Can't Live Without

We all have our favorite products or items that we can't seem to live without, those products that no matter what we try - we keep coming back to.

I'm rounding out a few things that I use on the daily and don't see myself stopping any time soon.

one | Converse Shoreline Sneakers - I wear these sneakers constantly!  They are so versatile - they go awesome with jeans, skirts, sundresses - you name it, and are easy to slip on when I'm in a rush to get out of the door.  I will always own a pair of these shoes!

Converse Shoreline Sneakers

two | Concealer - I'm a mom, enough said ;) but in all seriousness, it is very rare that I leave the house without concealer on.  I've always had dark circles around my eyes and motherhood has amplified them.  I've tried many different brands, and was even on a Maybelline kick for a while, but I came back to my tried and true friend, MAC Studio Finish.  It provides me with the best coverage using not as much product.  It's a little thick, but when applied right after your moisturizer it goes on smoothly.

 

Studio Finish Concealer  

three | Bath and Body Works Candles - These are hands down the best candles for their price, they smell delicious and one candle makes my whole house smell good!  You can't say that about many candles.  I love many of their scents, but my signature scent, and the one you'll see lit the majority of the time here is the Eucalyptus Mint candle.  It's not too over-powering and it's a very clean smell, which I love!

four |  Mascara - One of the other few things you'll rarely see me leave the house with.  Even on days where putting makeup on isn't much of an option.  I have been LOVING the Smashbox Full Exposure Mascara.  I'll talk more about it in another post, but in the meantime, if you're on the lookout for a good mascara, pick this one up!

Smashbox Full Exposure Mascara 

five | Fresh flowers - If you have been around Kids and Cabernet for a while now, you know how much I love having fresh flowers at home, and more often than not you'll see them around my house.  I know some people think they are a waste of money, but I buy inexpensive ones at the grocery store and I think having them at home makes your house more homey, inviting and adds a touch of glam - all wins in my book!

six |  Another thing I can't live without is my homemade "febreeze spray".  I make a batch weekly and spray my furniture and rugs daily since we have a dog, I try to eliminate any odors I can!  It's so easy to make, all you need is some rubbing alcohol, an essential oil of your choice and water!

 

And of course there are the obvious things like: husband, kids, WINE, and my phone - but you already know all of that ;)

What are somethings you use on the daily that you cant live without?

Friday Favorites (1/22)

 

Happy Friday y'all!!  I'm watching Fixer Upper as I type this, so the y'all is totally appropriate ;).  This week went by pretty quickly with Monday being a holiday.  I think four day weeks should be a thing!

In true Friday fashion, I'm going to share my favorites from the week!

one:  I'm obsessed with Bethany Frankel's shed turned woman cave.  It was shown on last week's episode of Real Housewives of Beverly Hills and it was so cute!  It's a place for her and her girlfriend's to hang out, have drinks and catch up. I couldn't find any pictures of the inside, but trust me it was was adorable!

two:  I had been on the hunt for some leopard heels for a while.  I saw these on Express.com and ordered them.  They are so pretty and comfortable.  I've been pairing them with everything lately!

click here for shoes

three:  I chopped off my hair yesterday and went for a "lob".  It was time for a change, my hair had been the same for a few years.  It's funny how a new hairstyle instantly refreshes your look.  I'm looking forward to having less hair to style when I wash it - blowing out my hair is always a chore.

four:  So many good posts were written this week.  A coupe of my favorites were:

• Katie Elizabeth's 10 Things To Do For Your Blog In The New Year - she gave some great pointers on how to brush up your blog and make it more reader friendly.
• Love and Bellini's  Spaghetti Aglio e Olio with Cheesy Broiled Tomatoes.
   I often make spaghetti agilio e olio (Italian for spaghetti with garlic and olive oil) when I want something comforting to eat.  It is comfort in a bowl and takes minutes to make.  When I read her post, I had to have it for dinner!  The tomatoes were a new recipe for me and oh my word were they delicious!  They will be a repeat around here!

