Waiting Room Fun Bag

 I saw this idea on Andrea's blog a couple weeks ago when she was talking about Valentine's Day gift for kids. I already had my Valentine's gifts ready, but I thought this idea of a "waiting room" bag was super smart! I added it to my Amazon cart and planned to stick it in the "save for later" section, but Aaron ended up making some Amazon purchases that day & this was in the cart so it was included (accidentally) with the purchases!

As soon as it arrived, I filled it with some fun things that would be sure to entertain kiddos the next time we had to go to a waiting room or car ride. I grabbed a few pencils and a spare notepad, a deck of cards, some plus-plus blocks, and a few fidget items. I immediately stuck it in the glove box of the car because I knew we'd be heading to a city for Michael's endocrinology appointment shortly after this arrived.  

Monday of last week was that day, and Michael was so surprised by having something new & different to play with while waiting for the doctor. (In fact, the doctor played with the plus-plus blocks too when he entered the room!) It's so funny to me how kids latch on to something different than they're used to, even if they've seen all the things before. I used to bring a big bag of toys with me when babysitting. The kids I'd babysit for loved this "bag of tricks" and it's so fun to see my own kids react similarly. :)

Until Next Time,

Much Love, Reba

Another Day, Another online shopping cart tour

Here's another mindless online shopping cart tour featuring a few different stores than the ones shown on Monday's post.


Nordstrom:

Nordstrom is one of my favorite stores to buy things from online since shipping is always free and so are returns!

Kennebunk Bliss Plush Throw:

This is my favorite store-bought blanket of all time!  I bought my first one during the Anniversary Sale in 2018.  I bought four at that time (one for me to try out immediately, and three more to give as Christmas gifts to my kiddos).  The plan worked tremendously.  All three kids LOVED my blanket from August through December, then were thrilled to get their very own blankets on Christmas Day!  Their blankets are on their beds with the understanding that they can get them at any time to cuddle with in the living room, etc., but my blanket stays in the living room and is the one that everyone grabs first in the early morning!  This past August, I grabbed 5 more blankets when they were on sale so that I could have a different and very nice Christmas gift to give to my sons' teachers, teacher aide, and school nurses.  Everyone loved them!  I'm toying with getting another blanket since they come out with new colors now and then.  The other day, they were 25% off and the sale price really is great!  Today, they don't seem to be on sale, so I think I'll hold off for a bit. I really love the Teal Foam and Navy Blue shades that they have out right now.


Kopari Coconut Gardenia Deodorant:

A while ago, I switched from using regular deodorant to trying to find just natural deodorants that didn't have aluminum in them.  It's of course easier if I can find these things in store, so I've gravitated towards Schmidt's Rose + Vanilla scent (I've also tried their Charcoal and Magnesium scent).  However, I've wanted to try the Kopari brand since reading so many good reviews about it.  Nordstrom has a wide selection including a trial set of three different scents.


Kendra Scott Elisa pendant necklace:

I bought a JDRF version of this necklace a couple years ago.  (It's very similar to the September sapphire shown here).  This necklace is dainty enough to complement outfits without overpowering them.  It's fun that Kendra Scott has come out with the birthstone set, and also has another set with a variety of different stones and finishes.



Anthropologie:

I will admit that I have never bought anything from Anthropologie for full price.  I always always always wait til things go on sale before I seriously consider getting anything.  The sale items that I have gotten over the years have held up well and been worth their sale price for sure.


 Spatula

This cute little spatula could add a pop of color to the kitchen which is always fun!

 Monogram Hook

These would be so cute hung upon Avery's room!


Printed Journals:

These little journals would make such a cute addition to an end-of-the-year teacher gift!  A notebook that someone could stick in her purse and have ready access to paper if needed is very practical and these are pretty without being overly trendy.  They also come in a slightly different color pattern and shape, but in a three pack, here .


Juice Glasses:

These are sweet little glasses for juice.  They remind me of patterned glassware that used to be at our family beach cottage.

 Gallery Dish Towel

This is such a cute museum-esque hand towel!

Mint Serving Bowl

I'm loving the shade of mint these days. This serving bowl is simple & classic enough to carry through for years without losing its effect by being overly trendy.


