Nadine

Well, we survived our first dance recital!!! Even though this was Zoe’s second year of dance, this was her first recital. She did so well, I am so proud of her!!! Being a dance mom can be….intense. Between running her back and forth between the concert hall where they were preforming and the backstage area where the dressing rooms were at the right times and all that was a bit much! I got over 12,000 steps in that day, and didn’t do much besides recital!

Zoe and her friends were adorable in their outfits. Her class was part of a scene of a storybook, so they were Little Miss Muffet for their ballet number. For tap, they danced to Rock-a-Bye Baby and had the cutest purple sparkly outfits. They girls were so sweet backstage, holding hands, hugging each other, wanting to have their pictures taken together. The moms in our class are all so nice too. One of my friends made a comment about how all of us sounded so awful and mean while we were actually dressing the girls and doing their makeup and such. Sorry for the things I said in the dressing room! Haha! But it was such a great experience, Zoe had so much fun. She really loved watching the older girls preform between her numbers too. She cant wait to be able to dance like that. (Our studio is from ages 2.5-20.)

Before the recital, we met my mom and sister in Uptown to have dinner. We tried to eat at Southern Kitchen, but the wait was too long….so we ended up at Your Pie. It was pretty good. I ordered a peaches and prosciutto pizza. It had ricotta cheese as its base, and a delicious balsamic glaze drizzled on top.

We had ordered Zoe a bouquet of roses to give her after her performance, and our recital fee comes with a program….so that will be a nice keepsake for her to look back on. I am hoping that she ends up with at least a few of the same girls in her class next year. They all do so well together.

Sunday was a rainy day, so we spent most of it at home. Zoe and I hung around and played in her room for awhile. We went on a car ride, and decided to eat lunch at one of our favorite Mexican spots, La Cazuela. They seriously have the BEST street tacos. Their queso is also the best around. Zoe was so excited to go there, she had told us earlier that she was wanting tacos. Girlfriend cleared her plate.

That is really all there was to our weekend. Zoe and I did some grocery shopping at Target last night to prepare for the week. Is anyone else tired of meal planning, cooking and doing dishes? Ugh! It was so nice to eat out twice this weekend and not worry about it for those two meals. Coming up constantly with fun things to eat and stay relatively healthy (minus the times we ate out) is so exhausting. I poured over three cookbooks yesterday afternoon, and nothing was popping out at me.

It is supposed to rain pretty much all week. Ugh! Our grass needs it though. We haven’t joined the library in our town since we moved. I am still a member of our old city one. I am thinking about trying to take Zoe one day this week to sign up and let her pick out some books. I think it would be a great summer activity with her since she is home with me. Our local candy store is doing summer reading themed candy boxes right now too! They had a Hungry Hungry Caterpillar, Wizard of Oz and Harry Potter box so far. I definitely want to incorporate some of our reading with what they are doing to make it extra special for her. With all that, and summer dance starting in a few weeks…at least she will have some fun stuff to do! We also have her signed up for one week of camp this summer. It is just a few hours for 4 days, but she is really excited about it. Do you have any fun summer plans or trips coming up?

Linking up here. Have a great week!

Are you officially an adult when it starts pouring and you think, “I am glad it is raining, the grass really needed it?” That was me yesterday. Follow me for this and other riveting thoughts.

This week just flew right on by. I know it was a short week, but wow! This afternoon I have to drive downtown for dress rehearsal with Zoe. Tomorrow is her dance recital! I know she is excited. She worked so hard this year, and I am proud of her. I am sure I will be sharing a million pictures of her this weekend. I also have low key dance mom anxiety. Hair, makeup, outfit changes, leaving in and out between numbers at the right time to find the fitting rooms. Hopefully I will be a pro after this year.

Favorite Purchase: I know I shared this dress a few weeks ago, but I picked up another color and wanted to throw it out there again. This tiered dress with the ruffle sleeve is good! It is under $15, and I receive compliments every time I wear it. Definitely size down, as it tends to run pretty big. Even a size down, it fits loose on me.

