I don’t know about you, but I love a good themed party. When my sister asked me to be her Matron of Honor for her wedding, I immediately knew I wanted to throw a unique bridal shower for her. My sister loves all things Target (who doesn’t?) so it just made sense to create a Target bridal shower for her! I had so much fun planning it alongside my mom, and I’m so glad we got to give my sister a shower that she’ll always remember.
The Decorations
I really wanted a unique bridal shower that everyone would enjoy, but I also wanted to stick to a budget. Here are some things I got:1| Balloon Garland– I purchased one silver balloon garland kit but cut it into two pieces so we could decorate the living room and dining area. I also added a set of red balloons so Target was well represented. It worked out perfectly and was a great way to create a focal place for the party. PRO TIP: If you’re making a balloon garland, don’t forget to buy an electric balloon pump. They will save you so much time and energy!2| Tinsel Curtains– To spruce up the party area, I bought 2 sets of tinsel curtains to go under the balloon garlands. The silver made the red balloons pop and tied the decor all together!3| Bulletin Boards– One thing I really wanted to incorporate for the Target bridal shower was the look of bulletin boards with pictures of the bride and groom growing up. I grabbed red poster boards, white borders, and had pictures of them printed. I wrote “welcome our newest manager” for the groom and “current employee of the month” for the bride’s poster. Everyone thought they were so fun and reminded them of bulletin boards you’d find in a work break room.
The Guests
I love decorating the entryway of the house whenever I throw parties. I decorated the entryway with a bucket of popcorn bags (a must for Target shopping), Target sugar cookies, pictures of the bride and groom, and DIY Target name tags. I bought Avery labels and worked on their template website. I found a Target logo, added a black line on top, and printed them out! As guests arrived they got their very own Target name tag and they all thought it was hilarious. Guests were also asked to wear red for this unique bridal shower and it just made it all the more fun. It made us so happy that everyone wanted to participate in the Target theme! Ps- if you’re looking for a fabulous red dress, this is the one I got!
The Favors
To go along with our Target theme, we had Target inspired sugar cookies and bags of popcorn at the entryway for our guests. These were the favors that everyone grabbed on the way out the door. As a way to make things easier on ourselves, we bought a large bag of popped popcorn so we didn’t have to pop it all ourselves, and I bought some popcorn bags. Target is known for their delicious popcorn and it made this unique bridal shower even more special!
Starbucks Fun
Starbucks is a huge part of many Target stores. I wanted to make sure we didn’t miss including Starbucks, so I ordered some white cups, round labels, and green straws. I initially went to my local Starbucks to see if they could give or sell me espresso cups, but it wasn’t an option at my store. You’re welcome to try though before you DIY! Again, I used the Avery website and just dragged a Starbucks logo onto the template and printed them out. They were perfect! With some of the cups we made cupcakes, let them cool, and then put them inside the cups without the cupcake liner. I then topped each cupcake off with a cream cheese frosting that had whipped cream folded in, and finished them off with a drizzle of caramel and green straw to make them look like frappuccinos. I cut the straws in half for this and they looked amazing! I had many cups and straws left over and used them for guest drinks. It worked out great!
The Bridal Shower Games
For this unique bridal shower, I wanted to have several games that would be fun. I hate going to bridal showers where the games are boring, so I wanted to have as much interaction with the guests as possible. All of the prizes were from the Target Dollar Spot. Any time that someone won a game I would tell them they’d get to go “shopping” in the Dollar Spot. It was a hit!1| Find the Rings- As guests arrived to our Target bridal shower, I told them we had lots of plastic rings hidden throughout the house. While they grabbed food and mingled, they were to find as many rings as possible. When lunch time was finished and it was time to start the games, I asked who had more than 10 rings and then went from there to see who had the most. After the winner was announced, we collected the rings for the following game. 2| Cold Feet- We played Cold Feet 3 times and had 2 player compete against each other at a time. I had little bins from a party I threw for my daughter a couple weeks before that I got at Dollar Tree, but these bins are the perfect size too. I filled each bin with ice and water and added 30 of the plastic rings to each one. Each participant had to put their feet in the bin and had to get as many rings out of it as possible before 30 seconds was up. It was hilarious and 3 guests ended up winning prizes from the Dollar Spot.
