Vacation Packing Tip For Kids Clothing

Many of you are preparing for your final vacations of the summer, so I thought I'd post a quick packing tip for your kids clothing.

Here's the scenerio:

You're on vacation. You're busy. Your child needs to get dressed for the day so you say, "Little Johnny, please go get dressed. Your clothes are in the suitcase."

To which Little Johnny proceeds to walk into the bedroom, get down on his hands and knees, and TEAR APART THE ENTIRE SUITCASE until he finds just the right t-shirt and shorts he feels like wearing that particular day.

No thank you.

To help alleviate some of this frustration, I have come up with a system that seems to work quite well for my 8-year old.

I simply pack each day's outfit, complete with underwear, in a gallon Ziploc bag. Sounds simple, right? It is! And it works!

I lay out all of the outfits for the week and then put each one in an individual Ziploc bag. The clothes are clean, so when we're done with the bags, I will re-use them (no waste).

And when it's time for Payton to get dressed, he simply takes out a bag and puts on the clothes inside them. Easy peasy, lemon squeezy!

It also makes packing a breeze (just make sure you squeeze ALL the air out of the bag before closing them). I also did one bag of PJ's and one quart-sized bag for socks. No more getting his clothes mixed up with his brothers. And one more thing to make vacation a bit more relaxing.

What's your favorite packing tip? Please share!

Recipe: AMAZEFEST Pork Tenderloin

Just popping in quickly today to share the most amazing recipe with y'all.

I had thawed out a pork tenderloin yesterday intending to use it for mojo pork with black beans and rice.

And then Brian got back from Haiti.

And he said, "You can take beans and rice off the menu until further notice."

Okay. I totally forgot that basically they eat beans and rice twice a day while in Haiti.

Then I had to come up with "Plan B" for dinner.

I gave a shout out to some girlfriends and they responded back with some amazing recipes. I am definitely going to try out each and every one and will report back with each delicious dish.

But tonight, I opted for the easiest one with the least amount of ingredients (it's just that kind of week).

Let me introduce to you "Amazefest Pork Tenderloin."

Here are the ingredients:

Yep, 4 ingredients (plus water). I LOVE recipes with less than 5 ingredients!

Here we go:

• 1 pork tenderloin
• 1 envelope of Lipton dry onion soup mix
• 1 cup water
• 3/4 cup red wine
• 3 Tablespoons minced garlic
• 3 Tablespoons soy sauce

Directions:

1. Spray Crock Pot with non-stick cooking spray and place pork tenderloin inside.
2. Combine red wine, water, soy sauce and dry soup mix and pour over tenderloin. Turn to coat.
3. Spoon minced garlic on top of tenderloin.
4. Cover and cook on high for 4 hours or low for 5-6 hours.

 

I'm so sorry that I do not have an "after" photo of this amazing meal. As recommended, I served it over mashed potatoes with the au jus on top. It was truly a party in my mouth. All of the boys said they loved it and wanted seconds. Next time I will make two tenderloins because I didn't have enough for everyone to have seconds and we definitely didn't have enough for leftovers. Lesson learned.

Next time you are looking for a super easy, delicious meal - make this! You won't be disappointed!

P.S. My Man got home last night. We were more than a little bit excited...

Anxiously awaiting his arrival in the airport:

 LOTS of hugs... and tears...

 It was so precious that Brian got right down on the floor to look at the poster the boys made him. Just goes to show what an amazing father he is. Not only to his own children, but to the fatherless in Haiti as well.

We love you so much Brian and are so proud of you!

Lately...

I'm caught in this weird cycle right now where it feels like we're either moving at warp speed, or totally, and completely relaxed. There's just not a whole lot of "in between" going on right now.

In the past 3 weeks, we've been to North Florida, Long Boat Key and Orlando. Oh, and we have a family reunion quickly approaching. Just putting all of that down in words makes my head spin! No wonder my suitcase has found a nice cozy spot in the corner of my bedroom!

But during the travel, we've had so many incredibly relaxing days and nights. I've read more magazines and books and eaten more delicious meals in the past 4 weeks than I have in the past 4 months! So, despite the miles being put on the car, it's been a really fun month.

