Tag:

Family

  1. satin lined lovie 2. organic moses basket 3. organic sleeping pad and crib sheet 4. classic crib 5. car seat 6. onesies 7. organic cotton pajamas 8. llamà 9. little jumper (Levi loves this!)

There’s nothing more daunting than registering for a baby registry. It can be beyond overwhelming walking into a baby store with 10-20 options for everything from blankies to binkies. I’m stressed just thinking about it. Enter Walmart.com with their awesome baby registry and Next Day Shipping options on most item marked. (5 orders in, I’m a believer!) Have you checked it out? I included some of my favorites below that I’ve used and loved for Levi. Walmart makes it easy. Because when you’re planning for a baby, you need all the help you can get.

Happy weekend!

Thank you Walmart for sponsoring this post!

straw hat // his suspenders // my sunnies // my sandals (only $35!)

Funny how whenever the flight attendants see us board a plane their first comment is, “Are these all your kids…. That’s a lot of work!”  Well, it’s true, traveling with 5 kids under 11 is no walk in the park, but traveling is worth every bit of hassle.  I’m thankful for the travel opportunities we have had this past year and what better way to close out the school year with a trip to Mexico on the Baja Peninsula.  We put all those Spanish classes to practice!  Kind of.

We flew to San Cabos San Lucas for a 5 night stay at the brand new Nobu Hotel.  Nobu is a chic celebrity sushi restaurant in LA (one of the owners is Robert De Niro).  They are now opening resorts all over the world so you can enjoy the fine Japanese cuisine and style all over the world.  The Nobu Hotel Cabo San Lucas is located 45 minutes from the SJC airport.  You can book an airport transfer through the resort as we did.

You will be in awe of the experience as you drive up to the front lobby.  The architecture is sleek and sophisticated as well as the service.  Upon arrival, the staff warmly greeted us with moist towels to freshen our faces from, juice boxes for the kids and a ginger cocktail for Reid and I.  Exactly what we needed to decompress after the stress of flying.

The resort opened in April 2019 and designed to immerse Japanese design with Mexican hospitality.  Ocean views and Zen gardens are everywhere.  The property includes three pools, many hot tubs, private cabanas and a swim up bar. The Cabanas have private bathrooms and showers and was a great place for the kids to nap in the shade.  It was like an extension of our hotel room.  Reserve your complimentary Cabana with your personal butler upon arrival.

For our family of 7, hotel rooms that accommodate all of us are rare.  Fortunately, Nobu offers a variety of suites.  We stayed in the Zen Suite with an adjoining room.  We had a living room, eating area, king size bed with incredible bathroom and another adjoining queen bed room for the kids.  All rooms have darkening drapes so the kids always slept till 7:30am which made for nice quiet mornings.  Comment below on this bathroom dream!

We spent every day at the pool.  The resort is beach front but the ocean is not swimmable.  You can hear the power of the waves crashing throughout the day.  Besides the pool, the kids loved going to the Kids Club.  They did face painting, movie nights, crafts and games for the kids from 7am – 10pm.  You drop your kids off and pick them up whenever you want.  Can you say date night?  Even better….ocean view sunset date night at Nobu! 

The resort offers fine dining at Nobu and Malibu Farms.  Feels like we are home in Los Angeles!  The food was fresh and delicious.  We recommend getting an all-inclusive package offered on Nobu website upon making your reservations. 

Also keep this on the DL, but the fitness center provides iced chlorophyll water that we loved. I won’t lie, it is the best and most refreshing beverage after a day in the sun. Also a favorite was the dark chocolate they left at turndown service. I would call for turndown service just to feed my chocolate addiction. All in all, a great family getaway. Next time, we will explore the town!

Tip#1: If you’re flying with children, check the stroller at the gate.

Tip #2: Bring instant oatmeal packets. My kids wake up at the crack of dawn on vacation and I’m not taking them to breakfast at 5am!

Tip #3 Buy your girls shorts in the boys section. You get 3 more inches, and they have good washes and distressing.

Tip #4 Lower your expectations. Or let go of any you may have. Like parenting at home, some days are totally unpredictable. Go with the flow and you’ll enjoy your vacation more.

Tip#5 If you’re traveling with an infant (Levi is 8 mos old) nurse him/her at take off and landing to alleviate any ear pain or pressure. If your baby is older, bring something to chew on. I bought him a play iphone but he really just loved the chew beads and melt in your mouth snacks.