3| Toilet Paper Lingerie- I took this game straight from my very own past bridal shower. My sister and I always thought it was hilarious and I couldn’t help but do it for this party. Toilet Paper Lingerie is a fun ice breaker and got everyone laughing. I highly recommend it over the typical toilet paper wedding dress game. Since my sister is the bride, I asked her to choose a 1st and 2nd place winner to get prizes. 4| The Price Is Right- I didn’t get any photos from this game, unfortunately. I purchased several items from Target (8-10 is preferred) that were exclusive to Target (think Hearth and Hand, Market Pantry, Everspring, Good & Gather, etc.) Before the shower I wrote down the exact prices of everything and during the shower I had the bride act as Vanna White and show off each item on the list. Each guest wrote down what they thought the item cost, and we went over all the prices as a group. Whoever got the closest to the price without going over earned a point. The person with the most points was the winner. As a bonus, the bride got to keep all the goodies!
The Target Cart
The star of the show (other than the bride), was the Target cart. I really believe that the Target cart is what made this such a unique bridal shower. We spoke to the manager of our local Target and got permission to borrow a cart for 24 hours for the shower and it was AMAZING. We put the Target cart at the front of the room as a place for gifts to be kept. It looked so cute!At the end of the shower, once gifts were opened, everyone had a photo opportunity with the bride an the Target cart. It was hilarious and made for such a fun prop.
Overall, I’m so thrilled my sister loved her Target bridal shower. It was such a unique bridal shower and it was so good to spend time with loved ones before her big day! If you’re looking for a bridal shower theme that’s out of the norm (and the bride is a Target fan), I highly recommend this one.
This blog post on Fun School Lunch Ideas for Kids is Sponsored by Babbleboxx on behalf of Funkins.
School started a few weeks ago and it’s been amazing to see Addie and Lawson get into their school routines. Miss Addie has started 2nd grade and Lawson is now in Pre-K 3. I remember growing up as a kid and getting excited about my new backpack and lunch box for the year. There’s something so fun about it! I love making Lawson a fun lunch and even though Addie has a g-tube, it’s important that she has that same enjoyment too! I thought I’d share some fun school lunch ideas for kids that we enjoy and hope they bring joy to your family too!
Some fun school lunch ideas for kids:
1| Don’t miss out on the power of a fun lunchbox. One thing that brings both of my kids a smile with lunch time is having a fun lunchbox. Addie loves her new Mermaid Lunch Bag and Lawson’s Transportation Lunch Bag makes him so happy! Both are from Funkins and are insulated, durable with reinforced seams, easy-to-use zippers, and can be thrown in the washing machine. They come in all different kinds of fun patterns, too! Don’t forget to throw in a Funkins reusable gel ice pack, too!2| Take a few moments to write a sweet note. Funkins carries coordinating lunch box note cards, stickers, and sticky note pads. Whether it’s a quick stick drawing or an “I love you” with some added stickers, I really enjoy slipping notes into Lawson’s lunch before he heads to school for the day. Got older kids? Try writing a silly joke, words of encouragement, or even a sweet memory. Get creative with these cute school lunch accessories.
3. Go Waste Free: We’ve switched so much in our house to be better about waste. We use un-paper towels in our bathroom, glass whenever we can instead of plastic, fabric cotton rounds instead of disposable, and more. It’s been a great idea for the kids to go green too! Funkins has cloth lunchbox placemats and napkins for kids that are bright and cheerful, durable, and earth-friendly! Such a win. I love packing Funkins cloth lunchbox napkins with their lunches in case there’s a formula spill, sticky fingers, or a mouth that needs wiping. The kids enjoy the fun patterns and it just makes for a fun home or school lunch accessory. 4| Get the set! If you home school, your kid has school virtually, or they have a day off from school, make school lunch fun for kids with the Funkins Bamboo Fiber Dish Sets. Lawson has school twice a week, so when he’s home, he uses his Funkins dish set. He likes all his foods separated, enjoys all the transportation pictures on his natural bamboo set, and I like that we are helping the environment!
