mom hack: chick fil a.

can i be completely honest?

we visit our local chick-fil-a at least three times a week.

ok. fine. maybe four or five times a week.

are you judging me?

please don't. 

it is just so impossibly yummy. 

and it might be the only meat that my tot will actually eat.

i scream for chickie nuggies. & he does. too.  

to put it simply. 

if mama loves it. and tot loves it.

it is a grand slam in my book.  

you can imagine my utter delight when the owner of our chick-fil-a . . .

mister-dave-with-the-dog-on-his-belt as we refer to him in our house . . .

told me about the "heat it when you need it" nugget trays. 

my mind was blown. 

these trays come in small. medium. & large. 

they are fully cooked. & then chilled until you wish to serve them.

they are so great for a gathering of friends.

a bible study get together.

or a kids party.

you just pop those nuggets in the oven for about 15 minutes 

& they are ready to be served.

so super convenient & yummy.

but my favorite thing about these chilled trays . . .

the fact that we now have bottomless nuggets in our freezer.

how amazing is that?!

yes. i may or may not have purchased two trays to keep in my freezer.

that way. on the days that i don't feel like heading to chick-fil-a

i can serve it to patrick right at home.

i simply pull out a handful of nuggets. 

heat them. & serve them.

patrick gets the pleasure of having his CFA nuggets.

i get the pleasure of staying at home to get things done.

we are both gloriously happy.

i feel certain that as my stash runs low i will be 

refilling with more trays. 

it is just so brilliant. 

so mama's. grandma's. auntie's. stock your fridge with these babies.

you will not regret it. & your kiddos will thank you.

the fourth street chick-fil-a has the trays ready on demand.

you can simply pop in & order them to go.

you'll just have a few minutes to wait as they package them up for you.

if you are hoping to get a large amount. just call ahead.

hopefully this will ease some of your burden this holiday season 

as you are having parties & family gatherings. 

everyone loves chick-fil-a! 

cluck! cluck! 

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tot tupperware town.

i am always looking for activities that will 

encourage independent & imaginative play.

not only does it give mommy a few minutes to herself.

but it also is so beneficial in stimulating creativity 

& setting the stage for make believe play.

one of patrick's {and mommys} favorite activities is our

tot tupperware town.

i simply bought an extra large tupperware & lid.

and then filled it with sand. rocks. pebbles. sticks.

that is the foundation for this activity.

every week or so i rotate out little towns for patrick to play with.

sometimes it is construction town. sometimes its dinosaur town.

sometimes its jungle town. and so on.

i had all of our towns out today to take pictures.

and somehow {haha} they ended up all in the bin together.

so for today. we have a construction town that is being invaded by dinosaurs. 

so totally awesome.

i love sitting to the side & observing patrick play.

it is so neat to watch his imagination soar.

bulldozers push through the sand.

monster dump trucks get filled with rocks.

mama giraffes walk the sand dunes 

with their baby giraffes close behind.

broccoli-sauraus {brachiosaurus} eat the sticks.

while t rex jumps over big boulders.

& sometimes patrick really gets into it.

literally. 

it is his own personal sandbox safari.

what is really great about this activity is the portability.

we keep this tupperware in our garage. it is easy to pull out whenever we want.

& because of the lid. it is easy to pack in the trunk to take on-the-go.

to grandmas. to a friends house. to the park. 

we really love it. & we truly use it several times a week.

the possibilities are endless. & so are the hours of fun to be had. 

so mamas. grandmas. aunts . . .

go snag a tupperware & create some fun for your little tots.

oh. and i also like the idea of getting several small tupperware boxes to create mini towns.

that way instead of switching out the towns every week

you could just leave them in their own personal bin. 

just another reason to love tupperware. 

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sugar paper for target.

i am completely & utterly dying over the  

s u g a r  p a p e r   x   t a r g e t  

holiday collaboration.

it is gift wrapping & decor perfection. 

literally. 

it. is. perfection. 

i have been a devoted sugar paper lover for several years now.

& was fortunate enough to have collaborated with them before they made it super big time.

