Friday Favorites

Happy Friday, friends! It's been a while, and I am back, linking up with some fabulous ladies, Andrea, Narci and Erika to share my Friday Favorites!

I cannot believe that summer is pretty much here!! The kids that I tutor are done this week and the water parks open next week, so I am saying that it is officially summer starting now! Hopefully some of my favorites from this week will get you as excited for summer as I am! 

one

I am loving this new tv show...well, new to me! I have seen commercials for hit here and there, but never thought to watch it until now. You see, the tv at our house does not get turned on until after Henley's bed time unless it is playing Disney Jr., but some days I am doing lots of laundry or work at my desk and just need a little noise in the background. This is when I "watch" tv. I prefer shows that I don't really have to pay super close attention to and this one is fabulous! The episodes are only 30 minutes, so I am already starting season 2, but season 4 starts in June, so I still have lots of episodes to look forward to! If you need a fun, new show to watch, I highly recommend this one! I love the characters and the plot line is really good. Plus, who doesn't love watching Lizzy McGuire all grown up?!

two

I am OBSESSED with OPI's Strawberry Margarita nail polish for summer! For Mother's Day, Ben told me to go get myself a mani/pedi while Henley was napping, and I jumped at the chance. This favorite is a little bit of a two-in-one, because I got my first gel manicure too! OMG, I'm in love! I don't get manicures, like ever, and when I do, I am always disappointed that I need another one about 4 days later. This time, I went for the gel, and here we are, almost two weeks later and although I am not showing you a picture of my nails because they are slightly grown out and could currently use some moisturizer, my mani is going strong! I still doubt that I will be getting manis on a regular basis, but when I do, they will be gel, and I will also be ordering some Strawberry Margarita off amazon for my at-home mani/pedis. It is the perfect color for the summer, and until August, it is the closest I'm getting to any real strawberry margarita! 

three

Old Navy activewear shorts are my absolute favorite right now!! I recently bought three new pair, including the pattern above and am in love. They are not maternity, but I just purchased a size small and they work perfectly. The patterns they have are so darn cute, they fit perfectly and they are so affordable...win, win, win! We are going to Colorado in June, and I have a feeling a few more of these will end up on my door step before then. I am constantly washing them so I can wear them again! 

four

I am loving me some Nancy Thayer right now! I just read two of her books, and when I finished, I went back to the library and checked out two more. They are the perfect summer reading material! 

 five

Swim Lessons!! We are loving swim lessons at Miss (she's really Mrs.) Amy's! The first day was a little rough, but Henley is absolutely loving it right now! After her lesson yesterday, she did not want to leave and as we were getting in the car she was saying "mommy, I so happy in the pool!" I love it!! She told me that she blew bubbles, kicked her feet and even went under the water yesterday. Since she had so much fun, Ben and I took her to his parent's house to splash around for a while in their pool afterwards. We ended up heating the hot tub a little so we could all be a little more comfortable and had a blast! Henley wouldn't go under for us, but later last night, Amy posted the below picture on Facebook for proof!! 

How cute is this?!?! I am so glad she is loving the pool! One of the first things she told me when she woke up this morning was, "Mommy, I go to Miss Amy's pool today and be happy!" After today we have one more week of lessons, and I can't wait to see how much she loves the pool by then! 

For those who would like to know, we are going to Amy's Aquatics. You can look up the website and she also has a Facebook page. I am not getting paid to write this blog, so all opinions are my own, and my opinion of Miss Amy is that we love her! 

Teacher Appreciation

Last week Henley's little Mother's Day Out program celebrated Teacher Appreciation Week. I'm a bit confused because I have heard that some schools celebrated the week before and some schools are celebrating this week, and then there was a National Day, so who knows when the technical week was. All I know is that I got an email about bringing food to the teacher's kitchen and was immediately on it! 

