[Five on Friday] Blogiversary Edition + a Giveaway!

Today is my three year blog anniversary! And to celebrate, I'm giving you the opportunity to win TWO gift cards! Why two? Because I couldn't decide which one so I chose both :) I mean, everyone loves Starbucks AND Target, right? Really the only thing better than Starbucks AND Target is a Starbucks IN a Target. #amiright

I can't believe three years ago, I hit publish on my very first post. Oh how far I have come. If you're interested in reading my very first blog post, you can find it here. In fact, I find it so silly that that is my first blog post because in reality, apparently, it was my second. I was so tech savvy that I hit publish (or who knows what button!) and nothing happened and somehow I DELETED the whole thing. Haha. Silly me.

I still can't believe what this little space has grown into. And I am so, so proud of it! Blogging is definitely a hobby for me but I've been given some amazing opportunities because of it. And I've made some amazing friends as well - "virtual reality friends" as Seth calls them as well as virtual reality turned real reality friends. And I love it! Who would have thought that in three years I... would have people who genuinely like reading what I've been up to? And who would have thought that I could make real life friends? I sure didn't when I hit that 'publish' button three whole years ago but I'm sure glad I did!

In true Five on Friday fashion, here are my top five favorite posts from this past year and some reader favorites as well. But, if you're not interested in recapping the past, or things you've already read, don't forget to scroll all the way down to the bottom and enter the giveaway!

Reader Favorites

1 // (Mason updates : updates on my sweet boy are by far reader favorites. I'm guessing probably because they appeal to everyone (including friends and family) so I'll just group them together and call it "one")
The Words You Never Want to Hear a Doctor Say
[Mason] An Update
[Mason] A Preschool Update + Doctor Appt Update
A Letter to my Son with Autism
[Autism Diagnosis] Thoughts and Feelings from a Mother with a Son with Autism

2 // [Whole 30] The Results!

3 // [Thoughts] Baby #2

4 // [2nd Birthday] The Party

5 // [Mother's Day Mom Exchange] The Goodies


My Favorites

When I got to Brag on Seth for Kary's #BragonDad Series
An Ode to the Single Mom
You Know You're a Mom When...
Motherhood from Every Angle
[It's the Little Things] Temporarily Being a Stay at Home Mom

(It was so hard to narrow it down to 5 of my favorites! For reader posts I could go based on numbers, but for these I just had to choose - which is never easy! Plus I loved all the ones that the readers love too! As I've mentioned before, one of my favorites is the Letter to my Son with Autism, but I didn't want to duplicate.)

Thank you all so, so much for reading and supporting my blog! Now, please, I'd love to send you a couple gift cards to get some goodies for YOU (no kiddo presents allowed!). The giveaway is open to residents of the US and Canada only and starts on August 14, 2015 at midnight PST and ends on August 21, 2015 at midnight PST. Winner will be notified by me. Good luck!

  a Rafflecopter giveaway

LOVE | HATE | TAG

A couple weeks ago, Amanda from Kids and Cabernet did this fun challenge called Love | Hate | Tag. I loved reading hers and thought it would be fun to play along but since she didn't tag me... I thought I would steal it and do it anyway! Then, a few days later, before I had to chance to finish, Whitney from Work It Mommy tagged me. And then shortly there after, Jamie at Cocktails and Carseats and Courtney at Sweet Turtle Soup and Crystal at Hall Around Texas tagged me too and here we are! (I hope I didn't forget anyone!)

The rules are simple : you have to write 10 things that you love,  another 10 that you hate, and then tag 10 people to play along.

