Summer Skirts

Hello Foxy Friends! If you are here from The Blended Blog, welcome to this space of mine! I know you are here just to see the cute picture of my daughter posing like a #fashionblogger. So here ya go:

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 Mini Fox Outfit Details: Skirt (they are really shorts, only $3.99) / Shirt / Flip Flops

Our outfits just happen to coordinate it. It was not planned at all. Although when I was trying to decide what to wear, she walked into my closet and said wear this...pointing to the scarf, so I did pick the outfit around that scarf right there.

Outfit Details: Skirt / Tank (similar) / Scarf (similar, but not really) / Shoes (similar)

Make Up Details: Foundation / Finishing Powder / Eyeshadow / Eyelashes / Blush / Bronzer
 / Eye Brow Pencil 

Here are some more pictures of the girl...she just loves posing for pictures. Wonder where she gets that?

Seriously, I should just stop taking my own outfit pictures and let her do it instead.

Love this picture of us...and I have no idea what the lipstick I was wearing, I can't for the life of me remember what I put on...probably Lipsense

Here are some other skirts that would be perfect for summer:

This midi jean skirt would be perfect for shopping or church.

This asymmetrical one is just fun and I'm obsessed with grey stripes right now...evidence here.

This one is fun for the beach.

Who doesn't like gingham? This would be perfect for errands or church.

Floral is just fun no matter what. After seeing all of my choices, looks like I am really in a midi skirt phase.

Now link up your favorite summer finds!

An InLinkz Link-up

4 Tips to Raising Polite Confident Kids

Back in June, I wrote a post for Abbie from Grumbling Grace about raising polite confident kids
for her Mombies Unit Series.  Just in case you aren't in the know: Definition of Mombie (n.) - A sleep deprived supermom who feeds on caffeine and survives on sticky kisses and messy smiles. Mombies are master multi-taskers and suck it uppers.

I'm so excited to be a part of this Mombie group. I just love that term and what it means, seriously we can all relate! I knew I wanted to contribute but didn't know exactly what to write about, so many ideas floating around my head. . My first thought was how to potty train, since we're knee deep in it right now or how I felt about my youngest birth and how she came in 10 minutes after getting to the hospital, talk about close call! But then I read Kristin's post about how she became a stronger woman after motherhood and that got my juices flowing, so thank you Kristin!

Kristin spoke about being shy and how she got easily embarrassed when she was younger, and not until she was a mother that it made her let go of what people thought of her. For me it was the same thing, I was super shy when I was younger, heck even when we I met my husband and we would go out to restaurants I would never directly speak to the waiter, I was so shy! Meeting me now you never would have guessed that. Mr. worked with me a lot, getting me to speak up. Discovering I have food allergies helped a lot with my shy-ness. I had to speak up for myself at restaurants or I wouldn't get any of the food I actually want.

All this to say, that Mr. and I want our kids to grow up confident but polite. We don't want them to be shy at restaurants when ordering their food, or when they need something else, we want them to be able to politely flag down the waiter/waitress and ask them for what they need with a please and a thank you. We want them to grow up and speak up for themselves and I believe that it all starts with manners.

It's a blurry picture but I just love that he was dancing with her because she wanted him to

1. Begin Early

Just like anything, we are continually on them about their manners. I mean from the moment we started handing them things we would hand it to them and say "Say thank you Mama/Daddy", even though they couldn't talk yet. Even now we continue to do this. If either of our kids want anything they know they need to say please. Here's an example of a conversation with our 5 year old:

Baby Fox: I want water
Me: That's nice
Baby Fox: I WANT WATER
Me: That's nice to know, care to ask it differently?
Baby Fox: May I please have some water, please? (this is typically how he says it, adds a lot of pleases in there, we don't correct him...)

We do the same thing with our 2 year old, we're a little more lenient with her as she is still learning and we are still teaching.

Mini Fox: Wa-wa (water)
Me: That's nice
Mini Fox: Wa-wa
Me: Can you add a please?
Mini Fox: Please..
Me: Now put it in a sentence
Mini Fox: Wa-wa Please..

2. Have the same rules at home as you do in public

This then translates to how they act at restaurants. Even before anyone else can understand them when the waiter comes to get our order we always make them order and then translate it for the waiter. When they are super young 20 months or so, we would prompt them, since they are in that parroting phase, we would tell them what to say to the waiter. Of course always making them add a please and a thank you when ordering and when drinks or food arrive.

