Traveling.

December 13, 2011

We actually travel every year for the holidays. Unfortunately, Gabe and I’s families live miles and states away:( I dream of being in the same state as a few of my sisters or brothers one day. The last few years when we lived in KS, my sister lived a mile away and our kids played together almost daily. We miss them terribly. Someday we hope we can all live on the same street;) Until then, we will be road tripping it. What about you? Is your family near or far? Do you all gather for the holidays?

The last few years we have gone to Milwaukee for thanksgiving to see Gabe’s family, and to St. Louis for Christmas to see mine. We are anxiously counting down the days. You see, at Christmas, its one of the one or two times a year all of us get to be together. (For the newer readers, I have ten brothers and sisters! I am the second oldest!) Those of us who are out of state truck it home with babies, suitcases, wrapped gifts, and months worth of stories to share. My husband actually gets even more excited than I do, if thats possible, to dive into Christmas week with the clan. Its non stop laughs, games, music, and merry making:)

This year, my sister Tricia and her little family will not be able to join us, but they have quite the wonderful excuse….their second baby is due in the next few weeks! We are going to miss them terribly, but we are thankful to them for bringing another ridiculously cute baby into the world (you should see their first babe)! Its hard to be apart from loved ones during Christmas. Are you going to be missing someone near and dear??

{Travel Bag c/o Scout by Bungalow}

This lovely bag was sent over from Bungalow and I have traveled a few times with it already. I use it for both Veronica and I. Sometimes I pack all the diapers, blankets, and baby items in here. (Its water resistant too which I love.) Sometimes I use it for me, because like most girls, I always pack more shoes than I need, and it is nice deep and wide to fit them in their well with room to spare:)

Do you have any favorite travel essentials? Do share!

Hope each of you get to be with loved ones this Christmas, and don’t have to be missing too many family and friends:)

Thank you to everyone who entered the Double Dutch giveaway! Lucky #15 StephanieC is the winner! Will be contacting you about details. This was the last giveaway of 2011! Got some great ones in the works for next year:)

Lookbook: Tweed + Red

December 12, 2011

{Tweed Coat: Gap – thrifted, Satin Top: Guess – thrifted, Red Jeans: c/o Bad Joan, Shoes: Francescas, Scarf: gift, Tote Bag: Mimi Boutique (won in a giveaway), Bracelet Cuffs: LYLIF, Francescas}

I’m becoming a master thrifter….. okay not really, but thats what one good deal can make you feel like;) I was in and out yesterday in a matter of minutes and managed to score some sweet finds. This tweed coat was a find from last month. I about fell over when I saw the price tag of 6$. Thats right. Head over to your local thrift store and see what goodies you find. (Just try to ignore some of the not so cool and maybe borderline 1880’s things you might see there.)

On another note, you all make my day when I get to sit down and read all of your awesome comments. I wish I had more time to respond to everyone. Sometimes it takes me a few days, but I do my best! Its the nature of being a mama I guess. Free minutes are few and far between. SO, thank you for being faithful readers and all of your constant encouragement.

I HEART you so.

P.S. Its the LAST day to enter and win a 50$ gift card to this awesome boutique! Just do it!

The Advent Conspiracy + Gift of Time Certificate

December 9, 2011

I saw this for the first time last year, and it really changed my game plan for the Christmas season. This is worth the 2 minutes and 39 seconds of your day….

I posted this again on facebook this year, and my friend Marisol had this super fantastic idea. She asked me to create a gift certificate of time to give her loved ones this Christmas, since she has been so busy lately. I realized that this was something we all could use from our loved ones, and could also in turn give to loved ones. I created this certificate to share with you, in hopes that it comes in handy this advent and Christmas, as we attempt to slow down the crazy world around us and make time for those who matter most.

You can download your own to print for free. I set it up so that you can print three to a page!

I hope this helps bring back the true meaning of Christmas to someone in your life!

Wishing you all a very beautiful advent season!

Little Finds: Vol. 2

December 8, 2011

Here is my second round up of fun finds for the little ones I found on Wayfair. Hope to do more of these in the future! Its nice to hear from other mamas what their top choices are! I learn from you gals!

1. Giraffe Babymat – This is going on the wishlist for our next little one. Soft, plush, and safe for the new babies, as well as a great lounge mat for when they are older!

