Friday Favorites: Family Camp

Hey, hey Friday!!! It's so good to see you! I'm linking up today with Andrea, Erika, and Narci for Friday Favorites and sharing some of my favorite moments from the last two weeks! 

One of my favorite moments of each day, includes recess duty with Megan! I've been assigned kindergarten recess duty the last two years and I enjoy it, unless it's freezing cold outside! But, I love seeing her play! Last week, she was hanging upside down, and I had to sneak a picture...... this girl loves gymnastics, and has been flipping around and around through recess. 

Last week, Gretchen had musical theater, and I forgot to get something out for dinner.... so, DJ met us and we ate mexican food in our local downtown. Afterwards, we headed to a store to pick up handmade soap from one of my favorite shops! The girls spotted this horse and had to have their picture taken! 

Friday was picture day for Addy Pearl! I had the hardest time coming up with an outfit for her because it wasn't warm enough for a dress. We opted for ruffle pants and a monogrammed shirt, and of course, she asked for me to curl her hair. I can't believe that this is her last year at her preschool! 

Friday after school, Gretchen and I headed to Family Camp! Our church put on an overnight camp for 3rd through 5th grade, and we were super excited to go! We packed our suitcase, grabbed some sleeping bags and headed toward Siloam Springs, Arkansas for our camp. 

Her best friend, Connor and his dad were there too! 

Friday we had dinner, worshiped, and had a camp fire. We sang songs around the fire, and the kids made s'mores! 

We were up bright and early Saturday morning, and after breakfast we headed out for a prayer walk. It gave us time to explore nature, pray, and talk together. 

We had some free time before our first session, and the kids found each other again and played for a bit before our next session. 

At one point, the kids were taken to a session, and the adults had another session. We were asked to write letters of affirmation to our child, and then we read them together. Let me tell you, if you have not taken the time to write a letter to your child telling them how much you love them, and pointing out their qualities. Do. It. She had the best smile on her face! 

That afternoon we had more free time, and all Gretchen wanted to do was go canoeing! 

So, we hopped in a canoe, and I did my best to steer us in the right direction and keep us from flipping over! I'm pretty sure my husband wouldn't be too happy if my iphone had fallen in to that river! 

We canoed for a while, and then went in for some old-school bowling, foos ball, and she was able to see Connor one more time. He told her a scary story, and then I decided that it was time for us to head home! Sleeping in a twin size bunk bed, or rather not-sleeping, made me exhausted! We came home and I took a good nap! 

That night, Addy Pearl asked me to dry her hair, and I happily obliged! 

These sisters snuck my phone and I found sister-selfies! 

And, Adalyn's teacher sent me these photos of her on their garden day. 

Addy planted some seeds in a flower pot and in a bag, and she loved playing in the dirt! 

The girls and I ran to Target Monday after school, and Meggie asked me to take her picture while we were shoe shopping! 

And, then this super cute poncho from Shop Tailgate arrived on my doorstep! You can use the code ELAINEW for 10% off! And psst, they have the cutest graphic tees! 

Tuesday night, we got home right as it started to hail. We were scheduled to have gymnastics, but I let Megan decided if she wanted to get out in the rain again. (DJ had football practice, which meant that I would have had 3 kids out in the weather by myself.) Thankfully, she opted to stay home (we were suppose to get another round of storms, but thankfully, everything stayed to the south of us by about 5 miles.) But the girls ran outside to get a few pieces of hail once it stopped. Gretchen wanted to take some so she could look at it in her microscope, and Megan and Adalyn hid theirs in our freezer. And yes, it's still there! 

It was freezing Wednesday during recess, so I sent Megan inside to get my coat and a scarf out of my desk drawer. She had forgotten her coat at home even though I told her to grab it! Right as we lined up, it started to rain, and for April, it was super cold (in the 40s!)

But then she found herself in my room at the end of the day and we reviewed her sight words and worked on her spelling! Megan's is almost through the 1st grade sight word list, and I'm so proud of her!!!!

Whew, that's it for Friday Favorites!!!! Thanks for sticking around! 

See y'all Monday for Kids Book Club! 

