Thursday, February 28, 2019

Prime Purchases

Last year I saw Andrea post her favorite Prime Purchases, and she was linking up to Tayna who hosts the link up. Super fun, right? You see what I'm buying that I don't need/purchasing and we all get to then want to buy all the things, keeping the economy going right there. Click here to see my past purchases. Okay let's get started!

*Some of the links are affiliate links and I will  either receive a small commission, at no cost to you, if you click on it or if you make a purchase from one of these links, I may also receive a commission on the sale of the product. Click here for my disclosure page.

My new favorite thing of life right now is this jacket. It is the lightest weight thing ever, and keeps me warm! It's been somewhat chilly out while taking the kids to their various sports (46°F, 7°C) and windy, this jacket kept me warm and I couldn't feel the wind at all. Win in my book. Plus it's comfortable to wear at my desk while working.



I also go this jean jacket, cause one can never have enough right? Currently I have 3 jean jackets, and 1 white jean jacket. But this one fits a different category, it's a different length than the other ones I have, and has no pockets, which I like the no pocket look. My other (similar) no pocket jean jackets are short, and doesn't look good with everything.



I also got these jeans. Also a tip: If you are short and they don't have your pant in petite find a cropped pant. These jeans look cropped on the model, but on my they are the perfect fit and I don't need to get them hemmed.



So you remember last week when I told you I bought a bunch of bathing suits? Well I got some of them back and here is what I think I am keeping. The high waisted bathing suit is life right now. It is so stinking cute in person! And polka dots? Heck ya! The ruffle one is also equally cute. Mr. immediately said when i tried these two on, yep you're definitely keeping these. Which brings us to #3, this one I got in white, and haven't recieved it yet, but if it fits, I'll be keeping it (full disclosure, the reason, is because I bought #2 and #3 was my 50% off, I refuse to pay full price, haha!). The last white bikini is for our girls trip this summer. Birthday girls wants us to wear white bathing suits. I tried on the bottoms and immediate fell in love. They fit (and that's hard to do), and they are flattering and does not give you any muffin top. The top I originally bought with it was too bra like and Mr. thought it looked funny, so I ordered the triangle top in hopes that it would look okay together.

 
1- Top/Bottom / 2 /3 / 4 - Top/Bottom

They are still having the buy one get one 50% off, they are including the whole family bathing suits now too! So get your kids their swim suits now, save them for their Easter basket, that's what we always do. Here are some options for the kids I am going to try out.
1 / 2 / 3 / 4

 I like trying to get the kids bright color swim suits so that when we are swimming in a public place it's easier to find them. Baby Fox really likes orange, so that's why there are two of those in there. I bought him these last year and he loves them, but don't feel like I can get another pair, he needs some new ones.

1 / 2 / 3 / 4

 Baby Fox has been asking for a rash guard, so maybe I'll pick one up for him too.

1 / 2 / 3 / 4



In other non clothing related things. I mentioned this before, but definitely worth another mention. This dry shampoo is life right now, it puts all other dry shampoos to shame. It gets rid of the grease and it lifts your hair from the roots, unlike other dry shampoos that somewhat get rid of the grease, but leaves it a little flat. Trust me I've tried all different kinds of dry shampoo, this use to be my favorite, but move over becuase there's someone new in town. Seriously it looked like first day hair...although didn't feel like it, but it would be the perfect time to do a fancy hair style with the grit and lift that it left. Trust me you'll want to try it out, get the travel size one if you aren't sure, but once you use it once, you'll never go back.

  


I finally got another one of my favorite blended brushes. I already have one and wanted another one in case my first one is dirty. I've tried to find others that compare and nothing does. This is a great crease brush/blending brush. I pretty much do every single make up with it.



 And not but certainly not least, I got this rock painting kit for a birthday gift and it was a huge hit. I think it's a great gift for any art loving kid in your family. This is also a good one to buy for Easter, it's not expensive and it's fun for the kids to paint and then hide their rocks. 


Alright, I bought a lot this month, oops! What have you been buying? Anything I NEED?

Wednesday, February 27, 2019

My Velvet Dress

Hi Foxy Friends! I'm somewhat excited to share with you my outfit today. Today over on The Blended Blog we're sharing the oldest thing in our closet. I dug deep and I have NO idea why it's still in my closet, but it is...and I'm breaking it out for you. I wish I had a picture of me wearing it previously, but can't find one. Darn. So you ready? This dress is almost 25 years old...and I wore it for when we performed in Wind Ensemble in high school. It still FITS!


