baby #2 wishlist addendum...

if you read my first baby #2 wish list and you know me well... you probably already knew this post was coming! babies are just so much fun and this stage of life is so short, that I just want to embrace it completely and not regret spending a few dollars if it's gonna make my day-to-day life easier!

so, with that said... here's a few updates on my wish list and a few add-ons! i mean, as the title states… this is just a wish list! haha

first, I ended up ordered this bag from pottery barn a couple weeks ago and it's exactly perfect from what I can tell! it's big enough, but not too big. it's a great material that seems easy to clean and it has an excess of pockets! and all the mamas said 'amen!'! can't wait to use it!!

I also have pretty much decided on a stroller and neither of them are the ones I originally posted about!! after doing a lot more research, scrolling through craigslist and reading a million reviews, I decided on the baby jogger city select double. I found a great deal on craigslist and am hoping to pick it up thursday (in indianapolis). i found it for $200 off retail price and it's new in box. ptl!!!

in my original post, a new infant carseat was not even on my radar. i noticed that target was having a huge baby sale and most of their carseats were majorly discounted (20% off + add'l 20% on cartwheel). so, this got my wheels turning to just check our carseat expiration date and make sure we were good (we bought it off of craigslist before holden was born). sure enough… expired. in december! so, i set out to find a good deal and be done with it. i knew i was definitely getting another chicco, so i picked this one out at target.

what i expected to be an easy breezy process has been quite the opposite… but i will get my 40% off, so it's worth the extra hassle. basically, target was out of the chicco carseat i wanted and the cartwheel was expiring that day. my dear target said they would honor the sale price AND the expired cartwheel deal for the carseat as soon as they got more in stock. so… after me calling literally everyday for a week and being told they still didn't have any in, i just decided to ask if i could order it online and if they'd adjust the price. to my serious surprise, they agreed! what?!?!?!?! so, i'm still waiting for the carseat to arrive, but it's a) being shipped to my door (hello, no lugging it out of the store… with a toddler… trying to cram it in my car) and b) i am getting the discounts long after the sales are over. praise the lord!! i am so excited!!

i've been familiar with aden & anais swaddle blankets for awhile now, but couldn't ever bring myself to shell out the money when there was so much other stuff that i couldn't bring myself to spend the money on "fancy" blankets. well, since we'll be having a summer baby this go-round, i think some thinner blankies will be really nice and i'm hoping these will be everything i'm looking for! plus, they're super cute, aren't they?? 

lastly (for now)… we have a video monitor with holden that i love! since he's always had a pretty little cry… as in, i can't hear him across our little house unless i had bedroom doors open and such. so, as we plan for a new baby, i am definitely going to be picking up an additional camera for the nursery. this is something i plan to wait to get until well after the baby gets here since i plan to keep the babe in with me for awhile, but it's definitely on my checklist. as holden gets older, i know it won't be as essential to have, but it's still great to be able to see what he's doing and all that good stuff! side note: a few weeks ago, he coughed and i heard him on the camera and could see something was weird and i went in his room and he had thrown up everywhere. sure, i would have found that out eventually, but i had an idea something was wrong before i even got to him.

ok, so here's to hoping i don't need another addendum (is an addendum's addendum called something different?!)!! if you think of something that has helped your life immensely with 2 kiddos, please please please chime in!!!!

new fav lip color!!!

i have recently become really interested in finding the perfect lip color. one that goes with almost every outfit, isn't fussy (as in i can apply it without a mirror), has somewhat of a lasting color, etc. while i wandered through sephora last week, i browsed the nars section, bare minerals section, stila section, urban decay section... and, well, you get the idea! ;)

i tried several different lipsticks & glosses in a variety of colors and just wasn't finding one that i loved (which was annoying since i was in a store that literally only sells makeup!)! finally, i caved and asked one of the girls working to help me find "my shade" and point me in the right direction. she was so excited that i asked and went on a mission to find me the perfect lip product! she found me a couple min later and had literally like 6 swipes on her hand of different products and asked if i liked any of them. and there was one that was my dream shade, so she brought me over to the tarte section and had me try it on. it seriously was like putting butter on my lips and the color was exxxxxactly what i wanted! she wins!