Speaking of dresses, Lindsay shared a round up of great summer dresses and swimsuits! Be sure to check it out, I think there is something for everyone on her list.

I saw someone on Instagram post a link to the jeans they were wearing in a photo, and they were from Mott & Bow. Has anyone tried these? I saw this graphic at the bottom of their site, and I was blown away!!!! Why can’t more brands do this? It is genius. The pricing is a little high, but not crazy.

Favorite Supplement: I was taking collagen powder in my acai bowl every morning. I ran out a few weeks ago, and decided I would wait to repurchase and see if I noticed any differences not taking it. I am about 3 weeks without and my hair is super dry and brittle on the ends, my skin is all itchy again and my knee and hips hurt SO BAD. Sooooooo it is safe to say that it was working and doing its job!!! Now, when I first started taking collagen powder, I got Vital Proteins and performed a similar test. I noticed no difference. I have since tried SR and Thrive Market collagen powders, and both have shown great improvements.

The reason I switched from SR to Thrive is because Thrive is organic and grass-fed. It is supposed to help with your hair, skin, nails and joints. I always get the unflavored kind and mix it in my acai bowl or smoothie at breakfast. If it is the weekend and I am having something else, I can mix it in my coffee. This time around, I might try Ancient Nutrition, as it has three more types of collagen than SR and Thrive. It is also supposed to support gut health. I will report back, but can confidently recommend Thrive to anyone who is looking to get started in collagen.

Eating: I didn’t get anything fun at Aldi this week to share. We have changed up our meal planning this week and focusing on anti-inflammatory foods. We really need to cut the crap out of our daily lives. By crap, I mean the processed shit, sugars. We are also cutting way back on red meats as well. Really sad about that, as you know I love my burgers. I will say….we made some turkey burgers on the indoor grill the other night and they were pretty damn amazing! Anytime I make burgers at home, I skip the bun and just do fun toppings like avocado or a new sauce I make up.

Favorite Workout: This is definitely a total body workout! I was feeling it in this one. So good.

Favorite Funnies:

Haha that last one, right? Have a great weekend! Linking up for Friday Favorites.

I have really been enjoying my FabFitFun summer box, so I wanted to share what I got! Definitely a few solid winners in this one. If you don’t know what FabFitFun is, it is a seasonal box that is sent out four times a year. You can be a seasonal member, meaning that you pay $49.99 per box each season. Or you can be an annual member, and pay $179.99 for four boxes up front, once a year. If you are an annual member, you get the perk of being able to choose your box first and make the first batch of shipping. You also get to customize more options in the box, and get first dibs on the add-on sales and other events that they offer. I was a seasonal member all last year, and decided to become an annual member this year.

This summer box is the first time annual members got to select all 6 items!

If you are interested in signing up, you can use my link and save on your first box. I would also get a credit to my account.

They used to put the retail prices in the magazine that comes with the box. Mine did not have that this time, so I looked up online what I could find and made notes. This is what I picked for my box!

PMD Microderm – I am shocked at how much I am liking and using this!!! I always had interest in a facial cleanser like the Clarisonic. But I didn’t want to have something that needed replacements often. I had the Foreo Luna mini for awhile, but I was never consistent with it. I didn’t like how it was held in the hand, I wanted something with a long wand. I know I have only had this PMD 2 weeks, but wow!!! I am really enjoying it. It comes with a clear little stand to sit on the counter. There are four different settings you can use, and I just feel like my face is so much cleaner when I used this. It feels so nice, and my skin is so so soft after. This alone is worth double the price of the entire box.

retail price $99

OUAI Detox Shampoo and Scalp Brush – I actually already owned this detox shampoo, and it is my favorite. I also love their scalp scrub and leave in conditioner. When I saw this was an option, it was a no brainer for me. This bottle is huge and will likely last me a year, since I only use it once a week or once every other week. I love the scent and how clean my hair feels after using it. This is amazing at removing any product build up.

