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Flower family photo shoot with TheoandBelle

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My dream of a family photo shoot finally happened! 

Yay, it was finally happening, our very first professional, family, photo shoot! My dream of a beautiful, sunset, family photoshoot was finally coming to fruition! 

A very good friend of mine sent me an ad for a complimentary photo shoot session. I know right? Oh my Gawd, really? Every mom, woman, mom blogger’s dream come true.

I am so happy we found Maria and TheoandBelle too. She is a fabulous photographer and I love we live in the same community and attend the same church! Such a small world we live in, seriously!

So, if you happen upon a photographer offering free sessions definitely take them up on it. I promise you will not regret it. Maybe you are wondering why it was free? Offering a select few mini sessions often helps a photographer build their brand and portfolio. Another thing I really liked about Maria and TheoandBelle is her photography style matched mine. Winner, winner, chicken dinner I’ll say!

Are you ready for the back story behind this little family photo shoot of ours? Let me just start by saying I was amply prepared! I’m talking wardrobe, hair appointments, you get the idea? All to have to cancel the shoot at the last minute!

Yep, and all of this went down on the luckiest day of the year too, St. Patrick’s day! I can tell you I wasn’t feeling very lucky though! The morning of I went to my hair appointment and everything was great until I left. As I’m leaving, with my beautiful done-up hair, I feel a pain in my gut. I knew something wasn’t right. Well, my mama instinct was right and our eldest was not feeling well. Like stomach hurting, throw-up kinda, not feeling well!!

I was so bummed because I literally had everything in place and now to cancel felt terrible. Although, Maria, was so sweet and understanding and she said, “let me know if you change your mind. My kiddos are already at the in-laws for the rest of the day.”

Suddenly, instantly, I felt better because of her response. She gets it because she is also a mom!

Guess what? We made it AND, on time! Can you believe it? After all of that and our daughter was fine. Nothing short of a mommy miracle I tell ya!

Since my girlies are used to me snapping a gazillion pictures we certainly fell into place. Although, our littlest Flower, won’t name any names, Holly, is our lose canon at the moment. She is only fourteen months though to give her credit and it was the dreaded witching hour, five o’clock!

Honestly, I didn’t even care because my dream of a beautiful, sunset, family photoshoot was finally coming to fruition. At this point, the only thing concerning was my dress. Though it is stunning, the straps kept sliding off almost revealing my ta-tas! Plus, I did not account for holding a baby. Take it from me this can really kill the moment during a shoot.

All in all, I am really happy with how this all turned out and I should mention Maria’s husband is a fabulous assistant! He reminds me a lot of Kevin and kindly watched the girls while Maria snapped a few of just the two of us.

If you happen to live in Phoenix, I highly recommend TheoandBelle for an amazing photoshoot experience. If you live elsewhere, check out alternative photography spots near you!

xx, Nicole

Living your best life with Home DNA

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This post is sponsored by Home DNA and as always all opinions are 100% my own.

What if you could unlock your personal DNA?

Do you want to know if you are living your best life in regards to how your body responds to diet and exercise?

Even though I make conscious efforts to eat healthily and exercise on a regular basis, I am getting older and if there is something I can do to improve my lifestyle, I am definitely interested. Plus, learning about your makeup and specific genes is something I find really fascinating!

Did you know? The Human Genome Project has estimated that humans have between 20,000 and 25,000 genes. Every person has two copies of each gene, one inherited from each parent. Most genes are the same in all people, but a small number of genes (less than 1 percent of the total) are slightly different between people. – *Copyright National Institutes of Health*

Recently, I took a Home DNA test and I am really excited to tell you all about it! This is also the first time I have done genetic testing. Home DNA makes it super simple too. You can pick up one of their kits at a local drugstore like CVS, RiteAid or even online. A kit like this usually will cost $119 along with a $99 lab fee.

First, I registered my lab kit online, (this allows you to read your test results) once they are in. Then, I swabbed the inside of my cheek and mailed in their provided envelope to DNA Diagnostics Center. Mind you, the DDC is one of the world’s largest private DNA testing companies with offices in Ohio and England. They have handled over 10 million DNA samples from 168 countries offering a wide array of results. You can visit www.DNACenter.com to learn more.

Since my report is about 70 pages long I am not going to bore you with every detail. Instead, I think its best to share the things that stood out to me and how I have implemented better eating habits and how it has improved my life.