i have heard of tarte before, but in case you aren't familiar with them... they are an all-natural cosmetic company and every product is infused with natural oils and vitamins. kind of cool, huh? i personally wouldn't switch to all tarte-only makeup for that reason, but if all of their products are as amaze as this lip stain, i might be in trouble!!! the shade that i went with is 'elite' and it is the perfect pink & coral goodness!

check out tarte if you haven't, but if you have... i'm dying to know what other products of theirs are as wonderful as their lipsurgence lip tint!!

ps- i didn't filter the pics of me so that you can see the real lip color! also, that amazing arrow necklace is stella & dot, of course! ;)

things i'm lovin!

i love love love reading about different products, tv shows, etc that people really like because i feel like it's a real deal recommendation for me to try it! especially if there's been something i've wanted to try or a new website i've never heard about! anyways, it's been awhile since i've posted a 'things i'm lovin' post, so i figured it was time to clue y'all in on what's keepin me a happy camper these days!

if you're an online shopper like i am, you're probably familiar with zulily or joss & main, etc. well, although i love browsing these websites and seeing if there's a good deal, i don't find as many goodies on those sites as i would hope. especially since i'm not always on top of my game and will miss the really good deals (because they're good deals and everyone else apparently thinks so, too!)! with that said, my girl jen recently told me about jane.com and it's seriously my new jam! jane is a bunch of individual shops (mostly etsy) that will list their products (lots of jewelry, hand made kiddo stuff, home stuff, etc) and it's typically priced really well. it's seriously worth checking out! they have new items each day and there's a limited number, so ya gotta act quick! i just bought these darling valentine's buntings from jane because my non-crafty self just knew i wouldn't get around to making one before our vacay!

speaking of valentine's... tis the season for valentine's candy taking over my life! in the name of all things sugary, sweet tarts are my go-to these days! it must be the baby because i'm not typically a sugary candy type of girl (now, chocolate is a diff story...)! target just got their v-day candy out, so it's possible these will be a staple in our house for the next couple weeks!

i stumbled upon a couple blogs lately that have 100% made their way into my regular blogroll! i love finding new blogs that are informative or just plain fun to read!

angela lanter at hello gorgeous is my new go-to beauty blogger! she's married to matt lanter (an actor), so she's randomly going to red carpet events & such, but she's entertaining to read & watch (lots of videos on there lately) and she consistently introduces me to new products that i've never even heard of. love that!

my other new fav is katie bower at bower power. if you are a fan of young house love, you will 100% be a fan of katie, but for some reason, it took me years to give her a try. definitely regretting that now! katie posts about mom life & baby stuff, but mostly home stuff (she & her cute hub reno their house). i feel like we would totally be friends in real life, so that makes it fun to read and she has some seriously good ideas, too!

and, last but certainly not least... you may remember me posting about my dramatic mascara problem a few months ago! if not, you can read about it here & here. well, i am here to report that after about 5 months of using the maybelline colossal mascara, i can hardly remember how much i loved my lancome goodness! crazy, huh? and at about 1/5 of the cost, my wallet is in full agreement that it was a good move! since it's been several months, i feel like i can legitimately recommend this mascara to others now! the wand is thick like lancome or diorshow and it goes on great! it's definitely love at this point!

are you guys gonna check out any of things?? i strongly suggest you do... not that i'm biased or anything! ;)

things i'm lovin!

it's been a good while since I've blogged and even longer while since i posted some of my latest favs! regardless, I am alive and well over here... just a little busy, tired & my housework won't ever stop making me feel guilty long enough to sit down & blog! we've all been there, right? anyways... on to my latest favs.

if you live near lafayette, you've undoubtedly tried a coke from the igloo or mccords. we are kind of famous for put flavored cokes around here. people used to rave to me about said cokes and i didn't really get it. well, i recently just needed some caffeine on the go in hopes of kicking an awful headache, so i swung through the igloo and got a coke (just a plain jane coke... i don't go crazy and get marshmallow in it like half of this weirdo city!). and let me tell you... it was so. good. igloo serves their drinks with super skinny straws (think coffee stir sticks) and the ice is little pellets. it was wonderful. and the worst habit i could possibly ever think about committing to...

