ICE! At the Gaylord 2019

ICE! 2019 at the Gaylord Texan did not disappoint!  I loved the Charlie Brown Christmas theme this year, it was so nostalgic & fun.  We’ve been taking Connor to ICE! since he was around 2 years old, so I’d like to think we are somewhat pros at this whole event, but each year something new surprises me.  I never get tired of seeing the exhibit year after year.  If you want to see photos of previous years they are a lot of fun (Search “ICE at the Gaylord” in the search bar in the right column).

Terence stayed home with Heidi this year because she’s a bit too little to be in an environment this cold.  Connor brought his best friend Ben, and I brought my bestie Ellen.  We all had a great time…how can you not?  The Gaylord Texan is a magical place especially at Christmas time.

They don’t just have the ICE! exhibit during the season, there are a lot of other fun activities you can do as well.  There’s the holiday escape room, you can buy tickets when you get there or book online. If you combine ICE! with 2 or more events you can also save up to 30% on your visit.

The Gingerbread decorating corner

Here we are about to walk into ICE!  There are a lot of things to do out in the central gathering area…Lots of food, hot chocolate, a gift shop, Build a Bear, a carousel, snow tubing, and so much more!

These sculptures take months to create and pictures just don’t do them justice.  Here’s my friend Ellen 🙂

The ice slide never disappoints and is the main attraction inside the ICE! exhibit.  I know my son can’t wait to reach the ice slide every year.  Also, there is a reason you wear the blue coat…you have to pull it down over your bottom BEFORE you go down the slide!  It helps you slip slide down.  One year I didn’t wear a blue coat & got stuck on the slide.  Lol!

Charlie Brown Christmas Tree

Every year ICE! ends with the nativity scene and I LOVE that the Gaylord recognizes the true meaning of Christmas.

Unlimited snow tubing with pass.  This is another can’t miss feature and worth the upgrade.  Also, if you decide to get a VIP ticket you get to skip all the lines & get a free hot cocoa which is pretty nice, especially on weekends.

The carousel

Connor and Ben going for a ride and warming up with Dunkin’ hot chocolate.

Thank you so much to our friends at The Gaylord Texan we love you and LOVED being a part of ICE! this year.  If you all have any questions feel free to comment or check out my stories on Instagram too where I highlighted a bunch of stuff.

GET YOUR TICKETS HERE.  DON’T FORGET TO USE COUPON CODE “JAVA” FOR 50% OFF (SELECT DATES ONLY)

Feel the Heat with Breville Combi Wave 3-in-1 Microwave

This post is sponsored by Best Buy.

With the holidays around the corner I know you all are going to have a ton of baking and cooking to do!  Who doesn’t love to sit, relax, and watch a Hallmark Christmas movie or two?  I love to sit back, pop some popcorn, and snuggle in with a cozy blanket.
Speaking of popcorn…have you heard of the new Breville Combi 3-in-1 Microwave?  We already own several Breville appliances in our home and they are wonderful quality and we’ve had them for years.  That’s how I know that this microwave is AMAZING!

The combination Microwave that Air Fries and is a convection oven all in one! This microwave lets you air fry (crunchy fries, brussel sprouts, chicken wings), bake or roast (whole chickens, lasagna, chocolate brownies) or simply microwave with even heat distribution.  The Combi has a 80% quieter soft close door – so no more microwave slams! It’s also 50% quieter while in operation. Clever touches like child lock & mute buttons mean less beeps/bumps/clangs and more pops, bites and crunches!

  • Intuititively easy presets at your fingertips: Smart Cook, Smart Reheat & Smart Defrost
  • The “Fast Combi” function of the Combi Wave 2-in-1 is designed to  cook your favorite dishes faster. Using Microwave, Convection Oven and Grilling to achieve the desired temperature and perfect results in less time.
  • Powered by the Element iQ system, smart algorithms steer power to where and when it’s needed to create the ideal cooking environment.
  • The Power Smoothing™ Inverter gives you precise & even heat distribution, reheating & cooking dishes evenly for more delicious results.

If you’re looking for “the” appliance to do it all this season I think this microwave is it!

