Lazy Lake Days with The Baby Cubby

If you don't know the two of us are both expecting babies this fall. Between the two of us it will be baby #4 and #5, which means we have been through our fair share of diaper bags. While on the hunt for new bags for the new babes The Baby Cubby asked us to review one of their bags and we love it. 

Diaper bags, in our minds must meet 3 main requirements:

• Multiple handles so it can be carried several different ways.
• Plenty of pockets and storage space for bit and small items.
• Every surface of the thing must be waterproof and/or wipeable.
• Its a nice added bonus if we like the way it looks. 

After spending a day at the lake with their bag we fell in love and are currently in the middle of an intense game of rock, paper, scissors to see who gets it. 

Why we love it:

• The large middle pocket easily holds diapers, wipes, a changing pad, snacks etc. 
• The front zips open and becomes your wallet should you choose to make it so. There are pockets for credit cards, museum memberships, and any other valuables you'd like to keep there. 
• A long shoulder strap lets you carry it across your body, or on your shoulder while two shorter handles let you carry it more like a purse.
• It comes with stroller straps to attach right to your stroller so you don't have to carry it at all. 
• All surfaces passed the wipe test as surprise surprise apple juice was spilled on it.
• Its well made and can take the use and abuse of being taken on our outdoor outings but still has style for trips around town and out with the girls.
• Two thumbs up for gender neutral. We are having boys, but this bag could easily be used for a girl which makes it usable for multiple children.

The Baby Cubby has given our readers at 10% discount. Use MEGYNJORDYN10 valid thru June 30!


IG: @MEGYNJORDYN

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Summer Pregnancy Fashion

Megyn Jordyn

During your entire pregnancy no one likes to spend money on maternity clothes that you will be out of in a few short months. Instead of breaking the bank on a maternity wardrobe buy a few staple classic pieces and accessorize with jewelry, shoes, cardigans and jackets that you already have on hand. Break out your box of "when I was fat" clothes (if you didn't throw them out) and boom you have a few extra pants and tops to add to your maternity wear. In the end embrace your bump, love your bump, you will miss it when it is gone, and have fun dressing your bump for the 9 months! 

• Button down chambray tops or blouses that are billowy
• A-line dresses. Think of pieces that float away from your stomach
• Being bloated and just feeling flabby and fat your first trimester you want to draw attention away from the bump
• Baby doll dresses that your bump can grow into

The Daybook Blog

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The Daybook Blog

• Time to show off that darling growing baby bump. Break out the spandex! 
• Body con maxis short or long 
• Fitted tee's to show off your bump, make sure the tee's are LONG
• Tie button down shirts around your waist to emphasize the bump
• Be sure to buy a size up so you can actually wear your clothes for more than a month or two, you always underestimate how quickly your bump grows 

Oldnavy

Target

Issuu

The Daybook Blog

Tales Of Me And The Husband Blog

Oh Baby Chic

• When buying pants steer clear of jeans or heavy fabrics
• Go for linen light weight material with a stretchy waist or a drawstring

Pink Blush Maternity

The Daybook Blog

Could I Have That Blog

• Long cardigans or longer jackets to hide your ever growing bump in the rear (your toosh) 
• Forever 21 has a huge selection of long cardigans 

Lauren McBride Blog

Lauren McBride Blog

Little Blonde Book Blog 

Motherhood Closet 

Lauren McBride Blog

Accessorize with long necklaces to elongate your torso. 

Lauren McBride Blog

Lauren McBride Blog

Me Oh My Mama Blog 

Lauren Mcbride Blog

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Lovin on this Fall

We recently moved into a new house and are thinking we are all grown up and adult like. We are loving it and the extra room is so nice and was very much needed. It was sad to say goodbye to our first home together, so many happy memories. I hate major changes...but this was a good change. In the meantime our little one is coming up on a year! Where has the time gone? Everyone told me to really soak in the infant/baby stage since they grow up so fast...and I sound like a broken record, Im sure you have heard this over and over. This past year the hubs and I have really tried to get out and get pictures of our family doing what we love....being outside and enjoying each others company. Cheap entertainment one might call it. We are soaking in the fall days....I don't know what we are going to do when the snow starts flying, red box anyone?

Shirt // Pants // Sandals

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Fashion Friday - Are you a Mom like me?

While I don't know anything about you or what your day entails as a Mother. I do know what one looks like for me. Yesterday that day was spent cleaning up an entire tube of toothpaste emptied around my bathroom. It was a long walk in the heat to get to a park so the kids could "get some energy out" and a fight to get them back in the stroller to go home. It was a lost beloved flip flop on the way home from the park, looked for by me on a bike at dusk up and down the route we took several times. (Which would result in a trip to several Target stores this morning trying to find a replacement when they are sold out in the middle of summer. Go figure.) It was a giant box of Cheerios emptied out on my couch and thrown all over my house. It was no naps, epic tantrums at the grocery store, and a visit to a sick neighbor that ended up in her laundry detergent begin poured all over her laundry room floor and dripping down her heat vent, and me leaving embarrassed and adding her soap to my grocery list so I can replace it. It was a near sleepless night the night before and the night after. It was spent with the endless messes, requests, and demands. 