Printed Oven Mitt

I think a colorful happy kitchen is the best kind!  Sometimes this can be created from regular items that come in pretty colors and patterns like this oven mitt!


Homebody Mug:

I LOVE fun mugs!  This one is so perfect right now.



There's so many more things on their sale pages (which is where all of these Anthropologie items can be found), but I think I'll stop here for now.


Amazon:

I LOVE LOVE LOVE shopping on Amazon and have tons of things in my "Save for Later" section of my cart.  If something sells out, oh well, I just find something else to look at and ponder over. :)


Fun Doormat:

I don't really put doormats out since we don't have gutters and the rain water totally destroys these type of doormats, but I love looking at them online anyway.  Here's a sweet springtime mat.  I thought this one about the kids, wife, and husband was funny.


Retro Cassette Pencil Holder:

I'm always looking for fun desk items for my school desk.  Students tend to remember I'm actually human when they see fun or pretty items on my desk.  This cassette pencil holder is multi-functional but also funny since most of my students will have no idea what a cassette even is!


Kinectic Sand:

Noah got some kinetic sand for his birthday and although I was majorly dreading having my kids play with it inside, it's actually quite easy to keep contained and easy to clean up.  I'm contemplating getting them each a bag of colored kinetic sand for Easter.


Flush Mount Light

I've taken on a personal mission of replacing light fixtures in my house to ones that I like more than the ones that either were originally here or ones that matched the previous owner's taste.  My next project is either my foyer light or my laundry room light.  This flush mount light has the vibe that I'm looking for to make my laundry room more my style.


Jelly Bangle Bracelets

There's a much more expensive version of these bracelets out there, but under $10 is my preferred price point.  Since these are plastic, they can easily go in water (pool/ocean) and also means that they won't jingle jangle incessantly (which is a pet peeve of mine when I teach).  They come in a variety of colors, but I prefer the look of the light rose gold the best.


Cross Body Purse

Although Avery is old enough to freely walk and run on her own in familiar places, she's certainly not well versed enough to understand parking lots even while holding hands, so I carry her to and from every store.  That means that a trip to the store by myself with my kiddos (pre-social distancing of course) is quite difficult when I have to think about carrying a purse, a toddler (with a baby doll), and a bag of diabetes supplies.  We use a sling backpack for our diabetes supplies, but I'm still weighed down with a purse and a nearly 30 pound child, so I've been on the lookout for a cross-body bag.  This one is cute with the added tassels and comes in lots of color choices, although I prefer the beige option.


Well, I think that's enough mindless online shopping cart touring for today.  I'll post more this week with updates on each kid and how we've managed our time at home. :)

Until Next Time,
Much Love, Reba

Mindless Shopping Post

In the midst of all the weird times around us, I find some solace in mindless shopping.  I don't buy these things, I just make constant shopping cart additions and wish lists, then wait til the items sell out and start all over. :)  It's not the buying that makes me happy (it actually makes it worse, which is why I don't buy), it's the actual shopping and imagining part that brings me a bit of happiness, so that's what I'm choosing to focus on.

Zulily:

Year-long subscription to HGTV and Food Network magazines. 

This is a really fantastic deal because you get both magazines for a whole year for $20.  Usually, each magazine is about $5 each if you get it at the newsstand or in the grocery store check-out line.  I did buy this subscription last year from Zulily and it was so much fun to get these magazines throughout the year!  I'm not sure I'll get the subscription again since I saved all of the magazines from last year and therefore have enough decoration projects and recipes to keep me busy for quite some time. :)


Year-long subscription to Good Housekeeping and Better Homes and Gardens magazines. 

Obviously, I have a thing for putting magazine subscriptions into my online shopping carts.  This set is a really good deal too, though, because you get a year's subscription to both of these magazines for just $9.  I've had this subscription a few years ago and it was fun to see different fashion options and fitness routines and various home cleaning methods-- you know, things women are interested in learning about.


Sign-Language Necklace

This necklace is delicate and sweet and showcases the American Sign Language symbol for "I love you."  This particular phrase is super important to me since we used it in my family a lot while growing up because my little brother is hearing-impaired.  My kiddos know the phrase and hand signal now which is extra sweet.