It’s so much easier than you think for fun school lunch ideas for kids! Funkins makes it super easy, and I’m grateful because we’re always busy. Everything is so bright and cheery, durable, and it puts a smile on the kids’ faces. Doesn’t get better than that!
Use code Fun21 for 20% off all Funkins products now through September 30, 2021 so your kids can have a fun school lunch too!
This post on Octonauts Above & Beyond Adventure Mix and Bingo Printable is sponsored by Octonauts Above & Beyond.
Our family, like most, is often busy. We have school drop off and pick ups for Lawson, virtual school for Addie, therapies, doctor appointments, errands, and more. It can get pretty hectic. One thing I love to encourage while we have the availability is to have “Pajama Fridays” every week. I try to plan something fun for us to do each Friday to end our week on a high note and foster family time. Sometimes that looks like playing board games, other times it means snuggling on the couch and watching our favorite Netflix shows.We’ve been able to get a sneak peek of the new Netflix show, Octonauts Above & Beyond, and the kids love it! As a former teacher, I love planning a fun activity or craft with our Pajama Fridays, so I came up with Octonauts Above & Beyond Adventure Mix to create alongside our watch party!
Lawson loves watching Octonauts and has always been drawn to their underwater adventures. There’s so much to see and explore under the water! Barnacles, Kwazii and Peso embarked on various adventures in their fleet of underwater Gups with the mantra to Explore, Rescue and Protect the underwater creatures and environment around them. I love that their adventures are based on real creatures, real environments, and incorporate real science. Octonauts Above & Beyond is a new spin-off series where the Octonauts take their adventures beyond the sea and onto land! In this new global mission the Octonauts are equipped with an exciting new fleet of land-based Terra Gups and a new flying HQ, the Octoray! In the first episode, The Skeleton Coast Adventure, our favorite characters shipwreck onto a desert coast and meet Paani, a scientist. Lawson loves new Octo-Agent Paani, and keeps talking about how he needs his own Octoray, the new mobile land HQ. The Octonauts mission remains as vital as ever- they’ll EXPLORE harsh and remote environments, RESCUE animals that need their help, and PROTECT the land and all living creatures!
Octonauts Above & Beyond Adventure Mix
While you and your littles are enjoying Octonauts Above & Beyond, all of you can enjoy this delicious Adventure Mix alongside it! With 8 ingredients representing the Octonauts’ adventures on land and sea, it’s a fun way to enjoy the show in an interactive way.
Here’s What You’ll Need:
The amounts are purely up to you and your family. Enjoy more or less of each ingredient! The important thing is to have fun as a family. Goldfish– for the Octonauts’ sea originsAnimal Crackers– for the land animals the Octonauts will meetDried Strawberries– representing the beautiful colors found in the jungle Cheerios-representing the dry desert the Octonauts will seeAlmonds & Pumpkin Seeds– representing the Octonauts’ forest adventuresMini M&Ms– bright, fun colors to represent the characters in Octonauts Above & BeyondChex Cereal– to tie it all together! Grab a big bowl and let your kids go to town making their very own Adventure Mix! Lawson is currently exploring the opportunity to do more things independently. I love giving him some measuring cups and allowing him to create a snack mix the way he wants. It makes it more fun for him and helps him learn several daily living skills!
Octonauts Above & Beyond Bingo
Looking for an activity to go with that Adventure Mix? Try playing the Octonauts Above & Beyond Bingo! The game is simple: Each player starts with a Bingo board and Bingo counters. Choose one person to be the caller. The caller pulls one item and announces it. If a player has a matching square on the Bingo card, place a counter over it. When you get a horizontal, vertical, or diagonal row of 5, yell out Octo-Alert! That person becomes the winner!
Want to play Octonauts Above & Beyond Bingo for yourself? Click to download 4 playing cards and the calling card and don’t miss Octonauts Above & Beyond, now on Netflix.
This post on Day Trip Must Haves is sponsored by Walmart+. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
If you’ve been keeping up with us on social media this summer, you know that we’ve been enjoying all kinds of fun family field trips. We’ve seen Mammoth bones, fed giraffes, enjoyed the beach, hiked, and more. It’s been an absolute blast of a summer, and we aren’t done yet! I don’t know about you all, but our family is trying to pack in as much fun as we can before school starts. I wanted to share some of the things we like to take on our day trips from Walmart+ whether they’re in town or a couple hours of driving away.
