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My Favorite Summer Activities

My son gets his love for the outdoors naturally from both parents. I love being outside, and there are certain activities I love more than others while getting some Vitamin D.

In my book it is officially summer with students gone from campus. All I can think about is how to get outside more and what funtivities we can do.

 

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My brother and I circa 1995.

Here are some of my favorite things to do in the warmer weather:

  • Swimming-Put me in a pool or a lake and I will be as happy as a clam. I love to be in the water. When we were younger, my family rarely went fishing because I would always run through the water and scare of all the fish. Above is one of the few times my swimming didn’t impact my brother’s fishing.
  • Trail Hikes-I love exploring new nature trails. There is just something about walking through the trees that is very calming. I try to do this at least once a week since there are so many around us here in mid-Missouri.
  • Miniature Golf-We haven’t been in awhile, but this was our favorite thing to do while we were dating. I love it!

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  • Sitting by a campfire-Roasting marshmallows and talking by the glow of the fire. So relaxing. I am so happy we got our fire pit set up this month!
  • Baseball-I mean really is there any surprise here? I can’t wait to get to Kauffman to watch my Royals play!
  • Carnivals-I love street fairs and carnivals. It’s a great place to watch all the locals. While I won’t ride the rides-ugh hello I grew up working at a theme park and doing safety checks-but the games sure are fun. And I love the food! We live in a place that has street stuff all the time. I can’t wait for these this summer!

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What are your favorite summer activities?

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Bloom Voxbox Review

I did receive these products complimentary for the review from Influenster, and these thoughts are my own.

I really enjoy getting these boxes so I can try different products that I normally wouldn’t buy or seek out.

This is what I got in the Bloom Voxbox and my thoughts on them.

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  • Cutex Advanced Revival Nail Polish Remover Pads-I really like these, but I don’t paint my nails enough to warrant buying these. (#jamberryfanforlife) They are convenient but I think a bottle of polish remover and cotton balls do the trick just fine for a fraction of the price.
  • Not Your Mother’s Plump For Joy-I was excited to try this because I have liked other Not Your Mother’s products. I have been having days where I don’t do anything to my hair after showering because I am tired of spending a half hour to dry and style it. This mother doesn’t care about my frizzy un-even hair. So I thought this would be a good product to use on those days to maybe make it more wavy and full. I was not a fan. It is in a spray bottle, but it comes out in a thickesh gel. It’s weird, so I wasn’t sure how to best apply it. I tried both spraying it on directly to my hair and applying it with my hands, and I honestly saw no difference. My hair is still weird and wiry with spontaneous curls thrown in there. I would not recommend this to anyone.
  • Nuxe Huile Prodigieuse Multi-Purpose Dry Oil-I did like this on my skin. It made my skin really soft. It absorbs really quickly. On my hair though it was a different story. It always looked like I put too much and ended up being greasy. I just used enough to cover a couple of my fingertips, so I am not sure how I could use less for my hair. It was really nice for my dry arms though!
  • Sunbelt Bakery Granola Bars-WE LOVE THESE! We have been Sunbelt fans for years. Seriously, we stock up on them when they are on sale. They are the best granola bars out there. I will say though that I have never gotten the Oats and Honey flavor because we always get the kind that have some chocolate in them. I am glad I got this one though, because it is so good! This will be a good flavor for George when I don’t want him to have all the chocolate.
  • Secret Outlast Xtend Invisible Solid-I am always a little leery to try new deodorants. I have used Secret Clinical or Dove Clinical for at least a decade. But I am happy to say that this deodorant rivals the clinical brands. I had no issues with normal armpit woes, and I loved the solid aspect. I am not a fan of clicking the deodorant up. I am keeping this at work now or those days that I may or may not forget to put on deodorant before I leave the house.
  • SinfulColors Nail Polish-I love this brand of nail polish, but as I said above I am really into Jamberry. I can’t really paint my nails at this stage of our lives without being interrupted or needed elsewhere. Nothing is worse than a messy manicure. Anyway, this SinfulColors is good polish, but I was not a fan of this color. It was clear with glitter, so it isn’t a bad topcoat. I just am not a glitter fan. I put it on my toes as not to be as loud.

If you are interested in getting an Influenster box (you don’t have to be a blogger), just let me know, and I can send you an invite. They are a fun surprise! The community is also really easy to navigate. The more you interact, the more they will be able to find boxes that fit your style and needs. It is really versatile, and you can use it a lot or hardly at all. I have really enjoyed it so far!

Have you tried any of these products? What are your thoughts?

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Book Review-Through the Shadows (& Give Away)

I did receive this book complimentary from Litfuse Publicity Group for my review. These thoughts are my own.

I was really excited to pick up this book because it is not my typical historical fiction era. I don’t know much about the west coast development, so I was intrigued by the setting of this book alone.

