Favorite Summer Outdoor Essentials

This post is sponsored by BabbleBoxx.com

Summer is officially in full swing and can I just say how great it feels to have a somewhat “normal” summer this year.  Oh the things we take for granted when we aren’t able to do them.  Connor is officially out of elementary school and Heidi is about to turn two years old.  I say this constantly, but the time sure does fly by in a heartbeat.  We are looking forward to a healthy, happy, and joyful summer this year!

There are certain things in life that just help you get through- you know like coffee?  Well, I’d love to share with you some products I’ve tried recently that are made to help you get through summer with a breeze and ease!

The first product we are loving are the New Skin® Liquid Bandages.  These are a new type of bandage in a liquid form to help protect scrapes, blisters, and cuts.  Adhesive bandages are hard to stick on certain areas, especially those tiny nooks and crannies between fingers and toes.  My kiddos get cuts and scrapes all the time, so we are excited about this easy new alternative.  New Skin Liquid Bandages keep water, dirt, and 99.9% of germs out so your cuts can heal.

The new Skin Sensitive & New Skin Botanicals is the 1st and only hypoallergic liquid bandage.  Great for people who are sensitive to adhesives.   The one thing that kids are super afraid of when it comes to adhesive bandages is the dreaded pulling it off!  With these bandages you don’t have to worry because they are pain free and easy to apply and remove.   

I can see us using this product all summer and it’s definitely easy to carry around.  With no mess or trash to deal with count this Mom in!

The second product that’s getting me through summer is something I’ve used for YEARS!  Pamprin for period relief.  Pamprin is more than just a pain reliever- it’s a period reliever.  Pamprin was MADE for periods and is formulated to relieve the discomfort of cramps, headaches and backaches PLUS added ingredients to ease fatigue and bloating.  I have the WORST period symptoms, so this is definitely a must to get me through summer time.

We just got our pool repaired from the crazy winter storm in February.  We are usually in it every day by now and are excited to start spending these hot summer days in our pool.  As a child my Mom used to take my sister and I to the local community pool and we spent all day in the chlorinated water.  I remember our hair turning a greenish blue color and freaking out a bit!  We just discover Ultra Swim Shampoo– a shampoo that is made specifically for swimmers.  It is a favorite of both competitive and recreational swimmers for many years due to it being the absolute best chlorine removal shampoo on the market. It’s also a favorite for Mamas who don’t want kids with green or blue hair!  Lol!  Chlorine build up occurs quickly, creating dry, brittle and unmanageable hair. This shampoo bonds to the chlorine, and then rinses it away leaving hair tangle free, chlorine free and not susceptible to breakage. As a Mom to kids who are in the pool all summer, this is also a MUST.  Ultra Swim Shampoo is moisturizing and is safe to use after every swim too! 

I do love a refreshing beverage in the summer time!  4C is a Brooklyn based premier manufacturer of Powdered Beverages including Iced Tea, Drink Mixes & Energy Stix.  Energy Rush Stix from 4C are delicious- I had one today and yesterday! These stix are easy to carry on the go to the pool, to work, or wherever you are headed this summer.  Just add to a water bottle and you are good to go!  4C Energy Rush Stix are about half the cost of RedBull with the same ingredients.  It also has no sugar is low in calories.  More energy for less money is always a win/win for our family!  4C comes in several flavors like Berry, Orange, and Citrus.

Thank you for allowing me to share some of our summertime favorites and I hope you check them out and enjoy these too!

xo- Becky

Connor’s 11th Birthday

My baby boy turned 11 on March 4th.  He’s not such a baby anymore…remember THIS.  It seems like yesterday.  I say it every day, but time sure does have a way of flying by!  I know I haven’t been the best blogger.  I guess I figure people are more “Insta” these days, but I still like to write out my own memories and stories.

Maybe it’s because of covid and the craziness of the world, but I haven’t really felt like blogging. I’m so GLAD things are finally turning a corner and getting back to normal.

