Because guys seem to be the hardest to buy for here is my holiday gift guide.  I think one of the best things you can do this year is a family gift. Something he could use to play with the kids and also is fun for him. No lying here I pick 3 big gifts for Jay and ask which one he wants. This takes his typical response of  " I don't know" out of it. I usually present him with photos of the 3 options then have him pick. This year he picked the Bowflex Adjustable weights so that's what he is getting. Then I throw in a few other "fun" items and a stocking stuffer. But note to self I really wanted one of the "family" gifts so I messed up as a wife and should of given him one of those as an option... live and learn! Next year! 

I surprised Leo this year with a new Christmas "dino" room. To say he was thrilled was an understatement. I made most everything and I wanted to show you how easy it is to swap out a few things in your kids room to get them in the Christmas spirit. So buckle up my DIY friends and check out how to make a wreath and a diorama for your kiddos and a few other little touches that will transform their room for Christmas.

As Christmas and Black Friday approaches I thought I'd share with you a big ole list of educational toys. Leo is a toy kid, I swear he should be a toy tester. This kid will sit and play with a toy for hours. Get him a new hot wheels car at the grocery store and he will get home put together a hot wheels track, create a demolition derby, or take his car through a shaving cream "car wash" and wash it in the sink. Despite that he will play with pretty much any toy I have noticed toys that are more educational than others. What I love about educational toys is it requires me to stop doing "normal life stuff" and sit down and teach and play with the kids. It is proven many times over kids learn best through play so here are my favorite educational toys. 

Ok so I was so worried about going on a cruise. When we were  brainstorming ideas with some friends they suggested a 3 or 4 day cruise instead of our usual Vegas trip. My first instinct was to say HELL NO. The whole idea of a cruise bothered me. Let me lay out for you my top 5 reason.
1. Being stuck on a boat ummm what would we do for 3 days.
2. Being in the middle of an ocean and getting rough seas which leads to #3.
3. Being motion sick and puking the entire time.  
4. Seeing other people with motion sickness puking everywhere (I have a major fear of puke).
5. Eating from a buffet I am SOOOO not a buffet kinda gal for a lot of reasons mostly the germ aspect. 

Well....let me tell you it wasn't anything like I had imagined. I am by NO MEANS  a cruise expert but I posted some instagram stories from the cruise and got over 20 different messages about cruises and if I liked it. Who would of thought that many people would have  similar fears  as me. So let me break it down to you, what I loved and didn't love and what was my final take on cruises. 

Here we go a little fall fashion for you, this outfit screams fall and would be perfect to wear for Thanksgiving. I was a little hesitant to wear floral in the fall but this floral is fall ready. If an outfit isn't what you are here for feel free to scroll down and check out some photos of what we have been up to. October has been the busiest month for us, we have been on the go non stop. So check out those photos below including the best school photo of all time. If you care about some fashion then there is some of that for you in here as well.

Every year I love to do a little round out of my favorite products. Lately I have been asked quite a bit about my foundation which surprises everyone when I tell them most things I  use are from the drug store. So today I am sharing with you my favorite everyday wear drug store foundation and some other face  products that I use 24/7! 

So I've been on a quest to find more things to entertain both kids and I don't have the energy to set up two different activities. So here are 5 activities that I can do that both kids enjoy.  They are super simple and pretty much are mess free which is a even bigger WIN! 

This soup is BOMB! I had buckets of tomatoes. Pantlaods of tacos, boat loads of tomatoes (catch the Dragon Loves Taco's reference there)! If you don't read kids books then you won't get it but if you are in the market for a kids book we LOVE Dragons Love Tacos by Adam Rubin! Anyways, this soup is super creamy and delicious and there is no cream or anything added. The secret to making it so creamy is to use a potato. Yes a potato, way healthier than heavy cream. And it actually doesn't take that long to make the soup. I did it all in under an  1 hour while my kids napped and this includes cleaning up all the dishes. So to me that is a win. We ate it for dinner for 2 nights then the rest went into the freezer for later this fall.. 

I feel like I have fall decor up from September 15 till December 1, for this reason I break my fall decor up into 2 themes, halloween and then traditional fall decor. So mid September- Oct 31 we are all about skulls spiders and moody halloween decor, then November I swap mine out for more traditional "Thanksgiving" decor. Yes this seems like more work but I just love all the halloween stuff and can't turn down a skull if my life depended on it. A lot of Halloween decor to me looks cheap and so cheesy I opt for dark, moody, and stylish. Basically a sophisticated take on Halloween if that is such a thing (bachelor lovers remember Catherine Giudici term for her wedding "grown sexy") Well this is my version on halloween called sophicated spooky!  

Who would of thought Abercrombie would have such good stuff for a 30 year old Mom. I for some reason had ruled it out after all these years. I had bought some casual stuff a few years back but they were more sweatshirts or tank tops. But recently  I really liked the look of their jeans and decided to try them. Do you guys remember how stiff and thick their jeans were? Well I must say they have evolved and fit like a glove! Everything I ordered from there I kept and shockingly they have amazing sales. I also snagged this cute suede skirt, I have less reasons to wear this but how could I pass it up with $35! Check out what I found!