 

Hope you have a great weekend!  We're finally getting our family pictures taken - I can't wait to see how they come out.  See you next week - there's an exciting announcement so make sure you come by!

*also linking up with H54F,   Oh Hey Friday and Meet at The Barre

50 Healthy Habits Every Girl Should Have

I came across this print from Skinny Mom about healthy habits that every woman should have.  I loved reading through all of the habits and seeing which I do and which I need an improvement on.

The habits I do:

1. Start fresh every day
2.  Check my statements and bank account regularly - I confess I don't cross everything off line by line like my husband but I do check my accounts and credit cards often!
3. Adopt a 'meatless Monday' mentality - I don't think I need meat every day.  In fact some times I get tired of eating meat and crave something with just veggies.
4. Cut back on 'evil sugar' - I'm not saying I don't down some skittles every now and then, but I don't over do it with sugars.  I'm more of a salty person anyway ;)
5. Don't try to keep up with the Jonses - I don't do it, it never works and you're never happy that way.  I truly enjoy what we have and appreciate that.
6. Keep healthy snacks at home
7. Practice safe sex - enough said.
8. No drugs, smoking -never.  Bleh!
9. Take care of my clothing
10. Eat whole foods as much as possible - We're really trying at home to do this.  It's a work in progress but I think we're doing pretty good!
11. Pay off debt - we don't have any.  We're always good at paying off our cards when we get the bill, which I love, I'm sure it saves a lot of fights about money!
12. Don't skip yearly "woman" appointment.  I'm very strict about this as I know many women who have found out they have pre-cancerous cells during these check-ups and have possibly saved their lives by going.
13. Don't overdo booze - while I do drink wine most nights, I don't get drunk. There's no worse feeling.
14. Don't snack if you're not hungry - although I probably should!  I'd love to gain a few pounds.
15. Use SPF and wear a hat in the sun - I use SPF all of the time, it's a must down here!
16. Don't rely on pills if you can't sleep - thankfully I don't have this problem, not being able to sleep is awful
17.  Drink eight glasses of fluids a day 
18. Make your home a place you want to be
19. Don't buy things you'll only wear once
20. Stand up for myself
21. Avoid tanning beds
22. Take medications seriously - this took me a while to get used to, but I do.  I can totally tell a difference if I don't take my thyroid medicine daily - no fun!
23. Read labels on everything - I have to because of my son and daughter's food allergies (nuts)
24. Prioritize stress management
25. Optimize fertility, plan kids - done haha
26. Always wear a seatbelt
27. Wash hands often
28. Sneeze into arm
29. For every 20 minutes on the computer look away for 20 seconds - I do this without realizing, usually because I'm being called by one of the kids.

What I could be doing better:

1. Try 20/30 rule: 2 hours of TV, 30 minutes of exercise - great idea!  I never sit in front of the TV that long, but I love the concept 
2. Put down phone when you're with people - I try not to be on my phone too much when I'm with people, but I could be better.
3. Understand exercise doesn't have to be a big time commitment - I just need to get my butt to do some excercise
4. Drink warm water with cayenne pepper daily -  I started off strong earlier in the year, and have been slacking.
5. Use retinol if you're starting to get wrinkles
6. Never grocery shop on an empty stomach - it happens on occasion, and is never pretty!
7. Start biking
8. Don't beat yourself up - I try not to too much.  But we are our own biggest critic 
9. Use YouTube exercise videos 
10. Google how to make own cleaning supplies - I have Googled it, just haven't done it.
11. Drop loose change into same jar daily
12. Don't skimp on sleep - so guilty of this - I'm writing this at 11:30 pm and should be in bed!
13. Do mental health checks - I've never done one!
14. Consider drinking liquid chorophyll - I used to be good at this once upon a time and have stopped drinking it.
15. Floss after every brushing - I usually only floss before bed
16. Count to 10 when angry - good idea!
17. Learn to take constructive criticism - I do ok at this, it just depends on the delivery
18. Never let Google diagnose you - I'm the worst at this - it really is a bad idea to go on and type in symptoms!
19. Ask HR about benefits - great idea - just doesn't apply to me right now

I love doing self examinations and seeing areas that I can improve on - and based on this, it's a lot of exercise!  Ha.