retail price $30 for shampoo, I can’t find the scalp massager, but other prestige brands are $16. You can find some for as low as $8 so I will even it out at $10 – $40 total

Supergoop! Unseen Sunscreen Broad Spectrum SPF 40 – This is another product that I have used before and loved. I am super happy to have it back in my daily use.

retail price $34

African Botanics Shimmering Gold Oil – I used to love shimmer powder or shimmer oils in the summer when I was in my twenties. Who doesn’t want shimmery skin?? I thought this was just a fun add on. The actual retail price for this stuff is $$$$. It is extracted by farmers and has Marula Oil, which is known for its anti-aging benefits and packed with four times more Vitamin C than an orange. It protects against free radicals, stimulates circulation and boosts collagen. So I guess that is why it costs so much? It is really pretty and it has a nice smell. I don’t know that I would pay full price for it though.

retail price $65

SOAR Selfie Ring Light – I have a large ring light on a stand that I use for Zoom meetings on my laptop. I really notice a difference in the lighting and how I look on camera when I use it. I thought it would be cool to have this portable one for my phone if I ever wanted to take it and use it anywhere out.

retail price $29.99 – This was made exclusively for FabFitFun, and I feel like when that happens, they inflate the “worth” price. I found similar on Amazon for $11.99.

This last customization had several different options, pairing a few items together or allowing you to select just one thing that was worth more. I chose the set that included a lip butter, foot file and pineapple tray.

Seraphine Botanicals Fruit Butter Lip Mask ($25)- This stuff is seriously amazing. The scent reminds me of an air freshener I used in my car in college…but the texture and application of this is wonderful. I keep it on my desk and use it throughout the day. It makes my lips so soft!!! It lasts quite awhile on too. This will be a repurchase.

Barefoot Scientist Pedicure File ($15)- I chose this set for the lip mask, so this was just a nice added bonus. It is useful, thought I already had a foot file. I do like the handle on this one.

Blush Pineapple Tray ($14.99)- Just another added bonus. You can purchase this on Amazon for $14.99, but I saw it on Walmart’s website for $29?! What?? That is crazy to me. It is really cute, but not something I would pay a ton for.

retail prince $54.99

One of the other customizations for this was the Verso Botanicals Super Eye Serum that gets really good reviews. I decided to add it on for $10. The size I got retails for $60 and I have seen the large one for $80. I have to say that so far I am really enjoying this. It as retinol in it, which can make my skin really dry and flakey, and it has not done that under my eyes. I will report back after longer use, but this might be a new favorite for me. And that says a lot, as I find most eye creams do nothing for me.

They also added in a bonus 3-pack of Liquid IV. I found a 6-pack for $13 so I am calling this a $6.50 value. Chris and I have actually consumed all of these already. I really liked it and will definitely be purchasing more in the future. This was a nice add in that really added value to the box for me.

The total value of my box was $329.48 of the regular items I received. For the $10 extra add on of the eye serum, it brings my box worth to $389.48. I am very happy with all the items I received. Again, the PMD cleaner alone is worth twice the value of what I paid for the actual box. I will use everything in it. The two things I could have done without were the foot file since I already have one, and the pineapple tray which is just frivolous and something I wont use much. It would be a cute item to gift to someone with their favorite cocktail items or a hostess gift or whatever. Zoe was actually really excited to see it, and she wants pineapple ice cubes in her drink…so I will be keeping it.

If you got the FabFitFun box this time around, what did you think? I cant wait to see what they offer for the fall box. I love getting these treats four times a year. If you have any questions about boxes and how they work, let me know. I will give you my honest opinion, and can share what I have had in previous boxes. I am not paid or sponsored by FabFitFun, I pay for the annual membership on my own.

