This Holiday Skin Care Prep Guide is sponsored by Babbleboxx. #HolidaySelfcareBBxx
The holidays are here, and while “‘tis the season to be jolly,” ‘tis also the season for stressed moms. Moms typically do the most of holiday prep like buying gifts for everyone, decorating the house, making plans to see family or friends, and more. Through the busyness, moms also deserve to look and feel good so we can look back at photos and not look stressed or tired. Moms bring the holiday magic, but we deserve some magic for ourselves, right?I put together this holiday skin prep guide to share what I’ve been using for a few weeks now that just make me feel happier, all because I’m taking a few moments to take care of myself despite my long to-do lists.
Vitamin C Cleanser from InstaNatural
Launched in 2013, InstaNatural is a personal care brand from humble beginnings with a simple mission to create natural and effective skin care products. The Vitamin C Cleanser from InstaNatural features natural antioxidant properties that prevent signs of aging while brightening the tone of skin. I’ve been using the Vitamin C Cleanser for several weeks now and love it. It’s infused with coconut water, aloe, and a blend of green tea and sugar cane extracts to give a radiant complexion. I am new to this brand, but I am very impressed with them!
Vitamin C Peel Off Mask from InstaNatural
After cleansing (while I soak in the tub and have me time), I use the Vitamin C Peel Off Mask from InstaNatural. It just transforms my skin in 30 minutes! I have naturally normal to dry skin, and it looks so bright and radiant when I’m done. The Vitamin C Peel Off Mask has a blend of skin brightening Vitamin C, Caffeine, and Turmeric combined with Hyaluronic Acid and Astaxanthin. My face always feels SO soft and moisturized after using it. It’s a must have for holiday skin care prep for anyone who wants a glow for holiday happenings.
Coconut Lime Shea Sugar Scrub from Tree Hut
Do you get dry skin in the winter? Our skin’s barrier becomes compromised during the winter from the cold weather and an exfoliator helps get dead skin away, moisturizes, gives it a radiant glow. It’s so important not to forget to do holiday skin prep on your body, not just your face. The Coconut Lime Shea Sugar Scrub from Tree Hut is a product I’ve used for so long. I love how it smells, makes my skin super soft, and also leaves it hydrated thanks to the shea butter in it.The Coconut Lime Shea Sugar Scrub is made with Sugar, Shea Butter, Lime, and an array of natural oils like Coconut, Evening Primrose, Avocado, Macadamia, Sweet Almond, Safflower and Orange Oils. Tree Hut Sugar Scrubs are paraben free, vegan, sulfate free, alcohol free, has a no-slip formula and long-lasting scent. Even in wintertime, I love smelling like an island, and I promise you, it’ll have your mind at ease from holiday stressors.
Stay Hydrated
I’ve got one last holiday skin prep task that is super important and easy to do. Did you know that people feel less thirsty during the winter? Weird, right? The cold weather alters our body’s thirst response. Sweat also evaporates more quickly in the cold, dry air, and when we don’t sweat, we think we aren’t thirsty. Worse- we could even be losing fluids. I’m especially guilty of not feeling thirsty, so I’m less likely to even remember to drink water. Yikes.Breathing cold and dry air can cause the body to become dehydrated quickly. Set an alarm, install an app, or even get a massive half gallon water bottle to help remind you to regularly drink water. Staying hydrated is one of the easiest ways for holiday skin prep. It can increase the elasticity of the skin, maintain your pH balance, and flush out the toxins in your body so keep that bottle of water near you at all times. What’s better than that?
Listen, I know you’re busy this holiday season. BUT, taking care of your skin is just as important as taking care of your holiday to-do list. It’s so important that you don’t neglect yourself so you can feel your best during every holiday event. Enjoy these easy ways to get in self care with these great products from this holiday skin care prep guide. Happiest holidays to you!
This post on Retro Holiday Finds Under $25 is sponsored by Rewardstyle on behalf of Walmart.
I don’t know about you, but I’m absolutely ready to start decorating and planning for the holidays. I haven’t felt much into decorating for fall this year for some reason, but I love seeing all the holiday decor that’s been coming out. The past couple of years my holiday decorating style has turned into buying beautiful retro holiday finds. It just reminds me of visiting my grandparent’s house as a child and brings back so many wonderful memories.
I wanted to share some of my favorite retro holiday finds from Walmart that I recently stumbled upon. They make me feel warm and cozy, and have me so excited for the holidays! I absolutely love Walmart Home in store, and I am loving all the options on the Walmart website too! I found so many adorable retro holiday finds that just bring back so much nostalgia to me. I hope you all feel the same way!
