Moms' Coffee Date

It's time for our Friday linkup with Erika, Narci and Andrea! T-It has been a busy week in our house!  I love this time of year, but the days just don't seem long enough!  FAVORITE #1 My husband received a Christmas card today FROM THE WHITE HOUSE!  No matter what your political affiliation, you have to admit that getting mail from the President is awesome!  My husband was recognized during teacher appreciation week last May and the President mentioned my husband in his speech.  I guess this put us on "the list" for a card.  My husband is a government teacher, so it is especially meaningful to him.  SO COOL!! FAVORITE #2 After I watched the Gilmore Girls revival on Netflix, I couldn't get enough so I decided to read Lauren Graham's new autobiography.  It is called Talking As Fast As I Can.   It was funny and a quick read.  I really enjoyed it!  If you are a fan of Gilmore Girls  or Parenthood , you sh...

Today, we are linking up with the amazing  Erika ,  Narci , and  Andrea ! Favorite #1 Another #FallBucketListMCD item can be checked off...fall craft with kids!  I cannot take the credit for this craft, but they turned out so cute!  My sister in law did a pumpkin craft with my kids on Sunday.  They hot glued wine corks together and painted the outside orange.  Then, they added another cork on top that they painted green.  Finally, they added a small leaf.  The result was an adorable pumpkin.  I love them!  It was very easy and my girls had a great time making them.  I will definitely be adding them to my fall decor. Favorite #2 My family FINALLY got a new car!  This may not sound like a huge deal to some of you, but my family drives cars into the ground.  My last car was 12 years old and we had started to have issues with it, so we decided it was time to look for a new car.  As we looked a...

Hi, everyone! As you saw, if you follow us on FaceBook, Instagram or Twitter, (and if you don't, please do!) you will have noticed that I enjoyed a Pumpkin Spice Latte from Starbucks on the first day they were available earlier this month! It felt like such an accomplishment to mark the first item off of my Fall Bucket List!  In case you missed it... Here I am! I was trying to let you see the label, me and the Starbucks sign. I think I need to work on my selfie game! My next Fall Bucket List item to complete was thanks in part to something I found at Williams-Sonoma!  I had stopped in their store to look around one morning and I saw this mix.  I generally like to make things from scratch, but this mix just spoke to me. And it was on SALE! AND chocolate?!?! Can you go wrong? Elliot and I made this together one afternoon. And we could NOT. STOP. EATING. IT! I made it into 4 smaller loaves so we could freeze a few to last a little longe...

Hi Coffee Daters! I hope you enjoyed our multiple posts today on our social media! We thought it would be fun to show you our actual extended coffee date! Trina and I only have the opportunity to see each other a few times a year, since we live in different cities, hours apart. We truly cherish these few days a year we get to spend together. We have done this so many times now, that we have sort of a routine to maximize our time together.  First, we meet at our usual spot. Trina drops her car off and I am chauffeur for the day! We go to a Starbucks and get some coffee, because...it's Moms' Coffee Date! (Sorry! I couldn't resist!) Next, we take our coffees and head to the nearest Target to browse WITHOUT kids! We talk about our kids and trade tips about what we have seen there that has been helpful lately! Today, I got a lesson in being a Dance Mom! Trina's girls are into dance. I learned that the leotards at Target are good quality, but at a much lower cost tha...

Hi! Grab your favorite cup o' joe, pull up a comfy chair and let's chat about traveling with kids! So, my kids have been out of school for a couple of weeks now. And like most people, we want to travel more while they are out of school for the summer. So here are some things I have discovered make traveling with kids a bit easier. I find that the more prepared you are, the smoother the traveling part goes. You are happier for it and so are they! My family and I just returned from a vacation to Cancun! (I hope to post more about the trip soon!) So, we traveled by air rather than in a car. Can you imagine driving from Virginia to Cancun!?!?! These tips may differ a bit from a road trip, but I think most can be applied to both.  My sons are older (8 and 12), so they entertain themselves pretty well. We have made it a tradition to buy a new video game for them to play when we go on long trips. Now, they look forward to picking out a new game. (Full disclosure: my kids l...

Hello, friends! Today was the big unveiling of Starbucks' newest beverage called, Vanilla Sweet Cream Cold Brew. So of course, I had to run to my nearest Starbucks to give it a try. It seemed especially appropriate to share my opinion with all of you! So, I am enjoying it by the pool while my kids swim! I have to say, it's pretty good! I got a tall with 2 pumps of vanilla syrup rather than the usual 3. It was a tiny bit bitter, but the aftertaste was good! I am attempting to cut back on sugar. I am admittedly, not very good at it, but I try to cut back where I can. Vanilla Sweet Cream Cold Brew On a side note, isn't that a fun watermelon pool raft in the background? I got it on AmazonSmile after we saw it during a commercial break for Nickelodeon's Henry Danger.  I thought it was really cute, and my kids are obsessed with it! You can find it here:  http://smile.amazon.com/Swimline-Watermelon-Slice-Island-Inflatable   And yes, Amazon Smile. You use it like regular...