Five on Friday: Christmas 2017

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I am so thankful to be getting back to a routine now that the holidays are over. I LOVE Christmas....but I also love normalcy and routine. I didn't take any time off over the holidays, but with the way Christmas fell we had 3 solid days off together and we enjoyed every minute of it.

__one__ Saturday, my sister-in-law, her husband, and their two kids came to our house to stay the night and spend some time together. We had lots of family time over the weekend and the girls got lots of goodies from Santa! Caroline's favorite gift was her Kindle fire, and Emmie's favorite gift was a tube of chapstick.

__two__ We got one family picture together over the holidays, and it really cracks me up because it accentuates the size difference between Daniel/Caroline and me/Emmie. Caroline's always been in the 90th+ percentile, and little Ems hovers in the 15th-20th percentile. The girls dresses came from Zulily this year (and they were a steal - under $10 a piece!)

 

 __three__ We are heading to Disney in less than 45 days (I can't quite believe it!) and I need all the advice possible! Should we take our good stroller, or an umbrella stroller? Pack snacks in our suitcases (we are flying, but can each check a bag with Southwest for free, so I'm not opposed to loading up the suitcases). What attractions are must sees with a 2 year old and 4 year old girl? We are going to Magic Kingdom for two days, Animal Kingdom for one day, and Hollywood Studios for one day. Emmie's current obsession is with Minnie Mouse, and Caroline is into all things princess right now.

                                  

__four__ Caroline's birthday is coming up at the end of January, and this will be the first year we invite school friends to the party and have it outside our home. I am so looking forward to no frantic cleaning and cooking for the party. Since we're going to Disney shortly after her birthday, we aren't doing any big gifts, but I couldn't resist getting her this Doc McStuffins Operation Game.

                                
__five__ I'm ready for New Year's Eve, which will be spent at our house with some of our good friends and their son close to our girls age. I can't wait to eat lots of good food, drink some bubbly, and laugh a ton as we play Cards Against Humanity or Table Topics. Anyone else having a lowkey NYE?
                           

Stocking Stuffer Ideas - Girls ages 2-4

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Yesterday, I posted about my favorite stocking stuffer ideas for men. Today, I am focusing on my girls! Being a girl mom is so fun. I have no doubt that being a boy mom is super fun too, but I love stuffing my girls stockings full of girly treasures! Here are a few of the items that will be in my girls stockings Christmas morning.

__one__ Okay, this first one isn't girly, but both of my girls are getting these Munchkin bath crayons in their stocking. They have so much fun using these crayons in the bathtub, and lately I've been having Caroline use them to practice her letters while in the tub. They are so easy to wash off (just use a wet washcloth).

 

 __two__ Caroline got this Frozen watch last year, and it broke (due to a fight with her sister over it) just a couple weeks ago. She cried and cried and asked me if I thought Santa would bring her another one. It plays music, which can be slightly annoying for parents, but it's not too loud and the girls get a kick out of wearing it.

                                                  

                                                 

__three__  My girls are OBSESSED with chapstick. They've also ruined a couple of my chapsticks by twisting all the chapstick to the top, and then trying to smash the lid back on without twisting it back down. I found these Disney Lip Smackers on Amazon, and knew they would be an instant hit!

__four__ Caroline has been on a My Little Pony kick lately, but we rarely watch it on TV. We have a DVD player in our SUV, and I found this My Little Pony DVD for under $4! This may drive her dad insane to listen to one the way to daycare every day, but I know the girls will get a kick out of it!

                                        

                                                       

__five__ Emmie has recently learned to drink out of "big girl cups" and she has been desperately wanting a Tervis Tumbler like her sister. I love the ones with the lids, because even when they accidentally spill it's not as catastrophic as when they are using a cup with no lid.

Stocking Stuffer Ideas for Men

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My husband is incredibly difficult to shop for. Not because he doesn't like what I get him, but
because I struggle with coming up with fresh ideas for him. Here are some of my favorite ideas I've come up with this holiday season for the men in your life!