Anyway- this post isn’t about me…but I just wanted to explain my lapse in blogging.

CONNOR IS ELEVEN!  God hold and keep him close to you all of his days.  Connor has a heart of gold I pray never tarnishes.  He always has the best intentions…even if they aren’t the best ideas! Ha ha!  He is a precarious, handsome, Fornite, YouTube loving boy.  He starts middle school next year and I know he’ll do great.  Here are some pictures from his 11th birthday party.  We had to keep it pretty small because of restrictions, but we were excited to see some friends we hadn’t seen in awhile.  He’s been BEGGING to go to a trampoline place, so that’s what we did 🙂

And a birthday breakfast for my tweenager 🙂

Mother’s Day 2021 with Little Bites + A Fun Giveaway Too!

Happy Mother’s Day to all the Moms and Motherly examples in the world.  I hope you all have a wonderful, blessed day.  I woke up this morning and the kids surprised me with a sweet card and pedicure gift card.  I’ll definitely be looking forward to that 🙂  These two give my life so much joy and love – along with crazy days and sleepless nights– it’s all worth it!

I’m excited to partner with Entenmann’s Little Bites® today to share our love of their new limited edition Vanilla muffins.  My kids eat these ALL.THE.TIME.  Little Bites are the perfect grab and go snack for Moms all around.  The tweenager can eat a whole box if I don’t stop him lol!  Heidi loves them too and if she finds me or anyone else digging into them she starts to beg….they are that good!

We love all flavors of Little Bites, but are super excited to see that Entenmann’s Little Bites® Vanilla muffins are back!  This classic flavor is not only delicious, but contains no high fructose corn syrup, no artificial flavors, and 0g trans-fat, making them a snack kids will love and a choice parents can feel good about.

CONTEST DETAILS:  From May 1 through May 31, fans can visit www.littlebitesmothersmay.com to enter to win daily prizes including:

  • Coupons for a free box of Little Bites Vanilla muffins
  • A year’s supply of Little Bites
  • DoorDash gift card
  • SpaFinder gift card
  • Hotels.com gift card
  • Fans can enter the Mother’s May Giveaway daily for that day’s corresponding prize by filling out the simple entry form that asks for their name, email and phone number
  • Winners will be selected daily
  • Limit one daily prize per person
  • One Grand Prize winner will be selected via random drawing at the end of the sweepstakes to win $1,000

I’ve entered!!!  I hope you do too…because my philosophy is somebody’s got to win why not me???

Entenmann’s Little Bites® is allowing me to do a fun giftaway with all of you too!

ENTER TO WIN A $25 VISA GIFT CARD + 3 COUPONS FOR THE PURCHASE OF ENTENMANN’S LITTLE BITES

(This giveaway is sponsored byEntenmann’s Little Bites® Snacks and they are only providing the $25 virtual Visa gift card and three (3) coupons for up to $5.00 off the purchase of Entenmann’s Little Bites® products)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The coupons for product redemption, information, and gift card have been provided by Entenmann’s Little Bites® so that I could try the product and share my thoughts and information about Entenmann’s Little Bites®. The opinions expressed in this post are my own and do not reflect the opinions of Entenmann’s Little Bites®.” 

Dainty Details: Layering Gold Necklaces

This post is sponsored by Responsival.  All thoughts and opinions are my own.

These days I’m all about dainty gold jewelry. I’ve always loved to layer my jewelry and add to some of my statement pieces as well.  AU-Rate has some of the most beautiful, sparkly pieces I’ve seen to date.  All the goods, like dainty gold necklaces, rings, and earrings.  I recently purchased this emerald birthstone necklace and have been wearing it every day since.  It’s so beautiful, and most of the time I don’t even realize it’s on.  I can wear it with my other statement necklaces easily because it’s a great layering piece.  