As I mentioned, I popped over to Orlando this week for a quick 24-hour trip to see my best friend Ashley and her kids who were in town from Texas. We had a great visit (sorry, no pics right now, Ash is going to email them to me when she gets home). And of course, the boys loved staying the night at Nana & Paca's... where the answer to any question is almost always "Sure!"

So to summarize the past week or so, here's what we've been doing lately...

Payton is doing a summer kickball league that started last week.

(That's him on the far left playing with his shirt)

 Finally...a sport he loves!

I guess it helps that all of his buddies are on his team.

 I've been shoving encouraging the kids to "get outside and play" (e.g. away from electronics) as much as possible. It's amazing what they come up with when forced to use their imaginations. Like this ramp made out of a boogie board and a shoe box.

 Finished up my school supply shopping this week. You can go ahead and hate me now.

 During the daily afternoon thunderstorms, we've been doing a LOT of Play-Doh.

Good thing we both enjoy it.

If you're ever looking for Parker and can't find him...check the stuffed animal basket. It's his favorite place to sit these days.

 The boys spent a lot of time in my parents hot tub while we were visiting.

(Yes, that's a lollipop in Parker's hand... safe, I know)

 And someone decided he wanted to try skinny dipping...

 I think he may grow up to be a firefighter. He LOVES the hose.

 My Dad took us all to see the new "Turbo" movie. It was Parker's first time in a movie theater, and he loved it.

These boys sure do love their Paca.

 Cuddled on the couch for bedtime stories. Melt my heart.

And this guy... well, we can't WAIT to welcome him home on Monday.

If Parker says "Mama, I wanna see Daddy" one more time, my heart just might break.

That's all for now. 

I'm planning to do at least one more post this week to share some reviews of my first Birchbox contents. It was like a little receiving a little Christmas present in July! So stay tuned for that.

In the meantime, please pray for Brian and his team returning from Haiti. For safe flights, for sound minds and for full hearts. We know they've made a huge impact while they were there, and we can't wait to put our arms around him again.

Long Boat Key

Ever been to Long Boat Key? It's a tiny little key just past Amelia Island (near Bradenton) on the West coast of Florida. There is only one two-lane road that leads in and out of Long Boat Key (LBK) and it is mostly lined with condos, houses and an occasional waterfront restaurant. At the end of the Key is a round-about circle called "St. Armand's Circle." It's one of my happy places. Probably because the few times I've been to St. Armand's Circle has been to eat great food, shop at my favorite stores, and relax with amazing people. LBK is one of my favorite places to vacation.

Lucky for me, one of my best friends has a condo there and her daughter, Lilly, and Payton have been friends since they were babies. Literally...

And through the years as they've grown up, attended different schools, changed interests, and realized that they are different genders... yet nothing has changed. They are still thick as thieves and get along so incredibly well.

Spending a few days at their condo in LBK is so relaxing and so much fun. The kids play all day long alternating between the white sandy beaches and the two pools at the condo. They search for coquinas, play in the waves, make up extensive pool games and basically wear themselves out.

Of course Parker tags right along...until he crashes for his naps.

During this visit, my friend Rachel built them a huge fort across the dining room area. They played inside of it the entire visit pretending to be otters.

Notice Payton's "Otter stance".

They begged to sleep under this fort. But we thought it probably wouldn't be a good idea.

One evening we drove down to The Circle and did a little shopping at one of my favorite stores, Lilly Pulitzer. Even the dressing rooms in this store are fabulous! Brightly decorated with maps of Florida, floral pillows and a great bench, which Parker quickly rearranged so that all of the pillows were on the floor. I'm sure the employees would have loved it.

to

Hey...they were having a GREAT sale!

 Even the kiddos love Lilly Pulitzer. :)

 Then we grabbed a quick bite to eat, followed by a stop at Kilwin's ice cream and fudge shop. Guess who got a huge slab of homemade chocolate fudge...

Our final stop was at my favorite little dessert shop, Le Macaron. The most beautiful French macarons you've ever seen... or tasted!

The next day was filled with more beach fun, seashell hunts and swimming before we headed home.

It was the perfect summer getaway and we are so grateful to our sweet friends for inviting us to stay with them. Thanks Lilly & Rachel - we love you gals!

