updated favorite girl dresses under $5

Happy Saturday Everyone!

The weather is screaming summer over here and that means are dress game is going strong!

I've blogged about these favorites before (see that post here) but since there are new styles I just had to share again!

When I first blogged about these awesome dresses from H & M Cailee was my only kiddo wearing them. These dresses have quickly become Charlotte's favorites since she got some hand-me-downs from big sis and then her own too! 

I kid you not every time I check out the store they have a new print and with the $4.99 price tag I don't feel bad stocking up!

The new prints(check them out here) are perfect for summer!

Fun fact: For my mommas with multiple girls...these dresses come in sizes 1yr to 10yr!

Twinning for cheap...your welcome ;)

xoxo

Jocelyn

Favorite Easter Books

Another day another set of Favorite Books!

New books we have added to our Easter collection!

Top Left | Top Middle | Top Right

Bottom Left | Bottom Middle | Bottom Right

xoxo

Jocelyn

Favorite St. Patrick's Day Books

My family loves book! 

As you have probably already read on my blog, we go to Barnes and Noble a lot!

We have added a few new books to our collection!

I present to you our current favorite St. Patrick Day books!

Top Left | Top Middle | Top Right 

Bottom Left | Bottom Middle | Bottom Right

xoxo

Jocelyn

Trader Joe's Must Haves

Its no surprise that I love Trader Joe's and these posts are pretty common around these parts!

So I will dive into my recent Trader Joe's new finds that have quickly made their way onto my must have list!

First up is this little gem that I found in the frozen aisle and are $4.49! Its a great light lunch item! I made it the other day for the hubby and I but I added some shredded chicken on top and it was perfect! I would eat this on its own for sure!

 This Mushroom Fettuccine dish is so good! Cooks best on the stove top in my personal opinion! I add two garlic cubes to give it a little extra something. Perfect for two people with a side of salad! $5.99 and found near the pre-made meals/salads.

These vegetarian black bean and jack cheese burritos are great for lunches on the go!

They are super cheap ($2.99 each) and yet delicious!

These Crushed Garlic cubes are everything!! I add this to almost all my meals. I never leave the store without grabbing a couple of these bad boys.You can find them in the frozen section!

At my Trader Joe's these carrot spirals are right next to the garlic cubes! My kids gobble these "noodles" like it is nobodies business! I add the garlic cubes and a little bit of avocado oil and top it with Parmesan cheese!

I've tried cooking Okra before and it was a complete disaster! So when I saw these in the chips/cracker aisle I was hesitant but thought why not! Surprise they are yum and the kids actually eat them!

Share you TJ favorites!! I love trying new items :)

xoxo

Jocelyn

Favorite Lentil Recipes

I am a big fan of lentils and normally would only cook them from time to time as a side to our main dinner meals!The hubby and kids weren't real big fans of the bland taste of the lentils I would make. Thanks to the wonder that is Pinterest I have incorporated lentils into our main meals and have made my family lentil lovers too!

These three recipes have been a fan favorite at my house!

First up is the Slow Cooker Lentil and Quinoa Chili from Aggie's Kitchen! Anything that I can prep early in the morning and not have to worry about for hours is a lifesaver for me! This meal is delicious! I like topping it with cream cheese (no one else in my family cares for that topping)! and green onions.

Second up is the 6-Ingredient Easy Lentil Tacos from C it Nutritionally. I found this recipe on a whim when I was searching Pinterest based on the ingredients I had in the fridge and voila. This recipe turned up just in the knick of time! So easy and quick to make. This will be added to our dinner rotation for sure!!

Third up is the Vegan Lentil Loaf from Yummy Mummy Kitchen. This recipe was surprisingly so easy to whip up! Tasted just like meatloaf but obviously way healthier! We ate it with a side of salad and grilled asparagus. I'll be honest my kids did not want to eat this when they first saw it but after they took a bite they were hooked! 

I am already on the hunt for some more lentil recipes! If you have any good ones send them my way!

ps I always buy these lentils from Trader Joe's and used them in all the recipes above!

xoxo

Jocelyn

Favorite Blogs

Rain rain go away come back another day!

Rain has hit our part of California for the last two days! Which means during nap time I get cozy with a nice cup of coffee, watch The Sound of Music and catch up on my favorite blogs! 

I love when my favorite bloggers share the blogs they keep up with so I decided to share with you all a few of my favorite blogs/bloggers!

Amanda from Dixie Delights is the first blog I ever started following and pretty much inspired me to start up my own blog! She is a blogging momma with incredible style! If your looking for party inspiration or home decor inspiration her blog is the one to check out!

Stephanie from Olive and Tate is also a blogging momma! She has the best sense of humor and blogs about how life with kiddos is really like! I can completely relate with her and love her home style! With her husband, she has renovated a few homes and shares the process! Always love checking her progress reports :)

Christina from Carolina Charm is just the sweetest! Her blog follows her life as a momma and wife! She is a working momma and honestly is awesome! She shares the best recipes that anyone can do!! She shares the ups and downs of her life and keeps it pretty darn real!

