End of Summer Clear Out

We spent our latest weekend clearing out the house. I used the time to sort through the girls'clothes, gear, and toys. We sorted through every room and are donating so much stuff. With the holidays slowly (or quickly - however you look at it) approaching, we knew we wanted to clear out the old stuff before bringin in some new stuff.

I like to do my shopping early, and I shop throughout the year. I knew it was time to let go of some things and move on. The girls are growing through clothes so fast. A now wears a 2t or 3t. We are handing down most clothes to Baby E, so we went and bought fabric underbed stackable storage containers. Baby E wears a 3-6 month right now, so that means we have 9 months to 2-3t in storage for her. I have a whole tote of shoes as well.

Mr. Man and I also went through our things. There is just so much that we feel is inappropriate since having kids. We donated much of it. Now we are ready to get new stuff that we have real summers and pretty cold winters. With me also working in the schools, I like to wear business attire. I tried on things that I bought after having A that I never fit into and VOILA! I can fit into it! :)

We feel like we are always clearing out and rearranging as the girls grow. It seems like it happens over night. Many times it saddens me to see how big they are getting and the new things that interest them. But clearning out is always necessary.

I am hoping to do a fall haul soon once I gather all their items and start washing them!

Madrid, Spaid - Day 2

On our second day of our vacation, we did things for the girls. We brought them to the zoo and aquarium, which is all located in one general area. We knew A would love it because she loves animals and fish. But they also did pony rides, dolphin shows, had a pet zoo, and so much more. We spent most of the morning and early afternoon there. We let the girls play at the different playgrounds, and we had lunch there. After that, we went to a local park to relax. A fed some birds, and I got to photograph both girls. We, then, went walking to see more historical things and had dinner. It was an extremely laid back day, but it was totally worth it!

Review: Puddle Jumper Life Jacket

When it was time to prepare for summer, I knew we needed to get some type of life jacket for A. Last summer, we were home in Louisiana and swam a lot. We tried a variety of life vests and A hated every single one. This year I asked around to friends, and many suggested the Puddle Jumper.

The weight range is from 30 to 50 pounds. A was 32 pounds when I bought it and now weighs 34.5 pounds. It is also Coast Guard approved.

This life jacket was and still is an absolute hit with her. She happily puts it on and wears it, even when we are around the house. She loves it that much.

I love the design of it. I love that there is nothing around the neck and nothing between the legs. That is what A disliked about the others. Even the different designs are adorable and stylish. She wore this swimming to swimming pools, beaches, and waterparks. We had no problem with it or getting her to wear it. She played as if she wasn't even wearing anything. It always held her upright. It never tilted her forward or backward. Even with waves and splashes and sudden moments.

We absolutely love this, and we give credit to this product for being the reason A loves the water as much as she does now. It gives her independence and safety. Two things that both a toddler and parent want when looking for an item like this.

It gave her lots of confidence to swim. In fact, she was scared to be in a pool or at the beach. This entire summer (once we received the Puddle Jumper) she wanted to swim by herself, and she let us know!

Here are some pictures of her wearing it:

The Puddle Jumper can be purchased from Walmart, Target, and Amazon.com that I personally know of. We bought her's from our local BX. We will definitely be getting a second one for Baby E next year. No questions asked. 

Water Park Fun

This last weekend we brought A and E to a water park. We went with some friends. Sadly, I forgot my camera so we don't have any pictures, but I still wanted to document our adventure.

A is 2.5 years old, and E is 6 months old. We took them to a place called AquaSplash because it is smaller and a little more old fashioned. It is very much toddler friendly than the other water parks. It is about 1.5 hours from the house, so we got up and headed out that way. We ended up meeting some friends out there. A absolutely loved it. It was so much for her. She was able to run around and play and do her own thing. She wasn't afraid at all, and I was so surprised. In fact, she willingly climbed up to the top of a larger slide and slid down with me without complaining. Going down, she was scared, but once we got down and she realized she was ok, she wanted to do it again and again and again. She absolutely loved it.

Then the parents did a whole Daddy Day Care and Mommy Day Care Rotation. The men would go and ride a slide while the women watched the kids and vice versa. We had so much fun, and I didn't realize how much times have changed for me. 1 - I am older and 2 - I have had children. Both have changed my level of fear and anxiety, to say the least. I didn't realize how scared of heights I was and how scared of water slides I am. Again, to say the least. In the end, we all had a great time. Since it was the last weekend before school starts here, it was a great one. Spent with great friends and awesome company.

We were there for 7 hours with 8 children under the age of 7 and 7 adults. Pretty nice day for all of us!

The Polka Dot Alligator - Customized Children's Boutique Wear

I always want to tell you guys about things I buy for the girls when I am extremely happy with them. Well, this time this boutique passed all expectations plus some.

The Polka Dot Alligator is a boutique on Facebook (and Etsy) that sells children's clothing at great prices. She constantly has sells, and she is willing to work with you on what you want. She has made the girls' summer clothing, fall outfits, Christmas outfits, and pre-football season outfits. I am beyond impressed at the quality of the items and her turn around time for shipping. She is based in Louisiana.

