Top 12 Pictures from 2018

It's crazy to think that this is the last day of 2018! Today I'm rounding up my top 12 pictures of the year - one favorite per month! Enjoy!

In January, we took all three boys to our local children's theater for a performance. It was really fun and we've been able to take them to more movies and performances throughout the year. It's fun transitioning to having a little older kids.

High Five for Friday 12.21 - Another Festive Fun Week!

Happy Friday! Della at Della Devoted, Whitney at Polka Dotty Place, Whitney and Come Home for Comfort, 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! Remember you can link up your highlights post or up to THREE of your favorite posts from this past week!

PS I will be taking next Friday off!

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Last Friday night Calvin had his preschool Christmas program. It was adorable to say the least! Little kids in paper elf hats singing songs! He made this sweet plate that we got as a gift too!

Buffalo Plaid Sherpa Popover

If you have followed along with me for a while, you definitely know I LOVE buffalo plaid! Today I'm teaming up with Tif from Bright on a Budget and we're both styling this same Old Navy Buffalo Plaid Sherpa Popover!

DMMB: Last Minute Gift Guide

Looking for some last minute gift ideas? I have ideas for everyone over on Des Moines Moms Blog!

High Five for Friday 12.14 - More Holiday Fun

Happy Friday! Della at Della Devoted, Whitney at Polka Dotty Place, Whitney and Come Home for Comfort, 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! Remember you can link up your highlights post or up to THREE of your favorite posts from this past week!

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We had some friends over Friday night to celebrate the holidays. We had a yummy nacho bar, some good drinks, and the kids decorated cookies!

Our Holiday Decor: Holiday Home Tour & Link Up

Welcome to my holiday home tour! This is a straight up, non-edited iPhone picture tour of our home's holiday decor (though I did pick up a few goldfish crackers off the floor before I took pictures around the tree)! Enjoy!

High Five for Friday 12.7 - Festive Fun!

Happy Friday! Della at Della Devoted, Whitney at Polka Dotty Place, Whitney and Come Home for Comfort (another NEW host!), 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! Remember you can link up your highlights post or up to THREE of your favorite posts from this past week!

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Last Friday night, my friend Sara and I went to The Knotty Nail and made these adorable Christmas Countdown board! I can't wait to show you the whole house in our holiday home tour next week and where we ended up putting this!

Recent Amazon Purchases

It's been a long while since I've rounded up my Amazon purchases! Today I'm rounding up purchases that go back to late September! This isn't everything, because I buy a lot of little things for my business and I've purchased some gifts I can't share. I thought it would be fun to share the highlights.

High Five for Friday 11.30 - Thanksgiving and More

Happy Friday! Della at Della Devoted, (Our NEW HOST) Whitney at Polka Dotty Place, 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! Remember you can link up your highlights post or up to THREE of your favorite posts from this past week!

I took last Friday off, so I feel like I have a little bit of catching up to do!

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We went to Des Moines East Village Christmas celebration. We walked the streets, looked at lights, got some Thelma's Ice Cream Sandwiches, and got to watch some performers from the Nutcracker Ballet! It was a fun night!

I Tried Custom Haircare & Giveaway

This post contains gifted items but the opinions are my own.

Did you know there is such a thing as custom haircare? Now, I know you can get haircare for curly hair or frizzy hair, but did you know you can get haircare made JUST for you? I didn't until I learned about Formulate! Formulate is a company that makes custom shampoo and conditioner JUST for you. They take into account your hair and your environment!

DMMB: The Two Sides of Direct Sales

Today I'm over at Des Moines Moms Blogs sharing the two sides of direct sales! I hope you'll give it a read!

Coming Soon! Holiday Home Tour Link Up

I always love seeing people's fun holiday decorations! Join myself and some other lovely ladies to show off your homes! We'll be linking up on December 12!

Tips for Eating Out with Kids

We used to not go out to eat a lot as a family. It can be expensive and with behaviors, honestly it's easier to eat at home! But, since we started attending a new church, service and Sunday School goes later, so we really have to go out to each to get lunch in before nap time! Though we didn't realize we were doing it, we have been really teaching our kids a lot of manners and etiquette when eating out. Also, because they have this ownership, they seem to behave better when we've gone out to eat. Multiple times out to eat we get compliments on how well our boy behave.

High Five for Friday 11.16 - Getting Festive

Happy Friday! Della at Della Devoted, 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! Remember you can link up your highlights post or up to THREE of your favorite posts from this past week!

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Last Friday night and Saturday was spent at a vendor show. I have another show this weekend and one more for sure in December. It's not so fun being away from the boys, but it is fun sharing with some ladies who want to give things a try. The nice thing about this past weekend was the event was over by 2 and I was home by 2:30 so I had the rest of the dat with the boys!