Elsa Nightgown (toddler)

For a little girl who just discovered Frozen (as of a few months ago) and Frozen 2 (as of last week), this little nightgown would provide some good dress-up time as well as hopefully an easier bedtime routine ("Time to put on the Elsa dress!"). 


Window Markers

I thought this looked equally interesting and terrifying.  Maybe it's something fun to keep kiddos occupied while we have to stay inside for much of the day.  On the other hand, are we potentially teaching our kiddos that drawing on windows is okay?  I, for one, know of a little girl who wouldn't fully understand that only certain markers could be used for this activity....



Old Navy:

Right now, Old Navy is having a 50% off sale, so I browsed around and found some things that might be helpful this summer.


Faux-Leather Pool-Side Sandals

Both of my boys have asked for sandals that they can easily slide on their feet so we can go outside quickly without having to pause to put on actual shoes.  I saw these and thought that they would be perfect for quickly getting on, and they'd also do well around the pool this summer!


Perforated Pop-color sneakers for girls

I've admired the more expensive "Native" brand of these type of shoes but can never justify spending so much on a pair of shoes for feet that will rapidly grow.  When Old Navy came out with their own version (in my absolute FAVORITE shade of pink!) I quickly added these to my cart for Avery.


Pop-Color Flip Flops for women

At $2.51, these might be making their way to me as a simple beach/pool flip flop.  Again, I chose the blush color but am also smitten with the turquoise and the coral.


LOFT:

LOFT is one of my favorite stores to find sale items for work-appropriate wear.  I usually buy things when they're on sale and when LOFT is offering an extra percentage off on sale items.  This also means that I'm buying things out of season.  So I'll buy winter items in the summer and summer items in the winter, etc.  Sometimes this is a bummer because I don't get to wear the items immediately when they arrive, but it's worth it when the appropriate season rolls around and I've got new clothes that I paid less than $10 for. :)

Knit Jogger Skirt:

This skirt, based on the pictures and reviews, seems like it would be the perfect easy-to-wear spring and summer skirt!


Petite Flecked Peplum Vintage Top

Peplum is an interesting trend.  It can either look flattering or it can make someone look pregnant who's not. I'm careful with the types of peplum I wear, which means I don't wear it a lot.  This shirt from LOFT looks like it might have possibilities.  And the shirt fabric looks like funfetti cake batter so that's extra fun!


Heart Necklace 

This necklace is so sweet and dainty and could work with outfits all year long!


Hopefully this offers a little fun distraction to what's happening around us.  I'll try to do another post from other stores this week like Nordstrom, Anthropologie, and Amazon.

Until Next Time,
Much Love, Reba

Little Valentine's Day Touches

Every holiday is automatically ramped up in excitement when viewed through the eyes of a little kid.  Add in school Valentine's parties or special snacks, and you've got yourself some excited kiddos!  Any chance I can take to make the holidays (and even some "regular" days) fun and interesting and memorable to my kids is certainly a heart-cry of mine.

Several years ago, before my boys were old enough to remember Valentine's Day, I bought these little felt envelopes from the Target Dollar Spot and on a whim I bought the only pink felt envelope that Target had.  At that time, we had no plans to have a third child anywhere in the near future.  It was about two years after that when Avery was born and I knew I'd get to put that sweet little pink felt envelope to use!  So now each year on Valentine's Day, I stick a little prize and/or candy into the envelopes for each of my kids. They get so excited about it and it's just something extra special to remind them how very very loved they are.  This year, I grabbed some simple candies a few weeks ago and Aaron & I were able to pick up some little gifts for each kiddo earlier this week that I'll stick into their envelopes tonight so that they're ready in the morning for the kids to see as soon as they walk into the living room!

This year, each kiddo will get a Reese's peanut butter cup shaped heart and a little plastic heart filled with Skittles.  These are candies that each of my kids can easily eat and since all the candies are the same, then I eliminate the potential bickering of "I wanted to have that candy instead!" :)

Michael has been begging us for the latest "Dog Man" book, so his wish is coming true and he will receive the book "Fetch-22" in addition to his little candies.