__one__ I have both this RTIC tumbler, and a Yeti. Believe me when I say I can't tell any difference between the two (other than the price!). It's time to get Daniel his own so he can stop "borrowing" mine.
                                             


__two__ Daniel is always misplacing the bottle opener, so the best solution I can find is to buy a 3 pack and store them in random kitchen drawers so he never has to go without!

                                 


__three__ Daniel spends a lot of time outside in the winter for various reasons, but sometimes the weather gets to be too much for him. These Hot Hands are fantastic for the guy that likes to be outdoors but doesn't want to get frostbite!


                                                                

__four__ As much of a manly man as my guy is, he still loves his hair products. This time of year I always load him up on his favorite Crew hair products.

            


__five__ This last one is more of a gift for me than him, since I love his grilling, but I plan on loading him up with new grilling utensils in anticipation for spring weather and spending nights on the deck.
                                 



What are your favorite things to get the men in your lives?

Five on Friday: December is here!

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This past week was so fun. It was the first Thanksgiving in a few years that Daniel didn't have to work (goodbye, big box retail!), and so we enjoyed soaking up lots of family time with extended family. Now we begin marching forward towards Christmas, and I got ALOT of shopping done over the holiday weekend. Bring on Christmas parties, lots of yummy cookies, caroling, watching movies on the couch, and enjoying the real reason for the season!

__one__ These two. They flat out refuse to take naps in their rooms anymore, so the past few weekends I've made pallets on the floor with sleeping bags and nap mats. The plus side - they actually do sleep. Unfortunately, they insist on sleeping in the living room so I don't get a lot accomplished while they sleep (other than catching up on my TV shows, which is important for my sanity).

 

__two__ After church Sunday, it's become a tradition to go out to eat at a local Mexican restaurant down the road from our house. I'm glad the girls are both finally at a good age where we can take them pretty much anywhere with minimal meltdowns or issues. We just pack a couple juice boxes and a bib (I still don't trust Emmie with salsa) and go.

 

__three__ Saturday was Auburn's big game against Alabama and the girls were dressed to cheer on their Tigers (similar outfits here). I made a new appetizer recipe for Cream Cheese Jalapeno Wonton Wrappers (recipe here) and we enjoyed the game from home. Caroline was all smiles at the end after we pulled out the big win!

__four__ I scored a lot of gifts Thanksgiving week, but I was most excited to grab this 2 pk of Amazon Kids Fire tablets for the girls. Selfishly, I think these are going to be great distractions on the plane for our big Disney trip in February, but this also frees up my iPad that Caroline has been "borrowing" for months now.



__five__ The weekend before Thanksgiving, we went to visit Daddy at work, and Santa had unexpectedly dropped by. I was happy to get the Santa visit done with no lines or waiting, but I do wish I would've known so I could've dressed them in some cute Christmas outfits instead of their Thanksgiving gear. They were so excited to see him, and Caroline told Santa she would like a Frozen watch, a calculator, and "whatever else" Santa wanted to bring her.

Cream Cheese & Jalapeno Wonton Wrappers with Bacon

We are BIG Auburn football fans in our house (war eagle!), and while watching big game against Alabama this past Saturday we wanted some fun food to snack on. I was sick of the same ole football food (which is typically sausage balls, pigs in a blanket, and artichoke dip), so I went with something completely different. These cream cheese & jalapeno wonton wrappers with bacon were super easy to make, and I loved the combination of the hotness from the jalapenos and the crunchy, rich flavor of the bacon.

Cream Cheese & Jalapeno Wrappers with Bacon

Adapted from Lemon Tree Dwelling

Ingredients

• 12 wonton wrappers
• 1/2 cup sour cream (I used reduced fat)
• 4 oz. softened cream cheese
• 1-2 jalapenos, washed and diced
• 1 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 5 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 12 count muffin pan with non-stick cooking spray. Add wontons to muffin pan, and bake 5-6 minutes until slightly hardened.