With my 40th birthday coming up (**cough**)  I love this piece as a remembrance of the month when my twin sis and I were born.  I’d love to add a couple more with maybe the kid’s birthstones and my hubby’s.   This would also make a great gift for a May birthday gal or a graduate this season too!

The necklace was packaged beautifully with a travel pouch if you are going somewhere and want to take it with you.

Mother’s Day gift idea alert!!!  With Mother’s Day right around the corner these gold birthstone rings are beautiful to layer with your wedding band.

I love wearing jewelry.  It just makes me put together.  As a Mom that works full-time outside the home…y’all know it’s sometimes hard to look “put together”.  That’s the thing about jewelry, even the simplest of pieces shine and can make you feel like a million bucks Mamas!  Now that I have a little girl in my life I’m hoping I can pass on some of these beautiful jewels to my daughter someday.  I want her to enjoy them just as much as I do!  Speaking of having a daughter…where’s my wedding dress from 20 years ago???  I know she’d totally want to wear that again! Ha ha!  Oh how time flies!

Doesn’t everyone have a dream ring?  As you get older your style changes and I’m obsessed with art deco rings and old world cut stones.  I’ve been to several jewelry shows here in Dallas with my friend Ellen, so I’ve seen a lot of different styles.  It would be so cool to design fine jewelry- I love old world stones because something about them is other worldly.  They look like they’ve been through a lot and still shine incredibly brilliant.

These adorable heart hoops from one of my favorite designers Kendra Scott are also a classic piece.  Has anyone seen her as a judge on Shark Tank this season?  My Mom was telling me about her being on the show and I’ve yet to see her!  Love her story.

No matter who you are buying for…or even if you are gifting yourself because #YOLO.  These dainty gold and classic pieces are always a great choice.  What kind of jewelry are you all into these days?  I know styles and trends certainly change over the years.  If you would have asked me 15 years ago I would have said I’m a silver girl all the way, but lately I’m loving the comeback of yellow gold.

Don’t forget to accessorize ladies! Muah!

xo Becky

ShopPlayWin at Albertson’s with Monopoly!

This post is sponsored by Sivan Social. All comments and opinions are my own.

Grocery shopping-It’s either something you love or loathe.  If you are a Mom of small children you know how grocery shopping can be better some days that others.  Our local Albertson’s right down the street is one of our favorite places to shop, not to mention it has a Starbucks too!  Making grocery shopping FUN for all the Moms while getting things checked of that list!

Another thing we love about our Albertson’s is the Monopoly game.  We’ve been playing for years and this time it’s a bit different because you no longer need a paper board or all the paper pieces of the puzzle.  I actually end up losing half my pieces because I can’t keep up with them anyway.  So I’m super excited about the new ShopPlayWin App.  The App keeps track of all your game pieces, prizes, and coupons all in one spot!

So far I have won several coupons, free bread, and tickets to enter some amazing prizes.  The Monopoly game is going on March 3rd – May 4th, 2021.  You can get your game pieces at ACME, Albertsons, Albertsons Market, Carrs, Jewel Osco, Market Street, Pavilions, Randalls, Safeway, Shaws, Star Market, Tom Thumb and Vons.

You will still be handed your tickets at check out – based on your grocery purchase.

Download the App from your phone’s App store and scan each ticket in.  Easy as that!  You can throw it away because it’s already been scanned and accounted for.

These are some of the things I’ve won so far:

Enter your tokens to win some BIG prizes too!  

There are signs all over the store telling you which items are eligible for a “Monopoly Ticket”.  There are over $230,000,000 in prizes!

Heidi helped me pick out a balloon and some Fortnite V-Bucks for her big brother’s birthday 🙂

If you get a Valpak in your mailbox -open to see if you’re an instant winner of a $100 gift card and to get more details on how to win groceries for life!

You also have the chance to win Savings.com’s #GoShopPlayWin gift card giveaway HERE!!!

—–>RSVP to join the #GoShopPlayWin Twitter party at 10AM PT/1PM ET on Thursday, March 25th, to talk about the game and for even more chances to win a $100 gift card.

