Thought Bubbles: 09272016

I'm back!

Not that I ever left but my family came to visit and I couldn't find time to blog...

I don't realize how great it must be to live near family until we have family in town...

Today something didn't go the way that I planned and it bothered me...

Mainly because I missed out on doing something else that I enjoy...

Everything happens for a reason I suppose...

I received my Cize Live certification I told you about a few weeks ago!...

I am now available for birthday parties, girl's day out, bat mitzvahs, quinceaneras, family reunions etc....

I'm only slightly kidding about the bubble above...

The weather here is about to change from the beautiful Fall I've been loving to the dreary rain season everyone complains about...

Mikey and Moses are starting to play together more. It's nice to see...

My brother gifted me with some house plants this weekend...

And I found this mirror at Burlington Coat Factory for $20!!! WINNING!!!!.....

Slowly but surely this house is feeling more and more like a home...

Still can't decide on curtains for the living room though...

Mikey's mission in life is to get my decorative pumpkin within his reach...

I got lots of compliments on the Lularoe dress I wore to church Sunday...

Savannah took that pic and now that it is posted I realize the lighting is not the best...

This is why I'm not a fashion blogger...

But I do have a few fashion posts coming up so stay tuned for those, LOL!...

Welp, I guess I better start dinner before it's time for school pick up and ballet....

Oh, but before I go - Is it me or was that the shortest season of Power ever?

Healthy Wake-Up Routine

I have been compensated by Sundown Naturals® and Pollinate Media Group for this post as part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Pollinate Media Group® and Sundown Naturals® but all my opinions are my own. #pmedia #GoodnessGiveaway #sharethegoodness http://my-disclosur.es/OBstV

For the past three months I have been sharing my journey to a healthier me. Today I thought it would be fun to share my healthy wake-up routine. Hopefully this will encourage someone who is on the fence about starting their own healthy lifestyle.

As Moms, we sometimes forget to squeeze a little time in for ourselves. Over the summer I decided to start waking up before the kids to give myself some "me" time. The thought of waking up earlier than I had to made me cringe until I started seeing how awesome it made the rest of the day go.

My goal in the mornings is to kick start my day with a workout, a healthy breakfast, a shower and a few minutes to make sure my patience is fully charged. As you know, every morning I do a thirty minute workout based on my workout schedule for the month.

Working out first thing in the morning is my way of making sure I get it done. I get my workout in before the day gets in my way.

After my workout is done I grab a bottle of water and I heat my breakfast up. If you follow me on Snapchat you know I'm a fan of the almighty egg muffin. I make them on Sunday to heat and eat during the week, timesaver.

While my muffins are warming up I take my Sundown Naturals® Adult Gummy Vitamins. I'm currently taking the Multivitamins and the Biotin. The Biotin is an extra boost to my beauty routine and the multivitamin supports my new active lifestyle. I also like that the vitamins are gluten free adult gummies. I purchased them during a back to school trip to Walmart (this is the place to buy them for yourself AND vitamins for the entire family) and they have been a great addition to my routine. I love that the Sundown Naturals® vitamins are free of gluten, dairy and artificial flavors◊.

When breakfast is over I take a shower and prepare for the day. I get dressed, watch a bit of the news and take a few minutes to enjoy the peace before the business of the day takes over. My mornings are calm and peaceful and that sets the tone for my entire day.

When I'm fully charged and feeling relaxed I'm a better person to be around and I'm sure my kids

enjoy that.

How do your mornings start? Try waking up an hour before your little ones to give yourself sometime to get the day started. Consider getting in a workout and having a healthy breakfast.

Take this quiz to see which Sundown Naturals® Gummies are right for you. Enter the Goodness Giveaway Sweepstakes today! Head into Walmart and purchase at least 1 Sundown Naturals® vitamin product for a chance to win weekly prize packages and a grand prize! Every week, one winner will be selected to choose from 1 of 4 prize packs – Yogi Pack, Fitness Pack, Foodie Pack, or a $100 Walmart Gift Card. Simply upload a picture of your receipt here and you are entered for a chance to win some incredible prizes now through 11/1!

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. ◊Applies to all products manufactured after 5/1/15. Please check back of label as manufacture dates may vary.

Baby Boy Fall Fashion

This post is sponsored by Carter's; however, all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

Fall arrived a bit earlier than I expected here in the Pacific Northwest. And because you know how much I love Fall I was not mad about that one bit.

As I searched through the box of Mikey's baby clothes it quickly occurred to me that there was nothing Moses could wear right now. So we headed to Carter's to pick up some Fall fashion favorites.