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We’ve been using our Walmart+ membership for about a year now and I am so grateful for it because of our busy schedule. Having the option to get free same-day delivery from Walmart+ helps me so much, especially when I don’t think about things I need until the night before we go somewhere. It’s so nice to be able to whip out my phone or computer, put in an order quickly, and get what I need in just a couple hours without having to leave my house. Whether it’s fresh, high quality groceries, or anything else, Walmart+ always has what I need for our day trips.
With a Walmart+ membership I’ve been able to get free same-day delivery from my store* – groceries & more delivered as soon as today, at the low prices I love (*$35 order minimum. Restrictions apply). I greatly appreciate that I’m able to enjoy the same everyday low prices I expect from Walmart and there are no markups on items. If you haven’t tried Walmart+ yet, I highly recommend it. It literally only took me 10 minutes to order everything I needed for our last day trip and came straight to our door!
Grab your Walmart+ 15 day free trial here
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Here’s some things from Walmart+ that have made our lives easier for day trips:
Snacks– Whether you’ve got kids or not, snacks are an integral part to any day trip. I like to make things super easy so I like to order bread, lunch meat, veggies, condiments, chips, salsa, and drinks. I also always make sure we’ve got drinks because it’s so hot in Texas. My fave? Peach Unsweetened Sparkling Water. Yum!Snack Box– Can I give you a parenting hack? I love using tackle box organizers to have a variety of snacks available for Lawson. It’s saved me on many day trips, and it’s also something I like to do for flights. It’s an awesome product to keep in your trip arsenal.Small Cooler– We have a variety of coolers depending on where we’re going, but one I love most from Walmart is this one from Artic Zone. It holds 30 cans, ice, and has a plastic tray so you can store food on top.
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Foldable Wagon– As parents, we all like to be prepared, right?! That usually means we take everything we may possibly need and end up being pack mules. My saving grace? This foldable wagon from Radio Flyer. It helps SO much when trying to get the kids and everything we need once we arrive at our destination.Sunscreen & Wipes– I’m a huge stickler for two things, and you’ll always see them with me during the summer: sunscreen and my homemade Thieves wipes. I love the mineral sunscreen options from Hello Bello for our whole family (you can find them in cream, spray, and stick form). As for the Thieves wipes, I love buying Huggies wipes and adding distilled water mixed with Thieves cleaner. Hands get dirty and it’s nice to have these around to not only clean, but safely take germs away.Comfortable Outfit– Whenever we go on a day trip, I know I’ll want to take lots of pictures of our family. I try to be mindful of what I’m wearing in case I get in photos, but I also want to be comfortable. I love wearing jumpsuits because they feel like pajamas but look put together! This No Boundaries jumpsuit is really comfortable, can be worn with or without straps, and is so cute. I also appreciate a good denim jacket to throw on top for dinner out or when we go into a chilly venue/attraction. This Celebrity Pink denim jacket is oversized, so if you prefer a more traditional fit, make sure you size down.
Day trips are a great source of fun for our family and we hope you all will enjoy some before summer ends. It’s fun to play tourist in your own town or drive close by. Whatever you do, don’t forget to grab your fresh groceries and other day trip must haves from Walmart+!
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Looking for more from Walmart+? Check out other awesome things you can get via the Walmart archive and grab your Walmart+ free trial!
This post on 5 Paw-some Dog Gifts Your Dog Will Love is sponsored by Babbleboxx. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
I don’t know about in your house, but in ours, dogs are family. We have 3 dogs, Pearl, Winky, and Ahsoka and they bring so much joy to our lives. Pearl, a Maltipoo, was our baby that we brought home 2 months after being married. Winky is a Shih-poo rescue dog that was saved from an awful housing situation. She’s Addie’s best friend and sidekick in person and in my book, Authentically Addie. We recently adopted Ahsoka, our big Sheepadoodle, who is quickly growing into the biggest dog we’ve ever seen. All 3 are white and fluffy, and we wouldn’t have it any other way.All of our dogs have very different personalities, but they can all agree that they love getting dog gifts! I wanted to share 5 paw-some dog gifts we’ve recently come across that we love, and so will you and your pets!
