[Featured On] Jessica from The Newly

Jessica and her sweet family are on a much deserved first vacation as a family of four and I'm over at her blog, The Newly, sharing some of Mason's favorite iPad apps! Head on over to see which ones he's currently loving.

Spoiler alert : this LEGO Duplo Trains one is one of his FAVORITES!

Happy Wednesday! 

[Recipe] Pineapple Margaritas

You guys. These are so delicious! And I don't even like tequila. Honestly. I don't usually order margaritas, especially on the rocks, because I can't stand the taste of tequila. But these baby's... these pineapple margaritas are my jam.

First things first, I have to give credit where credit is due. I first got the idea of these pineapple margaritas from Colleen (of Meet the Sullivans). She first posted this recipe for all natural home made clementine and lime margaritas that I thought sounded so delicious. I made them and they were just as delicious and refreshing as Colleen described. Then, one day I had a craving for pineapple margaritas. I searched Pinterest up and down for something that I thought sounded good and couldn't find anything, and then I thought "why don't I try Colleen's recipe and substitute pineapple juice for clementine juice" and what do you know... it was delicious!

Ingredients :

- 1/4 cup fresh squeezed lime juice

- 1/4 cup pineapple juice

- 1/2 cup cold water

- 1 shot tequila (or more if you like)

- 1 shot agave nectar

- ice

- extra limes or pineapple slices (for garnish)

Instructions :

1. Squeeze the lime juice into a cocktail shaker.

2. Add the pineapple juice, water, tequila, and agave nectar.

3. Add a couple ice cubes and shake.

4. Pour the contents into a glass and add more ice. Garnish with slices of lime or pineapple, if desired.

Really, it's that easy! Personally, I didn't have a shaker, so I just juiced the limes, and then poured everything into a glass, added ice, and stirred with my straw and it turned out perfectly.

Colleen, thank you for posting your clementine and lime margarita recipe and for the inspiration! Without your recipe, I would have never been able to have the most delicious pineapple margaritas!

Happy drinking!

Weekending.

I'd been so used to lazy weekends and then last weekend Seth and I worked all weekend, that I forgot what it's like to be busy and have plans! Ha!

I felt like this weekend was the first real weekend "kick off" to summer and we spent it the best way we know how... go go go!

The weekend started on Friday night. I know technically the weekend is Saturday and Sunday, but really the minute that I'm off work on Friday, I consider it the weekend. Seth and Mason were off since Mason's school was closed for a teacher prep day and I hadn't really had lunch, so I suggested that we have an early dinner and go out for frozen yogurt. No objections from the boys, so we did just that. I mean, Mason looks pretty unhappy about having to eat ice cream for dessert, right?



What's funny about Mason is that he is not a big dessert lover. I made cookies a couple weeks ago and tried to give him some and he wanted nothing to do with them. Cookies - no, cake - no, cupcakes - no, but ice cream... BIG yes. He ate every last drop.

Saturday was our go-go-go day. Every couple weeks, I check the Lowe's Build and Grow website to see when the next Build and Grow is, and, unfortunately for us, the past couple times have been on weekends when we already have plans (or they were full) so we haven't been in quite a while. So, when I saw that the next Build and Grow was for Marvel's Avengers Avenjet this past Saturday, I made sure to set my alarm to make sure I registered on time.

This one was a little bit harder than the ones in the past, but the extra steps and pieces ended up being so worth it in the end. Daddy had to hammer a little more than normal, but Mason had his hand right there with him the whole time. And when it was done, you should have seen the look on Mason's face. Airplanes are his new favorite thing, so he was over the moon excited to make his plane "fly high in the sky!"

After the Build and Grow, we were meeting some friends at a local city's police department open house. We arrived slightly early, checked out the new library that was right next door, and waited a couple minutes for our friends to come. My friend, Lauren, and I thought the boys would be SO excited about all the cars and trucks, but the boys were kind of shy and needed some encouraging to touch or look at anything that was there. The parents, on the other hand, thought the open house was pretty cool!

