Summer Bucket List & Survival Kit

This is a sponsored post, but all opinions are my own.

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We are just under one month away from Summer Break for Emily and the weather finally warmed up!!!!  Summer is my absolute favorite time of year and I just can't wait; I'm counting the seconds until it begins.  Since it will be here before you know it I'm already planning all the fun we are going to have.  I also have two girls who are used to being in school and if Spring Break taught me anything it's that we need lots of activities to keep my busy bees entertained.  Here are some ideas so help inspire you and if you're local these are items that I definitely recommend:


With activities in order you and your little ones are going to need a survival kit to get through Summer.  Here's what our survival kit looks like:

Disney Style

We don't get to travel to Disneyland several times a year or even annually so when we get a trip on the calendar it's a HUGE deal!  I never know who's more excited me or the girls???  Part of the fun of the trip is planning for it.  I'm that crazy mom who has every detail of an outfit planned and several activities for each day on the calendar {more planning posts to come}.  Because a Disney trip is such a special occasion I think it's totally acceptable to go over the top with the outfits.  Plus I have girls so it's even more appropriate.  I wanted to share with you some of the outfits I have planned for our upcoming trip.



Getting to  work with and collaborate with some small business is one of my favorite parts of authoring a blog.  I am so thrilled to share with you these boutiques: Disney Tribe Shirts from Splatter Customer Apparel / Bling Shoes from Sassy Soles Shoetique / Minnie Ears from Shop My Mouse / Backpack & Lunch Pail from Thirty-One Gifts / Thermos from Itsy Bitsy Wear



Surprising Kids with an Exciting Disneyland Trip Reveal

The girls are old enough now to get a surprise so I couldn't help myself when planning a Disneyland reveal.  We don't get to go to Disneyland but once every other year so it's a really big deal for us.  The anticipation just about gets me and I never know who gets more excited about a Disney trip, me or the girls.  I dug through Pinterest for weeks looking for the perfect items to help with the reveal as well as did some major damage shopping.

I decorated and set up the reveal for the girls to see all the new gear as a way to tell them about our trip.  Here's how it turned out:

Mother's Day Gift Guide

Some of my best friends and I were discussing a girls trip and trying to find a date that could work for all of us.  It was impossible to find an open weekend for all of us but for one weekend: Mother's Day weekend.  We joked and said well actually a weekend away sounds like the best Mother's Day gift!  Although no whining, begging or fighting sounds amazing in reality I couldn't imagine spending the holiday without my little family.  So since a weekend alone isn't the perfect gift I've come up with some other ideas.

Personalized gifts have always been on the top of my list for gift giving and some of my favorite to receive.  I believe it was my first Mother's Day that Kevin made me a garden stepping stone with Emily's foot prints and it was so very special.  Don't get me wrong I'll never turn down a spa day but it's a personalized gift that I will remember for many years.  With the digital age it's sadly rare that I actually print out our family photos.  So a canvas print is personalized statement piece that is extra special and a great excuse to get the photos off the camera or your phone and onto your wall.  I also love a canvas print because it captures your family in a moment and lasts a lifetime.  I love looking at older canvas prints and seeing how much we have changed.  I am planning a whole canvas wall in our hallway of all our family photos for this exact reason.

My favorite place to get a canvas printed is from CanvasPop.  They have so many options including canvases but also framed prints, collages, pillows, magnets and more.  The quality is fantastic which is matched by their customer service.  Best news is that you can get 45% off your order with code 45FORMOM.



I just hung our latest family photo and I'm in love with it.

Here are a few other ideas for you.  Basically every time I put together a gift guide I'm really just sharing my wish list:






This is a sponsored post.  All opinions expressed are honest and my own.

Easter 2018

Family time is my favorite time!  Our Easter weekend was so incredibly fun and blessed and I just had to share our wonderful pictures {be prepared for overload}.  We always celebrate with Kevin's family on Saturday and do church and brunch on Sunday.  After brunch we spent the afternoon just playing at home and soaking up the sun.  It was the absolute perfect weekend.  I hope that everyone enjoyed their holiday weekend.



A Snowy Spring Break


Due to a change in Emily's school schedule we took an extremely last minute opportunity to head to Shaver for Spring Break.  It's a good thing we didn't want to go a week later or I think we would have missed the snow.  Luckily, we had enough to sled and have snow ball fights every day right outside the cabin.  It was the perfect week filled with family, junk food, relaxing and fun.  I loved every bit of it and loved the memories we got to make.

