Valentine's, Magnolias, and Warm Hands

Today is Valentine's Day, and oddly enough, it's one of my least favorite holidays. My feelings about the holiday are a bit complicated. I'm all for celebrating love every single day. I think what annoys me is the commercial aspect of the holiday. It feels a bit weird to buy a ton of stuff on one day to show your love. However, John and I always exchange a small gift every year even though we always say that we won't do it. We also get our boys a small gift, and I don't think that will ever change. However, celebrating most holidays when you have kids is much more fun. One of my favorite things about Valentine's Day is seeing the arts & crafts that my sons bring home from school. See...I told you my feelings on Valentine's Day are complicated. 

Speaking of complicated, I recently started watching Sweet Magnolias, a Netflix series adapted from the book series by Sherryl Woods, and I'm still unsure how to feel about the show. It's not a show that I would typically watch, and there are a few things about the show that I'm not a fan of. However, it may be because I read one of the books, and it was not the first book. I randomly read the fifth book, and I was absolutely not a fan. I'm still debating whether or not to read the first four books and the other books after the fifth book. All I can really say is to read the reviews on the books...both the positive and negative reviews.

Anyways, let's get back to the TV adaptation of the book. Sweet Magnolias is about three best friends, Maddie, Dana Sue, and Helen, who live in a small, Southern town called Serenity and deal with their family, relationships, and careers. The drama is insane. One of the major plotlines is Maddie has to deal with the aftermath of her husband's cheating (and he also got the other woman pregnant), their breakup, and ultimately her divorce. She also has to figure out how to co-parent with her ex-husband and start a new career. Let's just say Maddie is dealing with a lot. Again the drama is a lot. 

I've been reading Amy Turn Sharp's newsletter, Warm Hands. Can I just say how much I love the name of her newsletter? I first learned of Amy Turn Sharp via Instagram. I was excited when she made a newsletter. I love her poems and prompts. I find her poetry to be relatable. There have a few poems that brought me so much comfort. You should check out her work on Instagram if you get a chance. 

Thanks for visiting!

Until next time...

It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas

The Ronettes are singing "Sleigh Ride" and I'm bouncing around my dining room as I sing along. I should probably fold the mountain of laundry currently in the basket, but I'm going to continue to act like I didn't see it.

John, Michael, and Gabriel are playing video games. I always laugh at how excited they get when they win. 

My tiny tornado, Raphael, admires the Christmas tree while trying to sneak a few candy canes. He's at the age where he knows about Santa and is excited about the holidays. 

I remember a conversation I had with Mami about Christmas Eve. We will be spending Christmas Eve over at Mami's house, and I'm so grateful that we live close by. I can't even imagine having to travel for the holidays. It just sounds stressful and not fun at all.

I'm currently drinking a toffee nut hot chocolate. I've been consuming so much hot chocolate. For some reason, I've been trying so many different flavors of hot chocolate, and I really love hot chocolate bombs.

Michael Bublé is now singing "It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas" and I wish it did. I would appreciate it if Mother Nature could just let us have some snow. There's no snow, but the holiday vibes are in full force. For now, I will just enjoy the twinkling lights, hot chocolate, cozy slippers, and holiday pajamas.

I'm reading all the holiday romance books and am trying to decide which holiday movie I want to watch next. Should I go with a classic or a more recent film? Maybe an animated film? Decisions, decisions.

I'm trying to decide which holiday treat I want to make. I want to bake some cookies, but I also want to make Christmas Crack. I think I may just make one treat a day. I'll probably tell John to take some with him to work. I'll most certainly make way too much.

Now Wham! is crooning "Last Christmas." It's a bit of a turn from the happy Christmas songs I've been listening to, but this is a classic. You never skip Last Christmas. Never.

Speaking of Last Christmas. It will be a 2.0 Covid Christmas, but you know what, that's ok. It can still be a fun Christmas. New traditions can be started while keeping some of the old ones. We are continuing our tradition of wearing Christmas pajamas, but we are also considering starting a new tradition of wearing ugly Christmas sweaters. 

I hope you find the magic of Christmas. If you need a little pick-me-up, listen to some Christmas songs. Try to find some new covers of your old favorites, or stick with listening to your favorite holiday songs.

Here's to the holiday season. May it be filled with love and laughter, and magic.

Photo by Morgane Le Breton on Unsplash

Holiday Fun with Crayola

Christmas is almost here! The boys and I have been making so many Christmas crafts. We've been using so many fun Crayola products to help us get in the Christmas spirit. Today I'm so excited to share some fun Crayola products that we have been using that is perfect for holiday gifts as well as items to keep the kids occupied throughout the year.

Crayola Christmas Countdown

The Christmas Countdown Advent Calendar is a perfect way to countdown to Christmas. The calendar has craft projects, gifts, and coloring activities to help families countdown to the big day. My boys love this calendar. It's been so much fun getting a little gift every day. 

You can purchase the Crayola Christmas Countdown Advent Calendar here.