My results:

 

The very first thing on my report suggests my ability to lose weight is low! I’m not gonna lie I kind of laughed because I have been a healthy weight most of my adult life. Then I learned just because I have this set of genes does not mean my body cannot be or maintain a healthy weight.

My word of advice would be to think of this as another tool to help you live your best life. Since I can always improve my diet and in particular what I eat for lunch because let’s face it, as a mom, a baby usually comes first. Sometimes I just forget and then it’s 2 pm and I wonder why I’m starving! Home DNA curated a specific meal plan just for me and it felt good to actually eat a good lunch!

My three favorites were:

  • Spinach salad with sliced mushrooms, cucumbers, sweet, bell peppers, lentils, olives and an olive oil lemon dressing.

  • Veggie burgers with a baked sweet potato and a spinach salad with avocado, tomato, and mushrooms.

  • Spinach salad with tuna, black beans, olives, tomato, feta and a simple olive oil dressing with salt.

There were also breakfast and dinner options as well as healthy snacks. I mostly sampled breakfast and lunch because we typically eat a good dinner as a family.

Finally, we all know besides eating well we also need to exercise right? I workout at best twice a week and right now it is truly the best I can do. If I were seeking to lose weight and have certain fitness goals I would have given the custom exercise regimen a go but I am happy where I am right now.

Now I have several new, healthy, lunch options and I feel so much better. I hope this gave you a pretty good idea of what Home DNA is all about and how it can help you improve a certain area of your life too.

 

xx, Nicole

 

 

 

 

 

An American Girl doll birthday celebration!

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Do you remember the days of getting lost in an American Girl doll book? Gosh, I do. My favorite was Samantha and to imagine having her to hold and play with would have been a dream!

Clara just turned eight this month and her dream was to invite a few of her closest girlfriends to dine at the American Girl doll Bistro! So, I guess you can say my little girl came out a bit too and it was a blast!

If you have never been to an American Girl store, let me tell you all about it! To dine at the Bistro you need to call their 1-800 number to book your party. From the moment I called to make our reservation to the day of the party was exceptional. They are so caring and kind and everything about planning this event was seamless!

They even provide a special Evite to make sending out invites a breeze! I really enjoy making birthdays special for all of my daughters but it was nice knowing I didn’t have to be hostess this time. Our hostesses were so sweet and made sure everyone was having a good time.

The Bistro has made a slight change this year and that is less kitchen space to make more room for more of an experience. Honestly, cake, ice cream, and drinks were just perfect for an afternoon party. There is an option to order pizza from a local restaurant too.

Our experience included: A hairstyle for each of the girl’s dolls. I really love the fact you don’t have to own an American doll too. They will style any doll with hair, you just have to sign a quick waiver. They can also loan one of their dolls for a guest too!

I mentioned we had cake and ice cream and then each guest received a goody bag. Let me just say, “best goody bag ever”!

The only thing I wish would have been different for our group of girls was the craft. When I think of a craft I think of materials and glue. The craft was not really a craft but more of a coloring page, a cute coloring page but to me a little lackluster. However, the girls did not seem to mind and were having fun giggling and roaming the awesome store!

The party lasts ninety minutes and it was just perfect! Clara later told me, “best day ever, mom”!

She is growing up so fast!

 

xx, Nicole

Buying made easy online with Wikibuy

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This post is sponsored by Wikibuy, as always all opinions are 100% my own.

Do you love to shop online? Let me tell you why I do.

I am a big fan of online shopping because I can shop from home, take advantage of online-only deals and who doesn’t love free shipping? Am I right?

For years I have been doing the online thing whether it’s Amazon Prime or Walmart ship to store option. Heck, we even grocery shop online now! Mostly, we love the time it saves us from running from store to store and filling up less at the gas pump!

Honestly, I do not enjoy shopping with my three little ones either. It’s quite the circus act and something I try not to perform on a regular basis lol! 🙃

Another thing I like to do is shop for the best price. This is what I love so much about Wikibuy because it does just that. Rather than trying to find the best price on an item searching countless sites, Wikibuy does it for me! Easy peasy!

Sometimes I wonder how many diapers we have gone through with three little girls? Well, I’m no math wiz but I know it’s a lot. Thankfully we have gotten by mostly with generic brand diapers until recently we switched to Huggies. As a mom, I pride myself on what works. If I can save a little it’s a bonus.

Signing up with Wikibuy is easy and free. I sign in with my Facebook account to make it even easier. You can search countless items from countless stores. Here is a screenshot of the diapers I just received.

