Friday, January 29, 2021

Nerf Wars & S'mores Birthday Party


Planning a birthday right now can be tricky. Georgia is still very much in the thick of all things Covid-19, and while having a party at a trampoline park or arcade is possible, it's also more risk than we were willing to take for our son's 10th birthday celebration. 

Weather is also tricky this time of year. This is "Hot-lanta" so Winter days can be in the 70's or, on occasion, the 20's. The bigger threat though is rain. 

Thinking of the two obstacles, we almost scrapped a birthday party all together. But at the same time I felt like so much has been missed these past months, that celebrating might be a good thing. In the end, we brainstormed and came up with a "Nerf Wars & S'mores" themed birthday party. 

And let me tell you - best. idea. ever! 

It was a super easy party to plan, and allotted for safety measures to be in place without limiting the fun. Originally I was going to buy a bunch of Nerf War supplies I found on Amazon, but then I found a local company that specializes in outdoor Nerf War Parties (if you are local to Atlanta - check them out!). 

Here's a quick peek at some of the fun and details from the day...



PARTY DETAILS

In an effort to keep everyone safe, I kept the party pretty simple with the goal of everyone staying outside. I did very little decorating with a few fun Nerf themed party items I found on Amazon


We hosted it in early afternoon so we could keep food to a minimum and adhered to the whole "pre-packaged snacks only" suggestion for the most part. 


We did order pizza for the boys (because - trust me - they worked up an appetite), and I made my new favorite dip to have on hand for the adults. 


We have a huge fire pit in our backyard and s'mores worked so well for my daughter's birthday in October that we thought we would reuse the idea for this party too. The kids loved it! 


The only change I made to make it a little more Covid safe was pre-package the graham crackers and marshmallows so that a bunch of little hands weren't digging into boxes and bags together. I got the idea from our New Year's trip to Barnsley Resort last month. 


The party favors might have been one of my favorite finds. I found these Nerf Wars kits on Amazon that the kids could take home to continue the party. Each kit includes a mask, goggles, two sets of Nerf bullets, and a target bag that can store everything as well. 



I hired an outside company to host the party, but these little kits would be great if you opted to host your own party. 


I topped the bags with these fun easy to print Nerf themed thank you notes I found on Etsy. 



NERF WARS & S'MORE FUN

Here's a quick peek at some pictures from the day. The kids (and some dads too!) had a BLAST at this party. This age group for boys is tricky to plan a party for when it seems all the want to do is play Fortnite with each other, but this was a total crowd pleaser. The company set up the course and played a ton of different games with them (capture the flag, total elimination, and grab the pin just to name a few I remember). 








Now let me just tell you the audible gasp all of the parents on the sidelines released when we saw one of the employees bring out this little gadget.


It just rolled and picked up all the darts! We were amazed to say the least. I mean can you imagine how time saving this is?! (I might or might not have one on order.)




HOSTING YOUR OWN PARTY

If you want to host your own Nerf Wars & S'mores party I found a ton of fun items in my research. It would be super easy to put together (especially if everyone brought their own gun)! I've linked everything in this post, but here is a link to all my Amazon Nerf Party finds too! 







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Thursday, January 28, 2021

Kitchen Confessions {Air Fryer Brussels Sprouts}

Any brussels sprouts fans out there? I really like them, but only if they are "well done." There is something about that crispy and kind of charred taste on the outside of them that I love.  Before I had an air fryer I would cut them in half, toss them in olive oil and cook them in the oven until they were nice and crispy. Then I'd season with my family's favorite Everything But The Bagel Seasoning from Trader Joes. I put this stuff on EVERYTHING and if you haven't tried it, you definitely should! 


Then when I discovered hot honey I started drizzling that on just about everything, too. Including my brussels sprouts. 

Now that I have an air fryer I've been cooking them in that because they just cook so much faster and crisp up a lot better.

  

I love ordering brussels sprouts when we are out at restaurants because everyone puts their own twist on them, but I think I had my very favorite brussels when we were at Barnsley Resort over New Years.  We all shared them as an appetizer on the first night and they were SO good that we decided to get them again on night number two! 

Brussels Sprouts from Woodlands Grill at Barnsley Resort 

We didn't even really read the description on the menu so when they arrived that first night with something on top we weren't quite sure what it was until the first bite.  We discovered it was Granny Smith apples on top which was such an unexpected surprise, but oh so tasty!  

