I hope you are having a great week. The day off yesterday was just what I needed to have a bit of downtime mixed in with productivity. Now we’re on the downhill slide to the weekend.
I had to double check my calendar. I can’t believe it’s the second Wednesday of the month! That means I’m linking up with Shay and Erika for Let‘s Look.
I skipped October because I’d already shared a post about fears for the blog challenge.
This month we are looking at…stocking stuffers.
Tis the season, y’all!
I looked back at my Amazon history, and today I’m sharing a few favorite stocking stuffers.
I know it seems random but this tissue box cover “elevates” an eyesore on the counter. There are a variety of colors, and it’s less than $8! I have this “pastel gray” one and have gifted it to others as well.
I stuck this razor kit in Hayden’s stocking last year. While he doesn’t need it often ☺️, it has definitely come in handy.
This heatless curl set is Hadley approved. It comes in a few different designs…including “candy cane!”
Both Travis and Hayden have these stocking caps with a light for running. It’s the perfect gift for a runner during the winter months.
I hate to exaggerate, but this ground meat chopper is a game changer for cooking! I use it every time I cook ground meat.
I have this watch band, and I love the scallop detail. It comes in so many cute colors; maybe I should grab another one.
These rose gold earrings are my favorite, and I wear them almost every single day. They are less than $10, and have a $1 off coupon.
These socks are fun for any gamer or teen in your life. For only $6, they’d be a perfect stocking gift. I got them for Hayden a couple of years ago.
Bananagrams is a fun game for all ages. It’s the perfect size to take for family fun when you travel.
I’ve shared these portable chargers before, and they’ve worked great for us through the years. They got us through the five day power outage last spring. I have my eye on this one because it’s slimmer, and we could use one or two more.
Honestly, stockings have always been my favorite part of Christmas morning.
Happy shopping!
{This post contains Amazon Affiliate links. Thanks for supporting my blog.}
In August, I discussed worst habits in a blog challenge post.
This month, we are looking at…our evening routine.
I captured a pretty “routine” evening on Monday. Here’s what it looked like:
Most afternoons, I pick up the kids up from school and we head home.
I planned soup for dinner, so I put that in the slow cooker as soon as we got home. I made one of our favorites…Sausage and Cheese Tortellini Soup.
Then, I checked in on the kids as they were working on homework. Hadley was working on Algebra…
…which reminded me of this meme that I saw recently…haha
So far, the kids are in a pretty good groove with juggling activities and homework. Hadley has had more homework this year than Hayden has. I can’t remember if I’ve mentioned it…but they are in the SAME Language Arts class…and they are currently seated in alphabetical order….which is unfortunate for Hadley…haha
In 6th grade, they didn’t have any classes together, and last year they had one semester of PE together. This is the first core class they’ve had together. Oh to be a fly on that wall…
Right now, with most of their activities being in the evening, they usually have a couple of hours after school to relax, have a snack and do homework before heading to cross country or volleyball practice.
Hadley usually chooses to jump right into the homework, whereas, Hayden usually watches a show and has a snack before doing his work. This year, I’ve really tried to let them manage their time…until they show me I need to manage it for them…So far, so good.
Anyway, I change out of my school clothes as soon as I can.
Monday’s outfit was actually pretty comfy…
…but it was time to change into my workout clothes.
I checked in again on the kids, filled up my water bottle and headed to the basement to get a workout in.
I’d hoped to get in some kind of morning workout groove, but it hasn’t happened. I usually get up on Friday mornings, but otherwise, I’ve had at least an hour after school to get a workout in before taking the kids wherever they need to be.
Once the school volleyball season starts, I will probably have to go straight from school to games, so I may have to incorporate more morning workouts then.
Anyway, I’m almost finished with the Sure Thing program, and I’ve been loving it.
Then, I spent a few minutes working on Tuesday’s blog post. I’ve had a hard time getting in a writing groove since school started. While I’ve been posting regularly, I’ve just had to find pockets of time to write in order to make that happen.
So, I had about fifteen minutes between my workout and taking Hadley to volleyball, so I worked on the post then.