 

You can see all the different stores along with their prices for the same package of diapers. So quick and easy, a mom lifesaver!

No surprise Walmart came out on top with the best price. Everything is shipped right to your door too. My girls love a big box to play in and I just knew they would ask me if they could have it. These three just melt my heart and keep me on my toes.

Cheers to the weekend!

 

xx, Nicole

 

 

Family room remix with Lorena Canals rugs

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Our family room is literally where we live as a family!

You can find us huddled in the morning drinking coffee, snuggling limb to limb or just watching late night TV after the girls go to bed.

This is our first home and it’s going on thirteen years!! Can you believe that? I mean this is probably our third time changing furniture and almost everything including paint and flooring.

So, what did we do? Yep, we changed things up again!

We recently updated our main living space with a new, custom, couch, new art and to anchor it all, a beautiful Lorena Canals rug. When I first saw their Bereber beige I knew it was perfect for us and our space.

Besides how beautiful it is and versatile, can you believe it is machine washable too? Yes, you heard that right. You can pick it up and wash it in your wash machine! It literally is genius and perfect in every way! Everything is made all natural and regular cleaning cuts down on dirt and allergens.

If you are new here, well hello. We have three little girls and I am convinced they are just as messy as little boys! I love that we can live and be messy and with a quick wash all is right with the world once again! Everyone needs a rug like this in their life.

The couch is a local, family run Leather furniture store and it was worth the eight weeks it took them to make for us. For a family of five, it is the perfect perch for all of us! Our walls are a greige (combination of beige and gray) I am keeping our palette very neutral with brown, gray and even black and white. Kevin and I both agree Holland needs to be a little older before we add a coffee table. This one is so pretty from Article and it fits our comfortable style too. Here’s hoping we can add this in soon.

Isn’t she cute? She just started walking three weeks after her first birthday. She is all about playing right here where her little tush meets soft landing!

What do you think of our space? You can shop our look below.

This post is sponsored by Lorena Canals rugs, as always all opinions expressed are 100% my own!

Thanks for stopping by.

 

xx, Nicole

 

 

An open love letter to my daughters

1 Comment Motherhood

“Girls become lovers who turn into mothers, so mothers be good to your daughters too” –John Mayer

Funny how a song you love can turn into your destiny!

To my three, beautiful, daughters,

Believe it or not, your mommy was once a little girl too!

Mommy was a girly girl much like the three of you but I also loved to climb trees and build homes for my bug friends. I could spend hours drawing and playing with my Barbie dolls too.

My grandma Claire once told me, “Don’t try to grow up too fast dear, enjoy being a little girl.” These words spoke so deeply to me and I found it very relieving to hear. My childhood was a blessing and I took my time growing up.

Clara, my oldest baby girl, I want to say the same to you. Gosh, you are already seven and soon you will be eight. Darling, continue to play like you do and keep that beautiful heart of yours open. Because I know you will move mountains and God will use you in great ways! Clara, I marvel at you and I will never forget the moment you made me a mommy for the first time.

Luci, my sweet LuLu, I laugh and always tell you, you are my dream baby! You remind me so much of your daddy with your quiet, calm, spirit. I love and admire this about you. You have a beautiful sense of wonderment just like him and it is so enjoyable to watch you grow. Your prayers are always so wise and thoughtful, my little prayer warrior!

Holland, my tiniest baby girl. Already I can tell you have so many of these same attributes and your smile lights up every room. Just like your mommy you are feisty! Remember this is a strength but it can also be a huge weakness. If your future hubby is anything like your daddy he will love this about you. Even though you are still so tiny your spirit is so gentle and sweet. May this always be so my dear.

Lastly my loves, please remember to keep God number one in your lives. No matter what you do whether it is right or wrong, He will always love you. He loves you even if you don’t love Him back.

A few of my favorite verses are:

“Delight yourself in the Lord, And He will give you the desires of your heart.” –Psalms 37:4

Philippians Chapter 2 in entirety. This was spoken during our wedding ceremony and will forever be close to our heart.

“Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.” –Philippians 2:3-4

“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” –Philippians 4:6

“I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth.“ –Psalms 34:1

I am so blessed by all three of you, my three, beautiful, daughters.

-xx mommy

Oh, the things I have learned-Two year Blogiversary!

Leave a Comment LIFE, STYLE

Wow, two years since I wrote my very first blog post! And, just like that, the end of December marked my two-year Blogiversary!

