Rewind Friday // Painting with sidewalk chalk

Welcome to Rewind Friday link up #3! So glad your'e joining us! As I was going through the archives I wasn't set on any one post but as I came across this one, it jumped out at me- it would be perfect for a summer activity! This was originally posted on April 21, 2014, the day after Brian's birthday and Easter:

"Did you know you can make beautiful pictures using chalk and water?  Just by dipping the chalk into water and then coloring on colored construction paper you get vibrant colors a lot like pastels but without the mess (no residue on the fingers!) and you can also blend colors too!  Its a less- mess way to explore a new medium of painting using less expensive tools; win- win. You could also do this sans the construction paper outside on the... wait for it... sidewalk(!) for a bigger canvas to create on :)" {Read more Painting with sidewalk chalk...}

Last month's Spotlight blogger post was Lindsay's Sweet World's very best summer cocktail!

If you want to be our Spotlight Post, just link up an oldie but goodie with us the last Friday of every month! Thanks for joining Beth, Meghan,Stephanie and I! The next Rewind Friday will be on Friday, August 26th. Now it's your turn to add your link below! Also join us on IG using #RewindFridayParty.

An InLinkz Link-up

Beth Our Pretty Little Girls

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Meghan The Adventure Starts Here

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Stephanie Wife Mommy Me

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Whitney Work it Mommy

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Linking up here.

   

   

What Kinsey Wore // Back-to-School shopping

Since I can't be in denial anymore about Kinsey starting Kindergarten (in exactly a week, sob) I am embracing the chaotic whirlwind that is back to school shopping. Don't get me wrong, I love the shopping aspect, the growing up part is where I'm struggling. Affiliate links used. A small commission may be received if you purchase an item through my links. Thank you for supporting my blog!

Thank goodness Old Navy has my number (or maybe not?) because I am seriously IN LOVE with all their girls Fall line. I wanted everything that was in their mailer last week and couldn't be happier when the 40% sale started over the weekend! And here's a bit of sap, but my In Laws are the greatest because they bought all of these goodies for Kinsey (minus two jeans that we already owned). And since Kinsey is at 5T, she now has double the selection of clothes shopping toddler and girls sections, so fun! I also did "the math" and figured I can make about 15+ different outfit combinations using these pieces so I'm feeling very confident she is set for the rest of the year.

Here's to being the best dressed in class.

Back-to-School Old Navy must haves! by work-it-mommy 

chambray top / cheetah jeggings / shift dress / leggings / booties / gauze top / floral jeggings / arrow tee / stripe tee /  black jeggings /  mustard shell / mustard cardigan / cuffed jeans

And yes, I dress my daughter in clothes I, myself would wear. Is that wrong? I didn't think so ;) 

Linking up here.

   

   

Currently // July

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Watching// The remake of The Parent Trap starring Lindsay Lohan with Kinsey. I'm looking forward to watching the original with her now!

Reading// I remember when Helen Fielding's Bridget Jones's Diary first came out and seeing a display at our local bookstore (which has since been shutdown, such a pity) so being "old enough" to read this feels like a great achievement. And probably is the sole highlight of this venture. I was little impressed and will say that the movie is definitely better. 

American Housewife: Stories by Helen Ellis was hilarious! Several of the short stories resonated with me and several were bizarre but still very entertaining. I will say I picked this book up at the library because the cover tickled my fancy and I'm very glad that gamble paid off! Ironic how both the author's names are Helen, right?! 

I was able to sneak in a third book this month (I'm shocked too) Graeme Simsion's The Rosie Project: A Novel. This was such a great read! It was funny and educational and the main character, Don Tillman, was awesome. It is an unconventional love story that really made me feel good during and after reading. Do yourself a favor and read this book!

Dreaming of// What this new year will look like (I know I'm not the only one out there, come on Teachers, that thinks the real calendar begins in August ;)

Eating// S'mores flavored everything. It's a problem.

Going// To Great America!

Loving// The last care-free days of summer vacation.

Planning// PTA shenanigans. Let me just say, after the dream of being a mom and then being a SAHM, being in the PTA is like UP there for me. I'm very excited for this experience!

Pinning// How to wear LuLaRoe. I may have gotten in over my head...

Praying// It's a prayer list guys! For my Papa who is in the hospital due to having multiple strokes within two days. For the Firefighters fighting the Carmel/Big Sur fire. That the school/ work transitions go well. 

Texting// BBFF (blog best friend forever, duh) Amanda. You don't even know how long it took me to get up the nerve to ask for her number. Aaaand I totally sound like a teenage boy.

Wearing// Tees and sneakers. All day every day.

Wishlist// Has anyone else fallen IN LOVE with all the fall clothes?! Just me?

Linking up here.

   

   

Amy of keepin' up with the Smiths {The Mommylogues Series}

I'm so happy to have Amy as the guest host today for the Mommylogues Series! We have much in common but sharing a last name practically makes us family, right?! I love her words of encouragement over comparison and know you will too!

Hey there! I'm Amy & I blog over at keepin' up with the Smiths. {FYI: My blog is now private, but if you are interested in following along send me an email or leave me a comment below & I'll get you added. :)} Way back in January, when Whitney announced this series, I knew I wanted to be a part of it. I have enjoyed reading everyone's posts so very much.

Motherhood has changed me in ways that I never knew was possible. Motherhood has made my days brighter & nights longer. It has made my coffee stronger & meals quicker. Motherhood has made my house messier & floors dirtier. It has made my laugh louder & my tears fall quicker. It is by far the most rewarding thing I've ever done.

