[Stitch Fix] Fix #7

It's fix reveal day! One of my favorite days!

I actually got this fix just last week. I think this actually might be the first fix that I've blogged in a timely fashion! Ideally I'd like to try to blog it where I could actually use your input to help me decide what to keep or not, but the way that my fixes have been arriving, it hasn't worked out that way. I've been scheduling my fixes on a Friday so I could take pictures on the weekend (when Seth is home) but it's been arriving on Wednesday (I live close to the distribution center - I think they allot 5 days to ship and mine usually takes 2) and I have to wait to take the pictures. Maybe I need to start scheduling them on a Monday so they come on Friday? Anyway, I digress.

In case you haven't heard of Stitch Fix, it's basically a personal shopping service. You fill out your online profile by answering some questions about likes/dislikes, style, sizing, etc and then can write a note about what you're interested in as well as link a Pinterest style board to help your stylist know what you're looking for and what you're style is. Then your personal stylist gathers some items that she thinks you'd like and sends them to you. You try them on in the comfort of your own home and decide what you do and don't want to keep and then you have three days to send back whatever you don't want. Easy peasy! The styling fee is $20 and if you send back all the items, you lose the $20. If you keep one (or more) items, they deduct the $20 styling fee from your total and you pay the difference. And if you keep all five items, they deduct the $20 from the total and you get a 25% discount on all the items. Pretty great! If you're interested in signing up, if you want to use my referral code then I'll get small credit to my account and will be forever grateful.

This fix... like my past couple fixes, I wasn't 100% sure about. I never peek, I always wait until the box arrives to see what's in it since I like the surprise so much, but to my dismay, when I opened the box, I wasn't too excited. But, they say don't judge a book by it's cover (or a fix by it's... first glance?) so I took the clothes out, looked at my style card, and tried them on.

Here is the note from my stylist -- sounds promising!



So, now... on to my fix! I normally try to include as much information as possible in case my stylist (hi Amy!) reads my blog and/or in case I could help other's with sizing and stuff for their potential future fixes, but let me know if you have any additional questions.

(I actually accidentally threw away the receipt before I blogged the fix (again - oops) so I don't have exact colors or prices this time. I'll try to remember not to throw it away next time!)

Loveappella | Devon Pleated Mini Skirt

Size : L

This skirt actually wasn't terrible. I liked the color and I love Loveappealla -- there stuff is SO SOFT. However, I had asked for shorts (either blue jean shorts or black jean shorts) and seeing a skirt was kind of a put off. Honestly, it did fit pretty well and I LOVED that it had pockets, but I didn't think I would wear it often enough to justify the cost. I had a hard enough time trying to figure out what to style it with for these pictures. I'm not even sure if this outfit is cute or not? Ha. Back it went.

Verdict : Returned.

Market & Spruce | Dimitri Printed V Neck Dolman Knit Top

 Size : M

I had mixed feelings about this shirt. I thought I might love it since it's from Market & Spruce and it's a dolman (and I LOVE dolmans -- see here, here, and here), but... it was the material that did it for me. The design is actually a lot more bold than I usually go for, but looking at the picture, I kind of like it. The problem was... I asked for warm weather clothes (i.e. short sleeve shirts) and I got a 3/4 sleeve dolman made out of polyester and rayon. The minute I put it on to even take this picture, I started sweating... inside my house... with the air conditioner on. It was also a lot tighter than my other dolmans and I just didn't like the fit.

Verdict : Returned.

Loveappella | Dolli Mesh Detail Knit Top

Size : M

Another Loveappella shirt, another super comfy and soft shirt! But that's where it stopped for me. I wasn't sure if the black and white stripes would be flattering, but looking at the picture, I think it looks ok. The problem was... the cut out on the back and the mesh. I HATED the mesh. Had it been all regular material, we'd be having a different conversation, but the mesh and the back cut out is what did it for me. It was also a little shorter than I typically like, but I usually wear a tank top under and I didn't have one on here, so I think that would have been ok. I have my style set to very casual since my work is VERY casual and I just didn't think this shirt fit that criteria.

Verdict : Returned.

THML | Dejen Embroidered Top

Size : M

This shirt is typically not the style that I like, but upon taking the shirt out of the box, I actually really liked the embroidery. The problem was... I don't really like these type of structured shirts because it's hard to move my arms. This shirt was no exception. In addition to it being hard to move my arms, it was VERY tight to get on. Like I mentioned above, I typically wear a tank top under and there's no way it would fit under here. The top portion was VERY tight and there was no zipper. In fact I had a hard time getting it off! The bottom portion was... see thru. Again, I didn't feel like this type of shirt fit my style profile of casual, but I did appreciate that it was short sleeves and appropriate for summer.

