This is a sponsored post by Pop Secret but all opinions are 100% mine.
Head over to the Pop Secret Facebook page for a $1 off coupon!
For about four years now, we've had movie night with the boys every Friday night. It is one of our favorite traditions and kicks off the weekend in such a fun way. For the first few years we took them to the movie rental store and they each took turns picking out what we would watch. These days it has turned into a Redbox or Netflix movie, but still just as fun. And bonus points if the boys agree on the same movie!
In addition to the movie, here are the essential ingredients for our movie nights:
1. comfy pj's
2. movie theater style boxes of candy
3. popcorn
It doesn't feel like a proper movie night if we aren't wearing our fleece pajamas, curled up on the couch with a box of hot tamales or Mike & Ikes and a big bowl of salty, buttery popcorn.
This week we amped movie night up a few notches and built a fort for the boys! They were so excited when I surprised them with that fun addition.
I pulled out their faux firepit, some battery operated candles and their softest blankets and pillows. You could say they were happy campers. <<< See what I did there?
And of course we had candy and yummy Pop Secret popcorn to enjoy.
And it wouldn't be movie night without some silliness from my Benny... {If you can't tell by the above photos...Landon was tired with a capital T!}
I already can't wait for this Friday. Although now I think the boys will be expecting a fancy fort every week!
Do you have family movie nights? What are your essentials?
If you want some fun fort ideas and a coupon, head over to the Pop Secret Facebook page!
XO,
Did you know I can open and shut car windows with my mind?
OK...so I really can't, but I had the boys believing I was magic today, and that in itself made me feel like supermom.
We were driving home from my office, and Landon rolled his window down. It took Ben by surprise, and Landon tried to convince him that it was magic. I decided to take that and roll with it, so I told them I could open and shut the windows with a simple command.
For the rest of our 15 minute commute, they yelled out requests.
"Mom's window down!"
"Mom's window up!"
"Landon's window down!"
"Landon's window up!"
Man I had fun with it. I would roll one down halfway, then slowly roll it back up in short spurts. They were laughing and freaking out and oohing and aahing.
It was fabulous and so magical even though all it involved was a sneaky press or pull of a lever.
We were making our own magic.
Isn't that what life is all about?
Finding magic in something so ordinary and boring and sometimes frustrating as a drive home from work. There is magic everywhere if we look for it.
And if there is none to be found, we can create it. Kind of like a super power, if you will.
Where could your life use a bit more magic?
XO,
Whew!
Christmas 2014 has come and gone, and it was so full of good things for our family. It was a bit crazy too, but anything good comes with a bit of crazy, right?
We exchanged gifts and hugs, enjoyed slow mornings, made cookies, watched tons of Christmas shows, snuggled up in new pj's, built lots of Lego sets, tripped over Nerf darts, consumed all sorts of yummy food and sweets, played silly games, and did a lot of reminiscing.
Here are some of my favorite photos from the past week...
For some reason I was even more sentimental this year...seeing the boys with my parents especially got me. We're so lucky to be so close to them. And watching the boys completely enveloped in the magic of the holiday was so special. Feeling very blessed and happy.
I hope you had a wonderful Christmas friends!
XO,
One of my favorite things to get the boys each year at Christmas are new pj's and slippers. This year I got them matching pj's, but picked out very different slippers, which had me a bit nervous. Ben got ginormous bear paws, and for Landon I picked out sock monkeys.
Landon has been obsessed with all things sock monkey lately. I'm not sure where the attraction came from, but anytime he sees sock monkey anything, his eyes are glued and he oohs and ahhs over it. So when I found sock monkey slippers in his size and on sale, I grabbed them up.
But I was a bit worried he would think they were too girly or baby-ish.
Boy was I ever wrong.
He.loves.them.
He wants to wear them the moment he gets home, lines them up at the edge of his bed so he can put them on the minute he gets up, and the best part...he takes them off when he has to pee so he doesn't get them dirty. {Even he knows how horrible his aim is.}
It is just precious.
But the best part is that he keeps thanking me for them. "Thank you for my sock monkey slippers Momma!"
Ahhh it just melts my heart.
