Friday Favorites | What am I doing Edition

Linking up with Andrea, Narci & Erika for...

Happy Friday!

Let's get right into my FAVORITES for the week!

On Sunday morning I was feeling slightly adventurous and decided to attempt braiding my hair.

FYI: I suck at braiding, or just styling my hair in general.

I watched this video the night before so I thought I might be able to figure it out.

So here is my attempt at it...

I tried one braid, but it didn't look right so I did two.

Not too terrible for my first time.

And braids are a FAVORITE of Mic's since he loves the show Vikings so I considered it a WIN :)

For more of what we have been doing, check out my What's Up July post from this week here! 😊

Sunday afternoon we all needed a break from the same ole' same ole', so despite the rain we headed out for a Sunday Family Drive.

They have always been my FAVORITE!

We ended our ride with a yummy dinner at Allison's Finer Diner and even included our FAVORITE appetizer...Homemade potato chips with Alfredo sauce and blue cheese crumbles :)

On Monday, our babysitter took X for a yummy treat!

Frozen custard from Whit's is our FAVORITE!

X's FAVORITE thing this week has been soccer camp!
He had an absolute blast!
And I can't lie, I enjoyed watching my FAVORITE little player do his thing and really improve his skills :)

Unfortunately, one of my LEAST FAVORITE moments of the week was discovering that X had been bitten by a spider/insect of some kind :(

This one on his thumb was the first bite, and then a day later he had at least 4 more of them!

Poor kid!

A couple FAVORITES I found on Instagram this week...

This one is actually 100% because of me!
I watch WAY more football than my husband does!

The Blended Blog was posting their FAVORITE workout videos the other day, and Deena's post featured my FAVORITE video ;)
Within the post she introduced me to The Fitness Marshall.
Oh my goodness!
After two nights, these are definitely my FAVORITE workouts to do!
The best part is you don't even realize your working out, because of all the dancing and laughing ;)
Yes, I said laughing!
Have you heard of The Fitness Marshall?
Here are a few of my FAVORITES...

And that is it for the last week of July!
Do you have any big plans for the weekend?

What's up July?!

Linking up with Mel, Shay & Sheaffer for...

What we're eating this week...

Parm Garlic Chicken Wings
Smoked Sausage with veggies
Crockpot Italian chicken with potatoes and carrots
Leftovers :/

What I'm reminiscing about...

High School Years
This weekend Mic and I came across the NBA dunk contest from the late 90's.
Oh my goodness!
We couldn't stop watching!
The clothes, the video cameras, etc.!
WOW!
Makes me feel really old!
But those dunks...were AMAZING!!!!
The ones today don't stand a chance compared to them :)

What I'm loving...

Watching X at soccer camp this week.

He is having a blast and is learning a lot :)

What we've been up to...

Work, work, work :(
I am ready for a little fun!
Mic, X and I did take a Sunday drive this past weekend and it was wonderful!
Sometimes you need to get away from the boring routine and just not care if the laundry isn't done!
We stopped at one of our favorite spots and enjoyed the homemade chips with Alfredo sauce and blue cheese crumbles.

 And followed it up with some seriously yummy meatloaf, mashed potatoes and onion straws!
YUM!!!

What I'm dreading...

Nothing and everything :/
I am a worry wart by nature :(

What I'm working on...

More yoga.

My stress levels recently are insanely high.
I am trying to do at least 30 minutes of yoga every night to wind down and decompress as much as possible.
What's your favorite yoga videos or YouTube channels to follow?

What I'm excited about...

We are super close to my favorite time of the year!

In Ohio you can snap your fingers and the weather instantly changes to Fall.
While I don't mind summer I can't wait to see the leaves change colors, the cooler temps, and all the fun holiday activities (Halloween is seriously a close second to Christmas for me).
And I finally can wear my #NSALE purchases ;)

What I'm watching/reading...

Shark Week has taken over our house this week!
Did any of you watch Michael Phelps vs the sharks?

