Face to Face Fridays Week Two

Thank you for linking up with Face to Face Fridays again this week! I got a lot of emails and comments last week about participating so this week I'm leaving the link up open for several days. I hope that gives everyone a chance to submit their links. I look forward to seeing you all!

Oh. And for a bonus video from me this week check out the post right under this one. I talk about how the kids wore me out during a shoe shopping trip!

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Video Diary 08282013

I was hoping to post this earlier but I got distracted shopping online for the kids. It's Labor Day weekend and there are so many good sales. I was able to get them both outfitted for Fall/Winter under budget. I still need to get Sav a couple pair of shoes but other than that I am done shopping for them.

Last night I did a quick video to share what led me to online shopping. We had quite the experience while running errands yesterday. Enjoy the video...

How Nature Celebrates...

Summer is finally coming to a close. (Oh. Wait. I live in Texas and it's still going to be hot here.) Finally. My favorite season is Fall. I love it. I love the smell of Autumn, the changing leaves and the cooler temps. As I have mentioned before on the blog I am planning to have quite the style transformation this season. I plan to celebrate the end of summer the way nature does during Fall and change up my look. 

I find it so extremely cool that the beautiful green trees that line the streets of our neighborhood will go from being vibrantly green to a multitude of colors. I figure if the trees can have a seasonal makeover so can I. Ever since I decided to really try to get back in touch with who I am since becoming a Mom the one thing that seemed natural to me is the color black. As I've said before black outfits are like second nature to me.

Mommy's Morning Out Part One by thechicsahm featuring dog boots

Some may find this collection boring but I feel inspired. I see myself toting these babies to play dates, lifting them in and out of the car in style. Looking and feeling my best. Don't get me wrong I love prints and color (and you'll see that in parts two and three) but my love for black is close to my heart. It's simple and easy. Just like my parenting style. I see lots of comfy tops, black blouses and red lipstick in my future and I'm excited about it. Celebrating the beginning of a new season and a new me.

Every Friday, Deer Park® Nature's Blends™ Fruit Flavored Beverages is sharing beautiful ways that nature celebrates with a reminder to treat yourself to a celebration, too. Head over to the Deer Park® Facebook page every Friday for inspiration to celebrate naturally and share your own story on their page.

 Thank you for supporting the brands that allow me to be a Chic Stay at Home Mom.

This is a sponsored post. All opinions express are my own.

Chic Link Up: Face to Face Fridays

Welcome to the first edition of the Face to Face Fridays blog hop. I created this hop because I enjoy doing my video diary posts. More than that, I have enjoyed watching videos on some of my favorite blogs.  I thought this hop would be a fun way to find more Moms who vlog.

Feel free to link up your post that contains your video or the link to your video on YouTube. I can't wait to see what everyone is talking about this week!

My videos aren't that fancy but as I learn more about iMovie I'm hoping to step my game up!

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How Nature Celebrates...

It's almost Friday. Yay. Oh. Wait. I'm a Mom. I don't get days off from my job. I still look forward to the weekends though. With my husband home I can truly relax a little. Before the weekend gets started I like to enjoy some quiet time with kids.

One of our favorite things to do is roll out a blanket and create some sidewalk art with chalk. I'm pretty sure Savannah could do this all day. Too bad it gets too hot here to be out all day. In the mornings we enjoy outside time. I can sit and relax while she plays. It's refreshing and a nice way to wind down before the weekend. 

The little guy hangs out in a carrier as usual. I love all of the trees that are on base here. I might not enjoy all the squirrels that are a little too socialized for my taste but I do think the trees are lovely.

When we're done with the sidewalk chalk we take a walk over to the runway to watch the jets take off. Savannah loves doing this. I was able to get one on camera taking off. I wish we could get closer but the runway is a restricted area. This is literally one street over from my house...

Every Friday, Deer Park® Nature's Blends™ Fruit Flavored Beverages is sharing beautiful ways that nature celebrates with a reminder to treat yourself to a celebration, too. Head over to the Deer Park® Facebook page every Friday for inspiration to celebrate naturally and share your own story on their page.

*This is a sponsored post. All opinions expressed are my own.*

PreSchool at Home: Finger Paint Flashcards

We have officially started adding more hands on activities to our routine. We have always played learning games and read books but I wanted to start introducing Savannah to Pre-K skills. I want to make sure she can hold a pencil, use scissors properly and listen to instructions for activities.