Fa La La La FALL!

 

October recap coming in strong!

I can’t believe this year has already almost passed us by.  It’s been quite a year as well!  I took these two to the pumpkin patch one afternoon thankfully before it got too busy.  Oh what a blessing these kiddos are in my life.  Connor is the best, goofiest, and sweetest big brother ever.  I can tell he’ll always watch over Heidi even when we cannot.  It’s the sweetest thing watching them grow and bond with each other despite the 9 year age gap.  Heidi has been the best surprise ever!

Here’s a little throwback to 2010 and Connor’s first pumpkin patch picture.  I think he was around 8 months here.

Oh no Heidi has sprouted EYEBALLS!  Connor loves messing with her too.  I can tell that is going to be a life long “thing” for these two. Ha ha!

Heidi got the cutest little pumpkin spice romper and it’s just the cutest thing EVER!

And I love my new fall t-shirt from Callie Danielle.  She’s going to be coming out with Christmas designs soon and I can’t wait to see those.

My friend Ellen and I went driving around last weekend and I love looking at fall “porchscapes”.  This one in particular was a favorite with the pink pumpkins and bats.  You can see all of the ones we saw on INSTAGRAM under the “Fall” highlights tab.

I also enjoyed my annual trip to Christmas in Cowtown.  I literally go just for the Toffarazzi booth.  If you have never tried their toffee….YOU MUST!  It’s amazing y’all!  (Pic at my cute friend Micah’s booth)

Earlier this month I had a wonderful girls night out with these three ladies.  The one on the far left some of you probably know as my silly friend Nicole, but it was sure nice to meet two new sweet faces.  I can’t tell you how refreshing it is to get out, especially after having a new baby and stuck in the house for months.

Sprinkles brought back their black velvet cupcakes for October and I went a little cray cray!  I looooove dark chocolate and these are EVERYTHING!  I wish they were a main menu item…so come on Sprinkles….make them come back right now so I can be as big as a house lol!

Halloween shopping around town.  I absolutely DO need these pumpkin glasses I can’t see out of ha!

Connor and his bestie Ben at The Creamistry.  Our favorite ice cream shop.

Can I get a helping hand here???  I need this many hands for sure these days to help out with Heidi.  Anyone want to change a diaper?

Connor started playing lacrosse and he really loves it so far.  Coach Brian is whipping him into shape because it’s a ton of running.  Now that it’s cooled down a bit outside it’s not as horrible to wear all that padding, but for awhile I could tell it was just miserable.  I’m so proud of this kiddo!

Connor and Heidi’s Halloween 2019.  Connor is a barista and Heidi is a cutieFrappuccino.  Some how Starbucks found our photo on social media and shared on their Facebook page with their fans…and let me just say that made this Mama’s ENTIRE LIFE!  My coffee addiction has been validated and stamped with approval.  Amen & Amen.  How cute are they?

This statement is basically…ME. 🙂  I hope y’all had a great October too & happy Halloween! I can’t wait to see everyone’s costumes.

xoxo Becky

Life is full of the greatest ups and down.  Remember to cherish every moment, take extra pictures, and never let a day go by without telling those you love how much they mean to you!

Fresh by Design with Bosch

This post is sponsored by Best Buy.

One of my favorite appliance brands is Bosch.  I just wrote about our purchase of a Bosch dishwasher and now looking at refrigerators Bosch seems like a great match! With true counter-depth refrigeration, this freestanding refrigerator sits flush with the counter-top, features hidden hinges, and is discreetly tucked away, all to give you a true built-in look and feel. We first purchased our current refrigerator before Connor was born, so it’s about time for a new one in a couple of years.   

With a stainless-steel finish Bosch refrigerators align perfectly with any stylish kitchen design.
Touch sensitive controls make operating simple and quick!  It contains 5 tempered glass shelves, 4 of which are adjustable and half-width, 3 gallon door bins and 2 humidity controlled compartments to provide ample space for storing items.  The revolutionary FarmFresh System™ combines four innovative technologies to keep your food fresh up to 3x longer, for less food wasted.  *As compared to a Bosch refrigerator without FarmFresh System™.  Results may vary among different foods.
An ingenious three-tier layered freezer drawer system creates extra storage for frozen items, from pizza boxes to frozen waffles.  Like breast milk and tons of bottles for this little diva 🙂
It also has a door alarm that alerts you when the refrigerator door is accidentally left open to save energy.  I do that so much and this is a great reminder feature!