Verdict : Returned.

Dear John | Finnegan Cuffed Shorts

 Size : 10

I wanted to love these shorts since these were the only shorts that I was sent and I had heard so many good things about Dear John shorts, but they just didn't work. They were way, way too tight and too short. I know Stitch Fix offers exchanges, but I didn't love them enough to even try. The style was not what I was looking for and I'm weird about patterns on my shorts so I opted to send them back.

Verdict : Returned.


So, if you're keeping track, overall, I ended up keeping... nothing. I was extremely disappointed with my fix... so much so that I actually emailed customer service. I hate to complain because obviously I'm not going to love everything in all my boxes, but after 6 fixes, I thought my stylist was getting to know my style and I felt like this box was a complete miss. I also noted that I'd like warm weather clothes and maybe that was misleading and she thought I wanted clothes to make me warm, but I felt like sending me two 3/4 length shirts when it's 90+ everyday in Southern California was a huge miss as well. Customer service, being amazing as they are, is letting me have a new fix and waving my styling fee. It's supposed to arrive early next week and I'm super excited to see what is in the box this time. Check back for Stitch Fix : Fix #7.2!

Linking up with Maria from Crazy Together.

So, tell me... do you agree with my choices? Would you have kept any of the items?

Weekending + a $50 PayPal Giveaway!

Happy Monday! This weekend was a good one - a real good one. In fact, it was so good that it not only went by entirely too fast BUT I also managed to take almost no pictures. It was nothing super out of the ordinary, but I thought I'd do a little recap.

Friday I took off from work. It's pretty slow during the summer since there is a large gap between events so instead of taking a whole week off (since we don't really have any vacations planned), I have just been taking random days off. The past two weeks either Mason had a doctor appointment or I did so this was the first one I really got to enjoy. I started the day off by trying one of those #purpledrinks that I shared on Friday. And I have to say... it was good!

I don't really like coconut milk so I never tried the #pinkdrink but the #purpledrink has passion iced tea, soy milk, vanilla syrup, and berries and I like all of those things so I figured, why not? And honestly, it was so good! I almost went back and got another one yesterday but I'm trying to stay on my Starbucks budget for the month. We'll see how long that lasts!

The rest of Friday I got a bunch of blog stuff done and then I met one of my old co-workers for a late lunch and then I did a little shopping. It was a great afternoon!

Saturday, Seth and I dropped Mason off at his Saturday ABA school and then ran some errands. We picked Mason up at 2pm, came home to play, and this happened.

Mason might or might not have dumped a HUGE bin of Legos on the floor and yelled "PARTY!" much to my dismay. However, it did keep him busy for a while, so it was still a win in my book.

Shortly thereafter, we met up with Seth's mom for dinner and then called it a night.

Sunday morning we took it really slowly and were super lazy.... including playing on snapchat. I don't know why but this filter cracks me up. 

Once we finally got around to getting ready to run some errands around 10:30am, we headed to Costco and then eventually to the grocery store. We debated trying to give Mason a nap and he insisted that he "was not tired" (of course) so I updated our gallery wall with his new artwork that the school just sent home last week and then we went over to my mother in law's house for our Sunday family dinner. The "fireworks" and the watermelon are my favorite!

Overall, it was a good, good weekend! It went by entirely too fast and I am super bummed it's over already. That being said, next weekend is a holiday weekend (woohoo!) and I'm already counting down the days until I get to spend 3 whole days (maybe 4??) with my little family!

And completely unrelated, but sure to make your Monday start better, I'm co-hosting a $50 PayPal giveaway with some of my favorite bloggers. Check out the rafflecopter below to enter! Good luck!

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Friday Fivin'

Holy cow you guys. I posted five times this week. FIVE. Now don't get your hopes up. This is very rare and will probably not happen again for weeks, even months. Apparently I had a lot to share this week?!

ONE.
Star Spangled Kids Link Up.

I'm super excited to be co-hosting this link up next week! The Fourth of July is coming and who doesn't like to be festive, especially with kids?! The basic gist of the link up is to just put your kids in some patriotic gear and snap some photos! It can be swimsuits, outfits, PJs, whatever your heart desires! Then link up with us between July 1st-7th with a blog post or just on social media with #StarSpangledKids. Easy peasy!


TWO.
Seat Belt Sign.