Back from Spring Break and Back to School


We're back from Spring Break and getting back into the swing of things.  I wasn't ready for early mornings but honestly the girls had major cabin fever and I was extremely ready for them to be back in their classrooms.  I'm sure their teachers felt differently about the end of Spring Break!  I hope it's just not my kids but their gear doesn't even make it through a whole school year.  The lunchboxes and backpacks have seen their better day and Madi's sleeping bag was just not cutting it.  The Easter Bunny got word that Madi was in desperate need of a new nap pad and it was the perfect timing.  When Madi went back to school she got to take along her new nap pad and she was so excited.  The best part was the personalization because her nap pad has been switched with other students in the past.  Now there is no chance of that accident again.

The Easter Bunny shared where he did his shopping this year and I wanted to share the secret with you.  Wildkin offers a great selection of nap pads but also so much more.  You can find luggage, backpacks, bedding, rugs, teepees and so much more.  Several of their products can be personalized which is always icing on the cake for me.  I am very happy with the quality of material and construction and can't wait to select other items for the girls.  You may want to consider stocking up for Back to School next year and you will be ahead of the game!



Even though Spring Break is short it's gets us out of our routine and we have to find that groove again.  That includes packing lunches and meal planning.  I wanted to direct you back to some of my previous posts which tackle those issues.



This is a sponsored post.  All opinions expressed are honest and my own.


Spring Beauty & Skincare

I'm not going to lie I like most girls love to get pampered!  Also some of it becomes more of a necessity with age.  I am the first to admit that self pampering is definitely a luxury and I'm lucky enough that from time to time I am able to indulge.  I wanted to share with you my beauty routine that keeps me feeling amazing.  I don't know about you but anything from a manicure to a facial makes me feel like a whole new woman.

I'm a firm believer that one of the essential parts to beauty is prevention.  The better we take care of our skin and bodies the better we will look and feel years down the road.  For my skin, I've been getting comprehensive Dermasweep Microdermabrasion facials from Kiss Me Med Spa and using their Skin Better Science line.  I've had MANY facials from day spas to medical spas in the past and I'm am telling you this is by far the best facial I've ever had!  It's the perfect combination of relaxation and treatment.



The treatment begins with a deep pore cleaning, followed by a ZO exfoliating scrub.  A clarifying clay mask is applied which draws out excess oils and dirt from pores while opening the pores under steam.  While the mask is working I get to enjoy a neck massage.  The next step is a Dermasweep microdermabrasion which addresses aging, fine lines, uneven texture, hyper-pigmentation, photodamage, acneic skin, dehydration and sensitive skin.  Next is a lactic/Kojic acid gel peel to hydrate and brighten, followed by "Red Carpet Ready" infusion which creates glowing skin.  Finally a 14k gold mask is applied while another face and neck massage is performed.  

Kiss Me Med Spa offers numerous services including peels, vein treatment, hyper-pigmentation treatment, Botox, Kybella, Voluma, Liquid Facelift, Microneedling and more.



My at home routine includes morning and evening application of the Skin Better Science line.  The line uses InterFuse technology which drives high molecular weight injectable grade hyaluronic acid faster and deeper to re-volumize your skin.  Your skin is plumped which reduces the appearance of lines and wrinkles as well as firming your skin.  The line is super easy to use and implement in both the morning and evening.  It's 3 quick steps and takes less than 60 seconds.  When I went out of town I forgot to take my Skin Better Science Line and I noticed by the end of the trip my lines being more prominent.  After a week back on I noticed a visible difference in my skin.




I've been plucking for years but I recently tried threading at R&G Threading Bar and I have to say that I'm hooked!  There is no hot wax, no pulling on the skin, no side effects, no burns and it's quick and easy.  It feels like a rubber band snap but it is over very quickly and not that big of a deal.  I could not believe how smooth it left me and how amazing the shaping was.

Before


After


The owners are two sweet sisters who are Fresno transplants after both marrying Fresno men.  I loved their shop and how convenient it was.  There are no appointments for threading so you can drop it at your leisure.  Lines are never long because the services are so fast.  R&G Threading Bar also offers Henna Tattoos, hair & makeup, hair oil massage treatment and more.