LOVE

1. My family and my friends. I feel like this is a given, but I didn't want to leave it out because these people, my people, are so important to me and I love them all dearly!
2. Being a boy mom. When I found out that I was having a boy, I was a little worried, since all I know is girl. But it only took one look at my sweet baby boy and I was hooked. Forever a boy mom. And I can't imagine my life any other way!
3. Starbucks. No explanation necessary!
4. The dishes and the laundry. Now before you go thinking that I'm a crazy lady, I wouldn't necessarily say that I love either chore per se but I definitely don't hate them. I'd much rather load the dishwasher than unload the dishwasher. I have no idea why and I'm sure that doesn't even make sense, but for some reason I like loading it and trying to come up with the best way to fit the most amount of things in there to run in one wash. It's like tetris. Or packing a suitcase. And as for laundry... I can't even really explain it. I think I just like clean clothes :)
5. Oreos. If you've been reading my blog (or following me on Instagram) for any amount of time, you've probably seen an Oreo post a time or two (or ten).
6. Blogging. Seriously, I do. Sometimes it has to take a seat on the back burner when life gets too crazy, but I honestly, truthfully love it. I love reading other peoples blogs and commenting on them and starting a conversation. I love reading the comments left on my blog and responding to them and starting a conversation. I love the relationships and friendships I've formed from blogging. It's just wonderful!
7. Sunshine. I know we need the rain - BAD - but I really can't complain when we have such good weather. When it's overcast and gloomy, it just makes me want to sit at home and do nothing. I just love when it's sunny and warm. It makes me feel happy.
8. Getting my hair brushed. Though I've been the only one to brush my hair for many, many years now, I still remember when I would lay on my mom's lap late at night and we would watch TV together and she would brush my hair. One of the best feelings in the world!
9. Getting my feet rubbed. Haha, after the last one, maybe I should have just said getting pampered. But in all seriousness, I love getting my feet rubbed. And I know that is not something that is for everyone.
10. To Do lists. I know this sounds crazy to some, but I'm a sucker for to-do lists. I have to have a plan and know what I need to do or else I forget. I'm going to be royally screwed when I'm older if I already can't remember things, but if I don't write things down, I completely forget them. I also like to be organized and know my plan for the month. I've started using my planner more to plan out my blog calendar and so far it's working and helping!

HATE

1. Black coffee. It's way too strong and bitter for me. I hate it so much so that when we did the whole 30, I cut coffee out completely since I couldn't add creamer!
2. People who don't put their shopping carts in the shopping cart return and just leave it wherever they please...even if they are parked two cars away from the return area. I don't know why it bothers me so much, but it's just such an easy thing to do that I don't understand why people don't do it.
3. Driving behind those car carrier trucks. Scares the cr*p out of me. ESPECIALLY when there's a car on the very very back and I'm driving right behind it. I know in my mind that the car is strapped to that truck so, so securely, but there's a part of me that freaks out driving behind it since the tires are practically hanging off the back. My mind wanders to thoughts of what if someone forgot to secure something... terrifies me.
4. I absolutely HATE when my favorite tanks get holes in them. I love layering and always wearing a tank top under my shirts. I've had some amazing ones from H&M for forever and they are getting holes in them and I am SO bummed because I can't find any in the material and long enough that I like. I'm in denial that I reallllllly need to get rid of them and just wear them anyway (gosh, so trashy, can't believe I admitted that!). But you know when you love something, it's hard to get rid of it!
5. Rude people. This can apply to so much. Bad customer service. People who feel the need to comment on a news story/Facebook post, etc and just be rude. Like really people? If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all. Zip it. Didn't your mom teach you anything?
6. Bugs. ALL BUGS.
7. Talking on the phone. I don't even know how this happened but I swear I'd much rather text or email than talk on the phone. In fact, if I don't have your number saved in my phone, don't count on me answering. I'll listen to your message and (maybe - probably) call you back.
8. Smoking. Not me. I don't smoke. Never have, never will. I hate people who smoke (sorry, no offense) ... and I especially hate people who blow the smoke in the direction of people who don't care to have smoke anywhere near them, their children, or their lungs.
9. Bad drivers and traffic. I don't know why it bothers me so much, but I hate people who don't use their turn indicators to change lanes. I hate people who cut you off, don't use their turn indictor to tell you they're cutting you off, and then don't say thank you. I hate people who you wave to to let cut in in front of you and then don't say thank you. I hate people who drive too slow on the freeway and people who speed in parking lots. And to add on to that... I hate traffic. I know, I know. I TOTALLY live in the wrong place if I hate traffic, but I love where I live so I deal.
10. The cost of living in California. I just don't get it. I mean, I know the weather here is nice and all, but is it really necessary for houses to be like 3 times the amount as anywhere else? Ugh. I'll give you something to compare it to... a 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom, approx. 1,000 square foot townhouse goes for $350,000 in California. You can buy a 4 bed room, 3 bathroom, probably almost 2,000 square foot HOUSE in Texas for less than that.
And just for fun...
11. Auto Correct. It is SO helpful sometimes, yet SO unhelpful other times. Like when I spell something right while typing on my phone, my phone decides that I really meant a different word and changes it without my knowledge so I look like an idiot when I send the text. And then there's those occasions that I just miss maybe one letter while typing on the computer and I wish that auto correct would work, but alas I just get the infamous red squiggly underlined word. So frustrating.

