Vday Gift Idea's

Helloooooo Friday! It's been another long week with all of us having colds which turned into another ear infection for Gage. So to his ENT specialist we went and finally scheduled a surgery date for his tubes. I'm dreading his surgery but I'm looking forward to not having to deal with ear infections monthly, and I have a feeling he feels the same way. But We are all on the mend and even though we're getting another huge snow storm this weekend I'm looking forward to no plans and hopefully catching up on some sleep. I'm also super excited  that January is almost over since This month just feels like the Monday of the whole year. Post Christmas blues are the worst and it's the point in the winter season where you want to climb the walls on a daily basis. I need some sunshine and fresh air!! Atleast in February you can say Spring is next month, talk about giving us some hope! February is also the start of the fun little holidays that my festive heart loves. Valentine's Day, St Patrick's Day and Easter are my jam. Although we don't go all out on Valentine's Day, I absolutely love shopping for gifts for it! Here are just a few ideas for the loved ones in your life. 

 

 

 

 

Hello Apparel is always winning in the holiday tee department. I love every single one of their vday shirts especially their Cupid's Arrow. You can wear it all year long which is a plus and I could match the boys in the white version. {insert my husband's eye roll here} 

 

Throw a pair of pink socks, a bottle of Essie Polish and a Lush Bath Bomb in a cute bag and you've got yourself a cute little girlfriend gift. Bonus points if you add a Valentine's Candle by Candelles. I'll take  Long Stem Roses and this Donut one!!

 

Usually Tyson and I just go to dinner for Vday, exchange cards and small gifts. So I've done my research and found the best Valentine's Day Cards that every husband would love. I mean, cards should be inappropriate and not boring right? I also really need this card because I love Grey's Anatomy almost as much as my husband. almost.

 

We don't give the boys anything crazy or big for Valentine's Day, But I do like to throw a little box of goodies together for them. A festive book, jammies {Boy & Girl}, night light, sweet treats and some Heart Shaped Crayons are just a few ideas. When all else fails, you can't go wrong with a huge Heart Balloon Bouquet.

 

I also really quickly wanted to say thank you to those who have reached out to check on me this week while I was absent from the blog. Some day's I think no one reads this little space of mine until I take a few days off and feel so much love from everyone. Thank you all for supporting my blog and I love all the friendships I've gotten from it!

 

So what does everyone else do for Valentine's Day?? Happy shopping friends and have a great weekend! xo

Life Lately

Life lately has definitely been a challenge and full of changes. I'm still smack dab in the middle of morning sickness and it's definitely left me feeling defeated most days. Just getting out of bed in the mornings is a challenge let alone taking care of two small kids, a husband and a home. I am literally sick every minute of every day. No joke. So most days I call it a win when I am able to get out of bed, get the boys dressed and take Ryder to school. My house is so neglected and my poor family has to deal with me feeding them whatever doesn't make me want to vomit. Thankfully I have a very understanding husband who comes home from work and helps me out as much as he can no matter how tied he is. Everyone has been really understanding and I know this will pass soon. Until then sweatpants, saltines and these cute faces will get me through. 

{Cheerios in a red solo cup for the mom win}

Gage is in the middle of an 18 month sleep regression right now. Talk about good timing right? Not. So he's up quiet a bit at night and also wakes up a few times during nap time. Send all the coffee! Just kidding. I can only have one cup and day. {enter eye roll emoji here}

As always, He's still my little fireball and keeps me on my toes every minute of the day. Gage has been a little harder to deal with while I have been sick. He's still so little and doesn't understand why I need some time to rest and he isn't entertained by movies or toys for very long. He's always pulling at me wanting me to play and it hurts my heart when I have to tell him no. Hopefully everything will be back to normal soon. Gage may be full of sass but he also is the sweetest boy when he wants to be. If you couldn't tell by that face, he runs the house lately. 

Ryder has been a little more understanding. He asks me what I need during the hard times of the day and he is so good to watch after Gage for me. However, he says the baby is a boy and that we should name him "chuck e cheese". You got it kid. He has a cold right now so he also hasn't been sleeping well but we are Hoping no one else gets it because we all know it'll go right to Gage's ears. As always he is loving school and is learning so much and making a ton of friends. He says the funniest things and makes us laugh every minute of the day. His new saying is "nope. Not today sir!" Hey Ryder, will you go get my glasses for me please? "Nope. Not today sir!" 

He also makes sure to yell at cars who are driving too fast in the parking lot of Walmart as we're walking in while I turn every shade of red. But My favorite was when he asked if we could return Gage to Joann's Craft Store and get him a new brother. I mean, where does he come up with this?? I. Die. 

