Sincerely Lauren

I remember my very first Mother’s Day. We were still living in Tampa at the time and were just a month away from moving to New York City. We went out to brunch as a family and then spent the rest of the day being pampered. It was such a special moment being able to celebrate this journey that I was entering into and the love that I never knew existed. This year I get to celebrate those moments (x3.)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

WINNERS:

Orbit: Abby D.

Britax: Jaime S

4moms: Sabina R

lesportsac: Anna V

essio: Tracy Regusci

little giraffe: Brianne D

lulujo: Francine M

ponchobaby: Nicole A

Tutilo: Laura J

Plum Print: Lori R

Olivine: Yvette N

Helen Ficalora: Nicole D

Momma’s Jewels: Chavie A

Supplet: Jackie Y

Mocked-Up Mocktails: Sandra N

Logic: Esther S

Trollbeads: Mlev L

Mitera: Anna D

GlamourMom: Katie F

Sage Spoonfuls: Lynn M

Mama necklace Tali Gillette: Jennifer G

1 Comment

Family, Motherhood, Travel

Fun in Florida {Part I}

April 27, 2015

I always love going back to Florida to see my family. It’s a guaranteed good time with a feeling that we are living in paradise.

The first day of our trip, we took advantage of the Florida sunshine and headed out on my dad’s boat. This was Macks’ first time on the boat and he loved every second.

The girls loved it too. They were intimidated by the lake when we first got there, but as soon as they dipped their toes in, they wanted to spend all day in it.

Avery loved the jet ski. She didn’t want to go too fast, but loved the ride, nonetheless.

While Har was partial to the tube.

Clearly a day on the boat is exhausting.

Our next day was spent out of the sunshine and sipping on sweet treats. One of my favorite things to do in Florida is go to Parksdale Farm. They have THE BEST strawberry milkshake and strawberry shortcake (although we just missed it by two days.)

Macks was a huge fan of the milkshake.

Har was very interested in learning all of the states. She tried to pin a needle on every state and didn’t want to listen to me when I told her you were only supposed to do it where we were from.

The pink milkshake matched her pink dress and pink shoes. This girl loves pink.

We spent the rest of the afternoon at the children’s museum. They kids had a blast being able to touch anything and everything. This was the perfect place for them to explore.

And by “children’s museum” they also included grandfather’s too. 😉

Avery and Macks had the best time in the mini Publix. They could have “shopped” for hours.

Har acted like a spider and kept climbing the net.

Our first two days in Florida were packed with fun and excitement! We stayed up late, slept in, and had the best time! Can’t wait to share with you the rest of our week which included 13 hours at Disney World!!

No Comments

Home, Life, Motherhood

My Flower Girl {+ Spring Flower Inspiration}

April 22, 2015

The weather has been nothing short of spectacular here this week. The sun is shining, there is no need for coats, and I can finally have the kids play outside in the backyard. I’ve been dreaming of these days for so long and am so grateful that they are finally here.

When we moved to the suburbs nearly a year ago (a year already!) I never imagined how much I’d love living here. Our life seems pretty damn near perfect right now and I couldn’t be happier with what we’ve created for our family.

With this new suburban adventure, it’s brought on some new hobbies that I would have probably laughed at myself for enjoying three years ago. One of my newest hobbies is gardening. My mom has always had a knack for it and maybe I’ve picked it up for her, but I find myself at the Home Depot, a local nursery, or my favorite new spot, Terrain, checking out their nursery department (and no, not that nursery.)

I’m googling what plants do best in our climate, looking to Pinterest for inspiration, and even buying the landscape magazines. The bug has officially bit me and I am loving every second of it.

Last fall, the girls and I planted some bulb in our yard and when we returned from vacation on Sunday, they sprouted from the ground and are so close to blooming. That was our official “welcome to spring” and I knew it was time to get started on the rest of the flowers for the yard.

Avery has always had a love for flowers. Everyday when we would walk Harlan to school, she’d ask to stop and look at them or smell them. When I told her it was time to plant our spring flowers, she just about leaped for joy.

Yesterday afternoon, while Macks was napping, she came outside and got her hands a little dirty to help with our first planter. We added tulips, daffodils, and pansies, and cannot wait for them to start to bloom.

This morning while Macks was napping and the girls were at school, I went outside for a little alone time and planted some more. I can’t wait to get them on our front and back porch.

These two little crazies joined me in the afternoon for a little sunshine and more flowers.

We plan on doing more this weekend and I am itching at getting started. I cannot believe that I get giddy over these things now. Further proof I am officially becoming a suburbanite. 😉

If the amazing spring weather has made its way towards you and you want to add a little color to your yard, planters are the way to do it. They are super easy and a great activity for you and the kids or even some “me” time.

I picked up several planters at Home Goods this morning and paid nearly half of what they would have cost in major stores. I always love going to a local nursery to give them some love when buying flowers. I just went today to try a penoies for the yard, but they weren’t ready yet. In a couple of weeks I’ll be adding those to our yard.

And I’m going to leave you with some spring flower inspiration!

These are a great way to add different heights and dimension to your backyard. Love the neutral planters. ::Source::

We have these wooden barrels that were left by the people that lived in our house before us and I just planted tulips and dafodils in them. Can’t wait to see what they look like when they bloom! ::Source::