TAG

Becky at bybmg
Courtney at From Here to Eternity
Erin at Hello Erin
Erinn at Strawberry Swing and other Things
Evelina at Fortunate House
Laura at Tiny Toes, Little Nose
Laureen at Chateau Deveau
Meghan at The Adventure Starts Here
Sara at Running from the Law
Tawnya at All of Life's Little Adventures

If I didn't tag you, you can still play along! Tell me... what do you love and what do you hate?

Toddler Meals with RePlay Recycled + a Giveaway!

I don't know about you and your kids, but sometimes getting Mason to eat dinner in hard. Like harder than it should be. As in, he refuses to open his mouth, looks at us with disgust like we're feeding him the most disgusting thing in the world, spits at the sight of food, hard. And then there are other days that he scarfs his food down like we haven't fed him in five minutes days. #toddlersareweird . With the child being enough of a challenge, I don't need anymore hardships during dinner time. Enter RePlay Recycled.

My love for RePlay Recycled runs deep and started way before I ever contacted them to see if we could partner and host a giveaway for their fabulous products on my blog. In fact, Kary is the one that first introduced me and I soon fell head over heels. You see, about a year ago, I began the hunt for some better toddler meal plates. I found some that had dividers that were cute, but not functional. I just didn't like them. Then one day I was reading her blog (or scrolling through her Instagram?) and I saw the picture that all started it - her son, Reed, eating off these plates. The dividers were tall and the sections were deep and I knew I needed to find those plates.

Now, I know this probably sounds crazy to most, but I'm sure a few of you are at home right now shaking your head in agreement.

I asked her where she got them and she said Walmart and I was off to find my own. I went to my local Walmart to look and I thought I found what she was talking about, bought them, and quickly found out, I had bought the wrong thing. I looked on RePlay's website and Amazon and thought it was too much to spend on plates and put the thought aside. And then... one day I was at our local grocery store, Ralph's, and spotted them on the shelf. I knew I needed them. And at $6.99 for 3 plates, it seemed like too good of a deal to pass up. I bought them, I washed them, and Mason used them, and they were perfect! The sections are just big enough to give a good portion of food and I use them to give me a reminder of the food groups I need to give him - fruits, veggies, and protein. I bought my first 3 pack at Ralph's and then went back the next week to buy another 3 pack. We LOVE these plates! And, if you follow me on Instagram (@lizbir) , you've probably seen me post about them a couple of times already.

The utensils are great as well! I love that I can mix and match the colors to the plates and make Mason's meals look colorful and fun. I'm not sure that he notices yet, but I enjoy it :) But, I'll be honest, and this is just completely a personal preference thing, we definitely love the spoons more than the forks. And I'll tell you why. My kid chews on everything! Half the time, when he's not interested in eating his dinner, or thinks he's done, he'll start chewing on the fork and bending the tines - just for fun! So far, none of them have broken or bent off, but I just prefer to give him a metal fork most of the time to prevent that from happening. That said though, the couple times he has used the fork properly, it picks up food well and is easy for him to use. And the spoon... is wonderful! It's my favorite spoon by far. Mason is currently obsessed with yogurt and the spoon is deep and holds a ton, which sometimes makes for a messy meal, but we love it! Yogurt, apple sauce, rice, cheerios... you name it, we've eaten it off the spoon. They're fantastic and the only spoon we ever use!



