Friday Favorites {5.28.2021}

Happy Friday friends! This Friday is extra special because it's the LAST Friday of the school year. That might be my top favorite of all! 

In a school year, we weren't sure what was going to happen (or even if it would), my school district pulled out all the stops and since August 1st we've been going strong. That means ten full months of school and I am more than ready for a break. 

And to stop packing lunches. 

And to say goodbye to that annoying morning alarm. 

But no more whining...because it was a GREAT year. The kids had so much fun at their new school, and already have a ton of friends they can't wait to kick off Summer with. 

Speaking of ways to kick off Summer...how about with a yummy drink or two? I've been introduced to two canned drinks lately that taste like Summer in a can. One alcoholic and one healthy energy drink. Both need to be added to your next grocery list! 

A few weekends ago we hosted some friends for a pool get together.  One of my girlfriends said she left a special treat for me in the fridge. It was this drink...

Oh my! This is dangerous dangerous lemonade. All the flavors are so good! It is also locally made. Field trip anyone?

Second, drink is this V8 Energy drink. I've been trying to find a healthier caffeine/energy drink option and spotted this flavor in Target. I gave it a try and instantly added it to my Amazon Subscribe & Save order. A lot of people saw me drinking it and asked if it was thick like typical V8 drinks. The answer? No. It's like and bubbly and tastes like a spritzer with out the alcohol. Think non-alcoholic Truly. 

You're welcome. 

While we all love Summer, it also means lots of downtime to fill in between sports and swimming. My kids love to do puzzles, and we've found a few Summer inspired ones my daughter is into lately. 

Buffalo Games also has the best puzzles, and tons of fun options and sizes to do. My son has asked for their Star Wars puzzles to work on. 

I think I am going to order a few more to entertain along the way over the next few months. I asked the kids to pick out their favorite ones and it was funny to see some of the ones they liked (spoiler alert: lots of entertaining animals.)

My kids also like to play a lot of games during the Summer, and this card game lately has been their favorite. 

Card games are always so easy to throw in a bag and bring anywhere with us. Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza has been fun for both the kids and the adults, and one that has gotten a ton of laughs out of all of us. 

Seriously, it has provided hours of entertainment!

Summer time means swimming and swimming means swimsuit season. Some people dread this part of the Summer, but I LOVE it! A swimsuit, cut-off shorts, and a pair of flip flops is my favorite outfit to wear. 

On our trip to Carillon Beach, I realized I need to add a few new swimsuits to my wardrobe. I've since stocked up on cover-ups, but some of my go-to swimsuits are starting to show some wear/age. So this week I ordered a few new ones. I am anxiously awaiting their arrival because the boat is ready to go and the pool is on the daily schedule now until October.

Here are some of the one pieces that made it to my cart, and some I am still thinking about. All are under $100 (most under $40!)

| SWIMSUIT DETAILS |

 

My son also needed some new suits and I ordered a few for him as well. He seems so small to me still at ten, but lately he has been growing like a weed. He's tall and lanky, and even though it is the style, I just can't wrap my mind around super short swim trunks. So ordering I did...

I snagged all of these from Belk. They have a great selection of swim attire for boys and also have lots of coordinating rash guards since we spend a lot of time outside and on the water. 

I also picked up a cute little outdoor table for the girls - it matches my pool/patio decor even down to the coordinating umbrella so I couldn't resist! 

Then I threw in my cart some new pool towels and goggles. Because around here we can always use more!

Love when you can do one stop shopping for all the things. Belk has a great outdoor section this year if you need anything - even camping gear! 

That wraps up my favorites for this week. Now to SUMMER!!!

What are some of your favorites lately?

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Once Upon a Book Club: Steamy Romance Box

 

I've never been a big subscription box fan. Until now. Because when you combine subscription box and the word books...I'm all in. I joined Once Upon a Book Club and have zero regrets!

ABOUT THE BOOK CLUB

I've been eyeing Once Upon a Book Club for awhile now. It's a book club subscription box that provides readers with an immersive reading experience through surprise gifts. Each month they release an Adult Box (geared towards age 18 and older) and a Young Adult Box (geared towards age 14 and older). There are also a few specialty theme boxes available for order as well as an online shop with books and book themed items. 