Fall is all about layering. If you're not great at putting outfits together, don't worry. Carter's has sets in their littles collection® already put together for you. You can mix and match the sets to make several different outfits like I do for Moses.

The perfect layering piece for babies is The Original Bodysuit by Carter's. Mo lives in these. They are great to wear around the house to play and perfect for wearing underneath vests and sweaters.

When shopping for your little one consider getting the multi pack of bodysuits. Try picking a set that goes with your baby's overall wardrobe. I like getting solid colors and they make outfit building easy.

Doesn't Moses look so cute in this set? I love the vest!

Another way to wear this would be to swap the shirt out for a bodysuit.

I am really into graphic bodysuits for him too. It is a must when shopping at Carter's to scan the doorbuster sales table. This is where I grab a lot of comfy clothes for play time. When I saw this dinosaur print I knew we had to have it.

Take this coupon and this list with you to help build your baby's Fall wardrobe...

Did you participate in the Carter's #originalbodysuitsweepstakes last week? Be sure to follow them on Twitter to be kept up to date about new styles, promotions and fun contests!

You can participate in the Carter's "Pin Baby Pin" by uploading your favorite Carter's baby's first look here. The contest will end 9/26. 75 people will be randomly selected to each win a $50 Carter's gift card. Good luck!

Don't forget to use the coupon and the list when you shop. Outfitting baby for Fall can be super easy and affordable. What are some of your favorite Fall staples for baby?

Fall Family Fun at the Washington State Fair

One of the reasons why I love Fall so much is fair season. Nothing makes me happier than good weather, the smell of good food and riding rides at the fair. It doesn't get much better than that.

Now that Savannah is old enough to like rides I knew that we had to take her to the fair before school started. After standing in line to get ride tickets our very first stop was the ferris wheel. She wanted to ride it twice and we did!

There were so many rides to choose from. I think I counted at least three rollercoasters...

There was so much to do and see. The exhibition hall was packed with things to buy. Some of the other attractions were farm animals, dinosaurs, super heroes, show horses and musical guests. J.Cole actually opened up the fair. Charlie Wilson and Joe perform later this month.

Savannah wanted some cotton candy while we were searching for the perfect lunch spot. I ordered her a cone because I figured that was a wiser choice than the jumbo bag...

After a quick stroll it was clear that this BBQ Pit was a fair favorite. The lines were long but it smelled like it was worth it. I for one thought the open grill was a very smart marketing tactic. When I saw those slabs of ribs I considered standing in line and letting the ribs fall where they may...

We ended up trying the very hyped up Earthquake burger. It wasn't worth the hype or a photo... Do you see those ribs though?!

All in all I think everyone had a great time. We are planning another trip to check some things off our list. The parking wasn't too bad and the admission is reasonable. If you're local I highly recommend a visit. If you're not local find out when fair season kicks off for you.

Fairs are a great way to spend time together as a family. It's one of our traditions and I hope you consider making it one of your's as well.

See how happy they look?! The Washington State Fair ends on the 25th. Mikey was asleep before we made it to the car. Worth. Every. Penny.

Are you planning a trip to the fair this year?

Savannah Goes To Kindergarten

Welp, the day I have been literally dreading all Summer is here. Savannah's first day of all day school is today. We got up, got dressed, snapped pics and headed to school.

She was very excited and happy and I did my best to not be a debbie downer. I am very excited for her but I will miss our time during the day.

Not even the rain could keep her from being ready to get out of here today. As I think of her being gone all day I can't help but wonder if I took advantage of all the time we've had together until now. All of the endless days of free time and fun will now be shoved into evenings, weekends and school breaks.

And that sucks.

But I can't help but be so proud of her. She is fearless, open, kind and takes on new challenges with ease. Savannah has always been a delight to be around. She's never really given me a hard time. 

She's so smart and ready for all day school. I can't wait to pick her up (and rush her to ballet) so that I can hear all about her day. She's never had a shortage of words so I do expect a full recap when she gets in the car this afternoon.

Her going to school has put a lot into perspective for me. I don't want to beat myself about all of the times that I had to clean or get work done but today I do wish that I had maybe cleaned less and played more. 

I feel like this happened all too fast. She's absolutely fine at school. I'm sure she's having a blast. It's just a little tough letting go. My sweet girl is growing up.

If this is how I feel about her going to kindergarten I may just need to send my husband to college drop-off alone. I can't even imagine...

What You Need For The PERFECT Downstairs Baby Changing Station

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #SuperAbsorbent #CollectiveBias

Before Moses I never really saw the value in a changing table. You know, cause that's one of those items that you can do without. Or that's what I thought until I had three kids to chase after, clean or change. I would literally have diapers stashed all over the place.