I dropped Hadley off and ran a couple of errands. I don’t really love evening errands, but her volleyball nights are the same time that Travis is with Hayden at cross country practice. Since Hadley’s volleyball is only for an hour, I usually run an errand or two nearby.
On Monday, I took a couple of books back to the library, and stopped by Walgreens before…
…heading back to watch the last twenty minutes of her practice.
Once we got home, we all sat down for dinner together. We kept it simple with just the soup, but it was a good meal…even though we didn’t eat until late.
After dinner, Travis and I cleaned up the kitchen while the kids finished up their homework.
Then, it was shower and skincare routine time.
After my shower, I watched tv until about 10:00…and I enjoyed some ice cream. I felt like I really deserved the ice cream 😉
We all headed to bed around 10:00. Travis was asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow….even though he thought he was going to finish watching the football game. haha
I read every night before bed…sometimes it’s just for a few minutes, but Monday night I actually read for about thirty minutes.
That’s a look at a pretty typical evening routine for me.
I skipped April because we had pet peeves as topic for May’s Not Just a Mompost, so I saved those ideas for that post.
Around May’s link up, I shared a “Day in the Life” post, so that ended up including most of my morning routine
This month, we are looking at our best travel tips.
Well, I’m not sure I’m the one to come to for travel tips, and I guess things have changed through the years based on my kids’ age. Also, my “toxic trait” is waiting to pack until the last minute and then always over packing.
That being said, here are a few things that came to mind…
I do try to plan ahead about two weeks leading up to leaving for a trip to KC or vacation. I use my calendar to remind myself to buy anything I need for an upcoming trip about two weeks out.
A couple of days before traveling, I do all the laundry, and then put away what we don’t need for the trip.
I used to always type out a note on my phone of things to pack and then delete it after I’ve packed. Well, I still use a note, but I quit deleting it because the list includes things I never want to forget like: sound machine, Kindle, hats, purses, etc. So, now I just delete the seasonal items like swim suit or sweater and use the note as my packing list.
Speaking of packing lists, for a couple of years now, I’ve created a packing list for the kids on the notes app and text it to them to use to pack themselves. We’ve come a long way…I still check what they’ve packed, but it’s nice that they can pack themselves.
Since I am an over-packer, over the past year, I’ve made a list on my computer of what I actually needed/wore after getting back from vacation or other trips. So, if I packed four swimsuits and only wore two, then I updated my master list. Will I ever be a person who can pack in a carry on only? Only time will tell.
Travel packing cubes are still my favorite thing ever. We have a few sets in a few different colors. I use all different sizes to pack, and the kids usually just use smaller ones to hold socks, underwear, swimsuits, etc.
For travel in the car, times have changed. I used to pack all kinds of snacks, movies, headphones, books, bags with different things like coloring books or stickers. We still pack snacks, but now the kids usually just watch Netflix on their phones and have their Airpods. I do have them bring a book when we travel in the car…especially during the school year when I know they need to read for their Language Arts class.
When we are gone for a few days, I’ve started bringing a laundry bag to hold dirty clothes. There’s only four of us, but I like to keep everything together.
Do laundry when you can. If we are in KC or somewhere with a washer/dryer, we do laundry as needed and before heading home. It’s nice coming home with clean clothes.
When we get home, we try to unpack almost everything. Kind of like I procrastinate with packing, sometimes my suitcase is the last one unpacked after a couple of days. That being said, if everything else is put away (kids’ stuff, car things, gifts at Christmas, etc), then I feel ok just having my suitcase to deal with whenever I can get to it.
I have my favorite travel bag, and this past year, I started leaving the extra sound machine and a couple of smaller packing cubes in it. So, when we are just going somewhere for a night or two and I don’t need a suitcase, then I have those items handy.
Also, I leave the other packing cubes in the suitcases, so we aren’t looking for those.
I try to replenish travel size items like shampoo or hairspray when we return home, so I don’t have to scramble to buy them before the next trip.
We always leave the house picked up, so when we get home, cleaning/tidying isn’t something we have to do. If we are really on our “A game,” we schedule for our house to be cleaned while we are gone. It’s always so nice to return home to a clean house.
Well, most of these tips have to do with prepping to travel, so I definitely have a thing or two to learn. I can’t wait to see what tips others have to share.