I saw this on Facebook on one of the autism pages that I follow and thought it was genius. This is very fitting since Mason has only recently started talking more, but is still pretty non-verbal. In case of emergency, I don't know if he would know what to do or say, and it would be good for medical personnel or whoever to know that there is a reason that he is not talking. His information could be on the back, maybe an emergency contact, and whatever other information could be helpful in case of emergency. I need to get one of these.


THREE.
S'mores.

I've recently been on a s'mores kick and I recently discovered these two goodies - a s'mores melting tray and s'mores ice cream. I saw the s'mores tray at Target and thought that was PERFECT. We don't have a fire pit or a gas stove, so getting one of these would be perfect to make s'mores on our BBQ! Then this s'mores ice cream I bought for Father's Day last weekend and it was so, so, so good! If you have a Kroger/Ralph's near you, I highly suggest it!


FOUR.
See's Candy.

Speaking of goodies, I got Seth a bag of these scotch mallows for Father's Day and I'm 99% sure that I've eaten more of them than him and by that I mean I've eaten approximately 75% of the bag already. If you've never had them (get one), they are basically a layer of caramel and a layer of marshmallow covered in dark chocolate. Heaven.


FIVE.
Starbucks Purple Drink.

I saw this Instagram post yesterday and I think this is a drink I could get behind! I heard everyone talking about Starbucks' #pinkdrink but I'm not sure I like coconut milk enough to get one, but this I think I would like! I might try to get one today, I'll keep you posted!


Have a great weekend!

[Boy Mom Box Swap] The Goods!

You guys, I'm not gonna lie. I've been pretty excited about this day since we announced the Boy Mom Box Swap last month. Its finally the day that we get to reveal what we got! I hope you all are as excited to share as I am because I am SO excited to share what we got!

Our package arrived late last week and it being Father's Day weekend and all, we didn't have much time to open the present this weekend. I saved the box for earlier this week when I knew we'd need to kill some time between coming home from school and when dinner was ready. My plan worked perfectly and Mason LOVED what he got!

Mason and I were paired with Suzie and Niko. They don't have a blog that I could link you to, but let me just say that I wish Suzie did! We emailed back and forth a few times and I seriously wish we lived closer (and you'll see when I reveal what we got below), but Niko and Mason would probably be the best of friends! After emailing with Suzie a bit, I immediately knew what I wanted to get her and what I wanted to get Niko. Since Suzie doesn't have a blog, I'm going to give you a sneak peek as to what Mason and I got for them, but not until after you see what they sent us.

I gave Mason the box and basically let him go to town. He started opening all of the individually wrapped presents for him as well as for me. Of course he wasn't interested in the presents for me after he opened them, but he did enjoy ripping the tissue paper off of them in the meantime.

So, what did we get? THE BEST PRESENTS EVER. Here's everything.

For me, I got some swedish fish (my FAVE!), a Starbucks card (also a fave!), and some washi tape/washi dispenser. I don't even remember telling Suzie that I like swedish fish or washi tape and she sent these. I think we were best friends in another life or something! I LOVED it all!

Mason got tons of goodies also, all of which he was obsessed with. He was in pure heaven opening this box full of stuff.

First of all, he got some new Blaze and the Monster Machine monster trucks. He immediately ripped open the Blazing Speed Blaze and has not put it down since he opened it a couple days ago. He loves that Blaze! We also got Stripes and Crusher... both of which we already had, but I was able to exchange them at Target for two that we didn't have - Panda Bear truck and Joe. It's hard to believe we still have a few that we don't have since we seriously have an army of monster trucks taking over our living room.

While the Blaze truck was definitely the high light of the box, Mason loved everything else that he was given -- Paw Patrol bubbles, a Paw Patrol puzzle, some Cheez-its, and some Hot Wheels cars.

Once he got all of his Blaze trucks all set up (Blazing Speed Blaze, regular Blaze, and Camo Blaze), then it was time to work on the puzzle!

Mason and I seriously cannot thank Suzie and Niko enough. Their present was PERFECT for us and we LOVED every single thing in the box. Thank you, Suzie and Niko!!!

So, now that you saw what they got us and what makes Mason happy, this is what Mason and I got for Suzie and Niko.

Almost identical, right? We got Niko some Blaze and the Monster Machine monster trucks and I got Suzie some treats. So crazy! See, I'm telling you, we were destined to be friend!

Did you participate in the Boy Mom Box Swap? Link up with Stephanie, Sarah, and I and show us what goodies you got! I can't wait to see what you all got from your partners!

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[Thoughts on Wednesday] Confessions.

I know most confessions are done on Thursdays, but I'm being a rebel and posting on Wednesday (that and I have a post already scheduled for tomorrow and I really wanted to confess some stuff). So, without further ado...

