I’m back with my favorite post! My top 10 favorite things from the month of February!
Rhea Lana’s. Look up to see if there is a Rhea Lanas in your area! It is such an easy way to make money AND to buy kids’ clothes at a discounted price!
Rollercoaster Tycoon. Okay, y’all are going to laugh at me for this one. But im obsessed with this app. I started playing it when I took some time off social media in January. It takes me back to when I played when I was a kid. It’s so much fun and I check my theme park all throughout the day. Not even kidding.
This jungle gym. One of the best gifts that Santa has brought us!
This gymnastics bar. Speaking of Santa gifts, he brought us this gymnastic bar and it keeps both kids entertained for hours!
My recipe board on Pinterest. I have been posting a lot of new meals and the majority of them come from Pinterest! Most are so easy and husband-approved. Which is a huge win!
Fin & Harris. I obviously had to add this one in! I have so many new designs coming so make sure to follow on Instagram!
Alyssa’s reading list. I did not read as many books this month as I had planned. I started with Gone Girl and it took entirely too long to read 2/5. The Women in the Window 3/5, November 9 5/5, The Choice, 1/5, Midnight in Delta County 5/5, The Girl Who Was Taken 5/5, The Couple Next Door 4/5, It Starts With Us 4/5.
Stitch Fix. Shameless plug. I actually do not get compensated for this but you can use this link to get $25 off your first Fix! It is such a great way to update your wardrobe as we head into the spring season!
Favorite sneakers. These are pricey but 100% worth the investment. I wear no other shoes as much as I wear these shoes. I wear them with many different types of outfits, on different occasions, and in all four seasons. I wore them our whole Disney trip and they were so comfy!
I hope y’all had a fun month of February! I cannot believe it is almost March!
Yes, you read that right. I am doing no spend ’24. Yes, there are exceptions. I buy the essentials, but in general, I am not shopping in the year 2024.
Here’s why:
It is a personal goal that I have set for myself this year. I am so used to going to Target or HomeGoods and filling my cart with things I do not need, especially when I am bored or the kids are at school. Yes, it’s fun and yes, I miss it. But not spending money on things I do not need has started changing the way I think. I want to be a good steward with what God has blessed my family with. So, instead of spending money on things I do not need, I have started saving. It’s already been a month and we have saved so much! Some exceptions are birthday parties, date nights, and outings with friends. Investing in relationships is so important.
Here’s how:
I have just stopped going to Target, HomeGoods, etc, and roaming the aisles looking for things that I do not need. Not going to these stores when I’m bored has helped so much. I’m not tempted to buy something if I don’t see it. I used to have the mentality that me and my kids needed a new outfit every time we had an event, party, or holiday. But the truth is, we have so many clothes that have only been worn once. So, this year we are getting use out of all our clothes instead of buying new ones! I also purchased a zoo membership and a science museum membership last year so those events are “free” this year. Girl Math. But really, going there three times and it pays for itself. Such good investments. The question I get asked most frequently is if Ryan is doing this with me. The short answer is NO. lol He thinks I’m crazy 😂
Free things to do with kids:
Zoo (if you have a membership) and pack a lunch so you don’t have to buy food.
Science museum (also, pack a lunch because you can literally spend the entire day here)
Living Spaces (yes, the furniture store. They have a free play place inside their store and my kids love it!)
Library (I don’t know why it took me so long to take my kids here. They love it! The one by our house has puzzles, legos, iPads, and computers. We are going to start exploring other libraries in surrounding cities as well. You can only check out books from the library in your own city, but you can go to any location to play and read)
The park (This one is an obvious one but I had to include it. Especially with the weather starting to warm up!)
Splash pads (This is another obvious one. OKC is filled with free splash pads so we will frequent these a lot this summer!)
The Gathering Place (This is a bit of a drive from OKC, but it is a huge park that can take all day to explore)
Myriad Botanic Gardens (They have a fun kids play area that is great when it warms up)
Museums (check your local museums because some offer free admission)
Thank y’all for taking the time to read this! I will post an update later on this year on how it went!
I feel like you either love Valentine’s Day or you hate it. I have always LOVED it! Ever since I was a kid, it has been one of my favorite days! I just love the idea of giving cards and I love all things pink! I love Valentine’s Day crafts and heart-shaped food! My love of Valentine’s Day has been passed down to my children so here are some fun ways that we celebrate at home!
Table
I love a good themed holiday table. This was our Valentine’s table a few years ago. Everything here was bought from Target. So simple yet, cute! I set this up early in the month and we had lunch here the whole month of February and we did crafts throughout the month.
Crafts
Food
I hope you have an amazing Valentine’s day with your loved ones!
I’m excited to write this post because I am excited to go back through all of my NYC photos! This was one of my favorite vacations! It was short but so, so sweet!