Retro Holiday Finds
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1| Packed Party Glass Tree Decoration– I’m obsessed with these gorgeous glass trees. They have retro vibes but are also so modern. I haven’t decided whether I’ll put them on my entryway table, coffee table, or as a centerpiece to our dining table. Either way, they are beautiful! Don’t miss the pink and gold tree or small pink glass tree either. It goes perfectly alongside the blue!2| Retro Ornament Wreath– I love a good ornament wreath, but I’m a SUCKER for the ones that have stunning, retro colors. Can we just take a moment to enjoy this wreath? It’s fabulous and I know just the place in my entryway where it’s going to go this year. I love everything about it!3| Merry & Jolly Blocks– I adore these retro looking holiday blocks for decorating! Walmart is getting all my money because these would go perfectly on our shelves in the living room. The retro font, vintage colors, and gold border are so fun and festive!4| Pom Pom Throw Blanket– One of my favorite ways to tie in our fun pink/retro holiday decor from our Christmas tree is to have a throw blanket on the couch. I love the color of this throw blanket, and the pom poms add an extra fun touch!5| Vintage-Style Ceramic Christmas Tree– I have loved vintage-style ceramic Christmas trees ever since I was little. They became popular crafts in the 1960-1970’s and now they’re a fun memory of those times. I love that they’re available at Walmart and I don’t have to make my own! The white ceramic tree has my heart, but the green is equally as cute!6| Retro Nutcracker– This adorable 12″ nutcracker brings holiday decorating to a whole new level of cuteness with bright, fun, and glitter details.
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7| Tis the Season to Sparkle Canvas Print– This teal and pink canvas print is such a great addition to retro holiday decor! This one is 24×32 and such a perfect size for mantels, walls, or wherever else your heart desires. I absolutely love this print and just how festive it is!8| Multicolored Throw Pillows– I’m a sucker for a good throw pillow. They tie in whatever decor we have in our home for the holidays, and I just love this cute multicolored Christmas tree pillow and this retro ugly Christmas sweater pillow. I can’t wait to put these on our couch for the holidays!9| Blush Retro Glass Tumblers– The tumblers in this set feature rose colored glass that stands out on any table with vintage-inspired embossed designs. With wide bases and cute details, these glasses add a touch of classic charm to your glass dinnerware collection. I’m obsessed with these and honestly would absolutely be ok with throwing out all the glasses we currently have for these. They’re so dreamy!10| Conical Multicolored Outdoor Tree– I love the idea of bringing this whole retro holiday decor vibe outdoors, and when I saw this pre-lit outdoor tree, I had to have it! The multicolored ball light bulbs remind me of pom poms and bring so much fun and festiveness to holiday decor. 11| Decorative Garlands– If you’re grabbing the wreath above, don’t miss this fabulous jumbo bead garland and this decorative tassle garland. I couldn’t resist grabbing these because they’re so perfectly retro and cute!12| Gold Bar Cart– Fancify your house this holiday season with a beautiful gold bar cart. This is such a statement piece and perfect for everyday decor or to pull out for a holiday gathering. I currently have a silver and white bar cart but I am absolutely putting this on my holiday wishlist because it is stunning!
Which retro holiday finds from Walmart Home was your favorite?
This post on 3 Easy Tips for Scalp Care is sponsored by Babbleboxx on behalf of Flexitol.
For those of you that have followed our family for a while, you know that our daughter Addie has multiple health issues. Ever since Addie was a baby we always dealt with cradle cap and I tried all kinds of products to help keep it at bay. Over time, her hair actually started coming out at the follicle and the hair wouldn’t grow back. We searched for answers at a dermatologist who told us Addie had scarring alopecia. I was devastated. Unfortunately Addie’s dermatologist wasn’t very helpful in assisting us and we were told the only thing that could possibly help her was Methotrexate- a chemotherapy medication. Floored, saddened, and feeling like a failure, I left that office wondering what I could do for Addie.
I remember sharing the news on our social media and people came out of the woodworks with their miracle products and shampoos they were trying to sell me that would “grow her hair back.” Sadly, with scarring alopecia, you can’t grow hair back because there aren’t hair follicles left to actually grow hair. It was a really hard time and I vowed that if I couldn’t save the hair that was lost, I could at least do my best to protect her scalp and preserve the beautiful hair she still had left.
I wanted to share some of the things we’ve been doing that I have truly seen help Addie’s scalp and hair from more loss. We’ve been doing many of these things for a long time and they work so well to keep her scalp happy. What we’ve noticed most is that when her scalp is happy it’s not inflammed, and therefore leads to less irritation, less build up on the scalp and hair, which means less hair loss.
