Magnolia Mamas : girl mom

Showing posts with label girl mom. Show all posts

Friday, April 14, 2023

Fashion Fix: Love Shack Fancy @ T.J.Maxx

If you have teenage girls there is a good chance that they are brand obsessed like mine. While I'm happy to wear a dupe, even excited when I find a good look-a-like, they are all about the label. However, I'm not one to just dish out money and spend endlessly so they are either saving and buying themselves or it's a special gift. There are some items I would just NEVER pay full price for BUT I love when I find a good deal and have to share it with you all, too!

Right before Spring Break my daughter texted me saying that her friend found lots of Love Shack Fancy things at TJ Maxx and asked if I could run by there. I couldn't believe how much my local store had! Now granted, it was still not cheap, but it was a major savings compared to paying full price so I grabbed a few items to bring home for them to try on. We kept a few pieces and I returned the rest, but I was so excited about my finds! I'm lucky because my girls wear the same size and I always feel better buying items I know they will both get to wear.

We ended up with one dress (pictured on the right above) they will share and two tops that I put in their Easter Baskets! How cute!!!

Top//Shorts//Boots//Bracelets//Bag

Did you know that you can buy items online at T.J.Maxx?!?!? I had no idea until recently and you can find some amazing things on their site...including some Love Shack Fancy pieces!!! I did a little roundup of some of my favorites and things I thought other teen girls might like including that adorable blue gingham top that I snagged in-store. Sizes are limited, but these are such a great deal if your daughter's sizes are in stock!

1. Floral Print Top - $79.99, compare at $120.

2. Blue Floral Midi Dress - $199, compare at $300

3. Blue Gingham Top - $79.99, compare at $120

4. Peach Ruffle Mini Skirt - $69.99, compare at $105

5. White Ruffle Mini Skirt - $69.99, compare at $105

6. Floral Swim Suit - $79.99, compare at $120

7. Long Sleeve Floral Top - $99.99, compare at $150

8. White Crochet Mini Dress - $99.99, compare at $150

Wednesday, October 20, 2021

Where To Find Homecoming Dresses

Yesterday I shared all about my daughter's homecoming experience HERE and today is all about the dresses! I loved opening up Facebook all fall long to see my friends posting pictures of their kids dressed up and heading to homecoming. One thing I learned is that each school has a sort of different trend. Some schools the kids go all out with sequins and heels, some are a little more dressed down and some are more like a casual dress with sandals.

For our high school's homecoming most people get pretty dressed up so there were three things that the girls wanted. Sparkly, Snug, and Short. I heard many moms stressing over finding an appropriate dress for homecoming and the struggle is real! I learned quite a lot helping her shop for her first homecoming dress and although I know homecoming season is almost over for most schools, I'm hoping this will help someone out for next year.

THINGS I LEARNED

1. Your best bet is online - My daughter really wanted to try on dresses in person instead of shopping online so we went to the mall, but really didn't have much luck. Everything was pretty picked over by mid-September. What we did find was poorly made, didn't fit well, and we had to wait in really long lines to try things on because of Covid regulations with fitting rooms. One store we went into made me feel like Filene's Basement running of the brides. Dresses would get put back on racks from the fitting rooms and girls would make a mad dash to grab what they could. I'm glad we went so she could see things in person, but needless to say we left empty handed.

2. Start early - No lie, next year I will probably encourage her to start looking in August. Between shipping times, weird sizing, and just the crazy schedule of our fall school and sports, going ahead and having the dress nailed down a head of time will be a major headache saver.

3. Order several at one time - Even if she thinks she finds the dress she loves and knows it is "the one" go ahead and order a few others that can be returned so there are options. You never know what it is going to look like in person and you might be surprised when they arrive. I had her go through and pick her top three to order and try on.

4. Pick one of your own to add to cart - It's no secret that some moms and teen daughters disagree on clothing options and homecoming dresses are no exception. I actually convinced my daughter to add her green dress to our order. It wasn't the style she thought she wanted and definitely not the color she was going for, but once she tried it on it was her favorite! The cut and color looked amazing on her and had I not add that one to our order she never would have found it!

WHERE TO FIND HOMECOMING DRESSES

I mentioned the mall and we scoured all of our sources there without a ton of luck. The big department stores had some, but a lot of it was picked over. We ended up ordering several dresses from Dillards that were promising, but the fit wasn't right on any of them so I ended up returning them. I would have had to pay to return by mail, but I was able to return in store with no fees.

Another friend of mine told me about Lulu's, an online boutique and I felt like we had hit the jackpot! This isn't sponsored in any way...just hoping this will help another mom. There were over 20 pages of homecoming dresses and just about every style, color, and design you could want. Lots of the styles came in a variety of different colors. I thought the prices were very reasonable and the shipping was really fast. Also, they offered free returns by mail so I felt totally fine about ordering a few from there for her to try. We ended up ordering 3 and she liked them all, but loved the green one so that is what we went with!