After being a teacher, I feel like you tend to appreciate your children's teachers even more. Now, I was a middle school teacher, so I can't say that I got much in the way of gifts from kids (they each have 7 teachers, I totally get it), but the PTA and our administration always took great care of us. It is amazing what a little gift or special surprise can do for your day as a teacher! 

On Monday, I baked some banana nut muffins for the kitchen, but on Friday, I felt compelled to do a little bit more. After I dropped Henley off, I went to the store in search of something special for her two teachers. Now, keep in mind, I did something a little bit bigger because I knew that I would be scattered on the last day of school, also Henley's first day of swim lessons, so I went ahead and did a Teacher Appreciation/End of the Year gift all together. Her teachers were so excited! 

I originally had a few little things in my cart for a spa-like bag, then I came across these adorable beach bags and it all came together. These were only $9 each, and I thought they were perfect for getting her teachers excited about some summer pool days! 

Once I found the bag, the things inside it started falling into place. 

I filled it with a few summer essentials and things that might help her teachers relax. You can't beat $3 flip flops! I am thinking I may need to go back and get a pair of these for myself! The bag included: 

- flip flops 

- lavender bath bombs (my favorite)

- summer nail polish 

- a $5 gift card to Sonic 

- facial masks 

I bought the Sally Hansen Insta-Dry brand of nail polish and the colors were "Sonic Bloom" and "Pink Blink." Again, I might be going back for more soon! They both seemed perfect for the pool or beach! I also happened to have some cellophane at home, so I wrapped them up together and tied them up with a ribbon so they wouldn't be floating around in the big bag. 

When I got home from the store, I sat down to write a little card for the bags. Now, I did go on Pinterest and I found TONS of cute ideas for teacher gifts and most of them had cards to go with them, but I ended up going with my own idea, so I thought it would be fun to make a card myself! 

I love making things like this! I hole punched the corner and used a ribbon to tie these onto the straps of each bag. I also personalized it by writing a note to each teacher on the back. You have no idea how much a simple note can mean to a teacher. 

These are the fun little masks I bought, and I LOVE them! I bought a few for myself (a post on that later), and they are so easy. I put one on the other night and loved the way it made my skin feel! 

I was so happy with how the bags turned out, and even more happy with the reaction I got from Henley's teachers! 

This post is not to pat myself on the back, but to hopefully encourage you to do something for your kid's teachers too. I understand that the end of the year can be totally overwhelming and that finances might be tight, but you have no idea how much it means to teachers to receive even the littlest of gifts. Don't underestimate the power of a $5 gift card! You have no idea how it will brighten a teacher's day to know that they can stop by Starbucks or Sonic for a free drink! Also, if you can't buy anything, a nice note goes a LONG way too. Most teachers keep those notes forever!

Happy almost summer!! 

Show & Tell Tuesday: Memory Lane

Today is Show & Tell Tuesday, so I'm linking up with Andrea to share "a trip down memory lane!" 

Really, I'm just sharing some of my favorite things from childhood, and I cannot wait to read what everyone else chooses! Hold onto your hats, because I'm pretty much just going to throw everything out there that I could think of that reminds me of my childhood! 

My sisters and I watched all of the Friends episodes when it was actually on tv, and I can remember us being so devastated on the last episode. We couldn't wait until the dvd of just the last episode came out so we could go get it!

We played Super Nintendo sometimes like it was our job! Donkey Kong, Mario Kart, Mario Brothers, and a random Lion King game were our favorites! 

We obviously had caboodles, and at some point, all of our trolls ended up in there after we were done using them. 

Gosh, I was telling the kids I tutor about Dunkaroos just the other day! How amazing were these snacks?!?!

Game Boys were legit! I loved Super MarioWorld and I also loved a game called Paper Boy. We carried these around everywhere in their awesome cases! 

I used to dress up ALL THE TIME as Sandy at the end of the movie, complete with a cut off straw as my cigarette, and reenact the last scene. There is no telling how many times I watched this movie! Looking back and seeing it again as an adult, it is totally inappropriate, but apparently that all went way over my head. 