$10 at Target - Hair Stuff

Hey all! Happy Tuesday! I wanted to jump on and share my recent trip to Target with just a budget of $10! First, let's walk through the journey of things I didn't buy!

High Five for Friday 11.9 - Festive and Flat

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! Remember you can link up your highlights post or up to THREE of your favorite posts from this past week! This is Katie's last week hosting the link up, so make sure you stop by and wish her well!

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Last Friday I got to hop over to Wesley's school and have lunch with him. It was so fun. Hanging out with Kindergarteners is always an adventure!

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Last week I hit up Starbucks and got one of their first holiday cups! I usually get cold drinks, but I just had to get a hot drink to kick off the season.

High Five for Friday 11.2 - Halloween and Date Night

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! Remember you can link up your highlights post or up to THREE of your favorite posts from this past week!

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Friday night Russ and I had a date night! We tried a new restaurant called Dumpling Darling and had treats at Molly's Cupcakes afterward! It was so nice to get out!

A Gadget for the Manicured Mom

I received this product free in exchange for review. Opinions are my own.

Ever since I was in high school having nice nails was important to me. Whether it was getting a manicure, doing my nails at home, or something in between, I like to have nice nails! Having longer nails and motherhood don't always mix, though.

DMMB: My Favorite Grocery Store

If you're a midwesterner, you've probably heard of Hy-Vee! I shared last week on Des Moines Moms Blog the many reasons I love our store! Read it here!

High Five for Friday 10.26 - Fall Happenings

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! Remember you can link up your highlights post or up to THREE of your favorite posts from this past week!

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Last Saturday, Russ was on an adventure, so the little two and I cheered on Henry at his soccer game. It was SO windy and cold, but they were all in good spirits. Thank goodness for blankets!

A Twist on Buffalo Plaid and Leopard

I feel like when people hear buffalo plaid and leopard they think of the red plaid wintery combo. Today I wanted to share a different spin on it!

Trident VIBES® Gift Card Deal

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

What’s better than getting something free after purchasing your favorite gum? You simply upload your Walmart receipt, including the purchase of Trident VIBES® gum, and wait for it to be validated and you'll receive a $5 iTunes gift card. Trident VIBES® has this rebate offer running until 11/1!

High Five for Friday 10.19 - Amazing Weekend

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! Remember you can link up your highlights post or up to THREE of your favorite posts from this past week!

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Not this past week, but the week before, we were just stuck in a rain spurt. It would not stop! This fall, honestly, we have had so much rain so far. One night we decided we just needed to get out, so we took the boys to Target and let the boys each pick something out. They were all excited with their finds. Calvin got a crane truck that didn't make it into the picture.

High Five for Friday 10.12 - Day Off!

I'm taking today off! Make sure you stop by Della at Della Devoted, Katie at Cup of Tea,  andTif at Bright on a Budget's blogs to link up and see other great posts!

Making My Smile a Priority - Coupon Code & Giveaway

I received this product free in exchange for review. All opinions are my own.

My smile is important to me. I show it every day in my work as a teacher and my work as a make up distributor. When Smile Brilliant asked me to review their electric toothbrush, I was excited because I am working to focus more on my dental health.

To be honest with you, I don't have the best teeth. Part of that has been due to laziness, and I think part of it to genetics. It also may have to do with the fact that I wasn't a regular to dentist check ups as a child and some of my adult life. In the past year I have been making it a priority to floss daily in addition to my normal tooth brushing routine. I have used electric toothbrushes in the past but wasn't a huge fan because I didn't like the brush it had (you know, the tiny round one), it was loud, and it didn't have any variety in settings.

Enter the Smile Brilliant cariPRO™ Electric Toothbrush! The first thing that excited me about this brush is the type of brush it has. Instead of a tiny round brush, it has a brush that is similar to your traditional toothbrush. The bristles are not too soft, and not too stiff. They have angles that reach between teeth for optimal cleaning. I also appreciate that the replacement heads are reasonably priced.

Another great thing about the Smile Brilliant cariPRO™ Electric Toothbrush is that it has five different settings based on your dental needs. My favorites were the Clean and Massage settings. They have different vibrations at each setting specific to that settings' needs. I also like that the brush has a timer that pauses letting you know to move to a different region of your mouth. I definitely know I wasn't brushing my teeth as long as I should have been with my manual toothbrush! My teeth feel so clean after using

If you want to know more, make sure to check out the Frequently Asked Questions page about this brush.

I am excited to team up with Smile Brilliant to give a Smile Brilliant cariPRO™ Electric Toothbrush away to one lucky ByBMG reader!

Just enter here!

And if you're ready to purchase a Smile Brilliant cariPRO™ Electric Toothbrush for your yourself, use the code bybmgblog20 at checkout for a 20% off discount!

How do you make your dental health a priority? Do you use an electric toothbrush?