And X and I watched Descendants 2 on Disney over the weekend and he loved it!
He can't stop singing the songs!
And he was pumped when it came on in the car :)

And when we aren't watching those, we are watching reruns of Fixer Upper, Rehab Addict, Property Brothers, Rustic Renovation, Tiny Luxury, Stone Age, and Pool Kings :)

You can't tell we are getting ready for a big home remodel can you??!?!?!

What I'm listening to...

X loves music like me, so we listen to all kinds of things now!
From Disney

to country

to rock

We love it all!

What I'm wearing...

I would love to say that I am wearing the new jackets I picked up in the #NSALE but it is just too stinkin' hot still :(
But I have been rockin' my new booties I picked up from Zulily!
They are currently on sale at Nordstrom :)

What I'm doing this weekend...

I don't technically have any plans!
Which hopefully means we can get a few things done around the house :)

What I'm looking forward to next month...

Going to a Cleveland Indians game with my dad,
taking X to the Columbus Zoo,

Kindergarten orientation,

And the first day of school!
X can't wait to get back to school to see all his friends!

What else is new...

Same ole' same ole' here.

Bonus Question: What's your favorite thing about summer?

Grilling our meals!

Summer is pretty much the only season in central Ohio when you can use your grill.
Every now and then you might have a good day or two in the Spring or Fall (sometimes even Winter), but summer is your best shot usually.
So I try to take full advantage and make everything on the grill.
From hamburgers, to steaks, to BBQ chicken, to ribs, to low country boil skewers, and even pizzas!
Nothing is off limits!

Show & Tell | My Phone

Linking up with Andrea @ Momfessionals for...

Today we are talking about what is on our phones.

Honestly, I am pretty simple when it comes to things on my phone.
Some days I would like to use a few other apps here and there, but I swear I no more than put them on my phone and I get a message that I don't have much space left.
Now that could be because I keep a zillion pictures on my phone, but I reassure myself that can't be it ;)

Something else you might notice as you look at my screen...no notifications!
It seriously makes me go crazy when I see phones that have a million emails/texts/etc. waiting.
So I have them all turned off.
I only see them if I open the apps.
Well, except for text messages.
Otherwise, nothing else makes a sound or has a number on it waiting for me.
Less stressful that way in my opinion :)


My staple apps are on my second screen....I keep the first screen clear.
Am I the only person who does that?
I just can't stand to see a congested home screen!

Staples in my book....
Instagram
Facebook
Pinterest
Sirius XM
Cartwheel
Snapchat
Netflix
Maps

Other than Cartwheel and Maps, I use every one of those apps multiple times a day.

My baseline never changes....phone, text, email, internet and camera.

Other notable apps...

YouTube
X and I use this quite a bit to watch videos of our favorite songs and have dance parties at night.

Our Groceries 
I love this one! Mic and I are both able to add things to our shopping list, so I know what he needs each week.

Huntington
This is kind of a no brainer in my book.

Kroger
I use this to add coupons to my card each week, and to refill Rx's.

Messenger
I don't use this that often on my phone, but I have it there so if someone else sends me a message I will get an alert.

Repost
Because some days posts from other people are too good not to share :)

Starbucks
This was on my home screen up until recently. I have really cut down on getting my weekly fix on Sundays while I grocery shop. So now it is just there when I need it.

One that doesn't show currently is LocaLynx.
Mic and I both love it!
He has it on his phone, so I don't feel I "need" to have it.
It basically gives us coupons to shops/restaurants/etc. that are local to us.
But I believe you can change the location based on where you are.
We have used it multiple times are our favorite Japanese Steakhouse!

I use YouVersion Bible App on my phone as well.
This is great to wake up to each day :)

Now it is your turn...What am I missing out on?
Good apps for shopping, reading, watching TV, etc.
Any good games or apps for kids?

Friday Favorites | So Much Fun & A Giveaway!

Linking up with Andrea, Narci & Erika for...

Happy Friday!