Blogiversary: The yearly anniversary of someones web-log (blog)

–Urban Dictionary

Let me just say this first, even as I write this, I am apprehensive about sharing my feelings. Mainly because I feel deeply about most things and I’m not very good at putting them into words.

I know kinda strange for a blogger, someone who writes for a living and maybe even over shares for some? I dunno it is strange but it’s because I always want to say the right thing.

When I write about myself its one thing but when I write about my children I am cautious. As a third-time girl mama, I take my role as mama bear very seriously and I never want to share anything that could potentially harm them. This is difficult sometimes and poses some challenges for me but I have to look at the bigger picture.

Hopefully, I will never hear one of my daughters say I hurt them because of something I published. My two oldest are still young at seven and six and the most they complain about is all the pictures I like to take! 😂😂

Since, I began this blog my focus has always been and still is to be genuine, truthful, and heartfelt about the things I share. My family is my first priority and sometimes it means blogging life gets put on hold. Honestly, I don’t always like this and I wish I could do it all. Blog fulltime and be Supermom!

So, what have I learned in the last two years?

Well, quite a lot. Like anything in life, it has been good and bad.

THE GOOD:

  • I am a creative, always have been and always will be. Being creative is my happy place.
  • Photography has quickly become a passion and I so enjoy learning more and more about taking great pictures!
  • Blogging is like journaling in a lot of ways and I have learned so much more about myself and my lil’ family.
  • Collaborations. Now, this is not why I started blogging, but it is a lot of fun working with companies and I pride myself on working with ones I love!
  • Learning it’s not about me it’s about others. (I know it’s a good one tho.😉)
  • Making new friends!
  • Hearing someone say they read a blog post and loved it.
  • I have gained more confidence and feel so much more comfortable in front of the camera.

THE BAD:

  • Time is not always on my side to write or curate a post.
  • SEO. Stands for search engine optimization and it helps to improve your google rating but often is a thorn in my side!
  • Analytics and social media and feeling less than.
  • Comparison, thinking the grass is greener on the other side!

#newyearnewdo

As you can see, the good far outweighs the bad which is why I will keep going. Thank you so much for all of you that follow along, it means the world to me. If there is something you would like me to write about please drop me a line in the comments.

 

xx, Nicole

 

 

Holland our little baby New Year is One!

Leave a Comment LIFE, Motherhood

Happy New Year!

We rang in the New Year with our little, baby, New Year turning one! Can you tell I love saying this? From the moment my water broke minutes after the stroke of midnight to her birth the morning of New Year’s Day, will forever be extraordinary and special.

However, this year blew by like no other year and as much as I was excited to celebrate our sweet Holland turning one, there was a big part of me that wasn’t. She truly has grown the fastest out of all three of the girls and I just wish I had a little more time before this big milestone.

As a third-time mom, I know very well how time can appear to stand still but at the same time be only a vapor. The days can seem soo long believe me I know. But the years are so very short and I am seeing it more and more now.

Even though I wasn’t ready for Holland to turn one, I had the best time planning and hosting her party! Since she is our baby New Year and turning one marks her golden birthday, I knew it had to be super special.

Recently, I learned about Korean culture and how they celebrate first birthdays from blogger and friend, Angela over at mommydiary. I was so inspired by her Dohl series and how Korean culture celebrates that I decided to surround Holland’s birthday with her Dutch, German and Polish heritage.

A good theme is something I love and I always try to have one in mind. Both New Year’s and a golden birthday scream gold so I added lots of pops of it. Another touch I added was Christmas greens. Can I tell you how cool this worked out too? I was totally stressing about how the heck I was going to find them after Christmas and what was I going to do? Well, we were up north and rented a cabin for Christmas and guess what? I found fresh pine and juniper everywhere!! I mean I literally laughed out loud!

Food, oh can I tell you how good Dutch, German and Polish food is? My mother-in-law makes traditional Oliebollen every New Year and it.is.so.good! Kinda like a donut topped with powdered sugar. Then, we had German gingerbread cookies and handmade Polish Kolaczki cookies along with Polish Kielbasa and a sampling of Dutch cheeses. There was also Polish soup and perogies to enjoy and my mom made German chocolate cake cupcakes too.

Fun with smash cake! And yes we had a little pre-party fun!

Then the big day! She was already a pro and devoured her cupcake! 

