Baseball Moms {10 Essentials for Surviving Allstar Summer Ball}

It's no secret I'm a baseball mama. I've talked about it several times here before and my little guy is just so in love with the game.  He and I have spent many hours practicing together...from playing catch to some driveway hitting sessions, he always wants the Mr. or I to be outside playing ball with him.   All long his goal was to tryout and make the summer allstar team. He told me if he found out he made the team it would be the best day of his life.  He says that a a lot about a lot of different things so this kid has a pretty good life, but he was so excited when he found out he had made the team.

We are two tournaments in and I am having just as much fun as he is!  There is nothing I love more than cheering on my sweet boy doing what he loves. We even had Jen and Cute there for one of his games!

We're with a great group of kids and families and that makes it so much more fun. We are rookies when it comes to the summer ball thing, but a lot of these families are seasoned pros so we have learned from the best so I'm sharing 10 must-have essentials for surviving allstar summer baseball.  And a lot of these things can be used for more than just baseball!

1. Tents
This team's tent game is on point.  It is a well orchestrated event to get tents up and in place.  With the hot sun beating down, it is the only way we can manage to stand sitting in the stands to cheer for our boys.  It's amazing to watch one team break down, move tents and then the next team seamlessly move in with their tents.

2. Misting fans 
This is probably one of the best inventions ever!  It reminds me of the misting areas at Disney World.  You fill a bucket with water, put this fan with a hose connected to it on top and when you turn it on the mist blows out and starts cooling us off. I always strategically place myself near the mister!

3. Bleacher seat cushions 
This is being purchased as a Father's Day gift for two people I know this year.  It is brutal to sit for double headers on the hard bleacher seats with no back support.  These seats make it much more comfortable and will probably help my slouching, too!

4. Collapsible Wagons 
You have to have a way to get all this stuff with you to the fields...especially if you have to park kind of far away!  These soft sided wagons collapse so they don't take up much room in the back of your car, but they can haul a ton of stuff!

5. Cooling neck towels 
I worry about the poor boys playing ball all day in the hot sun, but we do our best to keep them cool with fans in the dugout and they all have these cooling neck towels that they wear between innings or when they aren't batting.  It really seems to help!

6. Good insulated water bottles/cups 
A good insulated and leak-proof water bottle is a must.  We go through so much water on these hot days.  Our favorites are the Under Armor jug and a Swell or Corkcicle for us spectators.  You can read all about which keeps water coldest the longest from my daughter's Science Fair experiment!

7. Cooler
A cooler with extra waters to refill cups, snacks, Gatorades and even extra ice is nice on those super hot days.  We've been using this Yeti Hopper Flip 8 on tournament days and it is the perfect size!  It holds several drinks, a big ziplock of extra ice and there is always extra room for some snacks like fresh fruit, etc.

8. Baseball Apparel 
Love supporting our team with some of my favorite baseball apparel.  I have a team shirt, but just ordered a few others like this and I'm eyeing these earrings, leather wrap bracelet and adorable baseball sandals.

9. A Big Tote Bag 
 While I'm at it, this super cute baseball tote bag is calling my name!  I have a big bag I've been using, but the handle is about to bite the dust so this one might be my next purchase.

10. White Brite & Fels-Naptha 
 There is nothing better than some crisp white baseball pants. That is until your kids takes a dive into second base and gets them COVERED in red clay.  I used to cringe, but now that I have a few secret ingredients to make white pants white again I don't even bat an eyelash. This cocktail of cleaners is seriously a miracle worker!  First I soak the pants using White Brite and then rub a bit of Fels-Naptha on the really dingy parts like knees.  Lastly I wash with some other white towels and the pants come out good as new every.single.time.  You would think I would get used to the results, but I'm literally amazed every time!

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Book Club: June

It's June and that means SUMMER!!! We've been on summer break for a whole week now, and while we still had to run around for dance recital rehearsals, tournament baseball games, and soccer team tryouts, we are SO EXCITED!!