The few moments I stole for myself to scroll through my Instagram left me feeling like a deflated balloon as it showed picture after picture of "Moms like me" playing with their children while looking immaculately perfect. Captions like "playing blocks before nap time," "chilling at the pool," and "breakfast in perfect pi's on a perfect bed in a perfect house" while the mothers in these pictures appear to have just returned from the Oscars and slipped out of their evening gowns into a slightly less fancy picture perfect outfit. Did you just return from family pictures, a wedding, or a 5 star spa? Is your Mom on the way over to babysit for the night while you and your husband go on an anniversary date?  Do you have a full time nanny who does the childcare? Who looks like this on a daily mom basis because I sure don't. Sometimes I wish I did. But I don't. A year ago I took a 60 second bathroom break and returned to the wood and glass panel door being ripped off its hinges by one of my children. I can only imagine what would happen if I left them long enough to look as good as some of these moms do because I do know it takes some serious time to look like that. 

Are they bad moms? Are they wrong to look like that? No. Beauty is defined differently by each of us. Children are different ages, stages, and temperaments. I've learned that my "dressed up" is a whole lot different than others definitions of "dressed up." I've learned that looking like a million bucks is not real for me on a daily basis, and that is ok too. For me I have found out why moms like tee shirts and jeans. Its easy, comfortable, and cleans easily. I do have my days where I look better than others, as I sit here makeup less, hair in a messy braid, and holes the size of grapefruits in my jeans that I've been wearing for over a decade. But, I hope that if you truly are a "mom like me" you too realize that Instagram perfection is maybe not what it seems and we shouldn't think it is. We all put our best selves forward on social media and it's not fair to judge your worst to someones best, or your best to a fantasy that is not what it appears. Be YOU. Be Happy. Dress up or dress down, whatever that may mean for you. But don't feel bad about it, and wonder where you are falling short. You are doing the best you can and that is all that matters. Be your kind of pretty. You'll be happier that way. Promise.

So for this fashion friday, embrace the graphic tee, wear your jeans, holey or otherwise with pride, rock that ponytail, or cover it up with a hat. Free your feet in flip flops, leave the jewelry in your closet, and top it all off with a smile. You are a babe, just the way you are!

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Fashion Friday - Shoes of Summer

Few things can compete with walking along a sandy beach barefoot, dipping your toes in the water, or wading in a lake, river, or waves of the ocean. That is until you step on an odd shaped rock or shell and want to cry like a baby. Any who, as much as we love going barefoot whenever possible, especially in the summer, when shoes are required these are the three you'll find on us most often.

Explorer Shoe

Hiking boots for days spent exploring trails, mountainsides, and waterfalls. Boots are ideal for you if you will be in rough terrain, packing a load of 20-30 pounds, and/or you are looking for support for bad ankles or knees. They area also recommended for beginning hikers and those who don't hike often. While some pick a hiking shoe over a boot thinking a hiking shoe will weigh less, many boots weigh mere ounces more than a shoe and may be better suited for you. Shop around and find a pair that is comfortable and gives you the support you are looking for.

SEA Shoe

The beloved Flip Flop for days spent seeing the Sea. Sea what we did there. Beach side at the beach lake, reservoir, or just bumming around town we typically burn through a pair a season, sometimes more until one of our husbands introduced us to Rainbow Sandals. Their claim is a better glue to hold straps, a special sponge rubber with "memory" to mold to each owners foot, and a parachute stitch to hold the whole bit together. Supposedly this combination results in a longer lasting sandal that is not only comfortable but  environmentally sound because they do last so long. So far we are believers. While they are a bit pricier than a regular flip flop, the comfort and fact that you don't have to buy a new pair each year make the price worth it. The pair pictured was $38 before tax.

Move It Shoe

Tennis shoes. Running Shoes. Whatever you want to call them they are the work horse workout shoe and stand in for any other shoe when needed. I often hike in mine. A few tips for buying this well used shoe; take a close look at your old pair and figure out where they are worn most. This will help you figure out how you walk and help lead you to a shoe that will better fit your foot. Also before buying any old pair on the wall of shoes figure out what you'll be using it for the most. Running, walking, cross training, hiking, etc. Shoes are made with a certain activity in mind. Buy for that activity and they'll suite you well. Ignore brand names. To a point. If you have positive recommendations for a certain brand sure give it a try. But don't just purchase a brand because you like the look or the symbol on them. Choose a pair that matches your foot and activity needs rather than your style and your tootsies will thank you!

And for those moments when shoes are optional.... we hope we find you BaReFooT, because,

 bare feet are happy feet! :)

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