I've posted about my love for bath & body works things on here several other times. recently, I picked up some of their foam hand soaps in holiday scents (tis the season, iced gingerbread & winter cranberry). they are all delish & I'm a big fan for sure! I've been a faithful aromatherapy hand soap user (also sold at bbw), but was craving something diff for the holidays. love love love! 

my dear BFF got married beginning of oct. she used 'one step closer' as her first dance song and i hadn't really ever heard it before she told me about it (I'm a non-twilight fan & it's from one of the movies). well, this weekend, I heard boyce avenue's version and am lovin it!!! boyce avenue redoes tons of popular songs and most of them are superb!

my fav bag that I'm carrying right now is a classic stella & dot bag in a fab goldy sheen perfect for fall/holidays! this bag holds so stinkin much & is perfect for mamas that don't want to give up their style for an ugly mom purse! big fan!!!

what are you all loving right now?? any fav scents or a new lipgloss you can't get enough of?? do share! :)

fall-y things i'm lovin!

there are lots of things that i love/ obsess over/ can't stop thinking about and sometimes... it's just necessary to share! am i right or am i right? :)

here's the latest things i'm diggin:

cinnamon brooms. while we lived in florida, i thought that publix was the only store to sell cinnamon brooms. so, you can imagine how disappointed i was when fall was upon us and i thought i'd have to spend my first fall in 5 years sans cinny broom. well, fear not... our local grocery store up here has them!! and my cinnamon-loving little nose couldn't be happier!

if you have a keurig and haven't tried the starbucks caramel k-cups, you cray. these babies are so delish and brighten any early morning with a toddler. in my humble opinion, at least! i am still going strong with just a little sugar and heavy cream (aka no flavored creamers), so flavored coffee adds a little excitement. (side note: i will say that the green mountain coffee pumpkin spice k-cups are AWFUL. it tasted like burnt pumpkin and made my taste buds pretty darn sad.)

i have been a tried & true yankee candle lover for a long time now. but... when it's fall and bath and body works releases their fall candles, it's 'leaves' and 'leaves' alone here in thompsonland. BUT... and that's a big but... i have recently fallen for another candle and it. is. heavenly! 'pumpkin apple' is the name of my game and it's giving leaves a run for its $$$! check it out of you are a leaves-fanatic like me!

also... not on my favorites list would be flying with a two year old. you heard it here first, folks! share your favs in the comments!!

things i'm lovin!

it's been a little bit since i posted about my latest favorites!

coral lipstick. i know summer is on its way out, but i'm still lovin the summer on my lips!! my go-to shade has been revlon's lustrous lipstick in coral berry!

another thing on my love list is international delight's cinnabon coffee creamer. major deliciousness!!

lastly, i have a lot of guilty pleasures... and most of those guilty pleasures come in the form of reality tv. please don't judge!! haha! anyways, in my opinion, giuliana & bill is not like a typical reality show. there isn't much drama and it's pretty funny! you should really check it out!! (it's on style network. random, i know!)

do y'all have any favorites lately?? fall is coming, but it's not quite here! keep wearing that coral lipstick, friends!!

things i'm loving: toddler edition!

i did this once before and thought it was a fun take on my typical 'things i'm lovin' posts! if there's one thing i know, it's that when a mom recommends something to me, i listen real close. not because i can't come up with my own fav things, but because if someone has already done the trial & error of things, why would i waste my time?? or if there is a better solution to something i'm currently doing, it'd be silly to not change my ways! anyways... here's my recent favs for my almost-2 year old!!