First things first, I did my research. I searched through blog posts and Google searches on where to eat, what to do, and where to take cute photos. My biggest tip: stick to what you have planned. On the first day, I started doubting what I had planned out so we ended up walking for a bit trying to figure out what to do. We ended up going to eat at the place I had planned and it was THE BEST experience! A cute little pizza place right under the Brooklyn Bridge. (More on that later)
Day 1:
We flew out of DFW that morning. We each only packed a backpack so we didn’t have to check a bag and wait at baggage claim once we got there. Also, we didn’t want to have to lug around luggage waiting for check-in at the hotel. We wanted to go straight to exploring since we only had 2 days. I 100% recommend only taking a backpack!
Once we landed in NYC, we took a free shuttle and it dropped us off right at the subway! We weren’t sure at this time where we wanted to go so we just got off somewhere random and it ended up being right at Macy’s. We went inside because I obviously needed to step foot inside the iconic NYC Macys. We didn’t stay long because we were hungry. This is when we decided to just stick to my list and take the subway to Brooklyn.
Ignazios Pizza
I had read such good reviews on this pizza parlor and it lived up to the hype! There was a short wait but we were seated pretty quickly! We sat by the window and had the best view of the Brooklyn Bridge. After we ate lunch, we walked around Brooklyn. There were so many cute shops and dessert places. If we weren’t so full we would have tried some!
West Village
This is where all the cute shops are! We went to Stoney Clover, obviously a must! They had so many other cute shops and it was the cutest area! I loved it because it wasn’t super touristy…we were hanging with the locals. it started pouring rain when we were walking around and it was so beautiful! After this, we headed home to change and rest because we were heading to Broadway that night!
The Motto by Hilton
Our hotel was located in Chelsea. I loved it because it was within walking distance to many shops! Ryan did a lot of research on our hotel and it was perfect! It was so nice and we had the best view of the Brooklyn Bridge and the Statue of Liberty from our room! It also had a restaurant and bar downstairs. We rested, changed, charged our phones, and headed out to Aladdin!
Aladdin on Broadway
This show was amazing! I am a long-time fan of musical theatre and this just so happened to be my first NY Broadway show! I highly recommend seeing it. I eventually want to see the iconic Lion King. Ryan has already seen it, so we chose a show that neither of us had seen.
Juniors
Then we walked to the iconic Juniors for a late dinner and cheesecake! It was the perfect end to the best day!
Day 2:
Ryan slept in so I looked up coffee shops in walking distance. I had Ralphs Coffee on my list and one of the many locations was close to our hotel! I got dressed and walked to get coffee. Our hotel was in such a cool location. I passed by so many stores including Trader Joe’s and Micheals. It was so cool to see those stores in NYC style.
Ralphs Coffee
Coffee by Ralph Lauren. It was such a cute coffee shop in a cute area! Not touristy at all which I loved. I got an iced white mocha and it was 10/10!
I got home right as Ryan was almost done getting ready for the day. Then we set off to explore day 2 of NYC!
Central Park
The first thing we wanted to do was go to where had gotten engaged, 8 years prior. So we took the subway to Central Park. We stopped for Ryan to get a donut and me to get another coffee.
Next, we headed to the exact spot where Ryan had proposed. It was so special!
Meatball shop
This one was Ryan’s request. It was amazing! I got the chicken parm and he got the chicken parm meatball sub!
5th Avenue
We took the Subway to 5th Avenue and saw all of the iconic shops and venues! It was so surreal to see the place that you see on so many shows and movies! We went to the famous Starbucks Reserve which was massive! We had to go to the AG store to buy Finley something! And we went to see Radio City Music Hall!
Jonas Brothers Concert
And that brings us to our main event! The main reason we went to NYC…The Jonas Brothers Concert! We went back to our hotel to rest and get ready! The concert was at Yankee Stadium and we wanted to get there early. We had floor seats and we met some super cool people while we were waiting. The weather was perfect and Ryan went to get us food and drinks before the show. We had VIP tickets so we got to go through a separate entrance with a cute photo backdrop.
Hands down the BEST concert EVER! We left right before the very last song so that we could beat traffic. We took the subway back to our hotel and got home around 1 am…we had to leave for the airport at 4 am.
Heading home
4 am came way sooner than we wanted. But we booked our taxi and made it to the airport on time! Then we flew home to our babies!
It was the perfect weekend with Ryan and just the right amount of time! We were so excited to get home to see Finley and Harrison. I can not wait until our next couples trip!
One of my favorite posts is back! Here are 10 of my favorite things from this past month!
Goodreads. I have spent more time off social media this month and it has been so refreshing. I have more time to do other things, such as reading. This is a great app to keep track of books you’ve read and books you want to read.
