#shayeveryday2013 Week 30 plus some "firsts!"

Day 204: This is my happy hour.

Day 205: Working on a mosaic after nap time.

Day 206: The last day of Cheerleader Camp was successful!

Day 207: Thanks to Ms. Andrea's big find, Kensington had the perfect pink Wellies for our rainy Friday.

Day 208: I had the very best time celebrating sweet Kara's new baby boy (due this fall!) at her shower on Saturday night!  I also had the very best time catching up with my sweet friend Hilary (due this January!).

Day 209: In her Sunday school class, they had a box of dress up clothes.  Being the girl that she is, she automatically dressed up in this and declared herself Queen.

Day 210: We came home from our morning activities and found that the A/C wasn't running.  On a 99 degree day in Texas, you really need that A/C working!  Kensington laid down on the hardwood floors and declared that she would stay this way until the house cooled down.  Smart girl.  The floors were the coolest place in the house!  (And yes, we were able to get it working.  And by we, I mean, Andrew came home from work and fixed it until the repair guy could show up later that day.  Thank goodness for Andrew!)

And now for some "firsts" in our lives...

Smith discovered the rowing machine at Dick's Sporting Goods and has decided he wants to be a professional rower.  There are so many things wrong with this: 1. He doesn't like water deeper than 4 inches. 2. He doesn't like any kind of strenuous activity.  3. We don't live near water. 4. He's only three.

Last Saturday, we swapped kids with Erika and had our first sleepovers!  I had the boys and Erika had the girls.  It was so much fun!!  Believe it or not, two 3 year old boys can be so much fun!  

Best friends :)

Kensington loved her first sleepover!  She had the very best time!

Erika told the girls to "pose" the next morning.  And this is them.  These two are going to keep us on our toes in the coming years!

We also had our first cheerleader camp this week.  Monday was pretty rough and Kensington didn't like it.  Apparently, she had been placed in the kindergarten line instead of the preschool line and she was so confused/upset/sad about the whole thing that she wanted to quit.  We told her she had to go back at least one more day and try it again...and she LOVED IT!  Once she got in the right group, she was good to go.  I took her and Ebby Lee on this day, Crazy Hair Day, and they had so much fun!

Crazy hair for crazy girls!

On this day, I told Smith he didn't have to take a nap...but being the sleeper that he is, he found a spot and napped anyway.

Don't forget that tomorrow is our Pin-spired day!!  I can't wait to see how Pinterest has inspired you for the month of August!

I have my last official lunch of the summer posted on my foodie blog today...

...easy and delicious Monte Cristo Sandwiches.  My kids thought these were awesome!

Have the best day!

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Fifty Two Shades of Shay: What I wear/read/take on a trip!

I received a lot of comments and email about my recent vacation.  You guys want to know what I take to wear, what shoes I love, what books I read, what my kids do while we're away...and so many other things!  This post is dedicated to the stuff I take on trips (and I'll answer all of your other questions too!).  Let's get started...

My sunglasses probably received the most chatter.  I love a basic aviator but these in particular can be found here at Nordstrom.  If you don't want to spend the money on Ray-Bans, then I also wear and love these from Loft.  I always take one pair of glasses with me on a trip, and to me, nothing is better than an aviator!

I also had a lot of questions about what shoes I walked in.  One day, we walked 6 miles alone and then another day, we walked 3.5.  Everyday, we walked and walked and walked (because that's what you do on European vacations!).  I wore two kinds when we were at our ports.  First, I wore my Sketcher's Go-Walks.  

I originally bought these for outside with my kids.  Everyday, I'm out front running around with my kiddos, going to the park, going on walks, and so I wanted an easy shoe to throw on for those activities.  These shoes are so, so, so comfy that I've recommended them to my mom, my aunt, my clients...they're wonderful!  They also come in a variety of colors too...but I, of course, bought pink!  I absolutely love them!  They also come in green, yellow, purple, grey, black, navy, and blue.  I've washed mine in the washing machine twice and they wash great too.  You will love these little shoes!

I also wore my Toms too.  Toms are just easy.  They're comfy and easy to throw on.  They don't have a ton of sole support, but they work perfectly for walking and strolling on vacation.  Plus, Toms are just so darn cute, right?!

I went online to find my Toms but since mine are two years old, they don't have them any longer.  However...brace yourself...I found these...

...aren't these faded camo Toms just so cute?!?!  I bought them.  Yup.  I just think they're the perfect little shoe especially for fall.  I love, love, love them!

I couldn't find a picture of my shoes for our evening stuff (because they're 3 years old), so I'll use this one instead.  On cruises, you often dress up at night, so I brought a neutral pair of heels to wear with everything.  We dressed up 4 out of the 7 nights and these shoes worked perfectly with everything.  When you're packing, try and bring as many basics as you can so that you don't over-pack.  One great neutral pair of shoes should be able to work with all of your evening looks.