Remember earlier when I said I thought Replay's website was too expensive? Well I'd pay that price in a heartbeat for more plates! In fact, I'm pretty sure I'm going to be ordering some bowls soon and probably even more cups too. Mason just loves feeling like one of the big kids without a spout on his cup and I know soon enough, the day is coming, that he'll be a pro at the lid-less cups and he'll be asking for them all the time. And what's even more exciting is that I heard that they are coming out with flat plates too! I can't wait for that to happen and will be all over that when they come out. Although I love the divided plates, sometimes we feed Mason things that would do better on a flat plate so I'd love at least a couple of those too. What can I say? I like variety :)

In addition to just being awesome plates, RePlay Recycled strives to be sustainable, safe, durable, functional, and affordable. Did you know that all of their products are made from recycled milk jugs?! It's that awesome? Who knew you could make such awesome products from old milk jugs?! The previously used milk jugs are obviously cleaned and meet all FDA standards and are completely safe to eat off of. They are also super durable! I swear Mason has thrown/dropped his plates on the ground multiple times and they've never cracked. We wash them in the dishwasher after each use and they still look perfect!

I was lucky enough to receive a set of some of RePlay's new colored dishes - half of their new crayon box collection! The colors are so vibrant in person and of course we've had the green and blue on repeat for the past few weeks!

And because I love RePlay Recycled so much, I've teamed up with them to give one lucky person a set of dishes! Giveaway runs from August 11, 2015 at 12:00am to August 18, 2015 a 12:00am. Winner will be contacted by me. Open to US residents only. Good luck!

Disclaimer : I received 3 sets of dishes for free from RePlay Recycled in exchange for this review. However, all thoughts and opinions are my own and my love for RePlay's products started long before I received these for free!

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[Summer Wish List] Check in #1

Happy Friday! Before I get started here... I just have to ask. Is anyone watching Bachelor in Paradise? Because holy moly, what a TRAIN. WRECK. and I can't stop watching! I didn't know it was going to be on TWO nights a week for hopefully only one hour each (but possibly two). I don't know if I can handle it and I don't know if I can stop watching. I'll tell you one thing though. As mean as it sounds, it sure does make me feel better about my life :) Oh, and if you aren't already, check out Pinterest Told Me To's recap from this week. She recaps the Bachelor/ette and she is HILARIOUS!

Anyway, back to the topic at hand : our summer wish list!

Last weekend we had a BUNCH of fun and were able to check a lot of things off our summer wish list. In fact, we've actually checked a lot off so far this summer and I realized I hadn't officially shared yet, so I wanted to do a little update.

This past weekend we...

- had a family ice cream (sandwich) date at Stax Cookie Bar

red velvet cookie with white chocolate chips

chocolate ice cream

half chocolate chip/half chocolate chocolate with white chocolate chips

HEAVEN.

(this was taken moments before that big scoop of ice cream fell on the floor :( but sweet Mason didn't care! He moved on and started eating his cone and was as happy as can be. My little carb lover!)

- went to the OC Fair (our local county fair)...

... and had the BEST time! Believe it or not, I used to hate the fair. Like I literally told Seth to remind me that I hate it when it comes back around and tell me not to go. Then we had Mason... and I convinced him that I was wrong and we should go (this was last year) and we had the best time. I couldn't wait to take Mason again this year! Last year he fell asleep before we got to really do anything, so this year I was so excited to take him on rides and show him the fair. Well he had another idea... he was so NOT into the rides (despite my valiant efforts) and was much more interested in seeing and petting the animals, eating everything he could (turkey leg, corn on the cob, and fries dipped in ranch), and playing the games. All of these were just fine with me and we all had the best day.

I also convinced Seth that we should take a photo booth picture... but clearly someone doesn't understand the concept of the photo booth yet. Maybe next year :)

But we've also...

- celebrated Mason's 3rd birthday (here)

- gone to Disneyland (here)

- gone to an outdoor concert (July date :: here)

- done many Lowe's Build and Grows (here // here)

- gone to a movie theater (here)

- saw fireworks (sparklers) and celebrated the 4th of July (here)

- went swimming (here)

- made our own popsicles (here)


Clearly I should have checked in much sooner as we are definitely more than halfway done with our wish list (which I totally didn't even realize until I started checking things off and listing the things we've done)! While summer officially doesn't end until the end of September, I kinda of feel like summer ends when the kids go back to school, so I'm hoping we can squeeze a couple more fun activities in in the next couple weeks!