Tip #6: Don’t forget your face mask for the flight. Even if I don’t have time (holding a baby the whole time) I will apply a face mask on my neck for refreshment. I also bring my NuFace mini and do a mini eye lift.T

Tip #7: The sun is stronger than you know. Pack sun hats and sunscreen. I use Unseen sunscreen as a makeup primer so I NEVER forget to put it on.

Shorts (sz 4) // Similar top // Earrings

Whether I’m shopping for the house, Levi or myself, Walmart has me covered. I ordered pj’s, onesies, and shorts for myself, chose next day delivery and BOOM, it arrived the next day. I sometimes wonder, how that is possible? I’m definitely getting spoiled. Just tonight, my dad, who is visiting, asked me if I had anything besides Pregnancy tea, NOPE. So he drank the pregnancy tea with his nightly lemon tea ritual. I had a LONG good laugh. Now, with 5, my life has never been busier, and Levi now 8 months has never been clingier. Anyone know of a good chiropractor? I’m loving the convenience of next day shipping. I even ordered baking powder online. Who am I becoming? This just means A. I am planning on baking something AHHHMAZING B. It means I still have pregnancy brain and I don’t trust myself to walk into Ralphs with baking powder on my list and still walk out with it. Alas, I’m sure one day when the kids are grown up, I’ll have a moment to myself. But in the mean time, I’ll enjoy all the conveniences of online grocery slash life purchases I can afford. And at walmart.com, thats a lot.

Happy Wednesday!

See what I purchased below and why! What’s in your cart?

3 Reasons Why I’m Giving My Baby a Probiotic

1 THE FIRST 6 MOS OF BABY’S LIFE ARE MOST CRITICAL. So much critical growth happens during this time from autoimmune to metabolic development.

2 9/10 BABIES ARE MISSING B. INFANTIS

(THE KEY GOOD BACTERIA) THAT DIGESTS NUTRIENTS IN BREASTMILK AND PROTECTS BABY’S GUT

3 NOT ALL PROBIOTICS ARE THE SAME.

STRAIN DOES MATTER. EVIVO IS THE ONLY PROBIOTIC CLINICALLY PROVEN TO RESTORE THE GOOD BACTERIA (B. INFANTIS), REDUCING BAD BACTERIA IN BABY’S GUT BY 80%.

I’ll preface this blog post by saying, I forgot SO much after I had my 4th child 6 years ago. So, when Levi arrived last October, I found myself trying to jog my memory about what to give a baby suffering from colic, how to cure mastitis, and what to do to keep up my nursing supply. I asked a couple friends, read up on some of the topics and educated myself as these issues have risen. Levi is newly 7 months. I’m taking one day at a time. A couple weeks into Levi’s 6 month birthday, we began seeing bad diaper rash, eczema, and gas. Poor guy. I called my best friend, like I usually do and she urged me to give him a probiotic. And since I’m nursing, I should take one as well. We later found out, his ailments were signs of bad gut health. We started giving Levi Evivo and just waited. I put one sachet into a bowl mixed with 3-5ml breast milk. To my surprise, he started waving his arms, which meant he loved it! Well, that made everything easier. Within a week, the redness behind his ear from eczema lessened.

With increased usage of antibiotics during delivery, c-sections (while both good in their own right), have interrupted the transfer of good bacteria from mom to baby. The good bacteria, the fancy name for it is “B.infantis” is missing from baby. What do we do? Scientists developed this probiotic for babies as the solution to this problem. I want Levi to thrive in all areas including developing a strong gut to help him live a happy and healthy life.

What does it take? Without B. infantis, bad bacteria can thrive threatening him with diabetes, allergies, colic and what we already experienced with eczema. I had no idea probiotics were SO IMPORTANT. My only regret so not having this with all of my kids! Thank you Evivo for making this product that is so instrumental to a baby’s health. Levi will thank me one day!

What are some of the benefits? Better sleep, improved digestion, happier baby. If you’re a mother, you already know this. A fussy baby is such a challenge. I will have long days with a cranky baby at my hip and I feel like crying along with him. It is incredibly difficult to see your baby unhappy and not know how to help him. For that reason alone, give Evivo a try. Nothing is worse than a fussy baby suffering from one of the above ailments who cannot communicate with you what is wrong. All he or she can do is cry. If you’re not a mom, a great gift idea is a gift card for Evivo. Believe me, a new or seasoned mom (like myself) would thank you many times over for such a gift to myself and baby. If you’re pregnant, give yourself some brownie points, plan ahead and purchase a month starter kit which is less than $3 a day. Less than a latte. As for me, I plan to continue to give Levi Evivo. My sister-in-law is hoping to get pregnant soon with their second. Since their first had colic, I plan to introduce her to Evivo for baby #2. She will thank me later!

