Saturday, October 31, 2015

Happy Halloween (and a winner anouncement)!!

From our families to yours we hope you have a very happy (and safe!) Halloween! 

We will be hitting up the soccer fields most of the day, then cheering on our favorite college football team for a big game today - GO DAWGS!!! - and then wrapping things up by spreading some spooky spirit around our neighborhoods. 


If we can stop eating the candy that is...

And a big thanks to all of you who participated in the Children's book club launch this month and entered the Barnes & Noble gift card giveaway from our friends at The Avenue. We loved hearing about all of your favorite Halloween books. It seemed that the Goosebumps series was a running favorite! 
Our winner is...
DEANNA ALLEN

Deanna said, "My favorite fall book is Red Leaf, Yellow Leaf by Lois Ehlert." 

Congrats!!! Shoot us an email and we will send your prize to you shortly. 

Happy Halloween everyone!!
 photo jointsignature.jpg

Follow us on Pinterest HERE.
Follow us on Instagram HERE.
Follow us on Facebook HERE
Follow us on Twitter HERE
View our Etsy Shop HERE

** This post contains Amazon affiliated links.**

Friday, October 30, 2015

Frozen Candy Corn Punch

Happy Friday friends!  Halloween is finally here and our kids could not be more excited.  We have a fun day planned for tomorrow and my kids cannot wait to go trick-or-treating!  Before that though we are planning to have a little get together with our neighbors.  We did this last year and it was a really fun way to kick off the Halloween festivities.  I love making themed food and drinks and this year I'll be making this Frozen Candy Corn punch.



We had it a few weeks ago and it was a hit with everyone.  There is still time to run to the store and grab the ingredients!  We're sharing the recipe over on Savvy Sassy Moms today.  Click HERE to read. :-)  

We hope everyone has a wonderful weekend and we can't wait to see pictures on social media of all the cute kiddos in costumes.  We'll definitely be sharing on Instagram, so be sure to check in with us!  

 photo cbsignature.jpg

Follow us on Pinterest HERE.
Follow us on Instagram HERE.
Follow us on Facebook HERE
Follow us on Twitter HERE
View our Etsy Shop HERE.

Thursday, October 29, 2015

Halloween Movies

I have been having so much fun getting in the Halloween spirit with The Cutes this year. They have been loving everything Halloween. From decorating the house, to hosting spooky playdates, to running around practicing in their costumes - they love it all! Seeing them get into it has made me even more excited for Halloween than I typically would be.

One of our favorite things lately has been having Halloween movie night. This week so far we have participated in it almost every night. We took a brief break last Friday to watch my all time favorite childhood movie growing up - Aladdin!!


But maybe it somewhat counts as a Halloween movie since I dressed up as Jasmine three years in a row as a child. Don't you wish you could see those throwback photos? #notgonnahappen


One that has been on repeat, at Little Cute's request, has been Mickey's Treat.



She is Mickey obsessed right now and will sing one of the songs all day long. "It's Pete's party...boo! BOO!" is heard more often than we would probably like. Since it is a quick little show, we've had Mickey's Treat in our car to watch on some of our longer weekend car rides.

To get in the upcoming Peanuts movie spirit we introduced The Cutes to the whole Peanuts gang with the old school It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown. It's classic Peanuts and the kids love watching it.


We've snuggled in quite a few nights so far on the basement couch with our popcorn getting some good giggles in about "that silly Snoopy dog".


Cute was able to enjoy a special viewing sans Little Cute when we snuggled in for Hotel Transylvania. We thought it might be a little above her head and a little long for her. So we did a special popcorn and movie night with just our big boy.


He loved the special attention and thought the movie was hilarious. In fact, we all did! It has just enough sneaky "adult humor" that I found myself laughing just as hard. We keep meaning to pop in to see the sequel that is in theaters now, but haven't made it just yet. Has anyone seen it?


On Instagram someone posted they were doing a movie night with their littles to watch Hocus Pocus. Oh my - I used to love watching that movie during Halloween. I know The Cutes are too little watch that right now, but I can't wait to share in that experience with them in a few years. I haven't seen it in forever, but remember loving it!