You know the whole Marie Kondo thing, this dress still sparks joy. While I know I don't wear it, but it just brings back such great memories. I know you probably aren't suppose to keep things that are just sentimental, but it's my closet and I want to!  So my dad went with me to buy this dress. We bought it at Windsors on the sale rack, mark down,  mark down. I think we spent about $20 and went running out the store just in case it was a mistake. I wore it for the 3 years I was in Wind Ensemble.

Note: In you case you didn't know I played trombone for 12 years. I know you were all wondering what I played. And I haven't picked it up since leaving college.


I can't even believe my dad bought this dress for me...this is the back. I was in 10th grade people.


In other news, since I lost my camera lens and the wireless remote (I know they are hanging out together making fun of me...probably in plain site), Baby Fox was my shutter button pusher. I set up the tripod and he pushed the button, let me tell you kids have no sense of when to push it. I kept telling him to stop pushing it when I was still moving. Then he goes...OHHHHH, that makes sense. LOL. I told him to pose so I could take a test shot, silly kid.


*Some of the links are affiliate links and I will  either receive a small commission, at no cost to you, if you click on it or if you make a purchase from one of these links, I may also receive a commission on the sale of the product. Click here for my disclosure page.

So now that I've showed you a dress that you can't get, let me give you some options that you can get. Surprisingly I found one that is super similar, except that it's short instead of long. This one is very similar in style, but it's long sleeve mesh and not velvet. And this one, is velvet, has mesh, and a cute back as well.


*Some of the links are affiliate links and I will  either receive a small commission, at no cost to you, if you click on it or if you make a purchase from one of these links, I may also receive a commission on the sale of the product. Click here for my disclosure page.

Then I found some velvet full length dresses that have no mesh, but are super cute for a ball type function.

Option 1 (a friend bought this one and is 40% off right now)
Option 2
Option 3 (my favorite and 40% on sale)

Alright, what is the oldest thing in your closet? Head on over to The Blended Blog, or Shelly's blog to link up your oldest fashion piece.






Tuesday, February 26, 2019

5 Tips For Going to Great Wolf Lodge

Hi Foxy Friends! Today I have a post all about Great Wolf Lodge, this is not sponsored, we just really liked it, and thought I would share some tips with you, if you feel so inclined to go too. Okay let's get started:



Let me preface with this: for the LONGEST time I refused to pay the prices for Great Wolf Lodge, it was so expensive, and what for? But Baby Fox wanted to go for his half birthday instead of having a birthday party. The cost was about the same as throwing a party, actually, maybe even a little cheaper, so I figure we end up ahead. Anyway, the big question...is it worth it? YES!!! Here's why you need to go to Great Wolf Loge (I'm an engineer so I'll do some bullet points for you):

  • The kids will forever be grateful and constantly remind you how awesome you are for taking them there.
  • You'll remember how much  you really do like water slides, and wonder if it was okay to leave the kids at home next time so you can ride all the rides.

  •  It's indoors, so you don't need to worry about sunscreen.
  • Because no one is wearing sunscreen the water is clean, and you don't feel "yucky" swimming in it.
  • It's fun for the whole family, and there is other things to do than doing the water park portion of it.
So now that I've convinced you you NEED to go, here are 5 tips for navigating Great Wolf Lodge and making the most out of your time there. Note: We went to Great Wolf Lodge located in Southern California.

| Tip 1 |  Only Go For 1 Night

You get the most bang for your buck going 1 night, and 2 days at the water park is more than enough time there. If you go for 2 nights you only get 1 extra day at the water park, not worth it, in my opinion. Trust me,  you'll be done after two full days.

