Deals and Steals

Who doesn't love a good deal?  Am I right?  Of course I'm right.  Duh.  I'm always on the look out for a good deal, but I'm especially frugal when it comes to buying things for myself for a few reasons:

1.  I think we've established that I enjoy shopping for my kids waaaaay more than I enjoy shopping for myself (and yes, I know that seems to crazy to most people but I'm ok with that).  This means that I also spend more money on their wardrobes than I spend on my own, so I have to be on the look out for bargains.
2.  My mom "uniform" consists mostly of sweatpants, leggings and a few pairs of jeans, along with some oversized t-shirts and sweatshirts and a few hoodies.  If I'm at home (or even out running errands) I insist on being comfortable.  Believe it or not, I do not roam around my home or Wal-Mart decked out in trendy outfits and fancy shoes with a full set of accessories adorning my neck, wrists and ears.  Most days make-up doesn't make it onto my face and there seems to be a bobby pin permanently attached to my bangs.  Don't get me wrong, I love all things fashion but I'm no Emily Maynard all dolled up in the car line or on the sidelines at the soccer game.
I'm sure that when I tell people that my degree is in fashion merchandising they think that I am lying through my teeth.  In my defense, I do make sure that my sweatpants/shirt/shoes coordinate somewhat and that I'm not wearing anything dirty or ripped:)  And I have never worn slippers or actual pajama garments out in public.  If I happen to be making an appearance at one of the kid's schools or actually spending time with other grown ups (you know - like going out to dinner or having drinks or something fun like that?) then I always make an effort to look put together and fashionable, but any other time it's full on comfort for this momma!
What was the point to reason #2???  Oh yeah, basically the moral of the story is this:  since I rarely "dress up" I prefer not to spend a lot of money on articles of clothing (or shoes or accessories) that will not be worn frequently.  If I'm going to spend a large sum of money on an item, then it needs to be a staple piece in my wardrobe and be worn often.  Gone are the days of purchasing a new outfit every weekend so as not to be seen wearing the same thing twice!  Items must be practical, versatile and reasonably priced for me to buy them!

This post is a little wordy considering that my point in writing it was simply to show off a few of the deals and steals that I've brought home recently, so without further ado here you go:

Expres handbag - regular price $59.90, MY price $17.99.

Target earrings - regular price $7.99, MY price $3.98.

Big Buddha shoes - regular price $39.99, MY price $13.99.

And of course, some things for the kiddos (or just Cooper in this case):

"Charlie Brown" shirt by Fore!!Axel and Hudson - regular price $38, MY price $18.

"Midnight" sweater by Fore!!Axel and Hudson - regular price $38, MY price $18.

"El Ace 2" by Puma - regular price $42, MY price $9.97 (these were actually
on sale for $24.99 but I used an Amazon gift card to lower the price even more).

Back to School {continued}

Our 1st days of school were a success!  Rylee is officially a 1st grader and Addyson is off to Pre-K!  Even though Addyson hadn't attended her 1st day of school yet and I didn't have all of my photos uploaded I wrote this post last week sharing some fun Back to School ideas.  Now that the 1st days for both girls are behind us I have some more photos to share.

Here are our 1st Day of School photos:

Rylee the 1st grader!

Addyson the Pre-Kindergardener! 

And here are some photos of our special Back to School breakfast table set-up:

Each of the girls got a new book and a card from Mommy and Daddy.

DIY placemats, pencil bundles and an apple
at each place setting.

Last year when I was the Chair of the Parent/Teacher Committee at our preschool I purchased this printable party package to use for a Welcome Back breakfast for the staff.  One of the great things about these printable packages is that you can save the files and use them later too:)  So that's what I did!  The patterned paper on the placemats is from the printable package.  I just glued it to a sheet of yellow construction paper - and voila!  A fun placemat!

Another element from the package was an alphabet pennant banner.  I only used some of the letters because stringing all 26 of them seemed like too much work the night before school was set to start.  I used some twine to string the letters A-H along with the apple pennants on each end and I hung the banner on our bannister.  Perfect for picture taking!

Unfortunately you can't see the banner that well but it's there:)
And the kids thought it was fun!