Noah will receive a little street sweeper Lego set that he can build over the weekend. It's so super cute and it comes with a little trash-can and some Lego "trash" (ie, a banana and some random little Legos that are supposed to resemble trash).  He received several little Lego sets at his birthday party and he's really good at putting them mostly together on his own.  This little street sweeper set will be right up his alley.

Avery has recently become obsessed with the Frozen movie and will break into the song "Let it Go" at random intervals.  :)  We decided that since she's getting to the age of dress up and liking all things princess, etc., that she should have one of those little princess dress up kits with the plastic high-heel shoes, little crown, and Tiara.  We chose to get her a Cinderella set since she's seen the movie and liked it, and also because this set was light blue and she can pretend that it's a "Frozen" set if she wants to.

I'm SO PUMPED for the kids to see their little gifts tomorrow!  I almost gave all the gifts to them on Monday night when I got them just because I was so excited about them!  My parents always had some small gift for my brothers and me-- a little chocolate heart box or game we could play. It's so much fun getting to do similar things for my own kids.

In addition to these little gifts, I have also tried to add in some extra fun to our home this past week.

I hung up a little "XOXO" garland on our mantle and displayed a little string-art heart that one of the boys made at a Home Depot craft day.  I also changed out my Season's Changing Wreath to showcase the February felt flowers and banner.  On our coat closet, I hung up my Valentine's foam-heart craft.  All of these little touches were noticed by my kiddos and it makes them feel like our home is extra cozy and festive.

Earlier this week, I made a brownie pudding trifle.  This is hands-down my favorite dessert and I'm not sure why it took me so long to bring it back into rotation.  I chose sugar free pudding mix to make it a little easier on the carbs.

I made my own homemade brownies, let them cool, then sliced them up into one-inch squares.  While the brownies baked, I whipped up the pudding mix-- I chose Chocolate Fudge, but the white chocolate pudding is also really good. Once the brownies were cooled and the pudding was set, I layered brownie pieces, a few big spoonfuls of pudding, and some thawed Cool Whip into a glass bowl.  I repeated the layers three times then added a few chocolate chips to the top.  The boys were super super excited the whole time I was making the dessert.  We talked about what a trifle was and both of them helped me mix different items at different stages.  That night after dinner, we each got to have a bowlful (in the living room no less!) while watching "The Princess Bride."  Believe it or not, that was my first time watching it all the way through.  Aaron was shocked when I told me I hadn't seen it, so we rented it from our library and decided that it was going to be perfect when paired with the trifle.

All three kiddos got to have some leftover trifle yesterday after school which they loved.

These little touches and additions to our home or routine just help make holidays all the more festive and memorable and I'm overly excited to do these things for my kiddos!

Happy early Valentine's Day!

Until Next Time,
Much Love, Reba

Gift Guide: 5-7 Year Old Boys

I'm enjoying the ages my sons are, where they get joy out of writing (or dictating) their own Christmas lists. I know that they probably wont always find it easy to come up with things to ask for, so it's fun for me as the parent to see just a piece of their imaginations and dreams of what they could do with the things they request. We tell our kids that they can put anything on their list and that they'll get some of the things on it. I'll include some items that they actually put on their lists and I'll also mention things they've received in the past that might not have been on their lists but that they ended up really liking! I'll also add in some things I hope to include this year.

5 year old: He's very into municipal vehicles and has kind of kept that running theme for a couple of years.

Sidewalk cop police car (this is in reference to a show, I think and I'm guessing it's kind of like those "power wheels" ride-on cars. We did not purchase this.)

Bus with yellow lights and red lights (harder to find than you may think. It's very important to read reviews on items like these if you are buying online. After reading reviews about certain versions of this, we chose to go with one we found at Wal-Mart that we could actually test.)

Firetruck toy (He told us he didn't have a specific style or size in mind for this which made it easy.  We went pretty big so that he could play in tandem with garbage trucks he'd received in the past.)

Ambulance toy (This is also an item I recommend trying to find in a store. We lucked out at Wal-Mart again for this one!)

Bike. (None of my kiddos have bikes. This is the first year someone has asked for one. I'm going back and forth with whether I should get one or not but if I do, I'd choose one with optional training wheels from Academy.)



