Category:

Family

Camisole (only $29!) // Pencil skirt from STORQ and a non-maternity version // Suede Jacket (finally back in stock!) // Cap Toe Heels // Lotus Earrings // Sunglasses

Naming #5 was NOT easy. I repeat. It was a STRETCH to think of a two-syllable name that would sound good with his four siblings. Not to mention all the four critics.
1. KEEP IT A SECRET this is number 1 for a reason. If you don’t want 3 relatives and 2 cousins twice removed opinions, keep the name to yourself.

2. Put all the cards on the table – family names, names you like, religious affiliation, etc. We happened to be reading the Old Testament in devotions and came across LOTS of names we considered for this baby. Its good to see all the names in the open and discuss them.

3.   Have a TOP 10 I know its tempting to have 20 faves, but try and start with 10 and go from there. Our 4th child has three names, so keep 3 if you want!

4. Consider the syllables AND meaning. This child will have to live with this name, maybe forever, so make it easy to say with a positive meaning.

ANNND since we are still waiting on baby #5, I cannot divulge the name, I can however tell you I followed the above steps and you will have to stay tuned!

Speaking of waiting for baby . . . I’m loving this collagen powder that I swear is helping my nails and hair. Also, this ice roller (only $12!) is helping me fake a full night of sleep, this overnight reset oil-in serum, is warding off the wrinkles, and when bored, make PUMPKIN BREAD!

 

xx

Shalice

Girls Cape // Skinny Jeans // Taupe Faux Leather Booties

Boys Stripe Sweatshirt // Red Shorts // Sneakers

My Blazer// Dress // Sunglasses // Similar Booties

How do I find outfits for my kids? I focus on quality fabrics, patterns and clothes they will actually wear and love. When I see them get excited about a shirt or a cool pair of shoes, that’s when I know I’ve found something they not only like, but they’ll actually wear! And yes, it’s all found at Nordstrom!

The moment my oldest saw this cape, she exclaimed, “This would be great for Lake Arrowhead!” And I agree. It’s super soft and perfect for chilly early mornings and late nights. We love it up there. Likewise, my son loves his sweatshirt and especially his new sneakers. He won’t stop wearing them! Kind of like his obsession with his soccer uniform. He wears it so much that hubby and I had to hide it! Anyone else have this happen with a kiddo?

I’m so thankful for Nordstrom curbside pick-up for days when I have to be at soccer practice, art class and tumbling class. Their customer service has won over this busy mama for over a decade. What are some of your Nordstrom faves?

Thank you Nordstrom for sponsoring this post!

Today I want to share something a little different, but a topic I get a lot of requests for—the story of how and why I started blogging. I gathered some of the most frequently asked questions surrounding this subject and answered them for you guys. I love it when I get questions, so please keep them coming (comments on here or on Instagram) and maybe we can do more posts like this moving forward about various topics.
But without further ado, here are the questions and answers on blogging!

Who told you to start your business?

My friend Karla @karlareed told me I needed to start sharing my outfits on Instagram because I had a knack. I told her I’d give it a whirl because I really needed an outlet from the daily mom grind of my husband working late and lotssss of diapers. It’s crazy how something so amazing started with a simple suggestion from a friend.

What were you doing before your business?

I was a full-time mom of 4 kids, ages ranging from 6 to 1. Before that, I was an event planner. I was knee deep in momlife and a much needed a creative outlet. I’d use nap time to take selfies and flat lays. It was so satisfying to use my creative side and I think it made me a better mom.

How did you know what to name your blog?

I went back and forth about naming my blog “Shalice Noel” because so many people don’t pronounce my name right, but I always loved my middle name. So, I put both together and I liked the ring of it. Shalice Noel was born.

What inspired you to start your business?

I remember sitting at the edge of my bed, praying a desperate prayer, “God I need to supplement our income. I’d love to work from home and it has to be a pretty special job because I have a houseful of children.” And with that, left the prayer and kept being a full-time mom. Fast forward two years, I heard about rewardstyle, signed up as fast as I could, and started to make commission checks. It almost brings tears to my eyes thinking about how grateful I was for my first check! I could stay home with my babies, share my love of fashion and get paid. It’s really special and I don’t take it for granted.

What is the most challenging thing about having an influencer business?

Staying creative and not comparing your business to someone else’s.

What would you tell yourself when you first started?

Haters gonna hate, keep taking risks, be kind and work hard!

Is there anything that helped your business?

When my husband started helping me. I think we grew closer in our relationship and his business know-how helped strengthen my business overall.

What tools or apps have helped your business?

If I had to narrow it down to two, Lightroom for photo editing and Freshbooks for accounting.

