All Things Lovely

May 24, 2016April 27, 2018

5 Ways to be the Best Pet Parent this Summer

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #PawsToSavor #CollectiveBias

5 Ways to be the Best Pet Parent this Summer featured by popular lifestyle blogger, All Things Lovely

Since we live in Colorado, summer is really Bennett’s time to shine! He’s all cooped up in the house most of the winter. We walk him around the neighborhood every day that it’s not snowing, but it’s too cold to go on hikes or to the local dog park as much. Last summer, I was 8 months pregnant and then we had a newborn, so this summer we really want to try to make up for it.

Bennett is a big part of our family and we love taking him along on our adventures!

5 Ways to Be an Awesome Pet Parent this Summer

1. Find local hiking trails!

We love taking Bennett hiking when the weather gets warm. You’ll definitely want to make sure that they’re dog friendly for your breed of dog. Bigger dogs might have trouble climbing through big rocks, and smaller dogs might get tired if the trail is too long. Definitely do a quick search about where you’re going before deciding if it’s a good trail for your pup. And be prepared! If you’re super hot, your dog probably is too! If you’re super thirsty, your dog probably is too! If you need a snack, your dog probably does too! We always pack a bag anyways with water bottles and snacks, so we make sure to throw in things for Bennett. Here’s what you should bring for your dog for a day in the heat:

A water bottle
A collapsable bowl
Food and treats
A spray bottle (for cooling down)

4 Comments

May 19, 2016

Chicken Parm Roll-Ups- Pinterest Win

We see a lot of hilarious pinterest fails on the internet. A lot of the things on pinterest are crazy cool and creative and fun, but also hard to achieve for the average Joe. So, I wanted to start sharing my Pinterest wins! I use a lot of recipes and ideas from Pinterest, and while some of them are fails, I often have success! So today, I’m sharing a fun crescent roll recipes, that I tried and loved!

This recipe is so easy and so yummy! I saw this recipe on Pinterest and knew I had to try it! Honestly, I saw the pin on Pinterest and didn’t even open it up, I figured I could figure it out based on the picture, it seemed simple enough, and it was! (original pin found here) To make this, you only need 4 ingredients.

6 Comments

May 16, 2016September 21, 2018

Mint Chocolate Strawberry Mini Pies- A Clean Treat!

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #EffortlessPies #CollectiveBias

You guys know I love a good clean treat. Today, I’m sharing the ultimate clean treat with you! These mini pies are so delicious! They have minimal sugar, and are low in calories. You’ll want to eat them all day long. This is a delicious, refreshing dessert you don’t have to feel guilty about!

I love summer. The days are longer, the air is warmer, and there’s so much more to do! I love to get together with friends or family for outdoor dinners and barbecues. There’s nothing like good food to bring people together. In the summer, I don’t want to spend tons of time in the kitchen. I want things that are quick, easy, and delicious so I can maximize my time with friends and family. I also want treats that aren’t going to undo all my hard work on my summer body!

1 Comment

May 11, 2016June 6, 2016

Month 10

How is this happening?

When I look at Sawyer I see a little boy. Not a baby anymore. He’s grown so much just in the last month or two. You would never guess he used to have weight issues. He’s huge.

He’s standing and cruising, taking assisted steps, crawling, talking, and playing all day. He and Bennett have become best of friends, it’s so fun to watch them play.

May 6, 2016March 16, 2017

Hey Mama, You Deserve a Little Something

Thank you to REEDS Jewelers for sponsoring this post! All content and opinions expressed here are my own. This post may contain affiliate links.

Moms work harder and give up more than anyone else. The nights of no sleep, all the poopy diapers, the frustration, and the incredible moments all make up the whirlwind that is Motherhood. It’s hard.

So hard.

It’s the hardest thing I’ve ever done. Some days, I feel defeated. Like there’s no way I’m giving him my best and I shouldn’t feel frustrated. I don’t want to let him down. The feeling of having to ensure that he has the best possible life is absolutely overwhelming. And yet, it’s still what I want most in this world.

I feel guilty when we go with a cheaper brand of diapers because we’re trying to save money. I feel guilty when I don’t have time to make him food from scratch and hand him a store bought pouch. I feel guilty when I leave him to go to a shift a work. I felt guilty when he self-weaned and I wasn’t producing enough while pumping and we had to switch to formula. I feel guilty when I miss bedtime. I feel guilty when I get frustrated.

May 4, 2016May 4, 2016

DIY Mother’s Day Photoshoot

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links.

