friday fun finds: hayden reis bags

a couple of weeks ago nellie and i spent the weekend surrounded by inspiring brands and bloggers at an event called mom 2.0. the fact that it was going to be held at the incredible ritz carlton in laguna niguel was a big bonus.....another bonus was having the privilege of sporting our own hayden reis bags and accessories. 

yep. all packed up headed from san diego to laguna. yes---it is only an hour drive. yes---we were only going for the weekend.....but a girl's got to be prepared. we joked and called ourselves part kardashian and part clampett. sad but true.

hayden reis is catching the attention of people everywhere, from celebs to mamas like us. hayden reis is a line of high quality bags made in the usa of fine sailcloth (water-resistant, sand-resistant and durable). they are amazing beach bags for that summer vacation you are planning or local romps to the beach....they also make a great pool bag, accessory for a park picnic or a fab weekender bag. nellie and i even used the wristlet for a pop of color while out for a dinner event! 

while we dreamed of using our bags while lounging at the pool or beach (which did happen once, briefly). the reality was that we were so inspired and fortunate to listen to so many amazing speakers, connect with brands we already loved and meet so many quality women (and men) that we ended up using our bags mostly indoors. we were on our feet for most of the days and our bags were filled to the brim with business cards, our water bottles, ipads and fantastic swag. the bags were so well made that our shoulders didn't  hurt and we had *so many* people coming up to us asking us where they could get their own hayden reis. the cute bags we sported were striped and the largest "ditty totes" style. the hayden reis line also features a range of style and sizes of bags to fit every event or lifestyle. 

look! my bag even made an appearance in the dove suite during our shoot!

another favorite feature is that the tag is attached with a super cute hair tie!! they think of everything!!

we didn't even get the chance to show off the beach buds/swimsuit bags or sunscreen bags! be sure to follow our instagram, facebook and twitter feeds because this girl is going to be at the beach and the pool *a lot* this summer and you will for sure see them popping up in pictures throughout the next few months. 

you can find hayden reis bags for purchase online and in a growing number of retail locations. you can also follow them on facebook, instagram (@haydenreis), twitter and pinterest. 

happy shopping! hope you enjoy the bags as much as we have! 

Disclaimer: Nellie and I were provided with product samples but all opinions are solely mine and/or hers.

have kids, will travel: the road trip

with five kids, the very phrase "road trip" makes my blood pressure rise. spending hours upon hours confined in a very small space with all of those restless little people can be a recipe for disaster. still, taking an airplane doesn't make sense in some cases because of the time frame and the cost so lengthy car rides are a part of the "nellie" family vacation framework.

a couple of weeks ago, we packed up the five kiddos (oldest: age 9 and youngest age 1) and headed to disney world. orlando is a seven and a half hour drive (without stops) from our home and we were going to be gone for a week. packing five kids (four in either car seats or boosters) and all the luggage required a degree in engineering all on its own. keeping the kids happy on the trip was close to impossible. still, we managed to get there and back in good spirits so i thought i'd pass on what worked well for my clan.

if you are taking a road trip with your kids, here are my tips for survival:

• pack as many items as possible out of the way. we borrowed a travel metal grate that attached to our towing hitch. we used that to carry the big luggage and two strollers. we wrapped it all in a large tarp in case of rain and secured it with bungee cords. we looked like the "clampetts" but the kids had enough leg room to wiggle a little bit. we have previously made the mistake of packing the car so full that no one could move. this was miserable for our kids and miserable for us as we listened to their complaints. it is better to swallow our pride and look like a hillbilly than to have anyone suffering.

we may need a bigger car...

• dvd players are a gift from heaven.  i am all for family bonding. i love playing the alphabet game and other road trip adventures. they really do create great family memories. i'm also for a couple of hours of peace and quiet while everyone watches a movie. if you have the means, invest in a dvd player for your car, especially for your younger kids. we had two separate players...one for the older kids and one for the younger. we had "mickey mouse clubhouse" and "narnia" playing at the same time and everyone was happy. 

dvd players...strapped in and ready to roll

• buy headphones and other attachments in advance. for easter this year, each child found new headphones in their baskets. these gifts were really for me but the kids never figured it out. when you have more than one child watching more than one dvd, you want the sound isolated. head sets are a life saver. purchase other travel attachments as well. you can purchase a splitter so that two kids can watch the same dvd player at the same time when there is only one headphone jack. set this up and have it functioning properly days before your trip. if you need more power outlets, purchase adapters for this as well. our car is painfully short of power outlets so we lived by extra adapters. make sure all electronics have the proper car adapter as well before the trip begins.

a much needed car adapter...

everyone is happily in their own little world...