Summer is our season. It just makes us happy. And now that it's summer and we've taken that whole school/homework/five million activities out of our lives we have a little more free time. Dealing with on two million activities is way easier. ;) 

And more free time means more time for reading! This month's book club we are going to change things up a bit. We're going to quickly share what we read last month (and it's some good ones), and then we'll share some of our favorite reads for the summer! We've already got our Kindles loaded up and our umbrella laced fruity cocktails ready to go!

WHAT WE READ...

May was a light month for book club reads. May was just chaotic and the end of the school year leaves little room to do much of anything other than eat, sleep and survive. We did squeak out a few books and a few of them we highly recommend! 

The Secret to Southern Charm 

We kick started the month with The Secret to Southern Charm. This is a fun southern style sequel to Slightly South of Simple that we read last year. Kristy Woodson Harvey's books are just plain fun. They are novels you just kind of sink into, have some cheeky southern humor, and make you want to hug your family and move to a small beach town. 

The Secret to Southern Charm follows Sloane who just learned her military husband is missing in action. Luckily her mother Ansley, and her two sisters are there two help pick up the pieces and they are surrounded by a community of supportive characters. We just loved the story and can't wait for the third book in the series to come out. 

Sweetbitter

Sweetbitter was the second book we read for the month. Okay, so this received rave reviews, and has a new show based on the book, so we had high expectations. The story follows Tess as she moves to New York and lands a job in a highly sought after restaurant. About halfway through this book we were ready to give up. We pushed through until the end, but it was tough. It was totally not what we were expecting. Have you read it? Are we totally off that we didn't like it?

Girl, Wash Your Face

We switched it up for our third book of the month. We kept seeing Girl, Wash Your Face pop up in our social media scrolling and we decided to see what all the hype was about. We had no clue when we purchased this book that it was written by a fellow (much larger) blogger, Rachel Hollis. After reading it we've decided Rachel might be our new BFF. Fun, fashionable, honest, and completely transparent - she's worth checking out. The book is geared towards women kind of in our age bracket, and chats about the lies we are told (or tell ourselves) and why we should kick those to the curb. We loved the message behind Girl, Wash Your Face and enjoyed immensely Rachel's personality and humor throughout the book.

Everyday Holy 
Obviously we didn't read this in it's entirety this month, but we just love Melanie Shankle's novels, so when we heard she came out with a devotional we just had to scoop that up too. If you are looking for a new one or just a little positive quick read to mix into your grab Everyday Holy.


Now to switch it up a bit as we head into June and summer!

BEST BOOKS TO READ THIS SUMMER

Summer and reading just go hand in hand. As much time as we spend on summer road trips, or on a plane to go somewhere, we always have a book to entertain us stashed in our carry on. We've done all the research, and have come up with a list of the best books to read this summer. These are the ones everyone is already talking about - or will be talking about! So download them to your Kindle, grab your beach chair and enjoy! 

1. By Invitation Only by Dorthea Frank 
2. Girls Night Out by Liz Fenton & Lisa Steinke
3. Beach House Reunion by Mary Alice Monroe
4. Charlotte Walsh Likes to Win by Jo Piazza 
5. Bring Me Back by B.A. Paris
6. The Perfect Couple by Elin Hilderbrand
7. The High Tide Club by Mary Kay Andrews
8. All We Ever Wanted by Emily Giffin
9. When Life Gives You Lululemons by Lauren Weisberger
10. Best Beach Ever by Wendy Wax
11. Something in the Water by Catherine Steadman
12. The Perfect Mother by Aimee Molloy

Do you have any books to add to this list? What have you read lately that everyone should pack in their beach bags this summer? 

BOOK CLUB 2018

| January | February | March | April | May |

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HAPPY READING! 

