ASPEN...WE'RE READY FOR YA!

Hey there everyone!!!  Boy has it been awhile since I've posted here!!! It has been a busy and fun summer for sure!  I have so much to catch you all up on including a fun road trip we made out to the North Fork of Long Island, and an incredible vacation to Walt Disney World in Florida!  In the meantime, Rich and are getting ready to jet set to Aspen, Colorado for my very good friend's wedding.  It will be the first time we are going somewhere without the boys...and we are both so sad about it, but know it will be fun just the two of us!  Well, I have to get back to packing, but don't forget to follow along on Instagram!  Wheels up...Aspen we're ready for ya! ;-)

(This picture was taken by my friend who is getting married of the beautiful backdrop for her wedding!)

FASHION FRIDAY: SASSY SUIT

Happy Fashion Friday jet setters!  Hope you all have some fun plans for the weekend...and Happy Father's Day to all of the dads and grandfathers out there!  Today's post is all about my love for the jumpsuit (a favorite of mine), and this sassy printed one for under $35 at H&M was just too good to pass up!  I added a hat (bad hair day), a cardigan, a clutch and some sandals for church, but can't wait to wear it again for a date night with some high wedges and maybe a jean jacket. It's comfy and loose (two mom-friendly qualities), and looks like you spent a lot of time picking out an outfit, when it's just one piece and go!  Gotta love that!

Jumpsuit: H&M

Cardigan: Forever 21 (old, similar)

Sandals: Forever 21

Hat: Urban Outfitters

Clutch: c/o Vera Bradley

Bracelets: BaubleBar

Ring: Banana Republic

Sunnies: Chloe c/o Mills at Jersey Mall

A NIGHT OF INDULGING!

Talk about a night of fun!!!  Well that's what this mama got to enjoy a couple of weeks ago for an event called "Indulge" at The Mills at Jersey Gardens in Elizabeth, New Jersey.

 I got a fabulous invitation by the stylish and adorable Corine from Complicated Mama to join her and Sheila from Pieces of a Mom to a "Moms Night Out" filled with shopping, drinks and food.  I was in heaven!!!

The Mills at Jersey Gardens was recently taken over by Simon (who happens to own beautiful malls all over the country) and got a face lift that is worth checking out!  The Mills at Jersey Gardens is New Jersey's largest outlet mall with more than 200 stores, including some of my favorites like Saks Fifth Avenue Off 5th, Neiman Marcus Last Call and Century 21 to name a few!

This was my first time meeting Corine and Sheila, and the three of us hit it off and became instant shopping buddies, running all over The Mills at Jersey Gardens to see what great stores were there.  We were all wowed by the incredible deals, and endless supply of gorgeous stuff, and we were in and out of dressing rooms all night.  It was so much fun trying on sunglasses, shoes and handbags (and getting to do it without the kiddos in tow was even better)!!!

I left with some great pieces like this Rebecca Minkoff tote, Chloe sunglasses, Steve Madden sneakers for me and Penguin sneakers for my hubby...all for way under what you would pay in retail stores!  

The Mills at Jersey Gardens is an absolute shopper's paradise!  Remember you only pay 3.5% sales tax...so what are you waiting for?  Check out The Mills at Jersey Gardens today...chances are, I'll probably run into you there!! ;-)

FASHION FRIDAY: HERE WE SNOW AGAIN!

It's the first day of Spring today and Old Man Winter is preferring to stick around!  That's right...more snow today!!!  When will it end?  We snapped these pictures a couple of weeks ago and I didn't know if I would ever post them because the weather was warming up and it seems Spring was coming, but with this forecast...I thought why not?  At least it's supposed to warm up tomorrow!  These are also the first pictures I've posted on the blog with my new bangs.  I wanted to do something different and thought I'd give them a shot.  I'm not too sure how long I'll keep them though because I have curly hair and they are very high maintenance!  (they also look a bit messy here as I was wearing a hat) Anyway, hope you all have a great weekend and see some sun wherever you are!

Top: BB Dakota via Lord & Taylor
Leggings: Forever 21
Coat: Zara (old)
Hat: Purchased in Iceland
Boots: Rachel Zoe
Necklace: Stella & Dot
Bracelet: Sira & Mara
Sunnies: Italia Independent

FASHION FRIDAY: ADDED COLOR

TGIF!!!!!!!!  So happy it's the weekend!  Today's outfit is pretty basic, sort of my "momiform" of what you can find me in on a daily basis running around with two little ones- jeans and a comfy top.  I always tend to gravitate toward black, but here I added color by way of some new pieces I got from the Stella & Dot spring line.  Added color can help make an outfit pop, it can add new life to an outfit you've worn a dozen times, and it helps make your mood pop too, especially with the winter we've been having!  The good news is, Spring is just 21 days away and I'm sure I'm not the only one who is looking forward to it!!!!