• pack each child a "car bag" before the trip. my kids actually helped me with this process to make it easier. each child had a new coloring book or puzzle book, sufficient crayons and pencils, a new book to read (also an easter basket treat), school work they needed to complete, and an electronic game like a nintendo ds or a leapster or leap pad. their games were also organized and divided by child so everyone had their own items to use on the trip. we also had no video games for a couple of weeks before the trip to make the game time a little more enticing. it might seem cruel but it did work well. having everything divided by child made them responsible for their own activities and ensured there would not be any fighting over items. it worked like a charm.

seats ready with bags, pillows and water bottles

• bring a pillow for each child and at least one blanket for the trip. this may seem excessive but one of them was always cold. there was also a brief, blissful moment when all of the kids fell asleep for about a half an hour. yes..even the nine year old. that is proof that miracles do happen. 

• bring enough snacks and drinks to feed a small foreign country. our motto has always been, "when nothing else works, give them something to snack on." this proved especially the case with our one year old. he pretty much ate or threw food on the ground for the entire trip. we could have lived for days on the food remnants on our floor. still, it was worth it for the entertainment factor alone. when kids are bored, they often think they are hungry. they will ask for snacks. they will be grumpy if they are not fed. have more than enough food to feed them. you won't be sorry. 

this was only part of it...and we stopped for meals...

• plan your trip around stops you plan to make. it might sound crazy, but we planned to leave at a certain time so we could drive for a couple of hours before we stopped for lunch. meals always included a place to run and play (usually a fast food playground) in order to burn off some of the pent up energy. after lunch we planned on nap time for the little ones and figured we could go a couple more hours after they woke up. that put us at a good place for an out-of-the-car snack break (and another potty stop). then it was a couple more hours before dinner. you get the idea. you will have to stop for bathroom breaks and meals. we wanted to minimize those as much as we could and coordinate them with the kids normal schedules as well. we also planned specific times for activities. there was movie time but there was also reading time, school work time, game time, etc. keeping things to designated time kept the kids entertained and happy.

• most of all, remember your sense of humor and adventure. i'm going to be really honest. these tips may not work for you. you could plan like crazy and everything could fall apart in that car. it could be carmageddon. three years ago when we did this same trip, my now three year old spent the entire trip...all 7.5 hours of driving time...baaing like a lamb...loudly...without stopping. i can't tell you how many friends i called to have them listen. he didn't nap. he didn't want to play. he just made that sound, over and over again. it was the longest trip i have ever taken. if everything goes wrong, it's okay. it will not define your vacation...it's just a small part of the whole. keep a sense of humor and keep your chin up. with each mile that goes by, this too shall pass. you might as well make the most of it. 

wherever your travels take you, i hope these suggestions help. my kids are all still alive and they remember the trip with happy memories so that has to count for something. if you have any other great suggestions, i'd love to hear them. if you see us traveling this summer or any other family with baggage strapped to every inch of their vehicle, smile and wave. we all just might need a life line. happy trails!

mom 2.0 summit whiplash

this last weekend, chach and i had the privilege of attending an amazing conference, mom 2.0 summit, held at the ritz carlton in laguna niguel, ca. not only was the weekend a chance for us to visit and spend some quality time together, but it was also the perfect opportunity for us to connect with other talented bloggers and some of our favorite brands. top that all off with a location that is nothing short of spectacular and the weekend was close to perfection. 

the view from the hotel. seriously.

we had the best time. we slept uninterrupted. we ate delicious food. the ritz carlton delivered us white chocolate and a plate of cookies at night. we had turn down service each night and fresh towels every morning. we laughed often, conversations flowed freely and we had perpetual smiles on our faces. 

so gorgeous. 

proof that blogging has its perks...

all too soon, the weekend was over and we were heading home. after a weekend away, it feels like we should be able to ease back into our normal lives...slowly...to keep from pampered whiplash. a slow re-acclimation to reality wasn't on our agenda. our first stop was chach's house. we had shortly gone to sleep on our first night back to reality when chach's poor three year old woke up sobbing. after looking at his sweet feet that night, we found that, while at a birthday party that day, he had run on a deck barefoot and had nothing less than 40 splinters covering his little piggies. it was a long hour of tweezing those bits of wood out of his tiny feet. 