first things first, my absolute favorite thing is labels by inchbug! my dear friend, jen, is the one who opened my eyes to the wonderfulness that these labels are! they are plastic, dishwasher safe labels that you can put your child's name on. so, like all the times holden goes to mops, the church nursery or is with his cousin, there isn't any confusion which cup is his! brilliant, in my opinion. especially since mops and church used to use avery sticky labels and it always left nasty residue and was a pain to get off! no more, my friends!! check them out! definitely worth the money, in my opinion!

another staple right now in our home is dora. i was really torn when holden first started getting into it because i wasn't sure if the show was more geared towards girls or what not since the main character is a girl. however, i've since realized that a) that doesn't matter and b) it really isn't since there are several boys in the show, too! holden loves the music and has honestly learned a lot from it (different words and colors!)! fab in my book!

i hear lots of mixed reviews of video monitors. we have always had one (got it before holden was born, thanks to my wonderful parents), so we don't know any different, but we love love love ours! it has given peace of mind in the early months where i just needed to see what he was doing and gave insight in the later months if i really need to go in his room or if he was fine. i'm a big fan of our summer video monitor and fully plan on buying an add'l camera when baby t 2.0 comes along! it's caused lots of laughs, too, being able to see what he's doing in there when he's making all sorts of ruckus!

the last thing i love is aquaphor. someone recommended this when holden was really little and we honestly haven't used anything else. this is my go-to for diaper rashes! i also use it on holden's eczema if he has a flair up and it totally helps w that, too. honestly, it's cheaper than all the diaper rash creams and is all purpose! def a good thing to have on hand!

hope you find a few of these helpful!!! loving toddlerhood over here!!

things i'm lovin!!

as if everyone hasn't already said this today... i'll say it, too. hooooow is it already august??? i mean come on!! this summer is almost over. in fact, there are schools in indiana that today is the first day of school. dumb. why does summer keep getting shorter and shorter?? whatever. it's been a little while since i've done a post of my recent obsessions! as always, post your favs in the comments so i can check them out!!

first, i love me a good candle. this isn't a recent fav, per se, as just a fav in general.  it's been my go-to candle the past few weeks (even though she's been a goodie for a long time! eucalyptus spearmint from bath & body works is where it's at! i do also love the orange ginger & lavender vanilla from the spa line!!

i feel a little bit like a hypocrite with my next thing i'm lovin. not really, but i wasn't quiet w my hatred towards jc penney's sales tactics over the last year. i thought they made a really bad move to eliminate sale prices and coupons. now that they're going back to their "old ways" and have revamped their entire store, i'm slowly becoming a big fan. i'm on the search for bedroom lamps and decided to give jcp a try. as i walked through the home dept, i promise i didn't even feel like i was in penney's. definitely stroll through next time you're at the mall!! sidenote: i actually found a couple shirts that i love, too!

i have been a HUGE fan of sara bareilles for years. she's hilarious, has a killer voice and is the best in concert! seriously the best. she just released a new cd and it's def been on repeat for me. check out her latest album, the blessed unrest. it has a little bit of a diff vibe than her previous albums, but i love it nonetheless!!

so, what are your latest favs????

things i'm lovin: toddler edition

there are lots of things that make me, as a mom, a happier person. whether that be cute jammies that make snuggling a toddler in the middle of the night slightly more enjoyable or just a great invention that makes being a mom a little more convenient. let's face it... life as a mom is the best thing ever and the thing that can make you lose your mind... all in the same 5 minutes!!!

so, i thought I'd take today to share my favs for being a mama to an almost-two year old! 

first, i have to give an ode to my favorite jammies for h! old navy has the BEST two piece jams in my opinion! they are around $11-12 full price, but i can almost always get them 1/2 price on clearance or with my old navy card!

since grant & i keep our house colder than most all year round, these jammies are what i like to call "daytime jammies". we will throw these on after he gets up in the morning instead of his footie pajamas if we aren't planning to go anywhere til after his nap. this way, he's comfy all morning & during his nap!

