A First Aid Kit: Travel Edition

In a few days, my little family will be headed across the country to celebrate the wedding of my sister-in-law. We are all super excited, but I am also dreading the packing process.

Can somebody else just come over and make sure we have packed every single thing we may need? I just know I will forget something essential, like the girls' flower girl dresses.

With a 1 year old and a 3 year old, my packing list is about a mile long. Oh yeah, and we are flying… normally this would be a welcomed change, but I'm so not looking forward to being inside a small space with 2 crazy girls that don't always act like little angels in public. Plus, how am I suppose to pack everything we need into 2 pieces of luggage?! No, really. How?

I figured I would start with something easy and work my way up to packing our main luggage. Without a home base, we will need a stash of first aid items to help mend little boo-boos and soothe tiny tears.

Many of these items are not needed for everyone's travel first aid kit, but they are essential for our travels. Purell and wet wipes are a must for anybody traveling with small children, as are tissues. My oldest has eczema that randomly flares up, so we always travel with some sort of hydrocortisone cream and a thick lotion. Another essential that every parent should carry while traveling is a thermometer and children's tylenol. I have too many extra thermometers from buying one while traveling because somebody gets a fever. I also always throw in adult tylenol because momma always gets a headache while traveling.

Last, but certainly not least, band-aids and neosporin. BONUS: Band-aids can double as stickers to occupy restless toddlers on long plane rides.

Now that that's done… I guess it's time to stop procrastinating and start packing all of our clothes. So many clothes.

THIS POST WAS BROUGHT TO YOU BY NEOSPORIN. I WAS NOT COMPENSATED FOR THIS POST, HOWEVER I DID RECIEVE A SAMPLE FOR MY REVIEW COURTESY OF INFLUENSTER. ALL OPINIONS AND SUGGESTIONS ARE VERY MUCH MY OWN.

Working with Brands | Using your Social Media Influence

For the past year, I have been dipping my toes into the 'sponsored post' waters. There are several different sites dedicated to connecting bloggers with brands, but I am particularly fond of Influenster.com because you don't have to be a blogger to participate in the campaigns and you don't really even have to put any effort into it if you really don't feel like it.

I am an overachiever when it comes to Influenster, so I try to complete all of the 'task' they give you. It's all simple stuff, like leaving a review (good or bad) and instagraming a product photo. Just another way for brands to get their name or new product out there and create a little social media buzz. You only get paid in products (which is kinda great, in my opinion).

The photo about is from my latest Influenster package. This one has got to be my favorite to date! Seriously, who doesn't want TWO free tubs of Breyers Gelato?!

From the top left (clockwise):

1. Avon Anew Reversalist Wrinkle smoother: I don't have many wrinkles (yet), but I do like how this cream has made my skin feel. Smooth and silky. Has it reduced wrinkles? Eh. I don't know. I'm not really a makeup person & I honestly don't study my face enough to really know whether this has made a difference.
2. Breyers Gelato: Does this really need a review? I don't think I've ever met a bad gelato. My favorite was the triple chocolate gelato. Delicious!
3. Shell Fuel Rewards Card: This was a welcomed surprise. I have been a long time member of a different rewards program for a competing gas station. Not that I want another card to add to my wallet, but I was hoping the more convenient gas stations would jump in the reward card game.
4. Ivory Soap: Bar soap does not get a lot of use in our house, but I am super eager to try some fun experiments with this soap bar. I'm thinking microwaving our little bar of soap will be the first step and then maybe making soap crayons.
5. Neosporin Neo To Go: Any parent knows that this is an incredibly useful addition to the diaper bag during skinned knee season. We have already gotten lots of use out of it. It sprays neosporin and dries almost immediately, so there is no greasiness afterwards. My 3 year old can even spray it on her boo-boo all by herself. 
6. Puffs to Go: No diaper bag is complete without a pack of tissues. I really didn't know the value of always having tissues on hand until I had kids. The summer cold season and the winter cold season and the spring allergies and the fall runny nose weather… point is, a little nose always needs a tissue!

I got all of these product for FREE! You can sign up with or without a blog and wait to get your own free products to try.

Discovering New Products | REVIEWS

Have you heard of influenster.com? I tried it on a whim and I'm loving it. I don't always love reading about product reviews on other blogs, but I love getting free products + it's nice to get a little tangible something back for blogging. So, if you hate reading product reviews, then skip my Saturday posts from now on. And if you want to know more about Influenster, don't hesitate to ask (ps. you don't have to be a blogger to get free stuff from influenster).

This lovely little package showed up on my doorstep shortly after Valentine's day and I immediately stuffed my face with those Hershey's Kisses. After all, who doesn't love chocolate? I'm not a huge tea drinker, unless you count sweet tea. This Red Rose tea, however, might just replace my coffee once I decide to give up coffee. No sweetener or cream is needed + it still has plenty of caffeine! Crazy delicious! The Boots Botanics Clay Mask is incredible. It's not thick like other cay masks I've tried, so don't let the name fool you and expect a thick clay consistency. It feels more like soot, not in a bad way. I honestly thought this mask was going to be a flop, but washing it off proved otherwise. As you wash it off, tine grains in the clay act as a scrub and leave your skin silky smooth. It also didn't dry out my skin, so I'd say it's a winner. The John Frieda Flat Iron Spray is not something that I would ever buy for myself. My hair stays straight after flat ironing on it's own, so I didn't see a big difference. It did help with winter static cling though. Anybody else have trouble with static cling this winter?  Oh, geez. Those KISS lashes. I tried y'all, but I just don't think we were a good fit. A little bit of concealer and some lip gloss is all I wear on an average day, so trying to apply false lashes was a major process that was ultimately unsuccessful. I'm sure I would have looked amazing with professional make up and lash application, but they did not look right for my everyday mommy uniform.  Obviously, I don't have a lot to say about the Vaseline Men's Lotion, but John has been using it and I haven't heard any complaints. I actually tried it out first, but it definitely smells like a man.  Love influenster + Love the free products they send + Love that I get to discover new things that I would have never bought for myself! Seriously, let me know if you want anything about influenster. I am here to help.