2. My First Piano – My son is really into musical instruments right now. Drums, xylophone, harmonica, you name it! When I saw this I immediately thought of him and how much he would enjoy this. I love to encourage music and art at the toddler age because its so beneficial for their cognitive development.

3. Chalk Table – I have this dream of having an entire room dedicated to art for the kids. I don’t think you can do too much music and art when they are young. Gabriel has been sitting at the table for hours lately painting, coloring, playing with play-dough, etc. He would probably never want to leave this table.

4. Alphabet Nesting Blocks – I can’t say enough good things about these stacking blocks. After seeing Gabriel play with them at an early age and learning to stack the blocks as well as practice his ABC’s on them, I started giving these as gifts to friends as well. They are easy to stack, easy to story, and are super affordable (on sale for 9$!).

5. Skiphop Bib – Now that Veronica has discovered cheerios, we are on our way to table foods;) After doing way too much laundry last week filled solely with her clothes caked in biscuits and cheerios, I decided it was time to get a few of these bibs. Large, water resistant, and has a catch all food pocket. Score!

6. Wooden Tea Set – I am counting down the days till I can have a tea party with Veronica. I think I might have to get more than one tea set. I love wooden toys and how durable they are, so this tea set I could actually have tea in;) And then of course, we will have to get a Little Play Kitchen to go with!

7. Boon Odd Ducks – Considering Rubber Duckies are a classic bath toy that 99% of American kids own, why not a set of bright bold patterned ones?? These are obviously right up my alley;) Veronica actually uses our rubber ducks as teething toys these days…

Hope you enjoyed this little round up! I’d love to here your children’s faves!

St. Nicholas Surprise Bags

December 7, 2011

My family celebrates the feast of St. Nicholas, where the tradition is to put out your shoes or stockings for him to fill. This comes from the story that St. Nicholas placed gold coins in a poor families’ stockings that were hanging to try to help them get out of financial debt and slavery. (You can read the story here.)

Well yesterday, I wanted to create little packages to give to my 1st grade students and children (for their stockings) in honor of his celebration day:) You can easily create a version yourself…

I used the following:

Chocolate Gold Coins

Mini Paper Bags.

(These Chevron bags are from Monograham. You can also find them here.)

Washi Tape (Mine is from Urban Scarlet)

Imagine the possibilities:) So many fun surprises you could place in these little packages.

They would make a fantastic advent calendar as well!

Do you celebrate St. Nicholas?? I loved hearing some of your traditions on facebook!

P.S. Thanks to all of you who have entered the giveaway so far!

Giveaway: 50$ Gift Card to Double Dutch Boutique

December 6, 2011

1., 2., 3., 4., 5.

This is just one of many fashion forward looks you can throw together with Double Dutch Boutique! Totally went a little limp over that glittery bow belt…and pretty much all of these items. It has my name written all over it;) I am so excited to share that Double Dutch is generously offering a 50$ gift card to an IHOD Reader!

To Enter (must be a follower or subscriber of IHOD):

1. Visit Double Dutch and let us know what strikes your fancy!

Additional Entries (separate comment for each):

2. Like Double Dutch on Facebook

3. Blog, Tweet, or Facebook about the Giveaway and let us know you did!

ie: Just entered the giveaway over @inhonorofdesign for a 50$ gift card to Double Dutch Boutique! http://bit.ly/sOkep4

*Giveaway is open to international readers (yay!) and will end next Monday night. Please leave a valid profile or email address to be reached if you are the winner!

Lookbook: December Sunday

December 5, 2011

(Coat: Old Navy, Top: J. Crew, Skirt: J. Crew, Boots: Target (similar), Belt & Necklace: F21, Headband: c/o BMB)

Due to the fact that this was right before we snapped our Christmas Family photos,

the distraction level was high and the outcome …well….the mediocre mess above. However, we did manage to come away with our Christmas Card photo which was the main goal! Success.

(I will be posting an awesome outtake of today’s outfit post on the fb page later today btw.)

I so look forward to getting the mail at this time of year. The snail mail Christmas cards and photos from family and friends is like taking a shot of Christmas Spirit. I bet you never heard that comparison before, have you?? 😉

P.S. Tune in tomorrow for a fantabulous giveaway from one of my sponsors! You won’t want to miss!