I mean, they had fire engines, police cars, police motorcycles, SWAT team vehicles, a helicopter, the CSI unit, what I thought was a tank but Seth said it wasn't, even some guns, and SO much more! It was so awesome to see it all. They were even giving a tour of the police station, but they didn't allow purses and I didn't feel comfortable leaving my purse outside (even though they had police officers watching the front area where you could leave your stuff), so we decided that we would leave purses at home next time and do the tour then. Plus the boys were kind of over it and getting hungry, so we walked over to where they were handing out free hot dogs, chips, cookies, and waters and Mason scarfed down a hot dog and a whole bag of chips in a few minutes flat. Kid knows how to eat.

After the police open house, we were off to a baby shower, where we spent the rest of the day.

Sunday was errand day per the usual. We had a lazy morning and then made our way Costco where we ate and shopped our way through the store. About halfway through the trip, Mason decided he didn't want to sit in the cart anymore and that he wanted to push the cart, so we let him. Seth was off getting something out of the freezer section, I was snapping pictures, and Mason was... pushing our cart into that pole you see there. #momoftheyear

Don't worry. No children, carts, or poles were harmed in the making of this picture.

After Costco, it was lunch time, nap time, and grocery store shopping time, followed by making the most delicious blueberry muffin time (recipe coming soon!), and then Sunday family dinner time.

And there you have it. Our weekend in a (large) nutshell.

Happy Monday!

Five on Friday!

Hello Friday! I couldn't be happier to see you. Since I worked all week last week and all weekend last weekend and all week this week, I feel like I am over due for a weekend break. And this weekend? I plan to live it up to it's full extent! Which has a wayyyy different meaning now that I have a child than in college. To translate, what I mean is, I hope to sleep in past 5:25am tomorrow. A mom can dream.

Without further ado... here are my five random friday loves for this week...

ONE.
Frozen Yogurt.



When I think of summer, I think of ice cream dates. And while I love a good trip to Cold Stone or Baskin Robbins, I also love me some frozen yogurt. I had a major craving after work yesterday and might have stopped for a little treat on my way home from work. The salted caramel fro yo is TO DIE FOR.


TWO.
Autism Puzzle Piece.

My friend Rachel sent me this awesome gift package of this necklace and these bracelets a couple weeks ago. I LOVED them instantly and was so excited that she sent them to me. I actually haven't been wearing necklaces a lot recently (since I prefer wearing scarves) but I wanted to have the necklace piece with me at all times. So... I made it into a keychain and it goes with me everywhere I go. I love it!


THREE.
This ecard.

(source)

I saw this pin on Instagram actually and thought it was so funny. While Mason is actually pretty good and doesn't make me want to drink (most of the time), I found this to be so funny! And oddly enough, I actually had a glass of wine last night!


FOUR.
T-shirts.

GAP // OLD NAVY // LOFT

Since my new work place is so casual, I've been on the hunt for some good t-shirts. I've been wearing jeans lately, but have pretty much been wearing all my business casual shirts with the jeans and am looking for some t-shirts. I haven't tried on the Gap ones yet, but so far I'm liking the Old Navy ones (but wish they came in more colors) and find that the Loft ones that they have in store don't real fit me well. Help! I'm looking for some casual, everyday shirts that I can wear with jeans and flip flops or flats that fit well and are kind of flowy and not too tight (I don't love form fitted shirts). Any recommendations??


FIVE.
T-shirts for toddlers.

Mickey // Cars

Speaking of t-shirts, when Old Navy was having a sale a couple weeks ago, I grabbed these shirts for Mason. To be honest, I usually shy away from graphic tees (because I'm boring) but when I saw these, I knew he had to have them. I'm glad I bought them because he loves when I show him that that is what he's wearing that day. He gets the biggest smile and pumps his arms like he's so excited. It's the cutest thing!

Happy Friday!

C U R R E N T L Y // J U N E.

I've been a little MIA lately and am having the hardest time getting caught up on life. So I thought I'd do a little 'currently' post and catch you all up on our latest happenings.

