Dot Dollars | It Pays to Shop!

 

In June, it pays to shop with Stella & Dot! For every $50 you spend you will earn $25 in Dot Dollars to redeem for yourself in July. You can apply the $25 Dot Dollars for every $50 you spend between July 3rd-11th, 2013. Don't worry about forgetting your Dot Dollars because on July 3rd you'll receive an e-mail with your promo codes and each code will represent a $25 Dot Dollars award. Below are a few of my favorite pieces . . .

 

Juniper Statement Necklace

Possibly the next Stella & Dot piece I add to my collection? Navy and Kelly green are two of my favorite colors to wear! 

Christina Link Bracelet 

This is my most recent Stella & Dot purchase and I am, again, so happy with the look and quality of the piece. It reminds me of a similarly styled J. Crew bracelet, but this one is much more wearable in my opinion.

Serenity Stone Drops in Turquoise

I own these earrings in the emerald green color, and they are my favorite pair of "big" earrings. They were my first Stella & Dot purchase and I'm still in love with them! 

Be sure to check out Stella & Dot today and start earning your Dot Dollars! Happy Shopping!

Decisions, Decisions

Our trip to Disneyland is well over two months away, but I've already begun to make plans for all the details, big and small. I'm making little notes here and there in a special file in my Home Management Notebook so I don't forget things like the stroller fan or our iPod dock we use for white noise. Taking a toddler on his very first overnight (more than just one night, mind you) trip an eight hour drive from home has this momma stressing and over planning.

Stroller parking outside It's a Small World.

One of the biggest issues for me is the decision of which stroller we should take. We own two strollers that we currently use for Owen (the third is the Snap n' Go that we obviously only used when he was still in the infant seat), and I'm having trouble settling on which one I want to bring. (PS. I've heard the ones you can rent are really uncomfortable)

For daily errands and such we have the Maclaren Triumph, which is a lightweight, easy to get in and out of the car, and takes up a minimal amount of space in the trunk. The downsides: if we have anything hanging over the handlebars when we take Owen out the whole thing tips backward, there is almost no space in the undercarriage basket, we have to attach an additional sun canopy to keep Owen shielded from the sun and there are no built in cup holders. Not the perfect stroller to depend on all day, right?

O napping in the Maclaren. Check out those pink cheeks!

We also have the BOB Revolution SE Single Stroller, which, in my opinion and experience, is like the Cadillac of jogging strollers. It rides so smoothly and turns on a dime. If it weren't so heavy to lift in and out of the trunk of the Jeep I would take it everywhere with me. It has a generously sized basket under the seat, a rear pocket, a great cup holder thing we bought, the list of pros goes on and on. Owen and I take it around the block daily, we go on runs with it and we take it on most family outings. We love this stroller! 

As you can see above and below, Owen is quite happy in the BOB! He also really enjoys having his snacks and drink within arms reach-- so happy we finally ordered the snack tray.

The BOB is the obvious choice for so many reasons, but I still have some reservations about bringing it. Well, just one BIG worry is that it will get stolen. It was close to twice the price of the Maclaren and I would die if we lost it.

I Googled "stroller theft in Disneyland" and there are some really mixed reviews / silly suggestions about how to protect your stroller and what to do. Suggestions range from smart things like putting a bike lock on your stroller when you park it to go on a ride (our Plan A) to really dumb things like hanging a bag over the handle bars with a diaper filled with refried beans in side (really?!) giving the appearance of a dirty diaper.

So, my question for you is; What would you do? Would you take the BOB?

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My Summer Reading List

Now that I'm all done with The Great Gatsby...

One of the most thrilling things for me about finishing a new book is the excitement of getting to chose what to read next. I've been collecting new book ideas in my Good Reads list of To-Read books for a few months now and I'm so excited to read all of these soon. I know I would be lucky if I finished even three on these this summer, much less all eight of them, and I don't have a plan for what order I'm going to read them in. I like to pick my next books based on what I'm in the mood for, and I'll never know what that'll be. 

The Happiness Project - I have heard great things about this book from so many people and I actually won a copy of it on another blog. I usually read on my Kindle, so it will be kind of fun to read the old fashioned way with a real book in my hands.

Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey - I really enjoy the show Downton Abbey, so I think this would be a really fun read for me. I like period pieces, and hearing about how things were way back when. And I first spotted it at Costco, which usually means it's good or popular.

Sparkly Green Earrings - Written by blogger Melanie Shankle aka Big Mama. The book is coined a "quirky memoir of motherhood", and I actually read a few pages before some friends and I decided to start The Great Gatsby, and it is really good! I can't wait to read more.

Bringing Up Bébé - Again, I have heard about this book from a lot of people. It seems like I might be the last person to read it. A complete stranger at Barnes & Noble saw me holding it in my stack of books while we both watched out kids play with the train table and she gave it a very very high recommendation. 

The Kitchen House - You know what I love about Good Reads? I can see what books other people have read / are reading / want to read and let it influence my "what's next" dilemma. Like this book I saw on my mom's cousin Wendy's profile (if you're reading this: Hi, Wendy!). I would have never picked it up in a book store because it doesn't look like a book I would usually pick, and there is really nothing interesting about the title, but because it was on her profile I clicked through to read the description.  

