New Orleans



 

Funny story about this building with the American flag. According to whatever map H pulled up on his phone, this was supposed to be Brad Pitt's house in New Orleans. So we took a few photos only to realize back at the hotel that this wasn't Brad Pitt's house. Womp...womp.

 

 

On the way back from Florida a week ago we stopped in New Orleans for the night and the next day we explored the French Quarter. I must say I was completely surprised with the area. I always thought all that was left of the French quarter was just one long street and the area wasn't all that nice. That wasn't true at all. It's a very big area and it was so neat to walk through parts of the city and see it's history. We didn't spend that much time walking around since we were without our strollers, but we saw quite a few sights and I really want to go back.

 

Have a great Tuesday!

 

Beachin' It

I'm by no means an expert on living by the beach, but I thought I'd share what worked for us, We stayed in Florida for a week and thankfully nobody got a sunburn. With the girls we were diligent about applying Babyganics sunscreen 20 minutes before they got in the water and then reapplying after about 2-3 hours.

 

 

I bought both Layla and Mariam sunhats from Old Navy but I only got them to wear them for a little while before they would just tear them off.

 

As far as floaties, I was very happy with the puddle jumper arm floats we bought for Layla. It held her up really well and made her comfortable in the water. Most times she didn't even want us to hang onto her. We should have bought a set for Mariam. With her we used a speedo floatie and it just didn't work with keeping her balanced in the water. It floated fine but it would quickly flip her over. One other thing I highly recommend for taking little ones to the beach and bay are water shoes. You can find them for really cheap at Walmart.

 



I was also pretty diligent about wearing my sunhat and keeping my sunglasses on--hence why I ended up with my face much lighter than the rest of my body.

 

 

I also thought it would be fun to bring our collection of Ella+Mila nail polishes and we all had fun painting our nails one day. I wore the color "pool party". Oh, one thing that I wasn't crazy about that happened is my hair turned super brassy. I didn't even wet it that often, but just washing it daily and exposing it to the sun so long really did a number on it. I plan on buying some toner next week and seeing if I can fix it. I'll do a post about it if it comes out successfully.

 



Have a great weekend!



 

 



 



The Bay

For two days in a row we went to St. Joseph Peninsula State Park. It has an abundance of wildlife, nature trails, a bay and beach side, and a variety of other fun things to do. The park is located right at the end of the Peninsula on Cape San Blas. On the first day we got there we had lunch near their playground and then somehow I let H convince me to wade out into the water with him and the kids. That all sounded lovely except for the fact that we had to first pass up swamp areas on both sides where there were signs indicating there were alligators and to swim at your own risk. 

 

I was terrified! What was I thinking!?

 

We didn't go out terribly far, but I kept seeing little ripples or something jump out of the corner of my eye and I really just wanted to high tail it out of there with Mariam in my arms, but you're supposed to walk slow as to not cause too much commotion. So we sloooowly made our way back and I was literally praying the whole time. H thought I was being a chicken, but being attacked by an alligator was not on my vacation to do list--thank you very much. I admit though since having kids, I'm definitely not as adventurous as I used to be when it comes to the outdoors--and heights.

 

 

After that we headed to the nicer area where a lot of other people were. There were no swamps around unless you kept walking towards the left side. I loved the bay! There was quite a few people out on small boats, snorkeling, playing, or just sunbathing. I was amazed that such a large body of water could have such a large part that was very shallow. I've just never seen anything like it. The girls had a blast and Layla looked so cute when she would sit on H's back like a little baby stingray as he snorkeled and looked for shells.

 

Have a great Thursday!

 

 



The beach is that way, the world is round

 

If you're wondering where that title came from, it's a saying my cousin Lori taught me when I used to visit her in Chicago when I was younger. I'm really not sure where she got it from. I suppose she told me one time but I don't remember.

 

Anyways, back to recapping our trip. Let's talk about the biggest attraction which was the beach of course. The weather was great for 7 days we were there except for one day where it rained for a little bit. The water was also at a comfortable temperature. I loved the beach and how secluded it was. It still got a little busy at times but nothing like the overly touristy areas. I have to admit that I was a little worried about sharks. There hasn't been an attack since 2004 I believe in Cape San Blas but the boy was fishing and had shrimp in his pocket which was not a good idea. Thankfully we didn't see any sharks or any other scary sea creatures, though Serena saw a few Jellyfish.