nellie's midnight tweezing session...poor baby!

after my (nellie's) flight was cancelled and i was redirected to get home to my babies, chach returned to her two boys only to be woken in the wee hours of the morning by projectile vomiting. both boys threw up for the day and chach got to play zone defense...this is the result.

i wish i could compare this with one of our weekend shots...one of these things is not like the other. she managed to take care of her sweet boys and is in charge of teacher appreciation week for their preschool. have i mentioned she's a rock star? don't let the picture fool you. 

meanwhile, on the other coast, i was happily hugging my babies and trying to recover from my rerouted red-eye flight. after a day recovering, life came jumping back into full swing.

first on the agenda: ducklings...two of them...for a kindergarten class project. nothing says, "welcome home" like cleaning up baby animal poopies. still, they were pretty adorable and my kids loved them so it wasn't so bad. i told chach they were actually pretty fun. her response? "one person's 'fun' is another persons 'nightmare'. love her.

sweet things...

my amazing husband was worn out after a weekend with the kids. he is also a super hero and decided to surprise me by steam cleaning all of our carpets. so, on the night we were going to sit and watch a movie together, this is what happened...

our version of "alone time"

cap it all off with chaperoning a field trip today with several classes of first graders and we are back to parenting...with bells on. 

at least we can look back at our pictures of last weekend and bask in the glow of the weekend that was...and laugh at the pictures of what our reality sometimes is. one without the other wouldn't nearly be so sweet. until next year, mom 2.0. thanks for the memories.

mmmmm, mondays: breakfast sandwiches

i am not a morning person. i don't love getting up early. i walk around in a bit of a coma until i get some caffeine coursing through my veins. my children are very accustomed to cereal in the mornings. any special breakfast food comes during a breakfast for dinner night. the only exception to that rule are these breakfast sandwiches. they are one of the kids' favorite dinners and the leftovers make breakfasts just as amazing. they are a snap to prepare and they are deliciously simple. 

breakfast sandwiches

one package refrigerated or frozen biscuits (i like "immaculate" biscuits)

one package breakfast sausage, bacon, or ham (enough for 8 sandwiches)

6 eggs, beaten with 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese added to the egg mixture

8 slices cheddar cheese

butter

bake the biscuits per the package directions. while the biscuits are baking, cook the breakfast meats (i microwave the bacon or cook the sausage on the stove. ham can be warmed either way.) using an extremely large skillet or saute pan, make two very large omelettes. loosen the omelette around the edges and flip in the same pan to make sure each side is cooked well. when the omelette is cooked, cut it into quarters and set aside. when the biscuits are baked, cut them in half. butter each side of the biscuit. layer one slice of cheese, 1/4 of the one omelette, and your choice of breakfast meat and sandwich in each biscuit. enjoy!

the best part of these little sammies is that they are easy to store and easy to heat up again in the morning. i double the recipe each time i make these and save the extras for breakfast in the mornings. make up the extra sandwiches. store each one in its own plastic container or plastic storage bag. reheat each one individually in the morning in the microwave for about 30 seconds or until cooked through. enjoy yet again!

friday fun finds: trader joe's green plant juice

sometimes it is super hard to get my kids to get enough green goodies into their daily diet. do you have that problem? 

i looked into juicing and am crazy impressed with you mommies that do it--you rock--but it just isn't for me right now. 

low and behold, when i was at my favorite place on the planet, trader joes i came across this "green plant juice". it wasn't expensive and is just was just what i was looking for so i though i would give it a try. it looked a little intimidating to me and i wasn't sure the kids would go for it but they LOVE it! 

my favorite use for it is in smoothies. put frozen strawberries, frozen pineapple, a banana or two, a handful of baby spinach and a bunch of this green juice, give it a whirl in the blender (i use the ninja) and it turns into an awesome smoothie! i am not even a big veggie connoisseur and i LOVE this smoothie. you can't even taste the greens! it's fantastic! 

you might want to do yourself a favor and give trader joe's green plant juice a try.....who knows, maybe your kids will beg for it too!? 

