This post is in partnership with Pandora and ShopStyle. All opinions are my own.
Jewelry is my favorite thing to get as a gift. My husband knows this, so for every holiday and special occasion he picks out special pieces for me and I treasure each and every one of them.
But I also love to spoil myself with jewelry! Pandora has been a long time favorite of mine. The pieces are timeless but also modern and trendy and I can wear them with any outfit.
I’m a fan of bling, so I love how sparkly every piece is! I wear this necklace every day as it’s just the perfect piece to add to every outfit. It’s dainty and easy to wear and I get compliments on it all the time.
I’m all about stacking rings and Pandora has so many styles that look amazing stacked together. You can mix and match wear one on a few fingers or just stack them together!
I created so many fun combinations and I love to stack my wedding ring to give it a different look as well.
My favorite though, are the bracelets and charms. It’s so fun to buy more charms to add to the bracelets and my husband really enjoys picking them out to gift to me as well. Everyone has a special meaning or holiday attached to them!
I can be a bit more trendy with rings and bracelets but for earrings I’m pretty much a classic studs kind of girl, which is why I really fell in love with these blue round sparkle stud earrings. The color is just so pretty! It’s a good mix up from my regular studs but is still a classic piece in my wardrobe.
Pandora has so many great pieces for holiday gifting. I’ve already chosen a few pieces that I can’t wait to gift my mom and sister!
The pieces are so versatile I’ve been wearing them with every outfit!
Shopping tip: Treat yourself and get your gifts now! Every Friday this month is Black Friday! You can take 35% off every purchase made on 11/13, 11/20, and from 11/24 – 12/1. (excludes Star Wars products)
As much as I love working for myself there are a few things that come with owning your own business that are not so fun and finding your own health insurance plans is one of them!
I have spent so much time navigating different websites and insurance carriers to figure out what plans worked best for me as well as what worked with my budget. It was confusing, time consuming and not something that I enjoyed at all.
I am so happy to partner with Washington Healthplanfinder to share how it’s helped me out so much! I have used it for the past few years and highly recommend it for everyone who wants to find the best health coverage for themselves and their family. They make it easy to find, compare, and enroll in a health plan for how you’re living now.
I’ve worked for myself for 10 years now, and finding health coverage is something I have to deal with year after year. I’ve gone through so many life changes, from having two babies and other health issues. It’s really important to me to get the coverage that makes sense for whatever is going on in my life.
Finding the right Health Insurance Plans for Me and My family
When I discovered Washington Healthplanfinder, I was so excited that there was finally an easy way to find the information I needed to make a decision on my health coverage, all in one place!
Washington healthplanfinder – get your information all in one place
Washington Healthplanfinder has a network of customer support across Washington State to help you enroll in coverage that meets your needs and budget. They offer a wide range of resources to help people navigate their coverage options, including:
WAPlanfinder mobile app
In-person enrollment centers
Over the phone
With a virtual video call
Open enrollment for 2021 health plans starts November 1st through December 15th for coverage that begins on January 1st and I highly recommend getting started on this process early!
Get help choosing the right plan
Now that I have two little ones, staying healthy and fit is a huge priority of mine. My girls also love to work out with mommy and I love showing them that being active is not only important but fun too!
My husband and I do our best at staying healthy and active and keeping our kids healthy as well but having a health insurance plan that fits our needs is so important.
If you are unsure of what plan you need or what would work best for your financial situation, it’s so nice to be able to get help through Washington Healthplanfinder.
Navigating health plans can be so confusing, but then add in kids and making sure that you have the right coverage for them can be even more complicated! From health, dental to vision I want to make sure that I have all the information I need to make the best decision. I really appreciate that I can do all that on Washington Healthplanfinder.
The mobile app is so easy to use to find brokers near you and to get help enrolling in a health or dental plan. You can also find all your coverage information and even upload documents which makes it so easy!
It’s nice to have a resource like Washington Healthplanfinder to help make a confusing process a lot easier and less time consuming!
I live in a constant state of busy. Between my two kids, virtual learning, running a business, keeping the house clean and everything else that we moms do. Shopping for groceries and household essentials can sometimes fall to the end of my to do list, even though it really needs to be first!