Frequently asked questions – FAQ

Is EVIVO gluten free?

Yes.

Does Evivo have any artificial flavors, preservatives, colors or dyes?

No.

Does Evivo contain any additives?

No.

Can I purchase a gift card for a friend?

Absolutely! More and more mom’s are giving and receiving gifts beyond the swadles and onesies. Evivo deserves a place on the baby registry if you ask me! Click HERE for more gift card information.

To receive $10 off use coupon code: “BLOG36328” 
To receive $20 off use coupon code
“BLOGSV55P”

Learn more about EVIVO here.

Thank you EVIVO for sponsoring this post!

I partnered with Walmart to share some baby registry favorites! Fifth time around, I’m anything but ready and prepared. That may seem odd but it is true. While I have forgotten a lot of the essentials, I have found some great baby registry essentials at Walmart!

So, what are some of my essentials? Silk lovie, Burp Clothes, organic crib sheet, organic clothes, cell phone toy (because he always reaches for mine!), toy keys (you can freeze), and terry cloth bath robe are just some of my favorites I’ve found at Walmart.

Thousands of items online are “Next Day eligible,” and that is awesome because I’m a busy mom who needs things FAST.

In the end, Levi has the important things covered: loving parents and adoring siblings, for everything else, we have Walmart 2-day and Next Day shipping on most items to keep us prepared and well stocked. Because it doesn’t look like I’ll have my act together anytime soon. In the meantime, get all your baby registry essentials at Walmart, from diapers to rockers, to cribs!

Start your baby registry today HERE on Walmart.com.

Whether you’re creating a baby registry, or not sure what to get a friend who just had a baby, below are some of my top picks! How cute is this modern rocker?

  1. kid’s rocker 2. onesie 3. baby joggers 4. baby teether keys 5. elephant robe 6. BPA free bottles 7. crib 8. rocking swan

Thank you Walmart for sponsoring this post!

lace dress and similar // similar belt // leather jacket // sandals ($35!) // earrings // similar turquoise ring

After being gone a whole week, we were more than happy to see the 4 kiddos this weekend. We enjoyed a morning at church with papa, and an afternoon at the nursery buying plants and driving up to Lake Arrowhead. We planted (my favorite) raspberry bushes that take me back to playing Candy Land on my grandma’s porch snaking on raspberries while the air smelled like roses. Ah to be 5 again! We got a lot accomplished. Well my dad and Reid did while I nursed Levi. We also brought up 3 paint colors to try on the Lake Arrowhead cabin. Caviar by Sherwin Williams won, now, we wait for the city’s approval. Exciting things coming up. Here’s a link below to more dresses and leather jackets I’m loving:

As always, my shop page is open 24/7 and you can follow me on the Liketoknow.it app for immediate outfit details. Thanks for stopping by! xx Shalice

Reid and I celebrated 12 years of marriage on Sunday.  Every anniversary I like to reflect back on God’s faithfulness to us.  We’ve lived in 3 cities, had 5 kids, countless disagreements, joyous date nights, lame day nights and more challenges than I can count, pale in comparison to the many blessings, and days and nights with my best friend.  A good marriage is like tending to a garden, it needs a lot of care, weeding, hedging, and planning. I can relate keenly to this because our back yard after kids is pretty sad and neglected but I don’t have time to tend to it. And you can tell. A good marriage like a beautiful garden doesn’t just grow, it is “tended to,” lovingly protected from predators like bugs and weeds. Read honest marriage tips we’ve learned by experience in 12 years:

Tip #1:

Spouses can’t read minds. Coffee in bed was always my marriage dream and I used to have an expectation that he’d bring me coffee in bed as the morning birds were chirping outside my bedroom window.  Well…He didn’t bring me my coffee without me asking for it first and wow did I get upset.  Kind of a pathetic thing to get upset about, so skip the fight and just ask nicely.

Tip #2:

While I want coffee, Reid wants to workout in the AM. Team work is about compromise. Let you spouse do what they enjoy and he’ll let you do what you want to do.  Find out what makes him tick, what makes his day?

Tip #3

Put his needs before yours. This takes God’s help, I don’t naturally do this.

Tip #4

Put the cap back on the toothpaste and don’t yell at him if he doesn’t.  But never leave toothpaste in the drain.  That I can’t get over.  Just don’t do it.  No excuses.