We've been twice now, and both times day two of water park Mini Fox would pass out for a good hour and a half.

 
| Tip 2 | Bring Your Own Food

There are mini Fridges (which are big enough to hold quite a lot of food) and a microwave. While you can't bring your own food into the water section of the hotel, you can eat it anywhere on the property. We bought lunch and dinner for day 1, and breakfast and lunch for day 2, we decided that we would find dinner that second night. Turns out we ended up driving home and eating dinner late that night. Our meal breakdown:

Lunch Day 1: Sandwiches for everyone, chips and fruit

Dinner Day 1: Pasta with butter for the kids, and Mr. and I bought burritos at a local mexian place by our house before we left, so we could heat up and eat in the hotel room, worked great and it was nice to have a nice burrito waiting for us and not having to wait in any of the restaurant lines.
Breakfast Day 2: We brought milk and boxes cereal for the kids, Mr. and I ended up going to Dunkin Donuts (located in the hotel), Mr. got a coffee and I got a bagel and cream cheese. If we didn't have that, I would have eaten a protein bar that I brought.
Lunch Day 2: Kids at sandwiches again and Mr. and I walked to a local place next door and got some sandwiches for ourselves (it's a vietiemese place, called Lee's that has super good and super cheap sandwiches).


Side Note: The food there is excellent. The last time we went we ate twice at the  Lodge Wood Fire Grill. There is also a Dunkin' Donuts located on the premise that we got breakfast at. We did not try to eat anywhere else. Also make reservations for anywhere you do decide to eat, as things get full in a hurry come dinner time.

| Tip 3 | Timing

Get there early, it says that on your check in day you can get there at 1 to check in the water park...go at noon. They still let you in and there is no line and you can access the water park early. And even if you don't get to go in, you'll want to get in line, because you know a bunch of people are going to be showing up 10 minutes till...be in the line early or get early access, can't lose. Plus while you're waiting in line, there is stuff for the kids to do, there is entertainment for the kids in the lobby area. When we got there they were doing balloon animals.



| Tip 4 | Water Park Tip

Okay, I know they have cabana's that you can rent, don't waste your money! Doors opened for the water park at 9am, and were down there at 8:15am (we had no idea what to expect), and we were 4th in line. And the line didn't really start to build up until 8:45am, even then there wasn't too many people (in case you wanted to know we went the last week of June, we also went the week between Christmas and New Years and we went at 9:15am and had no problem getting a table)

They also have chairs everywhere to sit and put your stuff

 Plus they do a cute song and entertainment to tell you the rules of the park, your kids can help "open" the water park.



So now the doors open, what do you do? Bee line it to the tables, find a table that you want to put your stuff, you know water bottles, extra clothes if you need/want it, goggles, etc. And make that your home base. We left our stuff on the table both days and no one ever touched it. We would always meet back at our table where our water, shoes, etc were waiting for us. No need for a cabana that would do basically the same thing. We left our wallets in the car (actually the first day I hide it in our bag of stuff, not recommended, but to each their own) because your bracelet you wear to get in has ability to buy stuff in the hotel, so no need for a wallet. We even were able to use the bracelet after we checked out, but still had a full day at the park.

| Tip 5 | Souvenirs 

We all know our kids want them. Get the Pup Pass, it's a great deal. Our kids have never been to Build a Bear (stay with me, I have a point), but Great Wolf Lodge has their version of Build a Bear, so with the Pup Pass, you get to make a stuffed animal (cost was $29.99), you get $10 to spend at the arcade, can get one container of candy from the candy shop, a scoop of ice cream and a glitter tattoo (which lasted 9ish days on my daughter), all for $39.99, pretty awesome deal. Plus you get the parent points for getting all that stuff for your kids. Win, I tell ya.



Oh and there is this scavenger hunt that comes with the stuffed animal, you go around the hotel with your stuffed animal, super fun for the kids, and near the end you can earn a bunch of tickets from the arcade...Plus you can do it multiple times, we did it once the first night and then twice the next day. The gift that keeps on giving, my kids loved it.




If you have older kids that can read, I would suggest getting the bigger package of the Paw Pass or Wolf Pass. The second time we went we got the Paw Pass (as the Wolf Pass has a bunch of other activities to do that we knew we wouldn't have time for, I suggest getting this pass if you are staying for longer than 1 night). So the Wolf Pass has another game attached to it. You get the stuffed animal plus that game and you also get the Magi Quest wand plus game. This game can take up to 6 hours to complete. It's a lot of walking around, if you have to follow your kid around. At our hotel it went from the basement floor to the 6th floor. So you have a lot of walking to do to finish the tasks that are given to you. Baby Fox LOVED it, and Mini Fox thought it was okay. The best part, the wands store where you are in the game and you can pick up where you left off the next time you visit, and the price is $15. So you have a big cost that first time, then you bring your wand and play the game.