This post is in partnership with Walmart. All opinions are my own.
Using Walmart+ to save time
When I saw that Walmart+ was offering free unlimited delivery ($35 minimum, restrictions apply) from groceries to diapers and so many of my household necessities, I knew I had to sign up! I’ve been using it for a few weeks now and it’s honestly made my life so much easier.
My nightly routine after I put the kids to bed is to settle in with a glass of wine then hop on my computer to shop for groceries on Walmart. I schedule the delivery for the next afternoon so I can have it all right in time to prep for dinner!
It’s the best when I get the notification that my delivery has arrived and opening the door to see all the groceries on my doorstep. Honestly, it’s the best mom hack there is!
You can join for $12.95/month or $98/year. The annual plan saves $57.40 a year which, in my opinion is totally worth it considering just how many times I’ve already used it!
Order your groceries, household items and even toys!
Along with all the things I need for dinner I can also add things like toys and coloring books to keep my girls occupied while I cook dinner. You don’t even know how much I appreciate Play Doh and Barbies when it comes to dinner prep!
I have to mention – as a toddler mom, I get nervous when I see that we are low on diapers and wipes. We for sure did not have a service like this when my oldest was born so I’m very grateful to now be able to get them delivered to us as soon as the same day if needed!
I’m so used to doing my online shopping for things like clothes and shoes – which I still love to shop for at Walmart – you can find my top here and the girls dresses here (toddler size here) – but having my groceries and other essentials delivered has been such a game changer and has saved me so much time I would normally spend going to the store.
More than just delivery benefits!
I also love the other benefits of the Walmart+ membership. You save money on gas with member prices on fuel! And when I do go in store, it saves me a ton of time because my mobile scan & go benefit means I can checkout with my phone. It really makes things go super fast and I can be in and out of the store quickly!
I’m sure that you all know that being a working mom is hard enough so I’m all about membership and services that can help out in any small way. I’ve already seen the many benefits of using Walmart+ and I can’t recommend it enough for those of you that want to get a little bit of extra time back in your lives!
This post is sponsored by Snyder’s of Hanover. All opinions are my own.
Since big events have been getting cancelled for months now, this year has been all about enjoying experiences at home. With the start of fall, I thought it would be fun to create my own little Oktoberfest celebration at home to avoid any FOMO (Fear of Missing Oktoberfest) this year!
Here are a few easy ideas to celebrate Oktoberfest with your favorite people all from the comfort of your own home.
Oktoberfest Snack Ideas
Since we are celebrating at home I wanted to keep the snack ideas relatively easy to find and recreate at home. As a working mom of two, I just don’t have the time to create lots of dishes so these are all simple and delicious ideas!
I always buy Snyder’s of Hanover pretzels as they are so good and they come in so many varieties, and of course you can’t have Oktoberfest without pretzels!. I went with the Mini pretzels (they are my family favorites!) and the Olde Tyme pretzels since they are the perfect size for dipping. The pretzel Rods that came with the beer keg were great for the kids and the Sourdough Hard pretzels went really well with the sausages and beer.
Snyder’s of Hanover pretzels always have the perfect crunch, and I just love pretzels because they are something that everyone adores! It’s an easy food to have at get togethers as you can enjoy them in so many ways.
Dips always go well with pretzels, You can pair them with a variety of dips like cheese dips, mustards, and don’t forget the sweets! Pretzels go great with a chocolate dip too!
German sausages are a must have for Oktoberfest. You can get quite a few different varieties and serve them alongside the pretzels and dips. The sausages also pair really well with beer of course!
Snyder’s and Captain Lawrence Brewing Co. Pretzel Keg
Pretzels and beer are an essential part of Oktoberfest and I was excited for this collaboration that Snyder’s of Hanover did with Captain Lawrence Brewing Co. to create a limited edition Snyder’s Pretzel Keg, to help toast the season!
The pretzel keg is the perfect centerpiece to the table and everyone loved it!
Oktoberfest Party decor Ideas
I can’t think of Oktoberfest without seeing the blue and white Bavarian check print! I found some great printable banners and an image search of “Bavarian check” to create some of my own touches!
“Prost!” means cheers! so it’s a fun phrase to add to your Oktoberfest decor.
