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

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

five on friday

Happy 1st day of June everyone!!

Let's kick this month off with a Five on Friday...

| one |

I always get so excited on the first day of this because it means its the start of my birthday month.

My birthday is June 20th and this year we will be celebrating it on vacation woo hoo!!!

| two |

Yesterday Cailee had her school Spring Concert and it was awesome! The theme was the 1950s, so all the kids went dressed up and they looked adorable! Weeks leading up to this event I would hear Cailee in her room practicing their songs. Her practicing paid off and she belted out all the songs with a big smile on her face! 

| three |

On a long solo stroll down the aisles of Target I found these Que Bella gel eye masks and love them! 

$2.99 for a pack of 3

I wear them for 20-30 minutes and I swear the bags under my eyes brighten up after each use!

| four |

We have lived at our house for 4 years now and we are finally giving our master bedroom a much needed makeover! These "You keep me safe, I'll keep you wild" printable I found while browsing Pinterest inspired the makeover! I mean I couldn't put these up in the room the way it was so obviously a makeover was the only reasonable thing to do!

PS this is how the previous owner styled the master bedroom

| five |

A few weeks ago I took Charlotte to Travel Town and we spent the morning checking out trains and riding the small train! I bought her a Thomas the train whistle she just had to have and now I completely relate to this meme! 

xoxo

Jocelyn

Introducing the bored box

Hi Everyone!

I'd like to introduce you all to the "bored box"!

My kids have moments in the day that they claim they are bored. 

It doesn't matter if we had a fun filled afternoon of outings they still get bored! 

For the sake of not wearing myself out or spreading myself to thin...I created the "bored box" for my girls!

What is the bored box, you ask!

Well its a box filled with various activities I know my kids enjoy. Whenever they claim they are bored they can get one activity out of this box to complete. All the activities are pretty easy for them to do without our help.

We tried it out today and it worked like a charm. 

The girls grabbed an activity to do and we all sat around the kitchen table tackling our various tasks and it was very enjoyable! 

So I think the "bored box" is a big win in my mommy book!

I purchased everything you see below from Michaels but will definitely be restocking this box with things I find at various stores!

The storage box with tray is currently on sale for $8.99.

The lid also comes in pink and white!

The paint tray is a steal! You can buy a 6 pack for $2. I love them because it really limits how much paint the kids use and its so easy to clean off!

The paints are Craft Smart and you can't beat the selection and price! Hello 70 cents y'all!

The various activities in the box cost less than $2 each!! 

I love the Play Pack packets and buy these whenever I see them! They are great for entertaining the kids in the car and at dinner!

Now to make myself a bored box that doesn't consist of binge watching Netflix when the kids are asleep lol

Do you have a bored box for your kiddos? and if so what do you stock them up with?!

xoxo

Jocelyn

Easy St. Patrick's Day Class Treats

Popping in today to share some cute treats with you!

I wanted to do something for Cailee's class to celebrate St. Patrick's Day that wasn't all just sweet treats!

After just a few seconds of walking the aisles of Party City with my 6 year old we agreed on the goodies!

We came to a perfect compromise a little fun and a little sweet.

I suggested some cute stickers and sunglasses, which were both approved by the boss!

And we compromised by getting some gold chocolate coins!

We were both pleased with the selection of goodies and I am sure the kiddos will enjoy these little baggies!

The tags are from Eighteen 25! They are free printables and come with different sayings. 

All I did was edit the font colors to green to give it a little something extra!

I got these stickers, they came in a pack of 5 sheets but you can cut them in half and get more out of it!

I got these sunglasses for $5.99 and 12 come in a pack.

The gold coins were from Party City too for like 12 cents each! I literally stood there and counted 72!

Oh ps I got the clear bags at Party City too for $3.99 for a 25 count BUT I was at the Dollar Tree and they had the same clear bags for $1 for a 25 count!

Can't wait to give these to the littles ones and see what they think!

What are your go to class treats for St. Patrick's Day?!!

xoxo

Jocelyn

Five on Friday

Happy Friday Everyone!

We have an exciting weekend of cleaning out the garage planned for ourselves!

Its not really how I want to spend my free time but it is something that has been on our to do list for months! So I will be very happy to finally check it off the list!