I hope you all have been having a wonderful week!

My FAVORITE little guy has been having a blast the last couple of weeks!

I wasn't able to post these last Friday, so I'm backing up to late last week a bit to include them today :)

X went to COSI in Columbus last week and absolutely loved it!

Science and sports are his FAVORITE subjects right now :)

On Thursday last week they went to the Little Buckeye Museum!

He was so excited to dress up and pretend to work at McDonald's! lol!

They enjoyed lunch at Coney Island, and then hit up the carousel.

Talk about a great week with the babysitter!

He was super bummed that I couldn't do those activities with him, so he worked me I decided to work from home on Friday so he could play with his toys and chill.

Bonus of working from home....my first package from my FAVORITE store arrived!

You can see all my #NSALE picks here :)

Mic decided to come home early from work and we surprised X by taking him fishing Friday afternoon!

He has been begging to go fishing, so he was beyond excited!

We rented a little boat and headed out on the water.

Unfortunately, the rod Mic bought was broken :(

So after a short meltdown, we regrouped and found a paddle that X had just as much fun playing with out on the water :)

Days like this one with my guys are definitely a FAVORITE!!!

We topped off a great week with our FAVORITE Superman ice cream!

On Saturday I headed north to my cousin's high school graduation party, while Mic and X headed to a friend's birthday party.

I absolutely LOVED all the pictures, playbills, etc. my cousin had displayed from her school years.

My step dad made that shadow box with the old film reel and the name of my cousin's film company!

It was truly amazing in person!

I can't wait to see what Hannah does next in college and beyond!

After a quick visit with everyone, it was time to head downtown Cleveland for the Luke Bryan concert with my dad and step mom :)

What is better than going to a really good concert?

Going to that said concert in an amazing venue!

Cleveland will always be my FAVORITE city!

It has my heart forever :)

Of course a fun night out with my dad must include shots!

Lauren Alaina, Brett Eldridge, and Luke Bryan put on an amazing show!

Seriously one of my very FAVORITE concerts to date!

We were super hungry after the concert, so we headed to one of my FAVORITE spots and inhaled my FAVORITE sandwich!

Panini's sandwiches are the BEST!

I normally don't like my food to touch, but I make an exception with these!

Sunday I made a quick stop to visit my Aunt before heading home to my guys.

Mic had work to do, so X and I headed to Kroger for our weekly groceries.

This cutie conned me into the police car cart that he is obviously too tall for :/

#takesafterhisdaddy

#daddylonglegs

NOT SO FAVORITE moment of the week was when I was heading to pick up X on Monday after work.

A big rock flew off a dump truck and did some damage to my windshield :(

Thankfully, my FAVORITE windshield repair guy (my dad), and he was able to drive down on Tuesday morning to fix it for me :)

While we were outside this beauty decided to hangout with us :)

#butterfliesaremyFAVORITE

#mynamemeansbutterfly

Meanwhile, X was living it up at a local splash park!

That evening we played X's FAVORITE - dinosaurs!

And in the blog world I joined some of my FAVORITE ladies - Ashley & Erika for Tuesday Talk!

On Wednesday morning we met our babysitter and her girls at the movie theater.

I loved watching them walk into together :)

In other news....some of my FAVORITE tanks/tops/sweaters would look really great with a bralette underneath instead of a regular bra or sports bra.

SO....I am in search of some!

Do you own any?

What brands?

Where did you buy them?

Give me all your suggestions :)

No Friday FAVORITES post is complete with some finds on Instagram/Facebook/Sirius Radio :)

Seriously!

How true is this next one?!?!

Have you heard this song yet?

I love it!!

One more thing before you go!

Join Minnie and Daisy as they run their own temp agency helping friends and neighbors in MINNIE’S HAPPY HELPERS! 

Enter here for your chance to win a DVD copy: http://tinyurl.com/MINNIEHHXV 

Every DVD includes a free exclusive customizable happy helpers chart! Available on Disney DVD July 25.

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend!