bybmg: August 2016
This post contains affiliate links. See my disclosure statement. 

Happy Tuesday! Today Tif and I are styling some fun LuLaRoe pieces again. If you missed last week, check out how she styled the Julia Dress and how I styled the Madison Skirt and Joy Vest. Today Tif is styling Leggings and an Irma Top. I'm styling the new Carly Dress!

LuLaRoe came out with a new dress this spring called the Carly. It's a fun t-shirt dress that is very versatile! Today I wanted to show you how I styled mine with a fallish vibe while still tolerating the late summer temps!


This post contains affiliate links. See my disclosure statement. 

Happy Monday! Today I wanted to round up some of my recent favorite things that I've been using these past few weeks!

Current Loves





Day Designer Weekly/Monthly Planner: I know I'd mentioned a few weeks ago that I got a planner from the Target dollar spot. It was missing one feature that I really wanted which was to have the day planned out in a column and the week on two pages that opened flat. I saw that one of my friends at work had this planner, and I knew it was the one for me, so I spent the $11 to get it. Free shipping, thank you Red Card!

E.L.F. Eyebrow Kit: I don't really use the wax on the one side of this, but I do use the powder. I just use a smudge brush and use it to fill in my brows a little bit.

Pilot Frixion Pens: I had another friend at work show these to me. Remember the old erasable pens? Well, this is a step up from that because the eraser is that much better and they click! I've been using these in my planner.

Papermate Flair Pens: These are just feel good pens. I love using the felt tip to write notes to students, label things, etc.

Cherry Batiste Dry Shampoo: I think I've found my dry shampoo. I like how its an aerosol, it smells yummy, and I actually like the bit of white color it has when it comes out because then I can see where I'm putting it. Just a little scalp massage and I'm good to go!

Aveda Light Elements Shaping Wax: I got some free product credit for referring people to the salon where I get my hair cut. I wasn't sure what to get, but my stylist has used this shaping wax in my hair before. It adds some texture and tames the flyaways. I really like using it when I put my hair back because I have a TON of baby hairs!

So, there are some products I've been loving lately. What do you think? What's something you think I need to know about?

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We hit up the Iowa State Fair this past weekend to watch my niece receive an award from the governor for a poster she'd made about healthy choices. While we were there we enjoyed some tasty food and saw some livestock. My dad is a bee keeper, and he'd entered some honey in the fair, so we stopped by to check out the ribbons he won!

{TWO}



We pretty much take any chance we can get to visit our local ice cream shop, so the night before back to school was no exception.

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The first day of school was great. I was tired as ever when the day was done. I think we all were, but overall it was a great day. Wesley went to his first day of three-year-old preschool and Henry entered first grade.

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I went out of my comfort zone and filmed my first LipSense application video. It's filled with real life sounds around our house which makes it extra hilarious. 

{FIVE}


I had a student bring me this on the first day of school. A homemade card and Starbucks? LOVE it!





LuLaRoe Madison and Joy

DIY Canvas Art







I've always been a crafty person, and believe it or not, sharing crafts was the reason I really started this blog in the first place. Having littles and getting back into the swing of things with school has really had me stressed, but I made sure this past weekend to make a little time for myself to create, and here's what I came up with.

Happy Tuesday, friends! Today I wanted to show you my first day of school outfit (that's today!) which includes a few fun new LuLaRoe pieces, the Madison skirt and the Joy vest! Tif over at Bright on a Budget is also styling some LuLaRoe today, so make sure to check it out!

This post contains affiliate links. See my disclosure statement. 

This week was full of fun and some craziness!  Here are the highlights:

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Saturday Russ and I spent the afternoon and evening on a bike ride with our friend to celebrate her birthday. We stopped at a few different breweries and such along the way. It was so fun but I was super tired at the end. We biked 18 miles overall.