Girl Mom: Easter Basket Gift Ideas

We're talking Easter baskets today!!!! This year, I've gotten a head start on my Easter basket buying! And, I wanted to share some gift ideas today! 

First, let's talk baskets..... Do you guys use the same baskets each year, or does the Easter bunny bring a new basket every year?

I'm a traditionalist, so every year, my girls use the same Easter basket. I used the same one growing up each year, and we just continued that tradition for our girls. 

If you're looking for something non-traditional, I think these are adorable ideas! 

But, if you're looking for something more traditional, then Pottery Barn Kids is the way to go. 

I love these white baskets with pink liners and monogrammed names. 

Okay, with baskets out of the way.... what on Earth are we going to fill them with?

I love getting the girls a new plate for Easter. This one from Crate & Barrel, is adorable, plus it's super affordable when you have to buy more than 1! (mom of 3 over here)

I try to stay super light on the candy inside our Easter baskets. I'll usually buy one container of chocolate eggs, and split them among the girls, or, I'll buy them one chocolate bunny, and that's it! 

Some years, I'll buy a combo pack of play-doh and divide it among the girls too! This one is fun because it has sparkles! 

Adalyn would enjoy a little bubble set, and anything Melissa & Doug is sure to hold up!

And all of my girls love these Melissa & Doug Sticker Pads! 

And these wooden dress up sets are magnetic, and my girls love them! 

If you plan on traveling this summer, then these travel games are perfect for an Easter basket!

I also like to pick up a swimsuit for the girls and put one in their basket! 

These bunny ears would be super cute too! 

The girls and I love to bake, and a few years ago, I put an American Girl cookbook in Gretchen's Easter basket. This little American Girl apron would be so sweet to include with some cupcake liners or spatula! 

My girls would get a kick out of these fun Easter crackers! 

Gretchen would enjoy this diary set. 

Gretchen loves science and the outdoors, and she'd love this little Tree Diary & research set too!

Okay, what have you picked up for your girls Easter baskets??? 

Wardrobe Wednesday: Easter Dresses

Happy Wednesday.... we're halfway through the week, and I'm ready for the weekend!!!

Today, I'm sharing a few of my favorite picks for Easter dresses!!! I'm not sure about y'all, but I tend to forget about getting an Easter dress for myself, and end up wearing something from my closet, but  I'm trying to plan ahead, so let's do a little shopping! 

I love this blue lace dress from Nordstrom. First, it matches the dresses that my girls will be wearing, and I can totally see a family theme here. It also comes in white, which would be super cute for any of you brides-to-be to wear to your rehearsal or a shower!

If you'd like a dress that's more versatile, then I like this Navy dress with Eyelet lace. It's a great option to pair with booties if you live where the weather might still be cool! 

This pink shift dress is a little bit fun and flirty to me. I love the ruffle detail on the sleeves! 

This midi-dress is just classic and pretty. I love the floral print, the shirred midsection, and the length. 

I am swooning over this Michael Kors dress. It's perfect for Easter and can carry you right in to wedding season too!

I'm not sure if this dress would arrive in time for Easter, but I love this maxi from Shop Tailgate! And, you can use the code ELAINEW for 10% off this or anything else on her site! 

Now, if I keep procrastinating, then this Lily Pulitzer dress will be my Easter dress!

Okay, which one is your favorite? Do you have your Easter dress yet?

Come On In: Easter Decorations

I can't believe that Easter is right around the corner! Right after our Disney Cruise, Megan began asking when I was going to decorate the house for Easter. I finally got caught up on laundry a few weekends ago, and decided to pull out our Easter decorations. Megan was thrilled!!! 

I tend to keep Easter decorations to a minimum. I still enjoy the fresh, clean look after having Christmas up for so long. So, we keep it simple for Easter. 

I recently turned our table in our dining room and I love the extra space we have on both sides! On the center of the table, I placed a pitcher of tall grass and yellow flowers. A little bunny, a carton of eggs, and our Bible verse completes the table. 

On the backdoor, I hung this bright felt wreath. 