A Company that Does things Right!

I am a bit obsessed with all things Dove. They really do things right at this company. Not only has this brand been highly recommended for all of my daughter's sensitive skin issues, they have done exceptionally well marketing their product with real views of women. Why can't more companies really take an interest in their customers like Dove? Don't get me wrong, I know that the company is for profit and all of this customer interest is good for business. But, it appears that Dove actually cares more about the people the sell their product to than the bottom line. This is how it should be… it really should not shock us so much when a company does the right thing. Ok. Rant over. Just stopping by to say how much I appreciate a good company and I can't get enough of their ads! Seriously, their ad department needs a bonus. I don't think I would have ever thought of deodorant like this until I saw this ad:

How the Kiwi Crate saved my sanity!

My aunt did one amazing job with Christmas gifts this year. Seriously, her various gifts have been true sanity savers in the short time since Christmas. 

This month has been filled with rainy days and the bone chilling Polar Vortex. In mommyhood terms this means TOO MANY HOURS spent indoors. My bag of tricks is quite large, but even I was on the verge of a meltdown after spending too much time inside. That's when the Kiwi Crate from my Aunt Shelia that had been hidden away for a rainy day made it's appearance.

So thankful. Ellignton had the best time decorating the kaleidoscope with colored stickers. If you don't have a toddler, you should know that stickers are kind of a big deal in the land of toddlers. A seriously BIG deal.

The best part about it all - everything you need for each craft is in the box. No extra parts to buy. No searching around for markers to us. It's all included! If you need a gift for a toddler, just send them one of these Kiwi Crates. Bonus points if you sign them up for more than one box! Parents will love you forever.
Hours of fun were had and my sanity was restored. I even got these neat looking photos of the kaleidoscope images from my iPhone.

Who knew making this little craft would be so much fun for adults too?!
I was not paid or compensated in any way for this post, I just really like the product.

Little Lovelies Around my Neck

Yesterday, I blogged about a fabulous Christmas present I received. Well, this is another fabulous gift! Prepare to be jealous.

My wonderful sister was my secret Santa this year and got me these beautiful necklaces I have been keeping my eye on. Of course, the state necklace represents my home state of North Carolina. It is perfect and I have worn it every day since Christmas.

The two little letters came on two separate chains, but I wear them on just one. Each initial represents the first initials of each of my daughters. I wear them less because the baby is drawn to these two little shiny letters, but I love them just the same.
Where can you get your own, you ask? Well, they're sold at this wonderful little online space called Fifth & Mae. Oh, and they're a steal at $14.95 each! Love.
Just in case any others secret Santas Cupids are reading, here are a few other Fifth & Mae pieces on my wish list:

Pastels Necklace $14.95 . Arrow Knuckle Ring $5.95 . Simple Floral Stud Earrings $5.95 . Endless Necklace $8.95
I was not paid or compensated in any way for this post, I just really like this jewelry and I love the price even more.

A Little Naptime Spa Day

Hi there, friends.
Are you shocked?! I'm making an appearance 3 days in a row. On a Saturday, no less. I know, I'm just as surprised as you are. I guess I've got a little bit of my blogging mojo back.
Some of this renewed blogging energy is probably due to my recent at-home spa day. I don't have a lot of free time away from the kiddos, so I fit my relaxation time in during the rare moments when both of my girls are napping at the same time.
One unusually warm day in December, this little miracle occurred. I found myself with two sleeping kids and a box full of goodies.

The perfect ingredients for a 30 minute Spa Day... because busy moms have to fit in their relaxation time between naptime and cleaning up the unbelievable mess that two girls under 3 can make.
A comfortable headband to keep the hair out of your mud mask, but goes with your mom uniform in case you forget to you have it in your hair. The aforementioned mud mask. I especially loved this one because it was more of a mud infused paper mask (all of the skin benefits without the mess).
Bonus points if you have time to paint your nails! I only had a chance to get one coat done before the littlest one woke up, but it looked great… for a few hours. Maybe I should have taken the time to add a top coat?
If you do remember to take the headband out of your hair, you can easily spritz it up with a little dry shampoo. We all know that it's probably been a week since your hair has seen real shampoo (only a fellow momma can truly understand what it's like to have no memory of when your last shower was). 
And no spa day is complete without a nutritious treat; however, I was not a big fan of this product. I usually find most SOYJOY snack to be quite delicious, but this one just didn't excite my taste buds. Disappointing, but at least I actually had time to try it during my naptime spa day.
What about you? Any mommas out there have a go to relaxation routine when naptime comes around?
This post was brought to you by Influenster. All opinions are always 100% my own.