Ways we've helped Addie's scalp and hair:
1| Use a quality scalp and hair shampoo and conditioner. This honestly has been one of the biggest things to help Addie. For a long time we used a tar shampoo on her scalp, but I hated thinking what I was putting on her skin. It stunk, had a whole bunch of ingredients I couldn’t pronounce, and it just worried me. We have started using Flexitol Scalp Relief Shampoo & Conditioner and I’m so happy with it! Flexitol’s shampoo and conditioner cleanses, moisturizes, and soothes Addie’s scalp without being stinky. In fact, it doesn’t have a scent. It’s helpful for those with eczema, psoriasis, dermatitis and dandruff, too. It’s got anti-inflammatory, anti-itch properties that works in minutes, and I’m thankful because that’s what makes Addie’s scalp happiest. Flexitol Scalp Relief Shampoo & Conditioner is tar free, steroid free, and suitable for long term use- so basically everything that I wanted for Addie’s needs.2| Use a good scalp serum. Treating Addie’s scalp has been most important in keeping her scarring alopecia at bay. When her scalp is happy it’s not red or inflammed, there’s less build up, which means she’s less likely to lose her hair. We like to use the Flexitol Scalp Relief Serum two different ways- sometimes an hour or so before baths to moisturize and soothe her irritated scalp so hair washing and combing is easier, and then after her baths as a leave in scalp treatment serum to work hard as she sleeps. Flexitol Scalp Relief Serum is made with 2% colloidal oatmeal to moisturize and soothe dry, irritated scalp for those with eczema, psoriasis, dermatitis and dandruff. Using the dropper bottle makes things so much easier on all of us, wh8ich is alway good. It’s made such a difference in the health of Addie’s scalp. 3| Use a wet brush for less hair damage. Using a Wet Brush has been helpful in detangling Addie’s hair gently. Being gentle on her hair is most important because her scarring alopecia causes hair to come out from the follicle. I’ve tried several kinds from the Wet Brush brand, and the Pro Flex just seems to work best in detangling without pulling.4| Be consistent. The one thing that has helped us the most with keeping Addie’s scarring alopecia at bay is staying consistent. Being consistent with her hair routine is so important so her scalp doesn’t have irritation or inflammation. Because we’ve been consistent we’ve actually seen some regrowth in spots where we caught the hair follicles before becoming inflamed and closing. We’ve even seen less spreading of her alopecia over the years because there isn’t dermatitis and dandruff covering the follicles thanks to our consistency. Such a win!
Hair or no hair, Addie is beautiful and so is anyone else struggling with hair loss, dermatitis, eczema, psoriasis, dandruff, or any other hair and scalp related issues. I truly hope that what we’ve been doing helps someone else out there. It’s been a complete journey and I’ll say it’s been hard without the support of a helpful dermatologist. I’m proud of our family for finding Flexitol to keep Addie’s scalp happy and healthy, and for Addie’s nurses helping us stay consistent in our routine.
This post on Red Roof Luvs Pets is sponsored by Babbleboxx on behalf of Red Roof.
Our family loves to travel. Whether it’s a day trip or quick weekend trip, we love finding places to explore as a family. It was always easy to go somewhere because our little dogs, Pearl & Winky, roam freely in our home. I could easily get a pet sitter to come several times a day to play and take the dogs out. Once we got Ahsoka, we realized it wasn’t so easy to get out and travel. Ahsoka was crate training and we certainly didn’t want to travel somewhere while she would be in a crate all day. Still in her puppy phase, Ahsoka wasn’t exactly trustworthy enough to be alone without chewing on things she wasn’t supposed to. Because of this, we stopped traveling for a while.
After doing some research, I learned that Red Roof Inn & Red Roof Plus+ allow guests to have a consistently high-quality experience at an affordable price. It makes me happy because I love having as much of my travel budget as possible for the fun stuff! Red Roof has over 660 properties in the U.S. and has expanded internationally to Brazil and Japan. Ranging from economy to midscale, Red Roof Inn® and Red Roof PLUS+®, allow guests to Sleep Easy and Spend Less® with enhanced amenities at a value price. Red Roof is a pet friendly hotel brand where pets stay for free at most locations. They welcome one well-behaved domestic pet per guestroom at participating Red Roof locations. To verify a hotel’s pet policy, don’t forget to review hotel information online at redroof.com or by contacting the hotel directly.