What are some things on this list that you're good/bad at?

Sisterhood of World Bloggers | Tag

Sweet Michelle tagged me on the Sisterhood of World Bloggers Award a few weeks back (thank you) and I thought what a better week to play along than my blog anniversary week, right?

Here are the rules:

• Provide a link and thank the blogger who nominated you for this award.
• Answer the questions about yourself.
• Nominate 10-12 blogs.
• Provide links to these nominated blogs and let the recipients know they have been nominated.
• Ask them ten questions of your own.
• Include the award logo within your blog post.

Questions that were asked to me:

1. How long have you been blogging and why did you begin?

I have been blogging almost two years (on the 15th).  I began because I loved reading blogs so much, and thought it would be fun to start one.  I'm a stay-at-home mom so I thought it would be a fun hobby and something that was for "me".  One that wouldn't take up too much time (ha, right!) and one that didn't require having a lot of supplies for - but I could still be creative.  I've also always loved writing, so I thought blogging would be the right fit for me.


2. List three words that would describe you?

Ahh, I'm horrible at talking about myself lets see... short, talkative and kind


3. How long have you been married?

I have been married almost 11 years - crazy!  Our anniversary is next month.


4. Where did you go on your honeymoon?

We went on a 7 day cruise that ended up being 6 days, it was cut short and re-routed because we got married during a hurricane.  Yup, you read that right - you can read more about that day here.  We went to Cozumel, Grand Cayman,  the Bahamas and another place in Mexico that I can't remember off the top of my head right now.  We had a nice time, we just both wished we were able to go to the original ports.


5. What is one household chore you dislike doing?

I think the two worst for me are folding laundry and cleaning out the refrigerator - they're pretty much tied.


6. Your best "chick-flick" movie is ...?

Do I have to just pick one?  There are two that are the best to me and I will always watch if they're on tv.  1 - When Harry Met Sally 2 - Sleepless in Seattle.  I love both so much and can talk out most of the lines when they're on.


7. What is one BEAUTY item you can't live without?

 Concealer- I'm a mom!  It's a necessity to cover up these circles! 

 
8. Where has your favorite vacation been so far?

My favorite vacation would have to be Punta Cana last year.  It was the first time we left the kids behind for more than two nights and we really needed it.  We enjoyed each others company so much and were able to relax and be our old selves again.  We weren't stressed, we could eat our food when it was still hot and have adult conversation without being interrupted.  We came back so refreshed and missing our babies!


9.  You're given $100.00 just for YOU, how would you spend it?

I'd probably go to Kate Spade and buy a new purse.  I want to get a smaller purse, now that the kids are older there's no need to carry around the huge purse I do.  I can never find anything in it!

 
10. Do you prefer reading books or magazines?

I prefer reading magazines.  I'm like a child haha, I love the pretty pictures!  I wish I enjoyed reading books more.

I nominate:

Who ever wants to play along.  You can use the questions above because frankly I'm terrible at coming up with questions :)

Happy Wednesday!

My Last 5 Purchases

I've come across a few gems in my shopping in the last few months.  I thought I'd share a few of my favorites, most of which are from Nordstrom, shocker I know.  I can't seem to get enough of Nordy's lately.

one | Lush Knit Maxi Dress - I bought this in the Nordstrom Friends & Family sale.  I still need to have it hemmed (everything is always long on me) but I already know that I'm going to love wearing this dress.  It's very lightweight and super comfortable.

two | Kendra Scott Arden 'Station Cuff"  - This cuff is GORGEOUS!  I love the way it shines as the light catches it and I also love how simple it is, simple elegance.  This cuff is on lots of repeat!