I probably won’t have another post until Friday, so I hope you have a great rest of your week.
Well, this month feels like it’s flying by! I always love when Shay and Erika host this monthly link up because it’s fun to see what others have to share!
This month, the topic is all time favorite Amazon finds.
Well, is there a more perfect post for me to write about?
This is a SUPER-sized Amazon post filled with some faves and even seasonal favorites as well.
All-time faves:
I purchased flameless candles back in January, and they have been perfect for decor, but they also came in very handy at night when we didn’t have power last week. I’m really glad I picked up the seven pack. At first, I wasn’t using them all, but then I put a couple downstairs on the built in, and they are perfect there.
I don’t see my exact ones anymore, but this pack has over 10,000 ⭐️ ⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2 star reviews.
I’ve been drinking my morning coffee out of this mug for years. I don’t use it as a travel mug…just my at home mug.
These slippers have become an all time favorite because they are fuzzy but don’t make my feet hot!
When I bought this electric tea kettle, I wasn’t sure how much I’d use it. Hadley uses it the most for warming up water for her mac and cheese or ramen! We also use it for water for hot chocolate. I got my mom one last year since she drinks tea. Anyway, it’s definitely a purchase that we love.
This tissue box cover is something I love so much I gave it as a stocking stuffer/gift last year. The tissue box on our kitchen counter was an “eye sore” for me, but this one is perfect to blend in the tissue box on the counter.
These packing cubes are a must for me, and I always use them when we travel.
My Kindle is probably my all time Amazon fave. I read so much more because of it. I still often have a book I’m reading, but I always have books on my Kindle too. I love it.
Winter Faves:
These Ugg dupes have been perfect to wear this winter.
I wear this sweater often and it comes in a variety of colors.
I purchased this sweater two years ago in a variety of colors, and I still wear them all often.
Spring Faves:
I have this cardigan in two colors, and wear them both all the time. They are perfect for the springtime over a dress.
I picked up this purse last spring, and I love that the strap is interchangeable, and it holds just what I need to go to church, Keeneland, or on vacation.
I picked up this midi dress a couple of years ago, and it’s one I pull from my closet often in the spring.
These joggers are great because they are light weight and a bit more on the capri side.
Summer Faves:
This swim cover up is the best. I have it in light blue and navy. It looks like they have a short sleeved version now too.
I purchased this swimsuit two years ago and have two of them. Cute, stylish, and comfy.
I love these rose gold Birk dupes. I did size up to a 10 instead of my regular 9. Hadley has them in white…she actually got them first 😆
Fall Faves:
Once the weather gets colder, I usually switch out my purse from something smaller to one that holds all the things. If I’m not carrying my Barrington bag tote, then I’m using this hobo style one:
This fuzzy cardigan is one of my favorite things to wear in the fall and winter:
These Amazon joggers can be worn year round, of course, but I love them when I don’t want to wear leggings.
Shew! I know the topic was “all-time” faves, but I’ve been a fan of Amazon for years, so I guess that means I have lots of faves. All the seasonal items I shared, I think I’ve had for at least a year…and most I’ve had for longer.
Next month’s topic is: our biggest pet peeves. Uh oh…this could be opening up a can of worms. haha!
{This post contains Amazon affiliate links…Thank you for supporting my blog!}
This month’s topic is: what’s in your medicine cabinet…
Well, we don’t have one! I got to thinking…we’ve lived in three houses, and our first one had a medicine cabinet in the bathroom Travis used, but I didn’t have one in the bathroom I used. Then, our second house didn’t have one. (It was “newer,” so maybe that’s why?) Our current house did have one in the primary bathroom, but when we redid the bathroom a few years ago, we tore it out…and there’s just a mirror there now.
This closet has always been in the bathroom, and it’s where we store all the things…
Given the crazy busy stage of life right now, I guess it’s not in too bad of shape…
Top shelf: That white tub holds travel sized things like small bags we use when we travel, and a few other odds and ends.
Second to top shelf: Sheets for our bed. The kids have their spare pairs in their bedroom closets.
Next: Towels. Since the kids don’t have a closet in their bathroom, this closet holds the towels for them and for me.