Holiday weekends are always my favorite. Although Tyson never gets Holiday's off other than Christmas and Thanksgiving, it still means there is no school and we can sleep in and take time to make a yummy breakfast. This morning was buttermilk pancakes and surprisingly I was feeling good enough for a minute to make them.  I also love to spend my Monday mornings planning our week in my day designer. This thing is a life saver. 

This post was about as random as our life has been right now. But I promise I have some amazing things in the works for the blog that I can't wait to share with you. In the mean time, thank you all for sticking with me and taking the time to read our little blog. Hope you all have a great week! Xo 

Valentine's Day Inspiration

Oh Valentine's Day.... It's one of my favorite holiday's. A small celebration to help cure the post Christmas blues and gives you enough hope that Spring is coming to keep you sane the last few months of winter.

We don't do anything too extravagant for vday but a festive breakfast is a must. {That is if my morning sickness decides to take the day off in some sort of miracle.} These Heart Shaped Raspberry Rolls have my name written all over them and these Pink and Red Cheerios for the boys who probably don't give a crap about eating anything heart shaped. :)

 

 

It isn't Valentine's Day unless you are up to your elbows in goodies. These Strawberry Glazed Doughnuts, Dipped Pretzels  and Red Velvet Brownies are a must.

 

 

I don't actually do a whole lot of decorating for vday, but I really should and I'm determined to start collecting some heart shaped décor. This Valentine's Day Mantle is to die for and this DIY Heart Tree would be so simple to create.

 

We like to get Ryder and Gage something little for vday, some sweet treats and a teddy bear always makes their day. Throw in a few dollar match box cars and they think its Christmas all over again. Any excuse I can find to use Kraft paper, string and paper hearts.

I've been on the hunt to find simple, DIY valentines for Ryder's friends that doesn't include too much candy. Because lets be honest, we're still swimming in Halloween candy over here. These Chapstick Valentines and Candy Huggers are adorable. All kids love chapstick!

It wouldn't be a Holiday in our house without some festive pj's! This Dig You PJ Set for boys and this Bear PJ Set make my holiday loving heart sing! They definitely need to make some in adult sizes. In the mean time this Red Kisses Set will do.

I am loving all the Valentine's clothing starting to hit the virtual shelves so keep an eye out for some more festive style idea's soon.

Have a great weekend!!

Makeup & Skin Care Favorites

Happy Friday friends! My Friday Favorites this week are all about makeup and skincare. Every year for Christmas I ask for the same exact thing, a gift card to Sephora. I love clearing out old product and replacing it with fresh stuff for the new year. So here are a few of my favorites, let me just say I have ALOT of favorites. But these are at the top of my list right now.

Naked Skin Foundation - Perfect coverage that leaves a dewy look on the skin. LOVE this stuff! It also has anti aging ingredients in it that is a great plus. I just wish it had an SPF in it. I use it with the Urban Decay Optical Blurring Brush and you wouldn't believe the coverage. That brush is MUST!!

Smashbox Under Eye Brightener - This is one of my most favorite products EVER!! It is not a concealer. You put it underneath your eyes before your foundation and it gets rid of the bags under your eyes. It has a nice sheer, highlighted, dewy finish so I also like to put it anywhere I want highlighted. Eyebrow arch, cheek bones, top of nose etc.

Smashbox Foundation Primer - This product is amazing for tightening pores and helping makeup stay put. It makes your skin SO soft and a little bit goes a long way. I also use this on my lips before applying lipstick to help prevent cracking and to help the longevity of it.


Mac Fix+ Finishing Spray - Spray on your face when your makeup is all finished to help it stay put. I also love using this on my bare face when I am feeling dry.


Naked Eyeshadow Pallet - You can't go wrong with any of the Naked pallets. Best eyeshadow's ever.

Colour Pop Matte Lipstick in MIDI and Lippie Pencil in OH SNAP are a perfect nude, matte shade. I can never pull of bold lips so light pink nudes are my favorite. This color reminds me of the signature Kylie Jenner lip color.



 

I switch up my skin care routine a ton. I have acne prone skin but I also love anything that fights aging. So I Switch between using St. Ives Green Tea Scrub  + Nutrogena Pink Grapfruit Moisturizer  and Philosophy Purity Face Wash + Philosophy Anti-Wrinkle Miracle Worker. The anti-aging cream is pretty expensive but one jar lasts me a year and it really is amazing.

 

Once a week I use this Lush "Cup O Coffe" Face Mask to remove dead skin, tighten pores and brighten skin. I love anything Lush makes!