Do you follow any of these awesome ladies?!? Have a favorite blog I should check out?!

Please do share!!

xoxo

Jocelyn

A Trader Joe's Deliciously Easy Meal

Today is our first Monday back into our normal routine and I am definitely feeling it!
On days like this when I don't really feel like "adulting", I relay on easy meals to make it to bed time!
Trader Joe's is my go to for almost everything food related! Tonight's dinner will be an old time favorite of ours! A quick and ridiculously delicious meal that only has 4 items I throw together. Within minutes I have a delicious meal that everyone in my family loves!
So if your not feeling like being stuck in the kitchen all night long this recipe is for you!
The three items below are all found in the frozen food section of Trader Joe's!
The Penne Arrabbiata is delicious and super affordable I never leave with at least 2 bags of this stuff! The cooked medium Shrimp is $7.99 and comes with plenty! I never leave the store with out grabbing a few of the frozen cubed basil packets (ps they have a garlic pack too and its the best thing ever)!
I added all of these items plus two handfuls of spinach in a large skillet and cooked it for about 15 -20 minutes!!

The final product is a delicious meal that you will quickly add to your dinner rotation!

Do you have any delicious Trader Joe's meals you swear by??!! Please share in the comments below :) I am always on the hunt for great and easy meals!

xoxo

Jocelyn

A Blog Year in Review

With a new year on the horizon, I love taking the time to look back and see what the most popular posts were for the year!

Here are the top 5 posts of 2017...

| one| 

Finding Nemo Party {free printable}

Such a special memory of my daughter's 4th birthday party! I remember planning this party like it was yesterday! Callee was such a fan of Finding Nemo and I remember having such a difficult time finding themed decorations. I had to make my own decorations and so glad I did :) Its comical to think how hard it was to find cuter decorations and than a couple months later Finding Dory came out and decorations were popping up left and right!

| two |

My Easy DIY Lego Table

This rididcously easy project was such a fun gift to make for my daughter! And the best part is that she still uses it daily! The gift that keeps giving! Bonus when she's done using it whenever that day comes I can repurpose it as a coffee table!

| three |

A Birthday Banner Just For You {free printable}

This post goes hand in hand with my number one post! When I discovered how hard it was to find the decorations I was looking for I decided to make my own and share it with others in the same predicament!

| four |

Little Mermaid Inspired {free printables}

One of my favorite paper goods I created! When The Little Mermaid was re-released on DVD/BluRay I was so excited to have a movie night with the hubby and little one! I had a million things going on that day but did that stop me from hanging streamers over our dining table...nope! These printables are still such a popular post on Pinterest too!

| five |

Minnie + Mickey Mouse Party

Charlotte's second birthday party was so fun to plan and who doesn't love Minnie & Mickey! This party was filled with lots of DIY and great Etsy finds! It was a great celebration for the youngest member of our family!

I hope you enjoyed this blog year in review!

xoxo

Jocelyn 

Cate & Levi

Being a Mom has taught me that I am a jack of all trades but lately finding ways to entertain my little one when big sister is away at school has been difficult.

Sure a two year old is easily entertained but I was the one getting bored of the same play routine! 

Enter Cate & Levi to the rescue!

This amazing company is based in Canada and they create the cutest hand puppets and stuffed animals! 

All their handcrafted items are made with reclaimed materials!

Charlotte got the cutest little cow puppet and hasn't put it down since we took it out of the package! Its so funny how something so simple can be the best toy and help nurture her little imagination! 

The stories she tells me using her hand puppet are the cutest!

BTW her hand puppet is called "Baby coo" and he eats "beggtiables" and likes to talk to trees!

He goes with us to drop off sister and tells us everything he sees while we drive!

It has definitely made for interesting car rides ;)

And because we can't just have one we already have our eyes on this little cutie...because every cow needs his Moose bestie!

I am not trying to rush the holidays but I already know what our kids stocking stuffers will be come Christmas! Not only do they have the cutest items for littles they have these diy stuffed animal kits that older kids are sure to love!!

If you have a little one in your life that loves pretend play (and what little kid doesn't!?!) you need to snag these cuties! My readers get 15% off their order with code "ihelpmoms15" when you spend $30 or more!!

xoxo

Jocelyn

*This post is in partnership with Cate & Levi and IHelpMoms.com*

         
       

Follow Cate & Levi

Facebook | Instagram 

Monday favorite: Fit and Fresh

We are back home from a much needed family vacation! And now that we are officially back to reality we are also in full school preparation mode. 

With one school supply list quickly getting checked off everyday. I noticed a certain little someone was feeling a little left out. You see the baby, my two and half year old stays home with me. So what does that mean?! Package after package that arrived for Cailee with new school supplies meant no package for the little one! 

