Celebrating the holidays with Paperless Post

The Holiday Season is in full swing in our home!

I am so excited for all the holiday events we have planned and are attending!

This truly is the most wonderful time of the year for our family. 

There is nothing we love more than getting our families together and we take full advantage of the holiday season.

I love "trying" to be the hostess with the mostess.

This year my life is being made easy  once again by Paperless Post!

In the past I have used Paperless Post for birthday party invitations and loved them!

(You can click on the link above to see that post)

I was pleasantly surprised to find out that they offer a great variety of holiday party invitations! 

When I say they offer a great variety I mean...its hard to pick a favorite!!!

We are hosting a little gingerbread decorating party with our family and to be honest I was being a little lazy and was going to text everyone.

Then I saw these Gingerbread House invitations and thought heck why not email these!

Lets just say these were well received and made me look like I was the best hostess ever ;)

We are not hosting an Ugly Sweater or Cookie Swap parties but after seeing these invitations I almost wish we were!!

Do yourself a favor and check out Paperless Post before you try spending hours handcrafting your own invitations this season! 

Your sanity and wallet will thank you!

*I was gifted Paperless Post coins for this post review but have used them in the past and absolutely love the site*

xoxo

Jocelyn

Festival of Holidays at Disney California Adventure Park

The hubby and I took the girls to Disneyland yesterday for a much needed family fun day!

The parks were crowded but that didn't stop us from stuffing our faces with delicious food!

Lucky for us this weekend kicked off the Festival of Holidays at Disney California Adventure Park. 

This was the hubby's first time trying out the AP Sip and Savor Pass and he was not disappointed!

What is a Sip and Savor Pass?

Each Sip and Savor Pass is $54, including tax. In addition to a reduced price, Annual Passholders will also receive a special Passholder lanyard as well as buttons (at participating marketplaces upon coupon redemption). To receive the Passholder price and keepsakes, a valid Annual Pass and photo ID must be shown upon purchase.

This was my second time enjoying the Sip and Savor Pass and it was just as good as the first time if not better!

Now its time to share my favorites...

First up is the 

Beef Pot Roast on a Potato Roll with Horseradish Cream 

from Grandma's Recipes

I liked this dish but wish there was a little less horseradish cream on it.

Next up was the 

Pozole Rojo Beef with Hominy Polenta 

from A Twist on Tradition

This dish was delicious and very flavorful! 

I had never had polenta before but was pleasantly surprise how well it went with the beef!

The Chorizo Queso Fundido with House-made Tortilla Chips 

from Brew and Bites was hands down my husband's favorite!

The Shrimp and Grits with Andouille Sausage 

from Holiday Duets was so good!

The sausage had a little kick to it that just made the dish so delicious.

This dish is one of my favorites!

My second favorite dish was the Holiday Stuffing Mac & Cheese

from Winter Sliderland.

This dish isn't the prettiest to look at but it is tasty! 

Absolutely the epitome of comfort food!

My least favorite dish of the day was the

Jalapeno Latkes with Chipotle Crema 

from Spicy Celebrations!

This was good but after a bite I was over it. 

Not sure if it was the Crema but I just didn't care for the dish.

I have two more coupons to redeem and I am hoping to try the 

Turkey & Stuffing Tamale with Cranberry Relish from Merry Mashup

and the

Braised Pork Belly Adobo with Garlic Fried Rice from Blissfully Braised!

Some other treats we indulged in that deserve to be mentioned are...

The Mimosa Flight from Making Spirits Bright.

The flight came with a Pomegranate Mimosa, Pear Mimosa and White Cranberry Mimosa.

I am not a Mimosa kind of person but I enjoyed all three flavors!

I also tried the Pomegranate Margarita with Chipotle-smoked Sea Salt Half-Rim and it was awesome. The margarita was not watered down at all and the chipotle sea salt was just the right spice to it!

And the girls hustled daddy to buy them red churros and surprise surprise they tasted no different.

  

                                                                                                                                                                

Yesterday was just what we needed :)

And we are already planning our next visit back to the park in a couple of weeks!

xoxo,

Jocelyn

Simple and Chic Halloween Style

Our family loves and appreciates each holiday!

Halloween is a holiday I've loved since I was a baby thanks to my grandpa the ultimate holiday lover!

When it comes to decorating our home I don't over do the decorations.

I like to keep it simple and chic!

The majority of the decor is from Target dollars spot over the years!

I hope you enjoy my take on Halloween home decor.

When I saw these black, grey and white pumpkins I knew exactly where they could go!