Then…I have a tub for small items like lotion, mouthwash, etc. We have another small tub for dental hygiene…mostly the toothbrush heads for our toothbrushes. Then, I have nail polish and a few beauty products.
Bottom shelf: I have a bucket with a few hair things, then my Invisalign trays, and over the counter medicines and Band aids.
Very bottom: My facial steamer, heating pad, old scale (I guess I should throw this away), and a “beauty bag” that I’ve had forever and just keep random things in it like small trash bags, sunless tanner, hand sanitizer and more.
It’s a pretty small bathroom, and it could probably be better organized, but I’d say we at least can see everything and know where to find things. The kids only have a couple of drawers and under the sink storage in their bathroom. Travis uses the basement bathroom, and keeps up with his own towels, medicines, products, etc.
I store my skincare products, daily medicine, curling iron, and more under the sink and in the couple drawers I have in the bathroom vanity.
Do I wish I had a bigger bathroom? Sure do! I honestly wish it more for the kids. They share the world’s smallest hall bathroom. I guess it keeps them humble. haha…”first world” problems for sure.
Next month we look at all time favorite Amazon finds…I better start planning that post now. Y’all know I love Amazon!
Hello! I can’t believe it’s already Wednesday…and the second Wednesday of the month at that!
Shay and Erika are back with their Let’s Look link up “where we take a peek at the little things in our lives.”
It looks like this month’s topic is: scheduling/organizing a busy family.
I will always be a paper/pencil girl in some capacity. I like the visual of seeing an entire week or month laid out in front of me. I have a desktop calendar on my desk at school, and I’ve always had a weekly calendar on the fridge with activities and meals for the week.
A few months ago, I started using this meal planner with attached shopping list, and I like having everything in one place. For the Monday-Sunday part, I write down our activities and what we are having for dinner that week. We add to the shopping list throughout the week which helps when I place my Kroger order.
The shopping list is perforated, so it can be torn off separate from the other part of the page.
It’s a blessing and a curse having kids with phones. That being said, they do come in handy for me to text them to remind them of things whether it’s to turn in an assignment or what time I’m picking them up. Having that point of contact has helped us stay organized during these middle school years.
Back in September, I wrote about how this year, our family has started using the Cozi app. We are still using this, and it’s been working pretty well!
Every person has a color to represent them on the calendar. So, we have activities listed, but we’ll also put in due dates or test dates for the kids’ school work. We can all add to it, but I seem to be the only one who does so regularly. That being said, on Sundays, I remind everyone (via the family group text) to check out the Cozi schedule for the week.
Sundays are also the days that I “make” the kids “reset” their rooms. After a week of them on the go, laundry, school papers, and more…it’s just a great day to make a point to tidy up and get organized for the week.
I really do feel like it’s a lot of work to keep us organized, but I feel better having a plan and having everyone on the same page of the said plan. My “type A” personality comes in handy for the day to day life kind of things.
This post contains an Amazon affiliate link. Thanks for supporting my blog.
Where we shop for our moms in November (I overlooked the date and missed this post)
This month’s topic is: how you host holiday parties.
Well, my answer is short and sweet. I don’t. {😂}
I decided to take a twist on this topic and share how we holiday.
Holiday Parties:
There are always a few parties that we attend. Trav’s work always has a Christmas party that is lots of fun. It’s family friendly and Santa is there.
Our friends always host a party in mid-December with neighborhood and school friends’ parents. There’s usually a beer tasting, live music, a specialty cocktail, great food, wonderful friends, and more! It’s always a fun get together.
Through the years, we’ve also attended my work Christmas party when we can, cookie decorating with moms and kids when the kids were younger, ornament exchanges, various “cookies with Santa” and more. One party that I miss is our neighborhood Christmas party. We used to have a progressive one with one house for apps, one for dinner, and one for dessert. Covid killed that one, but I hope we can bring it back in the future. It was always so fun.
Merry Christmas x 6:
Here’s our Christmas break down…
For many many years, I didn’t miss a Kansas City Christmas. Even once the kids were born, we were able to go most years. The first KC Christmas I missed was 2009 when the kids were one month old. Obviously, it was the best choice to stay home rather than drive nine hours (longer with babies) in the car.
A few years ago, we started going every other year.