So when I got the opportunity to review an insulated lunch bag set from Fit & Fresh, I jumped at the chance! 

I'll tell ya this much...when that package arrived for little Miss Charlotte her eyes lit up with such joy! Her words to be exact "I big girl momma and I get big girl wunch". 

Yep my heart pretty much melted!

After having a kiddo in school for two years now I have pretty much nailed the lunch packing task! What I love the most about the Fit & Fresh lunch bag is that its insulated and comes in so many fun patterns! 

The lunch bag set we received came with: 

1 insulated zipper lunch bag with inside mesh pocket (mesh pocket perfect for napkins and utensils)

1 sandwich container (generous size fits more than just one sandwich)

1 one cup side container (loved that I knew exactly how much servings I was giving the kiddo)

1 reusable ice pack that fits into lid of the sandwich container (love love love this) 

In the past I have purchased all these items separately and paid a fortune! All these items come together for such a reasonable price and right now its less than $20!!

I need to make a point here and it might sound silly but is such a big deal to me! I can open these containers one handed!! And my little one can open them completely by herself! 

That my friends is a big deal to me lol #momlife!

When the containers are stacked together in the lunch bag you still have room on the sides to store more snacks!!

I can already tell we are going to get some good use out of this lunch bag this year!

 Gosh I can't help but love how she holds her lunch bag!! 

Guess what ladies my readers get 20% off their order with code "IHELPMOMS"! So if your still in need of some back to school lunch bags head over now!!!

xoxo 

Jocelyn

*This post is in partnership with Fit & Fresh and I Help Moms.com*

Follow Fit and Fresh:

Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Pinterest

 

my favorite apps

Today I wanted to share with you guys my favorite apps! 

I use all three of these apps on the daily and the photos below are real screenshots from my phone!

First up is...

| Shopkick |

So this app came into my life in form of a competition! My sister introduced me to this app and it quickly became a competition between us! We wanted to see who could get the most kicks! Surprisingly out of the two of us, I still use the app! 

With this app you get reward points by doing various things like...walking into a specific store, scanning items, or buying everyday items! After you get a certain amount of kicks/points you can redeem them for gift cards! 

For example: Today I walked into Target so I opened up the app when I was walking in and the app registered this action (by bluetooth) and I got 25 kicks for just walking in!

As you can see All-Time Kicks I have are 63,428!!! I've redeemed my kicks for Target, Old Navy and Starbucks gift cards! 

Easy "money" :) and I get to indulge in my Starbucks!

Interested in signing up?!! Follow this link here! 

*With that referral code I get a certain amount of kicks"points" when you join!*

Next up is...

| Receipt Hog | 

With this app you just take a picture of your receipt from Target or the grocery store and you get "coins". After you get a certain amount of coins you can redeem them for Amazon gift cards or direct payment to your PayPal account! As you can see below I've redeemed a few of my points for PayPal cash! I take pictures of almost all my receipts!

No referral code necessary for this app! Just download and get started! 

Lastly is...

| Ibotta |

With the Ibotta app you basically get a rebate on items purchased from various stores! For example I shop at Target and Ralphs a lot when I get home I check the Ibotta app to see if anything I purchased is up on the app for rebate. If the item is on the app all I have to do is snap a picture of the receipt and scan said item! I just redeemed $20 which I had transferred to my PayPal account! 

Interested in trying Ibotta?! Follow the link here!

*With that referral code I get a $5 bonus when you join!*

Do you have any good apps you like?! Please share them in the comments below!

xoxo

Jocelyn

all time favorite Disney channel movies

I grew up during a time when Disney Channel had the best shows and movies! I looked forward to a new movie premiere on a Friday night. Sure the movies and shows were corny but still oh so very awesome in my adolescent eyes.

When we first moved into our home back in 2014 I swore we would not get cable TV obviously things have changed now...the hubby needs his news channels and sports) and we lasted a pretty long time! During that time I did enjoy watching movies during nap time and while I was doing chores like laundry. After going through our entire DVD collection, I started to remember the movies I was obsessed with as a kid. 

I watched all my favorite Disney Channel movies as an adult and surprisingly still loved them just as much. I guess its true what they say your only as old as you feel! While I don't feel like a 12 year old anymore I still find great joy watching these oldies!

I present to you all my "all time favorite Disney Channel movies".

| From left to right |

Brink - Get A Clue - Don't Look Under the Bed

Rip Girls - Moms got a date with a vampire - Stepsister from planet weird

Jumping Ship - Halloweentown Series - Model Behavior

Some honorable mentions:

Johnny Tsunami

Motocrossed

Smart House

Double Teamed

The Luck of the Irish

Phantom of the Megaplex

Susie Q

If your looking to watch something new or feeling nostalgic I recommend all these movies :)

*some affiliate link used in this post*

xoxo

Jocelyn