The Guys Behind the Blog // July Edition.

I don't know how it happened but July got away from me and I didn't have a chance to post this last week. I didn't want to skip it altogether, so I figured later was better than never :)

A couple months ago, I found out through Crystal that Betsy from Heavens to Betsy has this super cool series called The Guys Behind the Blog. Unfortunately it was a little too late to join for March but I joined in April and have been ever since! While I do talk about Seth often, I don't really know if you all know him very well. Enter : this series. Every month Betsy has different prompts that the guys behind the blog answer.

Here are July's questions.

1 // What is your all time favorite food?

Me : Beer.

Seth : Haha! That's a good one.

Seth : No, but seriously, hands down, Chinese food.

2 // Who is the cook between you and your significant other?

HANDS DOWN, ME. Without a doubt, me. There is no competition.

(He's so right! I actually laughed out loud when I read the question to him because I knew the answer already!)

3 // What is the weirdest thing you have ever eaten?

I consider myself an adventurous eater and I like to try new things, but this is weird even for me - tripe. And I really liked it! I like it in menudo and in pho.

4 // Are there any foods that you absolutely detest?

Raspberries.

5 // What is your favorite local, little-known, or hole in the wall place to eat?

Panda Bowl in Fountain Valley (it's cheap and you get a lot of food!)

And there you have it!

Thanks for playing along again, Seth!

Back to School + a Link Up!

It's that time of year again! Back to school.

Even though Mason technically started preschool last September, there's just something about heading into a new "school year season" that makes me reminisce about my days in school. This is a occasion that will be celebrated, photographed and blogged about like no other because my baby is one year older and is entering into his second year of school. My sweet boy took the cutest school pictures last year and I've already got his outfit all planned out for the ones this year. I didn't plan on buying any last year, but they turned out so, so cute, that I had to and I'm sure this year's will be no different.

And because I'm not the only Mama who loves documenting such moments, Stephanie, Meghan and I have created a fun linkup, allowing Mamas to share all their back to school posts.

Details on the linkup

Starting today, we are looking for posts that include first day of school photos, interviews and play by play recaps of the special day. Looking for photography ideas? Visit this Pinterest board that has 50 unique ideas! You better believe I plan on taking a thousand million pictures of Mason's first day and I'm not above bribery to hopefully take a few pictures of him with a cute sign. (cross your fingers!) Since he doesn't talk yet, I'm also thinking of filling out a fun little survey for him that he can look back on in the years to come.

{Click here for original pin and printable}

Who Should Participate

Moms to little ones starting school, MOPS or Mothers' Day out. We would love to celebrate this exciting time with you by you sharing your posts and pictures with us! Are you a teacher with insight to how the first day of school really goes? Or have tips for parents? Share those posts and photos too! 

Important Dates & Details

You have from today until September 18th to link up any all back to school posts. If your children start school after the 18th and you want to participate, let me know and I can move the closing date back so you can join in too. If you aren't a blogger and want to join in, use #2015B2S (B2S = back to school) when you share photos on Facebook and Instagram so we can check them out. Additionally, use that same hashtag to share any photos of your family preparing for the new school year along with any posts you may have including the topic "back to school". Grab our button and add it to your side bar, social media sites and posts to spread the school spirit this fall! 

[Recipe Share] Fresh Peach Pie

I received this product as part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Weave Made Media® and Farm Fresh To You, but all my opinions are my own. #weavemade  #farmfreshtotable http://my-disclosur.es/OBsstV

You guys, I have to admit something. I think I have a problem and I think I might need to be in BA -- bake-aholics anonymous. Insert a pie emoji, cookie emoji, cake emoji, bread emoji, and then the monkey covering his eyes emoji.

But in all seriousness though, I love baking. LOVE. As I've mentioned before, I don't cook. I can't cook. I over cook everything I try to cook because I am afraid of it being under cooked and therefore it tastes terribly dry and awful. This I know about myself. But baking... baking is my jam. I'd bake something everyday if I wasn't worried about gaining 300 pounds. So, I limit myself to once every other week or so, depending upon what items I have on hand.