Today I thought it would be fun for her to make some number "cards". I have been collecting paper bags from the grocery store so we used that to make our cards. I cut down the center of one side to make to strips of paper.

I then cut the bottom of the bag off to make a paint holder. Save the rest of your bag for another activity later.

I then cut the two strips into six squares or "cards".

As we went through the numbers I wrote the number out. I then showed her how to write the numerical version of the number. Then it was her turn to write the number. For the tougher numbers I made dots and had her connect them.

On the other side of the card I wrote the number out again and had her paint the appropriate number of dots on the card.

She used the left over paint to make a picture. She enjoyed herself. Today we made cards for numbers one through six. We'll work with these cards by placing them around the house. When she sees a card I'll have her do one of the following things: -Count up to that number. -Count as high as she can starting from that number. -Tell me what comes before and after the number.
From what I've read it is important to have children prepared to work with numbers one through twenty before they start kindergarten. What do you think of this activity? 

#AWiseKid - Apple Juice

A conversation between Savannah and I is being featured for this week's "A Wise Kid Once Said". Head on over to BabyTeems to check out our funny exchange about Apple Juice!

What's the funniest thing your kid has said to you? Be sure to submit your stories to teems@babyteems.com. 

Thought Bubbles...

I haven't done one of these in a while so here goes....

My husband is starting school next week. He's getting his Master's. I'm happy about what that mean for our family but nervous about all the changes we'll have to make. He'll need homework and study time which means I'll have less "me" time. Everything has a season, right?...

I ordered a bikini for our trip to the beach next month. Still not sure how I feel about wearing a bikini this soon after baby but my husband asked me to get one so....

I have started having headaches. Pretty sure it's related to my blood pressure. Made an appointment this morning to get that straightened out...

While watching the Real Housewives of Orange County I realized that Gretchen needs to leave the show. That group of women will never let her be great. They are all hypocrites that need to back off of the botox and self/spray tanner...

I do love Andy Cohen though. Did you see Watch What Happens Live with Oprah?...

Our new weekly routine has been really good for Savannah. Now if I could just get the baby to sleep a little earlier at night I'll be set...

My baby brother leaves for college this weekend. That makes me feel old and proud all at the same time...

I have been making some really good dinners lately thanks to Pinterest and the awesome ladies that I follow there...

I'm contemplating buying a nice flat iron. I doubt I would use it much though...

I am also contemplating dying my hair. It will probably never happen...

I'm seriously considering having an all black Fall...

I just stepped in water that Savannah spilled on the floor. Now my sock it wet...

Under the Dome has surprised me by being one of my favorite shows this summer...

I am probably more excited about turning 30 than I ever was about turning 16, 18 or 21...

That's all for now. I'll be spending the rest of the day doing laundry. Hopefully I can sneak in a workout. What is everyone up to today?

Steam Up Your Me Time with Yes to Body Wash

One of the things I know we all have in common is loving that time in the shower. When it's just you and the peace and quiet of your thoughts. My time in the shower is slowly becoming one of my favorite times of the day. It's right up there with when both of my kids fall asleep. 

Since my morning shower is truly the only time I'm alone during the day I like to listen to music. I put on my Jill Scott or Toni Braxton Pandora station (because both of those will hit me with some good ballads to belt out). I know it's going to be a good day if I'm lucky enough to sing Toni's "Love Shoulda Brought You Home", haha!! Every time I hear that song I remember the scene from Boomerang where Halle Berry loses it on Eddie Murphy. Classic movie.

Back to discussing my morning...

Lately I've been using the Yes to Grapefruit Rejuvenating body wash. Talk about a wake me up. Y'all know I'm having some sleepless nights. This body wash is the best wake me up a girl can get. Since I've only been getting about three to four hours of sleep a night I NEED some rejuvenation in the morning. It smells so good. Get yourself a bottle and I promise a better start to your mornings.

I'm not a coffee drinker so in the mornings after my shower I like to make a glass of iced green tea and I start making breakfast. Sometimes I continue listening to Jill or Toni and some mornings I decide to get a good word from Joel Osteen. The rest of my day goes by pretty quickly and before I know it it's time for bed. That's when I switch it up and opt to shower with Yes to Blueberries. 