We still have a few more nights to enjoy some Halloween movie fun. Do you have any suggestions on how we should close out our Halloween movie extravaganza?


 photo jensig.png


Follow us on Pinterest HERE.
Follow us on Instagram HERE.
Follow us on Facebook HERE
Follow us on Twitter HERE
View our Etsy Shop HERE



**This post contains some Amazon.com affiliated links. 

Wednesday, October 28, 2015

Taylor Swift: 1989 Tour {Atlanta}

This past weekend the girls and I got to go to the Taylor Swift concert here in Atlanta and I don't even know if I can put into words how amazing the experience was.

Both girls are pretty in love with Taylor Swift, but Little Mama is totally overboard.  She listens to her music non-stop, writes down every word to her songs, reads books about her, lip syncs in the mirror and is even being Taylor Swift for Halloween!

We had been looking forward to this night for months and months and could not believe that it was finally here! Since this was their first concert they really didn't know what to expect.  I showed them some videos from her previous concerns to they could kind of "get" that we would be far away from her and not on the first row!!!  I also helped them make posters on Friday night and they worked so hard trying to make them perfect.



We had so much fun getting ready together, fixing our hair, me putting make-up on them, and the girls modeling their outfits.  We took a few quick pictures outside before we left and I had butterflies just thinking about how much fun the night would be for them.



Because we knew traffic and parking would be really tough, my friend that was also going with us arranged for transportation to and from the concert. What the girls didn't know was that a limo would be our ride for the night.  When it showed up at our house they were both beside themselves.

The ride downtown was fun for them and as we got closer and closer to the stadium we saw tons of people who had already parked and started walking and that made us even more excited.  After the limo dropped us off we warned the kids of the big crowds and encouraged them to hold hands and stay together so we wouldn't loose anyone!

Entering the stadium was like sensory overload for the girls.  They wanted to look at everything.  People dressed up in costumes, light-up posters everywhere, souvenir booths, and lots of Taylor fans everywhere you turned.  We made our way to the suite where our tickets were and they enjoyed eating while we waited.

Shawn Mendes was the first opening act and he did great.  We love his song "Stitches" and had fun dancing along to it.  Vance Joy was the next act and he was a great singer too, but we were all just so excited for Taylor Swift that it was hard to wait.  I took the girls during this time to pick out a souvenir and they each got a t-shirt and a key chain for their backpacks.


When it was finally time for Taylor to come on stage the place went crazy and I don't think people stopped singing and screaming the rest of the night.  Her stage was amazing, her dancers were amazing, her costumes were amazing and the singing was amazing.  It was all over the top and fun and theatrical and had such a WOW factor.




One really neat thing about the show were these light up bracelets.  Everyone received one and as soon as Taylor came on stage they started lighting up.  I have no idea how the technology works that controls these, but they would chance colors, light up to the beats of the music and it was so cool to look around and see everyone waving their lights.  Taylor even mentioned that because of these bracelets she could see every single person there...all 56,000 of us.  Even the people sitting at the very top of the stadium could be seen by her because of the light and that each and everyone of them were important to her because they chose to spend their evening at her show.



In between some of the songs she would talk to the audience and really try to connect with her fans.  You can tell she is a very authentic and real person who has a great heart and uses her fame in such a good way.  She was talking to all of these young fans and encouraging them to not let others determine their happiness.  She said, "The thing that is better than being cool is being happy." I loved that and loved her positive messages throughout the night.


The concert was really fantastic and the whole evening was so special.  Watching the girls' excitement and awe the entire time was what really made the night for me.  When a new song would begin or when their bracelets started glowing or when the stage would move...every single thing was magical.  We sang and danced our hearts out together the whole time and having that fun together was so special.  It was definitely a night I will always remember.


