A Rainbow of Hunter Boots

Here in San Diego we've actually had a pretty rainy winter season.  I think I've worn my Hunter boots more in the past few weeks than I have all of last year!  They are fantastic when trying to navigate around puddles.  Don't get me wrong, on those rainy days I'd much prefer to be indoors, but school and activities don't stop just because water is falling from the sky. So if  I have to be out and about, at least my feet will be dry!

When I got my Hunters, they were on special so the only color they had in my size was gray.  Luckily  though, I love gray!  These boots also come in a variety of so many super fun colors if you're daring like that.  I'd love to add an additional color to my boots collection, but for now, I will just admire them from afar.  :)  I've collected a rainbow of boots photos to brighten up this dreary Friday.  Enjoy!

PC: The Sweetest Thing

This photo makes me want to #buyallthethings!  Gingham umbrella, LV and big plaid scarf.  Oh, and red hunters of course!

PC: Pink Pistachio 

Orange is a bit more unexpected for footwear, but I think this color is an awesome choice, especially for fall.  

PC: The Berry

I mean seriously, is she not the cutest ever?!?!  I've decided that all little girls need yellow boots!

PC: Instagram/briarmay

Gotta love a good mommy and me twinning photo!

PC: Vancouver Mom

Probably not the most practical of outfits when it's raining, but the unexpected is what makes it cute.  Loving the chartreuse with the turquoise cause we all know my obsession with turquoise! 

PC: Be Modish

I super love this plum color boot paired with black and gray.

PC: Chronicles of Frivolity

Ooh, a girly pop of pink amongst all the black.

PC: The Daily Mail

Alessandra Ambrosio makes casual look stylish.

PC: Pinterest/unknown

And one more of the gray cause I just can't help but like it with the trench coat.

PC: Brighton The Day

Black and gray is always a hit in my book!  Love that this pic shows that you don't just need these boots for rainy days, but for adventuring as well.

Hope you're having nice weather wherever you are.  But if not, put on a pair of Hunters and your day will be instantly better!  Have a fun weekend!

xo,

Carly

Going Green with Bumkins Reusable Snack Bags

Going green is big these days and we try to do our part, no matter how small it may seem.  My three kids (especially Landon) eat a LOT of snacks when we're out and about.  I'm starting to think my name is "Mommy I'm hungry"!  I used to pack snacks like crackers and fruit in ziploc bags, and then when I decided I wanted to cut down on waste, I switched to tupperware.  But tupperware took up too much space in my diaper bags.  

Enter these Bumkins reusable bags, and problem solved!  They are washable and reusable like tupperware, but flat and light like ziplocs.  And they come in such cute prints, this Batman one was a no brainer for Landon!

We have these reusable snack bags in two different sizes.

The large bag above is 7" x 7" and

The small bag below is 7" x 3.5"

The large can fit a whole sandwich if you want and it's great for both dry snacks or fruit.  The small size is nice for snacks you prefer to give in smaller portions. I also always keep a small size in my diaper bag in case one of the kids opens a snack and doesn't finish it.  I can just put the opened snack in this bag and it won't get the rest of my larger bag messy.  

Landon is loving the cracker treats from his bag!

When we're done using the bag for the day, I just put it in the dishwasher (top rack) with the rest of the dishes, or toss it in the washing machine. After it air dries it's good to go!

He seems pretty happy!

Try these out, you'll love them!

xo,
Carly

2017 Mommy Goals

PC: The Glare Photography
It's the first Friday of the year, and just like that, the first week of 2017 is almost in the books!  It's been busy trying to get back into the swing of things with school and extracurriculars back in session.  But amongst the chaos of this week, I still wanted to try to finalize my personal "Mommy" goals for 2017.

Right around the holidays, hubby and I make a list of some goals for ourselves and our family for the upcoming year.  This year we broke up them up into categories like personal, professional, family, financial, etc.  It's nice to look back on those goals at the end of the year and see just how many of them were checked off as completed! 

Image via Pinterest

I remember that in school we were taught to make our goals SMART (specific, measurable, etc.) but I feel like some of my mom goals don't necessarily have to be written that way.  As a mom, I'm a constant work in progress. Always messing up, learning, and trying again.  There are always things I want to work on to better both myself as a mom, and my relationship with my kids.  I feel like these "goals" are just as important as the ones that are actually measurable.  For me, these mom goals serve as maybe more of a reminder of the things I'd like focus on in the upcoming year.  Here are my 3 "Mommy" goals for 2017.