Then the messiness of that got the best of me and I decided to get a changing table for downstairs. 

Because this has been such a huge help to me I'm going to share what you need to make a downstairs changing station of your own. I love having this alternate place to change the baby for a few reasons...

1 - No more pee accidents on the carpet, couch or my bed. If the baby happens to pee during a change I no longer have to worry about cleaning up the mess that creates. No more impromptu loads of laundry, no more pee on the carpet. If he goes during a change I can just wipe down the changing pad. Easy peasy.

2 - No child should go unsupervised. Having this table has limited my trips up and down the stairs during the day. If we're all playing in the living room and someone needs to be changed I don't have to make a trip to the nursery to get things I need.

3 - Getting in/out of the house has been made so much easier. I can change him right before we leave the house before errands and if he's messy when we get home I don't have to trek the mess all the way through the house and upstairs. 

Here's how you make a station of your own. First pick an alternate spot for your table. Pick a space that is used frequently. I chose the living room because we spend the majority of our day playing there. You may have a designated playroom, basement or some other space that works best for you.

Next you'll need to pick a table. Make sure your table has some sort of shelving or storage space.

Stock your table with the obvious must-haves like diapers and wipes. I like Huggies Little Movers Plus. They come in sizes 3 to 6 and they have double grip strips to help with fit which is perfect for babies like Moses that stay on the go. Huggies Little Movers Plus (and Huggies Little Snugglers Plus size Newborn to 2) are only available at Costco so grab them during one of your trips. I like buying my diapers at the beginning of the month. These diapers are a smart choice because they are super absorbent and you get tons of them in a box for the price. 

If you're a deal watcher like me know this:

• Little Snugglers Plus (Sizes 1 & 2) – $37.49, $31.49 after $6 discount and Free shipping (this offer valid 9/1 to 9/25)
• Little Movers Plus (Size 3, 4, 5, & 6) – $42.99, $36.99 after $6 discount and Free shipping (this offer valid 9/1 –to 9/25)
• In August Little Snugglers Plus became available in size Newborn starting - $29.99 available in select warehouses and online at Costco.com

Now that you've got the basics taken care of add a few blankets to your table. If your baby spits up or if you like having a blanket on the floor for your child to play on having extras on hand will keep you from running to the nursery if something gets messy. 

The same goes for a change of clothes. I haven't met a baby that didn't require an outfit change at some point during the day. Save your legs and keep these in your changing station.

I also like to keep a couple baby friendly toys on the table. This way if the kids are arguing over a toy I have a couple back ups to bribe someone into "sharing".

That's it! I also like to keep sanitizing wipes close by. Now that Moses is crawling and digging I no longer keep them on his table. They are close by in the kitchen if I need to wipe his changing table down. You might have a bathroom or laundry room that would work for you.

Here is a checklist of everything you need to grab during your next trip to Costco to make your changing station. Feel free to print!

Do you have an alternate changing station in your house? 

32 Things to do Before 33: Read a Self Help Book

One of my goals before my next birthday is to read a self help book. It took some time for me to find one that I was drawn to. I considered reading some of the popular titles that are out right now but didn't pull the trigger for some reason.

A few days ago while we were shopping in the PX I came across 5 Habits of a Woman Who Doesn't Quit. The title was enough for me to stop and scan the table of contents. I'm glad I did.

This book has been such an easy read. It has been helpful and I have been able to truly think about pushing past excuses and obstacles to see commitments and goals all the way through. I wouldn't consider myself a quitter per se but like everyone else I will stop, cut off or flat out ignore things that I find to be inefficient, of no value or boring.

What I didn't consider before this book is that when I cease to see things through (for whatever reason) I am robbing myself of a blessing. It may be a lesson learned, experience, a new friend or possibly something that leads to income at the end of something I didn't think was worth my time or energy.

I have always believed that nothing in life is by chance. Everything that comes into our lives has a purpose. So when God places a dream in our hearts, a thought in our minds or the desire to try something new we must see it through to the end even when we don't "want" to.

I recommend that anyone who sees themselves as a quitter, doubter, over-thinker or someone who tows the line between doing all the things and planning to do all the things but never does any of them read this book. It has given me a better perspective on sticking things out when I feel like they no longer serve my purpose.

I also just wanted to share the book I use for daily devotion again because I get asked on snapchat a couple times a week for the name and title. I use The Women's Devotional Guide to the Bible by Jean E. Syswerda.

What are you reading right now? Do you regret quitting anything?