August Favorites

August is flying by for us!!  We getting into a good routine with all the back to school schedules and are off to a great start.  The kids made it through their first full week of school this week.  We're all ready for a relaxing weekend!

The highlights of the month so far:

1 // Lunch with friends

Dana and I made plans to try a new restaurant and do some shopping.  She introduced me to Chicken Salad Chick (yum!!) and a local boutique called Farmhouse.  I introduced her to HomeGoods.  Win-win for everyone!

2 // Pumpkins!

As soon as the kids head back to school, I am ready to start baking pumpkin treats.  These Pumpkin Chocolate Chip cookies are so soft and so delicious.  They're my kid's #1 favorite cookie.  I'm not ready to dress like Fall or decorate for Fall, but come have some cookies with us.

3 // Back to School Bracelets

I love these happy bracelets.  They're a sweet reminder all day long for me to pray for my kids while they're at school.  I usually get asked to add a matching heart tattoo to all of our hands.  This year I have started asking my kids to give me a prayer request for them each day.  Sometimes it's big things like a test or something with friends and other days it's - please pray that the school day goes by quickly!

4 // Yumbox LOVE

One of my favorite lunch box tips/tricks got featured on the Yumbox pages this week!!  I loved seeing it on display because it's really helpful when you're packing lunches.  Use leftovers from dinner in your kid's school lunches.  We had some extra grilled chicken & pasta and it was a hit!

5 // Middle Kid

Sometimes it's tricky to get alone time with the middle guy.  Fletcher needed a new bike helmet so we went on a date to Target.  He tried on all the helmets making sure to find the perfect one.  Then we browsed the store.  He insisted on doing all the steps of self check out in addition to carrying my bags to the car.  What a sweet guy!  It's fun to be his biggest fan.

6 // Happy 40th!

My bestie Jacque turned 40 this week.  I excitedly welcomed her to Club 40.  I took the big kids to her pool party and we had a blast.

7 // Cook Outs

We hosted a couple of cookouts this month so far and I just love a plate full of grilled meat and all the Summer produce.  Dinner was delicious!

8 // Clean Up Crew

Leo has designated himself at the breakfast clean up crew.  He looks for any leftovers and loves to sample what everyone else ate.  He gets a good mix of oatmeal, bagels, toast and cereal.

9 // HARIBO Anniversary Gummies

If you - or your kids - love gummies, I've got a new one to recommend.  You've got to try the 100th anniversary HARIBO gummy bear packs.  They've got blue raspberry party hats and they're so good!  My kids love these in their school lunches.

10 // Summer Sunsets

We are soaking in all the Summer goodness in the evenings and the slightly cooler mornings.  Leo has been paying much more attention to the sunsets lately.  Look at this gorgeous sunset!

11 // Great Grandma

Leo and I popped over to visit his Great Grandma Sharon.  She's had an eventful month so we dropped off some yummy food and got to visit.

12 // Praying for Friends

Our whole family has been working hard on making new friends.  Fletcher came home with these little scraps of paper this week.  They're friends phone numbers and house numbers.  He's very proud to have memorized my number and told me that he's been giving it out to new friends.  I love that!!

13 // Goals

Olive made her own goal chart and said she's working towards something big.  I love her ambition!

14 // Happy Kitty Birthday

Penny & Pearl turned 2 this week.  We had a great time celebrating them with pampering and yummy cat food.  Leo couldn't figure out why their cake looked so ucky.  I think he was hoping for a real cake.

15 // Mr Box Turtle

I rescued this guy from our road and the kids have had fun pampering him.  I wanted to name him Speedy, but we'll see what they settle on.

16 // Days with Leo

We are really enjoying our days together.  We take care of all the things and just enjoying being BFFs right now.  I know how fast these little years go.  I'm thankful to get to spend my days with him!

Happy Friday!  I hope you have a wonderful weekend.

I'm linking up with Momfessionals and will see you back here on Monday.

8 Creative Ways to Save Money

It seems like everything has gotten more expensive the past couple of years so I'm trying hard to get creative to save my family money.  Let me show you some simple ways - they really add up!