Relish: An Adventure in Food, Style, and Everyday Fun - Do you watch The Chew on ABC? I watched it daily when Owen was first born and nursing kept me confined to one seat for at least 30 minutes at a time. Now if it's on when I turn on the television I'll listen while I get other things done. I enjoy a good cooking show and came to really like Daphne Oz. I've flipped through some of the recipes and I can't wait to give them a try and read the rest of the book. 

The Storyteller - I've read a few of Jodi Picoult's other books and they never disappoint. They always keep me wanting to read, read, read until I'm done.

Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald - I started this book after reading The Paris Wife, but then moved on to Gatsby instead. (You can tell I was indecisive about what to read, huh?) I know that I definitely want to know more about this Zelda-- she is so eccentric! 

So I'm not even going to say that I'll stick to this list. I might even read something else that's not on the list. What are you reading right now? What have you been reading lately? Any recommendations?

Our Father's Day Weekend Recap

I hope you're ready for a major picture overload! This is a pictures-style recap of our Father's Day weekend. I'll try not to be too wordy. If you follow me on Instagram you've probably already see most of these photos.

Our weekend started out on Saturday when Keith got done at the hospital. My mom and sister were over helping me with Owen while I made a Brownie Oreo Trifle for Father's Day.

We tried really hard to get him down for another little nap before dinner, but he wasn't having it at all. We went for a good walk instead and came home for a bit before going out.

I will never get tired of hearing him say "mama". It is the sweetest sound! I might feel differently in a few years when I'm hearing it all the time, but for now it is music to my ears.

Getting dressed for a dinner out isn't as easy as it used to be. This necklace has always been a favorite of Owen's. See our "About Me" photo on the top right side of this page?

We went to Crepevine on Burlingame Avenue for an early dinner. I love the Granada salad there. It's mixed greens with arugula, pears, roasted peppers, sumac onions, caramelized walnuts, gorgonzola and pomegranate vinaigrette--and I usually add grilled salmon to mine. Keith had his favorite sandwich, the Sonoma which is grilled chicken breast with lettuce, tomatoes,red onions, pesto and provolone cheese on a bun. And Owen devoured his chicken fingers and fries.

On Sunday morning Owen and I let Keith sleep in for a while while we watched some cartoons and drank coffee downstairs. When Keith woke up he opened the presents from Owen: a new chair for camping and the Minted photo art we had made for him. He is so happy with both!

Owen seemed to think the chair was his and kept telling Keith "oooooout....oooooout" when he'd sit in it!

I tried making whole wheat banana pancakes on my griddler for the first time and it was a disaster. I might be pretty good at cooking most things, but pancakes are not my strong suit! They still tasted great! Maybe I need more practice.

After breakfast and showers we headed up to San Francisco for Picnic in the Presidio. Owen took his nap on the way up. I felt so bad because his head kept falling forward. I tried to make my own solution with a muslin blanket and teddy neck support pillow, but as soon as we started to move again his head fell forward. Any suggestions? Someone suggested Hold the Bean.

It was a beautiful, but windy day in the Presidio. But that did not stop us from having a good time!

Our first pick was the oysters from Hog & Rocks. I was hoping there might be fried oysters, because I've never tried them, but these were fantastic anyway.

Next up we tried chicken and beef Argentinia empanadas from El Porteño Empanadas ---delicious! We also had some freshly fried chicken which just melted in your mouth from Wing Wings. I could go for some right now.

There were so many interesting options that I think we need to go back again soon to try some more. The ice cream from Humphrey Slocombe that everyone seemed to have.

 

There were two booths for buying drinks (bloody marys, mimosas, beer, wine, sodas, water, etc), but they also had this guy walking around with bloody mary and mimosa kits you could buy. Neat, right? We opted for single bloody marys, but it seems like a fun thing to do with friends! 

Owen spent the entire time running around the field! Most other kids don't stray too far from their parents and their picnic blanket, but Owen was off running all around, which meant Keith and I were taking turns chasing after him.

Quick break for some milk, and...

...back to dancin' on the grass! We rented Owen a ball from the Sports Basement booth (all you have to do is give them your driver's license and they'll lend you lawn sports equipment to play with), but he wanted nothing to do with it!

For dessert we shared the S'more and Nutella + Strawberry creme brûlée from The Creme Brûlée Cart. I think I need to add a kitchen torch to my kitchen tool arsenal, even if it's just to make
creme brûlée--Keith says I can have one as long as I keep it away from Owen!

Getting some serious belly laughs while playing with another little guy and his bubble gun.

Owen was so busy the entire time that he wouldn't stop to eat anything...not even the creme brûlée, so on the way out we picked him up a kid's cheese empanada, and he ate the entire thing.

Owen on Owen Street!

A final look at the Picnic before we headed home. It was such a fun day! Evident by Keith and I taking turns napping in the afternoon. Later in the evening we went over to my grandpa's house where we had dinner with my mom, sister, aunt and grandpa. It was a mellow night!

Happy Father's Day to all the Dads!