Happy New School Year to everyone!

Back To School {Again! and Already?}

Wow! - the summer flew by and here we are again ready for Back to School.  Sort of ready.  School supplies are purchased, ice cream socials have been attended, backpacks and lunchboxes are ready to be filled, the pantry is stocked with goodies for lunches, 1st day outfits have been chosen and I've been mentally preparing myself for earlier and more chaotic mornings for the past several days (somehow just thinking about waking up earlier doesn't make it any easier though).

Today was the big day!  For Rylee anyway.  Addyson has to wait until tomorrow for her 1st day of school (Pre-K!) but she was excited for today anyway:)  She wants so badly to do everything that Rylee does!

We are so blessed that our kids absolutely love school - everything about it really.  Both of the girls love to learn (the little man hasn't started school yet but I hope that he has the same love of learning that his big sisters do) and they adore being around friends.  I am so happy that they have such a great desire to succeed and learn everything that they possibly can at such an early age.

So even though my kids don't necessarily need that extra push to get them excited about school I still try to do some special things to make this time of year as exciting and fun as possible.  Here's what I came up with this year!

Of course we alway take the annual 1st Day of School photos, but last year I found these great printable signs (and they are free!) and I thought it was a cute way to make the photos more special.  Also, this way there is no question about what year it was or how old they were when the photo was taken.  With 3 kids I need all the help I can get!  I even went ahead and downloaded all of the signs (they go all the way up to 12th grade but by then I doubt if my kids will want their pictures taken anymore!) for future use.

I haven't uploaded any pictures from this year yet but here are the girls holding their signs last year:

Free printable signs from I Heart Naptime

This year we also bought each of the girls a new book (school related stories) and left these along with a card at their place setting on the table so that when they sat down for breakfast on the 1st day of school they had a little gift waiting for them.  I dressed up each place setting with a homemade placemat, an apple and a little bundle of pencils tied with red ribbon.  

In the center of the table I used this subway art sign found here.

To make lunchtime extra special I wrote a little note and placed it under the sandwich box and also added a surprise - a small bag of chocolate chip cookies with a tag that says "You're One Smart Cookie".

Since Addyson's 1st day of school isn't until tomorrow I haven't had a chance to upload all of my photos but when I do I will be sure to post them.  In the meantime here are some other cute Back to School ideas:

Photo from eighteen25

Photo from Amy Atlas

Photo from Party Pinching

And check out my Pinterest board for more Back to School (and/or Teacher Appreciation) ideas here.
Wishing everyone a wonderful school year!!!

Designer Spotlight

Here I am again slapping my own hand for taking so much time in between "Designer Spotlight" posts.  The last one that I wrote was back in April - you can check it out here.  I got so wrapped up in planning Addyson's birthday party and then posting about it that I neglected the fashion side of things for awhile, but I'm back again with another "new" designer.

It's hard to focus on writing a post about fall clothing when the temperatures are reaching the high 90's and low 100's most days, but if you read this post from last week then you know that I am anxiously awaiting the arrival of fall and all of the glorious clothing and footwear options that it brings along.  Stirring the pot are various retailers and designers offering pre-orders (genius!) with the option to pay only a small deposit now and then pay the balance later when they actually ship the merchandise to you.  Sign me up!

If you know me at all you know that I care way more (probably too much) about my kids' wardrobes than I do my own, so most of these "Designer Spotlight" posts feature children's clothing.  Just this past spring I came across a company that was new to me and I'm so glad that I discovered this adorable brand!

Truthfully I can't remember (as with so many things that I find on the web) exactly how I came to find Swanky Baby Vintage but if I recall correctly I linked to their site through Facebook somehow.  Seems like all roads lead to Facebook and/or Pinterest these days.  Regardless of how I found this sweet little girls' line, I'm loving their clothing and so are my girls!  Check out their story here.

And here are some photos of their new Fall Collection called Prep School Swank!
P.S. - it's available for pre-order now:)

Oh FALL, Where For Art Thou?

So I realize that this post may make me seem a bit fickle since I just wrote this post  about longing for spring a mere 5 1/2 months ago, but it has been a brutal summer with record breaking high temperatures and severe drought conditions, so my desire for cooler temps and fall apparel is growing by the day.