I've been doing gel manicures for years because a nail polish manicure literally only lasts hours for me; I'm just too rough on my nails.  However, a girlfriend told me about healthy nails so I started giving it a try.  I liked it immediately but then I found Kristin with Urban Chic Spa and I was completely in love!  She only uses the best products whereas the walk-in salons combine "healthy nails powder" with acrylic.  The service is so much faster than gel mainly because there is no setting time with a UV light and it lasts much longer than gel.  I can't say enough good things about Kristin at Urban Chic Salon so just take my word that you need to book an appointment!  





A good manicure is like icing on the cake and provides the finishing touch to any look!

Make your appointments today and snag these deals exclusive for my readers:

10% off any service at Kiss Me Med Spa with code HOUSEWIFE
$5 off Healthy Nail Manicure {Originally $30} at Urban Chic Spa with code HOUSEWIFE in the comments section of the booking app {BOOK HERE}.
$5 Eyebrow Threading at R&G Threading Bar until 4/22 with code HOUSEWIFE


This is a sponsored post.  As always all opinions expressed are honest and my own.

Foreman Family of Five- Our Exciting Motorcycle Gender Reveal

Even before we were married we always said we would have three kids but to ask us after two what we really thought.  After Madi I always felt super busy and tired and it was a long time before I seriously considered a third baby.  Kevin was ready early on but I always said it was easy for him to say.  I wasn't ready but always felt a little tug on my heart that our family wasn't complete.  Last Spring I started saying I thought I was almost ready and late Summer we would start trying.  Mid Summer I felt ready {with an extra push because my best friend was pregnant with her third} and I was just banking on that it would happen quickly and we would have another May baby.  Well we make plans and God laughs and there were a few bumps in the road. Fast forward to February and we found out that I was pregnant and although we were trying for months it still was quite the surprise.  As soon as I saw the two blue lines I wanted to know if we were having a boy or a girl.  I assumed we were having a third girl and Kevin was sure we were having a boy.   I didn't have a strong feeling one way or the other but just thought there was no way that we would have a boy.

When I was pregnant with the girls I had a sonogram at 13 weeks and both times they said, "It's a girl but don't paint the walls until your next sonogram."  I just didn't think I could deal with that vagueness this time around and decided to take a blood test from Sneak Peek.  The At Home test is 99% accurate and women can test as early as 9 weeks to find out the gender of the baby.  I chose the option for a phlebotomist to come to my home and the process was so easy and quick; less than five minutes.  I took the test on Wednesday morning and results were in Thursday late afternoon.  I couldn't believe how fast the turn around was.    I had my results sent to one of my best friends so that we could do a gender reveal and we could find out as a family.  However, the suspense just about killed us!  I also don't know how my friend held the secret for 3 days!

Kevin rode motorcycles since he was 5 years old and the girls started at 3 years old.  So motorcycles are a big part of this family.  I knew I wanted the reveal to involve their favorite sport.  We used smoke bombs to color the exhaust; see pictures and video below to see what we are expecting in October.


Motorcycle Gender Reveal


Motorcycle Gender Reveal




Motorcycle Gender Reveal


Our sweet friend Melissa captured these photos and I know I will treasure them for a lifetime.  She dropped everything she had this weekend to make this all possible and then had the photos back to me in hours.  She's so amazing, go check her out HERE!!!

A HUGE thank you to our amazing friend Rema who helped me plan this reveal for weeks and answered only 1000 calls from me in the last few days.  I am so blessed with the most amazing friends!

Lastly, thank you to Sneak Peek for giving us the joy of finding out that we're adding a boy to the mix.


This is a sponsored post.  All opinions are honest and my own.

Blushing for Spring- Blush Chocker Dress













Other than the holidays I hate Winter mainly because I hate being cold!  I am just dying for Summer but will gladly accept Spring and I've been praying it comes around sooner than later.  The weather has been so bi-polar here and such a tease.  A few days of warm sunshine and then several days of cold and wet.  Don't get me wrong we desperately need the rain but I just am ready for flip flops, sunnies, dresses and all that comes with Summer.  This dress is perfect for Spring; I love its simplicity but the color and choker detail make it special.  I've paired it with my favorite booties that are on repeat nearly every day.  As the weather gets even warmer I will pair this dress with block heels.