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That's probably it for blog posts this week. Brian leaves on his mission trip to Haiti and I will be spending lots of time with family while he's gone. I'll be back next week with a couple more posts but until then, enjoy your summer!!

Favorite Things

Just got back from spending 3 fabulous days in Long Boat Key with one of my besties and her daughter...oh and my two kiddos. It wasn't exactly days spent lounging by the pool alternating between napping and reading gossip magazines. But we did manage to have tons of fun and slip in plenty of relaxation in between judging pool jumping contests, collecting shells, and many, many games of Candy Land (Parker's newest obsession).

I'll post some fun re-cap pictures later this week, but first I wanted to post a new list of my "Favorite Things." All of these can be found at either Target, online, or your local grocery store. None of them cost more than around $10, but they are all fabulous, at least in my opinion...and lucky for me, that's all that matters on this here blog. :)

Without further adieu...

First item up is one of my most exciting finds. I love the "Connoisseurs" brand jewelry cleaner. I've used it ever since Brian proposed and I had a reason to actually clean my jewelry. I went to buy a new jar of the liquid "Precious" jewelry cleaner for my rings and other precious stones, when I stumbled across this:

Connoisseurs Dry Jewelry Wipes

I was skeptical at first, but willing to give it a try since I often wear silver necklaces that tend to tarnish after a few wears. I was SO thrilled when I first used it on my silver monogrammed necklace. One quick wipe, and BAM! it was shiny silver again. I was shocked! I grabbed another favorite silver necklace that is not sterling silver, but has held up quite well over the years. I swiped that wipe across it and again - BRILLIANTLY shiny!

Now, I keep this little case stored right next to my jewelry box and anytime I put on a necklace that looks a little dingy, I just give it a quick wipe, and it's back to it's original shiny goodness!

And since we're on the topic of great Target finds, I'll share a few of my latest Target favorites (by the way, when you read the word "Target" on my blog, I love to think that you're actually pronouncing it "Tar-jaaa" all fancy-like.)

I found these beauties in the Dollar Section last week:

Two fully-lined zippered bags. 

Perfect for my purse to hold makeup, gum, etc. ($3 )

 Beautiful Chevron Thank You Notes with contrasting fuchsia envelopes. LOVE! ($1)

Not nearly as cute, but also a new favorite is this water bottle I found on clearance at Target:

Britta Kids' Bottle Water Filtration System ($3.94)

 

I wouldn't have paid $7.99 for it, but for $3.94 it is a good deal for a self-filtering water bottle. Parker loves it and I can fill it up anywhere and know that he's getting clean, filtered water.


And check out this adorable wall calendar I got on sale!

 Blue Sky Monthly Wall Calendar, Dabney Lee Designer Series

 I am so excited to start filling it up with all sorts of fun things we have coming up! (Yes, I'm a bit obsessed with chevron lately, but who isn't?) Plus new calendars always make me feel more organized. Is that strange??

Okay, leaving Target to share some other great products that have become my all-time favorites.

My sweet sis-in-law sent me a tube of this lip gloss from Bath & Body Works a few years ago:

C. O. Bigelow Mentha Lip Tint in Magenta Mint

 

She swore by it and said it was one of her favs. Now, I can officially say I am hooked! It's a bit pricey at $7.50 a tube, but you can get it on sale (right now it's buy 2, get 1 free) and it lasts forever!! It's the perfect shade of pink and the perfect amount of shine, and has an amazing mint taste to it. I wear it every. single. day. Seriously.

Another product I swear by is this detergent:

Dr. Bronner's Castile Lavender Liquid Soap ($6 for 8 oz)

Both of my boys have sensitive skin. Payton breaks out in eczema every winter when the humidity drops and the weather drys out. I finally took him to my dermatologist last year and she told me to immediately start washing all of his clothes in "free & clear" soaps. She said anything with perfumes or dyes will continue to irritate his skin and truly are not good for anyone's skin. So, of course I immediately switched all of my detergents when washing the kids clothes. However, I missed that "clean" scent. Enter: Dr. Bronner's Castile Soap!