{yes. when you collab with tarjay. you have made it super big time in my book}

you can see two of my previous posts on them here and here.

this collection has my name all over it.

take a peak.

you may find thirty-seven of these boxes under my christmas tree.

they may be empty. & simply there for looks. 

but boy will it look pretty. 

i happen to love wrapping presents. 

i guess i just love creating pretty little things.

and the presentation of a gift is equally as important as the gift itself.

that structured bow.

those perfect little bobble ornaments. 

they knock it out of the park.

the gold piping on these gift boxes.

it is so impossibly beautiful.

and the ornament gift topper is just stinkin cute. 

love that the gift boxes are 

lovely enough to use as table decor.

be. still. my. heart.

the black. the gold. the white.

the jumbo polka dots.

the scalloped gift boxes.

was this collection made just for me?! 

adore these embellished wreaths as chair decor.

but they would be even sweeter as plate embellishments 

for a holiday dinner party or supper club. 

completely darling. 

beautiful ribbon is a must for beautiful gift wrapping.

anytime you see some you love. snag it. 

you'll be thankful one day.

oh. and master a perfect bow this holiday season.

it makes the world of a difference in present presentation. 

yes. yes. yes. 

i do believe that sugar paper had me in mind when they designed this collection.

it is as if they have perfectly gift wrapped my whole style in one pretty little package.

now. ladies. run don't walk to target to snag some pretties of your own.

{they are already sold out of a lot of items online!} 

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inchbug love.

are you a label lover like i am?

i get such joy out of neatly labeling all of my kiddos belongings.

sippy cups. bottles. shoes. snack packs. tote bags. 

you name it. it is labeled.

not only is labeling functional. 

after all. epic meltdowns have been spurred from a misplaced sippy cup.

and lord knows that every two year old needs to stake their claim on their snacks. 

but it is also super cute. 

that is. when you find super darling labels

like those from inch bug.

i am especially loving their line of non-adhesive reusable orbit labels. 

they are personalized. they stretch to fit your kiddos ever-changing cups. 

they are dishwasher safe. they will never peel or fade.

and they are just too stinkin cute.

from bottles. to sippy cups. to snack containers. 

they fit them all. 

they are just brilliant. 

inch bug has also created an assortment of adhesive labels

that are cute to boot and totally essential.  

with the rise in kiddo allergies. 

the fear of your child getting his paws on something he shouldn't 

can be crippling for a mama as she is sending her baby out of her care. 

these adhesive allergy labels are perfect.

they are great to go on lunch boxes. snack packs. 

or even to be worn on your kiddos shirt. 

a great alert & reminder for teachers or caretakers. 

oh. how wonderful are these shoe labels. 

a lost little shoe can be just as sad as a lost sippy cup. 

{maybe more so for the mama than for the kiddo}

these little shoe labels are darling. 

an added bonus is that they help to teach your kiddo

the difference between left & right

and how to put shoes on the correct little footie. 

i am just loving all of my labels. 

and thankful to inchbug for making my life 

a tiny bit easier & more organized. 

inch bug has another product that i cannot say enough great things about.

please let me introduce you to the MyDrinky sippy cup.

this. is. genius. 

are you tired of cleaning up spilled juice pouches from 

little fingers that squeeze too tightly?

if so. this is the answer to your prayers. 

this squeeze protector fit all sizes of juice boxes & juice pouches.

with adjustable height settings. you can truly make it work with any drink pouch.

the MyDrinky makes it impossible for your kiddos to squeeze the drink pouch. 

how glorious is that?! 

are you just chomping at the bit to go fill your cart at inch bug?

not so fast mamas. 

today is your lucky day. 

inchbug is offering a fabulous gift basket giveaway for one lucky reader.

you have a shot at winning . . .

your own set of personalized orbit labels. 

plus your own set of personalized adhesive labels.

plus your very own MyDrinky drink box holder. 

that is a fantastic giveaway.

to enter the giveaway simply follow these three steps.

like inchbug on Facebook.

share this post on your facebook wall.

& tag three mommy friends in your post.

this would make a great birthday gift. shower gift. 

or just a gift to yourself! 

giveaway ends on october 29th.

good luck! 