I must confess...

... that I was reading another blog a couple weeks ago and saw all these insanely rude comments. She was talking about how they sold their house and are moving into a new one and she is so excited for her kids to have their own rooms. All things I thought should be EXCITING! I went to leave a comment saying how happy I was for her and I saw all these people commenting about previous comments, so I scrolled up. And holy cow, what did I see? SO MANY (anonymous - of course) RUDE COMMENTS about how she is insulting people who are not as fortunate as her and how she is ungrateful. I'm sorry what? Since when does expressing your happiness about getting a new house mean you are insulting people? That confused me. But what confused me more is... if you hate her and her blog so much, why do you continue to read? Mind boggling.

... that my car used to be clean. Spotless clean. And then I had a kid. And now, on any given day, you can be sure to find at least 2 hot wheels cars, 27 Cheerios on the ground, 10 goldfish dropped in the car seat, 3 Starbucks straw wrappers, and 5 receipts (mostly from Costco gas).

... that I forget EVERYTHING if I don't write it down or remind myself somehow. You should see how many emails from me to me I have as well as pop up reminders on my calendar on my phone. If I don't get a reminder, I WILL forget.

... that I'm obsessed with the "health" app on my iPhone. I LOVE to look at how many steps I've taken during the day, especially on days when I know I've walked a lot more than normal. I get so mad that I always leave my phone on my desk when I'm at work and I look at the app when I get home and it says 450 steps. I know that is not an accurate representation of what I did. I also hate when I leave my phone on the table at home and I walk up and down the stairs 20 times a day.

... when people don't proof read or spell check their blog posts before they post them.

... that I might be more obsessed with the Blaze and the Monster Machine monster trucks than Mason is...

... that sometimes I 'like' a picture on Instagram before I read the caption and then realize, it's not something that should be 'liked', but maybe more of just commented on. People use the happiest kid pictures or pictures of pretty flowers or something else nice to then describe something terrible that happened in the caption. I've done this more than once. I am a serial "look at the picture and like the picture before I read the caption" kind of girl.

And worst of all...

... that I dropped Mason off at school yesterday right behind another parent. He held the door for me and was very sweet. I let him check in his kid first (we check them in on the computer) and figured he would only be a minute (you literally just type your code in, tap the picture of your kid, and hit accept) but he took forever. Ok, whatever, no problem. As he's doing this though, Mason and I are patiently waiting and his kid is trying to open the door to the playground, where other kids are playing. He actually gets it open (while Dad is oblivious) and the people out there say it's not his turn yet and his class is still inside. He closes the door. Dad is FINALLY done checking in the kid, kisses him, says "I love you son" and leaves. the. kid. in. the. hallway. ALONE. Well technically with me and Mason, but for all he knows, I could steal his kid (I wouldn't, but he doesn't know me!). The kid walks over to the classroom door as the Dad exits the building and I check Mason in on the computer. I hear the kid start yelling "the door is locked! the door is locked!". I'm done (0.5 seconds after I started - seriously I have no idea what he was doing) and walk over to help open the door for the boy. It wasn't locked, it was just heavy and he couldn't get in. I open the door and the boy and Mason run off, laughing together. But this brings me back to my point... the Dad left the kid in the hallway ALONE. Yes, we are in a building, but clearly the kid knows how to open the door to the playground and the door to the outside hallway which leads to the PARKING LOT is the same type of door. Thankfully I was there to let the boy in to the classroom, but what if I wasn't and he couldn't open the door to the classroom and he wandered down the hall, or worse, outside. I cannot get past the irresponsibility of this man... (off my soap box).

That's all for today! Can you relate to any of my confessions?

Announcing... Our 3rd Annual Christmas in July Exchange!

It's that time of year again.... Christmas in July!

Courtney, Jamie, and I have had so much fun doing this exchange the last couple of years (2014 // 2015), and are excited to announce it again! Getting packages in the mail is always a treat, so make sure you join us!

The idea is simple : fill a box with anything you think your partner's kid(s) would love - water toys, craft supplies, books, snacks, games, etc, with a limit of $20 before shipping.

If you would like to participate this year please sign up by emailing me at chasinmasonblog@gmail.com with "Christmas in July Gift Exchange" in the subject. You can sign up between now and Friday, June 24th. You don't have to be a blogger to participate, but we ask that you share what you receive on social media with #xmasinjulygiftexchange. The matches will be emailed on or around Monday, June 27th.

