  



It was hard to narrow it down but I would say these are our top dinosaur favorites!  If you have any questions feel free to ask me or if you have any new dinosaur books, toys, or movies that your kids like I would love to hear about them! 


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8.02.2017

Current Obsession: The Little Black Dress

I think most women would agree that having one good little black dress is your closet is a must!  Black is one of those colors that you can just never go wrong with.  You can dress a black dress up or down, it works for pretty much all seasons of the year, and you are free to accessorize it with fun shoes,  a bright necklace and earrings or keep it simple with basic pearl studs.

 When I saw this drop waist flutter sleeve dress at Loft I knew it had to be mine!  We have a wedding coming up mid August and I knew this would be perfect for it.   Here I paired it with one of my favorite pairs of booties and leopard clutch but I will probably wear heels to the wedding, I haven't decided yet though.








These booties are sold out but I linked some similar ones below and I linked a more budget friendly version of my clutch!

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Do you have a favorite LBD?  
Do you accessorize with bright fun colors or keep it simple with neutral classic pieces?  



I rounded up a few of my other favorites below! 




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