 

As far as removing my eye makeup before bed I use coconut oil with a baby wipe and it does an amazing job and makes my skin feel great without having to use chemicals.

 

I was going to include some of my hair favorites with these but I have a slight obsession with hair products that it will need it's own post all together. #hairstylistproblems.

 

Happy Shopping friends and have an amazing weekend! xo

New Year Update

Remember that time I used to do monthly updates on the boys? Well now they are 3 and 18 months and I'd say it's time for an over due update on the fam!

First, I'm right in the middle of morning sickness hell so I apologize that things have been a little bit quiet and sporadic around here. I do have some awesome things planned for the blog this year but for now I'm just trying to keep food down and not fall asleep at the dinner table all while I juggle two little boys. I know it's only going to get worse until I'm out of my first trimester but I'm slowly learning tricks on helping me get through it. Cheerios next to my bed to eat before I get out of bed helps a lot and since my body thinks it needs 15 hours of sleep a day I can no longer get up before the boys wake up and find myself napping during Gage's nap time...who is this person?! Coffee no longer makes me sick so that's been nice but this 1 cup a day is killing me. I mean ONE CUP. Do they not know who I am?! Anyway, enough about me. I'm growing a human and that's my update. On to the boys. 

Ryder is 3 and will be 4 in about 4 months. He is doing great in school and loves it! He loves doing his ABC's, counting and saying the Pledge of Allegiance. He's a typical boy who loves monster trucks, tractors and dirt. He could eat turkey sandwiches, salt and vinegar chips and yogurt all day long. He sleeps great as usual going to bed around 7:30-8:00 since its winter and never even has to get up to go potty. He loves to sleep in and I have to drag him out of bed around 9:30 on non school days. He's starting to grow out of the toddler stage and more into a big kid. Mickey Mouse has been replaced with superhero's and transformers and he needs me less everyday. Stop growing kid! He has the sweetest soul and is the best big brother. God totally knew what he was doing giving him to us first.

Gage...oh my little bam bam. He is 18 months going on 3 years old. Talking up a storm and doing all sorts of big boy things. He's our daredevil and most days you can find him climbing on things and testing his limits and you wont catch him anywhere without his lovie. He is 90% weaned from nursing and we are so close to being completely weaned. It's been hard and heartbreaking for both of us. Next up is taking away his Binky. He's starting to become really attached to it so it's time to go! Another heartbreaking experience for us I'm sure. On top of the binky thing, Goals for him this year are transitioning him out of his crib and to put him in the same room as Ryder before the new baby arrives. He is doing great sleeping at night ever since we learned he has sensitive ears and needs to be propped up. He is still also napping once a day for 2-3 hours. Gage is a big ball of energy and sass topped off with fuzzy red hair and we just love him.

As far as the blog goes I have some great collabs coming up with some amazing shops that I can't wait to share with you And of course you'll see some fun pregnancy and baby posts. On top of that I have some great finance/budget posts, home tours, cleaning/organizing tips, recipe and beauty posts planned. Some of my most popular posts for 2015 include 12 hours, Transitioning to a Big Kid Bed, Gage Turns One, New Home, Why I'm a Stay At Home Mom, 8 Ways to be a Happy and Productive Stay At Home Mom and Christmas 2015. If there is anything you would like to see here at Mama & Mister let me know!

I swear I feel like I'm still on Holiday break over here and getting back to normal daily lives have been rough. But I am super excited to get back to my normal blogging schedule and routine. Hope you are all having a great week back at normal life! xo

{Totally off subject but I have had a ton of people ask about my rug. It is from Overstock and is the nuLOOM Moroccan Trellis Rug in Luna Grey}

Hello 2016!

Oh hey 2016! We're so happy you're here! There's nothing like a fresh, new year to make you feel renewed. 

We had a great 2015 full of lots of love and changes! Ryder turned 3, Gage turned 1, we sold our first home and built a new home, Tyson got a great promotion at work, Ryder started pre-school and we found out we're expecting another little babe all while I finally figure out this whole 2 kid thing.  It was full of laughs, tears, late nights and early mornings, kisses, hugs and sometimes tantrums. Long, warm Summer nights were our favorite but the cold winter snow was refreshing. Our babies grew up right before our eyes, new milestones were reached, first steps were taken and memories were made on a daily basis. 2015 you were so good to us and we have the pictures to prove it...

My heart is so full. 2016 we hope you are just as great, or even better than 2015! We are so excited for what is in store for us this year. Happy New Year everyone!!