Wednesday, June 27, 2018

What's Up Wednesday (6/27/18)

It's already the end of June, which means we're halfway through 2018!  Can you believe it?  Here's a little look at what we've been up to this month...



On the last Wednesday of the month I link-up with Shay to answer these questions:



1.  What we're eating this week...
Back on track and trying to eat well!  

2.  What I'm reminiscing about...
We started the month off with a trip to the beach for a mini stay-cation for Mike's birthday.  It was so nice waking up on the beach, and I wish I could go back and do it all over again.  You can read more about our trip and how we planned for it here.  Happy Birthday to my best friend! I'm so lucky that I get to celebrate all of the birthday's with you!! xox





3.  What I'm loving...
I love trying new things with my kids! One weekend this month while Mike had to work, I took them to the bowling alley for the first time.  We all had so much fun!  I think we're going to have Vincent's birthday party there this year.  



4.  What we've been up to...
This month we went to a Super Hero, Incredibles 2, and Ghostbusters birthday party!  #allthejunebirthdays We had so much fun helping Vincent celebrate with his friends.  



We also have been spending time swimming, because its Florida in the summer, and sooo hot!

Last weekend we did a #datenight to the Luke Bryan and Sam Hunt concert and it was amazing! I had so much fun with my bestie and her hubby, it was a great night for sure!


5.  What I'm dreading...
Right now, the only thing I'm dreading is the first day of Kindergarten! Lol...i know, I have a little over one month to go.  

6.  What I'm working on...
Potty Training!! 

We've been using Pull-Ups for a few weeks now, and Arianna was doing great at going to the potty sometimes.  My mother-in-law brought Arianna princess underwear and last week she basically decided no more pull-ups, she's only wearing underwear.  I'm not exactly sure she was ready, but we're doing it, and she's doing great! Definitely a few accidents here and there, but we're so proud of our big girl!

7.  What I'm excited about...
Next month marks one year since I re-joined Weight Watchers.  I hit my lifetime goal in October, and have maintained my weight loss ever since!  Super proud of myself for sticking to my goals.  

8.  What I'm watching/reading...
Halfway through June means that I'm almost halfway through my The One Year Bible too! I am so proud of myself for keeping to this daily regimen and committing to myself and my own spiritual growth! 

I am reading Polishing the Mirror  as part of my required readings for my yoga mentorship...

Some friends and I are reading The Lying Game together, and this is a great book! It is classified as a "thriller" which I usually stay away from, but I am loving this book!

The Bachelorette has me locked in, and I'm pretty sure she's going to pick her first impression rose...

This week Big Brother will be back!!  One of my favorite guilty pleasures each and every summer...



9.  What I'm listening to...
Give me all of the SAM HUNT! After his concert, I've got all of his songs on repeat...he's so handsome!


10.  What I'm wearing...
This hat and romper were perfect for the beach with my loves!!


Also, here's that maxi I was telling you about last month.  It was perfect for the beach!


11.  What I'm doing this weekend...
Taking the kids to Animal Kingdom on Friday and spending time with family in Orlando.  

12.  What I'm looking forward to next month...
The 4th of July is one of my FAVORITE holidays! I love celebrating it with friends and family.  

13.  What else is new...
We had a tragic death in the family this month.  It was something that was not expected and totally rocked our worlds.  One of the huge lessons I learned from this experience is that life it too short.  Tell the people you love, that you love them.  Do the things you want to do.  Spend time with those who matter the most. 
Mental illness and depression are a disease.  if you or anyone you know is considering harming yourself, please contact the 24/7 National Suicide Prevention Lifeline 
1-800-273-8255 

XO

Shari

Wednesday, June 13, 2018

How We - Plan Our Summer Vacations

Happy Wednesday everyone!!  Today I'm linking up with  up with Mix and Match Mamma and A Little Bit of Everything to share "how we" plan our summer vacations! 

Here's the schedule for the rest of the year, if you want to join in too, its not too late!



You can see my January post here
You can see my February post here
You can see my March post here
You can see my April post here
You can see my May post here

We just finished our first vacation of the summer, a little beach "stay cation" in our own backyard at the beautiful Don CeSar on St. Petersburg Beach, FL.  




We are so lucky to live where other's vacation, but rarely take advantage of it.  So a little weekend at the beach was exactly what our family of four needed.  

With the kids being so small, it's really difficult to plan big trips with them.  Vincent starts Kindergarten in a little less than two months, so I'm thinking I need to plan one more trip before that huge milestone!  May honestly had me so worn out, so I'm not sure what we will do.

Here are a few tips I have for planning vacations, but I am so looking forward to today's link-up to learn more.  Summer vacations with my family are some of my favorite memories as a kid, and I hope to be able to do the same for mine.  

1.  Plan ahead
Because I had planned our beach vacation as a surprise for Mike's birthday, I reserved it a few months in advance.  I was able to find a great rate for a hotel we've never stayed at before on Expedia.  I had time to put money aside for it, and gradually over a few weeks got everything that we needed for the trip (sunscreen, swim suits, swim diapers, wine 😃 etc)

2.  Research restaurants ahead of time
I love yelp!  I feel like I am able to find great restaurant recommendations through the reviews and ratings of local restaurants on their website.  I have one child who is a picky eater and one who will eat anything, so taking into consideration what the picky eater will or will not eat, as well as something that my husband and I would both enjoy is so helpful for my family to do ahead of time, before we end up at the restaurant.  We can look at the menus and almost know exactly what we will order before we get there.  It's a great way to keep everyone happy and try new things.  

3.  Plan for unexpected 
I'm pretty sure that the next time we go anywhere, I will bring my thermometer and Motrin with me.  Arianna ended up getting sick during our trip, but not sick enough that she needed to go to a clinic.  Luckily, we were close enough to my parents house that we could take a trip there to use their thermometer and make sure her fever wasn't too high.  I was glad that I had packed a few extra outfits for each of the kids, and myself.  It's important to be ok with unexpected things happening, and not let that ruin your trip.  

There were also additional hotel fees that I was not anticipating, so I was glad that I had brought extra cash along (valet, bell hops, etc).  

Looking back at what we did last year for "summer vacation" Mike and I took an amazing anniversary trip with our cousins and we went to Ponce Inlet with the Dangs, you can see that post here, we are missing our BFFCs and the Dang family so very much!  I love the summer and spending time with family.  Can't wait to plan our next trip!


XO

Shari