I love a good reason to shop.

After complaining the day before yesterday that I was tired of being cooped up in the house with 3 screeching girls due to rain, heat and mosquitos, H suggested maybe I should take them to the mall to play. Of course he didn't mean to buy things, but who goes to the mall just to go? Of course I have to buy things! I figured now was a great time to get most of our beach essentials and by beach essentials I mean cute bathing suits and accessories.

 

One of the first stores we went to was Forever21. Even though I loathe going through racks of unorganized clothes, the swimsuits are kept in one section that you can't miss. They really didn't have a huge selection, but I did find a really cute mint bikini. I was originally looking for a one piece because after a few months of an insatiable sweet and carb tooth, I currently have this little mom pooch that I need to work off--but uh...that's not happening in two weeks before our trip. What I love about the bikini is that it has some cutouts which is exactly what I wanted--if I was going to be getting a two piece.

 

{F21 Bathing Suit}

 

I also found this adorable top that is long and sheer enough to wear as a coverup.

 

 

I also picked up a few things we'll be needing for the condo. Ocean breeze candle for nights out on the patio, linen room spray because let's face it, I'm sure the condo might be stuffy if it hasn't been used in awhile. A few toiletries, sun hats for the girls from Old Navy, and a ridiculously adorable petal bathing suit from Gymboree outlet. Serena also got a few tops, and some accessories.

 

{Sunhats}

 

Have a great weekend!





Summertime!

 

 

Florida here we come! Well in two weeks that is. H just rented us a condo right along the beach last night. We'll be staying for 6 nights with the kids. I'm so excited! It's been a while since we've booked a vacation longer than 3 days and this will be our first vacation as a family of 5. I'm a little nervous about the 10-12 hour car ride with the kids, but hopefully everything will go smoothly. I'll have to think of everything I can think of to keep them entertained.

 

Meanwhile, I'm already thinking about what we're going to pack, though I imagine we'll be in shorts and our swimsuits most of the time. We'll be in a less touristy area right on a cape so our days will be spent pretty much on the beach. One of the reasons we rented a condo is because of the space and a full kitchen. We plan on buying groceries and cooking most of our meals. Trying to figure out where to go to eat 3 times a day with 3 kids is going to be too much of a hassel. We hardly eat out as a family as it is, because the little ones are too hard to take out and have a sit down meal with. We plan on just relaxing and taking it easy. Have I mentioned how excited I am?!

 



Let them eat cake..

 So not sure what's gotten into me lately, but I have been on a gourmet food kick lately.

 

You'd be amazed at how a little bit of parsley transforms your dish from looking dull to something whipped up at an upscale restaurant. Btw, that salmon I made last week was sooo delicious! You must try this recipe for a sweet and salty salmon rub. Usually I have a love/hate relationship with cooking. I mean I do it all the time about 5-6 days a week, but most of the time it's a chore. I love food, but let's just say if I had a personal chef to meal plan and cook for me, I would be in heaven. I think part of the hate part comes from lack of confidence when it comes to cooking, but I'm getting over it slowly.

Things change. I've changed, and I've gotten more relaxed on what my girls eat. I always strive to feed them balanced and healthy meals but I also let them indulge in sweets here and there. I mean how could I not? I have a huge sweet tooth and I can only hide in the corner munching on a Hershey's almond bar for so long before they find me. A little bit of sweets are ok and I am diligent about incorporating organic foods in their diet and brushing their teeth. I wasn't always this way. I was more strict with sweets than I should have been with Serena. I still remember that time we went to the zoo with my best friend and her kids when Serena was 5. My friend stopped in the ice cream shop and bought her kids ice cream and I wouldn't let Serena have any because she hadn't had dinner yet. It was also the principle that I had said no and she was insisting. So yes she had to sit at the table while the other kids had ice cream and she didn't. I don't know why I said no. I guess I remembered how my parents were. They hardly ever had sweets in the house and I couldn't really remember them ever indulging us much with surprise ice cream shop trips. I mean no ice cream because it wasn't after dinner? Ugh. I still feel horrible about that day and it's definitely on my list of one of my worst parenting moments. Thankfully, Serena doesn't remember and I'm always humbled by the amazing forgiveness that children are capable of. So yes I am pretty relaxed now when it comes to sweets. I do like to surprise them with trips to our local cupcakery, or a quick drive to Sonic's.