The next time I made brussels sprouts at home I decided to try to recreate something similar and they were so good! I might have hurt my shoulder patting myself on the back at recreating this dish.  Ha! 

Air Fryer Brussels Sprouts 

*Wash and cut brussels in half

*Stir brussels with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. 

*Transfer brussels to air fryer basket and cook on 350 for about 15 minutes (or until desired crispness is achieved), shaking halfway through. 

*While they are cooking julienne 1/2 of a Granny Smith apple. 

*Transfer brussels to serving dish and season with salt, drizzle with hot honey and top with the apples.  

I know it sounds like such a weird combination, but the mixture of different flavors is really good! Let me know if you give this a try!  

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Friday, January 22, 2021

Friday Favorites

 Happy Friday!!! I hope you all have had a great week.  I had originally planned this post for last Friday, but when I got word that my kids would be virtual this week I ended up spending last Friday getting a ton of stuff done instead of sitting at my computer.  We've made it through the week and they are (fingers crossed) heading back to school next week! Today I thought I'd share some of my Friday Favorites and things I've been loving here lately. 


It has been pretty gloomy around here with a lot of rainy days.  The sun was finally shining last week meaning I finally got to wear my new FAVORITE sunglasses!  I bought these for myself for Christmas and just love the shape and style of them. I loved them so much I got them in two colors


Speaking of gifts, I got an air fryer from my in-laws for my birthday and can't believe I haven't shared about it here yet!  

I had been wanting one, but just never pulled the trigger and I'm so happy that they gifted it to me.  We have been using it a ton and it's the appliance I never knew I needed.  I use it for a lot of frozen foods, but we've also cooked things like Salmon, brussels sprouts, chicken wings and more in it!  


I'm sure you all have seen the fun purse strap trend and I finally jumped on the band wagon.  After searching Amazon for what felt like weeks I finally settled on THIS metallic camo strap and LOVE it. 


I just put it on a bag I already owned and it works perfectly. I have gotten so many compliments on this bag/strap every time I carry it. The quality is great and the price can't be beat!  They have a ton of different designs, too.  I like this wider strap because it is much more comfortable on my shoulder. I somehow always end up carrying everyone else's things...#mombag. 


One of my all-time FAVORITE book series was Twilight from back in the day and when I found out that Midnight Sun had been released I was so excited!  



It's the story of Twilight told from Edward's point of view and it is SO, SO, SO good.  I will share more about it in our upcoming book club post, but if you are a Twilight fan you need to read or listen to this! 


This outfit is pretty much my daily uniform.  Cute sweatshirt, jeans, and sneakers.  


Last week I ran into Walmart for some craft supplies and left with this cute tie-die sweatshirt.  It comes in several different colors, is light weight (I will definitely be able to wear it into spring), and I love the length of it because it looks cute with a front tuck and will be a great length to wear with shorts when it warms up. 


Regardless of our political affiliation and beliefs, can we just all agree that Lady Gaga was FABULOUS at the inauguration!?!  She is always one of my favorite performers and her rendition of the National Anthem was beautiful!


I have always been a Gaga fan and miss concerts so much!  Click HERE to see when Jen and I got to see her in concert with some of our friends a few years ago. 


Going along with Lady Gaga, my last favorite for the week is all of the crazy Memes of Bernie and his lack of black tie attire at the inauguration.They have definitely made me laugh this week and this one is one of my favorites! 

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Wednesday, January 20, 2021

Get Better Sleep with Cadia Pillow

Best pillow for sleep 

Oh my gosh y'all! If ever there was a post to read - this is the one! So, a few weeks ago I had had it. My neck was killing me. I was waking up in so much pain looking left would make me cringe every single time. I just knew the cause had to be my pillow. 

When we moved last year, my husband talked me into a new mattress with extra firm support. Listen, I like to sleep on what feels like a fluffy cloud of goodness. What's not firm? Clouds. The mattress salesperson assured me that it would get less firm over the course a few months and I would be in sleep heaven. Oh and here are some firm pillows to throw in for good measure just to make the angels sing. 

That salesperson sits on a mattress throne full of hard, neck pain filled lies. 

When Cadia Sleep asked us to do a review for their luxury adjustable pillows, I jumped at the chance to give them a try. 

Best. Decision. Ever. 