1 // Free Bouquet

I needed something pretty for my table over the weekend so the kids and I headed outside to make our own bouquet.  The kids helped me and easily saved me $10-15 on a fresh bouquet.  I trimmed everything down and it looked nice in a ball jar vase on my counter.  They were very proud of their cuttings.  All of our landscaping is very new so I'm eager for things to grow up more to give us more to cut for bouquets.  I'm also hoping to plant a cutting garden full of flowers next year.  Stay tuned!

2 // Stay In for Dessert

While we were on vacation, we opted to stay in for dessert.  Kevin grabbed these pint size Blue Bell ice creams in new flavors for us to try.  The kids loved getting a scoop of each one to sample.    They were under $5 each and fed us all easily a couple of nights.  Eating dessert at the condo saved us lots of money!

3. Free Fun at the Library

Are you visiting your local library??  We are getting into a good routine with ours.  The kids love to see their grab bag craft activities each time we visit.  They're totally free and fun to do at home.  The first kit we got was a fish craft and then they built these neat robots with their last kits.  Every library is different, but I bet your library would have free options for your family!

4 // Don't Waste Food

I have been working on this for the past couple of years.  I try very hard to save, freeze and eat up every bit of food we buy.  I found myself saving the very end of the tortilla chip bag to add to my taco bowl leftover lunch.  I also plan to finish up the random chip bags in the pantry on a charcuterie board or pair them with sandwich night to ensure they get eaten up.

5 // Leftover Shelf

I know I talk about this one often - but you really need a leftover zone in your fridge!  It will save you lots of money by keeping all the leftovers in one spot.  Then you can use them when you pack lunches or make more food throughout the week.  I chopped these veggies for a dinner side salad then saved all the leftovers for a yummy big salad lunch for me.

6 // Return Your Things

Whether it be Amazon returns or clothing returns or bad produce returns - RETURN IT!!  Don't let your money go to waste by missing your return window.  I keep my returns on my passenger front seat so that when I'm near the UPS store or when I'm out and about I can get my money back.  If you buy something online and don't love it, take the time to take it back.  Amazon usually gives you several weeks so put that on your weekly to do list.

I recently did a Sams Pick Up order and one bag of nectarines had gone bad.  It was drippy and totally gross.  I called Sams right away with my order number handy and asked for a refund.  They would like for you to bring items into the store for returns (which is fine for home or clothing or boxed items), but this was rotten produce that I did not select for myself.  I told them it was too much trouble to go into the store for a return and they refunded my card over the phone.  It took me 5 or so minutes to take care of it and saved me about $7 from going to waste.

7 // Freeze It

When you end up with the last bit of fruit salad that isn't getting eaten or you're heading out of town and have some fruit that will be have gone bad when you get back, chop it all up and freeze it!!  We try hard not to waste fruit - pop it in a freezer bag for smoothies.  I have a bag for ripe bananas and a bag for all the other fruit.  My kids pretty much love any smoothie as long as it's pinkish.  It's a great way to get in a healthy after school snack.

8 // Stay Home

Let me explain - I know myself and I know that if I stroll through HomeGoods or Target I will always find things that I want to buy.  So I'm trying hard to stay focused with my errands and stay home to tackle projects here instead of shopping.  Work on all those things you already have the supplies for or organize the things you already own before buying more.  Of course I still run errands.  I'm just working hard to stay focused with my spending so that we can save for some really fun projects!

Which of these could help you save the most money??

Happy Saving!

Cardboard Bouquet

Do you ever find yourself with flowers that are past their prime for a vase??

My kids love to cut them or pull them apart so I figured they'd have fun making cardboard bouquets.

 

I saved a big Amazon box so we'd have plenty of cardboard and used flowers that were looking a little tired.  They worked with their best buddies to make some pretty art.

Supplies:

Cardboard rectangles

pen

Sharpie

scissors

painter's tape

fresh flowers / wild flowers / fall flowers - any flowers will do! 