Holidays don’t always have to cost you an arm and a leg! While I love to shop and buy gifts, sometimes Moms just want something sentimental. I know I do! And while I might be screwing myself by posting this (I hope my Mother and Mother-in-Law don’t read this post before Sunday), today I wanted to share my DIY gifts for my Mother and Mother-in-Law this year!

May 2, 2016June 6, 2016

Get Baby’s Summer Wardrobe with Groupons Coupons

Disclosure: Thank you to Groupon for sponsoring this post! All opinions are mine alone.

Lately, Sawyer has been growing…a lot. Like a crazy amount! Hardly any of his clothes fit! Luckily, thanks to my baby shower and hand me downs, we had enough clothes to last us through 12 months, and I can count on one hand how many times we spent our own money on clothes for him. However, that 12 month mark is quickly approaching! And while we have some things, we needed Summer clothes! All the Summer clothes we have a newborn sized, and that definitely isn’t gonna fly anymore!

I always like to find the best deals and stay on budget. I’ve had the Groupon app on my phone forever. It’s my favorite place to shop. Life hack: Get all your Christmas presents on Groupon. Seriously. They have the best stuff, I’ve gotten my family’s Christmas gifts off Groupon for years and saved so much money! But I recently I discovered there was even more to Groupon.

They have a coupon section! It’s a total game changer. Now, before I go out, I hop on Groupon’s Coupons and see if there are any deals offered at the store I’m headed to, and there almost always is! Best part? It’s totally free!

So we obviously checked out Groupons Coupons before heading out to update Sawyer’s Summer wardrobe and we weren’t disappointed! We were headed to Carter’s and lucked out with tons of great coupons! There were plenty of promo codes for online shopping as well as in store offers you could print off. We were able to get an extra 20% off our whole order!

May 1, 2016June 6, 2016

Celebrate Every Stage of Motherhood this Mother’s Day

Motherhood is hard no matter what stage you’re in. Whether it be pregnancy, newborn, infant, toddler, elementary, or teenager, being a parent is incredibly difficult. As parents, we give everything we have. And as children, we are selfish.

I never realized just how much my mother did for me until I became a mother myself, and saw how much I was willing to do for Sawyer. As children we take and take, and as parents we give and give. As a daughter, I had no idea what my parents did for me. All they sacrificed. All the hard work they put in to ensure I was safe and fed and healthy.

As a Mother, now I know.

7 Comments

April 26, 2016September 17, 2016

Arizona Trip Recap + SwimZip

Disclosure: I received select products in exchange for review. All opinions are mine alone. This post may contain affiliate links.

We did it! We survived Sawyer’s first plane ride! And it wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be.

The tough part was navigating the airport and getting through security with all our stuff. We did okay on the way there, the line at security was long but we kept him entertained until we got to the gate. Once we boarded I made him a bottle to drink during takeoff so his ears didn’t plug. It worked like a charm, he fell asleep, and slept the whole way there!

When we got there, the first thing we did was stop at In-N-Out and Sawyer had his first bite of cheese burger (it was a hit). Then, we went to our hotel and went to bed. The next day was my grandpa’s 90th birthday (the reason for the trip) so we packed up the car and headed for their house! It was about an hour from our hotel so I made sure to have lots of snacks, and shows loaded up on the ipad to keep him entertained. It was Sawyer’s first time meeting my grandma and grandpa on my dad’s side of the family, and they were so excited to see him!

2 Comments

April 20, 2016September 21, 2018

Style meets Comfort with Ruthie Grace Boutique

Disclaimer: I received these items in exchange for review. All opinions are my own. This post may contain affiliate links.

As a mom, being comfortable is so, so important. Now that Sawyer is mobile, I’m moving around a lot. And so I need to dress in a way that makes that possible.

When I challenged myself to start getting dressed every day, I knew that didn’t mean dressing to the nines on the regular. I knew on days I was home with Sawyer, it meant comfortable, but still cute. My favorite way to do that is with skirts and dresses!

Seriously, I find skirts and dresses to be so much more comfortable than pants (although, not quite as comfortable as leggings). And it requires hardly any thought. You can throw on a dress and some flats and boom, cute outfit. You don’t have to coordinate anything or spend a ton of time on accessories. And you look polished and put together.

I found the most adorable dresses from Ruthie Grace Boutique! I wanted everything I saw, they have an amazing selection of clothing for Women. Everything is unique and so adorable! And it fit all my criteria for mama style. Cute, comfortable, affordable, and modest. Today, I’ve styled two dresses to share with you.