When the show was over I asked Little Mama what she thought and she answered, "It was more fun that I could have ever imagined."  What more could I want than that answer?!?!


 photo cbsignature.jpg

Follow us on Pinterest HERE.
Follow us on Instagram HERE.
Follow us on Facebook HERE
Follow us on Twitter HERE
View our Etsy Shop HERE.

Tuesday, October 27, 2015

Fashion Fix: Getting Cozy with Belabumbum

Being uncomfortable during pregnancy and for those first few months postpartum is definitely a big challenge. As a new mom I remember being slightly uncomfortable the during my first pregnancy and at the very end sleep was intermittent, my attire consisted of my husbands t-shirts and sweatpants, and working out was a distant thought. 

Fast forward to my second pregnancy with Little Cute and not much changed except for she was ten fold the most uncomfortable I have ever been in my life. Style was the last thing on my mind with her, as I was more in survival mode for both my sanity and my ribcage. 

I typically try to be pretty fashionable and often try to be put together when going out in public, but during pregnancy I can't get out of the frumpy state of mind. This time around I have definitely taken a more active approach to dressing my bump. I have a lot more activities that I have to attend and rolling up in an oversized tee and sweatpants with my husbands high school logo on it isn't always appropriate (side bar: Let's discuss that later. Why does my husband still have things from high school??? High school was a long long time ago.). 

Our good friends at Savvy Sassy Moms introduced me to this wonderful and super comfortable brand of maternity and nursing wear called Belabumbum

{Active wear shown: Cami and Capri}
Oh my, life changing! By far the most comfortable maternity activewear and loungewear I have ever worn. Not to mention super cute to boot!

{Loungewear shown: PJ Pant Set}

I am sharing my review and all the fun details over at Savvy Sassy Moms. Make the hop HERE to learn more about the fabulousness that is Belabumbum. Bonus...it's not just for pregnant and nursing moms! :) 

How did you find your comfort during pregnancy? 

 photo jensig.png


Follow us on Pinterest HERE.
Follow us on Instagram HERE.
Follow us on Facebook HERE
Follow us on Twitter HERE
View our Etsy Shop HERE

Monday, October 26, 2015

Button Crafts for Halloween

Happy Monday friends!  The week of Halloween is finally here.  We've been counting down and getting so excited about all of the fun his holiday brings.  As a kid I would start planning my costume WAY in advance and probably drove my mother crazy with all of the ideas I had.  I just love seeing my kids dressed up though and it is such a fun time for the whole family.  In addition to the fun costumes my kids are planning we're trying to do lots of fun pumpkin crafts, too!



Be sure to check out these fun and easy pumpkin crafts we crated with just some buttons and a little (or a lot of) glue.  Click HERE to read all about them and get step-by-step directions!  

 photo cbsignature.jpg

Follow us on Pinterest HERE.
Follow us on Instagram HERE.
Follow us on Facebook HERE
Follow us on Twitter HERE
View our Etsy Shop HERE.

Friday, October 23, 2015

Savvy & Sassy in Sin City {Part 2}

 If you missed the first part of our Las Vegas trip recap yesterday, click HERE.

After going to bed so late on Friday night (although early by Vegas standards) we were both super excited to be able to sleep in on Saturday morning.  Because of the time zone changes neither of us made it past the time we had planned on, but we were excited about starting our day!

After getting dressed and grabbing a quick breakfast, we made our way to explore some of the main attractions and sights of the city.


First up though we had an appointment with one of our favorite brands, American Girl!!!  We were so excited to meet with them and be able to attend the grand opening of their Las Vegas temporary store.  For now this is a temporary location open for the holidays, but if the interest we saw is any indication, we have a strong feeling they will be there to stay!


I think we take for granted that we have a huge American Girl Boutique and Bistro so close to us here in Atlanta, but the moms and little girls of Las Vegas (as well as all of the tourist) were thrilled to be able to see the dolls and all of the accessories up close and personal.  This store carried all of the dolls, a lot of the new holiday line, and many of the "extras" that go along with them.


They also had a mini doll salon where girls were lining up to have their doll's hair fixed into a stylish look.