Meanwhile, combine sour cream, cream cheese, jalapenos, and cheddar cheese in electric mixer. Mix 1-2 minutes, until combined.

Remove muffin pan from oven, add mixture to wonton cups. Top with additional shredded cheddar if desired.  Cook additional 8 minutes, until wontons are golden brown.  Remove from oven and top with crumbled bacon. Enjoy!

Five on Friday: My Santa Wish List

Thanksgiving is just around the corner, which means I am almost Christmas, which also means I AM WAY BEHIND ON CHRISTMAS SHOPPING THIS YEAR!! Usually at this point I have at least a good chunk of my gifts purchased, but this year I haven't started at all. And if I'm going to start thinking about gifts, the logical thing to do is make my list first, right?

__one__ So, as a mom, I probably shouldn't want to ask for household items for Christmas, but oh.em.gee I want this Roomba SO BAD. With 3 dogs that shed all year long and two little girls that like to crumble cookies into the carpet, I feel like this will help keep my sanity.

 

__two__ The less practical side of me thinks these Kate Spade earrings would be so fun to wear to a New Year's Party and I would love to find them under the tree!

 

__three__ I already own Table Topics for Couples (a gift I gave the hubby last Christmas), but I'd really love the Table Topics for Dinner Parties to liven up our next event. 

__four__ I already own this Kate Spade wallet in black leather, but I love it so much I've been itching to get my hands on a new fun color. The holiday blue would look great against my black handbag and give me the pop I'm looking for!

 

__five__ I take my coffee from home every morning to work, because I'm a bit of a coffee snub and prefer the non commercial variety. Daniel likes to "borrow" my Yeti, so I need something hot pink so he won't want to take it, but still functional and do the job. This RTIC variety is cheaper and has great reviews!

Five on Friday: I'm back!

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The past few weeks have been INSANE. I am so thankful for a supportive husband and kids that make me feel special even if I only see them for 15 minutes at a time for days in a row.

Now that work has settled down for a bit, I'm back with Five on Friday!

__one__ Emery had croup this weekend (do anyone else's kids only get sick on the weekend?), so I took Caroline by myself to the pumpkin patch while Daniel stayed back with Emmie. I actually really enjoyed the one on one time with my oldest gal. We went down huge slides, rode on a hayride, petted various farm animals, and picked out a gigantic lopsided pumpkin on our way out. As I carried out said pumpkin and another small pumpkin for Ems, Caroline was begging for me to carry her along with the pumpkins, and a nice dad asked if I needed help to my car. Thank goodness for the kindness of strangers!

__two__ Daniel and I had the rare opportunity to get out for a date night last Thursday, and we went to a fundraiser concert that included Charles Esten and Lady Antebellum. It was an awesome, intimate setting at the City Winery in Nashville (I love living 30 minutes away from such a fun city!) and we had a GREAT time. My phone pictures really don't do the night justice.

__three__ Halloween was a blast! We had a costume contest at work, and we dressed up as dominoes in our department. Last year we went all out as Smurfs, blue faces and all, and we were ready for something easy this year with all we've had going on. We all wore black pants and shirts, and bought these felt circles from Amazon that had adhesive. We didn't win the contest, but we had a really fun day.

The kids dressed up as the PJ Masks....complete with my friend's son as CatBoy and the girls as Owelette and Gecko.

__four__ Right now, I am obsessing over this Essie nail polish. The color is so fabulous for fall, and it just makes my nails look so put together when they are most definitely not.


                                                                 

__five__ We are heading to Disney with the kids in February, and in less than a month I need to choose our Fast Passes. Any tips/fast pass recommendations for traveling to Disney with a 4 year old and 2 year old? I appreciate any suggestions, since the last time I went to Disney was 6 years ago and kidless!