Tip #5

Take one day at a time, don’t feel like you have to tackle all the marriage goals in one day.

Tip #6

Marriage always takes priorities over kids. Reid and I put each other over the kids.

How we met: Not many of you know, but Reid and I met in a Bible study downtown Chicago. It was a great place to meet and observe each other without going out right away. I encourage our kids when of the age to seek this kind of wholesome group in which to meet a possible spouse.

I went to coffee with another guy before Reid and he had so many red flags, I told him, let’s stay friends, I’m not interested in moving forward. That wasn’t an easy conversation to have, however, I wasn’t going to allow my heart to lead before my head. I would rather wait for the right one than settle and be unhappy the rest of my life. Girls, it’s ok to have a list of things you would like in a spouse, only have a friend keep you accountable on your list for yourself. We can’t be waiting on near perfection if we aren’t working on ourselves in the meantime. Also, it’s ok to note red flags. THEY SERVE TO PROTECT YOU.

That leads me to the question, how did you know he was “the one?” I get asked that a lot on Instagram when I show Reid or mention our relationship. I’ll start by saying I don’t believe in a magical formula, but I do believe in counsel and prayer. Ask your parents about this person, or a mentor, or someone older than you what they think. Ask them if they think you’re compatible. If that sounds old fashioned, call me old fashioned. It’s only your WHOLE life that you are promising to be with this person in marriage. That’s quite a commitment. I prayed a lot for closed doors if Reid and I were not meant to get married, after all, I wanted this to be a blessed union, despite how sexy he was or his job title.

In the beginning, we fought a ton about stupid things. It’s normal. Some of them included, If we should sign up for Sprint or Verizon, should we keep or toss a dozen spools of ribbon from our wedding, cheap date nights vs splurge date nights, and I can’t remember more but believe me, there was more! Now, we laugh about it!

Now 12 years in and I love him more than ever. 

Top Photography by Tomas Cohen

I’m going to shake the boat a little bit in today’s article. Reid and I will take a ski trip to the mountains over a trip to Disneyland any day. Yes, it’s true! For those diehard Disney goers, feel free to blast me in my comments below…kindly though. But here are my thoughts. Skiing is a great way to be active, learn something new, improve at a sport, challenge ourselves physically, face our fears, encourage each other…I can go on and on. Skiing is good for families.

When we plan our ski vacation we always pick Vail. For us personally, it’s centrally located for Reid’s parents who meet us there. We fly from the west coast and they drive from the midwest. They love the opportunity to see the kids ski and help us by babysitting Levi so I can ski. If you have grandparents who don’t ski, you need to know Vail offers free scenic gondola rides after 3:30, so the grandparents can join the kids on top of the mountain, watch them ski and then grab hot chocolates at Bistro Fourteen.

We flew Southwest Airlines from Burbank to Denver. Southwest is one of the few airlines that has bags fly free and with snow gear, and we knew we’d have a lot of bags. We got into Denver late afternoon and by the time our shuttle picked us up, the sun was down and we missed the scenery. When you book your trip, make sure to get to Denver no later than 1:00 pm. It’s a two-hour drive from Denver to Vail and the sun goes down around 5:00 pm.  

Vail has world-class skiing and attracts people from all over the world. Vail has amazing restaurants like Flame (our favorite) and Standard. Also, the streets are heated, so you don’t really have to slosh around in your boots to explore the town. Where were heated streets when I was a kid? They also have free transportation that will take you from one side of Vail to the other.

We recommend ski lessons for the kids to get reacquainted with their skis and learn mountain etiquette. Secretly, Reid and I wanted to run off together and ski alone while they were in school. We met up with them for lunch and then did some runs with the ski instructor and the kids in the afternoon before I had to run off and feed Levi. You can book ski lessons online or even the day of. They offer private, semi-private or group lessons. With the four kids, we chose a private group lesson. Be aware though, you can’t mix snowboard lessons with ski lessons.

Besides skiing, we also took the kids to Adventure Ridge at the top of the Lionshead Gondola.  Adventure Ridge offers snow biking, an alpine coaster and snow tubing. The kids chose snow tubing so while I stayed home with Levi and ordered room service, Reid took the kids tubing. Very much a highlight for the kids.

The final day we were blessed with lots and lots of snow! We almost got up early enough to make first tracks. It was beautiful skiing with the snow falling and we skied the morning together as a family. With the fresh powder, the kids were able to take on the blue runs with no problems. Even our five year old was taking them on. Can I remind you how cute kids are skiing? Making fresh tracks in the powder was a great way to end our day…even though we didn’t really want it to end.