I have received information and materials from JOHNSON & JOHNSON CONSUMER, Inc., McNeil Consumer Healthcare Division, LLC. The opinions stated are my own. This is a sponsored post. #PositivelyPrepared #BacktoSchool #CollectiveBias



I'm back to work this week in pre-service days as a teacher and next week two of our three boys will be in school! Every year it's so hard to get back into the swing of things at the end of summer, but today I wanted to share a four tips been putting into place that make things a little easier on all of us during this transition.


Russ and I went out on a date night the other night to one of his favorite restaurants in Des Moines called Malo. It's fun to get dressed up every once in a while even if it's just for a few hours. I had to laugh because the last two date nights before this I wore the same olive tee with different black and white striped skirts (here and here). I made sure this night was vastly different!
Another month has passed, and it's time again for $10 at Target. It's always such a fun little mom vacation for me, and this month did not disappoint!  I always start off with what I didn't get. Here are a few things:


These poster letters were in the craft aisle, and they were stinkin' cute. I'm sure I could find a lot of fun uses for them... but I passed on them for this month.

Happy Friday! This week has been full of adventures! Here are some highlights:

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Russ and I spent last weekend away with some friends. No kids. We do it every year! Cabins out in the middle of nowhere. It was so fun!



I'm joining in with some fabulous ladies to be a part of the Picture Perfect Project. Each month I'll be sharing a few photos I've taken with our Canon EOS Rebel T3i. I decided with this challenge to focus on documenting of each of our boys in their element. It might look messy, but I just want these photos to capture the every day life we have. I don't really plan to edit the photos in any way except for possibly cropping them a little.

The pictures I took this month were from this morning! That's why I'm a little late posting. It was a slow summer morning where rain was threatening, so we just hung out.


Happy National S'mores Day! I've always been a s'mores lover! Russ and I even had s'mores for a date night a while back. Today I'm sharing a twist on the typical s'more with a fun peanut butter s'mores bar recipe. Enjoy!

It's no secret that I love stripes! Today, Anne's Mom Style Remix is all about stripes, so I thought I would round up a few ways I've worn my Target striped tees! I own a crew neck and a v-neck and they are super versatile!


I received Minted.com credit in exchange for my review. All opinions are my own. This post also contains affiliate links. See my disclosure statement. 


I've always been a person who labels things. As a teacher, I see the lost and found overflowing with valuables left unclaimed. It drives me crazy to see expensive sweatshirts, jackets, shoes, and more just left without care. I want to teach my boys to be responsible, but I also know they have a lot going on in their little minds throughout the day, so when I heard Minted had personalized name labels that will stand up through the wash, I was pumped!

I ordered three sets, one for Henry, one for Wesley, and one with our last name and phone number.

Happy Friday! In the summers, Friday is just another day to me, but we have just a ONE summer week left after this week, so I'm trying to soak up the fun while I can! Here's what we've been up to:

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I mentioned it in Monday's post, but we went to the Des Moines Downtown Farmer's Market on Saturday. It was the perfect weather for the market and we enjoyed Dutch Letters and kettle
corn (Also, Wesley's expression in the picture just cracks me up!).

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



My boys are big Angry Birds lovers. They've played the Angry Birds game a lot. We haven't had the most luck in making it through movies in the theater, but at home movie nights are way more successful. We were super excited to find out that the Angry Birds Movie was just released and we could stream it online!

I thought it would be fun to make a snack to enjoy for the event, so we made simple Angry Birds fruit pizzas.

I received hair extensions free in exchange for my review, but the opinions are all my own. This post also contains affiliate links. See my disclosure statement. 

This month the How I Style It ladies are sharing our shorts looks! Make sure you hop over to see their looks!


I used to be a person who didn't wear shorts. I really don't know why. Now, I can't get enough. And the soft short trend has me because they're basically like wearing pajamas and many have super fun trim! I found this pair in black at Target at the beginning of the summer and after I wore them a ton, I went back to get this pair. 

Happy August! I kind of feel like saying "Boo August," because summer is almost over, but I'm trying to make the best of it!



Today I'm sharing a recap of July in numerical form, goals from July, and new goals I'm setting for August!
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