When I Grow Up I Want To Be…

THIS GUY!

Today while procrastinating with my ever growing to-do list I stumbled across this article (linked on the pictured) on MSN and it brought a HUGE smile to my face. Now, that could just be because I’m a Disney fanatic or because it’s hands down the most precious thing I’ve ever read. I don’t want to give away too much so I’ll let you read and judge for yourself.

Just thought I’d share a little something to possibly put a smile on your faces as well! Hope that brightened up your Monday.

– Katie

Have any of you met Freddie Wieczorek? If you have, what’s your experience? I’d loveee to hear some more first hand stories! I’m definitely going to be looking for him next time I’m at the Magic Kingdom.

***I am in no way claiming this article is my own. I just wanted to share the original article with my readers since it touched me so much.***

Nanny Bits: Children’s Museum Edition

 The boys were off camp this week so I decided to plan a few field trips. One of them being a trip to a local children’s museum. Due to the massive amount of pictures I took (I’m a borderline paparazzi) I figured I’d just separate these pictures into their own Nanny Bits post and pictures from the rest of the month will be in another. Hope you enjoy!

Note: They played with these blocks for at least 45 minutes!

Note: This piece of “art” hanging near the ceiling in the stairwell totallyyy gave me the creeps!

Note: You may notice that Peppa* is not in focus in most of the pictures from the day. She was so excited the entire time that she just kept jumping up and down every two seconds. Needless to say she had a good time!

Note: I completely bribed them that if they all behaved and got less than 5 warnings at the museum then I would take them to Dairy Queen afterwards. Lucky for me it worked! Only one warning was given the whole day so they happily (although you wouldn’t know it by looking at Sippy’s* smile…) got their ice cream reward.

As you can see the kids had a ton of fun at the children’s museum and the best part? It turned out to be a cheap activity! The kids all participated in our local library’s summer reading program and each time they completed a level they received (in my opinion) some awesome prizes. The prizes were more than just candy and junk. They were things like coupons for different local places, free meals and free activities like the passes to the children’s museum we used. All we had to pay for this headache free day was one $9.50 adult admission and $5 for bribery ice cream. Not bad if I do say so myself!

Until next time…

– Katie

*first and last names have been changed to protect
the privacy of the family*
(and yes, I have permission to post about them)

Sinful Colors Nail Polish Overview and Sale

*CUE INFOMERCIAL VOICE*

Ladies, do you like nail polish? Do you like affordable yet good quality products? Do you like sales?

If you answered yes to the above questions then I have just the thing for you! Sinful Colors Professional nail enamel is a quality, yet affordable nail polish brand AND at only $1.99 each they are a complete steal!

I’ve been using Sinful Colors polish for a few years now and I have to say I loveee them! As with every brand the formula will vary a bit from color to color but all-in-all Sinful Colors does not disappoint! I like using the different colors by themselves, as well as for dotting and/or other nail art. I prefer using Sinful Colors polish for nail art as opposed to my higher end brands since they’re so cheap. I’m able to use them without being stingy and can afford to replace any colors if and when I run out.

If you haven’t tried any Sinful Colors polishes yet I highly suggest you give a few a chance and right now is the perfect opportunity to do so. I’ve seen Sinful Colors polish sold in stores at Walgreens, Target and Meijer (as well as several online retailers) for $1.99 each. However, lucky for all of us polish lovers Walgreens currently has them at a stock up price of only 99 cents each! Yes, 99 cents! So what do you have to lose? Take a couple bucks, head down to Walgreens and pick up a few colors to try. If you happen to not like them for some reason just take them back with your receipt and Walgreens will most likely give you a refund.

Anywho… here are my picks from the 99 cents sale!

I tried not to go too, too crazy since I had already gotten a bunch of
polish last week but I had been waiting for this sale for around
3 months so I wanted to at least get a few.
(I believe this sale only comes every 12 weeks.)

 

Colors L to R: Secret Admirer, Gorgeous, Bali Mist, Cinderella, Rise and Shine, Innocent, Folly and Rain Storm.

Below are the Sinful Colors polishes I already had in my collection.

 

Colors L to R: Black on Black, Snow Me White, Cream Pink (one of my favorites!), Pink, Nirvana, Thimbleberry, Aquamarine, Pull Over and 24/7.