WHY I LOVE MY CADIA PILLOW

Cadia pillows come in three different levels of firmness - soft/plush, medium & firm. I am a side and stomach sleeper and ordered the plush one for me. My husband is a side and back sleeper, and I ordered the medium for him. The best part about each pillow is that it is adjustable! 

Being able to customize our pillows to our needs has been sleep changing! Each pillow comes with a series of inserts that can be removed or added to ensure that you get the ultimate comfort and support that YOU need. 

The pillows are hypoallergenic (Which is great for those nights when my allergy prone daughter comes into my bed and steals my pillow. Spoiler alert: it's every night.), and built with materials that (to quote the website), "make you feel like you are sleeping on a cloud"

They had me at "cloud"

The inserts and pillow cover are also washer friendly! Such a bonus! I wash my pillows every few weeks to make sure all the dust mites and dead-skin cells are removed, and love knowing I'm not ruining its fluffy cloud-like features while I'm doing so. 


CADIA GIVES BACK

Another great thing I love about Cadia is that they recycle your old pillows. If your old pillows are  polyester or down alternative filled Cadia will recycle them. And it's totally headache free to do so! They send the packaging and labels with your pillow purchase so all you have to do is pop your old pillow into the mail and done! I wish other companies would think of recycling programs like this! Think of how much good they can do. 




FINAL PILLOW TALK

Both my husband and I agree that Cadia pillows are life changing. We both are sleeping better, and my neck now can move any which way pain free. I also feel like I don't get up as often through the night. Now that I am more comfortable I think I am able to sleep more soundly. I didn't even realize how much my old pillow was affecting me and my health on a daily basis. I wish I had done the research and made the change sooner! 

To learn more about Cadia Sleep and which pillow is right for you: 




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Thursday, January 14, 2021

Teen Media & Game Room {Part 1}

If you read the blog yesterday, you learned that my 2021 goal is house projects and our first one is already underway! A little back story first.  When we were renovating/building our house I knew I wanted a big playroom on the main floor because at the time my kids were young.  It was the perfect spot to house all of the big toys like the train table, play kitchen, dress-up clothes, art station and more!


When the kids got a little older and weren't playing with those types of toys anymore we transition it more to a homework/hangout space which they liked, but rarely used. 



My son will play in there if he has a friend over and still likes some toys, but for the most part they are sort of past that phase which brings a tear to my eye. If given the chance to time travel, I would turn back the clock to the day my oldest was born in a heartbeat.  But, since that isn't going to happen, I'm embracing the stage we are at and making this room functional for our family.  We've been debating what to do for some time now and finally decided to transform it into a Teen Media & Game Room.  

I did what I always do when I'm looking for ideas for my house and logged into Pinterest to start searching!  I found so many great ideas and got some really good inspiration.  




After all of my pinning and "research" I knew that I wanted to do some sort of dark accent wall, have comfortable seating for the kids, and that the Mr. wanted a big TV in there.  I'm super pumped about the cool accent wall and all the kids care about is when we're getting the new TV. 

Because the room is really big and the lounging/TV section is only going to take up part of the room, we've also decided to move the air hokey and foosball table from the basement up here, too.  I honestly think they will get used more being right off our main living space.  We'll still have some toys in the closet in there (because I'm just too sentimental and for the VERY occasional time they get used) and I've got to come up with something to do with all of the the giant Nerf guns we own.  Besides that, the playroom part of the room is going to be gone. I had a really hard time taking down the children's artwork gallery wall. 


Once we decided what we wanted for the wall I was in camp hire "let's someone to do the work" and the Mr. was in camp "I can do that." I let him have at it and last weekend he worked nonstop! 


He moved electrical outlets, tore off baseboards, patched drywall, and did all of the trim work himself.  I was just the assistant holding things in place when asked, so this was really all him.  


I helped paint on Saturday night (this is 40), and was really happy with the color I'd picked. We went with Sherwin Williams Urban Bronze which I have now learned is the 2021 color of the year. How fitting. 


I love this wall.  It makes such a statement when you walk in the room and all of the other walls are now freshly painted and free of random crayon marks. 


All of the trim work and drywall patching done, the painting completed, and the room is mostly cleared out except for some random furniture we are going to donate. Next up is new carpet and then the fun stuff like curtains, moving furniture in and yes, the big TV! 

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