three | BP Glided Edge Stone Pendant Necklace - Yet another Nordstrom find.  This beauty is under $9.  It's great for layering or wearing on it's own.  My favorite part is that both sides of the pendant are the stone so it doesn't matter if it gets turned over, it still looks fine (this happens to people with kids, ha).

four | Printed Crepe Shirt Dress - We all know that Target has been killing it this season.  I found this dress last week and love it.  It looks way prettier in person and it's so comfortable - I wore it all day last Friday.

five | Lucite Makeup Organizer - I found these organizers at TJ Maxx and they have been heaven sent!  My makeup was out of control the way it was organized before, and I could never find anything!  These are half the price of most lucite organizers and I can finally see all that I have!  Double win!



Have you come across any good buys?

Love | Hate | Tag

The lovely Claire from Fashion and Feathers tagged me to play this fun challenge.  I loved reading it and thought it would be fun to play along.  The rules are you have to write 10 things that you love  another 10 that you hate, and then tag 10 people to play along.

Loves

1. Fresh flowers (you already knew that) but they instantly make  me happy and I love walking into a room that has some.
2. Trips to the beach - the sound of the waves, the smell of the salt water and the relaxing view. One day trip makes you feel like you're on vacation.
3. Eating my favorite foods: garlic crabs, Spanish food, pasta, sushi.  There's something about eating your favorite foods that instantly makes you happy.
4. Going on vacation and knowing you're not only going to explore a new place but get some R&R.
5. Hearing a favorite song on the radio
6. The sound of  kids' laughter - maybe one of the best sounds on this planet.
7. Girls night out - These nights are some of my favorite!  They're usually filled with drinks and endless girl talk, which is the best!
8. A good "chic flick" - I'm a girly girl and love chick flicks - some of my favorites are How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days, Sleepless In Seattle, Steel Magnolias, and When Harry Met Sally - classics!
9. Getting snail mail - Remember when getting snail mail wasn't as cool as getting an email?  Well, now I want Snail Mail back - it's so much more fun and personal.
10. Dancing until my feet hurt - Going to a party and dancing the night away is one of my favorite things and when I wake up sore the next day, it just reminds me of the good time I had the night before.  Much better than a hangover, ha!

Hates

1. Waiting - I'm ok waiting 20 min or so, but beyond that I'm SO impatient. 
2. Cleaning out the fridge - has to be one of my most hated chores.  Ever.
3. Mustard - Bleh!  I'll eat if if it's on something, but I'll never put it on anything.
4. Walking barefoot - my floors at home are stained concrete and are HARD - a few minutes walking barefoot and I'm in pain!
5. Dirty fingernails/toes - such a pet peeve of mine - grosses me out to no end!
6. Messy house and kitchen - I can't concentrate if the house looks too messy, I feel like it clouds my brain and I can't focus on anything until it's picked up.
7. The sound of metal rubbing against metal - I can't take it!
8. Forgetting to put on earrings - I think this comes with growing up in a Hispanic home - if you don't have earrings on, you might as well be naked, ha!
9.  Negative people - they irk me, why can't they be positive about anything?!
10. Rushing - I hate when I have to rush to get ready.  I try giving myself ample time to get myself and the kids ready so I don't drive myself crazy!

Nominating:

Shelby - Recent Somethings
Lindsay - Pink and Fabulous
Natalie - East Coast Chic
Biana - B Loved Boston
Katie - Katie Elizabeth
Lindsay - Lovely Life Styling
Kate - Green Fashionishta
Pinky - Pink Persistance
Pamela - Sequins & Sea Breezes
B & M - The Sequin Notebook

Travel Bucket List

Oh the places I'd love to travel to.  Before we had kids we traveled a bit, but nothing major - we went to Portland, Oregon a few times, on two cruises, trips to Key West and Orlando were done yearly - but that's basically about it.  Neither of us cared that much about traveling at the time, we were young and dumb I guess.  Now we have the desire to travel and explore more but it's a little harder with kids.  But in time, I'd like to cross off a few places on my bucket list.