mmmmm, mondays: easy cinnamon buns

a few weeks ago, i was making breakfast for a saturday meeting i was hosting. i wanted something simple and easy that would be a crowd pleaser. my good friend sent me this recipe to prepare and i gave it a try. i'm usually not one to test drive a recipe for a crowd of people but i decided to take a risk and give this one a whirl. i am so glad i did. this recipe is amazing! it is so easy and so, so delicious. i have made it two times since then. it has now become one of my all time favorite cinnamon breakfast recipes. the very best part? it's totally prepared the night before and just baked in the morning. for this non-morning person...it is a recipe match made in heaven.

easy cinnamon buns

1/4 cup butter (1/2 bar), melted

1 cup walnuts, shelled and halved1/2 cup of cinnamon24 dough balls (in frozen section of grocery store)

i found these in the freezer section of the grocery store...

perfect for this recipe!

3 oz vanilla "cook and serve" pudding3/4 brown sugar

1/2 cup butter, melted

melt 1/4 cup butter in a 13x9 inch pan. sprinkle nuts on the bottom of the pan. coat each of the dough balls with cinnamon by placing the cinnamon in a small bowl and rolling each ball in the cinnamon. place cinnamon balls 4 rows across and 6 down in the baking. sprinkle the dry pudding mix and the brown sugar on top of the balls. melt the 1/2 cup of butter and drizzle over top of the balls. cover the pan with wax paper and a towel overnight. bake at 350 for 25 minutes. run a knife around the edge of the pan to loosen the buns from the baking dish. place a serving dish upside-down on top of the baked balls. flip the serving dish and the baking dish together over and shake gently to let all the buns fall onto the serving dish. enjoy!!!

ready to cover and let rise overnight...

fresh from the oven and so, so good!

friday fun finds: orange blossoms, la costa resort & spa and happy memories

i am in love. yes, it's true......with the most amazing scent, orange blossom. 

about a year ago i was able to have a wonderful escape with a very dear girlfriend for the weekend to la costa resort and spa, just outside of san diego. it is a dreamy place and it was filled with the smell of orange blossoms that clung to the breeze from the multitude of orange trees on the property. the spa day was divine, the food was wonderful, but the best part about the weekend was allowing myself to take the time to make this important friendship a priority. 

i came across orange blossom colone by jo malone and it brought an instant smile to my face. the sent envelops me with love and support and on top of *all* of that, i get complements all the time on smelling good (an added bonus). 

what scents bring an instant smile to *your* face?

faith in humanity

i don't like to admit that i am getting older. still, as i think back to my childhood, i can't help but remember it as a completely different era. things were different back then. life was simpler. people trusted one another. there was still evil in the world but it was less popular than it is today. the horrible did not take center stage.

when i was five years old, i received a new pair of roller skates. i'm one of those strange people who can remember her childhood vividly. i remember the excitement of sitting on the front porch and strapping on my skates. i can remember the joy that came in wearing them and the frustration that followed when i couldn't figure out how to keep myself upright while learning how to use them. as i was struggling and sitting on the porch sulking, our neighborhood mailman was making his rounds. back in the late 70's and early 80's, our mailman parked his mail truck, grabbed his bag of mail and walked door to door to deliver our mail. this sweet man had been delivering mail for most of his life and was nearing retirement as he approached my house and me, sulking on the front porch. 

after assessing the situation, he offered to help me learn how to skate. he asked my mother if he could help and there we began our journey together. every day i would sit on the front porch with my skate laces tied up, waiting for him to arrive. as he walked from door to door, he held my hand and steadied me around the neighborhood, helping me get my bearings in the wonderful world of rollerskating. he would carefully deliver me back to my mother each day before he moved on to the next neighborhood. i looked forward to him daily and remember those moments with pure joy. i had to have slowed him down considerably, made his route longer, his back more sore and his day longer but you never would have known it. he arrived each day with a smile, talked with me endlessly and taught me that skill with the patience of a saint. i wonder if something like that will ever happen for my children in today's society. it was a different era. and yet...

this week, i sat on my front porch and waited for the school bus to arrive. the day before, bombs had exploded at the boston marathon. earlier that morning, a facebook post had been circulating about a nearby failed child abduction. the signs of evil were everywhere. it was overwhelming to ponder. in the midst of those thoughts, three of my kids came bounding off the bus, all smiles. the two oldest went indoors but my sweet kindergartener, lukas stayed behind. a landscaping business was busy mowing the neighbor's lawns and he was fascinated by the huge, ride-on lawnmower and the edger they were using. we sat there and stared at the workers for a half an hour. my sweet boy would venture closer and closer to see what they were doing. he braved a wave and a smile a couple of times and the gentleman mowing smiled and waved back. 