The book chosen for each month is a surprise, and the genre varies each time. But the good people behind the scenes of Once Upon a Book Club like to give clues for each box before it lands on your doorstep. Based on the clues you can opt in or out for that month's book club experience - it's totally up to you! 

(Psst! If you really can't wait to find out the title, you can also contact Once Upon a Book Club and they will let you know!)

{ The March Adult Box}

Each box contains the following items: 

• 3 - 5 individually wrapped gifts with page numbers from the book, not meant to be opened until you reach the given page – bringing the book to life.
  
  
• A 5x7 quote print featuring a quote from the selected book.
  
  
• Discussion questions (featured both of Facebook and Instagram) and read-a-long dates for live discussions and gift openings with fellow Book Club members.

THE ROMANCE BOX

To see what the experience was like, I ordered directly the special release Steamy Romance Box. (Although the Bridgerton Box was super tempting too!!) I already had the book EX TALK by Rachel Lynn Solomon on my "to read" list, so it seemed like the perfect way to give the book club service a try. 

The Steamy Romance Box is beautifully packaged, and includes a signature card from Rachel, a quote card, and four wrapped gifts with coordinated reusable gift packages. 

I don't want to spoil the gift surprises, but when I opened them, they match the book perfectly and are oh so good! Unlike most subscription boxes, these gifts are full size and high quality. I am amazed at the creativity behind each gift and love how it added to the experience of reading the book. 

Seriously it is so fun!!

I'll give my full review of EX TALK during our monthly book club post, but let me just tell you - put this one on your reading radar ASAP! It is funny, filled with steamy romance as advertised, and the cutest characters ever. 

JOIN THE CLUB!

I already have gifted two boxes: one Young Adult Box as a graduation gift and one as a gift for my girlfriend for her birthday. I also can't wait to get the next one for myself! 

If you want to join the club or give a box as a gift I have a fun discount code Once Upon a Book Club was nice enough to share with us (we are now part of their VIP team since we love the club so much!). 

Use code MAGNOLIA10 for 10% off your entire order! Any order, any time! 

Stay tuned, and I'll share what box I get next! 

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Sports Mom Necessity: Purple Portable Seat Cushion

 This blog post was sponsored by Purple and all opinions are my own.

With three kids each, and all in different sports, we are constantly on the go. Seven days a week you can find us either driving to and from some sort of field, gym, or training center. There's lots of running around, lots of on the go meals, and lots of FUN! 

One thing that isn't fun though - being uncomfortable. We spend long hours in the car and long hours on the sidelines. Over the years we've perfected our "sports mom must haves", but we have one new addition that we can't stop raving about - our Purple Portable Seat Cushions! 

Y'all, if you spend any amount of time sitting in bleachers, benches, or even the ground for any duration of time cheering on your kid(s), you need this cushion in your life! It's life (back/butt) changing!

THE PURPLE TEST

A few weeks ago, we met up for a girls day out and were chatting about all the things over lunch. We got on the topic of our weekends filled with sports and how hard the bleachers are for all these end of season tournaments. Well, right then and there we decided to put a stop to all that uncomfortable nonsense! 

We popped into a local Purple dealer to test out all their amazing products, but for the most part the seat cushions. Purple offers a ton of seating options that we had no idea about!

We gave the following a test try: 

• Purple Back Seat Cushion
  - Portable and comes with easy to carry strap.
  - 100% Purple Grid with cushion Cover.
  
  
• Purple Portable Seat Cushion
  - Portable.  
  - Has a no-slip grip bottom.
  -100% Purple Grid with removable cover with strap.
  - Designed for 0-4 hours of sit time. 
  
  
• Purple Double Seat Cushion
  - 100% Purple Grid with cover.
  - Built in double handles on cover.
  - Designed for 8+ hours of sit time. 
  
  
• Purple Foldaway Seat Cushion
  - Has an anti-slip bottom. 
  - 100% Purple Grid with cover.
  - Designed for 0-4 hours of sit time.
  
  
• Purple Simple Seat Cushion
  -Perfect for car seats.
  - Has an anti-slip bottom.
  - 100% Purple Grid with cover. 
  - Designed for 0-4 hours of sit time.
  
  
• Purple Ultimate Seat Cushion
  - Perfect for trucking and gaming.
  - 100% Purple Grid with cover.
  - Designed for 8+ hours of sit time.
  