3. Be patient and be consistent as you teach specific skills

We always make them look the people directly in their eyes when speaking to them, so if they are looking down, we tell them look them in the eyes when talking to them. When someone gives them something and they off offhandedly say thank you, we make them stop, turn around and say thank you to them while looking directly at them.

People often remark how polite our children are. Heck when Mini Fox started talking she was so polite that even when crying she would be crying and scream No THANK YOU over and over. Our response is always thank you (haha), but in our heads to each other we say, because we shove pleases and thank yous down their throat.

4. Practice and Repetition are Keys to Confidence Later

I think that being able to talk to adults politely helps them with their confidence. Making them look people in the eyes while talking teaches them not to be shy. Letting them order their food teaches them they can do this on their own. Making them flag down a waiter also teaches them confidence, they have just as much power as an adult to get someone's attention. Obviously there is more to it, but this was how we started, simply with teaching them manners.

It's never too early to start to teach them, even if they can't talk, they are continually learning by our example.

Hope you found this helpful!


Linking up here

Mini Fox's 1st Birthday Lady Bug Party

I just realized that I never showed you pictures of Mini Fox's birthday party! So here they are. I wish I had gotten more pictures of us with people at the party, actually any pictures of people at the party, LOL. Why does that always happen? Next year, it will NOT happen! I say that now, but it probably won't happen, who are we kidding.

So let's get started. I can't remember a time that I didn't love lady bugs. My mom always gave me lady bug things...case in point, my desk at work..

She gave these to me when I was college, and they have just sort of followed me from job to job. Actually the ladybug on my monitor, came on a stick in a flower arrangement my mom sent to me, and I took it off the stick. I used to have a ladybug keychain, but the leather strap finally broke and I had to throw it away, Baby Fox had eaten the legs off anyway...literally, when he was maybe 18 months I had given him my keys to occupy him while shopping and he had something in his mouth and I asked him what it was and he said a bug..yep, he ripped those legs off and was chewing on them, ew.


Anyway, back to the party. I knew when we had a girl that I wanted to do a Ladybug themed party. Then I saw this tutorial, and knew it was meant to be :)




Here's my finished project, I actually made enough to give everyone a set of these...

Then I made these cute little flower things too. I originally made these to put on a headband with some feathers, and I did, but Mini Fox suddenly went through a no headband phase and that dream went out the window.

The best picture I could get when I made the headband with the Marabou Puffs. It really was cute, but she just wasn't going to keep it on her head. I ended up giving it to a friend.

I knew that we were going to have some boys coming too, and they can't take home a hair thing, so I made some goodie bags for everyone to take and then some barrettes for those that wanted them too.
The goodie bags, just make a little tag up, printed it out and used those candy bags from Micheal's, looks really nice and people don't even realize I made them.

On my ladybug internet search, I randomly came across this wreath...I was NOT going to pay $45 for it, so I figured out how to do it myself. I sort of followed this tutorial (I just love her southern accent), but when I followed her tutorial my wreath was just not full enough, and the red deco mesh (can buy at Hobby Lobby for $9.99, but I used a 40% of coupon, so it was $6) was a little see through, so I could still see my wire wreath underneath. After I got done doing it exactly like the tutorial, I just cut off longer strips and randomly tucked them in to make the wreath more full. Yes I cheated like that. I cut out felt circles, painted a styrofoam ball black and added some black pipe cleaners, glue gunned everything together and done. FYI: The head: I didn't have enough black paint, so really only the part you see is black...haha, again I cheated.

I just love the way it came out, better than I thought it would! Considering I spent maybe $10 on it, much better than the $45 they were going to charge me to buy it on Etsy.

Onto the set up:

The lighting was terrible, so it was hard to get a picture, and people were about to show up, so I quickly snapped these...I always do this!

Anyway, the ladybug wings were bought at Dollar Tree, for..you guessed it a dollar. The flowers and ladybugs on the windows I used my Cricut. I love that thing! If you look out the window to the right, see those lanterns? I bought those off of Oriental Trading Company, that place is a gold mine!

 

I used the circuit to cut out the ladybugs and flowers for the banner.

Up close to the food table:

I wanted to do something lightish and picnic'y and Chicken Salad Croissants seemed to fit the bill, plus everyone LOVES them.

I actually bought from a Party Resale group on Facebook, these frames, I'm not sure how she used them, but I quickly whipped up these pictures to put in them. I thought they turned out great. If you want the inserts, just email me and I'll send it over to you, blank of course, so that you can put whatever you want in there. I made them up, then printed them off at Costco.