I have linked all the names to a Google Image search of swatches so
you can see what the colors look like on.

Again, if you haven’t gotten a chance to try out Sinful Colors polishes yet, I suggest you run out while the sale is going on at Walgreens and pick up a few colors. But you’ve got to hurry! The sale is only going on until Saturday the 28^th and probably won’t be back for another 12 weeks!

What is your experience with Sinful Colors polish? Love it? Hate it? Let me know either way! And if you love it, what are some of your favorite shades? Leave a comment below so I can pick them up during the sale!

– Katie

5 Words For My Mom…

Happy birthday & I love you.

– Katie

E.L.F. Haul and Swatches

This is going to be my last haul post until I go to the Mall of America in few weeks. I’ve been doing my very best to not spend unnecessary amounts of money this month. I have to say we’re 19 days in and I’m doing pretty darn well! Anyways, I ordered this stuff from the E.L.F. webstie back in June and finally thought it was time to bring you another haul. I bought quite a few things but keep in mind that the E.L.F. products you see in stores are not even a quarter of the products you can purchase online. I wanted to try a bunch of things that are not currently available in stores and to top it off I had a 50% off the studio line coupon code. How could I resist! Meaning, I purchased everything you see below for a mere $27.50 plus $6.95 shipping for a grand total of only $34.45! I would rather have not paid for shipping but since I was using a 50% off coupon I had to pay shipping. Plus, even with the shipping cost adding in I still saved money in the end. Enough blabbering, let’s get into the haul!

LIPS

Conditioning Lip Balm – Regular Price: $3 each

Lip Balm – Regular Price: $3.00 each

Matte Lip Color – Regular Price: $3.00 each

Hypershine Gloss – Regular Price: $1.00 each

FACE

Blush – Regular Price: $3.00 each

Baked Blush – Regular Price: $3.00 each

Note: Not so much pink but would make a nice highlight!

Baked Bronzer – Regular Price: $3.00

Brushes

Studio Line Brushes – Regular Price: $3.00 each

Note: perfect for contouring!

Professional Line Wand – Regular Price: $1.00

Note: I’m obsessed with this wand! Best $1.00 investment I’ve made to date!

MISCELLANEOUS

Brush Cleaner – Regular Price: $3.00

So as you can see I went a little crazy… just a little. If you’d like to see a review on any of the products leave a comment below and I’ll make it happen! Other than that leave a comment with whatever your favorite or must have E.L.F. products are. I’m always interested in trying out different E.L.F. products and the best part is their amazing prices allow me to do so!

All products listed can be purchased online through the E.L.F. website here. Most can be found through the Target website here. A limited selection of E.L.F. products can also be purchased at your local Target stores and I’ve recently seen some items available at Meijer as well.

Nanny Bits: October 2011 – June 2012

Wow, it’s been an entire week since I’ve posted anything. Sorry for neglecting the blog; I’ve been working like crazy and just enjoying the kids company. Speaking of the kids… I’ve decided that I’m going to start a monthly (or bi-monthly) segment called “Nanny Bits.” In these posts I’ll be sharing bits and pieces from my life as a nanny. Since today is the first Nanny Bits post I decided to rewind the clock and share pictures/stories that go back as far October (that’s when I got my iPhone).

Let’s jump right into it shall we….?

 Left: Peppa* and Grover* at Grover’s kindergarten Halloween party.
Right: Sippy* being silly at home.If there is one thing my kiddos love it’s FOOD! Wendy’s happens to be one of their favorite places so on occasion we’d go there for dinner after school on Fridays. Their faces are priceless in this one![Let me first start off by saying this was a joke. I knew it was a joke, he knew it was a joke, we all knew it was a joke and we were all cracking up the whole time.]

Now that that’s out of the way… the kids were preparing to go on vacation and I wouldn’t be seeing them for 2 whole weeks. On my last day with them before their vacation I wanted for us all to bond and play a game together. Sippy however, did not want to play a game with the rest of us so I told him if he didn’t want to play with us that he had to go sit in the corner with his nose on the wall like they did in the old days (I think?) while the rest of us played. After trying to convince him to play for about 10 minutes I told him, “Fineeeee, you don’t have to play. You can go play with Lego’s or something.” Again, Sippy had other plans and made his way to the corner and stuck his nose on the wall. We were all laughing so hard that even when I told him to get up he just stayed there in his happy little corner laughing… nothing better than the sound of a kids laughter echoing from a corner.