Yes, I was complaining about heavy jackets and static (blah, blah, blah) and I was beyond ready to break out my sundresses and flip flops (which I still find a million times more comfortable that jeans and a static filled sweater) back in February, but now that I've practically worn holes in every sundress, skirt and tank top that I own I'm ready to move on to the next season.  Which hopefully will be a true fall with mild temperatures and a few months of crisp and cool days before winter comes blowing in.

It has been so hot this summer that even a tank top and shorts don't provide much comfort or reprieve from the heat.  I'm not even sure of the last time that I wore shoes other than flip flops because the heat causes my already chubby feet to swell to the point that they begin to spill out of any strappy sandals that I might attempt to wear nearly cuttting off the circulation to my lower appendages (namely my piggies).  And wearing some of my favorite jewelry like big, chunky rings isn't so fun either when said items end up stuck on my fingers.  For of you that don't know, I'm an accessories kind of girl all the way.  

Ring from Express

If I'm being honest though, there's more to my wanting the season to change than just the weather.  Yes, the heat is almost unbearable and it's hard to look good when the make-up is melting right off of my sweaty face, but there's more to the story.  Retailers and designers start sending out sneak peeks of their fall collections in early June (if not before), and many also offer pre-orders on these items.  Even Old Navy has jumped on the "pre-order bandwagon"!  My e-mail inbox and Facebook page have been flooded with fall previews and pre-order offers for well over a month now.  And even though it's 100+ degrees outside and it won't be cool enough to wear most of these items for at least 2 more months, I find myself having a strong desire to start placing orders.

Just looking at some of the clothing and boots makes me sweat right now but lately I find myself spending more and more of my "me time" sitting in front of the computer  looking at page after page of the new fall trends and must have items.

Here is the Pantone color palette for fall:

Very similar to the bright colors from this past spring but with tones that are a little deeper and more rich.  I think I love them all but my favorites are Honey Gold, Olympian Blue and Tangerine Tango.  I'm still intrigued by Pantone (apparently the "world-renowned authority on color") and the whole concept of having a Color of the Year (Tangerine Tango for 2012).  Click here for more info on Pantone's Color Report for Fall 2012.


Here are a few of the items on my "Must Have List" for fall:

"Smokestack" boots from Spool No. 72

The RockStar superskinny denim in Honeycomb from Old Navy

Essie nail polish in Mesmerized

Handbag from Express

And while I'm at it, here are a few things for the kids (because as you know I actually enjoy shopping for them even more than I do for myself).

Shirt, skirt and headband from Persnickety Clothing

Girls' Roxie shoe from Livie and Luca

Spade print long sleeve shirt from Fore!!Axel and Hudson

Boys' Rex shoe from Livie and Luca

How can you NOT want to shop for fall with all of this deliciousness out there??? Now here's to hoping that we actually get to experience fall before we have to cover this cuteness up with bulky winter coats and snow boots!

Confession

I have a confession to make.  This might not come as a surprise to those that know me well as I have been described as being anal, obsessive and overly organized just to name a few - but I am a compulsive list maker.  That's right, I can't stop making lists.

Right now I am sitting here at the desk and I am writing a list of new recipes that I would like to try (mostly from Pinterest), along with a grocery list and a list of books for the kids to check out the next time we go to the library.  That last one is totally random and unrelated to the other 2 lists, but it popped into my brain so I thought I better do it while I was thinking about it.  Oh, and I almost forgot - there is also a list of items that I am planning to sell on ebay and possible prices for each.

Yesterday I made a list of all of the items that I would like to purchase for the empty wall in our living room along with their prices and where to order them from.  The day before that was a list of clothing items that I want to order for the girls from some of my favorite online retailers.

I start so many lists each day that I usually forget to finish them all or end up losing at least one or two.  I have lists on post-it notes, in notebooks, on random pieces of paper and even some saved on the computer (which seems like the best option since those are less likely to be lost or thrown away).

