bybmg: August 2017

Hey all! I'm over at Des Moines Moms Blog today sharing some tips for putting together outfits for family photos.

Go here to read it!
I pride myself in being pretty organized. Though I don't have it all in check, in the past two years we have really tried to meal plan better. I set the meals for the week, shop once, and we're done. Over the summer we got a little bit lax and were going to the grocery store more than I liked which usually meant spending more money than I liked.

Revving up for back to school, I wanted to get things in check. In the past I would sit down and plan out just a week and honestly it would stress me out. I mean, I know things we typically eat, but did we have it just last week? Was it a meal the boys would eat? Was it easy?

We eat early at our house. I walk in the door somewhere between 4 and 4:30 and the boys are begging for food. Instead of snacking (which eats up money), we try to hold them off and get dinner on the table around 5. This doesn't allow for elaborate meals. So, a few weeks ago, I decided to sit down and knock it out. I planned four weeks of meals that we could rotate so I wouldn't go crazy trying to brainstorm things every week.

Happy Friday! Della at Della Devoted, Katie at Cup of Tea, Tif at Bright on a Budget, and I want to welcome you to High Five for Friday! Each week we share the best parts of the week and hope you'll join us!

I'm also linking up with these lovely ladies for a new link up called:


So, here are my five things (and a couple bonuses) and most all of them were from this week!

{ONE}


Back to school! We went back to school on Wednesday. We always get a family selfie and then individual pictures of the boys who are going to school. Henry was alllll about going to school. Wesley, not so much. This may go down as one of the most hilarious back to school pictures every. He really did have a great day, but he just wasn't digging the change in routine and that it was a little chilly that morning. 


Dear Mass Retailers,

A few weeks ago I took our son Wesley back to school shopping. He told me right off the bat that he wanted a Trolls backpack with Poppy on it and he wanted a Trolls shirt. We hit up Target and found a Poppy backpack right away. Yes, it is hot pink and yes it looks totally feminine, but he just loves it. I was so thrilled! Next, we headed to the boys clothing section and that's when the frustration hit.


Welcome to this month's edition of $10 at Target! Each month I head to Target with a $10 budget and see what I can find. Shopping at Target is an adventure, especially the times I get to go by myself! This month, I strolled around and saw lots of fun things!
Happy Friday! Della at Della Devoted, Katie at Cup of Tea, Tif at Bright on a Budget, and I want to welcome you to High Five for Friday! Each week we share the best parts of the week and hope you'll join us! We wrapped up our official summer break on Tuesday as Russ and I went back to work on Wednesday but still hope to get bits of summer on the weekends and evenings.

{ONE}


When we moved into our house two years ago, Wesley was almost two. We bought a set of bunk beds but just kept them at twin singles beds. Last weekend the boys requested they be bunked and we agreed. They love it and everything is going well with them so far!


Raise your hand if you're excited for fall! Though I love summer and the freedom it brings, we've had some tastes of fall weather here lately in Iowa and I'm loving it. I also have quite the love for pumpkin things, so that makes me wish for fall too. I even made pumpkin muffins this week! Today I'm sharing a casual summer outfit that definitely makes me feel like fall!





Every year for the past nine years, we have taken one weekend late in the summer and headed down to southern Iowa with some other couples to have some kid-free fun. We usually just hang out, go boating, play some out door games and sit around the camp fire. It's a great way to reconnect with friends without the kids around. Russ and I have been digging sangria this summer, so we decided we would mix up a batch to share! 
Happy Friday! Della at Della Devoted, Katie at Cup of Tea, Tif at Bright on a Budget, and I want to welcome you to High Five for Friday! Each week we share the best parts of the week and hope you'll join us! This week was our last full week of summer vacation.

{ONE}


This past weekend we had our yearly trip to cabins in southern Iowa with friends! It's an adults-only weekend and we've been going with the same friends for 9 years! It was so fun and the weather was almost fallish! 


Today I'm linking up with Erin at Perfectly Port Family for her 10 on the 10th series. This month is 10 Back to School Must Haves and I'm excited to see what everyone has to share! I'm a teacher, so this back to school list is partially for me and partially for the family as a whole!


Happy Tuesday! Today I'm sharing the last outfit from our vacation to Mexico. This outfit was by far my favorite of the trip, so it gets a whole post by itself!
Happy Friday! Della at Della Devoted, Katie at Cup of Tea, Tif at Bright on a Budget, and I want to welcome you to High Five for Friday! Each week we share the best parts of the week and hope you'll join us! Summer is winding down, so we're trying to make the most of it!

{ONE}



We went to our last Make It at Michael's workshop. The boys made a super hero and construction paper pizza and donuts. The third activity was to draw yourself as a super hero which Wesley wasn't really into. This was probably my least favorite of the workshops we've been to just because it wasn't making something with things we didn't have at home... but it got us out and about, so it was still fun. 

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


Some days it's hard to keep it all together. With back to school right around the corner, life will get much busier for me and I will have to work double time to make sure we stay organized and on top of things! I'm totally a paper to-do list person, so today I'm sharing a cute DIY to do list center that you can make for home or to give as a gift for that busy person in your life!

We love a good s'more around here, and today I wanted to share a couple fun ways to do s'mores that aren't the typical graham crackers and chocolate.
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