With so many chances to win you will never walk away empty handed and I can’t wait to join in on all the fun parties and keep playing the Monopoly game at our favorite Albertson’s.

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Game tickets end 5/4/21. Must be resident of an eligible U.S. state listed in rules; 18+. Visit www.shopplaywin.com for full rules, incl. how to enter without purchase. Series MON-14. MONOPOLY™ & © 1935, 2021 Hasbro, Pawtucket, RI 02861-1059 USA. All Rights Reserved. TM & ® denote U.S. Trademarks. Hasbro is not a sponsor of this promotion.

Christmas 2020

Christmas is always a busy season for us.  A lot of things were especially limited this year, but we still had an amazing time at some of our favorite places around DFW.

This is one of my favorite photos from the Bingham House in McKinney, Tx.  We all enjoyed a lovely breakfast with Santa. Pictures with Santa were a bit different this year with Santa behind plexi glass.

Some pretty pictures of my Heidi Bug 🙂

And my almost 11 year old Connor. Oh my goodness!

This is one of my favorite pictures from Luminova in Arlington, TX this year.  The lights were so pretty!

2020 Christmas tree

Some fun pictures from the Gaylord Texan.  We sure did enjoy this walk through experience of our favorite movies.  Like Elf, A Christmas Story, The Polar Express, and Christmas Vacation.

Our Christmas card photo

More photos of breakfast and storytime at the Binham House with Santa.

Pictures from the lovely lights at Luminova!

The beautiful Gaylord Texan.

We hope you all had a lovely holiday season…and as always you can follow me daily on the GRAM! xoxo Becky

Girls Trip: 2021 Toyota Avalon

My bestie Ellen and I recently went on a girls trip to celebrate a friend’s 40th birthday and we both also turn 40 in a couple of months…*cough* *cough*

Anyway, we will talk about that dreaded milestone later.  On our road trip I got the chance to drive the brand new 2021 Avalon up to Hot Springs, AR.  It’s so beautiful and scenic up there.  We must have seen at least 100 deer and despite the rain all weekend we had a great time visiting, eating, and watching movies.  We also took a trip to Ulta to check out makeup and hair goodies.  Ya know all the stuff girls do 🙂I owned an Avalon for 11 years and it is still my VERY favorite car that I’ve ever owned.  I miss it…and each time I drive the newer versions it just reiterates why I love the Avalon so much.

I shall point out a few of my favorite features for y’all in case you want to check them out:

Heads up display.  Know your speed- day and night.  It’s right in front of your eyeballs. 

This midnight blue color is gorgeous!  I’m rolling up picking Ellen up for our trip.

Navigation is key, especially on those city highways to country roads.

Booty warmers and Booty air conditioners make my life complete.  This will DEFINITELY be in my next car.  We sure did have a good time jamming to XM Radio and 90’s on 9 too.  All the songs we grew up with.  We always stop at Burger King…that’s our place to go.  Their Impossible Whopper is LEGIT y’all!

Drivers side view.  This tan/brown leather is the perfect color.  It’s super soft and rich and the perfect go-between a dark and light shade.

Oh!  I also got to visit with my twin sister Bonnie who drove up to Hot Springs to visit too! Yay!

Backup and overhead cameras

The back seat area is as spacious as an SUV, and even has more room than some SUV’s on the market.  It’s definitely a luxury ride.

Front dash display and cupholders for all the different sized cups.

These are the adorable cottages we stayed at in Hot Springs.  They were so nice and clean on the inside.  Each one even has a garage- but they were in the middle of a reno so we parked outside.  They are doing a great job at updating all the cottages though.

Check out the 2021 Toyota Avalon HERE or you can also go to my Instagram HERE and watch my “CARS” stories to see the entire video.

Thanks for reading…and looking forward to a healthier & happier 2021 and some fun TRAVEL!!!