They had slipper day at school on Tuesday, and when he came home he was all distraught because the monkey face was coming off of one of the slippers. You would have thought I had performed successful brain surgery when I sewed that knitted monkey face back onto his slipper. One of the perks of being a parent is that you can perform fairly simple tasks in exchange for a ridiculous amount of recognition.
Gosh I love that sweet boy.
{Don't tell him, but Santa is bringing him a stuffed sock monkey to match his slippers.}
And not to leave Ben out...he loves his bear paws. But in more of a "let me see who I can pretend to stomp on" kind of way, which is equally adorable.
Only a week until Christmas friends! I hope you have a wonderful weekend!
XO,
One of my favorite things about being a mom of boys are our "date" days. Every other weekend, my hubby usually has to work all day, so the boys and I are on our own. I have so much fun planning these days and filling them with fun activities. This past Saturday was one of those days and to be honest it was one of those magical motherhood days when I felt so incredibly blessed and happy to be able to spend time with them.
We didn't do anything extraordinary. We didn't spend much money.
But we made some pretty awesome memories.
First we headed out in the car and went to our local toy shop which is a super fun place. After that I took them to see a big train display that we go to every year.
We usually go on a Tuesday night when they have special activities going on, but it is always SO full of people that it is hard to enjoy. Taking them on Saturday was perfect because we were almost the only people there and they were able to look as long as they wanted.
We also took advantage of the fun props outside the store...
I told them to "act like you love each other" in front of the dinosaur and this was the result...
Silly boys.
After the trains, we went home and watched Polar Express {and I snuck in a short nap...shhhhh}. The boys played trains and we ate chex mix...it was right out of a Norman Rockwell painting I tell ya. ;)
Then I thought it would be fun to go on a drive around town to look at lights. We stopped at Starbucks first so I could surprise them with hot chocolate for the ride {and a latte for me of course} and then we were on our way.
The BEST house in town was our big destination...
Aside from the crazy amount of lights, the owners also have a hologram of Santa that plays in the window {do you see him?!}. It looks SO real and even after seeing him there last year, they still believe he is actually in the house. He waves at one point and they go crazy over that. I never thought I would be one of those parents that perpetuates the Santa thing, but it sure adds a lot of magic to Christmas.
I feel so blessed to be able to spend days like this with my boys. When I look back on their childhood these are the memories that I will hold so tightly in my heart. And I hope they do as well.
What is one of your favorite holiday traditions with your kids or your family? I'd love to hear about it!
XO,
Hey there, October!
Can you believe it friends?
October is my favorite month of the year for many reasons. Our wedding anniversary is the 11th (11 years!) and everything fall just makes me happy. Like walking through a crunchy blanket of tiny yellow leaves. And wearing comfy sweaters. And cuddling on a chilly Saturday morning on the couch with my boys.
I want October to be a slow month.
But the reality, just like every other month of the year, is that it isn't. While I'm so thankful for my full time job, it is always super busy in the fall with events and extra meetings and it is frustrating trying to balance that necessary busy with my need for slowness and time to savor every tiny yellow leaf and couch cuddling session.
I'm currently reading The Best Yes, and it has showed me how even though I can't get rid of all the busyness, I can say no to things that, even though they are good, they aren't the absolute best way for me to spend my time. I said no to some custom doodles recently that was a really hard no, but the relief I felt when I didn't have those orders looming over me was beyond worth it.
Sure, I have the literal time to do them. But I don't have the head space. I've become hyper aware that I need a lot of margin, or white space, in order to be happy, calm and available to the really good things in my life.
Like taking my boys on a date to the coffee shop and making silly faces in the bathroom mirror...
And noticing the awesome animal train they made in the family room and not being annoyed by the mess, but instead being in awe of their creativity...
And finding joy in sorting their socks which ALL had a match...
miraculous I tell ya.
And take some time to pretty up our entryway...
I'm also super excited about some ways I'm working on my art these days. I'm working on my first line of Christmas/holiday cards (EEEK!) and taking an online class to learn about turning my doodles into repeat patterns. SUPER exited about both of these things.
I'll be sharing more about the holiday cards soon but for now here is a fun sneak peek...
And of course if you follow me on Instagram and/or Facebook you'll get lots more updates in real time. :)
So here's to an October we can live as slow as possible!
XO,