It’s Wednesday, we are already half way through the week! I wanted to link up with the Amazon stuff yesterday because I had some really good finds this last month, so coming at you with a weekend post midweek. We had the most amazing weather here in Alabama. I am sorry for all of you that had cold rainy weekends. It was in the low 70’s here and sunny all weekend. So beautiful. We totally made the most of it.

I took Zoe to the local candy store here on Friday before lunch. She had no clue where we were going, or what the place was when I parked. When she walked in and saw all the chocolate she squealed and said “A store with nothing but candy?!?!?!?!” Needless to say she was as happy as, well, a kid in a candy store! The girl that was working fed off Zoe’s excitement and was so sweet to her.

Saturday morning we were up early and decided to head out to Metro Diner for breakfast. It is our favorite breakfast spot, and I usually stick to my favorite spicy chicken biscuit but decided to venture out and get the fruity waffles. SO GOOD. We headed to Target after to pick up some snack making items and headed home to clean. We were having some company over in the afternoon!

That’s right; Laura, B and Sheff came over to hang out with us. It had been so long since we had people over to just hang out. They spent all afternoon with us. The kiddos played, we snacked and ordered burgers and BBQ from BBQ Stop, listened to music, and just enjoyed the company.

We hung around the house all day Sunday. It was a beautiful day, so Zoe and I spent most of it on our back deck lounging and playing. I got in a few chapters of my book, and Zoe spent most of her playtime in the sandbox. Mac wasn’t hating it either.

For Memorial Day, we decided to keep it pretty chill. We had talked to Zoe some on Sunday and Monday about what Memorial Day is and what it means to our country and our freedom. I also talked to her about our flag and the colors, and that is why we wear red, white and blue on Memorial Day and the 4th of July. Zoe is all about a reason to dress up, and asked if she could have some pictures made in her pretty dress. I am taking full advantage of her wanting to take pictures for as long as I can.

We headed out to return a few Amazon things to Kohls. I really love that they offer that, and make it so easy! Then we decided to grab some ice cream from Freddie’s and eat at the park. One of the positives about our city is the amenities, and we never take advantage of them. Chris has lived here a good chunk of his life, and I have lived in the area for 11 years…and we had never been to the park/walking trail along the Cahaba River. It was so pretty, and such a nice trail to walk. There is a paved area, adult workout equipment along the trail, disc golf, dog walking areas, picnic benches, and places you can go down into the water. It was beautiful and we will definitely make this a regular thing.

When we got home, we made lunch and then settled out on the deck to enjoy the beautiful afternoon. Zoe asked if we could start doing weekend smores again, and I thought that was a fabulous idea! She had so much fun doing them all last summer…so we whipped out the smores machine and got to work.

Just like that, the weekend was over. While it wasn’t a work-free weekend, I did work for a few hours each morning before Zoe woke up…it was nice to have the extra time Monday to spend with Chris and Zoe. I loved the mix of hanging out, spending quiet time at home, getting out in our town. It was wonderful.

I reflected a lot on the sacrifice so many have made for us to be able to enjoy weekends like this. The freedoms that we take for granted. My grandfather was a Merchant Marine in WWII. He fought for our country, then came home and worked in the mines in Pennsylvania. He died when I was in first grade, I hate that I didn’t get to really ask him about his time during the war. Most of my memories of him were outside in his garden, helping him with his sunflowers and strawberry plants. Or riding around in his old brown truck. He almost always wore a cowboy hat, and always made me feel special. He definitely had his own problems though, I was just too young to notice. Probably PTSD. We don’t do enough for our Veterans who are lucky enough to return home. We owe them everything.

Back with Tanya for another list of recent purchases from Amazon. We had a month full of really fun finds. I want to do a post with some home decor spaces that we have worked on since moving in. I never really shared a tour of our house or anything. I also have an empties post coming, as well as my skincare and hair routines. I just have to take the time to finish them.