Before I start the day with full fledge cleaning lets have some Five on Friday fun!

| one | 

My youngest daughter Charlotte is turning 3 in just a few short weeks, so party planning has started. Albeit a little late but nonetheless it is under way! This years celebration will be a small one but will be filled with plenty of love and laughter. We are just inviting our immediate family and will serve some appetizers, pizza and of course CAKE! Oh and the party will be Cars themed because our little princess loves everything Cars. I've spent the week combing through Pinterest for some party inspiration and found these...how cute right?!!?

Both parties can be found at Catch My Party

               

| two |

This week I visited Aldi for the first time (see that here) and picked up a frozen fruit & veggie  smoothie blend!It had fruit I normally don't add to to smoothies but I was pleasantly surprised with how delicious it was! The package says makes 4 smoothies but I don't think I added enough orange juice/water so our package only made enough for 3 of us. I would would totally buy this again! Smoothies are a sure way to get my youngest to have veggies! 

| three |

I have seen letter boards all over Instagram and even saw them at Hobby Lobby! I knew I wanted to buy one but didn't care for any of the price tags I was seeing! So when I went into Target the other day for toothpaste and I saw this cute letter board for $5 in the "Dollar Spot" I quickly threw it into my cart! I even found an extra set of letters for only $1. The best part of this shopping trip was that I had a gift card for Target that I earned with Shopkick(what's shop kick?..see that here)...so the letter board was basically FREE!!!

| four |

I have been kicking butt lately in the making healthy meals department! The other day I threw these items together for a quick but healthy lunch for the hubby and myself! It was delicious, healthy and pretty darn filling! Everything for this lunch was purchased at Trader Joe's minus the diced prosciutto that was grabbed during my trip to Aldi! 

| five |

I love floral prints and got a little carried away the other day and ordered both of these tops online from LOFT with a gift card I got for Christmas! They currently have a great sale going on right now, so if your needing to update your wardrobe now is the time! 
LEFT TOP | RIGHT TOP

                  

Have a great weekend everyone!

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

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

five on Friday

Happy Friday Everyone!

Are you ready for another Five on Friday post?!?!

I hope the answer is yes :) because its coming your way in like a second...

| one |

Pottery Barn has set up shop in my bank account and I am not even mad about it! I wanted to get a head start on school supplies shopping because I know the next few weeks will be pretty hectic for us! So as I was shopping for Cailee's backpack and lunch box I fell down the Pottery Barn black hole! A few clicks later I found myself looking at bedding!! My youngest Charlotte is a big time car fan! Like no joke she has like 20 cars in her collection thus far! So when I saw their Cars themed bedding I knew who would be a fan! Still fine tuning the style we are going for in her room but you better believe it will have some of these goodies! Went in for backpacks and came out with bedding...well played PB ;)

| two |

When you sign up as a beauty insider with Sephora you get a free birthday gift. This year I picked their Tarte lip and cheek set! I loved the lip paint in "birthday suit" sample so much I bought the regular size! It is like lipgloss but much thicker and creamier! They have such a variety there is a color for everyone!

| three |

 We are Disneyland lovers to the max but Universal Studios has quickly occupied a space in our heart! We spent Thursday afternoon at the park and I can't wait to share all of our favorites in its own well deserved post coming soon! But I'll leave you with a photo of one of the girls absolute favorite attractions Universal has to offer...Hogsmeade!

| four |

This weekend we are celebrating a special Anniversary/Birthday! Our doggy Hannah's adoption anniversary is this Sunday and I may or may not have purchased a doggy cake for her! Because she is a rescue and we don't know prior information of her we don't know her official birthday so we will be celebrating her birthday on her anniversary date!

A celebration will be had and I can't wait! PS Three Dogs Bakery is the best! 

| five |

We just booked a mini vacation at the Great Wolf Lodge and I am literally counting down the days!!! We have never been and would love to hear some recommendations?!?! Shoot me an email or leave a comment below! Kiddos in our group are ages 2-9!!  

We are pretty sold on the water park attractions but would love to have the girls partake in the other activities too! So let me know your favorite!!

Join in on the linkup fun here!

xoxo

Jocelyn