Favorite Cyber Monday Deals

This weekend has been nothing short of chaos with Rowan's newfound ability to climb out of his crib. Sooo needless to say I'll be getting all of my holiday shopping done online today!

There are so many good deals out there so if you've been putting your shopping off like me, here are some of my favorites!

Pehr Pom Pom Bin. Bannor Toys Wooden Camera. Gap Softspun Hi-Lo Tee. Childhoods Clothing Hoodie.
Toddler Hunter Boots. Capri Blue Candle. J. Crew Messenger Bag.

Pehr Designs: 30% off all storage and free shipping with code STORAGE30. We love our Pehr bins so this is a great deal!
Bannor Toys: 15% off with code CYBERMAMA
Childhoods Clothing: 25% off with code BLACKFRIDAY
Hanna Anderson: 20% off everything with free shipping 
Joss and Main: 30% off everything with code CYBERDAY
J. Crew: 40% off and free shipping with code
J. Crew Factory: 60% off everything and extra 40% off sale with code HAPPYSALE
Gap: 50% off everything (no exclusions!) with code CYBMON
Old Navy: 50% off everything (discount applied at checkout)
Nordstrom: Extra 20% select sale items and 25% off Hunter Boots!
Anthropologie: 20% off full price items and 30% off sale with code STACKS
Target: 15% off your purchase. I love the Cat & Jack line for kiddos!, especially these soft skinny jeans for playdates and school!
Minted: 20% off everything with code CM2016. They have so many good gift ideas... R's footprint art is still my favorite!

Hope you all find some great deals!!

2

Friday Favorites

Happy Friday! This has felt like the never-ending week but now that it's finally Friday, I'm praying time will slow down! We have so much to do before we host a little Friendsgiving on Sunday and I'm just hoping they don't mind the mishmash of Fall and Christmas decor I've got going on over here! 

I wanted to share a few favorites from the week before we sign off and enter what I expect will be the last remotely non-crazy weekend before the holiday madness begins!

ONE. If you're looking for easy desserts for Friendsgiving, the Trader Joe's mini pumpkin pies and pumpkin cheesecake are a major addiction around here. Rowan commandeers that cheesecake the moment he sees it, so my husband and I have resorted to snacking while hiding in the pantry. Hashtag we're fatties.

TWO. Like every woman in America, I'm a big fan of athleisure and Gap's softspun knit line is hands down my favorite clothing ever. The fabric feels like butter. I have a few of these tees and cannot stop wearing this hi-low top. Treat yourself now because they are 40-50 percent off!! Also they run a little big so if you're in between sizes go smaller.

THREE. We picked up Rowan this 3 foot Christmas tree (for $18 I couldn't pass it up!) for his playroom and he is completely obsessed. He tells us all of the colors of the lights and makes us sit on the couch with him just to admire it. Totally got his mama's love for the holidays!

FOUR. Needing last minute table decor ideas? I love the look of silver dollar eucalyptus with copper accents! I'm totally going to try to recreate this gorgeous setup!

FIVE. I think we're leaning towards an easel and new art supplies for Rowan's Christmas gift (he loves painting and I'm hoping to avoid more toys!) but I'm eager to hear what you're getting your toddler! Anyone have fun ideas for an almost 2 year old?

Hope you all have a fun and festive weekend!

1

Thoughts on Family Photos with a Toddler

We had our family photos this past weekend with the super talented Shannon Michelle Photography and I adore them. Rowan was a little velcro toddler on my hip 90 percent of the session, so I tried to keep my expectations low, but Shannon seriously worked some kind of magic.

A photography session with a toddler is just as unpredictable as I expected, but here are a few thoughts that were running through my head as our session went on.

1. Really glad I skipped the dress and booties. Falling on my face while wrangling a 30 pound child is not a picture I'd like our photographer to capture.

2. Note to self: Just pay for the overpriced toddler haircut in an airplane chair instead of the cheap place down the road. Also don't under any circumstance let my husband go solo with him to the salon.

3. Thank you Jesus for the 60 degree weather.
 
4. I hope I brought enough marshmallows for bribes. Maybe I should have grabbed the lollipops too. Damn.

5. Next time we're leading with the ducks. He lit up the moment he saw them in the pond, and by then the photo session was over. Who knew my kid just needed a few ducks to quack at him?

If you're one of those toddler moms who thought through a styled photography shoot with perfect outfits, I applaud you. I'm lucky I had two of the same shoes on as we ran out the door at what felt like the crack of dawn.

PS These are just a few of the blog-approved photos, sorry I can't share more of the gems!

5

Weekend + Thanksgiving Table Goals

I think we've finally gotten to the point in Charleston that the sweater weather is here to stay! Although the cold evenings this weekend did have me missing our fireplace, I'll take the leggings and cozy blankets any day!

Our weekend was low key on the account another cold being passed around our family. Rowan had the worst of it but I don't think I'm far behind. 'Tis the season, right?

On Saturday I hosted a Thanksgiving Tablescape event with World Market which was so much fun! It was my first time hosting an event so I admit I was a tad nervous but I'm so glad I did it. Thank you to World Market for having me!

I can't take credit for any of the styling- that's Rachel from Maison de Pax's work- but I was able to share some good tips for dressing your table and meet a lot of sweet shoppers equally as excited for the holiday as I am. I even came home with a few of the wooden candlestick holders (love them in white too) for our Friendsgiving table this weekend, so I'd call it a win!