C U R R E N T L Y . . .

dress // tee

Buying // Pedicures and Clothes. I've had a LOFT gift card since my birthday (back in September!) that I've been dying to spend but every time I go to buy something (usually when they have a sale), I can't find anything I like. So yesterday when I got off work a little early, I went to try to find some new t-shirts for work and I was pleasantly surprised to find a few goodies! I also might have treated myself to a pedicure with a gift card I had. Total I spent $6.50 on the pedicure (after gift card and after tip!) and $2.92 on the clothes (after gift card). Successful shopping trip and the hubby was happy with how much I spent! Win win!

Doing // Work work work! Well last week and last weekend at least. They definitely kept me busy last week and then we had our event this past weekend and I was at work from 7:30am-5:00pm on Saturday and before sun up to about 2:30pm on Sunday. And on Sunday I walked more than 7 miles and managed to burn my part (I had my hair parted and up in a bun and forgot to put sun screen on my part line - I mean, really, who thinks of that anyway??) Needless to say, I came home, took a shower, had dinner, and went to be at 8:01pm. One minute after we put Mason to bed.

via

Dreaming about // our Disney cruise later this year! Since starting a new job, I don't really have any vacation time, so I think the cruise will be my first real vacation since April. Already counting down the days!

Drinking // Pineapple Margaritas. I tweaked Colleen's recipe for home made clementine and lime margaritas to make them pineapple and they are delish! Recipe share coming soon!

Eating // Del Real Foods. I won the giveaway on Desiree's blog for Del Real Foods a couple weeks ago and our goodies came in the mail the other day. We made carnitas sandwiches and tator tots and beans the other night and it was so. good.

Hating // Sun burns on my head.

Listening To // Taylor Swift's "Shake It Off". I used to play the Disney Jr. DJ Shuffle CD in the car for Mason. Then he seemed like he wasn't as in to it anymore so I just played the radio. After I quit my other job, I took my Taylor Swift CD back and decided to pop it in yesterday morning. I started singing to the "Shake It Off" song and Mason got all excited so I had it on repeat all the way to school. I love that he loves music!

Loving // Fish tanks in waiting rooms. We had a follow up with the ENT last week and Mason and I got there slightly before Seth did. Mason does ok in the waiting room, but usually gets bored after a few minutes. But this fish tank... this fish tank (complete with a Nemo fish!) held his attention for a lot longer than I anticipated! We might need a fish tank in our house!

Making // Better use of my planner. I recently decided to start using my planner differently. I used to put my blog posts at the top of each day in the weekly section of the planner, but I found it hard to plan. Most often I fly by the seat of my pants and post whatever I think of the day before, but sometimes there are certain link ups I want to be a part of on a certain day, or there's a link up I'm hosting or something and I'd like to see the month as a whole. Well... game changer! I decided to use the monthly section for only my blog stuff, and it totally helps! I love seeing the whole month as a whole.

Planning // For the Fall. You can never be too early, right? Starting to plan a few fun things for later this year! To be announced... in the fall!   =)

Reading // Blogs. Per the usual. But specifically, this 10 tips for planning your first Disney cruise post that I found while trying to find a picture of the cruise ship (in the picture above). Although our trip is already planned through a travel agent and she has given us a lot of tips, I found this post to be super helpful too!

Wanting // Frozen Yogurt. For dessert everyday. They have this chocolate milkshake flavor that is amazing! Throw some Oreo crumbles on there and I'm a happy camper.

Watching // Baseball. Baseball. And more baseball. And Master Chef. And sometimes the Bachelorette (though I'm kinda over this season. It's not as exciting or dramatic as I had hoped. And I might have googled who won. Can we fast forward to the end? Anyone else?) Oh, and the Real Housewives of Orange County. The new season started last night and I, of course, had to watch. It's total trash (and totally NOT what we are all like!) but I totally can't help it!

Wearing // Jeans and a t-shirt... to work! My new job is night and day different than my old job. I'm used to business casual and being told that I need to be at work from 8am-4:30pm. Those days are long gone. And here are the days of jeans, t-shirts, and TOMS to work everyday. Bring it on! I'm loving it!
PS disregard that car in the background of this picture!


Happy Tuesday! What have you been up to?

Five on Friday!

Happy Friday! I had meant to post this this morning and then, well you know, life. So, while we are a little late in the day, it is still Friday none the less, so let's do this! Here's my Friday Five.