it took some time for the lawns to get mowed. the men had been working on four houses on our street and had been there for hours. still, as the last bit of grass was cut, the man mowing slowed down and motioned for my little one to come over. my son was hesitant at first but with my encouraging, he walked over to the man. the landscaper didn't speak much english but he motioned for lukas to climb up and for the next ten minutes, the two of them drove up and down the street in front of my house. he taught my son how to steer, to speed up and slow down and let him drive the mower on his own, watching and helping carefully. you would have thought my six year old had won the lottery. the smile on his face lit up the sky. 

steering on his own...

just like that, my faith in humanity was restored. we do live in a different era...but not that different. there will always be evil in the world but good people outnumber the bad 100 fold. there will still be those who go out of their way to bring joy to someone else for no personal gain. there will still be lovers of kindness and mercy and goodness. there will still be those who chose to bring unbridled joy to someone else. i'm choosing to celebrate those people today. i'm passing on the joy in the hopes we can all keep those stories going...that good will shine brightest.

happiest boy ever!

mmmmm, mondays: lemon-pepper & parmesan tilapia

some days i am prepared for dinner time. other days...it's a mystery what will show up when dinner is finally served. i have managed to stock my freezer with some helpful items but who knows if i'll get them thawed in time or will have other ingredients to finish off a meal.

last week the stars aligned and i was able to pull some fish out of the freezer and make dinner happen in less than 20 minutes. it was nothing short of miraculous.

here's the quick and easy breakdown so you can have a miraculous moment too.

i had these in my pantry/fridge

these were in my freezer...love them! they are individually wrapped and ready to eat. perfect for a quick meal!

lemon pepper & parmesan tilapia

1 package (or 2 and a half pounds) of fresh or frozen tilapia loins

1 box of lemon pepper panko bread crumbs

1 bag (about a cup and a half) of parmesan cheese

2 eggs - beaten 

extra virgin olive oil

heat about 2 tablespoons of the olive oil over medium heat in a large sauté pan. mix the bread crumbs and parmesan cheese in a large, flat dish or plate. coat each tilapia loin in the beaten eggs and then in the breadcrumb mixture. immediately place in the hot pan and cook for about 5 minutes before carefully turning to cook for five minutes on the other side. (i cover the pan with foil to keep anything from splattering).

enjoy!

friday fun finds: creeping jenny

yesterday chach shared her new adventures in gardening. i started gardening a couple of years ago and am officially an addict. it is so therapeutic, so relaxing and it gives you a feeling of accomplishment almost instantly. i also love that in the world of motherhood, where most days are not full of huge successes, gardening gives you produce within weeks. it's miraculous and such a refreshingly gratifying hobby...and you get "free" food. it's a win.

still, with five kids, my time is limited in my garden. i pick hearty, easy to grow plants in my garden that will produce food my kids will eat. i don't have a ton of time to weed. i don't have a ton of time to re-mulch. i want to care for my plants and just enjoy the rest of the yard.

that's where my favorite little plant comes in. i absolutely love "creeping jenny". a creeping jenny is a ground covering plant. they are cheap. i can get them for just about two dollars. here's what makes them so wonderful. jennies spread rapidly. as they grow, they drop down new roots and just keep going. one little container will start as about 4 inches around when planted. after one season, it will be about two feet around. after that, watch out. these sweet little plants will completely cover a barren area. they do not need much sunlight. they can survive in a ton of sunlight. they do not need much water. they do great in a ton of water (even a water garden). they do not need much care. they are nearly indestructible. they are amazing!

our patio couldn't even stop the growth.

the best thing about jennies? what is absent from the pictures above? no guesses? that's right...no weeds! where jennies are, weeds don't seem to grow. i've had one or two try to fight their way through the jenny covered grown but they are pulled up in a snap. there won't be weeds all summer long and the area won't need any mulch to keep it maintained. right there the sweet little plant has eliminated two time consuming gardening tasks. i think jenny deserves a medal. 

what about you? do you have a favorite plant for your garden? for me it's jenny...the helper of mommy gardeners everywhere.