Improve PATIENCE

I was not blessed with the virtue of patience.  While to the outside world I may (hopefully) appear calm with my kids, at home it's another story altogether.  I feel like I live in a very fast paced, always on the go bubble of a world.  But my kids are in another world, where there are no clocks and no urgency.  Boy, their world seem so much more enjoyable!  I'm forever telling my kids to "hurry up" and this is one of the phrases I hope to eventually phase out.  Sometimes it takes them longer to do things, but they are young and this is normal.  I am going to try to improve my patience with them and not hurry them along in every situation.

Be PRESENT  
This is an ongoing challenge for me.  There's always a ton of laundry to do, meals to prep, dishes to clean, etc.  The house is a never ending place of chores and it's quite overwhelming at times. My three kids are at ages where they can play together so that helps me out when I need to get some things done.  But it's hard to not let the chores dominate my time with my kids.  They are only young for a short time so I'd like to make good use of the time I have with them while they are little.  The OCD in me wants the house to be clean at all times.  But the mommy in me needs to take over and say play with them...the dishes can wait a few minutes.  ;)

Take time to TALK
If you're a mom you're thinking whaaaat...I talk to my kids ALL DAY.  Yes, I am aware that we moms talk to our kids all day long, and it's exhausting, and sometimes we just want silence, haha!  But how often do we sit down and actually have real conversations with our little ones?  Conversations that go a little deeper than "How was your day?"  Now that Shaylin is 5, I'm realizing that she is craving conversation.  Taking time to just talk to her and let her share what she wants to share makes her so happy.  And it's fun for me to see her personality come out during our conversations.  Finding the time to sit and talk is challenging, but I am hoping to make it a priority.  I'd love to build a solid foundation with my daughter so she will always feel comfortable talking to me.

I'm forever wanting to improve in my role as mommy, but these are my 3 goals to focus on for right now.  :)   To all you moms out there...

Keep at those goals...you're doing better than you probably give yourself credit for!
Have a great weekend and an awesome 2017!

xo,
Carly

Get Organized with The Happy Planner - MINI Size

Happy New Year friends!  I hope you all had a fabulous start to 2017.  Here in San Diego we had a cold and rainy end to 2016 and into the new year.  But we still got some fun family time in, and hung out with friends on NYE.  I think we're ready for 2017...but maybe not quite ready to start waking up early for school again.  ;)  

One of my last purchases of 2016 was a new day planner for 2017.  It's a constant goal of mine to simplify while still being efficient.  I knew that one area I could apply this was by downsizing my day planner. 

There are many amazing planner brands out there that offer beautiful, large day planners that you can decorate to your hearts desire.  Some of the popular ones include Erin Condren, The Happy Planner, Inkwell Press, and Plum Family Planner, just to name a few.  

Last year I had the full sized Happy Planner, which I loved to keep track of appointments and other important info.  But since it was so large, more times than not, I wouldn't take it with me anywhere.  Therefore whenever I was out and needed to check my schedule, I couldn't.  Often times when I got home too, I would forget what I was supposed to check on or forget something I needed to plug into the calendar.  That's not being very efficient.

Now I'm not a planner decorator, I don't have a whole tub of washi tape and stickers or anything like that.  So a full-size planner really isn't necessary for me.  But since I AM more of a write things down gal than an iPhone calendar gal, I still did need an actual day planner.  When browsing online one day, I was very happy to find out that the same planner I had last year was actually offered in a MINI size at Michaels. And they were 60% off that day!  

Since I had a happy planner before, I was familiar with the function of it and already loved it.  But since the mini planner is only 4.5" x 7", it would also now be small enough to throw in whatever bag I am using that day.  And if I ever do get the planner decorating bug, it is also still large enough to embelish.

An added bonus for me was that the mini planner fit perfectly in a Ju-Ju-Be Quick bag.  If you know me, you know that I LOVE Ju-Ju-Be quick bags (and their bags in general) and have a TON of them.  The mini planner fits in the quick, along with a medium set piece that I keep stocked at all times with pens, ear buds, stapler, etc.

Having this option of a "planner bag" makes things so easy to have everything I need to catch up on scheduling, and all in one compact bag.  There's also still plenty of room in the bag for my phone and keys for a Starbucks work and planning session.

Here's to hopefully a more "well planned life".  :)  Have a great first week of 2017!  

xo,

Carly