The holiday line and wardrobe for the dolls is adorable and makes us so excited for the upcoming season.  My girls have been scouring the catalog since it arrived at our house a few weeks ago so I recognized a lot of these outfits!



After chatting with the manager she also shared with us the two most popular dolls right now are Grace, the Girl of the Year and the newest Beforever time period doll, Maryellen.

    

We loved everything we saw there and left with a few little surprises.  Stay tuned the next few weeks to see what exciting things we might have in our bag!  (Wink, wink.)


After leaving American Girl stopped along the way back to our hotel to be total tourists.  The last time we were in Vegas was 10 years ago so we wanted to take advantage of seeing the amazing hotels and beautiful sights.

First up was the Wynn...probably our very favorite hotel of all.  It's just so dang pretty!  I mean, the outside is gorgeous, but it is nothing compared to when you step through the doors.  


I love that every hotel here has a "theme" and I guess this one is just all about color, flowers, and beauty.  The courtyard area is overflowing with gorgeous flowers and it looks like something out of a storybook.  This carousel really moved and was made completely out of flowers!



The lights and the hanging flowers everywhere were beyond gorgeous and it felt like an enchanted forest.  



Everywhere you turn there were bright colors and amazing details.  We could not get enough!




Our next stop was the Venetian.  This iconic hotel was a must-see for it's beautiful architecture that makes you feel just like you are in Italy.


With all the walking we had been doing we had worked up quite the appetite so we decided to stop for the famous gelato just inside the Venetian.  



It was hard to decide, but I went with the pink grapefruit flavor and Jen had coconut.  It was really delicious, but so rich that we couldn't finish and I am never one to throw away dessert.  (Note- please notice our matching nail color...totally not planned, but so fun that we picked the same exact color of our trip!) 


After feeling refreshed and refueled after our gelato we decided to do a total tourist activity and ride the gondola at the Venetian.  We had originally wanted to do the inside ride, but the wait was over an hour for that, so we just decided to do the outdoor ride instead.  


Our sweet and talented gondolier even sang to us during our ride.  She was so talented and funny, and made the entire experiences that much more fun!


We finally made our way back to the SLS hotel where the rest of our Savvy Sassy Moms group was already hanging by the pool.  We quickly changed into our swimsuits and joined them for an afternoon of fun music and lots of girl talk.



Time flies when you are having fun and next thing we knew it was time to get dressed and ready for dinner that night.  We had reservations at Searsucker in Caesars Palace, but pre-dinner we had a drinks at Trevi Las Vegas while waiting for our reservation time.


Dinner was great after such a busy day and from there we said goodbye to half of our group.  


They were off to find some dancing for the evening and if we had not had a semi-earlish flight we might have joined them (because we are never ones to pass up an opportunity to dance), but the time zone change was getting the best of us so we went with some of our new friends (Lindsay & Sara) next door to the Bellagio to watch their famed water fountain show.  



I remember from years ago it being one of my very favorite things.  The water literally dances to the music and it is so fun to watch.


After that we tucked back in at our hotel ready for our last night of uninterrupted sleep.  Sunday morning we packed our things and found a fast spot for breakfast at Northside Cafe inside SLS.  We knew we'd love this place as soon as we walked up after seeing that they decorated with mason jars.  I mean, it felt like we had a little bit of home with us right here after seeing all of those colorful jars!



After breakfast and packing up our things, our friend, Sara, rode with us to the airport where we enjoyed one last meal together before saying goodbye and hopping on our flight back home.  


It truly was such an amazing weekend for us.  We connected with some amazing women, learned so much, became inspired by the success of others and were encouraged to keep doing what we are doing.  So many people don't understand this whole blogging world, but we love it and love where Magnolia Mamas is going.  We can't thank y'all enough for reading along each day and for being a part of the fun we are having!  
 photo cbsignature.jpg

Follow us on Pinterest HERE.
Follow us on Instagram HERE.
Follow us on Facebook HERE
Follow us on Twitter HERE
View our Etsy Shop HERE.

Related Posts

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...