Left to right starting at the top.

1. Pink Satin ($64)

2. Black with stars ($60)

3. Green sequin ($52)

4. Purple sequin ($58)

5. Silver sequin ($48)

6. Black strapless ($78)

7. Black one shoulder ($69)

8. Pink with glitter hem ($78)

9. Magenta sequin ($68)

Tuesday, October 19, 2021

HOCO Recap {A Mom's Point of View}

Last week was a whirlwind! It was my oldest daughter's first homecoming and although it was crazy busy, I am SO very grateful that the kids got to experience a traditional homecoming week and all of the fun that goes along with it. Everyday they had theme days to dress up for spirit week and Friday was when the real fun began. They had a school wide pep rally, homecoming parade and got to cheer for the varsity game.

I stayed WAY too up late almost every night that week getting things ready. From poster making to float making, there was a lot to prepare for that week. Each cheerleader and football player has a poster hung in the stadium during the homecoming game.

Crafting is usually my jam, but because I had so much else going on I decided to just make a poster digitally using a template on this site and then had it printed at my local CVS. It was WAY faster and probably less expensive than it would have been to print out all my photos and getting lots of supplies.

Our school does a big homecoming parade and it was so much fun. A few moms and I planned and decorated the float for their team and it turned out really cute! We used vinyl fringe to go around the bottom and then just dollar store plastic table cloths cut in strips to be the backdrop on the back.

I made their school logo out of colored construction paper and the adorable cursive balloon letters were the perfect addition! I'll definitely be ordering those again for parties.

The balloon garland across the top was so easy to make using an electric balloon pump and a balloon garland kit.

I see lots of balloon garlands in my future at parties and events! You simply blow up the balloons, put the ends through this plastic tape with little holes that they include and you are done. We attached everything with zip-ties to the trailer and it all held great.

I checked my little guy out of school early so he could watch the parade and he totally racked up on the candy. I told him he wouldn't even need to go trick-or-treating!

The girls did a great job cheering on Friday night at the game and because there is no rest for the weary they had their last school cheer competition the next day. They did great and got their highest score of the season.

It was a mad dash after they competed to drive home so they could quickly get ready for the homecoming dance. You would have never known they were so rushed with how beautiful they all looked. It seriously took my breath away to see them all.

None of them had dates which I found hard to believe, but I know they had more fun just being together as a group anyway!

Because of cheer rules they weren't able to get their nails done so they all used these glue on nails in the car on the way home from the competition and you NEVER would have known.

They are still on a few days later and look great. It was a very inexpensive and quick solution to helping them get ready fast.

After pictures, dinner and the dance her friends came back to our house and I had popcorn, desserts and snacks ready for them. They were all so sweet the entire night!

Because of early practices the next day they didn't stay up too, late and woke up the next morning to a fun waffle breakfast.

The food was honestly the easiest thing I did all week long, but looked fun and festive. The girls loved it. Putting everything together on a platter or board like that makes it look fancy, but is so easy for cleanup.

I'm really just so happy that I was able to help out during the week and host the girls on homecoming night. I know these four years of high school are going to fly by and before I know it she'll be gone at college so I'm always happy to make things as special and fun for them as possible.

Friday, October 8, 2021

Mix & Mingle: Simply Be Box

One of our favorite things about running Magnolia Mamas is all of the amazing companies we get introduced to. We love supporting other women and moms who are going out on a limb, following their callings and creating some amazing things. Because of that we started our Mix and Mingle series...to share with you some fun small businesses and the people behind the amazing products we come across.

It's been a while since we've had a post in this series, but when I got introduced to Ellen Cooper by a mutual friend I knew this post was meant to happen! Ellen is the founder of Simply Be Box. Simply Be Box is a faith-based subscription box just for teen girls (middle and high school ages) and we absolutely LOVE what Ellen has created. I'll share a little more about the box and all the goodies in a sec, but first let's get to know Ellen.

1. Tell us a little about yourself.

I'm an Atlanta native, grew up in East Cobb, graduated from Walton High School and went to Ole Miss. Been married to James since 2003 and we have two teenage daughters, Ella and Hannah. I worked in a corporate career for 15 years and left in 2013 to spend more time with our girls, get more involved in the community and at church. At 40 years old, God called me to seminary which was never in my plan, but turned out to be a life transforming experience. I've always felt called to pour into girls and have had many opportunities to do that over the years with my own daughters, their friends and through bible studies and small groups.

2. If you could visit anywhere in the world, where would you go?

I'd probably eat and drink my way through Italy.

3. What's the funniest/most embarrassing thing that has happened to you as a mom?

When my girls were younger, we had that first nerve racking birds & bees discussion. In an attempt to be real and open with them I held nothing back, used all the real words and for some reason felt the need to go into specifics about the egg and sperm...you know all the details. Feeling relieved and quite proud of myself to have successfully made it through that conversation, my husband walked in and said, "so the girls tell me you lay eggs?" I have never laughed so hard...mom fail!