I hope you guys enjoyed this and it answered some of the questions you’ve had about how and why I got started in this crazy blogging and influencer world. Like I said above, if you have more questions about any topic, send them on in because I’d like to start doing more reader-inspired posts!

XX
Shalice

The LiketoKnow.it book is avail Sept 18, on Amazon, pre-order your copy today. I’m sure you will enjoy readying everyone’s story as much as I did.

 

 

girls stripe dresses // red sandals

older boys stripe sweatshirt // red shorts // boys sneakers

younger boy’s A OK tee // graphic jogger pants // boys sneakers 

I’m so excited to partner with Nordstrom Back to School for kids. I’m loving all their laid-back pieces to add to my kids’ wardrobe this fall. I honestly love shopping for their autumn staples just as much as my own and Nordstrom makes it too easy.

Because we spend most weekends in the mountains, I was happy to find a lot of pieces that layer really well! Going from warmer temps in LA to the cooler mountain temps can be a little tricky so I had my oldest pick out a plaid blazer to go over her yellow dress. And yes, I let her borrow my Gucci belt bag. You can’t fault her good taste. The boys’ shoes were sporty and adorable. Now I just wish they knew how to tie their shoes, but let’s reserve that for another blog post shall we? Likewise, the girls loved their boots because they look like mom’s! I wonder how long I will get away with them saying that?
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again—Nordstrom is simply one of my favorites for the kids. With all these adorable back to school options, how can you not want to pick something up for your kiddos?

I’m

Thank you Nordstrom for sponsoring this post!

his jeans // polo // hat // shoes // Reid’s shorts // Reid’s tee // Sneakers

 

Preparing your family for a new baby is both fun, but a little worrisome as well. We don’t really know how the kids will adjust to their new roles. Our kids have been pretty close in age, so the transition for them was not dramatic. However, now with our fifth, we have an age gap of 5.5 years between our youngest and the newborn. He is used to being the baby in the family and it’s all about to change. We’ve been researching how to best prepare him for his transition from baby brother to BIG brother. Here is some advice we’ve found:

 

Before the baby is born:

 

·      Tell him how special he is as a big brother. Explain how he’ll be able to teach his little brother how to draw rocket ships, build Lego’s, play soccer, make paper airplanes, etc.!

 

·      When the baby is born, have a gift prepared for each older sibling that is “from” the baby. We will be purchasing Lego sets and stuffed animals for each one. Also, have the kids give a “birthday gift” to the baby. Make sure to pack it ahead of time so the kids can bring it with them when they come to meet the baby for the first time. Make sure to have the camera ready to capture the moment they present the gift as well.

 

·      Have your child make a drawing to frame and hang in the baby’s room. I especially love this one!

 

After the baby is born:

 

·      Make sure to take pictures of both the new baby and the older siblings. Also take plenty of individual pictures of each child as well.

 

·      Have a few small gifts prepared for the older children when the baby receives gifts from friends/family.

 

·      Make sure to continue to snuggle with your older children and give them individual attention when you have the opportunity.

 

·      Invite the kids to sit next to you when nursing. Remind the kids how good they were at eating. Also, open up the photo album of when the older kids were born. They love seeing what they looked like as babies.

 

We’ll see how our youngest transitions. So far, he’s pretty excited. In fact, all the kids are pretty excited. For that, we are thankful.

I shared with all of you recently in this post that I’m a big believer in using natural deodorant. I’ve tried a variety of brands including Native. It’s one of my favorites and I always include it in my list of recommended brands whenever someone asks about natural deodorants.
Why do I love it so much? First and foremost, it’s safe! My oldest daughter just started using deodorant and one of the first things I told her was the importance of choosing an option with clean ingredients. This means using a brand like Native that is free of aluminum, parabens, sulfates, talc, etc.. Second, it works! Native has so many amazing scents like coconut + vanilla and lavender + rose and other limited edition seasonal scents.
Native is so amazing they’ve actually been mentioned on POPSUGAR, The Today Show, Women’s Health and more! Sounds like a winner to me, but I was convinced immediately after starting to use it years ago. If you’ve been wanting to try a natural deodorant, you can give Native a go risk-free because of their free return and exchange policy within the US. I have a feeling you’re going to love it though, and once you do, you can subscribe to save 17% every time its delivered to your door! I’ll definitely admit that Native is priced at a premium, but the benefits of using a clean product are 100% worth it to me and my family! The first two I bought, tried and loved were lavender & rose and cucumber & mint.
Which one will you try first?
Shot on location at Venice Beach, California. My overalls are One Teaspoon // Her overalls Hudson jeans
Thank you Native Deodorant for sponsoring this post!