Read More

Road Trip Baby!

Gosh I have the best intentions of blogging every day like I used to, but time just gets away from me.  With a 3 month old in the house and Connor’s school and sports activities it’s been crazy town over here.  Connor started playing Lacrosse and so far he loves it.  Heidi is starting to lift up her head and try to roll over.  I remember when Connor was a baby I would document his every movement and milestone….sorry Heidi I guess what they say about a second child is true! LOL!

Anyway….you can always catch us on the day to day on Instagram, but it sure is nice to write down a bit more than a few sentences and a picture every now and again.  About a month ago I took the kids up to Arkansas to see my family and we had a great time visiting.  Driving by myself with two kiddos in the back was quite the experience, but Connor was the best helper ever.  I don’t know what I would do without this boy.  They are far apart in age (9 1/2 years) but I know he’ll always be there for his little sister throughout her life.  That sure is an advantage of having kids further apart.  As for me….the creaky knees and back pain weren’t there ten years ago I swear!

We also had the opportunity to drive a brand new 2019 Mazda CX-5 and it was one of my favorite cars we’ve ever had the chance to try.  So we took Heidi on her very first road trip to see her family in Arkansas.

Priced in the mid 30’s it’s a smooth ride and I’ve never felt safer.  We are going to need a new car soon and I would definitely recommend this one to anyone looking for a family vehicle that’s not priced out the wazoo, but still has all the bells and whistles.

With a backup camera and even air conditioned seats the Mazda CX-5 made for a comfortable and safe ride.  It also has blind spot monitoring and alerts you of another vehicle around you with a chime and warning light in the side mirror.  

The Mazda CX-5 had USB ports in the backseat for Connor to plug all his tablets into.  That made for a much easier road trip on Mama and kept him occupied.

The display on the dash is another one of my favorite features.  Navigation, bluetooth, music selections, etc.  It’s all at your fingertips so you don’t get distracted looking down and trying to find all those crazy buttons and settings.  It also has Apple CarPlay™ & Android Auto™ integration.

The Bose speaker system sounded great too!

A baby requires a lot of STUFF!  From carseats, breastpumps, playmats, toys, bottles, and all the extras…the Mazda CX-5 fit all our stuff excellently!

Not to mention handling those hills and valleys in Arkansas.  

I even got to take my Nannie and sister for spin and we had a wonderful lunch together and one of our favorite spots in my hometown called Stoby’s.  

These BBQ chicken nachos were soooooooooo good and just looking at this photo is making me drool.  It may be time for another road trip after all!

Me and my twin sister Bonnie getting our donut fix!

I also got to visit one of my favorite restaurants with friends called YaYa’s.  They have the best dessert.  It’s a warm brownie wrapped in filo dough and then covered in chocolate!

Heidi with her Great Grandma, our sweet Nannie Sue.

Lunching with Nannie and Bonnie

Church Sunday with my Mom 🙂

Aunt Bonnie tried to take some pictures of Heidi too!  That went super well as you can tell. Ha!

Thank you Mazda for a wonderful road trip opportunity in the Mazda CX-5.  We absolutely loved it and can’t wait to go visit our family again soon!  And the biggest hugs to my big boy Connor for all your help and being such a wonderful big brother.  Love, Mama

Power Up with Brainiac Kids

This post is sponsored by BabbleBoxx.com on behalf of Brainiac Kids

After school snacks are a must at our house.  Sometimes I refer to Connor as a “black hole” because he is growing so much and constantly wanting to eat ALL.THE.TIME.  Life gets busy and it’s easy to just grab something convenient and unhealthy.  We recently got to try Brainiac Kids yogurts and here’s our story!