4. What inspired you to start Simply Be Box?

During quarantine, we kept seeing commercials for the big subscription box brand so my daughter and I decided to order one. It was so fun, we both loved receiving it in the mail. It got me thinking how nice it would be if there was a subscription box specifically geared toward teen girls filled with things they'd love, that was positive and could be a vehicle to share the gospel and encourage them. I did some research and couldn't find anything so I decided to start it myself. Since graduating from seminary in 2019, I'd been praying for God to reveal what was next and for a while it was unclear, but as 2021 rolled around it started to become clear that this was it. The box full of goodies may get the girl's attention, but I'm really after their heart, to help them know how much they are loved by God and to be who God created them to be.

Now that you've gotten to know a little more about Ellen and how Simply Be came to be, it's time for the really fun part. Taking a peek inside the fall box!

My girls were thrilled to open up theirs and see all of the goodies it is filled with.

What's in each box?

Each Simply Be Box has a theme focused around one of their "Be Attitudes."

Be You, Be Brave, Be a Light, Be a Friend.

It is filled with items that are on-trend and that the girls love, but also items that are positive and uplifting...something all our teen girls need in this day and age.

Each box includes something to READ, DO, USE, DISPLAY, WEAR & EAT.

How often do they come?

The neat thing about Simple Be is that you can choose to get a one-time box, a seasonal subscription or an annual subscription. We think these would be fun gifts for the teen girls in your life! You could do a one time gift or a subscription, but this is something positive and really different than anything out there that we have seen!

Book Club

Y'all know our love of books and a good book club. Can you even believe that Simply Be has it's own?! The READ in each box is a faith-based book, devotional, or bible study focused on that box's theme. The girls are invited to participated in a 4-6 week virtual book club via Zoom to discuss the book, implement what they are learning and to just be encouraged.

Simply Be Book Club is a subscriber exclusive, offered to those who sign up for an Annual or Seasonal Subscription.

Discount Code

Ellen was kind enough to share a discount code with us for our followers to get $10 off any purchase of an annual subscription, seasonal subscription or a one-time box.

Use code: MM1021 through the end of this month!

Learn more about Simple Be Box

Website // Facebook // Instagram

Come spend the day with us on:

Monday, August 13, 2018

Taylor Swift Reputation Tour

About 9 months ago we learned that Taylor Swift would be coming to Atlanta as part of our Reputation Tour and we knew we had to go! There was a pre-sale process where fans could gain early access for doing things like watching her videos, buying merchandise, sharing via social media and a ton of other things. I spent what felt like weeks doing everything we could to get us early access and when the day finally came to purchase tickets my hands were literally shaking. I was on the phone with Jen the entire time and as soon as I had confirmation of the tickets I was SO excited and relieved. I gave the tickets and shirts to my girls as Christmas gifts and they were beyond thrilled!

Their first concert was the Taylor Swift concert a few years ago and we had so much fun so they couldn't wait to go back. Because the concert wasn't until August it felt like forever to wait, but it was the perfect thing to look forward to right after school starting.

Jen booked us a room at the Omni Hotel downtown so we could walk over to the stadium before and after the show and not have to deal with all of the traffic since we knew it would be a late night.

Our room had an amazing view of Mercedes-Benz stadium and it was fun to watch all the people walking around downtown all dressed up.

We all got ready while sipping on Champagne for the over 21 crowd and sparkling juice for the younger ones. Nothing like a little multi-tasking.

Part of getting ready included our RED lips!!! Because it was a special occasion we went all out!

I had an extra ticket so my mom was able to come with us for the night!

Red Lipstick

We walked over to the stadium and the excitement all around us was contagious.

CB's black scalloped shorts//Jen's black halter top

After getting into the stadium and grabbing tour t-shirts, Little Cute needed to reapply! She was all about the red lips and so pumped for her first concert!

We entertained ourselves by taking pictures while we waited for the show to start.

The opening acts were Charlie XCX and Camilla Cabello. Both were so fun and got the crowd up, dancing and excited.

When Taylor came on stage the place went wild! People screaming, singing, dancing, and having so much fun.

One thing we all loved were the light-up bracelets. They are synchronized to the music and light up all different colors at all different times. It makes the stadium look so cool!

We sang and danced our little hearts out all night long. Taylor sang a ton of her new songs from the Reputation album, but also mixed in some of her older songs, too.

The lights, the dancing, the costumes, the production...all of it was AMAZING! She is such a performer and put on such a great show.

She also moves around a bunch. We had thought about getting seats on the floor, but decided against it because we weren't sure the girls would be able to see as well. We ended up in the lower level which was great. We had a good view of the main stage and also we were right in front of one of the side stages that she performs a few songs on. Plus, with the huge screens that are all around the top of the stadium you could see everything perfectly no matter where you were sitting.

Thank you Taylor Swift for such a fun night. We had a blast and can't wait for you to come back to Atlanta!!!!