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Cocktail Confessions: Peach Raspberry Margarita Recipe

Okay, remember that yummy Frozen Peach Raspberry Sweet Tea we made last week? Well...I decided to give it a little twist. It was so mouthwatering that I thought it would also make a great base for a cocktail. Mr. Cute agreed, and we staged a little taste testing to come up with the best combo.

Rough job, right?

After trying a few different combinations we landed on an out of this world recipe for a Peach Raspberry Margarita. Originally we thought vodka would make for a great addition, but it just didn't have the "bite" we were looking for to differentiate it from the base drink. Adding a little tequila to transform the drink into a margarita? A whole new level of yummy.

It's super easy to make, and when hosting a summer gathering it is easy to make both the original recipe and the alcoholic version little extra effort.

HOW TO MAKE PEACH RASPBERRY MARGARITAS

Serves: 6-8

Prep Time: 5 mins

Ingredients

- 4 cups of Sweet Tea
- 10 oz of tequila
- 6 oz of triple sec
- 1 cups of raspberry juice
- 1 cup of peaches, sliced
- 1 cup of ice cubes
- 1/3 cup of raspberries
- Optional for garnish: granulated sugar

Directions
1: Place peaches and ice cubes and blend until diced.
2: Add sweet tea, raspberry juice, and raspberries. Blend until smooth.
3: Add tequila and triple sec. Blend until well mixed.
4: Pour into pitcher.
5: Optional: Rub rim of margarita glasses with peach slice and then dip rim into saucer with sugar.
6: Garnish with fresh peach slices and raspberries.
7: Serve and enjoy immediately.

It's seriously so yummy this might be one of my new go-to drinks for the summer. I'd have to break up a little bit from my true summer love - the poptail - but this Peach Raspberry Margarita is a close favorite.

What are some of your favorite margarita recipes? Are you all about the original? Frozen? Or like a good fruity alternative? Share with us! 

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Favorite Shorts for Summer

Hooray for Summer Break!  It is officially here and we couldn't be happier about it.  We're turing off our early morning alarms and breaking out our favorite summer wardrobe pieces.  If we aren't in our swimsuits, you can find us wearing shorts.  While we love some good white pants, it's rare that you'll find us in them this time of year because it is so darn hot!  We pretty much live in our shorts and wanted to share our favorite shorts for summer with y'all today! 

JEAN SHORTS

We once swore we would never wear jean shorts. Something about being UGA fans and completely associating jean shorts with Florida fans.  (And we mean that in the most loving way because some of our best friends are FL fans!).  Times have changed though and now we LOVE our denim shorts.  

shorts//top//bag//watch

We tried lots of pairs, but these are, by far, our favorites.  Worth the price tag, in our opinion.  We both own these and find them very true to size, super comfortable, and with just the right amount of distressing for our liking.  

ELASTIC WAISTBAND SHORTS

Elastic waist band.  Need we say more?  These shorts are seriously the most comfortable things we own.  Super soft, so pretty and stylish with the stripes, but so comfortable that you forget you aren't wearing pajamas. 

shorts//top//watch

These also come in a few solid colors, and are on super sale right now (under $20!!!). 

SCALLOPED SHORTS

We've always had a thing for scallop styles and these solid scallop shorts are some of our favorites!  We love the simple solid colors, but the scalloped hem just gives it a little something extra! 

shorts//top//sandals//watch//earrings

These scalloped styles are also currently on sale and under $20!!! 

shorts//shoes//bag

Shorts//Bag

FUN PATTERNED SHORTS

When we want to mix things up a bit we go with fun patterned shorts and our first choice is always Lilly Pulitzer.  We just love the bright colors and fun patterns. Plus, we know we will love the fit and always get tons of compliments on them.  

SOLID COLORED SHORTS

Last, but certainly not least of our shorts favorites, are just classic solid chino shorts.  They are almost always from JCrew. They have so many fun colors and we know the sizing is always going to be consistent.  They can be dressed up or dressed down and are just the perfect summer shorts. 

shorts//top//sandals 

shorts//watch//belt//sunglasses

What are some of your favorite shorts for summer?  Any styles you love more than others?  Let us know in the comments!  

