Wednesday, August 28, 2013

Gold House Paper & Press




In my house greeting cards are always needed. Whether we have a baby to celebrate, a birthday, a wedding, or maybe just to say thanks, it seems like I am constantly running to the store at the last minute to pick up a card. There is even that small percentage of the time where I manage taking both the kids to the store to pick out a gift and get all the way home just to realize I forgot the card. Unfortunately, hand-made cards by the kids can only get you so far...

Recently I found an online shop called Gold House Paper & Press. The cards are so adorable and most of them are hand illustrated by the owner of the shop, Megan Mercier. If you can find the time to plan ahead you will be able to find a beautiful card for your special occasions that is reasonably priced compared to some of the nice cards in the stores these days!

Gold House Paper & Press has items for every occasion! They also have stationery sets, art prints, fun gifts, and more!

I am such a fan!




Disclosure: We were sent samples of these cards, but all of these opinions are my own. 

Thursday, August 22, 2013

Our Disney Family Tradition

There is something so magical about Disney World. Everything you see in the movies or read in the books becomes reality the moment you step through those gates. It's no wonder we can't stay away. One of the most exciting parts of my little family is the ability to start new traditions over the years and I am happy to say, that taking a trip to Disney World on Sienna's birthday has become one. We went as a family for her first birthday and continued the tradition last year when Daniel was only eight months old. 


We definitely had our work cut out for us going to Disney with two little ones two and under. After this last trip I thought we would wait a couple years to continue the tradition, but something changed. Maybe it was the little sparkle in Sienna's eye when she gushes over all the princesses. Or Maybe it is the joy that it brings them that just melts your heart. Or maybe that Disney World is truly the most magical place on earth and there is no way I am breaking this tradition now. 

See you in December Mr. Mouse!


Monday, August 19, 2013

August Group Giveaway!!!


Hey guys! 

I'm part of a fabulous group giveaway today at Sunny With a Chance of Sprinkles! 

Be sure to click here for your chance to win!

Good luck!!

Sunday, August 18, 2013

A Night Out with Bethenny: Calling All My Girls Tour



Bethenny Frankel stopped in Tampa last week for her Calling All My Girls Tour and all I can say is Bethenny can throw one heck of a party! We had a fabulous evening celebrating Bethenny's new talk show with none other than Bethenny herself and an array of Skinnygirl beverages to sip on. I couldn't have asked for a better mom's night out full girl talk, cocktails, and BETHENNY! She has been such an inspiration to watch over the years with all of her success. 




The event was held at the swanky Grill One Sixteen which couldn't have been more of a perfect place! Bethenny rounded up Tampa's hottest bachelors and the place was dripping in Skinnygirl cocktails...can we say HEAVEN ;-)



 Leave it to Bethenny to have pillows that say It's Hot as Balls! Welcome to Florida...ha!



This momma was able to hang out with some good friends that I've known since kindergarten and connect with some Tampa blogger friends as well!



All the flat screens at the event had the #callingallmygirls hashtag going and you can see me below with Bethenny when we attempted to win a trip to her show earlier in the day! Unfortunately we didn't win the tickets, but I would take a photo-op with Bethenny any day! We will just have to work a little harder now to get a mom's trip to NYC!



Bethenny's new show will be premiering on your local FOX station on September 9th at 2pm! I hope you will be watching because I already have my DVR set! (live televison is a rare occasion with a one and two year old...)

Thanks Bethenny for a night to remember!

Tuesday, August 13, 2013

Beachin' It With Toddlers

As you saw here, I have been dreaming about the beach a lot lately. We are in the middle of August and quite frankly I can't take the heat! Fortunately, we still have a few months of beach weather here in Florida!
Danny and I love taking les deux to the beach! It really can be a lot of work, but we have to turn these kids into beach bums just like their parents ;-) So I decided to share a few of our favorite must-haves for a day at the beach with toddlers!

(Clockwise from the top)

Melissa & Doug Sand Baking Set // Fedora // Foldable Wagon // California Baby Sunscreen //
 Bonlook Kids Sunglasses // Hayden Reis Seashell Pouch // Salt Water Sandals

Even if we go to the beach for a day we manage to have oodles of things with us so our collapsible wagon is a must! It fits everything and even a kid or two...With this extreme heat I always make sure to keep them covered with lots of sunscreen, a hat and sunglasses. How cute are the Bonlook sunglasses with full UVA & UVB protection?

Beach Toys are a must as well... The beach is like a big playground with plenty of sand and water for them to keep occupied for hours. I absolutely adore this Melissa & Doug Sand Baking Set! And for the shell collectors out there, these mesh Hayden Reis seashell bags are perfect! And needless to say, we are huge Salt Water Sandals fans in this house!

Tuesday, August 6, 2013

Bethenny Frankel is Calling All Her Girls in Tampa!




Bethenny Frankel has been such an inspiration to watch over the years and it has been so exciting to see her make a rapid rise to the top! After reaching great success from her Skinny Girl empire, she is now taking over the world with her new daytime talk show, Bethenny, that premieres September 9th on FOX. 

To celebrate her new show, Bethenny is calling all her girls to come out and have an intimate night out for her Calling All My Girls Tour. She will be making a stop in Tampa on Monday and yours truly was lucky enough to receive an invite! Woohoo! Mommy's night out!!! I am so excited to hang out with my girl and get ready for her new show!

There is still time to try and win tickets to the event here

Stay tuned for a full rundown of the event next week! 

Any other Tampa ladies attending this fabulous event? I can't wait! 



Thursday, August 1, 2013

Best Highchair Ever- Ikea Antilop

Ok, so this post is for all the expectant mommas out there or ones who are sick of scraping the crevices of  your child's highchair to remove the grimy food that your little one leaves behind...and of course the mommy on a budget as well!
I wanted to tell you about the best highchair I have ever owned...Ikea's Antilop highchair! 
No...I am not getting paid or given anything else to write this, I simply feel really passionate about this plastic contraption that has given me a better quality of life :)
via

I have been through a couple of highchairs with les deux and they both happened to be the space-savers that you can attach to a chair. Sienna's was great, but it was pink along with every other baby item I owned so I decided that we needed a new one for Daniel. Not to mention Sienna still used hers well after he was born since she wasn't even two yet.  Daniel's space-saver was great as well, but it had these darn crevices that food would just get stuck in and it would require hosing off with the nozzle on the highest power to get the guck out. And at nine months, both of my children decided they didn't want to be spoon-fed so we all know how that goes. 
Once we remodeled our dining room I decided to get these fabulous white tufted leather (I know...white leather with two toddlers? I'm crazy) chairs and there was no way I was going to let those beauties get indented by the space saver. 
So....I did some research and decided to go to Ikea and spend the $25 on this highchair and tray and not look back...
Months later, I haven't looked back because I love it! It is so easy to clean and not overly bulky so it fits nicely at the table. It is also really light weight so we were able to bring it to the park for Daniel's birthday party!
The only problem is that a lot of highchairs these days accommodate infants to eat their rice cereal when they are young....and  I wouldn't recommend this chair for a baby under 5-6 months, but these days we have so many other sitting contraptions for them, that it's possible to make it work!
If you don't want to go out and fork over an arm and a leg on a modern highchair that is easy peasy to clean, this one will do the job!!!
P.S. The tray is sold separately so don't forget it while you go grab it!
P.S.S. Because of its extremely lightweight frame, your toddler (most likely your boy) may think it's fun to flip it around the house and climb on it....just a warning...


Do you have a highchair that you absolutely LOVE?