High Five for Friday 10.5 - Day of Fun and New Hair

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! Remember you can link up your highlights post or up to THREE of your favorite posts from this past week!

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We had a busy Saturday last weekend and that makes up a good portion of this week's highlights! Henry had a soccer game Saturday morning. Russ had a wedding all day, so it was just the boys and me, but Russ's dad came to watch too. It was a chilly game but the boys enjoyed watching. I got this cute picture of them in the wagon and then they ran around most of the rest of the game.

Loving Lately

I thought it'd be fun to share some things I've been loving lately. From food to bath bombs to making my life better, read on!

DMMB: Colored Jeans for Fall

I'm over at Des Moines Moms Blog today sharing some ways to style colored jeans for fall!

High Five for Friday 9.28 - It's FALL!

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! Remember you can link up your highlights post or up to THREE of your favorite posts from this past week!

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I have my planning periods around lunch so sometimes I can pop out and go over to the boys's school. Last Friday I got to be the mystery reader in Henry's class. I gave the teacher 5 clues about me and she told the kids, then they had to try to guess who it was. It was so fun when I popped in the room and Henry said he knew it was me! My clues were: I was born in Iowa, I love make up, I have a cat, I love cotton candy, and I'm a teacher.

Fall Casual Date Night Outfit

Last Saturday night, Russ and I got a baby sitter and had a little date! The night was perfect. It felt exactly like fall. We went to Target, the mall, and out for dinner and drinks. Though we were only away for a couple hours, it was so refreshing! It was fun to put together a casual outfit for the fall weather! This post contains affiliate links. I may receive a small commission if you shop from my links at no added cost to you.

High Five for Friday 9.21 - Randoms

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! Remember you can link up your highlights post or up to THREE of your favorite posts from this past week!

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I had a mystery coworker put this delicious mix in my mail box last week. It was amazing!

$10 at Target - Photo Props

Happy Wednesday! Every once in a while I head to Target with a $10 budget and see what I can find! This trip was so fun! 

I'm pretty much addicted to bath bombs. This one looked intriguing. 

8 Reasons to Join SeneGence International

Updated May 13, 2020

Do you have a face? Do you like skincare or make up? I've been with SeneGence for over three and a half years, and today I want to share with you some great reasons to join!

High Five for Friday 9.14

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! Remember you can link up your highlights post or up to THREE of your favorite posts from this past week!

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We had friends over this weekend for the Iowa vs Iowa State game. I totally neglected to take any pictures, but it was fun and we had some great food!

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We did s'more again this week, but have you ever roasted a Starburst? Basically you just take a Starburst and warm it up quickly (5 seconds) over the fire. We spent some time with friends this summer and they introduced us to this. It's yummy!

A Custom Dress Just For Me

I received this item free for review. The opinions are my own.

I'll be heading to Tulsa for SeneGence Leaders Training in October, and when eShatki reached out to me to work with them on a custom dress, I just knew the event I was going to wear it for! I have worked with them previously and loved my last custom dress, so I knew I would love this one too. We have an awards banquet during the training where everyone gets dressed up and having a custom dress made just for me would be icing on the cake for this fun event!

DMMB: Teacher Discounts

I'm posting over at Des Moines Moms Blog about teacher discounts! This isn't just for teachers! Consider these stores if you gift your teachers gift cards so they can get more bang for their buck!

High SIX for Friday 9.6 - Fun News and Regular Happenings

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! Remember you can link up your highlights post or up to THREE of your favorite posts from this past week!

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Saturday after our long first full week of school we took it easy. Russ was gone doing a wedding video, the boys and I just stayed home, baked cupcakes, and took it easy. It was a great start to the weekend.

Wearing Lately

It's been a while since I've shared what I wear on a day to day basis! Today I'm rounding up some of what I've been wearing lately and links to similar pieces so you can get some closet inspiration! This post contains affiliate links. I may receive a small commission if you shop from my links at no added cost to you.

High Five for Friday 8.31 - Family Portrait and Rolled Ice Cream

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! Remember you can link up your highlights post or up to THREE of your favorite posts from this past week!

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We had a great weekend last weekend. Russ had a wedding on Saturday, so he was gone all day. The boys and I hit up Costco and Target and spent the rest of the day at home. On Sunday we went to church and then out to brunch with Russ's parents. The place we went is called The Machine Shed and they have free tractor wagon rides. The boys loved it!

High Five for Friday 8.24 - Back to School

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! Remember you can link up your highlights post or up to THREE of your favorite posts from this past week!

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As summer is winding down, it was fun that I got a new pair of sunglasses courtesy of Sunski! This are the Portola style and I chose them because of their pink lenses and the fact that I don't have a pair of black sunglasses that I love. The cool thing about them is they're made from recycled plastic and the company donates some of its profiles to environmental non-profits! You can use code GOODVIBES to get 15% off a pair for yourself!