 

 

I took soooo many photos, but I don't want to do a picture overload so I'll just stop here. Tomorrow I'll have a post with more pictures about the experience at the bay and conclude on Friday with tips on baby gear for the beach, What to bring to the beach and thoughts on beach body, hair and skin image. Have a great Wednesday!

 

Cape San Blas, Florida: Where we stayed

 

We're back! Though I don't want to be. We had such a good time there I didn't want to leave. We stayed for a week so I have a lot to cover but I thought I'd just start where everything starts--at the beginning.

 

I mentioned before that we rented a condo overlooking the beach. It was fully stocked with everything you could think of. We brought tons of stuff that we didn't actually need because the condo already had it. Everything from band aids to batteries, to books and movies. Every kitchen appliance and utensil you might need. It really was our home away from home. It was also clean with two bedrooms and two bathrooms. We brought some food in our cooler and ended up buying what we needed from the local trading post which was down the street and one trip to Piggly Wiggly which was about 18 minutes away. We didn't try any of the restaurants there but did order pizza on our last night there.

 

Before we got there I was a little put off at the thought of having to still cook and clean it being a vacation and all, but with three rambunctious kids this was definitely the way to go. We ate dinner almost every night on the patio while listening to jazz music and having some wine. We grilled, we roasted marshmallows. It was so peaceful. There's nothing like enjoying a meal with the wind blowing while looking out at the ocean.

 

 

I'm breaking this trip recap into several posts so stay tuned for the next post dedicated to the beach with lot's of pictures to share.

 

Have a great Monday!

 

 

 





In Florida!

Having the best time with the family! Be back soon....





Our weekend

Wow. How is it Tuesday already? How are we past the mid year point anyways? Jeez each year just goes by faster and faster. It must be the kids...and aging. I thought I read somewhere that the more kids you have the faster time goes, or something like that. Not sure if it rings true for everyone.

So yes, here we are on Tuesday--it's about to be Wednesday because I'm blogging at 11:20 pm and it's way past my bedtime but where else am I going to find the time to do it? 

Our July 4th was pretty low key. I took the kids to Bayou Bend collections and H went to his brother's house to watch the soccer game. Surprisingly the kids behaved for the most part, but it was sooo hot that we weren't out there that long. Not to mention there really wasn't that many children's activities like I thought there was going to be. So we were there only about an hour and a half and then we made a Target run and back to home to meet H up and go out to eat. Afterwards we bought a few fireworks and just popped them at home once the rain died down. Sunday and Monday were spent mainly getting orders under control with my seamstress and today we took the kids to pick blackberries.

Afterwards we went to my dad's to watch Brazil against Germany. Did any of you catch the game? It was nuts! I mean 7-1! What a shame. I'm still replaying it in my head and it's hard not to feel second hand embarrassment for Brazil as they got completely crushed in the game. While watching it I couldn't help but wonder how they even made it that far. I know after the second goal so early in the game they knew they were defeated. the way they played showed it. I still don't understand how they kept making the same mistakes over and over and over. Things picked up for them a little bit in the second half and thank goodness for that one goal. #11 let them leave the game with at least a sliver of honor.

Nursery Feature!

Happy day before 4th of July! I know it's been about a week since I've blogged but it's been busy as usual. The girls have been up to their usual activities of turning the house...and my life upside down and I've had back to back wholesale orders. So there ya go. Blogging is always the first thing that gets pushed to the back when I've run out of room to fit anymore things in my life. Anywho, popping in today because I was thrilled to see Mariam's nursery featured on Apartment Therapy today! It's a popular website filled with interior design inspiration and plenty of DIY ideas.

 

 

You can find my original reveal here and I'm still absolutely in love with how the room came out and I look forward every evening when I nurse Mariam to sleep in the glider as the sun is going down. I haven't made any progress to Serena's room since the last update, but slowly but surely I'll get around to it sometime after we get back from vacation.

 

Have a great weekend!