Live Beautiful

This book is beautiful, as the title suggests. I LOVE flipping through it to get home decor inspiration and ideas. Also, it just calms me to see these perfect spaces. There is lots of practical advice throughout as well.

Throw Blanket

Chris got this for me as part of my Mother’s Day present and it is the SOFTEST blanket!!!! I love how pretty it is, and it covers my entire body. Zoe and I can both snuggle under it comfortably. Highly recommend.

Shelves

I ordered these to go above our coffee bar. I really wanted something that was large enough, so I went with the 36 inch ones. They come in a set, and there are several finishes to chose from. We have a lot of different woods in our kitchen/eat-in area/hearth room…so I went with something that complimented them all in expresso. They were handcrafted by a small company out of Florida. They sent a thank you note and the hardware to hang the shelves with. I am seriously impressed with the look and quality.

Elastic Hairband Remover

If you have kids, you know how hard it can be to removed the rubber band style hair bands from their hair. Zoe used to hate having her hair put up for dance because she knew after, there was pain and pulling hair to get it back out. This thing is genius!!! You get four of them and some hair bands in this set for less than $5. Even if you don’t have kids, those with long hair might appreciate it too!

Berry Box

I saw this on Andrea’s blog and thought I would give it a try. It holds a box of blueberries, raspberrie and half a box of strawberries all at once….it is much bigger than I was expecting! I thought it would just hold one box. I will say, the lid is really hard to snap on and off, but my fruit has lasted quite awhile in this so it is worth it to me. Plus. I like having it all washed and ready to eat. Saves me time all week.

Keyboard

I got a keyboard and it was malfunctional and kept pressing “g” randomly. I wouldn’t be sitting here at the computer and you could hear it dinging because the “g” was constantly being pressed. I needed a new one ASAP and I thought, why not get one that lit up???? Love it.

Veggie Platter

I have a veggie platter for entertaining, but it doesn’t have a lid. And it was huge and round. Does anyone else have the hardest time fitting round things in their fridge? I wanted something smaller, square and with a lid for our weekly veggies. When things are cut and washed and ready to go….we are so much more likely to snack on them! This was on sale when I grabbed the link for it.

Pellets

Chris bought a pellet grill and decided to grab the variety pack of pellets to try. We had to leave our old grill at our other house when we moved, as our movers wouldn’t put it on their truck and we had no way of getting it over otherwise. It is nice to have a grill again besides the indoor one. If you are looking at pellet grills, this brand is great for the price. Several of Chris’s friends have purchased them too.

Carwash Gun and Supplies

Chris ordered this carwash gun. It would make an excellent Father’s Day present, along with some of the accessories we ordered to go with it. I did that for Chris a few years ago, got a bucket and filled it with car wash supplies. When Chris has sport cars, which he always does to some extent, but back when he had his 350Z and now his new car, he doesn’t like to run them through the car wash. The gun is really cool, and this bucket is special with this insert for collecting dirt at the bottom. This is the soap that you use with the gun. He also ordered this mitt, which is on sale right now! And this huge drying towel.

Comfy Princess Squad

I am pretty sure they are doing away with these dolls. I cant find them in a lot of stores anymore, and if they do, it is just one or two. And Amazon has a few of them on sale right now. Zoe became obsessed with the petite princess dolls and they quit making 2 of them before we got them. She has 2 comfy dolls like this and wants more for her birthday or Christmas…so I am starting to buy them up as I see them so we aren’t looking for them every time we go into a store “just in case.”

Home Alone Book

Speaking of Christmas, I saw this on sale for under $10 and I feel like it is more than that around Christmas time last year when I first saw it. I grabbed this up to set aside for Zoe’s elf to bring her. I know it seems early, but I always start grabbing up Christmas presents around this time every year as I see things. It keeps me from scrambling when our lives are busier around the holidays. And honestly, it spreads the money throughout the year too.