Back to School with Boden and a $250 giveaway!

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Aug182014

back to school with boden

I can’t believe it’s already time for us to head back to school. We are still a week away from Hudson’s first day of Kindergarten and Hayes’s first day of preschool. We’re spending this week at the beach with our family and soaking up the last few days of our long summer.

I’ll admit that I’m ready for school and routine and for the boys to be back with their friends every day. I’m ready for cooler fall temperatures to roll in and for football games and even, wait for it… homework! I can’t believe I’m saying that!

But I’m seriously looking forward to fall wardrobes. For me, it’s the boots and the jackets and chunky sweaters. And I love back to school shopping for my boys.

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Every year, I look to Mini Boden for favorites for my boys. I love their tees, their jackets, and their pants. In the fall, the cord baggies are some of my favorites and the brushed tartan cargos are my absolute favorite of the pants for boys. They’re so comfy and they’re warm, and they’re also just so cute!

Hayes is wearing the vehicle t-shirt and I just love Hayes in red. I love that the shirt is amazing quality and the applique is soft, comfortable, and holds up after countless washes. Hayes is heading off to the 3s class at his preschool, and it’s going to be a big year for him. There will be a lot more structure, more expectations, and more opportunities for him to thrive and grow.

Hudson is starting kindergarten in a week, and he is so excited! He has grown up so much in the last year, and I am so excited for this next phase of his life. He loves to learn and loves to be around his friends. Hudson is wearing the same vehicle t-shirt featuring the pirate ship.

I love it when my boys’ outfits coordinate, but don’t necessarily match. And I love that I can pass all of Hudson’s clothes down to Hayes to wear later.

The suede dessert boots are perfect for school, but also great for church or dressier occasions. And they boys love wearing them!

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Boden is so awesome to giveaway $250 for a back to school giveaway! You can also use code CHRP to receive 15% off your order + free shipping! 
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I’m so excited to host this giveaway with 9 other awesome blogs! Be sure to visit their sites to see the great Mini Boden Back to School outfits they put together for their children. By visiting all of the blogs, you’ll have a chance to see over 25 ways to style the adorable clothes Boden has this season.

Back to School With Boden Blogs: The Chirping Moms, A Mommy In The City, Blue Eyed Bride, Style Smaller, House of Rose, Your Modern Family, The Vanilla Tulip, The Little Style File, Bon Bon Rose Girls and I Love You More Than Carrots.

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Family Road Trip Memories… Then and Now

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Aug62014
My favorite thing about this summer, so far, is all the time we’ve spent together. Family dinners, days at the pool (all day, every day), road trips, days on the beach, eating watermelon on the porch. We’ve had a lot of time together, and at the beginning of the summer, I was honestly dreading it a little bit.How do I keep a 5-year-old and 3-year-old entertained all day, every day without the help of preschool and other activities? But the simplicity has been amazing. We’ve played outside and gone swimming more than we’ve watched television and played with toys. And being together has been a blessing and not the thing we were dreading. Family Road Trip Memories

When I was growing up, we spent a lot of our time in the summer the same way. My parents worked full time, but we took a couple of vacations every summer to the beach or to visit grandparents, and we were always in the car for a good, old-fashioned family road trip.

My parents, my brother and I would load up with our dogs and hit the road. One year we even hooked up a small television to the cigarette lighter in the car and watched movies on our VCR on the way. I can remember hearing and memorizing the entire soundtrack for The Big Chill, and so many of those songs are still favorites. We drove to Orange Beach, Alabama, and to Snowmass/Aspen, Colorado, one summer. That was a lot of time spent in the car. My favorite memories are of stopping at the prairie dog farm in Kansas on the way to Colorado. We got out and played with baby goats.

We’d stop and take pictures in front of the state line markers each time we reached a new state. Those memories are so strong in my mind, and I’m excited about doing some of the same things with my kids. We’ve taken our fair share of road trips with Hudson and Hayes. We drive to Indiana to see my parents, and we drive to the Gulf Coast to go to the beach. We’ve driven to Louisiana and Texas to visit family and friends. And we love making memories along the way.

I love letting our kids listen to our favorite music, and someday they may say it’s their favorite music, too, because it reminds them of those long trips in the car, singing with their Dad and me. I’m so excited because Hudson just returned from a 2-week road trip with my parents where they drove out to Colorado to visit my brother. They hiked and bowled and fished and did zip lines and ropes courses. And they also stopped along the way at fun, kid-friendly stops. I love that they got to have that special time together in the car and make those memories that he’ll keep with him forever.

There’s no better vehicle to bring the family together than the Chevy Traverse. With seating for up to 81., everyone in the family can join in on the fun. A 5-Star Overall Vehicle Score for safety2. helps keep everyone safe on your journey to find new roads, no matter where, or how far, it takes you. And best-in-class maximum cargo space makes packing for family road trips, or hauling around children’s sporting equipment, a breeze. With all these great features and more, there’s no question the Chevy Traverse is the ultimate family vehicle. Learn more at http://www.chevrolet.com/traverse-mid-size-suv.html.

 

  1. Standard on LS and 1LT.  Available on 2LT. LTZ seats 7.
  2. Government 5-Star Safety Ratings are part of the U.S. Department of Transportation’s New Car Assessment Program (www.SaferCar.gov).

 

Simplifying the Every Day

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Jul282014

*This post is sponsored by Dr. Smith’s Diaper Rash Spray

We’re currently smack dab in the middle of a simple summer. We’ve gone to the beach. We go to the pool almost daily. We pack lots of lunches and spend our evenings at home watching movies.

There is still plenty of laundry to be done and plenty of meals to prepare, but I’ve learned that I can take a couple of simple steps to make life just a little bit easier in these areas.

On Sunday nights, I set aside five outfits for each of the boys. I make sure all of their swimsuits and swim shirts are clean and easy to find. When morning comes, the boys can choose which of the five outfits they want to wear. The idea is not revolutionary, but it helps our mornings run so smoothly.

On Sunday afternoons, I sit down to plan our meals for the week. I plan a crock pot meal for the weekend, and three other meals. The rest of the nights we will eat leftovers. I prepare my grocery list and head to the grocery store without kids. I can move through the store so quickly when I’m alone and I don’t end up buying any impulse purchases that my kids have requested. But by planning our meals out for the week, and having all the ingredients ready, I can save myself many extra trips to the store during the week. And when it’s supper time, I’m ready to cook!

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And now my friends at Dr. Smith’s have created something to help make life just a little bit easier! They’ve just released the Dr. Smith’s Diaper Rash Spray. This spray is just like the Dr. Smith’s Diaper Rash ointment we all love, but now it’s available in a spray! It’s gentle, fast acting, and super easy to use. And Dr. Smith’s Diaper Rash Spray is available nationwide at Walgreen’s.

You can enter to win a $200 Visa gift card and Dr. Smith’s prize pack, and three runners up will also receive a Dr. Smith’s prize pack! Enter in the Rafflecopter below.

 

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