Friday Finds

Happy Happy Friday!! It's the last day of February which means spring is right around the corner. I hope everyone had a great week! This was our last week of "frugal February" (as named by my CPA husband). We have a tradition of not spending in February except on necessities and only eating out once a week. Needless to say I am soooo glad it's over (and I did break the rules when my Starbucks giftcard ran out yesterday). It is time to buy some spring clothes from my guys and my future little gal (and get a bagel and latte this weekend).

This week's Friday Finds are a big mix! Hope you enjoy!

1. Pawley's Island Posh did a great round up of Old Navy finds for kids, here. Julia has two of the best dressed kiddos. I love when she shares great (cheap) finds and I always forget about Old Navy (and it's right next to our Target)!

2. I love this embroidered top from Mini Boden. They are still running their buy 3 get 1 for $1. This is perfect for spring and summer and would look so cute with a cardigan.

3. One of my absolute favorite baby shoe brands is having a great sale! Riley Roos are great for new walking little ones with super soft and bendy soles and oh so stylish! We have quite a few pairs and I'm looking forward to shopping from the girl side soon too! 
Here are some of my picks (the prices are amazing - like $10 and free shipping if you spend $50):

4. Dr. Suess' birthday is on Sunday (I'm reading And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street to N's class today to celebrate). We plan to add a new Dr. Suess book to our collection and enjoying green smoothies - instead of green eggs and ham. I made a green smoothie last summer and the boys thought it was hilarious and finished it in record time. They exclaimed it was a Dr. Suess smoothie. This weekend, we will add a fun straw from Target.

This has varying amounts of kale, plain greek yogurt, banana, orange juice, peaches, flax, honey and milk. 

If I really get my act together we'll also have a Cat In the Hat salad or sandwich (basically a caprese with the alternating red and white).

5. And with Easter still on my mind - how cute is this Anthropologie bunny:

Beach Bunny

I hope everyone has a great weekend! I think we are attempting to paint the nursery (anyone have a favorite Sherwin Williams white? I've narrowed it down to 4). Anyone have super fun plans?

The Preschool Play Dough Secret & VV sale

When N started preschool, I learned the secret to play dough: like so many other things, homemade is crazy better than store bought. Our preschool classes have a family sign up to bring in a new batch of playdough each month, and now I make it for us at home every few months as well. This last time, T helped me make it, and then played for 4 HOURS! He does have a super long attention span, but 4 hours was more than I ever expected. I have a few different recipes but I included my favorite at the bottom. 

 We made his favorite color. He decided it was "pool blue" and not "ocean blue". He likes to be exact. It comes out looking slimy and goopy, but kneading it for a couple minutes (once it's cool) makes it the perfect consistency. 

 We have quite a few different things we use with our play dough. A container of dinosaurs is the most popular, but we also have plastic cookie cutters (you can get a tub of 100 at Bed Bath and Beyond for like $10), stamps, and these tools (they were in T's Christmas stocking). 

 We also gave the dinosaurs a bath a few times. It would probably be a good idea to do this each time so the playdough doesn't dry in their mouths and around their feet.

 Playdough is also great for working on letters and spelling. My first graders used to use it for their high frequency words.

To keep our playdough extra clean, the boys have to wash hands before they play and I always clean the table. It will last us quite a few months (we keep it in a gallon ziplock bag).

Here's our favorite recipe:

Play dough:

2 cups flour (I buy the cheapie flour instead of using our good flour)

2 cups water

1 cup salt

2 TBSP cream of tartar

2 TBSP oil

any color food coloring (and glitter if you want)

Mix all ingredients over low heat in a saucepan stirring constantly until it starts to fall from the sides of the pan. Remove from pan and place on foil to let cool. Knead until playdough has a consistency you like. (Your pan will look like it may never come clean, but once playdough cools it's super easy to wash up).

Also Vineyard Vines is offering 30% off sale items this weekend with the code SPRING14. 

I love these:

 girl's cords

Striped Dress 

(I think I've mentioned it a few times already!) 

Boys 1/4 zip pullover 

(we have this in multiple sizes - love it)

 (first pic - Bower Studio Photography)

Tea's Jardin Bleu Collection

I received Tea's newest catalogue and fell in love with quite a few pieces. Usually I like one or two things, but this one had me wanting more and more. Tea is great for their comfy styles and great prints. My T loves Tea as he is always in favor of wearing "comfy pants." Here are my favorites (with a few oldies but goodies thrown in):

Taza Hi Lo Dress ($39)

Jardin Stripe Dress ($39) - Infant version (up to 24 months)

 Field of Flowers Shirtdress (ON SALE!! $29.95) Infant version (up to 24 months)

 Jihane Dress ($39)

 Triangle Pop Twirl Skirt ($32)

Swiss Dot Flutter Sleeve Top ($35) - I'm a sucker for Swiss Dot anything!

 Girls Swimwear (Top Prints $45, bottom set $48) - free shipping and built in SPF - win/win!