When we choose to travel, we are really picky because of my daughter Addie’s health. Cleanliness is very important and something our family takes very seriously. Red Roof’s RediClean includes rigorous enhanced cleaning protocols that address the new normal and allows families like mine the confidence they need to hit the road again. When you make plants to travel look for the RediClean icon at participating properties on redroof.com.Are you a frequent traveler? If you are, don’t miss RediRewards membership for savings and rewards! From insider access to more opportunities for free and discounted stays at different locations- it’s awesome! Join RediRewards and go Beyond free nights!
It feels so nice to be able to know that we can take Ahsoka to a Red Roof PLUS+ here in Texas and enjoy knowing that she won’t be stuck at home. There is a location in Austin and another in Galveston- both places we love for weekend trips. Both cities have so many fun things to do, and taking the worry about what to do with the dog makes taking trips so much easier.
Visit here for these special discount offers!
Want more fun posts about dogs and pet-friendly products? Don’t miss the pet archives!
This blog post on Fast Back to School Food Ideas is sponsored by Babbleboxx.
I don’t know about you, but I thought when the kids went back to school that life would slow down. Boy was I wrong! Between drop offs, pick up, virtual school for Addie, in person school for Lawson, therapies, and all the household and work responsibilities- I sometimes feel overwhelmed with making meals or snacks. Surely I’m not alone! I often look for fast back to school food ideas whenever school starts until we get into the swing of things. If you’re like me and trying to get fast back to school food ideas for your family, look no further. I’ve got some great foods that you can incorporate in your family’s busy schedule.
Feeding America
If you didn’t know, September is Hunger Action Month. During this time, Feeding America and thenational public come together to raise awareness and inspire action to help people that are facingthe impossible choices of hunger. As a former teacher, I saw hunger often with students. I was so glad to see that our school district offered free meals and would send students home with bags of food each weekend. Food shouldn’t be an impossible choice. For millions of people in America, meals aren’t based on what they want to eat. They’re a choice between food and other important needs like medicine, electricity, or childcare.
Veggies Made Great
There are many times where my schedule is so busy and I just don’t have time to make lunch. It gets tiring grabbing fast food, and honestly, it gets expensive. Being able to grab something that’s nutritious and quick is so helpful for me. I love Veggies Made Great products for a quick snack or even fast lunch. The Egg White Fritatas are perfect when I’m running back and forth from school drop off, therapies, pick up, and more. They have 5g of protein and only 70 calories per serving, plus they’re keto friendly. Veggies Made Great’s Double Chocolate Muffins are everyone’s favorite in our house. I love packing half in a lunchbox for Lawson on school days and saving the other half for when he comes home as a snack. I definitely have been known to sneak one as a quick veggie-rich breakfast too. They’re just so good! Zucchini and carrots are the first two ingredients (great for picky eaters) and each has nearly 30% veggies! When you try them, don’t forget to get your Veggies Made Great coupons before you go to the store!
Mighty Sesame Organic & Harissa Tahini
Lawson and Mathew both use Bento boxes for their lunches. Though Lawson is only 3 and Mathew is a grown man, we pack their lunches at the same time in the evenings, so many times they have similar lunches. We love doing charcuterie type lunches and always try to include a veggie. Carrots, snap peas, bell pepper, broccoli, or cauliflower are great in lunches with a side of Mighty Sesame Organic Tahini or Mighty Sesame Organic Harissa Tahini. They make a delicious dip with lots of flavor and are an excellent source of protein. It’s a nice change of pace from ranch dip!
King Arthur Baking Company
I grew up with a dad that worked many night shifts. When he would take off work, he would go to the grocery store, grab things to make breakfast, and make us a big, hot meal. Now that I’m an adult, I find myself wanting to do the same for my family. One time saver for back to school meals is making pancakes after dinner. My family loves the King Arthur Buttermilk and Confetti Pancake Mixes because I can make pancakes at night, put them in some baggies, and we can heat them up in the morning. I like them because all I have to do is add water and mix. They taste so good, are nice and fluffy, and I am grateful for how fast they are to make.
Minute Rice
We’ve been using Minute Rice for years. It’s fast and convenient- something this mama needs for meal time. With cooler temps around the corner, I love making a quick Arroz con Leche (aka Rice Pudding) with White Minute Rice. I just take 1 minute to heat it, add milk, cinnamon, and some sugar to have a breakfast treat I can take with me in the car on busy mornings. I just eat it straight out of the cup!For lunch time I love the Minute Rice Brown & Wild Rice. I usually have some leftover meat from dinner and I mix it with rice for Lawson. It’s a great way to get healthy foods into his body so he can fuel up for the second half of the day. The boy has lots of energy!
I truly hope these ideas inspired you to have some new fast back to school ideas!