I also had two women touch my hair without asking because they liked my curls. Super random, I know. I'm going to assume that means I didn't look like a hot mess despite the cute toddler hovering around my feet while I was getting ready.

Though the event was only two hours, by the end I was starting to feel the effects of my cold and talking so much with interested shoppers. I couldn't wait to collapse on the couch with hot tea in one hand and pumpkin cheesecake in the other. TJ's pumpkin cheesecake, I can't quit you!

Also tell me I'm not the only one with holiday confusion?! I've been listening to the Frank Sinatra holiday station and decorating Rowan's room for Christmas while wishing pumpkin season would never go away!

7

Hawaii Recap in Photos

It's been a rather gloomy week with all of the election chaos, so I thought today was a good day to recap our trip to O'ahu! I mean, who doesn't love a good beach photo? Don't worry, the festive holiday content is coming!

I do apologize in advance though for the massive picture overload that is about to ensue. I took about four hundred (!) photos and I'm not even sure if any of them do this beautiful place justice. I'll definitely share more about each of our favorite stops in another post, but for now, lets all just imagine we're having a Mai Tai on Waikiki Beach, k?

This was our first trip sans Rowan, so considering how long of a trip it is from the East Coast I was pretty proud of us for actually going through with it! It was totally weird not having to work around nap time and just focusing on what we wanted to do together as a couple, though I admit I may have shed a tear on the way to the airport.

There were other islands we wanted to see, but ended up staying on O'ahu for the whole trip because my husband was working there during the week. I'm glad we did stay, there is so much to do and so many beautiful spots to check out.

Upon landing in Honolulu, my husband picked me up and we went straight to the Pearl Harbor Memorial. It was a quick tour and I highly recommend it if you're in the area.

We then stopped at our hotel on Waikiki Beach and headed to dinner. By this point it was around 10 PM Charleston time and I was spent, but mustered up the energy for a Mai Tai and my first of many fish tacos at Duke's.

The rest of our weekend was spent driving up the east coast of O'ahu exploring all of the stunning lookout spots, beaches, fruit trucks, and the North Shore. 

One of our favorite areas of the North Shore was Sunset Beach. It's one of the best areas on the island for surfing, with good reason because the waves were huge and terrifying. We opted to watch the surfers from the sideline before stopping by the food trucks for garlic shrimp and some of the famous Matsumoto Shave Ice.

Another favorite spot that I wish we had gone to sooner was Lanikai Beach. The Mokulua Islands or "Mokes" were so beautiful and the sand was much softer. We've already decided that if we ever go back we want to kayak out to the Mokes.

While my husband worked during the week, I spent my time trying coffee shops and acai bowls, shopping, and getting some color on pasty skin. And probably annoying my mom by asking how Rowan and Ruby were doing. ha! It was such a bummer not having the whole day to spend with my husband, but hey... it's Hawaii, I can't complain. 

The sunsets during our walk to dinner each night were absolutely stunning, I kept taking photos and then 5 minutes later the sky would be even more beautiful.

Overall, we ate well (more on that in another post), explored, and recharged. It was just what we needed!

If you've been to O'ahu let me know some of your favorite spots, I'm so interested to see if we hit them all!

6

Fall Snaps + Our Halloween

I swear this Fall has been moving at warp speed, I'm having a hard time coming to grips with all of the Christmas talk already!

The past few weeks we've squeezed in a lot of things including a trip to the pumpkin patch, which really didn't go too well with a teething toddler. Counting down the days until those molars are in! Rowan really could have cared less about the pumpkins, was neutral with the hayride, and wanted nothing to do with the petting zoo. But we did learn he loves the jump castle so he perked up a bit after that!

It was fun (and hot!) but far different than last year when he couldn't run away from me as I was snapping photos.

Then just as we were adjusting back to Charleston time post-Hawaii, it was Halloween! I made some treats up for Rowan's buddies at school, which included an apple juice box, Annie's Homegrown Halloween Bunnies, stickers, and a lollipop. Got to love those festive Target Dollar Spot bags!

We didn't do a family Halloween costume but I love how Rowan's Christopher Robin costume came out! Knowing our toddler's unpredictability with clothing, we tried to come up with something that he wouldn't  realize was actually a costume and I think we succeeded! I made the shirt from two separate polos and everything else we already had or borrowed.

He enjoyed carrying around his Tigger stuffed animal for approximately 3.5 seconds while trick-or-treating, which mostly consisted of walking as slow as humanly possible to each house, clinging to me, and telling our sweet neighbors "no" when they tried to give him something other than a lollipop. Ha!

It was still so much fun and I'm glad we took him around our little neighborhood, there were tons of kids (we handed out 3 Costco-sized bags!) and I'm hoping it helps him be a little less shy next year. Plus we get to eat all of the non-lollipops so I'm going to call that a win.

 

I hope you all had a fun Halloween! This weekend you'll find me baking lots of pumpkin things and hoarding all of the pretty Target Christmas purchases in our guest bedroom. I just can't with the decorating yet, but that doesn't mean I can't shop... right?

P.S. Lots of festive things coming to the blog soon plus I'll be doing an event at World Market in Charleston next weekend! I'll share more as it gets closer but I'd love to see some locals!!

4