The pretzel necklace is a fun DIY to have your guests do together! It’s quick, easy and so cute! My kids loved helping make theirs. We made ones with mini pretzels for the kids.
Pretzel Cone DIY
Dress up your pretzels (and make snacking easier!) with these pretzel cones that your guests can fill up and enjoy their pretzels.
To make the cone, print out the sheet and roll it into a cone. I cut mine to different sizes but I found that if you cut it to more of a square size, like a 6×7 it makes for a nice size cone. But you can test it out and see what size you’d like especially if you want your guests to fill it with a lot of pretzels!
The little pretzels are stickers that you can cut out on a print/cutting machine or simply print them out on sticker paper and cut them out yourself! They are just so cute you can even stick them on your tablecloth, cups and other decor!
Click here to get both the cone and pretzels to download and print at home.
What to wear to Oktoberfest
It’s not necessary but it certainly is fun to get dressed up for Oktoberfest! Traditionally the men wear lederhosen, and the ladies wear dirndls.
A Dirndl (pronounced dern-DULL) typically comes in three pieces: a white blouse, a skirt, and an apron. These outfits are pretty easy to find online and I loved the one I got! And since Oktoberfest is an annual event, I have an excuse to wear it every year!
Have fun and enjoy!
A reminder to just relax and enjoy with your friends and family! I’m always a bit crazy when I have people over and tend to get wrapped up in all the details. I’ve learned in the past few months that you can have a really great intimate party with fun and simple details. No need to stress over every little thing! The most important part is to spend time with your loved ones and enjoy yourself!
It’s cold and rainy here, but one thing I love about the winter is cozy layers. Rounding up some warm winter outfit ideas for both mom and kids!
Nordstrom is my go to for winter essentials, I can always find a ton of options for both me and my girls. Layla loves to match with mommy and it’s so fun finding outfits that we can wear together.
This post is sponsored by Nordstrom. All opinions are my own.
Warm Winter Outfit Ideas for Moms and Kids
I’m a bit on an animal print kick, it’s a fun way to mix things up in the winter. How cute are these pieces that we found? Even though we love to match, I try to find pieces that are similar but not exactly the same.
These sweaters are so comfy and cozy and it’s such an easy pairing with jeans and ankle boots for both of us. It’s hard enough for me to get all of us dressed and ready in the mornings so I love easy outfits like this that take no time to put together.
Animal print sweaters are my go-to’s for an easy and cute outfit. They always look great with jeans or leggings and boots. I just love this sweater on Layla too. I always find the cutest pieces for her at Nordstrom and I love that they always last through many washes.
Animal print sweaters for Mommy and Daughter
Faux fur coats for mom and daughter
I’m always a fan of faux fur and although I already own a few, I love the neutral camel color that you can wear with everything. I also mixed it up with some animal prints which I think looks great when you are wearing a simple outfit underneath.
Winter can be a tough time to stay stylish and put together cute outfits which is why I look for animal prints, or bright colors to be able to incorporate them into simple outfits but still give it a fun twist. Make sure to head over to Nordstrom to shop all these looks and more! Nordstrom is my favorite spot for clothes as shipping is free and returns are so easy, you can even return in store!
Even though we bought our new home about a year ago, the home search is still fresh on my mind as it totally encompassed our lives and it was all we could think about for months! We toured so many homes and I remember coming across Quadrant Homes and visiting all of their communities as I just loved their home designs.
This post is in partnership with Quadrant Homes. All opinions are my own.
Quadrant Homes – Vareze
I recently got a preview of their latest community, Vareze in Kirkland and I was blown away! These modern townhomes are not only beautifully designed but the quality and craftmanship is amazing! Quadrant’s homes are crafted by some of the best national architects and designers in the business, who incorporate the latest home design trends and floor plans available.
Family-Friendly Homes and Community
I grew up on the Eastside and have always loved this area. Kirkland has so much to offer, is very family friendly and has great schools. Every Quadrant neighborhood includes unique designs based on the location, amenities in the area, and trends at that time. I loved each space in the home.
The family room was perfect for my girls to run around and play in and I loved that it had a built-in fireplace that was very child/baby friendly!