next is our favorite tv network for holden's age... sprout by pbs!

i was so out of touch before being a mom that i really just thought there was disney & nickelodeon, but i was so wrong. sprout is the perfect network for a toddler! definitely check it out if you haven't!!

the third thing that i am loving lately are bath tub letters! these are some of holden's fav bath toys!!

these are great for h since they stick to the bath walls when wet. we go over our letters, numbers and just stick em all over the tub. bath time has always been a breeze with holden, so that's a blessing! these are just an easy to clean up toy!

the last thing that literally keeps. me. sane. as a mom is MOPS! 

if you aren't familiar w this great organization, you definitely need to look one up in your area. i have been so blessed by my local group of ladies! MOPS is for moms with kids of ages birth-kindergarten (which i totally used to think it was for preschooler and up!) and our group meets twice a month. there's a program for the littles, so that means mama gets a break w breakfast, a speaker talking about mom-related stuff & time to chat w moms of all kinds! love love love!

hope you find some of these suggestions helpful!! and please share your go-to things if you have a toddler!!

things i'm lovin!

who's ready for another round of fav things??

now that summer is on the verge of being here, i have to share my current fav blizzard from the dq. there are few things that scream summer to me quite like dairy queen. my dad and i (and sometimes my mom, too) would regularly hit up dq in the summers for a sweet treat. in my hometown, there isn't a single dq that is open year-round, so we didn't have any other choice than to get our dq fix in between march and october! so, my very fav recent blizzard is peanut butter and oreo. for some reason, i randomly was craving this combo a few weeks ago, so i asked if they had anything with oreo and pb. the girl said no, but that they could totally make it. and they did. and it's amazing. seriously, try it! just order an oreo blizzard with pb and all of your wildest dreams will come true!

in the same category of summery treats, i have to share about my lil izze obsession. i've bought them during winter in the past and it's just not the same. this fruity little drink can turn a bad spring or summer day upside down and quick. and it's as close as i'll get to 'cracking open a cold one'. it's refreshing, smooth and brightens up any day! blackberry is my fav, although the others are delish, too!

i'm a long time lady antebellum fan and so it's no surprise that i''m pumped about their latest cd, golden! since grant and i have spotify, i rarely buy a cd these days, so i've been jammin to lots of new releases, but lady a has been added to the rotation again. grant and i both would love to see them live... maybe next summer (since they aren't touring this summer)!

lastly, i'm always on the market for a good bodywash. i go through phases with what i'm looking for: creamy, more gel-like, different scents, etc. i've been hooked on nivea's bodywashes for awhile now, but this one particular scent is so fab. it just smells clean. i don't know how else to describe it! nivea bodywashes are creamy and kind of thin, so you don't need a lot. and they smell so fresh! and... they're cheap! ha

any fav things consuming your every thought lately?? if you try that blizzard, i can guarantee you will love it and will probably end up writing a blog post about it, too. just sayin! ;)

things i'm lovin!

i have recently become obsessed w a few things here lately and i feel compelled to tell the world!!!

first, this isn't a recent fav, but it's recently made it's way back into my rotation. grant doesn't really drink coffee at home, so i try to not have a ton of creamers in the house or they will go to waste. my current go-to coffee creamer is the coffeemate peppermint mocha. it's the perfect amount of peppermint, but not overpowering.

no-crease hair ties are all the rage these days. i didn't really see the benefit of them until my dear friend gave some to me as gift. she's made me a believer, to say the least! they are AMAZING for throwing your hair up especially if you only want it up for a period of time (like while you're doing the dishes and working up a sweat). my hair is SO fine and regular hair ties almost instantly crease my hair. the other benefit of these is they are super trendy as bracelets and aren't too tight on your wrist like other hair ties might be.

if you own a dyson, have a good amount of hard floors in your house (tile, wood, etc) and don't own the hard floor attachment you seriously don't know what you're missing!!! i cannot recommend the dyson enough. i've had mine for around 5 years and still love it dearly. when we moved into our new house and have mostly laminate floor and tile in the bathrooms, i realized real quick that i needed to get something. i had no idea dyson even made hard floor attachment, but they totally do and it's worth every penny! it fits on pretty much every dyson and is such a lifesaver! makes vacuuming a breeze. seriously! get it!