The floating shelf in the entrance of our home is where we display our wedding canvas! 

So these pumpkins just scream elegant to me so it compliments the space so well.

The second floating shelf in our living room is rather high up so the kids can't access it!

So I placed the items that would easily fall over if you tap them up here to avoid any accidents.

The center "P" wooden monogram I purchased from Michael's unfinished about three years ago for less than 50 cents! 

It is almost impossible to photograph this area with out tv glare!

The candle sticks lit up at night is the prettiest sight.

xoxo Jocelyn

Family Costumes

Halloween is just a few days away and I am taking a look back at my favorite Family Costumes we have worn throughout the years.

It has always been so fun putting together our family costumes and I am a bit sad this year we aren't doing a family costume but have no fear I'll convince everyone next year!

In 2012 we attended our first Mickey's Halloween Party and we dressed up like Wendy, John and Nana! These costumes were so easy to put together I literally got everything accounted for in two days!

In 2015 we dressed up like Max, Alison, Dani and Thackery Binx from Hocus Pocus!

My oldest picked these costumes for us and it was by far my favorite! 

Cailee's Dani costume took me some time to put together but it was so worth it!

Find the tutorial for the Dani costume here! 

I promise it is easy just a little time consuming!

In 2016 Cailee wanted to dress up as The Chipettes from Alvin and the Chipmunks!

She didn't want just any chipette costume she wanted the outfits from the "single ladies" number they did in the movie. 

Putting together this costume was way more difficult for me because I had to sew the top wraps we wore. I had to research how to make these in the easiest way possible. I got it done and was so proud of the results and my little one was over the moon! Well worth the hours of frustration.

This year my girls made costumes easy for me Charlotte is dressing up as Tinkerbell and Cailee is dressing up as rainbow dash!
What should we dress up next year as?!
xoxo Jocelyn

returning to work

This post has been sitting in my drafts for weeks now but I am ready to share it.

Let me give you a little back story first...

Back in June I was scrolling thru Indeed looking at the different job postings in my area. I wasn't seriously looking for work but decided to give a few interesting jobs more attention. I applied to a few job postings and the next day I got a response and the day after that I found myself in an interview. I left the interview so excited and wanting this job because it had been the best interview I had ever had! 

Fast forward to when this post was written...the night before my first day!

My girls are asleep and I am incredibly nervous for what tomorrow will bring! You see tomorrow is my first day of work. I have not worked in several years. Completely devoting my time to my girls and husband. 

I am pretty much feeling every emotion possible.

One moment I am so excited and then I feel tremendous amounts of guilt.

I will be pretty much be working all week for 4-6 hours a day. The schedule itself is not bad at all, its actually one of the reasons I accepted the job. 

However, it means that my hubby will be watching the kiddos for a portion of the day and when school starts I won't be at pick up. 

Enter mom guilt! 

As excited as I am for myself and the opportunities this job will give me. 

I am also experiencing mom guilt to the max. 

How will this affect my girls? 

Will they miss me? 

Will I miss them even more? 

Will my husband be able to watch them and work at the same time when I am away?

Will I miss a lot of school events and will that scar my kid for life?

I wrote pros and cons lists and to be honest they left me more confused.

But what I do know is that I am doing this for my girls, they are my WHY.

It all boils down to them. 

I want this job and mentally feel like I need this job.

I need time to myself and making money at the same time doesn't hurt one bit.

Tomorrow is a big day for all of us and now I really need to get to bed!

xoxo

Jocelyn

Reading Now: Hocus Pocus and The All-New Sequel

After a much needed outing with the girls I stumbled across this beauty!

Hocus Pocus and The All-New Sequel 

I almost missed it but I swear I can spot these witches from a mile away.

I had no intention of buying myself a book(trying to save money and check books out from the library) but I just couldn't leave without this.

I haven't read a single page but I was just too excited to share with you all.

A little overview found on Barnes and Nobles website:

"Hocus Pocus is beloved by Halloween enthusiasts all over the world. Diving once more into the world of witches, this electrifying two-part young adult novel, released on the twenty-fifth anniversary of the 1993 film, marks a new era of Hocus Pocus. Fans will be spellbound by a fresh retelling of the original film, followed by the all-new sequel that continues the story with the next generation of Salem teens.

Shortly after moving from California to Salem, Massachusetts, Max Dennison finds himself in hot water when he accidentally releases a coven of witches, the Sanderson sisters, from the afterlife. Max, his sister, and his new friends (human and otherwise) must find a way to stop the witches from carrying out their evil plan and remaining on earth to torment Salem for all eternity. 

