Have Your Cake and Eat it TOO!

When we were heading to Clemson, we stopped and picked up two bundtlets from Nothing Bundt Cake and we saved them for Saturday afternoon. We had also picked up a cinnamon roll at the cute bakery in Pendleton so we pulled that out, too! 

All of my guys sang to me. :)

Time to blow them out. Mason helped!

  

SO SO SO SO GOOD!

  

  

We were all very happy!

  

Birthday cake is the BEST! 

What I Learned {August 2017}

1. Farm Chores are hard work!

I shared last month that we spent a week on our friend's farm. We had a great time but we all learned just how hard farm chores can be. Feeding, watering, etc for horses and chickens requires time and energy. We learned a lot in the process. 

2. Birthdays are still just as fun 33 years in as they were when I was younger. 

I have always loved my birthday and celebrating other people's birthdays as well. This year I celebrated my 33rd and I was just reminded that it's as fun now as it was years ago. My kids know how to celebrate big. My husband celebrates me well. And, I can certainly celebrate myself. 😉

3. Blue Bloods is my current favorite show. 

I have watched Blue Bloods for several years but I recently went back and watched all of the seasons over again and I've been reminded of just how good it is. I love the family aspect and the morals. It truly is my favorite show. 

4. Changing the way you eat can really change how you feel. 

In the last few months, I've changed a lot about what I eat and also changed a great deal about what our family eats as a whole. I have been feeling better and better as the days go by. I am grateful!

5. My husband continues to be the most thoughtful people alive. 

I mentioned to he and Mason that I would love a purple fiesta ware bowl one day (our everyday dishware.) Well, one day this month was awful with the boys and I was hormonal and exhausted. Matt took the boys to the mall to play and when they came home, Matt was holding a bag. Mason had the biggest smile on his face and he said, "Happy Dirfday, Momma. I love you." I opened the bag to find a fiestware bowl. And I cried and cried and cried. 

Squishy Mat {A Fun Product Review}

Recently, Squishy Mat and US Family guide sent me a travel squishy mat to try out. I was super excited to open it up and try it out! 

I received the travel changing mat and it comes with handle making it easy to transport. 

It folds out and has the softest mat for the babies to lay/sit on.

We took our Squishy Mat on the road with us on a recent road trip and it was perfect for changing this sweet boy while on the go! 

Park without a changing table? NO BIG DEAL! 

We have thoroughly enjoyed this mat and I have it in the trunk of the car to use anytime we are out and in need of a place to change our sweet boy! It will also be great if we need a place for Maddox to sit for playing etc. I also think this will be great for infants/non-crawling babies when at a story time or something similar. 

Here's a bit more about Squishy Mats: 

Who can use a Squishy Mat?

Sitting on the floor gets uncomfortable for anyone! These soft spots encourage parents, grand-parents and caregivers to linger at eye level with little ones, and make a nice buffer between all bottoms and the hard floor or ground. Take a Squishy Mats to an outdoor concert, baby yoga or your older kids' sporting events, and the whole family can gather there in comfort.

What is a Squishy Mat?

Squishy Mats contain almost one inch of Memory Foam - also known as the low resistance polyurethane foam developed by NASA in the 1960s. The surface of each mat is covered by a super soft, micro-flannel fabric and is backed with a nonslip rubber grid. Each mat is durable, sturdy and designed for life on the move.

Squishy mats come in three sizes:
16x32" Changing Mat - folds and fastens with a carrying handle.

3x3' floor mat - folds and fastens with a carrying handle.

4x4' floor mat - folds and fastens with a carrying handle.

How does it feel?

In a word, SQUISHY! Memory Foam is known for its use in mattresses, pillows and even some shoes; it has incredible give and easily returns to its original shape. You and your child will love the luxurious feel of the minky micro flannel top as it glides under your fingers. With nonslip rubber backing, your child won't get wrapped up as he plays, and it won't slide out from under baby if you (or your pet) step on it!

DON'T MISS THIS!!! ****My Readers Save 15% Off with code "USFAMILY" on all sized Squishy Mats - The world's first baby memory foam mat that folds for quick storage and transport.
https://www.squishymats.com

Weekend in Clemson!

I'm getting ready to celebrate my 33rd birthday (tomorrow) so today I'm recapping our fun trip to Clemson as a family. We took it as an early birthday adventure! 

We were up and at 'em early. The boys woke up early so we got dressed and hit the road. 

Look at Maddox's smile! 😍

All four...I love our family so much. 

My favorite...

We had originally planned to stop at Hardee's for breakfast but it didn't work out so we went to Chick-Fil-A and were reminded of why we rarely go there. #Expensive After we ate, the boys played for a bit before we left. 

  

  

Our second stop was Trader Joe's. We love their store and all of the yumminess there. So we picked dup some good treats. I'll share more about those picks later. 

It's their birthday, too! 

  

Such a HELPER! 

  

One last stop before Clemson...YUM! 

Hey There, Clemson! 

We drove to the lake to walk the dikes before we stopped for lunch. 

It was such a beautiful day and the temp was great! 

  

  

So many smiles! 

After our walk, we went to Esso Club for lunch. 

The food was good but we ordered a kid's meal for the boys and a large meal arrived. When we mentioned it to the waitress, she said she didn't realize we ordered the kid's meal. Honest mistake, however, she didn't adjust our ticket. It was frustrating but we tried to move on! 

Next up, we parked on campus to walk around some. We found 55 Exchange and grabbed some ice cream. 

The boys were so tired and Matt and I were, too. We called the hotel and the room was ready so we went early. I didn't have to lift a finger. Glad to have help.

  

We got into the hotel and prayed we'd survive the mixed colors. ;-)

Maddox napped, Matt and I napped and Mason got a bit of iPad time. We were all rested and ready to head back out. 

We headed to Abernathy Park to walk and explore. Maddox did not want to wait for us. 

  

At the end of one of the trails, we found this park. It was the perfect stop before dinner. 

Love those silly faces...

After the boys played and snacks and we were all soaked with sweat, we drove around campus a bit more. We had hoped to walk more but the boys just weren't feeling it so we compromised. :) 

 

Tried to capture pictures of the stadium It was difficult. 😂

Before we stopped for dinner, Mason needed to pee. #Boys

We had hoped to hit another local spot for dinner but crankiness, lack of parking spots and hunger nixed that. We ate Bojangle's instead, checked out the Goodwill and then went back to the hotel. The boys were exhausted and apparently Matt was, too. The boys were asleep by 8:00 and Matt by 8:30. 

Everyone was awake by 6:40ish and we had breakfast at the hotel. We got dressed and headed out. We had hoped to spend most of the day in Clemson but since the boys didn't love the walking around campus like Matt and I, we changed plans. We headed back to the park to play for a bit. 

  

  

On our way out, we saw a bitty baby frog. Mason was PUMPED! 

  

Shortly after, we headed out of Clemson. 

We drove to Pendleton to explore and found this CUTE bakery. It was so quaint and the treats were awesome! We split the apple danish and brought a cinnamon roll home. 

Our last stop before heading home was The Anderson Jockey Lot! We had heard many people speak of it so we needed to see what it was about. We left confused. It was an interesting place!!! 

We had a great time and we look forward to more adventures soon! Hopefully we get to go back to Clemson one day, too!