 Pond Graphic Tee ($22.50) Bike Graphic ($22.50)

 Patch Pocket Shorts ($19.50)

You can save 20% on your first order using code MAJORELLE20.

Book Review: Elephant and Piggie Series

Yesterday I was the mystery reader for N's kindergarten class. I took four books and let him pick the ones he wanted me to read.

He chose We Are in a Book and Visitor for Bear. I've mentioned Visitor for Bear before in this post, and realized it was about time Elephant and Piggie got some attention (and funny enough the books he chose are both gifts from his auntie - and are the ones he chose to have read to his preschool class the past couple years too).

There are a number of Elephant and Piggie books and we have loved each one we've read. Elephant and Piggie are usually up to something funny, and the simple text makes it great for little toddlers as well as new readers (T LOVES when N reads him these books now). The humor is definitely appreciated by all ages (those kindergartners were laughing quite a bit yesterday). 

If you are starting a collection, here's a few I'd recommend:

The author, Mo Willems, also writes the Pigeon series (Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus). 

And one last picture, a couple weeks ago, N mentioned he put all his "best books" on the dresser (he even made a sign). I told him I thought that was a great idea and later when I walked into his room I saw this:

I had to take a picture to remember how cute it was. And I love that his "best books" are his preschool memory books from his teachers, a children's Bible, a couple seek and find books and two Elephant and Piggie books. If you check them out or already have them, I'd love to hear what you think!

Weekend Review

Hello Monday! Did everyone have a good weekend? We did pretty much nothing and it was wonderful. We took the boys to see The Lego Movie (with a small Lego purchase from Target afterwards - well played Lego, well played). We taught T's class in Sunday school and had the sweetest group. The boys were excited to play on this tree at church after Sunday school - while I chatted away (usually the tree is packed after the service, but there was a lot going on this Sunday so it was empty).

N's bike ended up with a hole in the tire on Friday, and when Grandpa and Grandma visited for dinner Sunday night, Grandpa fixed it by replacing the tube. But to make things even better they purchased a new bike for N! N wanted to make sure it had a kick stand  and a bell - check and check. Unfortunately he hasn't had a chance to ride it yet, but it was all he talked about this morning. I'm sure today will feel like the longest school day ever (although T and I are showing up as the "mystery reader" - we really need to pick a book)!

I cannot believe this is the last week of February (although I must admit I'm a little too excited to see it go). I'm looking forward to the warm up and spring flowers.

Friday Finds

Happy Friday!! I hope everyone had a great week! The warm weather made a huge difference in our week (lots of smiles, boys covered in dirt and time on the playground). Of course now it's thundering and lightening and poor T skipped breakfast to keep his hands over his ears. If you missed the post yesterday, check it out for a Patagonia sale and the cutest Minnetonka sandals EVER. 

1. Play set and Cardigan - I love these mini boden sets. I cannot decide which I like more, and throw on the cardigan - total winner. Mini boden is running a special buy 3 get 1 for $1 and going through the catalogue and found plenty to order (maybe I need a mini boden post).

2. Wallcandy Jungle Wallpaper Kit  - This is adorable. I cannot commit to a whole room but I love the idea the back of a bookcase. This is on Rue La La, need an invite, click here.

3. Bunny Sleep Set (on sale $17) - Easter is two months away (almost to the day) but these are on sale now and soo cute.

4. UNC Belt - I had to post this after the big game yesterday. I'd love one for N, and if you are a Tar Heel, they have other teams too (and polos, shorts, dresses, etc). My boys were Tar Heeled-out yesterday but a belt would take the look to the next "fan" level.

5. Boy's Swim Set - Is it too early to talk swim suits? With the warm weather all I can think of is time at the pool or in the backyard and I cannot wait. I may have even pulled out some summer clothes during last week's snow days. Love this Kelly Kid's set (even though I don't think it's technically a set, I'd make it one).

Anyone have super fun plans this weekend? Our weather is supposed to be pretty nice, so there's probably more playground time and bike riding in our future (and maybe a picnic lunch too). Have a great weekend!

PS - The Target finds from this post are 20% off!

a few sales to note

Sorry this is such a late post! The weather is AMAZING and I've been staying up to watch the Olympics (although tonight it will be the UNC game).

The Patagonia Sale started today. These items caught my eye:

girls down sweater $71 (I love the green color too)

boys down sweater $83 (N is all about red, he would love this jacket)

Hanna has their reversible sweaters on sale for $48 - I LOVE them, although the color options aren't super great this year. They are perfect for spring when the temperature changes are so extreme. They reverse to the color shown inside the hood.

Here are my little guys sporting them (don't be overwhelmed by the amazing quality of these photos):

Also, if you are shopping Hanna and have a girl - PLEASE buy these and share a pic! I have looked to see if other stores carry them but can only find them here and they are my new obsession:

 Fringe Sandal By Minnetonka $30

Oh and Pottery Barn Kids has free shipping on all Easter items today!