This devotion by Lisa Harper. Lisa is a great author and she’s hilarious! This devotion is a quick read for 100 days.
Ugg Tasman slippers. Finally, slippers that are acceptable to wear out of the house!
Apple workouts. There are so many to choose from and they have quick 10-minute workouts that are easy to fit into your busy schedule. 10 minutes doesn’t sound like much but after a 10-minute HIIT workout, I am sweating and sore the next day. They are quick enough so I don’t dread doing them. They are great workouts and easy to do anywhere and any time!
Fit4Mom OKC Blog. I started writing for the Fit4mom OKC blog this month. I wrote about how Fit4mom changed my life when we moved to OKC. Check it out!
LibbyApp: A virtual library! I found this app when I wanted to check out a new book but the library was closed. You just input your library card number and you can check out books virtually!
Music time at the library. Our library offers free story times and music classes for kids. Check out your local library for free family fun!
Alyssa’s reading list: Watching You 5/5, Verity 4/5, Invisible Girl 2/5, Just Another Missing Girl 5/5, The Girl on the Train 4/5, Something in the Water 3/5, I Found You 4/5 and Zero Days.
My fav headband. This is my favorite brand for headbands and this specific one can be customized! I have one with my kids’ initials on it and it is so special!
Happy Everything. This is my new favorite piece of decor for my home. I have wanted to start my collection for years but never took the plunge. My mom gave me this plate for Christmas with this attachment which is perfect for winter. They have small bases and large bases. They have small attachments and large attachments for every season, holiday, and event. I just bought this attachment for Valentine’s Day.
When I found out I was having a January baby (she actually arrived in December) I immediately started wondering what we were going to do for birthdays. Swimming was out of the picture. I was a June baby and in the 90’s all you had to do was rent a poll, get some pizzas and a cookie cake from the mall and you had the most epic party. So I have had to get creative with parties because I actually have 2 children with birthdays not in summer.
When Finley told me she wanted a swimming/mermaid party I was determined to make it happen. I called local hotels and YMCA’s but neither of those options worked. So I found a local swim school and it was perfect. We got the whole venue to ourselves and they provided two lifeguards.
For the backdrop: I got the silver sparkly backdrop, the marquee 6, the clam pool float, and the balloons from Amazon.
For the tables: The plates, napkins, party hats, and goodie bags are from HomeGoods. The tablecloths and forks are from Walmart/Target. The seashell cups are from Dollar Tree and the coconut cups are from Amazon.
The Main Event…
Ariel and Moana! I rented them from Character Connection. 10/10 recommend this company!
Ariel had her swim tail on and got in the water. Moana red stories and did makeovers for the girls! Her swimsuit and tail came together and are from Amazon. Her crown is from Etsy.
Friends and family:
We are so thankful for everyone who celebrated our sweet 6-year-old!
I went back and forth on what I wanted to do for Harrison’s second birthday. It was a toss-up between “Oh Two-dles” and “TWO Infinity and Beyond”. We went with Mickey Mouse because he was more into Mickey at that time. He is more into Toy Story now, so that may be a theme later on down the road! (The invitation is from Etsy)
This was one of my favorite parties to host. I loved the location and the set-up was minimal which made for a stress-free party. We had it at our local play place, Playbox. When I booked the party I didn’t know they had a private party room. So I just booked a regular party space which is out in the open but blocked off for our specific party. I 100% recommend this option because we could sit at our party tables and also keep an eye on our kids without being secluded in a private room.
The weird thing is that they have these abnormally shaped corkboards to hang your decorations on. Normal banners from Amazon do not fit these corkboards so I had to think of something simple that would cover the whole board. I knew I did not want to do balloons. They are not my fav decor piece so I was trying to think of alternatives. I randomly thought of paper fans and my idea miraculously came to life!
I knew that I couldn’t pin the fan up when I got there on the day of the party because that would take forever. So, I decided to get six poster boards and lay them on to match the size of the cork boards. Then I hot glued the fans onto the poster boards and I made sure all boards were covered. I did not glue the poster boards together because I wanted to keep all 6 seperated to make it easier to transport to the party venue. I numbered the poster boards so I knew which poster board went where once I hung them up on the cork boards. It literally fit like a puzzle.
I added the gold foil balloons to spell out the theme name. After that, the decor was simple. For the cake table: white tablecloths from Walmart, a table runner from Amazon, donuts (with Mickey and Minnie rings) placed on plates I already own (you can get cheap plates for $1 at dollar tree), and a cake from Nothing Bundt Cakes with a cake topper from Etsy placed on a stand I already own (from Target). Next, I had their Disney World photos blown up and placed at the ends of the table for extra decor.