ONE.
Last day of work.



Last Saturday was my official last day of work at my old job (and this Monday was my first official day at my new job), but the day before, Friday, was graduation at the school that I worked at. So, just for fun, I thought I would take a graduation picture. Although this stuff was obviously meant for the actual school graduates, in a way I felt like I was graduating and moving on as well, so I thought, hey, why not?

I texted it to Seth (and posted it on Instagram) and he game back with this response :

Classic.


TWO.
Summertime.



Speaking of new jobs... I'm LOVING the fact that I am home earlier in the evening from work! No more late nights (or very few and definitely not as frequent), which means we have more times for family walks/bike rides around the neighborhood since it stays lighter longer!


THREE.
Summer foods.



Speaking of summer, I just LOVE the fruits that come out during the summer! This has been my go to snack the past couple days and I'm loving it! Peaches, strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries! YUM.


FOUR.
This quote.



I saw this quote posted by @paperdollclothingco on Instagram the other day and just LOVED it. So, so applicable.


FIVE.
National Donut Day!



While I wish I had had a maple bacon donut from the Donut Bar, I was able to convince Seth to go out and get us some donuts this morning before I had to head to work. I had originally wanted us to split an apple fritter and a Tiger's Tail (if you haven't had one, try it! My co-worker told me about them and they are delicious!) but sadly the donut shop messed up and gave us this bear claw instead. Not quite the same, and slightly disappointed, but it was good nonetheless.

If you didn't get donuts this morning, go out and get yourself donut for dessert! It's not too late! Eat a donut now, thank me later :)



Happy weekending!

[A Year of Dates] May.

Remember when I said last week that I didn't think that we were going to have a May date and I was bummed about it? Well, turns out I was wrong! Thanks to my wonderful husband, we had a family date night (with Mason!) on Saturday night after my last day of work.

I was originally supposed to go out with some co-workers from my (now) old job to celebrate the fact that we had all gotten new jobs but things fell through and we moved it to this week. So, all of a sudden, I was free Saturday night, so we decided, why not have family date night?

So we did. And it was awesome!

We opted to go to dinner at the Lazy Dog Cafe since we hadn't been in a while.

...although you wouldn't know that we had fun by this picture.

Someone was NOT happy that we had to wait 25 minutes for a table.

So Mason and Daddy walked back and forth and balanced and walked on the "balance beam" while we waited.

We got seated and lucky for me, I chose the correct side of the table to sit on. The Ducks game was on and Seth's side of the table faced the TVs in the bar area. He was a happy camper =P 

As was Mason who cheered the Ducks on when they would score a goal!

When the server came by, I knew exactly what I wanted to order to drink - the sangria sampler. I can never remember which one I like the best (the pomegranate red!) so I love to get this little sampler. My favorite part is that the sangrias come in these cute little Mason jars!

Seth opted for the beer sampler this time since he hadn't tried most of them before. He was pleasantly surprised that he liked all of their beers.

We ordered some sweet potato tator tots and a hummus trio platter for appetizers. We LOVE both of these! I highly recommend them! (They are Lazy Dog favorites!)

Parent tested. Kid approved.

Mason got mac and cheese and fruit for dinner (and ate almost the whole thing of both!) and Seth and I shared this AMAZING mediterranean flat bread pizza. This is totally something I wouldn't normally order but we tried it a couple times back and I am hooked. I think it's the balsamic drizzle that gives it that extra flavor that is so, so good!

My cute dates for the night :)

Even though it's not what I had planned and it was total spur of the moment, we had the best time - the three of us - all together. Mason was SO good sitting there in the booth and ate SO much for dinner and Seth's and my food and drinks were just as delicious. If you have a Lazy Dog Cafe around you, I highly recommend it! And I highly recommend the sangria sampler as well :)

This has me looking forward to our June date! Hopefully it happens before the last day of the month!

(we didn't end up doing what I had planned, but I am glad that we got to do something. I'm hoping to postpone this date to another month because I still really want to go here!)

You can find our April date here

You can find our March date here

You can find our February date here

You can find our January date here

Introduction to "A Year of Dates" here