And I love summertime. The summer is when all the gorgeous fruits are in season and they are the freshest and the tastiest -- strawberries, cherries, peaches, plums, watermelon -- I love summer fruits! They make a great snack and are so refreshing on these hot summer days. I especially love going to our local farmer's market and seeing what they have. Unfortunately for me though, I don't always have time to get to the farmer's market every week, which is where this awesome service called Farm Fresh To You comes in. They do the leg work for you (collecting of all those delicious fruits and vegetables) and deliver it to your doorstep. Yep, you heard me right. From the farm to your doorstep! Heaven for a busy, working mom like myself! And one of the other awesome parts? They have tons of different options like fruit only boxes, veggie only boxes, no cook mixed boxes, small boxes, large boxes, and they are all totally customizable! There is surely an option to fit every family size and every lifestyle.

I recently had the opportunity to try out this service and let me tell you, when I saw that box of goodies on my doorstep in the morning, I couldn't have been more excited to dig in and see what was inside. The delivery happened to be on the Tuesday after Mason's birthday weekend, which was PERFECT timing for me since I didn't have time to go to the grocery store that weekend (since we were having too much fun!). The big box of fruits and vegetables helped me easily complete my meals with proteins that we already had on hand -- BBQ chicken with grilled corn and watermelon, "naked" burgers wrapped in butter lettuce with heirloom tomatoes, mini bell peppers, artichokes and french fries and more. The box even came with a paper with recommended recipes, one of which was a pluot/wine cocktail recipe, which of course I had to try (and loved!).

We were able to get so much use out of our box and the best part was that Mason loved everything too! We used most of the fruits and vegetables to add to our pre-determined meals for the week as I like to have a vegetable at least with every dinner.

And, as I mentioned above, I love to bake so I was pretty stoked when I saw all these gorgeous, fresh, organic peaches in my box. I'd been wanting to try my hand at making a pie on my own (semi from scratch) and I knew the peaches would be the perfect star for the pie.

I looked up some recipe options and finally settled on one from All Recipes : Peach Pie the Old Fashioned Two Crust Way and it did not disappoint!

Ingredients :

- 1 (15 oz) packaged pastry for a 9 inch double crust pie

- 1 egg, beaten

- 5 cups sliced, fresh, peeled peaches

- 2 tablespoons lemon juice

- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour

- 1 cup white sugar

- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

- 1/4 teaspoon salt

- 2 tablespoons butter

Directions :

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

2. Line the bottom and sides of a 9 inch pie plate with one of the pie crusts. Brush with some of the beaten egg to keep the dough from becoming soggy later.

3. Place the sliced peaches in a large bowl, and sprinkle with lemon juice. Mix gently. In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Pour over the peaches and mix gently. Pour into pie crust and dot with butter. Cover with the other pie crust and fold the edges under. Flute the edges to seal or press the edges with the tines of a fork dipped in egg. Brush the remaining egg over the top crust. Cut several slits in the top crust to vent steam.

4. Bake for 10 minutes in the preheated oven, the reduce the heat to 350 degrees F and bake for an additional 30-35 minutes, until the crust is brown and the juice begins to bubble through the vents. If the edges brown too fast, cover them with strips of aluminum foil about halfway through baking. Cool before serving. This tastes better warm than hot.

In my opinion, it's best served slightly warm with ice cream on the side and is perfect if you're in charge of dessert for a summer BBQ get together! The freshness of the peaches, the buttery-ness of the crust, and the cool, refreshing ice cream make it super summery and wonderful. In fact, I would recommend making it when you're going to a gathering because we made the mistake of making it on a weekend when we didn't have any plans, and we might have finished the whole pie in four nights flat. Oops!

Overall, our Farm Fresh to You box was a huge hit with the whole family and a service I'd love to take advantage of more in the future. I absolutely love the customization and the convenience of the service, it is perfect for us busy moms!

If this sounds like something that you can benefit from too, then you save $15 off their first box with the promo code WEAVE15. Click here to see if they deliver to your area!