Crayola Scribble Scrubbie Safari Tub Set

Oh, my goodness! This little set is so cute! The Scribble Scrubbie set comes with six washable markers, four pets, and a working safari palm tree tub. The kids can select which pet they want to color, and then they can rinse the color off using the tub. The little shower actually sprays water! My boys loved making designs on the pets. It can get a bit messy so I recommend having some old towels or paper towels to help clean up. This is such a fun little activity to have on hand for rainy days.

You can purchase the Scribble Scrubbie set here.

Do you have a favorite Crayola product?

Thanks for visiting!

Until next time...


Disclosure: I did receive these products for free in exchange for my honest review. All opinions expressed here are my own. As always, I only recommend products and services that I have personally used.

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving! I'm so grateful for my family, friends, and all of you. Thank you all so much for taking the time to read my little blog. 

Wishing you and your family a Happy Thanksgiving. I hope you all have a great day and get to spend time with your family and friends. 

Photo by Element5 Digital on Unsplash

Easter Fun with Crayola

Happy first day of Spring! I'm so excited that Spring has finally arrived. I'm so ready for warmer weather, sunshine, flowers, and Easter!

Are you currently looking for some Easter treats and goodies to fill your little ones baskets? I know I always have a hard time finding things to put in my kids' baskets especially now that they are getting a bit older. However, the sweet folks at Crayola came to the rescue and gave me some ideas. Now my kids' baskets are filled and I've hidden them for Easter morning.

Crayola Color Wonder Coloring Pad & Markers - Paw Patrol and Peppa Pig 

The Color Wonder Coloring Pad and Markers has 18 pages and contains 5 color wonder markers. The markers only appears on the special paper, not on skin, clothing, or carpets. The pad works with all Color Wonder markers and paints.

I've been a big fan of the Color Wonder line for a while now so I was so excited to receive these. My boys are a bit older so I'm sure they will probably gift these two coloring pads to their cousins. 

You can purchase Crayola Color Wonder Coloring Pad & Markers (Paw Patrol) here. The Crayola Color Wonder Coloring Pad & Markers (Peppa Pig) is available here. Check out the entire Color Wonder collection here.

Crayola Silly Putty BiGG Egg

The Silly Putty BiGG Egg is bouncy and stretchy reusable original play compound. It never dries out and is currently available in pastel colors which is perfect for Easter. Kids can use it to build or sculpt. Since the toy contains a quarter pound of silly putty, it is more than enough to share.

You can purchase Crayola's Silly Putty BiGG Egg here. 

Crayola Tie Dye, Neon, and Glitter Chalk

These chalks are perfect for outdoor fun. The tie dye chalks makes different colors every time they are used and there are five colors available in each pack. The neon chalk is very bright and the the glitter chalks sparkles. All three packs of chalk are washable so you don't have to worry about them being permanent. The chalks are also anti-roll so you don't have to worry about them rolling down driveways or other inclined surfaces. I love that Crayola did this because it shows that they care about our kids' safety.

You can purchase the tie dye chalk here. The neon and glitter chalks are available here and here.

Crayola Silly Putty - Original, Silly Scents, Silly Glow, and Super Bright

There is a variety of Crayola Silly Putty. The original silly putty contains the same compound that has been around since 1950. The putty is packed in an egg shaped container and is tan colored.

The Silly Scents Silly Putty has a secret scent. The scent will either be sweet or stinky. There are 12 scents and 8 different colors available.

The Silly Glow Silly Putty also contains the same compound, but it also glows in the dark.

The Silly Putty Super Brights has four different colors and also contains the same compound.

Check out the entire Silly Putty collection here.


Thanks for visiting!

Until next time...

Disclosure: I did receive these products for free in exchange for my honest review. All opinions expressed here are my own. As always, I only recommend products and services that I have personally used.

Holiday Gifts with Crayola

The holidays are upon us! I'm sure many of you have already started your holiday gift shopping. Many of you know how much I love Crayola and their products so I just had to share some really cool products that would be perfect for gifts.

Crayola Ultimate Light Board

The Ultimate Light Board is such a fun and easy to use product. You just simply draw your art directly onto the surface and then turn it on. There are LED lights that are built into the frame of the board and it makes the gel FX markers glow. You can also use the removable black panel to trace images. The light board is easy to clean...you just simply wipe it down.

My boys had so much fun using the light board and said that it is their favorite. We used the light board to write what we were thankful for on Thanksgiving. Check out the images below.

You can purchase the Crayola Ultimate Light Board here.

Crayola Color Chemistry Lab Set

This color chemistry lab set is perfect for children who love science experiments and activities. It's really fun for the entire family. The set comes with an instruction booklet that has 50 science activities. There are enough Crayola supplies to do 16 of the experiments right from the box. I love that the science experiments were approved by real Crayola scientists. This is such a fun and educational gift. Adult supervision is required, but trust me you will have so much fun working on the activities. 

You can purchase the Crayola Color Chemistry Lab Set here.

Other Crayola Products to Look for:

Crayola Melter

Scribble Scrubbie Pets

Silly Scents Sticker Maker

Which Crayola product is your favorite? 

Thanks for visiting!

Until next time...

Disclosure: I did receive these products for free in exchange for my honest review. All opinions expressed here are my own. As always, I only recommend products and services that I have personally used.