Top: Lucky Brand via TJ Maxx (similar)

Jeans: Forever 21

Booties: Nine West

Bag: Michael Kors via Marshalls

Necklace: Stella & Dot (email me to order)

Earrings: Stella & Dot (email me to order)

Sunnies: Dolce Gabbana

FASHION FRIDAY: KRAZY FOR KIMONOS

I've said it before, and I'll say it again...I am "Krazy" for Kimonos!!!  They are lightweight, great for travel, perfect to wear with a shirt and pants or over a bathing suit.  I got this kimono recently from one of my favorite boutiques at the Jersey Shore, Foolish Ginger- located in Asbury Park, New Jersey.  I love the colors and the pattern, and I know this will be on heavy rotation heading into spring and summer.  On another quick note before I go, I wanted to say that I am looking forward to this weekend, as I will be meeting other New Jersey bloggers at a brunch on Sunday!  I'll have more details about it next week.  Happy Friday!!!

Kimono: Foolish Ginger

Top: Marshalls (love this)

Leggings: LOFT

Booties: Rachel Zoe

Clutch: Deux Lux

Sunnies: Dolce & Gabbana

Necklace: Sira & Mara

Bracelet: Sira & Mara

#SISTERHOODOFTHETRAVELINGNECKLACE

Last Friday I told you guys about Sira & Mara and the story behind the #sisterhoodofthetravelingnecklace.  I wore it last time with jeans and a sweater.  So today, I wanted to pair the necklace with a dress since it is so pretty and fancy.  I will be wearing this dress (that I scored for $24.99 at TJ Maxx) on Valentine's Day when we go to a a co-worker's vow renewal.  I won't wear it that day with the necklace because I am going to ship it onto the next sister :(...but, that is the fun of it!!! I can't wait to see how the next ladies style it!

Dress: Jessica Simpson via TJ Maxx (available here)
Tights: Hanes
Necklace: Sira & Mara
Clutch: Stella & Dot (similar)
Bracelet: Stella & Dot (love this)
Shoes: Just FAB

A WILDY FUN WILD KRATTS PARTY!

As a mom to a now 4 year old (sniff sniff), Wild Kratts has certainly become a part of my life!  We watch the show quite often, we saw Wild Kratts Live, and my son even wanted a Wild Kratts themed party for his birthday celebration at school!  Well, considering the PBS show is fairly new, there are no party decorations to be found in stores or online ANYWHERE, and when I even called my local bakery for a cake...they said to me what most people say when you tell them the name of the show"Wild What?"  So, I certainly had my work cut out for me!!!

After having no luck at Party City and Toys R Us, I went onto Etsy.com (one of my favorite websites) and found a Wild Kratts printable birthday banner and some creature power discs.  I bought them, downloaded them, and had them printed at Staples.  I then bought animal-themed ribbon at JoAnn's and cut out the letters and made the banner.  I was so happy with how it came out, and my son was ecstatic!

Next, I bought creature power suits in green and blue (the colors the Kratt brothers Chris and Martin wear on the show) at Toys R Us to give out as party favors to the kids in his class.  I had all of the kids wear their suits at the party which they loved, and it really helped make it more Wild Kratts themed.  On the boxes the suits came in, I taped the paper creature power discs I had downloaded from Etsy.com and wrote each child's name on it.

For the snacks, I only bought animal shaped foods...Goldfish...Gummy Bunnies...Animal Crackers...and Cheddar Bunny Mixed Pretzel snacks.

I also bought bottles of fruit punch, ripped off the labels and taped creature power discs onto the bottles and wrote "Creature Power Punch!"  

My mother-in-law got the animal themed cupcakes and Wild Kratts creature power suit cake from Glace Cake Studio.  Both looked amazing!!!  

For the entertainment, I got Jumping' Jamie to come to play the guitar and sing to the kids.  He was terrific!  He knew nothing about the show when I called him, but he told me he would keep it animal themed.  Well, he not only kept the one hour show fun and animal themed by playing animal songs, showing pictures of animals to the kids, having them act out their favorite animal movements and sounds, playing limbo and parachute, but he also learned the Wild Kratts theme song and sang it with his guitar to the kids!  He was the absolute highlight of the party, and I highly recommend him if you are planning a kids birthday party in the New York Metro area!!!

 I also couldn't resist buying this elephant sweater to wear to the party for $20 from Marshalls!!!  

I often wonder if I missed my calling in life (I think I should have been a teacher)! LOL!!!  In all seriousness, it really was a Wildly Fun Wild Kratts party!  

Hope this post is helpful for any mom out there who may need to throw a Wild Kratts birthday party for their son or daughter in the future!  

GO WILD KRATTS!!! ;)