Please include the following in your sign up email:

- Your name
- Your mailing address
- Blog URL (if applicable)
- Instagram name
- The name(s) & age(s) of your child(ren)
- Share their favorite summer activities
- Share a short wish list to give your partner a few ideas. Please note that you may or may not actually receive the things on the wish list, it is just to aid your partner in picking things to include.
- Any additional notes you think are relevant

Send out your packages no later than Friday, July 8th. Please, please, please keep your tracking number just in case, because you never know. Oh! And don't forget the wrapping paper! This is Christmas after all :)

Then come back on Monday, July 25th to link up and share what you received.

This gift exchange is limited to US residents only (sorry!)

We certainly hope you will sign up. It is always a treat to receive something special in the mail!

If you have any questions, please let me know.

$10 at Target [June] + a $100 Stitch Fix Giveaway!

From the very first time I saw Becky do a post on $10 at Target, I was intrigued. I mean, who only spends $10 at Target??? Then I read a little further and realized she gave herself the challenge to only spend $10 at Target on something fun for herself and I was intrigued again. I commented on her post that I loved the idea of her post and would love to try something similar (and a few other people must have too) and this blog hop link up was born!

I'm excited to be back again today co-hosting this link up with Becky and some other fabulous ladies!  If you posted today as well, don't forget to link up with us below so we can see your awesome $10 hauls!

This month I had a little trouble deciding what I wanted to get. Most of the things that I think of are  things that are too expensive. Or are pretty close to the top of my budget and I don't know what to pair it with. I've tried to keep a running list of ideas in my phone after browsing everyone else's picks so I have some ideas for future trips, but this time, I was stumped.

After a little walking around and wandering the aisles, here's what I ended up getting:

As you know from previous posts, I found those Justin's Peanut Butter Cups and quickly became obsessed. I had wanted to get more this time, since they are a spurge for me since they're kind of expensive, but I couldn't find the regular sized, only these minis. I loved the big ones so much, I figured, why not try the minis? I will admit, they were good, but I do like the big ones better. I love chocolate but I felt like these had too much chocolate and not enough peanut butter. I don't usually say that about peanut butter cups (I actually like the mini Reese's better than the big ones), but the dark chocolate on these were a bit too much and I felt like I needed more peanut butter.

My second item was this kombucha. I've been hearing so much about kombucha from Erin and Laura that I thought I should find one to try. This one sounded the best to me (I'm not super adventurous when it comes to food and drink), but this one had cranberry and I thought that sounded good. I tried it when I got home and think I liked it. It definitely had a distinct flavor that I wasn't used to, so I'm not quite sure if I fully liked it. I think it was just more tart than I expected since it was basically unsweetened cranberry juice, but I'd definitely be willing to try it again!

So, how'd I do on my budget?

I was way below! I only spent $8.25.
I was going to show you a picture of my receipt since I actually kept it this time and only bought my $10 at Target items on it, but when I went to go find it for a picture, it had been smashed in the bottom of my purse, so I'll spare you the picture and just break down the cost.

Justin's Peanut Butter Cups : $4.99
Kombucha : $3.69
No tax (I guess because they're food items?)
Minus RED Card discount : ($0.43)
Total : $8.25

Seems like I can either go way over or way under! Ha! Hopefully next month I do better. (But probably don't hold your breath!)

I had so much fun shopping for myself and am excited to continue this link up! Now, link up and then hop around and check out how the rest of my co-hosts (and everyone else!) spent their $10!

Becky at bybmg // Instagram // Facebook // Pinterest

Beth at Our Pretty Little Girls // Instagram // Facebook // Pinterest

Courtney at Sweet Turtle Soup // Instagram // Facebook // Pinterest

Elizabeth at Chasin' Mason // Instagram // Facebook // Pinterest

Rachel at Garay Treasures // Instagram // Facebook // Pinterest

Stephanie at Wife Mommy Me // Instagram // Facebook // Pinterest

Tif at Bright on a Budget // Instagram // Facebook // Pinterest

Whitney at Polka Dotty Place // Instagram // Facebook // Pinterest

Next month, we'll be sharing our hauls on Monday, July 18th. Mark your calendars, get your shopping on, and link up with us on the 18th and show us what you got!

OH! And also, non-related to $10 at Target, but as some of you may know, I partnered with some other Stitch Fix bloggers to give away a $700 gift card to Stitch Fix a couple weeks ago. Well! We had so much fun with the previous giveaway, we decided to give our readers one last chance to win with a special BONUS giveaway of a $100 gift card!
The giveaway runs for ONE DAY ONLY from 12:01am Eastern time to 11:59pm Eastern time on June 20, 2016 so don't hesitate to enter!

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An InLinkz Link-up