Charleston, SC

I don't think Charleston needs an explanation - it seems like it's BEAUTIFUL and not to mention there are so many fun restaurants.  We'd love to visit and walk around and take in all of the sights.  I also love all of the history that's there.

 

Santorini, Greece
This has been on my bucket list for YEARS it seems like such a gorgeous place.  Crystal blue water, and all of the white homes on the beach - not to mention I love Greek food - basically heaven on earth!

 via

via

Paris, France
The city of love!  Who doesn't want to see the Eiffel Tower in person, especially at night?  And I want to be a total tourist and put a lock on the Pont des Arts

Bora Bora, Tahiti
Isn't the name Bora Bora enough?  I mean, the CRYSTAL blue waters and the cute water bungalows with glass floors so you can see the beautiful fish at any given time.  Priceless!

 via

Italy
I can't pick one specific place in Italy, because I'd like to see it all!  I know I'd love it - from what I've seen it's beautiful and you can't beat the food!

via

Napa Valley, California

A wine lover's (me!!) dream!  Napa is one place that I WILL go to one day.  I can't wait to visit all of the vineyards/wineries and taste all of the delicious wine.  The sad thing is my mom and sister went a few years back and I so would've gone with them, but I was pregnant so there was no use in me going!  But one day it will happen and I will be as happy as a clam I'm sure :)

via

Have you ever visited any of these places?  What's on your travel bucket list? 

Linking up with Kate

#CoffeeMyWay

When Jessica from Wayfair contacted me to write a post for the #coffeemyway campaign, it was an automatic yes!  While I'm not the biggest coffee drinker in the world, I look forward to that one magical cup in the morning.  I actually start looking forward to that first sip the night before!  There's something so soothing and comforting about a cup of coffee in the mornings.  That cup is what gets me ready and awake to tackle the day.

The way my coffee is prepared each day differs.  It depends whether my husband is home or not.  If he's home, he usually grinds the coffee beans with his burr grinder and brews the coffee in his beloved Bunn coffeemaker.  He's a HUGE coffee lover and drinks around three cups a day, so I let him take the lead in brewing the mornings that he's home.

If he is at work, I turn on my trusty Keurig and brew a breakfast blend - in my favorite mug of course!  I take my coffee light (with half & half) and no sugar.  I'm not into sweet coffee, unless it's iced coffee - so this is my favorite way to drink it.

After fixing my coffee I give the kids some fruit or their breakfast and then sit in my quiet dining room and write my post for the day.  I love this time of the day so much!  It's so relaxing to sit and type while I drink my coffee.  It helps me start the day off right - with a little quiet and "me time", which is so important when you're a stay-at-home mom.

What's your morning ritual like?  Do you sit and enjoy your coffee quietly or do you drink it during the hustle and bustle of the morning?

Pretty In Pink

Back when I did my survey, one of the things that a few readers asked was to see more style posts.  I was flattered because I don't really consider myself to be much of a fashionista.  But you asked and you shall receive ;)

Most of the times when I'm home during the week I either have comfy pants (leggings, yoga pants, sweats) on and a shirt. If I'm going out then I'll go with a maxi dress, or jeans and a top.  I keep it pretty simple and comfortable, especially now that it's getting so HOT down here!

If I'm going on a date night or out with the girls I spruce it up a bit.  I like to dress up a little for the occasion and put on a little more makeup than I normally do.  It's fun to dress up!

I bought this Loft top a few weeks back and LOVE it.  It's dainty, blush and can easily be dressed up or down or worn with a cute jean jacket on top of.  The options are endless with this top!

For this look I decided to pair it with some boyfriend jeans (Loft doesn't sell mine anymore - similar ones here),  a pair of heels and stackable bracelets - always stackable bracelets, I can't get enough of them!

What do you think?  Is this how you dress for date night or girl's night out?



Linking up with:  Tucker Up and Pampers and Pearls

This and That

Good morning!!

I thought I'd start this Tuesday off with a little photo dump; I mean - who doesn't love a photo dump?!  These have been some of my favorite posts to look back on so far!