Sheaffer and I have blogged about these wedges so many times that I'm pretty sure each and every one of you own a pair.  They are the most comfortable wedges you'll ever wear. Period.  I like to wear wedges on an airplane because my legs are shorter and my feet don't touch the ground (so a wedge helps).  If you are one of the few who don't have these shoes, you should get them.  Today.

I picked up this cross-body bag a long time ago, and it's all I carry on vacations like this.  I love a cross-body because they keep my hands free and are light.  At home, I adore a big tote...but when traveling, I try and scale down.  Since mine can't be found any longer, I have a few similar options here...

This bag is part of the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale, so it has a great price right now.  It also comes in two other colors too.

I'm kind of obsessed with this Jessica Simpson bag too.  It also comes in two other colors and looks really roomy and soft...perfect for traveling.

For a smaller cross-body option, I like this little faux-leather bag.  It comes in 3 other colors as well.

I carried one large tote on the plane that held my magazines, books, iPad and whatnot.  I started searching the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale for good totes to show you and oh.my.word...

Doesn't this faux-suede tote look luxurious?!?  And it is on sale right now!  A bag like this is perfect for traveling.  Check it out in purple and black too.

I'm also loving this leopard tote.  You would be the most stylish gal on the flight with this bag!

Now, on this trip, the weather was warm for us but when we go in the fall, it will be cooler.  When you're packing for a cooler weather trip, you need to make sure you have the following 3 items...

1. A great pair of flat boots.  Since these boots are marked down $80 right now, I tried them on last week...and bought them for my next trip.  They're so cute, so comfy and my favorite part is the zipper in the back...

If you need a great boot for traveling (or just a great fall staple), I would highly recommend this pair!!

2. You need to pack a light-weight jacket.  I love, love, love a little military jacket like this one from Old Navy.  They're light, they're easy to pack, they go with everything and they layer well.

3. A great scarf is an airplane/travel essential.  Airplanes are cold, so a scarf is the perfect layer.  Plus, after you've been sitting/eating/napping/drinking on a plane for several hours, you just look rumbled...so a scarf is a nice way to hide the rumbled look.  This taupe one is so pretty!  

I also love this houndstooth one as well.  It would look really chic thrown over a plain old t-shirt and jeans.

Questions!  Questions!  Questions!  Here are some of your questions...

1. Does Andrew shop for himself?  I like his personal style.

Yes.  Andrew is a great shopper...he has better taste than me.  Since he's 6'5", he's pretty particular about brands because it's rare to find a brand that fits his frame.  He shops on his own and then I fold his stuff to put in the suitcase.  He says he's not as good at folding as me...I'm pretty sure that's just his way of being lazy :).

2. What did I read on vacation?

I read 4 novels.  Yes.  Four!  Between the two long flights, the day at sea and the evening time before bed, I managed to read four novels.  One is a new book coming out in September that I was asked to review (more details on that later!) and then the other three are as followed:

I loved all three of them!  They are total chick-lit, completely full of girly emotions, funny, lighthearted and easy to read.  They were just plain FUN!

I also brought along 6 magazines and 4 cookbooks.  On planes I like to read instead of watching TV, so with two 10 hour flights and two 3 hour flights total...I had a lot of "reading" time.

3. Do we follow any specific travel blogs?

No.  We google and find blogs that mention places we are going and read their own personal reviews.  Some of the blogs are people that live in the city and some are people that have traveled there.  We find that blog opinions are more honest and specific than online reviews from other sources.

4. What did we eat while we were there?

Everything.  The better question is probably what did we not eat!  I had some people who thought we were crazy for eating burgers and Mexican food in Barcelona, but that was only two of the 10 meals we ate in Spain.  We were in Spain a total of 5 days and ate two meals a day there...trust me, we ate a lot of local cuisine!  We try not to be too rigid about where we eat.  We walk, we tour and we stop when we're hungry.  We ate a lot!

5. Do I mind leaving my kids behind?

I missed my kids so much!  The funny thing is that I get grief about taking my kids with me (they've been to 13 countries people, it's not like we leave them at home all the time!), and then I get grief about leaving them at home.  I can't win for losing.  

This year, we decided to go just the two of us and leave them at home with their grandparents.  About half the time we take them and half the time we don't.  We have another little trip coming up this fall that we won't be taking them on either but then beginning next spring, they're going on two vacations with us...so, don't feel too sorry for Kensington and Smith.  They had a wonderful time with both sets of their grandparents (they split the time and each watched them for 6 days), they were spoiled rotten, and then next year, they get to go on two vacations.  I love my kids so very much and enjoy spending my days with them, however, sometimes it's nice to just spend time with Andrew.