The lavender in this goodie by Yes to puts me right in that perfect drowsy state. That feeling you get when you know your body is ready to call it a night. I am in serious love with this stuff. My husband has been using the Yes to Carrots and he really likes it. I've been letting Sav take bubble baths in the soothing Yes to Cucumbers (the Yes to Cucumbers is safe for her sensitive skin).  It's been putting her out like a champ! Now if only I could get her to stay that way all night...

Now that I've told you all about how my family is loving all of the goodness that Yes to is offering get some for yourself. Yes to is offering my readers an exclusive Buy One Get One 50% off body wash offer. Use the code Y2LINQ during your checkout. 

Oh. And did I mention that Yes to products are over 95% natural? It keeps getting better...

How do you get ready for the day? Do you sing in the shower or have a special drink that get's you started?  Share your morning rituals with me in the comments!

feeding one baby & preparing one for a bath...multitasking at its finest

no babies were harmed in the snapping of this pic

*I have received compensation and product for this post. All opinions expressed are my own.*

Video Diary 8152013

It's almost Friday and if I wasn't breastfeeding every couple hours I'd certainly toast to the weekend! I wanted to do a video to share some info about my sleepless nights. I also had a funny moment during a play date that I wanted to share.

Oh. And I'll be posting my review of the Yes To Carrots new line of body washes this weekend. If you're already familiar with the brand feel free to get steamy in your shower with this exclusive code for my readers (Y2LINQ) for BOGO 50% off on all Yes To body washes. Don't say I never hooked you up with anything! You will love the body washes. Can't wait to share my thoughts on them. I'm already in super deep love with the Yes To Cucumber and Yes To Blueberries. 

Enjoy the video! I hope you get a good laugh. Sometimes I crack myself up.

*Thanks to Yes To for sponsoring today's (and tomorrow's) post.

31 Days 31 Photos 31 Stories of My Favorite Things

Favorite past time....

I always enjoyed being shape and working out. I am hoping to make the tips in this picture more of a "present" time instead of a past time. My goal is to be a hot Mama by my Flirty30 in February. The lady in the pic is Jeanette Jenkins. I have talked about her workout videos on the blog many times. Her workout DVDs are an incredible beat you down till you can't do no more kind of work out. 

Favorite word or saying...

I am so glad the advice I was given was able to connect with so many of you on Instagram. My Mom said this to me years ago and I never forgot it. I repeat it to myself often. When I feel like I'm going through one of those "Why not me?"situations. It is important to remember that our life journey is not a race or competition but in God's time we will receive all of His many blessings for our life. Complaining gets us no where. Being content doesn't mean you are settling it just means that you are choosing not to compare, compete or complain. If you need a powerful pick me up read this post again.

Favorite view...

The beach. I love the ocean. Savannah asked for a trip to the beach for her birthday and I am beyond excited. (By the way, what kid turning 3 asks for a trip for their birthday.) We'll be visiting this beach next month. Yes. 

Favorite fruit...

I love tomatoes. I eat at least two of them everyday. Sliced on a sandwich or diced in a salad they are my favorite fruit. 
Favorite Jewelry...

This ring was a Christmas gift from my husband a few years ago. I don't wear it often but I think it's beautiful.

Video Diary 8132013

A BIG HUGE Thank you to all the Chic Moms that submitted their funny stories for Part II of What Not to Say to Moms. I enjoyed reading all your stories. Have a happy Tuesday!

Chic Gadget: The Fitbit One

Whew. First let's talk about smack down beat down tired I am. As you know I've been trying to workout and get in shape by my Flirty 30 (that's how I'll be referring to my birthday from here on out). Between the lack of sleep at night and living my life during the day this Mama is beat down. 

Anyway. You might recall that I had the opportunity to review the Fitbit One. (I spoke briefly about it in this YouTube vlog) The Fitbit tracks your steps, distance, stairs climbed and calories burned. It also tracks your sleep. You can sync to your computer or smartphone using BlueTooth. What I loved most about the Fitbit is that you can use the free app to track your meals, goals, weigh loss and water intake. You can even connect with friends. 

I absolutely loved it for tracking my activity and calories burned. It was also pretty cool to see how many calories I had consumed and how much water I was REALLY drinking in a day.

Now.