Another mildly inappropriate thing that went completely over my head...The Eagles! This album was on repeat in my dad's car on the way to school for so many years. My sisters and I knew every word to every lyric. Hence, why my child's name is Henley...aka Don Henley! 

Barbies were a big deal for a while in our house. I mean, how do you have four girls and not have TONS of barbies?! Christmas morning was like Barbie Dreamland. My mom would usually allow us a week or so of completely overrunning our game room with barbie world and then she'd make us clean it up. We had bags and bags of barbies and all the accessories everywhere! 

Who didn't love Saved By the Bell?! I mean, it is a childhood staple! Not to mention...tv was just so much better back in the day. Just to name a few that I grew up watching: Family Matters, Step by Step, The Torkelsons, Boy Meets World, Full House, Hey Dude, Salute Your Shorts, etc. The list could go on forever! 

You know how every child has a movie they watch over and over and over again? For instance, the Frozen or Trolls craze that is currently going on. Well, my movie was Steele Magnolias. Yes, I was an interesting little child! I would come home everyday and tell my mom "I wanna watch Weeza!" 

Not just me, my entire family has always been OBSESSED with Celine Dion!! My parents took all of us to my first concert and it was Celine Dion. My dad did the whole How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days thing before it even existed. He told us all we were going to a MAVS game one night and when we showed up...it was Celine Dion! This was right after the movie Up Close & Personal, so the song "Because You Loved Me" was HUGE at the time! She was and still is amazing! 

Anyone heard of these?! Well, they're still on the market! My oldest sister would get one of these (usually the red) and hide it in her bathroom at our house growing up. One of my other sisters and I would BEG her to give us a taste and every now and then when she wasn't home we would be able to sneak some! 

Good 'ole SCC!! This was another, more appropriate, cd on repeat in my dad's car on the way to school every morning. We could sing our hearts out to some Stephen Curtis Chapman! 

I'm pretty sure that if you have ever watched this movie with me that you probably just want me to shut up! I (and my family) know every single line to this movie! The Sandlot, Steele Magnolias and Field of Dreams are the movies we watched every single time we went on vacation in the car. If you have every hung out with my family, we have probably quoted one of those movies while you have been with us! 

In order to get this pictures, I had to google "Trolls, old school." I loved me some trolls! I loved doing their hair, and my sisters and I loved playing with them! 

And last but not least, because I'm pretty sure I could go on forever if I let myself, Oregon Trail. Of course it was on the ginormous, old computer and it took forever to load and all that with the dial up, but this game was awesome! I was telling another kid about this the other day, and I may just be googling it soon to see if I can find an app to play again! 

Please please please comment with your favorite things from childhood! I love walking down memory lane! 

Bump Date: 28 Weeks

In this picture, I am technically 27 weeks and 4 days. I swear, objects appear larger in real life than they appear in this picture though. We went over to a friend's house on this particular night for dinner and I was feeling HUGE. I asked Ben all sorts of questions on the way home about how I looked and he refused to put up with my antics. Thankfully, the next day, I felt back to normal, but some days I definitely feel large and in charge. Other days, I feel like I just have a bowling ball in my belly. For the most part though, I still LOVE being pregnant and feel great, so I will take that as a huge win! 

HOW FAR ALONG: As of today, I am 28 weeks and 2 days. For some reason, 28 weeks seems so far along to me! Saying 28 weeks makes me feel like we are really close to nearing the end of this pregnancy. I'm sure I won't be saying that come June when it is blazing hot and I am beyond ready to meet George, but right now, it feels like we are so close! 

According to my apps (I use The Bump and Sprout, and love them.) George is about 14 inches long and weighs about 2 pounds. He is about the size of an eggplant. Gosh, that seems large! One night last week when Ben was out of town, I happened to be looking at all sorts of baby things on my computer and my email from The Bump popped up with the fact that we had 90 days left, and I all of a sudden needed to get all the things done! When you put it in days instead of weeks, that doesn't seem like long at all! 