I didn't take any good pictures of the game, but here they are trying to open the treasure chest with their wands

Monday, February 25, 2019

Introducing My People

Hi Foxy Friends! Hope you had a great weekend! We had a jam packed weekend, and not ready to be back at work! Today over on The Blended Blog we're talking about our people. I've done this before, talking about my family, you can see that here. Today I thought I would talk about the ladies in my life that make life more fun.

These ladies are the baseball Mama's that I met last year and really got to know. Our husbands have started a monthly poker night, which we hosted this past week. 3 of them go to the same school as us as well. We see each other so often with all of the baseball practices and games.


This is the same group of ladies that we did that Onsie bar crawl. People willing to wear pajamas in public while drinking are my people.



We also play Bunko too, we're basically a well rounded group of people.



Then there's these ladies, we met when our kids were just babies. The lady on the right of me, I met her in the Nordstroms bathroom, we were both feeding our babies in the woman nursing lounge when our kids were 3 months old. By the way, good tip, if you are ever near a Nordstroms and need a private place to feed your baby, the woman's bathroom lounge has a Mom's room for taking care of baby, it's pretty awesome. Anyway, I met her in the bathroom, then we went shopping together afterwards and the rest is history. I frequently refer to her as my Nordstrom's friend because that's the only way my parents remember her, LOL. 


We also do fun things like going to Beauty Con LA together.



Hopefully we're going to plan and actually get away for our first Mom's weekend away this summer. We've actually never done that before, I'm excited!



Then there are these folks. This lady pretty much saved me when our boys were 3 months old. We met at a Mom's group and immediately clicked. We had the same sense of humor and we just got each other. Our boys are 3 days apart and are the best of friends. Now we see each other almost on a weekly basis, we try to end our week with dinner together. It's a great way to end the week. I could go on, but you get the picture.

So these are the people in my life. Tell me, who's that person in your life? Give them a shout out down below!

Also linking up with Shay and Erica.

Let's Look At...

Friday, February 22, 2019

Weekly Favorites #7

Hi Foxy Friends! It's Friday and we made it, woo hoo! I have today off and the plans I had fell through, so now I have the whole day (until 2:30) to myself...what am I going to do? Not sure. Maybe I'll go get my nails done, I haven't done that in a while. Anyway, onto Friday favorites.


In case you missed it this week:

No post Monday, Mini Fox was sick and snuggles were more important

Tuesday: Hash Brown Waffles
Wednesday: 1 Tulle Skirt, 4 Outfits For Any Occasion
Thursday: Must Have Bathing Suits


Friday the kids had no school and one of Baby Fox's friends had a birthday party during the day, Brave soul taking on 5 8 year olds. But they had a blast, so that's always good.



Friday night we had friends over and I made butternut squash lasagna, it was delicious.


We put on Home Alone for the kids, our friends kids had never watched it before and they all loved it.


This was the aftermath of the epic Nerf Gun war that happened.



Saturday I made this omelet for Mr. before hitting up the gym.


Then I took Baby Fox to Karate. This was taken the Thursday before, he got another stripe on his belt.


Saturday night I made mini meat loaves. Baby Fox had been asking for meatloaf for weeks, it was the least I could do.

 

Sunday I took Baby Fox to church and this little lady sat on the couch snuggling Mr. When we got home I took over snuggling duty for a bit before leaving to go to my cousin's baby's baptism.



I forgot my camera, so I got very few pictures. But I did snap this of the big moment.



*Some of the links are affiliate links and I will  either receive a small commission, at no cost to you, if you click on it or if you make a purchase from one of these links, I may also receive a commission on the sale of the product. Click here for my disclosure page.

So  my friend is turning 40 this year and we decided we wanted to go to Palm Springs to celebrate. She had suggested that we all get white bathing suits and take cute pictures. Cute pictures, I'm in? At first I was worried that I wouldn't find one, but Target didn't disappoint. Now hopefully one of these works! Anyone else need a white suit? Most of these suits comes in different colors too.

Oh and all swim suits are buy one get one 50% off right now, sale ends tomorrow, so hop on it!
1 (comes in 4 colors) / 2 (comes in 2 colors) / 3 (comes in 6 colors) / 4 (comes in 2 colors)

Imagine that last one in white, I couldn't get a front view of the white one.

Linking up here