Also, the windows in the home really helped make the space feel a lot larger. Every room had beautiful light pouring in, especially in the master bedroom and the family room.
Large Open Kitchen
I’m completely obsessed with the kitchen. I spend so much time in the kitchen and I love having lots of space to prep meals and cook so I was envious of all that space! We host family and friends a lot at our house and we always end up around the kitchen island, so I fell in love with that huge island! I can just see it being the perfect space for everyone to gather and eat and chat and hang out.
Designing your home
When buying a house, it can be hard to find things in each room that fit your style, but with Quadrant, buyers can participate in the design process as much – or as little – as they like. In a townhome community like Vareze, buyers can choose from buyers can choose from 8 floorplan designs and personalize their interior finishes – everything from cabinets and flooring, to tiles and paint.
Spacious bedrooms
The home we toured had three bedrooms and I could totally see my girls loving the bedrooms. The rooms are great for a growing kid, as they are spacious with large closets and just down the hall from the master which is something that is important when you have little ones!
I also have to mention that the laundry room is upstairs, right around the corner from the bedrooms. As a mom, I think we can all agree that is a huge plus, not to have to lug laundry up flights of stairs!
Design Studio
One thing that I loved about this home was the tall ceilings in every room. Even in the bathroom! I also loved all the details like the tile in the shower and the light fixtures. As I mentioned, you have the option to personalize your home to your own style. They have a Design Studio that makes it so easy and fun! It’s like your Pinterest board comes to life!
Master Bedroom
How gorgeous is the master bedroom? The light, the space, and a huge walk-in closet. What’s not to love?
Outdoor Space
I loved that they also put in a great outdoor deck for each home. Being in a townhome, you often feel like you don’t get much of an outside area so I loved that they built these in all the homes.
Grand Opening Event!
Be the first to see the premium townhomes at Vareze’s grand opening event on Saturday, January 25. The event is open to the public from 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. and will include home tours, a home tech demo, local giveaways, and bites from Wild Ginger in Bellevue. Headhere for more details!
Traveling with young kids is never easy, but it’s always an adventure and worth the memories made! My kids are 1 and 6 and I try to pick destinations that are easy to get to, lots of activities for kids and good weather is always a bonus, which is why we recently went to Long Beach, CA for our winter vacation. They are so many fun things to do with kids in Long Beach, CA and wanted to share what we did while we were there.
From Seattle, a flight to Long Beach is only 2 and a half hours and when you are traveling with a baby or toddler, the short flight is a definite win! We flew directly into Long Beach airport which is a beautiful, open air airport. Layla was so excited to get off the airplane and directly be outside! It’s the little things like this that make me love traveling with my kids as it’s so fun to see what they get excited about.
This post is in partnership with Visit Long Beach. All opinions are my own.
From the moment we got in the car and started driving, I knew we were going to love our vacation there! We left a gray, rainy Seattle to a perfectly warm (to us) no jacket needed climate, which we all were so happy about. The warm weather allowed us to plan full days of activities outdoors.
Where to stay in Long Beach with kids
We stayed at Hotel Maya which is a gorgeous hotel overseeing the water. We rented a car and I loved how close everything was. We could get to everything, from the water to downtown, to all the restaurants and activities within a 15 minute drive. The hotel room was very spacious for the 4 of us and the food was amazing! They have a restaurant inside the hotel that looked great, but when traveling with kids, eating out at restaurants for every meal can be a bit tough. We ended up ordering room service and having a cozy little meal in our room but my husband and I agreed that it was the best room service meal we had ever gotten!
The hotel has a private beach right on their property! I can’t wait to come back and enjoy the beach when it’s warmer.
Fun things to do with kids in Long Beach, CA
Pow Wow Murals
Downtown Long Beach has a lot of fun things to do, but one of our favorites was to spot all the beautiful murals! These murals are part of Pow Wow Long Beach and you can go on their website to see all the murals and locations. All the murals are so unique and beautiful and of course, a great photo opp!
Aquarium of the Pacific
My oldest, just loves animals so I knew a trip to the aquarium was required. I had heard a lot of great things about the Aquarium of the Pacific, and I completely agree, it was one of the best aquariums we have ever been to! Not only did we get to see all sorts of beautiful fish, we also saw penguins, sea otters and even got to interact with these beautiful birds!