FEELING: I am still feeling great! I have yet to get sick during pregnancy which I consider a big win considering my family's history. I have felt super normal for the most part and have even had to remind myself I'm pregnant every now and then. The third trimester tiredness has definitely kicked in though. I have definitely felt just a little bit slower these past couple of weeks, and the need for some rest has been much more present. I could possibly attribute that to an incredibly busy schedule as well, so maybe when things start slowing down (I don't think they will, but we can cross our fingers), I will get some energy back. We'll see! 

Braxton Hicks have for sure been a thing in the past few weeks or so. I don't remember ever having them with Henley. In fact, I remember being worried that when I went into labor with her that I wouldn't know what a contraction felt like, and I really didn't until they got much bigger. This time around, I definitely know what they feel like. Along with getting kicked like crazy, I am also experiencing some major Braxton Hicks on an almost daily basis. They are for real! 

WEIGHT GAIN: As of my last appointment, I believe I've gained about 18 pounds. I go back to the doctor next week, and then start seeing her every 2 weeks (so crazy), so I'll have a better idea of my weight gain then. The truth is, I really haven't paid much attention to my weight this pregnancy. I don't really remember what my starting weight was, so I am kind of guesstimating. I didn't make it a big deal for Henley's pregnancy and felt like I had a really healthy attitude towards weight gain and weight loss, so I am trying to do the same. There are definitely days when the whole getting bigger thing gets the best of me, but for the most part, it doesn't phase me...hallelujah! 

CRAVING: I really haven't craved anything since the first trimester. In fact, this past week, allergies have hit me like whoa and I really haven't even had much of an appetite. Of course, chips and salsa always sound good to this Texas girl, but I don't necessarily crave it. 

I am loving cheese, pretzels, yogurt and just little snacks here and there for lunch. I've never been a huge lunch fan, and am enjoying just having little meals throughout the day right now. I have been drinking protein shakes as well that satisfy me. I feel like I entered the "get full really fast phase" pretty early, so I try not to eat big meals right now. I seem to just need little bits here and there throughout the whole day. 

WORKING ON: We are working on what I call the "new baby shuffle" all over the house. I am trying to organize every nook and cranny as well as get Henley's big girl room done so we can then start on the nursery. Over the past couple weeks, we have really been working hard on Henley's big girl room. Ben and I finished putting together her big girl bed (big reveal coming soon) over the weekend, and I am still working on redoing the dresser in her room. Once the blinds or shutters are on the windows, we will move her in and then get to work on the nursery. I am so excited to see both rooms come together! 

BIG SISTER: 

Big sister is doing great and still so so excited about becoming a big sister! She LOVES to read her "big sister books" and talk about her little brother. Henley is even putting her hand on my belly every now and then to feel George kick. It is just the sweetest thing!! 

I am finding myself soaking up this time with her and trying to make lots and lots of memories. I cannot wait for the weather to continue warming up and for summer to get here! We had so much fun swimming and going to water parks last summer, and "being a fishy" is all Henley can talk about right now. We start swim lessons at the end of the month, and then I anticipate lots and lots of pool time for the two of us! 

WORKOUTS: My workout routine is still going really well! I am so happy to be doing my usual workouts with just a few modifications here and there. I came home on Monday though and told Ben that I definitely felt different at the gym. I felt heavier and like I wouldn't be able to keep up the intensity of some of my workouts for much longer. Don't get me wrong, I will keep going to the gym, but I have a feeling I will be modifying more and more from here on out. A couple weeks ago, my boot camp class did sprints at one point and, of course, I thought there was no reason why I couldn't do them...BIG MISTAKE! I legit felt like George might fall out for the rest of the day! 

For the most part, my workouts still look like this: 

Monday - boot camp

Tuesday - spin

Wednesday - body works 

Thursday - spin or body works 

Friday - off or workout on my own (usually the elliptical for about 45 min with some weights) 

Saturday - spin or off 

Sunday - always off

Just for reference, this was me at 28 weeks with Henley!