The day was spent with our Dutch, German and Polish family. Now can you guess which is which? My hubby’s mom is Dutch. My mom is German and my dad is Polish. Our previous pastor once said, “ it is important to know where you come from” and I couldn’t agree more! 

xx, Nicole

 

Cleaning up toys is a breeze with Swoop!

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This post is sponsored by Swoop but as always all opinions are honest and 100% my own!

Do you love the holidays but feel overwhelmed with all the new toys? Well, I do for sure.

Two years ago I discovered Swoop. These awesome bags are perfect for storing the girl’s Legos, becoming a perfect play mat while playing and cinch up for easy storing. Cleaning up toys is a breeze with Swoop!

Since Legos are a beloved toy in our home we are the proud owners of two Swoop bags! Recently, the girls inherited their daddy’s Legos from when he was a kid. So, we keep his retro Legos in one bag and their Lego Friends sets in another.

This type of storage and organization is a mom dream come true! No more little Lego landmines to step on because they are neatly put away in a Swoop! If you have stepped on a Lego in the middle of the night or wee hours of the morning, you know what I mean, lol!

One of the things I love the most about my girls is watching how they play together. Now, they definitely don’t always get along, let’s be real, but when they do it melts my heart. And, of course, baby sister wants to play too. She has her own set of Duplos and rest-assured we keep a tight watch on her around all the little pieces.

When the girls are done playing they can easily put their Swoop bags away in a place their baby sister can’t get too. They go right into a large chest we keep in the family room to make sure everything is safely put away.

I love a good company and even better, one that has a beautiful story. Over thirty years ago the owner’s grandmother designed the first storage bag for her brother’s Lego collection. Fast forward to 2011, the first Swoop bag was launched! Also, for every Swoop bag sold a percentage is donated to Operation Smile.

Another thing I should mention is we own two of the large Swoop bags (Seattle Gray and Emerald City) and each one can hold up to 17 lbs. of Legos! The bags also come in mini size and will hold up to 5 lbs. of Legos.

Check out all the other countless things you can store in these bags too.

  • Makeup
  • Toiletries
  • Craft supplies
  • Trains
  • Markers
  • Blocks
  • Small toys

If you are feeling overwhelmed after the holidays just remember to Swoop it up!

xx, Nicole

Mom’s live for naptime + DockATot Grand

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Thank you DockATot for sponsoring this post. As always, all opinions are honest and 100% my own.

Naps, literally, the definition should be, everything a mom lives for! I definitely live for naptime!

It’s like, how many things can I get done in two hours or maybe I should just take a nap myself? I wish I did more of the latter but I always have a million things to do with keeping up with house chores and working from home. So, yes, baby naps are life!

My oldest, Clara, was not the best when it came to taking naps. She outgrew them at about 18 months. And because she was my first, I really didn’t know what to do about it. Her naptime was more like quiet time and I would often set her up with little activities she could play with on her own. Sometimes this worked and sometimes it just felt like a battle. The DockATot Grand would have been perfect for her during this stage and mind you it was a long stage lol!

Our middle daughter, Luci, loved to nap from birth it seemed. She regularly took an afternoon nap up to about four years old and it was glorious! I am a SAHM and have been since the beginning (7+ years). My two oldest are 19 months apart but I know I don’t have to plead my case here. I truly believe whether you are a SAHM or a WAHM or even a mom who works outside of the home, we all live for naptime! Heck, dads live for it too!

Holland, our youngest baby girl is 11 months old right now and usually takes two naps a day. First nap is in the morning after breakfast and sometimes she will take another later in the afternoon. Notice I said, “sometimes”. When it comes to her afternoon naps she can be quite unpredictable it seems.

As a third-time mom, I have learned the saying, “what works for one child doesn’t always work for another” and it is so true! I have three very different little girls that’s for sure but I love that I do!

Holly will be turning one really soon and I know this means we will be transitioning again. Talking about, two naps a day down to just one a day. Her temperament is a little bit like her oldest sister so I’m hoping the DockATot Grand will come in handy. The DockATot Grand is designed for babies 9 months all the way up to 36 months. During Clara’s quiet time I would often find her curled up under all of her toys with her blankie! If my suspicions are right, and she’s like her, this will be so nice to put on the floor in her room. She can play and then eventually take a cozy nap!

Another nice thing about the DockATot Grand and another reason I wish I had this for my oldest besides it being more comfortable than sleeping on the ground, it is 100% natural and everything unzips for easy cleaning. Looking forward to nestling this in her bed when she moves to a big girl bed too!

 

xx, Nicole