This is one of those memories that the kids and I still joke about to this day.During Winter break I was having a conversation with the kids and randomly asked if they had ever had S’mores before and you what they said? They said no! No?! They had never had S’mores before and since S’mores are basically my favorite thing ever I took it upon myself to change that right away. We all decided that later that week we would have a S’mores making/movie watching/pajama day. The verdict was split almost evenly: Sippy liked them, Grover didn’t and Peppa was on the fence.For Valentine’s Day I put together individual bags that contained a bunch of different treats for the kids and surprised them after school. The treats were things like candy, goldfish, popcorn, pencils, etc…. I still have the templates I made for putting together the treats so next Valentine’s Day I’m going put up a post on how you can make your own cheap and personalized treat bags. More importantly the kids will love them! This is one of my all time favorite pictures of the kids. I had stopped to get gas one day after picking them up from school and when I turned around this is what I saw. I just had to capture the moment. As you see above I like to call it, “One sick kid, one tired kid… and then there’s Peppa!” Just having a good ol’ game of H-O-R-S-E. Although, we never did get to finish because these kids get bored with activities veryyyy quickly. Even though it was their idea! I definitely consider that a win for me by default…I’ve discovered over time I’m that weird nanny that likes to take pictures of the kids when they randomly fall asleep. Which happens A LOT! In my defense I send their mom cute pictures of them sporadically. Oh, and how could I pass up taking that picture on the left! Peppa literally fell asleep on the couch while still holding onto her balloon. What a cute moment!

The rest of the pictures are from the beginning of the summer until the end of June.I decided it would be a fun idea for the kids (mainly the boys) to have a summer journal. Each day they pick a topic out of the jar and have to write a minimum of 3 sentences on that topic. Some are challenging but most are fun and there’s even a few free days thrown in there.The kids being blinded by the sun on their first day of summer camp. These shots were just too funny not to share and they still look cute! Each day the boys have to read for 30 minutes. Their mom even decided to do a family reading club. The boys, their mom, and dad all read the same book every week then they get together on Sundays and talk about that book. Talk about adorable!Having a non-technology hour and painting instead. I decided to challenge the boys and only give them the primary colors so if they wanted any other color they’d have to make it.Field trip to the library! Peppa was pretty excited that I let her pick out her own books.What’s with kids and balloons?! Seriously, all Peppa needs is this balloon and she will keep herself entertained for HOURS! It’s crazy, but whatever works…My little fish loving the pool and splash pad. Took the kids to do one of my favorite things ever… painting pottery! Sadly, they didn’t like it as much as I do. Oh well, you can’t win them all.

I hope you liked this new segment. I’ll try not to keep you waiting a whole week for another post but until next time…

– Katie

*first and last names have been changed to protect
the privacy of the family*
(and yes, I have permission to post about them)

Top 10 Favorite Movies

I’m not a huge movie buff so when I like a movie, I reallyyy like it. That being said I naturally have quite a few favorite movies and I thought I could share my top 10 with you.

#1 – The Blind Side

#2 – The Fighter

#3 – Finding Nemo

#4 – Tangled

#5 – Juno

#6 – The Pursuit of Happyness

#7 – Prime

#8 – UP

#9 – Step Brothers

#10 – How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days

If you haven’t seen any of these movies I’d highly recommend you check them out. After all, I wouldn’t be posting my favorites if I don’t recommend them! I have linked all the movies to their individual IMDb pages so you can read their story lines if you haven’t heard of any of these movies.

What are some of your favorite movies? Leave a comment so I can check them out.

– Katie

Spider-Man Cupcakes

The newest installment in the Spider-Man franchise, The Amazing Spider-Man, was released in theaters this week. To mark the occasion I decided to make some Spider-Man themed cupcakes and of course I wanted to share them with you soooo here they are…

For more information on The Amazing Spider-Man click here for the movie’s IMDb or here for the official website.

I hope everyone keeps cool and has a relaxing weekend. I’ll probably just be hibernating in the lovely air conditioning all weekend while cranking out more posts for you!