Have a great Monday!




My toddler has a better wardrobe than me.

 {White crochet top} {similar floral pants}

 

Last week after an impromptu trip to JC Penney I found the most adorable top for Layla, and then I saw the floral pants...and then I saw something for Mariam and Serena. Obviously cute girls clothes are my weakness. The good thing is I do get good use out of most of them seeing how I have more than one girl. One of these days I'll start building my wardrobe again. Lord knows it's looking sparse these days.

 



Big girl room Update

 

Now that I've finished redecorating the nursery I'm now moving onto Serena's room. Her furniture is white and the walls are a very pale green. I'm not crazy about the wall color but I have no intention of changing it. It would be too much of a hassle and I'm just not in the mood to take on a paint job or have someone else do it and have the furniture moved out and all that jazz.

 

In my plans for the room I envisioned a white or floral bedspread and go with a garden theme, but those plans completely went out the door when Serena spotted a turquoise ruched comforter on a recent Target trip. Turquoise is her favorite color so here is where I had to let go of the reigns and go for it. A lot of times I persuade her towards something else when she makes a less than favorable fashion choice, but I have to give in sometimes and the comforter is cute so I put it in my cart. I do feel that the color clashes a little with the wall but we'll just make it work. I'm not sure what other colors to incorporate at this point, but I will be adding touches of silver. Serena has had her eye on the "sweet" silver sequin pillow that's available in my shop and it went perfect with her comforter.

 

All in all there isn't a lot I need to add to the room, but I'd like to get a cute accent rug, A picture to hang above her dresser, some accent pieces to display on her dresser and nightstand, and I have my eye on a wall decal for the biggest wall in her room.

 

{Turquoise comforter} {Sequin pillow}

 

Have a great weekend!

 



Do not let this face fool you..

Or this one...

 

Or this one...

 

 

These little girls almost made me run away and join the circus today. I've already had a glass of wine earlier, I'm sitting here eating a snickers blizzard from Dairy Queen (which I'll be paying for later because they always give me a stomach ache) and my nerves are still shot. Today was a plethora of crying, whining, picking on each other, wipes being strewn about, trying to escape from Walgreens, and a host of other behavior that by the end of the day left me wanting to run out of the house screaming.

 

I mean it's a miracle I even came back from Dairy Queen earlier.







Recent things.

It's been about a week since I've blogged and I've been trying to get to it, but there's been a lot going on with Serena wrapping up 5th grade last week and starting summer vacation. Eeek!! I can't believe she's starting middle school in fall. I'm not ready! Time goes by too fast.

 

Today was our first Monday of no school and all 3 girls at home with me during the day. I'll back up and mention the weekend and some recent finds. It was a nice weekend. Definitely more relaxed and a big part of it was my reduced stress level thanks to my newest seamstress and Mariam being a bit easier. Saturday I left the littles at home and Serena and I did some shopping for groceries and things we needed. I have a slight polka dot obsession as you can see if you've ever visited my shop, so I was thrilled when I found these adorable boxes in the clearance section at Target.

 

{LC Flip Flops} {Bowls}{Target boxes}

 

Speaking of polka dots. New in shop. :)

FHJ Baby

 

Have a great Monday!

 

 



Sweet girls and new hair

I finally got some "me" time a week ago and was able to get my hair cut and colored. I usually only  see my hairstylist 2-3 times a year and touch up with L'Oreal Hi-lift Ash brown in between. This time I wanted to go a little bit lighter instead of what we normally do. She added in more highlighted pieces and I really like the way it came out. She also took about 2 inches off the bottom (it was so long!) and gave me a few layers for volume since I like to wear my hair wavy. Currently I'm growing my bangs out, but we'll see how long that lasts. You know I've always been tempted to try being blonde and I'm sort of inching my way there, but we'll see if I actually go through with it. Just one of those things I want to try once in my life. Sometimes I just want to do something drastic but still look like me--which probably makes no sense at all.

 



 

Oh. If you notice, Layla's bangs are a little short. That was a little "oops" on my end. I didn't mean to cut them so short, but it's really hard to trim her bangs because she moves. We tried taking her somewhere to let a professional do it but she just refused. Maybe next time she won't be scared.

 

Classic Mariam. :)

 

 

 

Have a great Monday! Can you believe we are in June already? I mean how did that happen?! It seems like every year just goes by faster and faster.