Being a mama, of course, hasn't come without its challenges. One of the biggest challenges, I've faced is the comparison game. I previously posted this back in January when Cash was 3 & Wyatt was just 4 months old, but wanted to share it all with you again, as I feel it is so important for new mamas, veteran mamas & all the mamas in between.

Back in 2012 when Cash was born, I was surrounded by first time mamas. A few of my friends & I all had babies {and all boys for that matter} within 6 weeks of each other. Talk about a wonderful support system! I was {and still am} so blessed to get to do life with these amazing mamas & their little ones, but if I'm being honest, there were moments {okay, a lot of moments} of comparison on my part. Your baby is sleeping how long? He rolled over when? Your little guy is eating solids? Now, he's crawling? And talking? And walking? The list would go on & on. Every little thing that one child did before mine, I would get this tinge of guilt. When was Cash going to do certain things? As Cash & the boys got older, my comparing died down. Even though I knew that each child develops at his/her own pace, I couldn't help but get caught up in the comparison game. I vowed that I wouldn't do that again.

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Well, enter Wyatt. I'm back at it again. I get so down on myself for comparing Wyatt to Cash. When is Wyatt going to sleep through the night? When is he going to roll consistently? So on & so forth. It's a dirty little game that I play with myself. Not only is it not fair, it's tiring. I know that I'm not alone & that many others feel this way. It's a very defeating feeling. For that, I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry that you are struggling with guilt & comparison. I just want you, the overwhelmed Mama, to know that this is a season. A season that will pass just as quickly as the leaves change colors on a brisk fall day.

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So, dear Mama, your baby will roll over, he will eat solids & learn to drink from a sippy cup. She will learn how to sit on her own & support her tiny little self. He will begin to rock back & forth & before too long, he'll be crawling. Your sweet baby girl will soon stand, then cruise the furniture & then she will be toddling along on her wobbly, little feet. He will learn his colors & shapes, go to the bathroom on his own & before we know it, we will send those sweet little babies off to school.

The time with these precious little souls is fleeting. We will blink & this season will be over. The tears, frustration & doubt that we've endured will be so worth seeing these perfect little humans that we've created face the world. They will no longer need us the way they've needed us for so long. They will be independent & strong, thanks to you. Thanks to your encouragement & never ending love, they will be able to hold their heads up high. Thanks to your tender heart & kindness, these sweet babies will understand how to care for others. Thanks to your patience & guidance, they will be able to do so many things. Things that we can't even imagine right now.

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So, dear Mama, if no one else tells you or if you haven't heard this for a while, let me be the one to say it. You are doing right by your children. You are doing a wonderful job. You are doing the best that is for your family. You got this.

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Thank you so much, Whitney, for bringing all of us mamas together! 

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Archives:

My Journey to Motherhood {Introduction to The Mommylogues Series}

Amanda from Tickled Pink

Elizabeth from Chasin' Mason

Beth from Our Pretty Little Girls

Stephanie from Wife Mommy Me

Courtney of Sweet Turtle Soup

Danielle from Sparkles and Lattes

Aubrey of Aubrey Zaruba

Sarah from Seeing All Sides

Jess from Scott Family of Maine

Meghan of The Adventure Starts Here

Liz from Ellie and Addie

Desiree from Macke Monologues

Our visit to the Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum

Or alternatively know as "this place is a piece of trash." -Kinsey

Let's start with some backstory, shall we? Brian loves Egyptology and was a big fan of The Mummy movies which we came across on Netflix recently. Kinsey begged to watch them and was really into them (the girl also loves Jurassic World, she has many tastes) so I thought it'd be awesome to go to the Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum and get in some real life learning. This was our first time going.

And quite possibly our last.

I spent a few days before our mini road trip, printing out fun things off their site and creating our own little scavenger hunt just to drum up excitement. I spent wayyy too much time physically cutting and pasting but was feeling super prepared smug. I even checked the Weather app on my phone to make sure we were dressed appropriately. 

I had all the bases covered and I was sitting pretty. Too pretty. Because as soon as we arrived IT began. Holy cow is San Jose h-o-t. I am used to a high of 68 with a cold ocean breeze the majority of the year, so that oppressive city heat gets me twisted. Thankfully there was free parking and it wasn't crowded. We walked through a side little garden and found this cool statue and hieroglyphs and then made it to the main entrance. 

The entrance is so gorgeous!

Let me preface this by saying I didn't get a whole lot of pictures inside. It was sooo dark (to preserve the antiquities) and no flash was allowed (not that I ever use flash anyway) and someone was more interested in running around and getting reprimanded by docents, haha.

A reproduction of Tutankhamen sarcophagus. 

A baboon mummy

A kitten mummy

They're sitting the same way, ha!

Walk like an Egyptian

Brian was having a good ole time taking a million pictures. Brielana was just along for the ride. And I was studiously checking off things from my homemade Scavenger Hunt, because it had to be used! 

It took us maybe a little over an hour to go through all the rooms and it was clear Kinsey was not impressed. 

Me: "Did you like the museum?"

Kinsey: "It's a piece of trash museum."

Me: "What?! Why?"

Kinsey: "There weren't any mummies walking around popping out at me."

And there you have it. Pop culture movies have ruined our youth ;) I was dying laughing. The girl is too much. After that slight disappointment we raised our spirits with lunch at Mimi's Cafe and did some shopping at the Outlets. Because retail therapy always helps.

Linking up here.