In our little kitchen corner, I kept our "Happy Everything" plate, added a felt bunny banner, a cute little burlap mason jar, an bunny egg platter, and fun paper plates for the girls! I also put our Resurrection Eggs here, because I wanted to control when the girls have access to them so we don't loose the pieces. 

On our bar, I set out my pewter deviled egg platter, and my three Easter candlesticks. Sans candles because I needed to pick up new ones, and I haven't yet! 

Over on the side board in the living room, I filled my apotheracy jar with Easter grass, and added a few touches to my tiered stand. 

I picked up this cute little bunny from Hobby Lobby. 

And added a few clay eggs, and a little bird nest on the top tier. 

And, I kept it simple in the entry way... just a little hello Easter sign, wooden bunny, and jar of paper flowers. 

My girls are loving these little spring, Easter touches to our home!!!

Check back Thursday, for adorable Easter basket gift ideas! 

Mad for Monday: Oil Edition

Today's edition of Mad for Monday has gone a bit oily! I'm sharing a few oils and products that we've been Mad For lately! 

First up, Young Living's KidScents collection! Young Living has recently re-branded their labels on the KidScents collection and they're super cute!

Our favorites include Tummygize, Sleepyize, and Sniffleease!

When the girls complain of their belly's, we apply Tummygize. It provides instant relief and it's safe for kiddos!

Sleepyize helps the girls fall asleep fast.... and stay asleep! We diffuse this in their rooms often!

And Sniffleease is a favorite as flowers are blooming, and our Oklahoma weather has been up and down! 

I was loading the dishwasher the other day and opened up a sippy cup that had been hiding, and ugh, the milk that came out of that cup was nasty! Unfortunately, it left a yucky smell in our disposal, so I grabbed a bottle of Christmas Spirit and put a drop down the sink and turned on the disposal. And, the smell was gone! 

We're Mad for Natives in our house, but they can get yucky! I threw them in the sink with hot water and a capful of Thieves cleaner.....

And bam, they look new again! 

Since switching to essential oils, we don't use candles, so I often like to diffuse oils to not only reap the therapeutic benefits, but also for our house to smell good. I haven't diffused Lemongrass before, but it totally smells like fruit loops! Lemongrass and Peppermint made for a combination I was Mad for! 

After returning from our Disney cruise, I was feeling exhausted, and I was determined to get back to normal! I finished off a pouch of Young Living's Ningxia Red, took a Super B, and diffused Motivation.

Ningxia Red is an antioxidant drink that is amazing for you! It contains wolfberries, and provides energy.

And friends, if you're a woman you need to be taking a B vitamin. Super B is a fabulous supplement for energy.

And motivation, not only got my booty in gear, but the girls helped to step up and clean the house the day I diffused it too!

My March Young Living order, contained lots of products that we go Mad for! I ordered two bottles of Ningxia. Adalyn loves to drink it! And then I ordered the Animal Scents Shampoo for our pup. A Thieves foaming hand soap refill....I plan on grabbing some cute soap dispensers and placing them in the bathrooms. And then I ordered the Kidscents Shampoo & Bath Gel for the girls! I'm so thankful that I'm putting safe shampoos & soap on their body!

In March, I received Fruit & Veggie spray, Thieves, Blue Cyprus, Lime, Lavender and Frankincense for free!

I always go Mad when I receive FREE products!And in March, I received 6 of them! 

I also ordered the Theives Essential Rewards Kit, and someone on my oil team is receiving it for free!!!! I can't wait to find out who the winner is!

And finally, let's chat about Slique CitraSlim! These are supplements that you take twice a day and they  help to control your sugar cravings! I have a major sweet tooth, and can't turn down chocolate! And around 2 pm every day, my hunger kicks in, and I don't always make the best choices. Thankfully, my appetite is controlled and I'm turning down chocolate since I began using CitraSlim! 

And finally, I want to offer you the Happy Oiler Hookup!!!!

You've heard me chat about essential oils, and how we're sleeping better, feeling better, and using non-toxic products, and I want you to benefit from this starter kit too! Anyone that purchases this week, we'll receive $25.00 cash back from me! All you have to do is email me, or leave a comment on the blog with your email! You can also learn more here.

Do you use Young Living essential oils? I'd love to know which products you're Mad For!