If you like this kind of thing, you should check her out. No need to tell her I sent you because she doesn't even know I am writing about her. I seriously just love her work and amazing deals that I just needed to share the love. She does boxes for $100 shipped. She shipped me a flat rate box stuffed full for $100 and it fit 15 outfits. If you do the math, then that is just over $6. You can't beat that. And it is all so adorable. She just recently did the same deal for back to school clothing. Since my girls don't go to school, I didn't take her up on the offer. I'm not sure if it is still available, but if it is, you guys should snatch it up. I promise you will love it!!

 http://www.facebook.com/thepolkadotalligator 

What's on my nails? August 4, 2013

To start off Makeup Monday, I thought I would do a basic post. This one is what is on my nails. I may do a few of these throughout the year just to talk about my favorite colors for the different seasons and so on.

While Mr. Man was gone, I allowed A to paint my nails. Most of the time I let her paint my nails and I can generally fix them to help them look a bit more presentable.

For the summer, my favorite colors for my nails are mint and pink. I am loving the Wet N Wild Wild Shine in Tickled Pink and Sally Hansen Hair as Nails XtremeWear in Mint Sorbet.

(Not my picture - picture credit on photo)

(Not my picture - picture credit on photo)

For my toes, I have really been enjoying Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear in Blue Me Away. 

(Not my picture - picture credit on photo)

What has been your favorite colors for this summer?

10 Essentials for Summer w/ Two under 2

Summer is one of the best times of year. For kids, it is their favorite. Since Mr. Man and I have been living in England for the last four years, we have completely forgot what is needed for summertime. I have been doing some research to make sure I have everything we need for our little ones. This post is specifically what I find to be necessities for our family. Hopefully this list will spark any considerations of what you may need for your family and/or introduce you to some new products!

Summer is hot, especially in Italy. Mr. Man and I traveled to Italy about 2.5 years ago before we had kids. It was hot, very hot. We got lots of sun and gained a tan immediately. Here we are all these months later living in Italy. Who would have thought?! And this time with kids. Here is our list of must-haves. This is mostly focused around the kids, but I do plan to do another list for myself (or adults).

Top ten must have items for our summer:

1. My item is bug repellent stickers. We have tried sprays, but most of them have too many chemicals and tend to wash off in water play. A has very sensitive skin and always had, so I tend to stay as close as I can to all natural products. These stickers have been great! We started using them this Spring, and they work amazingly. You can find them on Amazon and many other all natural websites.

2. The next must have item on my list is sunscreen. We have been using the Badger brand, and particularly the one pictured.

3. This item is an item that I have been using a lot! This is the JJ Cole picnic blanket. This was a gift was given to us as a welcome to the world gift for Baby E. I bring it outside in the yard, place the bug stickers around on it, and lay Baby E to roll around and play. I will put a sun shade over her if the sun is very bright. She seems to love it, and it gives me somewhere to set her so I can play with A. And the best thing about this is the easy fold up and carry! 

4. All kids need swim diapers, and all girls need bathing suits. I put these together because the suits I buy have the diapers built in for the infants (Baby E). For toddlers, I have to buy the diapers separately from the suits. I really enjoy the Imse Visme side snap swim diapers. They are cute, yet functional. When we are around the house, I don't always make A wear a swim suit over it. In public, of course she does. For Baby E, I use the iPlay suits with the built in diapers.  

5. To go with the swim suits, you will need towels when getting out of the water! A is 2 years old, and E is 4 months. Both use hooded towels. I absolutely love them because it keeps them super warm and helps drive their hair as well. 

6. Protection for their eyes is definitely a must have. A sometimes fights wearing sunglasses, but if they have a strap on the back and Mr. Man and I are also wearing, then she will also. I make sure they have protection on the lenses and are suitable to get wet. 

7. My next must have is appropriate shoes. I  have two listed because I think both are very crucial to have during this time. Swim shoes are a given for beaches and public pools - at this age anyway. I prefer ones that have grips on the bottoms. The other type of shoes is something similar to crocs - jelly shoes that are breathable but can get dirty and worn down without  hesitation. I bought A these caterpillar shoes this year. I actually bought two pairs because last year she went through her one pair fairly quickly. She wears these outside to play. They stay on her fit and I make sure they are a good fit so they aren't too big. I make her wear the strap around the back so she doesn't lose her shoe while running and playing. She wears these fishing and so forth. They can get dirty and smelly because they are so easy to wash off and clean. Absolutely love having them on hand at all times. 

8. We love to go to the beach. We also love to picnic, even in the yard. This leads me to my next necessity for summer - reusable sandwich and snack bags. I love that I can pack things in these and easily clean them out. I like to buy ones that have loops on the ends, so I can attach them to the stroller without having to worry about the kids dropping them if we are on the go. I use these for our picnic lunches as well as our daily "on-the-go" snacks. 

9. The next one is in relation to both swimming and fishing. We love the outdoors, we love the water, and we definitely love to be on a boat. With that said, A needs a life jacket. Last summer we bought her a life jacket that went around her neck and she absolutely hated it. This year we are going to give the Puddle Jumpers a try. 

10. Lastly, always stay hydrated. A nice water bottle is always nice to have. These are the two types we use.

What are some of your summer must haves?

I hope this post has helped you prepare for summer.