Custom Pillow from Petsies
I’ve been eyeing the Budsies website for a few months now, and stumbled across their Petsies product line recently. They make cuddly and affordable custom pet pillows that are SO cute. They have two different types of pillow options to choose from: ones shaped just like your pet and custom throw pillows. Both options just need a photo of your pet so Petsies can work their magic.I love this picture of Ahsoka as a puppy and I thought it was a fun way to see how much she’s grown since the Spring. Sometimes Lawson leaves the Petsies pillow of Ahsoka on the couch and I swear for a second it makes me think I have 4 dogs! I have done a double take several times and just laugh so hard. Grab one of your pet from July 12-July 31 and get 15% off all custom pillows using code: Stephanie2021
EASE Joint and Hip Chews and
RELAX Calming Chews from Green Gruff
Having dogs ranging from nearly 10 years old to nearly 8 months old can be very interesting when it comes to care. Green Gruff recently sent us their EASE Joint and Hip Chews and RELAX Calming Chews, and they’re a hit with all 3 of our dogs. Although they may look like treats, nutritionally they’re vitamins and minerals, so they should be taken like supplements. Our dogs are enjoying them daily! Green Gruff chews have 9 essential amino acids, more iron than spinach, and significantly more sustainable than beef. Pearl loves the EASE Joint and Hip Chews, while Winky and Ahsoka love the RELAX Calming Chews. Both supplements are made with CBD and are organic. You can get 30% off either RELAX or EASE (90-count) Green Gruff supplements through 8/15 using discount code GGDD30.
Eat, Play, Love (Your Dog)
We lead a busy life, but we always make sure we have time for the dogs. Between appointments, therapies, and more- it’s incredibly important to show them as much love as we can when we are home. Eat, Play, Love (Your Dog): The Ultimate Guide for Every Dog Owner by Lara Shannon from Hardie Grant helps readers understand why dogs do what they do, so you can enjoy a full and happy life together with your furry friend. It’s available wherever books are sold and a great gift for dog owners or prospective owners. I’m loving this dog training book and already finding it helpful!
Dog Toys from Multipet
Multipet toys are some that we’ve gotten over the many years we’ve been dog owners. They’ve been around for 25 years and test each product for safety and durability- both super important things in our house. Pearl, Winky, and Ahsoka got the Multipet Ball-Head Unicorn and love it! It’s got a rubber ball in the head with a plush body that squeaks and crinkles! They go crazy for that crinkle sound! It also has a soft mane and tail with glittery hooves, ears and a horn.The dogs also got the Multipet Cross-Ropes Duck, and it’s quickly become Ahsoka’s favorite. She enjoys toys that are rugged and have heavy construction! It’s made of a durable ballistic-style nylon with reinforced seams for dogs like Ahsoka that are tougher on toys. It features a cotton rope for tossing and tugging, different textures, and a built in squeaker for lots of excitement for your pet. Both of these toys are great for families looking to keep your dog engaged, active, and excited during playtime!Warning: Always supervise your pet when playing with pet toys. This product should be inspected periodically for damages. Do not permit your pet to continue playing with a broken or damaged toy. Please discard when worn. No pet toy is indestructible. Intended for pet use only.
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NutrientBoost™ from Solid Gold
It’s been very important from the beginning for us to get the dogs quality dog food. Solid Gold is the pioneer in holistic and natural pet food, with real meat, whole grains, and nutrient dense superfoods. Solid Gold NutrientBoost is a premium line of delicious recipes powered by plasma to improve digestion and nutrient absorption. The NutrientBoost Meal Topper for Dogs has our dogs going WILD. NutrientBoost is packed full of minerals, amino acids, and antibodies. It’s also proven to improve the digestibility of food. Between Pearl getting older and Ahsoka having Giardia as a puppy (causing her to lose weight initially), I love the benefits NutrientBoost gives them. If you thought gut health was only for humans, think again!
>I hope you have found these 5 Paw-some Dog Gifts Your Dog Will Love helpful! Which will you be grabbing?