We bought a car!

My teenage dream was to have a suburban and six kids. I’m not sure why I decided this was my family goal, but my vision was set. Ever since we discovered we were pregnant with number 5, we found our beloved 7 passenger SUV to be lacking some much-needed cargo space. After researching, friendly conversation and a little negotiation, Reid and I agreed on a car! Reid will admit he still wants a smaller SUV, but alas, I won. Who can turn down a dream I’ve had since I was 15, let alone a 36-week pregnant woman! We drove home with a silver Yukon XL and I believe we got a pretty good deal on it. Read on.

How did you buy it?

We decided to try Hertz Rent2Buy, which works like this: You reserve the car online, rent it for a couple days and if you decide to buy it, they waive the rental fee. So we reserved a silver Yukon XL, but when we picked up the car, they brought us a gold one instead. We decided to pass on the gold and wait for our first color choice—the silver 2017 GMC YUKON XL. We ended up looking all over the web, craigslist and local dealerships until Reid found a silver one online at Hertz Car Sales in San Diego. We liked how responsive they were and, yes, the price was a big deciding factor—they sell under KBB value. Bonus!

We made a day trip to San Diego to look at the car and ultimately decided to bite the bullet and purchase it. Ironically, once the kids learned the new car rules, like no eating, no crayons, no drinking, they actually decided they liked our old car better. Oh well. It’s my dream. I’m super happy and can’t wait to pack for a long road trip! Big Sur, Omaha, Vail…

It’s officially back to school season and I am running around like a crazy person. Any other moms feel like summer went by way too fast, but are also happy to send the kids back to school? Such a catch 22. But anyway, with this time of year comes back to school shopping and I’m looking to one of my favorite brands to get the job done—Uniqlo.

GIRLS

BOYS
boys blue stripe tee // yellow puffer jacket// boys flannel shirt and red padded vest// boys jeans (yay for a relaxed fit and elastic waist, less complaints!) // socks not pictured but pretty necessary
A note on size: I found the fit pretty true to size. The 5/6 fit my 5 year old perfectly all the way up to my 10 year old who took the 9/10 size. 

Uniqlo really is a one-stop-shop for all things back to school. They’ve been around since 1984 (started in Japan—so cool!), which tells me they must be doing something right. And their prices are so reasonable. They actually design and manufacture every single item they sell, which is what keeps prices down.

Because I’m all too knowledgeable on how rough my kids, in particular, are on clothes and shoes, I’m all about an affordable retailer with good quality items! I was also happy to discover they sell baby onesies as well. If you’re looking for simple clothes at a great price-point, check out Uniqlo now! Ps. I did purchase this dress and trench to match my daughters and still can’t believe how affordable and chic their clothing is! Now, if I could only convincing Reid we need to go to Paris was just as easy. Ha!

All opinions are my own. Thank you Uniqlo for sponsoring this post!

LOL tee // girl’s moto bootie //girls hoodie tunic // girl’s cat flat // girls skinny jeans // boys flannel shirt // boys reversible camo jacket // boys lined jeans // boys green rugby 

4 Back to School Tips

I’m a big believer in EASING your kids into school. It’s a big change for moms, dads, and kids alike, so here are some tips to make that transition easier!

1. Go to bed earlier. I’ve found the back-to-school transition goes a lot smoother when kids are already adjusted to their new schedules. This means you should ease them into a morning schedule 4 weeks before school starts. I know that sounds like pulling teeth, but trust me, the keyword is EASE.
2. Have a treasure chest! I ordered all the little toys my kids are obsessed with from HERE so when they’re done with a subject or practicing piano or pass some test or goal, they get to choose ONE item from the chest. This works best for ages 5-10, in my experience.
3. Lower your expectations. The first couple weeks are rough getting into the new routine. Give yourself and your kids some grace!
4. Set their clothes and shoes out the night before. This helps so much so there’s no room for guessing or a possible disagreement. 
Thank you Lands’ End for sponsoring this post!

my kids backpacks: map // sharks // leopard // stone arch

My kids love to bring their scooters to the park and run around finding lizards probably just as much as they love seeing their names on a back pack! Their back pack’s arrived today with many adoring fans. And guess what? Today is national backpack day!! Use code BACKPACK and pin 2018, to get 50% off a back pack or coordinating lunch box with free shipping at Lands’ End.

This is THE time to get your son, daughter, niece or nephew a bag for school. My kids especially love them because they love seeing their names monogrammed on their bags – especially when you come from a big family, having your name on a bag is a big deal! Which one will you choose?

Thank you Lands’ End for sponsoring this post!