7 year old: He is our inside toy kid and would prefer to play any type of game or read than to have structured outside activities. When he's playing outside, he absolutely prefers free imaginative play (usually meaning he takes stuffed animals outside or creates make believe games with his brother).


Pokemon sword game and Pokemon shield game: These are two separate new video games (he won't be getting both but could use Christmas money if he wanted) and I'm not even sure which game system they're for (Switch, DS, Wii-U).

Pokemon battle royale for Wii-U- yet another game. Again, he can use Christmas money for this if he really wants to.

Pokemon sword and shield cards elite pack and the Mewtwo card pack - These are for two separate Pokemon card packs. He likes looking through all the various characters included in each set. At the moment, he doesn't do much beyond admire the cards and sometimes play a modified version of the cards with us. He does draw his own comics and sometimes uses these cards as reference points. These two packs he mentioned are specialized versions which cost a bit more, but the smaller packs (near check out lanes) are just as fun and are about $5 per pack (includes about 10-20 cards).

Luigi's Mansion Dark Moon 3DS & Switch - and another game. He likes the Nintendo Land version of Luigi's Ghost Mansion and likes to play that with us. I'm not too wild about having a second version of the game, so we're skipping this one. But it's certainly a popular item for boys this year.

Tanuki Luigi toy- These themed stuffed animals are a real treasure to him and he constantly plays with the ones he has.  He asked for this different character and I'm not beyond getting this or passing the word on to Santa.

Dr mario toy- This is a plastic toy that I've discovered is very hard to find. But again, it's a toy he would use in imaginative play which is a plus.

Minecraft Encyclopedia- He loves reading his Mario and Pokemon encyclopedias so I know this will be a hit!

Minecraft Activity Book- This includes lots of activities to do, which enables him to be doing something related to a favorite video game while not actually being a game itself which is nice! It includes word searches, coloring pages, word scrambles, hints for higher levels, etc.

Hot Wheels toys and loop-de-loop tracks-  Bonus if the cars are themed! They make lots of Mario themed versions.


Hopefully if you have a 5 year old or 7 year old to shop for, this list might offer some hints for popular items for this young crowd!

Until Next Time,
Much Love, Reba

Father's Day Weekend

Our Father's Day weekend technically started on Thursday night when Aaron and I were able to go on a dinner date, after which we shopped for Father's Day gifts.  Why does this holiday always sneak up on me?!?  We rounded up gifts for my dad and for Aaron's stepdad that night while shopping.  On Saturday morning, Aaron went to the local shotgun range with a friend and picked up a gift card from the shotgun club store for his dad since they like to go there together sometimes.

While Aaron was at the shotgun club, the kids and I managed to grocery shop.  This is a feat with three little ones!

That evening, we went to Aaron's mom's house to swim in the pool.  We gave Aaron's stepdad his gift-- two kid-sized baseball gloves and the promise from our boys that they were ready to learn to play baseball. This is something my father-in-law has wanted to do with the boys since the first time he found out he'd have a grandson.

We swam in the pool for a while, then played board games inside after it was dark.

The following morning at church, Aaron and I had Children's Church duty.  We finished up a crafts project the kids had started the previous week.  Our associate pastor's wife came up with the idea and started it the week prior to Father's Day to ensure the craft would be finished in time.  The kids glued rocks onto a wooden picture frame, then cut out a tag that said "My Dad Rocks" to glue onto the frame.  Our associate pastor photographed the kids the previous week and had the pictures ready to put in the frames while I was in Children's Church.  The crafts turned out so cute!  Aaron put the ones from Michael and Noah on his bookshelf.



While we were at church, we gave my dad his gift-- a bag full of differing fishing lures and fishing worms since my dad has a bass boat and is spending quite a bit of time on the water when he can.

Aaron also gave his dad his shotgun club gift card so that they could make arrangements to have a father-son day sometime soon.

After church, we swung through the Zaxby's drive through since it was Aaron's lunch choice.  We had a very nice family lunch sitting around our dining table eating our take-out food.  Avery even did well actually chewing her food, so that was a plus. :)

That afternoon, Aaron watched a Formula One Race while the rest of us napped.  Afterwards, Aaron grilled steak for dinner and paired it with pan-cooked mushrooms and onions.

Overall it was a really great, relaxing day!