  
• Purple Royal Seat Cushion
  - Designed for hard seats and stools. 
  - 100% Purple Grid with cover. 
  - Designed for 5-8 hours of sit time. 

We gave that Purple consultant a good laugh as we tried them all out. We even learned of the infamous Purple egg test while we were chatting with him. (You can sit on an egg on your Purple cushion and the no pressure point grid design is built so well that the egg won't crack! See a video of a test/review here. We were so amazed!) 

OUR PURPLE PURCHASE + REVIEW

After testing out all of the Purple seat cushions, we knew one of them would help be the ultimate sports parent sidelines game changer. We had a tough time choosing which one we would pick because they are all just so comfortable. It was amazing for us to sit and feel a difference almost immediately. 

In store, we didn't have time to sit on the cushions for a long duration just because #momlife. But trust us, when we say the minute we sat down in a chair with each of the cushions you felt like you were sitting on a cloud instead of a hard surface. 

We were torn between purchasing the Purple Royal Seat Cushion and the Purple Portable Seat Cushion. Ultimately, we both ordered the Purple Portable Seat Cushion. We loved the fact that it has a removable cover that comes with a handle that makes it easy to carry. And it seemed versatile enough to use in any seating situation (including if we wanted to give our desk chair at home a little upgrade!). 

The Portable Seat Cushion was one of the lighter seating options, but still allowed for a long sit time comfortably. The pricing was also a little more economical. We felt confident that the Portable Seat Cushion would be the perfect option for what we were seeking on the sidelines. 

And boy were we right! 

The first time we pulled our cushion, we put it through a long weekend filled with soccer and baseball tournaments. Even sitting for long periods of time on hard bleachers we were in heaven. Even if our kids weren't winning, our butts were! 

The Portable Seat Cushion cover also seemed to stay pretty cool, which is a huge bonus in our famous Southern Summer heat! 

Another plus about the seat cushion is that the cover is removable. We love this because with three kids, two adults and a messy ball field, we just know it won't stay clean forever. We love that we can give it a quick wash and put it right back on for use the next day. 

The only negative about the cushion was that our kids found out pretty quickly how comfortable it is, and kept stealing them all weekend. They are now requesting their own to have while cheering on their siblings. 

MEMORIAL DAY SALE

After seeing how well Purple's grid works to keep you comfortable for long periods of time, we both are sooooo tempted to give one of their other products a go. We've heard great reviews about their  mattresses and pillow options.

There is a major sale going on right now for Memorial Day. Now through June 8th there are a ton of great deals! 

When you order through this link  and use code THEMAGNOLIAMOMMASP10 you get access to the following savings:  

• $400 off mattress + bundle 
  
  
• Up to $200 off bundle*: - $200 off 2 Harmony, P Sheets, Protector

• $175 off 2 Purple, P Sheets, Protector
  
  
•  $150 off 2 Plush, P Sheets, Protector

• $150 off 1 Harmony, P Sheets, Protector 

•  $150 off 1 Harmony, Soft Stretch Twin Sheets, Mattress Protector

•  $125 off 1 Purple Pillow, Soft Stretch Twin Sheets, Mattress Protector 

• $125 off 1 Purple Pillow, Kid Sheets, Protector

• $100 off 1 Kid Pillow, Kid Sheets, Protector

What are some of your sports mom must haves? Is a comfortable seat a must have for you too? Which Purple Seat Cushion sounds perfect for your seating upgrade this Spring?

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Travel To: Carillon Beach, Florida

 

A few weeks ago we needed a major reset. Our little family had been "go, go, go" for months. We were cranky, tired, and just mentally done. We scoured our calendars, and found a five day break between work, school sports, and various other commitments. So, we threw caution into the virtual school wind and decided to take a little time out. 

The minute we heard that last whistle blow at our weekend's soccer games, we bolted for Florida's Gulf Coast full of sunny beaches and warm weather. 

Y'all it is just what our tired little family needed! 

We did this trip with little research and planning, but lucked out because Carillon Beach is all sorts of gorgeous. And convenient. And quiet. 

All the things for a family to recharge and unwind for a few days. 

Here's a little peek at our week, and some details about the location. You 30a lovers...this is totally your cup of vacation tea. 