6. Did we go into any of the casinos in Monte Carlo?

No.  Casinos in Monte Carlo are not like the Casinos here.  They are very formal (like, the men wear a tuxedo formal) and for most of them, you have to get pre-approval before you can get in.  We just enjoyed the beautiful city.

7. Is Holland America my favorite cruise line?

It's one of them!  This was my third Holland America cruise and so far, I have no complaints.  As a travel agent, I come into contact with cruises all the time...my favorites would probably be Holland America, Norwegian and Princess.  Royal Caribbean is good too...a lot of them are really wonderful, but those three are my faves.

8. Where is your next family vacation?

Some place with palm trees.

I hope this answered all of your questions!  When you're packing for a trip, remember a few things:

1. Almost anywhere you go, there is a laundry service.  Sometimes it's worth paying the $10 to have a hotel or cruise ship wash your jeans than to pack and weigh down your suitcase with extra pairs.

2. Andrew and I always split our stuff 50/50 between our two suitcases (or we split it 4 ways when we travel with our kids).  There is nothing worse than arriving at your destination without your luggage.  At least if you split it up, you'll have half of your stuff with you.  No exceptions!  Split it up!

3. Wear your heaviest shoes and/or coats on the plane.  If you don't want to go over the weight limit for your checked luggage, wear it on board the plane.

4. Put anything liquid in a plastic bag before packing it.  Anything.  Sunscreen, lotion, makeup, hairspray, anything liquid should be in a baggie because it really stinks to open up your suitcase and find that it's exploded inside.

  Don't forget to check out Mix and Match Mama today...

...we're linking up with my sweet friend Mel and her Summer Salad Swap!

Have a great day everyone!

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 Instagram @mixandmatchmama

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Barcelona & Riviera Cruise: Day 7 Portofino, Italy

If you missed what I had to say over the weekend about the passing of Kidd Kraddick, click here.

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Day 7 was glorious!  We woke up bright and early and stepped foot on Italian soil...Portofino to be exact. 

 This wasn't our first Italian rodeo.  Since we've been married, we have been to Italy twice before.  And both of those times I was pregnant (yuck!).  Click here to see when we went while I was pregnant with Kensington and click here to see when I was pregnant with Smith (I was also rocking the braces on that trip!).

  Needless to say, I was really happy about being in Italy and not being preggers (except all of the pasta I ate wasn't negated by the phrase "I was eating for two"...I was just eating enough for two people...but there was only one of me!).

This port didn't dock, so we took tenders from our ship to land.  For those of you who don't know...a tender is just the life boat off the side of the ship that goes back and forth between the ship and the dock.  Also for those of you that don't know...I get seasick BIG TIME!  I can't even sit in a boat on a still lake without getting sick.  The bathtub practically makes me seasick.  So the little ride between the ship and the land could not have ended fast enough for me.  I absolutely hate boats (which is ironic because I love a cruise...big, giant, humongous ships don't make me sick because I can't feel them move...except this one cruise I took when I was in college with my family...I prayed for death on that thing).

Arriving in beautiful Portofino :)

When we docked in Santa Marghertia, we could either take a water taxi or bus down the road to Portofino...or we could walk the 3.5 miles down the coast ourselves.  We decided to walk.  It was early in the morning and the weather was gorgeous.

After 3.5 miles (the last 1.5 miles was up the side of a mountain...can you say TIRED?!), we arrived in Portofino.

After some strolling, we found a wonderful cafe for lunch.

After lunch, we spent the rest of the day touring Portofino, walking the streets, shopping, eat ice cream and taking it all in.  I was too busy enjoying to take a lot of pictures...so I Google Imaged some for you...

When it was time for us to head back to Santa Margherita, we decided to take the water taxi instead of walking back another 3.5 miles.  This is how I felt on the water taxi.

Before we headed back to the ship, we walked around Santa Margherita.  This is a Christopher Columbus monument.

And then we boarded our tender and headed back.  I sat as close to the exit as possible so that I could get the heck off that small boat ASAP when we arrived.  That's our ship out there...

...and this is me.  See?  You really can't sit closer to the exit than this!  I'm practically in the water!

That evening as we set sail, Andrew and I decided to watch the ship take off from the pool.

And then we cleaned up and headed to dinner.

Such a lovely day in Italy.

Click here to see the previous port in Monte Carlo.  And click here to see days 8 & 9.

And for those of you who love all things natural, you must check out my friend Jen's blog.  Today, Jen is talking about natural sunscreen...she is the master of testing and re-testing products until she finds the best one.  She is a researching fool!  You can find her every day at Whimsy At Heart.

You can also find me in the kitchen every day...

...tonight, Chipolte and Corn Chicken and Waffles!  Your family is going to love, love, love this twist on an easy chicken dinner!

Happy Monday!

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