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Books to Get Boys Reading

Okay this is totally one of those posts where I give you a little something and I hope you give me a little something. I need some major suggestions on books that help get boys to enjoy reading. More specifically - Cute reading. We've found a few books here and there that he seems into, and I'll share those, but I am up for any and all suggestions you guys have got!

This is Cute's last week of first grade and all year we have been on the struggle bus when it comes to encouraging him to read. Don't get me wrong. He loves books and stories, and being read to. But when it comes to reading himself? He has other more important things he feels he has to do.

If school were based on Lego building skills, ability to score soccer goals, solve multiplication problems, drawing ninjas with friends, or running the fastest during P.E. he would be an ace student. He excels in all other subjects, and I know he'll get there at some point. Reading is life skill you just need, kind of like tying your shoes (and that's a subject we'll save for another day), but he just feels zero desire to take any part in it.

So in the spirit of the "summer slide" I was hoping to get a little insight into what books you might suggest to keep him motivated. I have stumbled upon a few these last few months that seem to keep him interested and a few he gets excited about. So maybe this can be a bench mark for suggestions too?

I can't be the only mom on the struggle reading bus! So share any and all - you never know who it might help!

BOOKS THAT BOYS LOVE

(Or at least my little boy!)

Captain Underpants Series - Underwear and potty talk. Need I say more? This is full of potty style humor and has tons of illustrations to put a visual to the story. It makes Cute literally laugh out loud. We even watched the Captain Underpants movie as a reward after he finished the first one. Do I like potty talk? No. But do I like my son being interested in reading? Absolutely. Plus it's such a huge series, I'm not the only parent hearing all about giant potty people or Booger Boy. (Seriously, those are things.)

Dog Man Series - This series is written by the same author as the Captain Underpants books, so a similar type of humor, but with less actual potty talk. It follows a police officer who is half dog/half man and his crime fighting adventures. The pages are filled with comic style photos and Cute loves the flip-o-ramas included.  So far this seems to be the series he's gotten the most excited about, and he's already excited about the Lord of the Fleas that comes out this August. 

The Bad Guys Series - This series is fun! This follows the notorious "bad characters" of various tales (think Big Bad Wolf), and changes it up a bit. The bad guys all team up together to do good deeds, and each story follows their mishaps along the way. Cute has a few books in this series he grabbed from the book fair and even though there are less photos he still enjoys reading them a ton. 

Inspector Flytrap Series - This one we recently grabbed while running errands. It's a mystery series where the main character is a Venus Flytrap. It seems funny, but Cute hasn't sat down to read it through it's entirety. It has a few pictures in it, and tons of silliness so hoping he ends up liking this short series too. 

Mighty Marvel Chapter Books - We've had these for awhile, and while some of the words are tough it's a super hero book and in some boys' world that's all they need to motivate them. Cute loves look at these over and over and his teacher let him keep one in his desk all year to read whenever he liked. 

Magic Tree House Series - Several people have suggested these to me, and my mom purchased a few of them for Cute. I know there are tons of books in this series, and while Cute likes these being read to him, he hasn't been consistent quite yet on reading them on his own. There aren't as many photos as there are in other series so that could be the drawback? 

The Stink Series - Cute owns one book in this series, and he reads through it often, but when asked he doesn't seem interested in looking at another. The book series is based on Judy Moody's little brother, and follows him on some silly adventures. A super funny little series!

Pedro Series - Cute originally grabbed two of the books in this series because one is about being in first grade, and one is about soccer - two of his main interests this year. The book series is cute and kind of showcases the main character, Pedro, in some scenarios that make him uncomfortable and shares how he handles them. Filled with great messages for this age group! 

Okay, that's all I have in my boy book arsenal. What are some of your suggestions? 

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