ABOUT CARILLON BEACH

Carillon Beach is located about 15 minutes west of Panama City Beach and 20 minutes east of Santa Rosa Beach. It's a gated community nestled on it's own little peninsula, and has a mile of white, sandy gulf coast beach all to itself.

It has the cutest little (not-so little) candy color beach homes in a village style community. 

We were literally swooning at each one we saw, and dreaming of what it would be like to own one. 

There are tons of pools, play spaces, playgrounds, game areas, and picnic areas sprinkled throughout the property. There are also lush gardens everywhere you turn, and a lake to enjoy fishing and water sports on. (We wish we had brought our boat!)

We stayed in the Pinnacle Port section of the village. This is a set of small condo buildings located right on the beach. They are the only tall building in the area, and each room has a gorgeous ocean view. We rented a three bedroom condo and it was more than enough space for our family of five. I would definitely stay there again. 

WHAT WE DID

This was my view for several days...

{ Reading UNDER THE SOUTHERN SKY from our Best Books of Summer 2021 list.) 

And it's my favorite. Reading a good book with my toes in the sand while my beach loving kids do all the things. 

But aside from playing on the beach and lounging poolside we did manage to sneak a few fun activities in. We checked out Russell Fields Pier in Panama City Beach after dinner one night, and the kids loved it. 

From fishing to watching surfers to getting an up close and personal look at some of the catches of the day - we stayed there for over an hour. We went around sunset and it had the prettiest of views. 

You pay a few dollars to go on the pier and they have equipment you can rent if you want to fish, but you are also able to bring your own. 

Speaking of fishing we did do an offshore fishing trip we booked with some friends who have a condo in the area. We took a charter out of Lighthouse Marina, and it was so fun! We kept it to a six hour charter so that our youngest wouldn't get bored. 

We got to see a ton of sights and wildlife from the boat and when we visit again, I would love to do the Jet Ski tour to Shell Island. We heard several people say it's an amazing adventure - especially for shell and sea turtle lovers. 

One night we did venture to Panama City's infamous Pier Park. We just had the girls, and we let them each pick an activity for us to do after dinner. 

One chose the trampoline jumping located in the center of the village, and the other saw the Sky Wheel and never looked back. 

Trampoline jumping was fun, but it was a short adventure. 

The Sky Wheel was something our whole family could enjoy and to say this Mini Magnolia was excited would be an understatement. 

The girls were in awe of how high up we were and how far. It was also fun going up at night! I feel like it was worth it and you are able to go around several times to take in all the scenery. I'm nervous when it comes to heights, but felt totally comfortable and safe the entire time. 

WHERE WE ATE

Because we had the availability of a kitchen in our condo we typically ate out only for dinner. There were a few places we loved and our mouths are watering just thinking about. One place our kids loved so much they made us go back twice...

Bayou Bill's Crab House was the biggest hit for our crew. And here's why...

There's an alligator pool/park area right in front of it. The kids were highly impressed. 

And let's be honest...the food was pretty great too. We let the kids try some new to them things: crawfish and oysters. They aren't my thing, but the kids all gave them a thumbs up, the husband gave his seal of approval, and when we returned the second night, they repeated their orders. So it must have been good! 

After our fishing trip we were told to bring our catch for the "Hook & Cook" dinner at J. Michael's. 

The atmosphere was so fun, and the kids joked that with so many dollar bills hanging everywhere it must be good. 

It got a thumbs up from our crew. We gave the waitress our catch from earlier, and she asked how we wanted it cooked, gave some great suggestions, and even cooked anything we would like to pack to bring home. 

The night we visited the pier we gave Hook'd a try based on a quick google search. The service was super quick, they had some pretty tasty cocktails, and the atmosphere was fun. You can sit outside and enjoy water views, or inside with a fun surfing theme. 

I wish I had gotten a photo of our yummy food and drinks, but our crew was hungry/thirsty from a day of beachin' and didn't even wait for the waiter to put it down before grabbing a fry (insert head smack emoji). 

We will definitely be making our way to Carillon Beach again soon. We loved that it was a quieter, less crowded beach area, but that it was close to things to do, and places to eat and get groceries. 

It was an easy trip from Atlanta (about 5 1/2 hours), and if property prices weren't crazy right now that pink beach house might have had our name on it. :) 

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