This is by far my favorite picture recently, I keep going back to my camera roll just to look at this picture.  This little girl of mine... I just love her so much!  Shes growing up to be so kind, funny, a little mommy to her brother and such a good listener.  She's pure joy!

Another favorite.  You can just see mischievous written ALL over his face, can't you?  You guys, threenagers are no joke!  He is giving us a run for our money these days and acting in ways E never did.  It's so true when they say that every child is different. #sendwine

A few days ago I got my Ipsy bag in.   This might be one of my favorite bags so far, besides the lip gloss everything looks great.  The lip gloss comes out this pasty pink - not flattering for my skin tone at all!  If you aren't signed up yet, sign up now!  These bags are awesome for just $10 a month!

This was my Friday night (and most nights really, haha) and it was perfect.  We sat on the couch, I drank a glass of wine and relaxed and watched some TV - Jimmy Fallon skits to be exact, we never get tired of watching them.  These leggings are one of my favorites, I got them last year on Jane and they are in constant rotation.

I did a little pattern mixing on Sunday and was loving it, especially paired with my chunky necklace and red shoes.  I'm sure in 20 years we'll look back at this pattern mixing trend and think "what the heck were we wearing?!"  But for now I'm having fun with it!

The Shaken Green Tea is my newest obsession at Starbucks, it's perfect for an afternoon pick-me-up and so refreshing! 


I also took advantage of Nordstrom's sale and bought these pretty Sole Society heels!

What have you all been up to lately?

I'm off to do some cleaning, preschool and we have a play date in the afternoon.  Busy but fun day! Have a good one!

House Updates

We've made quite a few updates since my last goals post.  I'm pretty content with the few things that we have done so far, a house is definitely a work in progress!  Like I said, 2015 is going to be the year of finishing decorating.


Master Bedroom

We gave our old queen set to my sister and got a king sized bed because the kids always come into our bed at some point at night, and we were having a hard time all fitting.  Also, our previous set was 10 years old and our taste has changed, not to mention whenever my husband went to work in the morning and got ready, our old pulls on the furniture would make TONS of noise - annoying!  We got this set from City Furniture and are loving it! 

We're loving the new set and how bright and airy the room feels!


The Playroom

We decided to clean out our "junk room" and make it into a playroom for the kids.  We were both tired of seeing so many toys downstairs and figured that even if the kids brought the toys downstairs, at least everything would have a place come cleanup time.  I didn't purchase anything for the room, just used what we already had to create a room for them to play in -- and some of their cute artwork helped.  There's still some tweaking that needs to be done, but the kids are loving their space.

It feels great having everything put away at night and being able to have the downstairs toy free!


Big Girl's Room

Not much has been done here - I bought some new art work, a mirror (comes today) and a burlap banner that needs to all be hung up.

Big Boy Room

Last week I went a little nuts and on a whim I packed up every baby item in J's room, and brought it to the consignment shop.  I so want to make him a big boy's room - he keeps asking for Star Wars, and where I normally don't decorate with characters, I realize that men never grow out of the Star Wars stage, so the force may be with me I can most likely get away with decorating with Star Wars and him not grow out of it for a while.

The Entrance

I bought a new print to hang and also some succulents in a frame to brighten up the entryway.  We also bought a Fishtail Palm for more pops of color.  I love seeing touches of green as we walk in!

One of our other projects happening in the next few weeks is putting a stackable washer and dryer in our laundry room to open up space and add some shelves, which will be great because all of our baskets will have a home, and there will be more room for detergents and possibly some room to add some of our towels.  Our linen closet is downstairs so it can be a pain when we need an extra towel.

Our gallery wall is almost finished too! I only need one more picture to hang, once it's finished I'll be sure to share.

I also gave into the 70% Rugs USA sale and ordered this baby for the family room - I'm in love and think that the yellow will bring a nice pop of color to the room!

What do you think of the updates?  Are you making any big/small changes to your house this year?



Linking up with Natalie and Annie for Thoughts on Thursday