Anyway, on the years we went to KC, the kids would write a note to Santa asking him to come a bit early, and our elf would take it to the North Pole. We’d celebrate the morning of December 22nd or 23 depending on our schedule. Then, we’d head to see family.
On the years we stay home, Santa comes on Christmas Eve, of course.
Thankfully, this has worked for our family quite well.
That being said, when we do go to Kansas City, we end up having a total of six Christmases! Six.
We have ours at home.
We celebrate on December 23rd with Trav’s family (We do this every year regardless of staying home or traveling for Christmas)
In Missouri, we go to my dad’s cousin’s house for Christmas Eve.
We spend Christmas morning with my dad.
Christmas afternoon with my mom.
Christmas evening with my Gma.
See…six Christmases! It’s a blessing, but it’s busy.
Let’s Look:
There’s always a variety of food and activities at each of our Christmases…
Christmas at home:
For our Christmas at home, I usually make a nice dinner for Christmas Eve or Christmas depending if we are staying home or not. Hadley always request salmon, and I make the green beans everyone loves along with Bob Evan’s mashed potatoes. We always make Shay’sPeppermint Mocha Bundt Cake for dessert.
Again, whichever day is our Christmas morning, I still always try to keep it pretty simple with cinnamon rolls, scrambled eggs, and fresh fruit. There have been times I’ve made monkey bread or a breakfast casserole too.
Christmas Eve Eve:
My mother-in-law always has lots of apps, and we usually have lasagna for dinner. Then we open gifts, followed by stockings. She’s the queen of baking, so there are lots of dessert options!
Christmas Eve:
At my dad’s cousin’s house, we always look forward to the salmon appetizer as well as other apps. Another cousin always make bacon wrapped jalapenos which are a hit. We always have a nice dinner, a gift exchange, and then usually play a board or card game as a family. It’s usually intense. haha
A favorite is Left, Right, Center!
Christmas morning:
At my dad’s, we open gifts, have breakfast (usually eggs, bacon, and mimosas (for the adults)), and then watch A Christmas Story.
Christmas afternoon:
Once we get to my mom’s we open presents and stockings. Then, by this point, we’ve already eaten quite a bit over the last couple of days, so she usually just has some snacks for us. Typically, we watch another movie and I end up getting a nap!
Christmas evening:
At my grandma’s, she has a couple of appetizers, then we open gifts. After that, she always has a nice meal (sometimes prime rib!), and her table is always so festive.
Shew! So, that’s a little bit about how we holiday. Honestly, there are times I wish I took the initiative to host a party, but between the end of the semester at school, kids’ activities, and just the general busyness of December, it’s nice to celebrate with friends, but I just don’t seem to have the energy to host!
I can’t wait for the 2023 Let’s Look topics. Until then, I hope you are having a wonderful holiday season.
Hello! How is your week going so far? We’re having a good one. The weather has been perfection…cool mornings and sunny days. It’s definitely feeling like October around here.
Today, I’m linking up with Shay and Erika for Let’s Look.
This month’s topic is: select your Halloween costumes.
I feel like I’ve done some variation of this post the past couple of years…
That being said, I think our Halloween days are about over (and the days of little cute costumes are definitely over), so these posts are always a fun little trip down memory lane for me.
As far as how we select Halloween costumes, it’s really just about the kids. I haven’t worn a Halloween costume in years. We haven’t had any adult Halloween parties since before we had kids, I think. Also, we’ve never done family costumes because I am not that creative! I do love to see what others think of, but that’s never been a priority for me.
Anyway, here’s a little look at the kids’ costumes through the years.
2010:
The kids were 11 months old for their first Halloween, and I went with pretty “simple” and “classic” costumes for my nearly one year olds. What’s cuter than a pumpkin and a skeleton?
2011:
Leading up to this Halloween, I remember a conversation about how the kids should be m&m’s since we called them H&H. My mom made these m&m costumes for them which were cute and easy.
2012:
This Halloween, the kids were almost two…and so began the years of them choosing what they wanted to be. What little boy didn’t want to be a fireman and little girl, a princess?
2013:
I’ve shared before, but this was my favorite year. Hayden wanted to be Batman, and Hadley actually said, “I’ll be Robin!” Every time I look at this photo, her little mask on her chubby cheeks kills me.