I didn't use the Fitbit to track my sleep. I'm pretty sure that feature is incredible but with a newborn in the house I knew the Fitbit would tell me that I suck at getting rest. No need to kick me when I'm down so I opted not to use it to track my sleep. Other than that I have nothing but love for this device. It's a great motivator. It's small enough to snap on to a bra or tank top strap. It also comes with an arm band if that's your thing. Has anyone tried the Fitbit?

*I received a sample product for this review. All opinions are my own.

Pre-School at Home

In an attempt to try not to sound like I'm whining I want to talk about Pre-School and how my child isn't old enough. At first I was very upset that she wouldn't be able to start school. She's ready. After looking up all the schools in our area I learned that the birthday cut off is September 1. Since her birthday falls two weeks after that she wouldn't be eligible for any of the programs this year.

I even looked at putting her in some of the highly recommended private programs. They had programs with curriculums for three year olds, but your child has to be three by September 1. Bummer. I then considered putting her in one of the Mother's Morning Out programs. I figured it would be good for her and she would still be able to learn in a group setting. Once I learned that the MMO program didn't follow a curriculum I decided to take a step back. I was told that the MMO program offers learning through play and that the three year old school is the first time curriculum is offered for students. So, with all that information... I decided that it would be best to continue teaching Savannah at home.

She already participates in activities. We go on play dates and I plan to start taking her to a weekly playgroup once the older kids here go back to school. There is also a program here called Ready Set Learn that's pretty awesome. It's a pre-school type class that meets once a week. We'll be starting that too. My goal is to have her doing something learning related every day. Between the resources that I have available to me thru play groups and Ready Set Learn, her dance class and the activities we'll be doing at home I feel pretty confident in my decision to not put her in a MMO program. Why would I pay for her to go somewhere twice a week when I can get that same learning environment for free? 

I have already started collecting our supplies for our at home learning days. Of course I've been on Pinterest looking up different activities too. I also found a book on Amazon I plan to use as a guide along with a book that I've had since I was a child. I think this will be a good start for us. Here are some of the supplies we have so far. I've been getting paper bags for my groceries for arts and crafts. I love the Leap Frog Learning Skills books for handwriting and worksheet style activities. There are still some things I need to get but I think this is good for now. We already had crayons, paint, playdough, chalk and lots of other art supplies so I didn't have to get much of that. I do however need to stock up on more crafty items like beads, pipe cleaners, colored tissue paper and all those types of materials.

How did you go about getting your little one ready for Pre-K and Kindergarten? 

31 Days 31 Photos 31 Stories of My Favorite Things

Here are my photos for the My Favorite Things photo challenge from over the weekend.

Day 3: Food

I am a sushi lover. I consider to be a social food. Something you can enjoy with others before a meal or late at night with drinks. When we were living in DC sushi was one of my regular lunches. I had to have it at least once a week.

Day 5: Shoes

I don't have a favorite pair of shoes so I decided to share the shoes I wore on Sunday. I've had these gold Nine West sandals for years. I love them. They're the right amount of gold and sparkle.

Day 5: Person

I couldn't pick just one so I included my entire family for today's photo. I am so lucky to have such a funny little family. I can not believe Sav will be three next month and little man is already almost two months old. Time is flying!

- posted from my chic iPhone

31 Days 31 Photos 31 Stories of My Favorite Things

Happy Friday! I'm participating in the My Favorite Things photo challenge. This photo challenge was created by the writer of the blog Inspired By Beatrice Clay. She writes a beautiful blog about truth and pretty things. I also follow her on all social media and her Pinterest is to DIE FOR! You will swoon and drool and gasp over her findings. Please join me in this photo challenge. Leave your Instagram name in the comments if you decide to play. Visit her blog for all the details on the challenge. She's giving away goodies to some of the lucky players.

Day One: Self Portrait

Here I am in all of my fresh faced splendor. I don't normally wear make up to play dates. Mainly because it's over 100 degrees here in San Antonio every day. It's too hot to have your face beat to the heavens. So. This is the real me with a splash of an Instagram filter. 

Day Two: Color (Black)

I can not express how much I love the color black. I gravitate towards it whenever I'm shopping. I have to make a conscious effort to choose colors and prints. Even though I love color I just can't escape my love for black. Black with gold accessories. I could wear it everyday. I have even considered having an all black Fall/Winter. Just because I love it so much. We'll see. The jury is still out on that. I don't want my husband to think I'm going through a dark phase. I might just do it.