As I was typing this I started making a mental list of future blog posts to write.  I haven't had much to say lately and I've also been lazy when it comes to typing my thoughts but I just got a few ideas while sitting here.  Add that to my list of lists.

So I'm off to complete my grocery list and maybe another one - unless I start a new one first!

The List Goes On {and on and on}...

I know that I'm not the only person out there feeling like their lists of projects go on and on and on, but with 3 kids ages 6 and under it feels as though I am constantly working on a project of some sort and my list truly seems to be never-ending.  If it's not a holiday then it's a birthday and if it's not a birthday then it's a home project and if it's not a home project then it's a school project - you get the point.  Right now I'm not even talking about daily lists like grocery shopping, errand running, laundry, cooking and cleaning.  I'm talking about BIG projects, or maybe "events" would be a more appropriate term.

Here's how our annual list plays out:
We just celebrated Addyson's Birthday and Father's Day (her party was on June 16th, the 17th was Father's Day and the 18th was her actual birthday) followed by the 4th of July (for which I to my own dismay did no decorating, but the kids still needed to be outfitted with red, white and blue apparel and there were parades to attend, fireworks to see, etc.).  On top of these holidays/celebrations we've squeezed in the usual summer activities - camps, classes, lessons, play dates and trips to visit both sets of grandparents.

Next up we'll have some Back to School fun with a few baking and crafting projects to get the kids excited for the new school year.  I only started making a big "to do" about the Back to School thing last year when Rylee started kindergarten, but it's the perfect time to create some keepsake items and make great memories.  It's also the end of summer and by then everyone has tired of sidewalk chalk, bubbles and playing in the sprinkler so this is a nice change of pace!

At some point later this summer or early in the fall we will be transitioning Cooper to a Big Boy Room and Rylee's room could also use a makeover/update, so I have been looking for ideas and making some mental plans for both of their rooms.  As it turns out we'll probably do both room makeovers at the same time because we are planning to take the bed from Rylee's room and use it in Cooper's room.  I'm not sure yet if this is a good or a bad thing.  Revamping 2 bedrooms at the same time is going to be a little overwhelming but at least they'll both be done and I won't have to worry about doing it again for quite some time.  We just updated Addyson's room a few months ago so once we get Cooper and Rylee set up all 3 kids will have "new" rooms that should last them for at least a few years.

By that time Halloween will be upon us so there's the costume choosing, candy buying and home decorating to do, and Matt's Birthday is on Halloween so we'll have to throw in some sort of celebration for him too.

From there we'll switch out the Halloween decor for Thanksgiving decor, but before we eat our feast we'll celebrate Cooper's Birthday earlier in November.  Of course, Christmas shopping will have begun at this point too.

As soon as all of the Fall/Thanksgiving decor comes down, the Christmas decor starts going up inside and out, and it stays up for about 3-4 weeks.  Then there's the hustle and bustle of shopping, gift wrapping, baking, cooking, etc. and the actual holiday itself.  I try to take down all of the Christmas decor in a timely manner after New Year's has passed because Rylee's Birthday is later in January and I have to prep for that.

After Rylee's birthday bash we do a little decorating and usually some baking for Valentine's Day and again for St. Patrick's Day.  Otherwise, February and March are "slow" months for us.

Then we take the month of April off (not really though because at that point I have started prepping for Addyson's birthday again) and in May we only have Mother's Day to contend with.

And now we're back to June and we start the month off with our Wedding Anniversary on the 4th and My Birthday on the 5th, then in the middle of the month comes Father's Day and Addyson's Birthday.

And the cycle starts again!

Thankfully updating the kids' bedrooms isn't an annual event, but I was sort of hoping that sometime over the next several months that maybe, just maybe Matt and I could actually do some updating and improving in our own bedroom along with a few other areas of the house.  Or maybe even plan and host a grown-up party (now that's an idea!).  I guess I'll just add those to my list!


I should add that I am in no way, shape or form complaining about this list.  I love every minute (almost every minute anyway) of this crazy, non-stop cycle that is my life and if I didn't have a never-ending list of projects/events to work on I would be bored to death.  It's just that I've never taken the time to think about these things in a "yearly" sort of way and when I did I realized that it truly is ~freakin~ Never Ending!