2014:
This was the first year in our new house, and we moved in a few weeks before Halloween. I remember that it was a hectic time, but the kids were very confident in what they wanted to be. Hayden was still in the super hero phase, and Frozen was all the rage at the time. Hadley wanted to be Elsa, of course.
2015:
Target was a life saver for costumes. They kids were excited to find a ninja and a pink power ranger costume in the Halloween section.
2016:
In 2016, Hadley was a bee while Hayden was Luke Skywalker.
Hadley learned to read just in time to scroll my phone for costume ideas. When she said, “let’s get buzzed” and showed me a photo of a woman in a bee costume, there was no turning back. 😂Hadley saw that adult bee costume and remembered that she had a hand me down black and yellow costume from her cousin. We bought the tights and made the headband. It turned out so cute.
Hayden loved that his light saber glowed in the dark!
2017:
Looking back, this was another favorite costume year. After the Royals won the World Series in 2015, Hayden because a huge Mike Moustakas fan. This costume was easy to put together because we already had everything we needed! Hadley decided she wanted to be Super Woman which was super cute.
2018:
This was the year Hayden returned to playing soccer, so he wanted to be Ronaldo. Hadley told me she wanted to be “an 80’s girl!” and thankfully, Amazon had everything we needed.
2019:
In 4th grade, there were lots of Ghostbusters. Hayden loved having the inflatable Proton Pack (not pictured). Hadley was so cute as a nerd. She asked if I would bring home a dictionary or thesaurus from school!
2020:
The kids were still able to trick-or-treat in 2020 even with Covid going one. Hadley and a group of friends were m&m’s while Hayden dressed as another idol of his…Patrick Mahomes.
2021:
Ahh…the first year of middle school. It’s an awkward time where some people think you are too old to trick-or-treat and others don’t mind. Hadley and a group of friends all wore different animal onsies. Honestly, I loved this as an idea because Hadley continued to wear them in the colder months as pjs.
Hayden had a last minute decision to be Happy Gilmore. The idea came about at some point thanks to Hadley and Travis. Hayden was really into golfing at the time. Travis and Hadley even found the plaid Vineyard Vines shirt at a consignment store for him that looked like the one Adam Sandler wore in the movie. It was a funny costume idea, and he went along with it. I didn’t let him carry the golf club around while trick-or-treating!
Sigh, I can’t believe the little kid costume years are over. Even more, they kids basically trick-or-treated on their own last year. The adults got together for a bit, but I was actually home in time to hand out some candy just as it was getting dark outside.
What are you favorite Halloween costumes that you had growing up?
Here I am in 1980 something as a cheerleader…-and my Care Bear brother stole one of my pom poms!
How you do ‘every day’ cleaning in August. (I didn’t have a post last month)
This month’s topic is: organize your closet
I almost didn’t write a post because I did such a lengthy one back in July , but I also thought this post would be a good way to hold myself accountable…
Three months later, and my closet is still pretty neat and tidy:
You can’t see it in the photos, but the entire floor space is empty too. I still use that space for new purchases or Amazon packages until I try things on or return, but I can actually step into my closet to put away clothes, choose an outfit, or grab a different purse.
Also, outside of my closet I have a small antique chair that my grandma passed down to me, and it used to always be the holding spot for outfits or sweatshirts. Now, I’ve even made sure to fold or hang up clothes to keep it an uncluttered space as well.
When I did my closet reorganization, I purchased these acrylic dividers, and they were definitely the best purchase.
I told myself to go through my closet and drawers at the end of each season. Well, here we are transitioning from summer to fall, and I need to do that. I just haven’t had the time. That being said, with such a big purge in June, I shouldn’t have too much that I need to donate. I am trying to follow “one in, one out” rule as much as possible.
First world problems, but I dream of having a bigger closet at some point in my life. While I know that would be more to maintain, it would be nice to feel like I have a little extra space and to be able to easily see my clothes, shoes, purses, and more.
Speaking of clothes…tomorrow, I’m going to share a few new wardrobe purchases for fall from Target and Walmart. Come back tomorrow!
showmeandsweettea.com 