Whenever I’m giving Connor a new food to try (especially one that’s healthy) my Mom brain goes off and says “He probably won’t like it, but at least we tried it!”  Well, I didn’t have to do that with Brainiac Kids.  They are the first kid-friendly food that provides meaningful amounts of brain-fueling nutrients like Omega-3 DHA and choline. These are nutrients that most kids don’t consume enough of on a daily basis.

Connor replied with “Mom these are actually really good!”  That’s music to my ears y’all!  And I certainly didn’t expect to hear how much he really did like it!

The founder, Jonathan Wolfson, developed the product after learning about key nutrients in infant formula. “When we needed to switch our newborn to formula, my wife and I spent time investigating the options. The focus on brain nutrients made us stop and think. Are our older kids getting what they need? With the help of experts, we realized that while kids’ brains are still growing fast, most are not getting enough of the right brain nutrients from their diets. We brought together pediatricians, neurologists and nutritionists and developed BrainiacTMKids. Real and delicious food to support brain health.”

This is a very valid point.  I have a 9 year old and a new baby in the house and I often think the exact same thing!

We tried the Cherry Vanilla Yogurt Drink found at our local Central Market store.  I tried some too and it was delicious!  They come in a 4-pack, and available in tubes as well.
Each 2oz (8-pack) oz Brainiac Yogurt Tube contains the BrainPack® to ensure kids are getting the Omega-3 DHA, Omega-3 ALA, and choline they need for healthy brain development. With 40% less sugar than the leading kids’ yogurt tubes, 3g of protein, and probiotics.

Each 4 oz (4-pack) of Braniac Yogurt Drinks contains whole milk and are the smoothest way to boost kids’ brain power. Each easy-to-hold 4 oz. bottle includes our BrainPack® — a blend of nutrients their developing brains need including Omega-3s DHA and ALA, and choline. Better yet, they have 50% less sugar than the leading kids’ yogurt drink, plus 4g of protein, and probiotics.

FLAVORS:
Strawberry
Strawberry Banana
Mixed Berry
Cherry Vanilla

Easy, pack-able containers for lunch or snacking.

On average kids only get 69% of the daily recommended choline* intake. With Brainiac Kids products, kids get 100% of their daily choline needs.  Brainiac Yogurts also have 40% less sugar and 50% more protein than the leading kids yogurt.  They are all Pediatrician Approved, NON-GMO, Gluten-free, Kosher and have no artificial colors / preservatives.

Save $1 on any flavor multi-pack
Find your store HERE

GIVEAWAY:

School is back and we want your kids to have their best year ever! So, we’re fueling #backtoschool with this GIVEAWAY! The Brainiac Kids team have put together over $150
worth of fun ideas to help kickoff a year they’ll remember!

TO ENTER:  Follow @BrainiacKids on Instagram and comment on this photo on their page!
(Receive an extra entry for sharing their post in your Instagram stories and tagging them @BrainiacKids so you can receive the extra entry. Account MUST be public and be shared from the Brainiac account)

Three lucky winners will receive:


* 1-month supply of BrainiacTM Kids Whole Milk Yogurt with the BrainPackTM (up to $40 value)
* 1 glow-in-the-dark lightning backpack or mini-backpack (up to $59 value)
* 1 @PlayOsmo Coding Awbie game ($49 value)
* Stickers, a puzzle, a yo-yo and other fun BrainiacTM Kids swag! (priceless!)
BrainiacTM Kids Yogurt will be awarded as coupons to redeem for free product at the winner’s
local retailer. Contest open to US residents only. Must be 18 or older to win. Giveaway closes
Friday, September 27th @ 8 PM PDT. @BrainiacKids will announce 3 lucky winners Monday,
September 30th in their stories. So, don’t forget to watch!

 

Hey Punkin Treat Tags

Every year I love making printables for the holidays. I’ve made some cute ones in the past….so here’s one to share with y’all this year!

Hey Punkin!

TO PRINT:

(You can print directly, or copy and paste in Word to make more than one at once.)  I used Pumpkin Reeses Cups, but you can use whatever Pumpkin goodness you desire 🙂