Twenty-five years later, Max and Allison's seventeen-year-old daughter, Poppy, finds herself face-to-face with the Sanderson sisters in all their sinister glory. When Halloween celebrations don't quite go as planned, it's a race against time as Poppy and her friends fight to save her family and all of Salem from the witches' latest vile scheme."

Stay tuned to see what I think of this new read...but truth be told I can't help but love it just because its Hocus Pocus ;)

xoxo

Jocelyn

Great Wolf Lodge {Tips}

I am finally wrapping up my Great Wolf Lodge blog posts with tips for surviving the lodge!

Here is a little recap of our trip:

Girls weekend trip with 5 girls in one standard family suite {we fit in room comfortably}

We arrived early Sunday morning and checked out Tuesday afternoon

2 adults and 3 kids

Tip #1 Stay hydrated at the water park

- The water park is kept at a certain temperature and it is pretty hot. They have free water stations at the water park...take advantage of this!

Tip #2 Take breaks from the water park

- When you walk into the water park you can smell the chlorine. So take little breaks out of the water often.

Tip #3 Water Shoes 

- I purchased these water shoes for the girls to wear at the water park. It kept their feet safe from any crazy weird foot fungus and from slipping all over the place.

Tip #4 Waterproof phone case

- My sister and I purchased these waterproof phone cases to store our phone and cash while we were at the water park. They actually worked and we saw several people with them too!

Tip #5 Floatation Devices 

- They have vests that your littles can borrow, so save yourself from over packing!

Tip #6 Towels

- They provide towels for guests at the water park. 

Tip #7 Have fun!!!

- I was such a paranoid mess at the water park. My kids were perfectly safe and happy. So I really didn't need to worry as much as I did.

I hope you find my tips helpful on your visit to the lodge!

*Some affiliate links are used on this post*

xoxo

Jocelyn

Great Wolf Lodge {Around The Lodge}

Happy Friday Everyone!

Thank you for following along all the Great Wolf Lodge fun!

Up today is everything we did around the lodge...from where we ate to the fun activities we did!

Buckle up for the ride it'll be a long one!

Where we ate and snacked...

For Breakfast we would grab a quick bite at the Dunkin' Donuts located in the hotel right off the elevators and McDonald's across the street(a quick walk away).

For Lunch/Dinner we ate at the Lodge and Buckets (located in the water park area).

The Lodge is a smaller restaurant inside the hotel. Considering its size we never had trouble getting a table.   

Buckets is located inside of the water park, I would recommend ordering food before your party is out of the water. The lines get pretty long.

Fun Activities around the lodge...The great part about Great Wolf Lodge is that they have tons of free activities for the kids to do!

Here are just a few...Face painting, bracelet making, ballon animals and so much more. Make sure to plan out your trip so you don't miss the fun and free activities.

The packages...We got the girls the "passes" which you purchase at an additional cost. 

They offer different passes that range from $44.99 up to $99.99

I purchased my daughters the "Pup Pass" which was the cheapest pass at $44.99.

This pass included:

One Creation Station animal with a Clubhouse Crew Adventure

One $5 Paw Points game card

One 12 oz. candy cup

One Glitz Glitter tattoo

One scoop of ice cream at Bear Paw Sweets & Eats

I wish I had gone with the next pass up because they both wanted to do the other activities included in the   "Paw Pass" so I ended up spending more paying for the items separately.

Cailee at Creation Station which is their version of Build-a-Bear!

The Ten Paw alley was so much fun and the kids enjoyed bowling with the tiny bowling balls.

Getting pictures with the girls was so difficult because they just wanted to play but I love this picture of Charlotte and I.

Come back tomorrow for some tips for surviving the lodge!

xoxo

Jocelyn

Great Wolf Lodge {Suites}

Welcome back to all the Great Wolf Lodge awesomeness!

Up today is the Hotel Room!

We visited the Anaheim location and stayed in the Standard Family Suite.

This room had two queen size beds and a sleeper sofa!

Our group included a total of 5 people (Myself, Cailee, Charlotte, My sister and niece)

the room was just the right amount of space for us!

The room had a microwave and mini fridge that came in handy!

The bathroom goodies were the absolute best and smelled so good! My hair took a beating from the water park and this hair conditioner was so helpful!

Mom Tip: Move the sleeper against your bed and you have an instant crib!

I would highly recommend this size room for a family!
Its practical and cheaper than the themed rooms.

With that being said the themed rooms look so cool and my kids definitely want to stay in one the next time we visit!

xoxo
Jocelyn