For the tables: white tablecloths, red napkins, plastic silverware, and plastic cups all from Walmart/Target. I ordered black Mickey stickers from Amazon and I stuck them on the plastic cups. The Mickey plates are from Walmart. I ordered Mickey and Minnie headbands from Amazon and they came in bulk. I placed these down the middle of the table for extra decor.
That brings us to the main event: MICKEY!
We rented Mickey from Character Connection and I highly recommend this company! They are Disney World quality and they are very well trained! Harrison’s “2” Mickey ears are from Etsy and his outfit is from Classic Southern Smocks.
We had the best time celebrating our big 2-year-old! As I am typing this, he’s actually almost three. I am knee-deep in superhero party planning.
We are so thankful for our friends and family who made this party so special!
It’s been a while since I have written a new post…2 years to be exact. I have so many topics to post about, so I am starting with Finley’s fifth birthday party… which happened in 2022. (Yes, she already had her 6th birthday) Posting about Finleys and Harrisons’ parties is my favorite topic to write about. So let’s jump in!
We had her birthday at our local gymnastics gym. We had our own private party room and we shared the whole gym with only one other party. I 1000% recommend having your party at a venue because I was able to sit back, relax, and let the kids run and play without having to entertain everyone.
The birthday banner and balloons are from Amazon. I wish I would have pinned down all sides of the banners and added more balloons to the arch…but when you only have a little time to set up…this is what you get 😅
Again, I wish I had used a table runner to add more color to the table but I was in such a hurry that it was left out. The party hats, cups, napkins, and forks are from Target. One thing that I usually always do is buy cheap napkins, cups, and forks from Target and spend more on cute plates from a party store. I also always buy cheap tablecloths at Walmart.
The medals are from Amazon and the star plates are from Momo Party. The ones I used are sold out but here are similar ones! I highly recommend this shop for party goods! Her cake topper is from Etsy. This shop is amazing and makes the most creative cake toppers. Another thing I always do for parties…I buy cheap cakes from Target, Nohting Bundet Cakes or Great American cookies. I stopped buying expensive cakes and I buy cakes that I know my kids will love and then I add a cute topper!
Her crown and shirt are also from Etsy. She picked them out herself! I have used these crowns every year since her first birthday!
This table was an afterthought. I hadn’t planned on doing a cake table. I was just going to bring the cake out when we sang. However, last minute (like the day before the party) I decided to print out these gymnastics photos of her. I had no idea where I was going to put them but I loved them. There was an extra table in our party room so I just threw on a tablecloth and added these photos with the cake. She LOVED it!
Friends and Family
She had a blast with her friends! We are so thankful for everyone who came and celebrated our girl!
That’s a wrap on her fifth birthday post! Next is Harrison’s second birthday and Finley’s sixth birthday!
I’m coming to you this week with my fav top 10 things right now! These are some of my favorite posts to do! These are just some of the things I’m enjoying and want to share with you!
The Guest List and The Last House Guest. I’ve read a lot of books lately and these two were by far the best ones I’ve read. I love a good page-turner and an ending that is unexpected. These books check both of those boxes!
Fit4Mom. This is such a wonderful way to meet other moms while also working on bettering yourself physically. I joined for the workout but I stayed for the community.
OKC Mom. I just became a contributor and it has been such a fun way to get connected in our new city! It is also a place to read some wonderful posts from some incredible women. So whether you live in OK or not, you need to check it out.
Scrunchies. Yes, you read that right. I’m so glad these are back! They are such a fun accessory when you don’t want to do your hair! This one is my favorite!
Stitch Fix. Okay, I know I’m biased because I work here. But hear me out. They have a new Freestyle feature where you can go and shop looks directly by yourself! So you can search through inventory yourself or you can have a stylist send you five surprise items!
IVL leggings. My favorite workout gear is from IVL Collective! They have so many fun prints and styles! And yes, I like them just as much, if not more than Lulu!
Fort Worth mug and Tea Towel. I love Evelyn Henson’s designs. She has a map collection of various US cities. I love these FW designs because they remind me of home.
This swimsuit. Looking for the perfect swimsuit? Look no further! I love this one so much and it’s so flattering! Going on two years of wearing it and it’s still my favorite!
Golden Goose. It’s no secret that I love these shoes. I know that they are a little pricey but holy moly they’re worth it. I get so much use out of them and they’re so comfy! They pair well with so many different outfits!
This thermal jug. This is my go-to cup for drinking water. 1) it holds a lot of water and 2) it’s super cute!
I hope you had as much fun going through this list as I did writing it! I’ll be back next month with another top 10!
We had so much fun celebrating our sweet bot turning ONE! This was one of my favorite themes I have done! We had his first party at my aunt’s house and invited our closest friends and family.
My sister and brother dressed up as clowns and we had face painting and balloon animals. It was just such a fun time celebrating Harrison with all of our favorite people!