{c'est si bon was not compensated for this post. i was given  product to review. all opinions are my own}

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the perfect treat bag.

looking for the perfect little halloween treat bag?

the hunt is over. my friends.

this darling personalized halloween bag is the jam.

and is certainly a must-have for every tot this season. 

i fell in love with sarah + abraham the second i learned of them.

the adorable little online boutique is seriously too cute for words. 

what started as a love affair with their customized & personalized lunch boxes

quickly grew into a need for every item in their shop. 

the cups. the bowls. the placemats. the labels. & it goes without saying . . .

the precious little tote bags. 

my little monkey of a tot has been carrying his friendly ghost tote around all month.

we use it for spend the night outs. bible study diaper bags. & really anything else. 

{breaking it in for the big october thirty-one}

the size is perfect. the quality is supreme. 

this tote really is a bag-loving-mamas-dream. 

i adored the friendly ghost style . . .

but sarah also offers several other halloween inspired prints.

from bats. to pumpkins. to owls. to cats.

oh. and they are all totally friendly halloween styles. 

this mama happens to strongly dislike anything frightening. 

the best part is . . . patrick loves the little ghostie too.

totally kiddo approved. 

so run. run. run. & order your sarah + abraham personalized tote today!

you will get it just in time to gather all your candy on the 31st. 

and while you are at it . . .

check out those lunch boxes. 

they are seriously darling to the tenth power. 

{c'est si bon was not compensated for this post. however, product was given for review}

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beauty counter.

alright ladies. 

prepare to fall in love.

beauty counter is. hands. down. my latest obsession. 

i am a thirty year old girl that has always struggled with poor skin.

i get breakouts. hyper-pigmentation. uneven texture. dull complexion. & oily spots.

yes. the entire batch of bad skin annoyances happily reside on my face. 

it is not so much fun. and even less pretty to look at in the mirror. 

i have tried every topical. every peel. every pharmaceutical program out there.

and sadly none of them have worked the magic they claim to do.

that is until i was introduced to beauty counter.

when my sweet.as.pie.girlfriend.michelle let me sample her products

i was blown away at how much i loved them from the very first application.

in all honesty. the aromas. the oils. the entire process felt like a spa treatment. 

{and hey. this mama sure does miss her frequent spa sessions}

after sampling her tester kit for one week. i was hooked.

i loved the serenity of the nighttime routine.

& i really loved waking up with dewy refreshed skin every morning.

it finally dawned on me. 

applying harsh anti-aging. anti-acne. chemicals to my sensitive face. 

in hopes of having clear. youthful. beautiful skin. was back firing. 

 in reality it was sucking the life out of my face.

leaving it overly dehydrated. abused. & just a mess.

{not to mention disrupting my endocrine system. thats another topic}

my face was crying out for natural. gentle. & safe products.

that would allow my skin to thrive organically.

products that truly are good for me. 

by the way. 

did you know that europe has banned over 1300 skincare 

ingredients that are hazardous to our health & wellbeing?!

the united states has banned only 11. 

did you know that most of the skincare products on the market in the united states

contain ingredients that are known endocrine disruptors?!

that means they can foul up your metabolism. your thyroid. & even your fertility!

did you know that beauty counter does not use any ingredients that 

even pose a potential threat to your health & well-being?

consider me sold. 

beauty counter can be trusted to be safe & beneficial for our precious bodies. 

here are a few of my faves from the essential beauty counter collection. 

love this uplifting rose water spray.

super refreshing. a healthy toner. 

obsessed with this lustro face oil.

never thought i would rub oil on my face . . .

but truly this is like liquid gold. 

the routine clean face wash.

gentle & strong. all in one. 

so ladies. 

if you want to get serious about what you are 

putting on & into your body.

all the while nourishing your skin . . .

check out beauty counter

or reach out to me.

i can get you in touch with beauty counter rep. michelle. 

she is incredibly knowledgable about the entire beauty counter collection.

plus. she has sample kits that you are more than welcome to try out. 

xoxo.

{images courtesy of glitter guide. they love beauty counter, too!}

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