Directions:

Pre-cut the cardboard pieces and the kids select their own.  Explain that they get to build their own cardboard bouquet.  Show them some vase shape ideas and let them each use their sharpie to draw their vase + write their name.  I poked holes with a pen in their cardboard.  I think I did 8 or so per bouquet and then added more if they needed them.  I told them that their bouquets should have a variety of flowers and greenery.  They stuck the flowers in the cardboard and when they were done I used painter's tape to secure them on the back.

The boys and the girls really enjoyed this activity!  Their bouquets all turned out different and they were all really proud of their finished work.

Back of the bouquet:

Warning: This wasn't a great toddler activity.  He was too rough with the delicate flowers and it was frustrating for him/the big kids.

Happy crafting!!

Late Summer Outfit Inspiration

An outfit post!?  That hasn't happened since 2021!  It's been a long time!  I get dressed and put together outfits every day, but taking pictures of those outfits doesn't happen very often.  If this is something you'd like to see more of, let me know and I'll try to make it more of a blog priority :)

These are all go to outfits for me in the late Summer.  My favorite places to shop right now are Target, Amazon (I'll link anything current!), Old Navy, GAP and items I can grab while I grocery shop - Meijer, Walmart and Sams!  Convenience is key for my shopping these days.  Can you relate??  I've actually found some really cute things at all of those places.  It'll still be hot in Indiana through at least September so I'm not getting out the Fall clothes for several more weeks.

1. Floral - I love a good floral print.  This GAP tee has been a favorite for a season or two.  I picked up these cantaloupe sunnies from Amazon this Summer and they're great.  They are very light weight, fit my big head and are super affordable at just $12.99!!

2 // Monochromatic

I found these cute sets at Sams this season.  I grabbed one in periwinkle and one in black.  They're so comfy, so cute and the shorts have pockets!    Each piece was super affordable.  Add in Kate Spade stud earrings, fun bracelets and rose gold Birks and it's the perfect outfit.  When it gets a little cooler, I'll be adding a jean jacket to this outfit. 

3 // Last Pool Days

If you're like us and trying to squeeze in a few more pool days, this is a really great cover up!  It comes in a pack of back and white and it's from Amazon.  I've worn them for a couple of seasons and they're still looking great.  My swimsuit is new from Matilda Jane and my sandals were from TJ Maxx earlier in the season.  The kids are decked out in Cat & Jack swim gear from Target & Crocs.

 

4 // Pretty Sleeves

I found these GAP eyelet sleeve tops at Sams.  I loved this collaboration!  They had really cute shorts and tops that I grabbed this season.  I love pairing the tops with striped shorts or pretty floral skirts.

5 // Knox Rose + A Clutch

I love this combo for date night!  Have you seen the Knox Rose line at Target??  It's really great.  I love their dresses so much.  I grabbed this pink dress and this white dress for events we had this Summer and have worn them a ton.  They were around $25 and have great details that make them feel fancier.  My green clutch is old from Banana Republic and my straw clutch is a big win from Amazon this season.  I carried it often and it's really affordable. Plus there is an extra coupon code for 10% off now!!

 

5 // Maxi Dress

I have this dress from Amazon in a couple of prints.  It's so comfortable.  And it has pockets!  It does not have very much stretch so size up.  I think it'll be so cute in Fall with a jean jacket and booties.  It comes in 30+ colors (including solids) and is a really great dress!  I have these two:

 

6 // Formal Dress

Amazon came through again for me with a formal dress for an event we went to earlier in the Summer.  I LOVE this dress.  It comes in so many colors and is very affordable.  I got tons of compliments on it.  Look at all the pretty lace detail!  It was lined and warning - it's low cut so layer accordingly with a tank if it's too low for you. I have it in the deep purple and would love to grab it in black.  Wouldn't it be so pretty to wear to an event, a wedding or as a bridesmaid dress??  And it's only $50!

 

Did you see any fun fashion items that you would wear?  Was it helpful to see how I'm styling my favorite pieces from my closet??  I hope you have some new outfit inspiration going into the last few weeks of Summer!