You can buy a little cup of nectar to feed them and it was the funniest thing to walk in and immediately get swarmed by birds. When I first walked in I had at least 10 on me! This little one stuck by and got to eat up until another one landed on my husband’s arm while he was taking my photo and then they both had to share! It was hilarious and so fun!
Lion Lighthouse
The Lion Lighthouse is a short walk from the aquarium and so worth it! The walk there is beautiful and spacious. And once you get to the lighthouse you have the most beautiful view of Long Beach! Layla loved running up and down the hills and along the boardwalk.
Christmas in Long Beach
I loved that we got to visit during the holidays as we got to do so many fun Christmas activities. Our favorite had to be the Queen Mary Christmas. The Queen Mary is worth a trip itself and I wish I had gotten a photo of the boat but trust me when I tell you that it’s something that can’t be captured on camera, you just have to see it for yourself! For Christmas they had a ton of fun activities including ice skating, a merry go round, making your own stockings and so many other activities that the kids loved. We did all of that and then even got to visit and take photos with Santa! We spent so much time there doing everything and really enjoyed it. This wrapping paper room was so fun to take photos in!
Shopping at Shoreline Village
You can’t do Christmas without some shopping right? We headed to Shoreline Village to pick up some presents for family and friends and we weren’t disappointed! All the shops there are so unique and fun to browse. We picked up some great souvenirs for ourselves too! There’s even a great arcade with lots of games and a merry go round to entertain the kids. It’s right by the water so it’s just fun to walk around and I love how brightly colored all the buildings are. We had lunch at Tequila Jack’s and I highly recommend it! The salad I got was fresh and so full of flavor and they had a great kid’s menu which I always appreciate for my picky little eater.
Pike Outlets – don’t miss Snowopolis!
We also took the kids to Pike Outlets one afternoon as it ended up raining for a little bit. It’s kind of funny as it rarely rains in Long Beach, but apparently we brought the Seattle rain with us! We never mind a little rain and it was the perfect spot to hang out for an hour.
We stumbled upon the most amazing milk shake and shave ice shop! Snowopolis did not disappoint with their unicorn milkshake. We don’t let Layla indulge in treats like this at home so having something like this on vacation, made her day! I loved just seeing her face when it came out!
One of my favorite things was seeing all the Christmas decorations but also palm trees everywhere! It’s just not something you see in Seattle, so I loved the change of scenery for us.
Family friendly restaurants in Long Beach
I have no photos of restaurants or food because if you are a parent of a toddler, you will know that meal times are impossible enough to just get them to sit down and eat much less take photos of food! LOL! But I did have to mention that we enjoyed all of our meals in Long Beach. I loved the diversity of cuisine we got to try, from Thai to Mexican to Greek. Every place we went to was very family friendly. Our very favorite of the trip was Michael’s Downtown Italian Kitchen. First of all, I loved the area, it was full of great looking restaurants and shops, this was the street right by the restaurant. Look how cute it is!
The food we had at Michael’s was so so good! From the charcuterie plate to the wood fired pizza, the food was high quality and the staff was so good to our girls. They had games for them to play and our waiter even treated Layla to ice cream! It was such a great dinner and something we still talk about!
I’ll be honest, I wasn’t sure what to expect of Long Beach being that I wasn’t very familiar with it. But it’s such a great spot to take your family, even the littlest ones will love it! One thing that I noticed was that even though we went to a lot of touristy areas, it never felt overcrowded. There was definitely a lot of people around but it was still spacious enough that my girls could run around and enjoy the area without having to worry about them getting in people’s way. If you are not a fan of long lines and crowds, especially during the holiday season, I highly recommend a trip here.
Long Beach is only a 3o minute drive to Disneyland which is where we headed to after and I was so glad that we started our trip in Long Beach as it was so much more relaxing then the craziness of Disneyland. If you are headed that way, make a stop at Long Beach for a few days as there’s so much to do but at the same time, it’s still relaxing and you can really enjoy your vacation! I can’t wait to head back during the summer and hit up some of the beaches my girls!