– Katie

How to Clean White Flip Flops in Minutes!

Did you “ruin” those fresh, beautiful white flip flops at a fourth of July barbecue? Well have no fear I have just the solution for you! Follow these few easy steps and your flip flops will look as good as new.

What you’ll need:

– White flip flops in need of some TLC
– Tilex
– Toothbrush or other scrub brush
(optional)

Warning: Tilex contains bleach so use with caution.

Step 1:

Place dirty flip flops into a bleach safe environment.

Step 2:

Coat flip flops evenly with Tilex then let sit for around 10-15 minutes*. You should begin to notice the stains start to lift immediately.

*Time will vary based on how dirty the flip flops are.

Step 3:

Once 10 minutes have passed, most if not all of the stains should be lifted. At this point (if desired) use a tooth brush to lightly scrub flip flops where needed then rinse under water to remove Tilex.

Note: Some flip flops may not need additional scrubbing. In that case just go straight to rinsing under water.

And VOLIA! You have (almost) brand new flip flops!

My family has been doing this trick for several years now. I actually don’t think I’ve purchased any new white flip flops since 2 summers ago. At that time I had gotten 3 or 4 new pairs and now I just keep switching between the different pairs and cleaning them when needed. I hope you’ll give this a try because it’s a super easy solution to wasting money just throwing dirty pairs away every year.

What are some of your money saving tricks? Share them in a comment on this post.

– Katie

June 2012 Favorites!

I love watching monthly favorites videos on YouTube so I decided that I’m going to start posting up my favorites each month. My favorites will include anything and everything that I have been completely obsessing over the previous month. So let’s get started with my favorites from June.

Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stains

Haven’t tried these yet? You must! They’re the perfect lip product for Summer. Read my full review here.
Can be purchased at most stores that carry Revlon products.

Tek Gear Woven Running Shorts

These shorts are basically all I have been wearing since the beginning of June. They’re very light weight and help keep you cool in this crazy Summer heat.
I purchased mine at Kohls.

Vaseline Lip Therapy Original

Unbelievably great lip product and I love the mini packaging!
I purchased mine at Meijer but I’ve also seen them in stores like
Target and Wal-mart as well.

YouTube

For some reason I have been obsessing over YouTube this month. I’ve been watching more YouTube videos than I have actual television. I’m probably going to be putting together a post with a list of my favorite YouTubers in the near future so check back for that.

MAC Powder Blush in Sunbasque

Last month I went to MAC with the intention of purchasing a completely different blush but with the suggestion of a salesperson I tried Sunbasque and fell in love. I wore this shade almost every time I did my makeup last month. If you don’t have this blush yet I suggest you run to your nearest MAC counter and get one… like yesterday! Or purchase one online right now!

Dream Angels Perfume in Forever

I bought this perfume at a Victoria Secret Semi-Annual sale this past Winter and (no kidding!) I have worn this almost every single day since I bought it. I loveee this scent and apparently my stepdad agrees. He never knows what scent I’m going to wear each day but without fail, every single time I wear Forever he tells me I smell good. It makes me giggle because he says it literally every time. However, I am sad to say that I think they discontinued this scent but thankfully I have a HUGE backup bottle. It’ll be a sad, sad day when I finally run out.

Thomas Cinnamon Raisin Bagel Thins
& The Laughing Cow Cream Cheese

Can I just say that bagel thins and these new The Laughing Cow Cream Cheese wedges are a match made in heaven. Bottom line: I’ve eaten this combo almost every day for breakfast since the beginning of June. One wedge is the perfect amount to cover both sides of a bagel thin. Yummmmo!

Favorite Songs of the Month

I had four favorite songs this month:
#1 – Somebody That I Use to Know by Gotye
#2 – Call Me Maybe by Carly Rae Japsen
(and you know that song is darn catchy!)
#3 – Wonderful World by James Morrison
#4 – What Makes You Beautiful by One Direction
I couldn’t just pick one song because these four songs have
been on repeat alllll month.

So as you can see I wasn’t lying when I said my favorites were going to be things that I have been obsessed with. I look forward to sharing more monthly favorites with you in the future. If you have any favorites you’d like to share leave a comment. I’d love to hear about your must haves for June.

– Katie