I'm in a constant state of mind trying to decorate our house with things i LOVE, not just like... not just like the pricetag... not just like the durability... not just like that it's 'good enough'. i do know myself well enough to know that my style changes regularly, so blowing lots of $$$ on certain things just isn't worth it, BUT, i still want stuff i LOVE. with that said, i was recently at west elm and found THE most perfect throw pillows. I'm hoping to snag these on sale, but they ARE silk and that makes me nervous w a toddler constantly destroying my house! we'll see if they ever make it to mi casa...

so... what are y'all loving?? a new lipstick? fav new drink at sbux? share w me!!!

things i'm lovin!!

if you know me, you know that I'm a particular person. when I find things I love, I become obsessed with them and will tell people about it any chance I get! I guess that's why I feel like it only makes sense to do a regular post on my recent favorite things. I'm not paid by any of these companies to share their products, so you know that the opinions are just true and honest!!

first, my go-to lip product right now! urban decay is a makeup line that I'm just starting to incorporate into my routine, but I'm lovin their 'lip junkie' glosses. 'naked' is my color of choice at the moment. this gloss claims to plump your lips and I think it 100% lives up to that claim! my lips are silky smooth after I put this on, too!!

in the same category of makeup, I have to tell you about my FAVORITE blush on the world!!! ulta's makeup line can be a little hit or miss for me, but their cheek colors are exactly what I want in a blush! the color is 'afternoon delight' and it's the PERFECT peachy/coral color for summer. I actually wear this color pretty much year round cause it's a great shade for my skin tone, but it's spot on for the trends this summer! now, if we could just get a stinkin ulta in lafayette, my life would be muy bueno!!!!

it's no secret that I'm slightlllllly obsessed with target. and their spring sandals have me over the moon obsessed. I'm trying to not go crazy, but these sandals literally jumped in my cart and I couldn't take them out even if I tried! the mix of gold, camel color and animal print. so versatile and they are the perf addition to my summer wardrobe!!! love love love!

things i'm lovin: episode one!

i love trying new things. new nail polish, new hair product, new starbucks drinks, etc. so, i thought it'd be fun to share a few of my latest favs!

first up, the voice. i watched last season and was kinda into it, kinda not. this season, cee lo and christina are taking a break, so shakira and usher took their places. i could give or take shakira, but usher adds such a fun vibe to the show and he's obviously been successful with his own career, too. grant and i watched the premier last night and were laughing out loud through much of it! good stuff!

second, it is no secret that i am ob.sessed with nail polish. it used to be unheard of that i wouldn't have fresh nails, however, my sweet lil holden buddy makes that routine a lil tricky. wet nails + one year old = disaster! :) two of my favs right now are essie's off the shoulder & e-nuf is e-nuf!

*e-nuf is e-nuf*

*off the shoulder*

if you haven't heard, BB creams are all. the. rage. right now. i was a little skeptical because i am a lazy makeup person and didn't want to add one more thing to the routine. however, i had a coupon for this and thought i'd give it a try and it really is great! for me, i have fairly clear skin, but since having holden, my skin tone is often uneven or blotchy. i'm a bare essentuals girl through & through for foundation, but the bb cream gives a nice base before my powder. i've only been using this for a couple days, so i may be able to cut out the powder altogether. we shall see...

lastly, with spring right around the corner, i am all about freshness in the home. i want fresh colors, fresh flowers and fresh scents. i have a couple of the bath & body works plug-ins throughout our home and i just picked up a few of the caribbean escape oil pods. for me, it's a great spring, fruity scent without being too fruity. 

are y'all lovin anything for spring?? i'm always up for trying new things (except food... but we won't talk about that! eek)!