I used this Strawberry Spinach Salad recipe.

This Caesar Pasta Salad, while I couldn't eat it, everyone said it was really good. I just wish I had some more salad dressing...I made a double batch and could have really used 2.5 bottles of dressing.

This Chinese Chicken Salad Recipe

This Chicken Salad Recipe.

.

 A little something for the kids, although most of the kid ate everything but these, so next time I probably won't get these, or maybe get one box, instead of two.

There were 3 of these boxes in the stuff that I bought off of the resale group, I put a vase inside, and then did our own flower arrangements. When I say I, I really mean my sister put them together.

And I also got the monthly banner from her too. Of course using my own pictures. I have no idea where she put this at her party because it was LONG, I actually had to shorten the length between the pictures...I didn't have a wall long enough for it...but I think it turned out GREAT here.

A really good friend made the cake for us! Can you believe it? It turned out BETTER than I could have imagined. She doesn't do this for a living, just for fun. When she said she wanted to make a cake, I said great! Do what you want. And this is what she came up with. Perfect right? We're so lucky to have such talented friends.

 I wish her shirt was pulled down, but what can ya do? It's still cute. Notice the ladybug clips in her hair, so cute! Totally finishes the cute outfit.

We took the top layer off for her smash cake...Oh and I made the tulle skirt for her high chair and attached it using the Command Hooks.  Not sure how her hair came out, but it ended up in one ponytail with a ladybug.

So serious

Love how all three of us are blowing out the candle.

We did a practice run with a cupcake on her actual birthday a few days prior, we thought she would dig right in...she just stared at it...so Mr. helped her out a little.

She continued to stare so we shoved her hands in it...I just wanted one of those messy pictures where cake is everywhere...

Not so sure about this cake stuff...

Yep, don't like it, don't like it!

Get it off!

 

NOW!!!!!

Such a classic 1st birthday picture, love it!

 A picture with my Mom

One of the only pictures I have with someone that came to the party...doh!

I love this picture because Baby Fox has his vampire teeth in...

and I love this picture, because Mr. is trying to get Mini Fox to eat the cake...open wide!

I think the party was a huge success and at the end I ended up selling everything to someone else, so it was off my hands and I had some change in my pocket, can't beat that! You should see if you have a party resale facebook group in your area, you can get some great stuff on there, and sell your stuff when you're done. Win-win.

Linking up with Tip Me Tuesday, Too Cute Tuesday, Link Party Palooza, Take a Look Tuesday and Handmade Tuesdays

It's Friday Time to Party!

Hey, hey, hey it's Friday! And guess what? I had the day off! Woo hoo! So this post is coming at ya a little late, had to wait till the little humans went down for a nap. Thank you for those days they nap at the same time!

1.

Have I told you guys about Younique? It's my new favorite product. I'm sure you guys have heard the buzz about 3D Fiber Lash. Well I finally decided to give it a try and I LOVE it! Get ready for a bunch of close up pictures of my eyeball (you're welcome).

I don't know if you know, but I have little to no eyelashes...see below:

Now this is me with just mascara on, I use Volum' Expresss the Falsies Waterproof Mascara.

Now this is just one coat of the 3D Fiber Lash.

And then I added another coat, just cause I could, a girl can and will take as much length as she can!

This is how it works: you have a transplanting gel which you apply first, and then you immediately apply the natural fibers followed by another coat of the transplanting gel. I usually have both caps open and do one eye at a time. I cannot say enough good things about this product. I seriously love it and want to scream from the roof tops how awesome it is! I told a bunch of my friends when I started using it, and they wanted to try it too, so I told them I would host a party so that they could try it. I thought I would invite anyone else who wants to try it, here's the link to my party. If you have any questions let me know.

2.

I love that my parents moved close to us, now they can come and walk Baby Fox to and from preschool with me

3.

This happened yesterday, I won the bet. Mr. and I bet that Mini Fox would walk before 13 months 1 week. I had everything below that, he had everything above, I won by 1 week. I'll never let him forget it.

4. 

Remember this post? And I asked all of you to vote for Baby Fox, well I won! We won a $50 gift card to Amazon, so Thank You! What should I get?!

5. 

This picture cracks me up. It looks like Baby Fox is eating Mini Fox, but in reality Mini Fox is laughing hysterically and loving every second of it.

Linking up with: Erika, Andrea, and Narci for Friday Favorites,  September Farm and The Farmer's Wife for Oh Hey, Friday, 
April, Darci, Natasha and Christina for Five on Friday and Lauren for High Five for Friday