I just add a tiny bit (and I'm talking maybe 1-2 Tablespoons) to the detergent section of my washer when I'm washing towels or sheets and they come out smelling so wonderful with the tiniest hint of lavender. The best part is, that it is super mild and doesn't contain any harsh chemicals (particularly Sodium Lauryl Sulfate) that irritate my boys' skin. It's a win-win for everyone! Oh, and it's got 18 other uses aside from laundry detergent. Pretty snazzy stuff.

And my final product, which I'm sure is not new to many of you, but worth mentioning just in case you haven't tried it:

Neutrogena Wet Skin Sun Block ($8-10)

This stuff is amazing. I say it makes my kids skin seem like duck down...the water just beads up on them. It can be applied on wet skin and will still work just as great as applying lotion to dry skin. Since it is a bit pricey, I usually only use it as a "re-apply" sunscreen when we've been at the pool or beach for a few hours. If you have kids who hate to sit still for sunscreen reapplications, try this product - it's worth the $!

Okay, that's all I've got for now. I hope some of these products become your new favs too! And I'd love to hear about any of your favorite items as well. Please leave me a comment or email me anything worth giving a "shout out!"

4th of July Vacation

Our 4th of July vacation at the river once again proved to be a wonderful mix of patriotic kid-filled excitement mixed with lots of quiet, peaceful moments that only this little slice of heaven can provide.

We kicked off the trip on Wednesday afternoon with the 3-hour car ride to our friend's beautiful vacation home on the St. John's River. Parker was asleep about 5 minutes into the car ride and took a nice long nap, while Payton stayed busy with books, games and a very dirty (e.g. potty words) version of Mad Libs. Needless to say, the drive went very quickly.

The minute we arrived, we let the kids run out on to the beautiful wooden dock that overlooks nothing but the serene beauty of the river with lush nature preserve as the backdrop.

Oh... and we may have cracked open our first celebratory 4ht of July beer while we were out there as well...

The weekend was jam-packed with boating, tubing, playing at the sandbar, and even a special ride on some of the neighbor's wave runners!

One, two, three... jump!

Parker taking a pretend tube ride on our friend's back.

My little boat lover.

The big kids loved tubing!

One of many awesome family moments.

Two peas in a pod!

Parker going for his first wave runner ride. He LOVED it!

Then it was big brother's turn. He also had a fabulous time. Sorry for the "behind" shot.

And when we weren't out on the boat, we were enjoying some good ol fashioned fun like:

Red Neck Golf...

Turns out Payton is quite good at it!

 Fishing off the dock and watching all the beautiful wildlife...

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 Eating watermelon, homemade ice cream, home made strawberry shortcake, and just about every other traditional American food you can imagine...

 And real, skillet fried bacon. Lots of bacon...

 And some great cuddle time with my little guy...

On the actual 4th of July, we had planned to go to a huge fireworks show, but as most Floridians experienced, it was cancelled due to rain.

So we created our own version of kid-friendly fireworks using sparklers, Morning Glories and glow bracelets. The kids had a ball!

We were all decked out with patriotic tatoos.

Sparklers never disappoint!

 

  All was well and good until I insisted that Parker hold a sparkler with all the kids for a "cute" picture. Umm...apparently he's not such a fan of sparklers. He screamed bloody murder and then insisted on going inside.

Not my best parenting moment.

So, I took him inside, gave him a nice long hot bath and put him in his cute 4th of July jammies.

All was forgiven. :)

On Friday afternoon, he headed back to Tampa. And little man was so tired, he slept almost the entire car ride (thank God).

We were welcomed home by a very happy little bunny who missed his rambunctious family...I'm sure of it. She's been super affectionate since we got home, so I think she missed us.

 

We had a fantastic 4th of July vacation and we are so grateful to our amazing, generous friends who make these kinds of trips possible. Thank you so much!!

Hope everyone else had a great 4th too!

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I'm taking the kids on another mini vacation this week, while Brian mans the fort at home. So, this is likely my only post for the week. 

However, I have some fun ideas cookin' for later this month including:

• A new "Favorite Things" list
• A couple new super easy recipes for the summer including my favorite roasted asparagus with Parmesan
• A "How To" guide to setting up a successful lemonade stand for your kiddos

So, stayed tuned!