If you are curious, we stayed at Ritz-Carlton Residences, Vail. Our place had two bedrooms, a spacious living room with a pullout couch, a well stocked kitchen, 2 bathrooms, a powder room and convenient washer/dryer. The hotel staff was friendly and helpful and provides shuttle service anywhere you need to go. I went downstairs to order a quick bite to eat while the older kids were tubing and the staff brought it up shortly to my room. Reid and I loved the gym area. We got to try the new Pelaton bikes. If we were brave enough, I would love to try the hot tub and heated pool. Funny enough, our kids jumped in and quickly begged for warm towels and blankets. Oh to be a kid!

Where we stayed: Collaboration with RITZ CARLTON CLUB VAIL RESIDENCES

Eat Little Diner (breakfast) Mountain Standard (dinner)

Flame (steak dinner)

Outfit details: GG Belt // Camel Coat // Red Print Sweater // Faux Leather Pants //

My Ski Coat // Ski Pants // Levi SnowsuitBoys Moncler

Girls Puffer // Girls puffer// Boys Puffer

First of all, what is a Fab4 Smoothie? It was founded by Kelly LaVeque, author of Body Love. She describes how this combination of smoothie doesn’t allow the sugar spike thanks to a balance of fat, protein, greens and a small amount of sugar. I’ve been enjoying it since I was pregnant and noticed more energy and sustained energy. On a good day, if I have this for breakfast, I’m not hungry till 12 or 1pm.

I’ve explained it in an earlier post, but here is the gist:

#FAB4Smoothie: Protein (20g minimum) + Fiber (10g minimum) + 1 Tbsp. Fat + Handful Greens + 1/4 Cup Fruit + Superfoods + Liquid

1 TB almond butter// 1 frozen banana // 1 cup frozen pineapple // 2 cups frozen organic spinach // 1 TB chia seeds // unsweetened almond milk // 2 meyer lemons (add at the end) //

Directions: blend till smooth in a vitamix or blender. I add the lemons at the end and drink immediately.

I explain more in this post about how I am changing the way our family eats.

How are you making healthy changes in 2019?

my watch // the boys watches (THIS is an option for the girls too!)

You know that one thing you really needed but you didn’t know you needed till you have it? Well, that’s how I feel about the new Garmin watches my kids and I recently received. Here’s an example of the new normal in our house. I was in the dining room when I heard stomping and laughter in the foyer. I inquired what they were doing and my boys were doing stairs to gain more points on their new vívofit® jr. 2 watches. Hilarious but true. Each of those points they so arduously culminate translate to daily goals. When they meet their goals they receive coins and with coins I can track progress and deliver rewards as I see fit. Our house is abuzz with talk of earning point and rewards as you can imagine! The watch connects to the vívofit® jr. app on my phone.  Through the app, I’m even able to assign chores and alarms when the jobs need to be completed for coins.  The kids are remarkably motivated to get their tasks done.  The app also includes access to a game the kids can play when their goals have been met for the day.  The boys are also learning about time and having the digital watch has made them aware of what time of day it is…something new for us.

The new habits in our house aren’t just about the boys though. I’m building new habits this year as well. I’m wearing the new Garmin fēnix® 5 Plus.  It’s helped me realize my activity level throughout the day, my heart rate and through the Garmin app, I can even track my workout schedule.  Which is my new 2019 goal, to regularly and purposefully workout.  Carrying Levi all day no longer counts as my arm workout girlfriends!  The new watch fits into my lifestyle choices seamlessly.  I’m motivated to be better at what I do and I really dig the style of the watch.  My style choice of watches are always on the more masculine side.  I guess I like the weightiness and it makes me feel stronger as I’m pushing through a workout.  But I also like wearing it wherever we are headed.  Sunday night we went to the beach for a sunset stroll a little beach side workout or to the grocery store.  Plus, when Reid asked me what I did today I have evidence and can honestly say… I did 7,000 steps.  Gives new meaning to the Johnny Cash song, “I’ve been everywhere, Man”!  It’s my new normal.  What’s your new normal this year?

Some facts to get excited about:

Leave your cards at home, use Garmin Pay and make payments via your watch.
Play your favorite music from your phone using streaming services such as Spotify.
$30 off Vivomove HR and $20 off Vivofit Jr from February 3 to February 16.

Thank you Garmin for sponsoring this post!