This book is part of a series, which I did not realize until about a third into the book. I think it very much can stand alone since each book is written from a different character’s perspective. The only reason I realized that it was the third book in the series is because I looked the author up on Goodreads to see what else she had written because I was enjoying it so much. Because “The Golden Gate Chronicles” didn’t tip me off…whoops.

Like I said I really enjoyed this book. It was based in San Fransisco at the turn of the 1900s a couple years after a devastating earthquake. It follows the King family, but most specifically Elizabeth King the youngest sibling.

Throughout the book, you see Elizabeth trying to figure out who she is and get over some secrets of her past. She is trying to make up for past transgressions by getting involved in a mission that houses Chinese girls who were rescued from the slavery of the time. I really liked her spunky attitude and how she defied the role of a woman at that time to do something she believed in.

Charles McKinley is the other main character, who is also trying to make a name for himself as a new lawyer in town. He is attempting to change the crooked politics of the city but obviously hits road blocks along the way.

Charles and Elizabeth’s stories intertwine throughout the pages, and you can’t help but root for them in their quest to change the status quo. I think it is a great read about characters (especially for that time) fighting against inequalities and corruption.

There are a lot of things that went well for this story line. It is quippy and there are many references to faith. Barnett doesn’t give you all the pieces to the story at once, so that sense of mystery keeps you turning the pages. It was like she would give you little nibbles in the midst of this great buffet of information that made you want to come back for seconds and thirds. I was drawn in quickly with the believable plot and how the characters related. I wanted to know more, and I would think about the book when I wasn’t reading it. This is why I give this book a 5/5 rating.

If you want to read a book that gives you hope and is a little different than your mainstream historical fiction, this is a great read!

Lucky enough for you there is a giveaway going on for the book!

Follow this link to check it out:  https://promosimple.com/ps/99f1

What have you been reading lately?

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My Favorite Movies

The Oscars were like a second super bowl at our house. My step-mom was a drama teacher, so she loved this night of Hollywood stars and educating us on the ins and outs of the movie world.

We had ballots, and even though I never really knew what I was voting for it became a fun tradition and sparked a love for cinema.

Now most of my favorites were not seen on the Oscar stage, here are movies that I could watch over and over again. They never get old.

West Side Story

I love love love this movie. I am a sucker for musicals, and for me this is by far one of the best. I loved this growing up, but I developed a personal connection when I was in the pit playing the most amazing saxophone parts when my high school performed it. I can sing all the parts probably in my sleep. I know a lot of the dance numbers. So great!

Singin’ in the Rain

This movie is just so happy. Who doesn’t love watching singing and tap dancing wrapped up in a love story? This is a great movie to just make me feel good.

Miss Congeniality

Apparently movies that make me feel happy is a needed quality to be in my favorite movies category. To me this is uplifting and empowering. I still laugh so hard with this movie even though I know every scene by heart. Sandra Bullock is one of my favorite actresses, and I love her in this role.

Sabrina

I like the old version with Audrey Hepburn, not the newer one with Harrison Ford. That one is still good, but you can’t beat Audrey. She is my spirit animal. This movie is funny with a love story intertwined. I have a personal connection to this one as well since this was the senior show my senior year, and I played one of the supporting roles. It was so much fun so I love reliving it with Audrey.

While You Were Sleeping

Another Sandra film that I love. This one is quite humorous as well. A subway ticket woman falls in love with a stranger (who she has never actually talked to), and she finds him in a coma and accidentally pronounces that they are married to his family. Hilariously romantic.

 What are your favorite movies?

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Ha Ha Tonka State Park

I instituted a Mother’s Day tradition when I was pregnant to go on a nature walk every year as a family. Making memories through experiences and not things. Now that we are in Missouri, we have a lot of state parks we want to hit up.

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This year was Ha Ha Tonka State Park, or as I like to call it Honka Tonka.

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This is a really cool park that is known for its “castle.”

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A businessman from Kansas City built this mansion in the early 1900s as a haven in the wilderness to get away from the city life. The house burnt down but there are still remnants of the frame which have made it look like a castle. You can find out more here.

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It is near the Lake of the Ozarks, and there is a beautiful natural spring. It is an absolutely amazing view.

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There are walking trails around the building property, but it also goes down and up from the spring.

Some of the trails are pretty brutal, so I would not recommend it for kids under 10 if they are walking freely. I was struggling near the end to walk correctly. Lots of stairs.

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We would not have done this without the Tula. It was so easy to take George along, and we got a really great workout with his added weight. And there is nothing sexier than a man with his baby man.

There are a lot of little picnic areas or places to stop and take in the scenery or take a break.

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This is a great free tourist destination if you are at the lake or driving though Missouri.

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Fun way to spend Mother’s Day, but maybe not so much to impress a toddler.