Oaklyn's Spring Favorites

Saturday, April 28, 2018
Thank you to BabbleBoxx for sponsoring this post! All opinions stated are mine alone. 


Does anyone else have a hard time entertaining their toddler all day?? I know it can't just be me haha. These little kiddos are learning and developing so much daily that they are constantly wanting something new and exciting to do. Oaklyn is always getting herself into mischief just because she is bored. I feel like I'm always finding her doing something messy or just strange! haha. Her brain needs to be challenged daily because at this age, she loves to learn new things. We recently put her in gymnastics so she has something fun to look forward to and all the new skills she is learning gives her something to practice throughout the week, therefore filling up some of her time! I'm also really hoping we can get her into preschool soon! In the meantime though, she's home with me all day and I am constantly looking for ways to keep her entertained and having fun! We recently teamed up with BabbleBoxx to receive their Just 4 Kids box and we were so excited to see the contents! Oaklyn was oohing and ahhing over everything she got and I was so happy when it gave her something to do as I was trying to get things done! Everything in this box is perfect for toddlers and young kids and would even make great birthday presents! I feel like we go to lots of birthday parties in the spring and summer and we're always trying to think of fun gift ideas. All of this fun stuff would be perfect! So what exactly is in this box?? Let me tell you!

The Snazaroo Brush Pen
Does your kid like to have their face painted? Oaklyn loves it! It makes her feel special and she thinks it is so fun to decide what to paint on her face. She about wet her pants from excitement when I told her I was going to paint her face and it wasn't even a special occasion, ha! The Snazaroo Brush pen is a clever two-in-one product that features a brush applicator and high-quality liquid face paint! It is available in 12 different colors, is fragrance and paraben free, and is suitable for sensitive skin! It can be purchased on Snazaroo.com and amazon! It's so fun that Oaks can quickly transform into what she wants to be for the day and that it easily washes off for nap time! The other day she wanted a butterfly on one cheek and a heart on the other and was giddy all day once she saw her creations come to life!



Jane M. Rose-Vallee Books - Dinosaurs Living in My Hair & Dinosaurs Living in My Hair 2
Oaklyn has the most adorable and fun imagination. I have absolutely loved seeing it come out more and more as she gets older. Her imagination runs wild constantly and I always want to encourage her to dream big and embrace her creative nature. I have always been a creative person that loves to bring my imagination to life. I can see a lot of that in Oaklyn too. This series of whimsical award-winning children's books encourages children to color outside the lines and embrace their creative, imaginative spirit. Oaklyn loves looking at the beautiful illustrations in these books and telling me all she sees on each page. These books, told in rhyme, are charming and adorable. We love children's books about inclusion while also captivating her attention. You can find out more about the book here and use code FREESHIP for free shipping! 


PEZ Jurassic World Collection
After reading the book all about dinosaurs in hair, Oaklyn was so excited to open her T-Rex PEZ Candy! Let's be honest here, I was excited too! I love those delicious little candies and always have! Oaklyn had so much fun eating the candies, and then playing with the dispenser. PEZ will soon launch the all new Jurassic World Collection with three new dispensers: T-Rex, Blue the Raptor, and Dilophosaurus. Also included in the initial launch will be a twin pack featuring T-Rex and Blue the Raptor in a Jurassic World themed box! On June 1, 2018 PEZ will also be launching their click and play gift tin! It will feature 4 dispensers and each of them can remove the top to then use in a board game! All of these fun new collectibles can be found at select retailers nationwide and here online!



Sprout Crispy Chews
If I let her, I think Oaklyn could live off of fruit snacks. There's something about the texture and the flavor that every toddler just loves. When it comes to toddler snacks though, I try to look for better options. I love these Sprout Crispy Chews because they aren't your average fruit snack! They are crisped whole grain rice, fruits, and vegetables that are blended together into a delicious and chewy fruit snack! Get this moms, they are made with a FULL serving of real fruits and vegetables and they taste great! Oaklyn loved the Red Fruit Beet and Berry the most but the Orchard Fruit and Carrot was also delicious! We have brought the little single serving pouches in the car, to church, to the park, and any other outing because they are perfect for an on the go snack. I'm so glad I can feel good about giving her these! You can find out more about the product by heading here!



Zenni Optical Kids Glasses
Does your kid need glasses but hate keeping them on?? These ones are so cute and Oaklyn loved wearing them because they were so comfortable! Zenni Optical provides Kid's Flexible glasses for toddlers to pre-teens! These glasses are designed for some serious play which we all know is exactly what little ones need! There are no hinges, no metal parts, and they have an adjustable/detachable strap. You can check out this video and head to this website for more info on these glasses.



So what do you think your little one would enjoy playing with the most this Spring?? There's definitely something for everyone in this box!

All my love,
Aleigh Joy



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Mom's 50th Birthday Party: 80's theme!

Saturday, April 14, 2018

We celebrated my mom's 50th birthday last week with the coolest 80's theme party like...ever! From a live band to a delicious dinner, and glow sticks to leg warmers... we all had a blast! We had been planning this party for months and months so  when it finally came we called it her wedding, ha! It took a lot of preparation but I think it all paid off with how it came out. I thought I'd share the details of it with you guys and how we put it all together. So, here we go!



First things first, let's talk about the food! My mom knew she wanted to have dinner for everyone and upon looking at different catering options, we fell in love with what we saw from Luna Grill. I had eaten at their restaurant several times before so I knew I liked it, but their catering went above and beyond. We were so impressed! I kept hearing from all the guests how much they enjoyed the food. There were options for everyone and plenty to feed all the people that were there. They supplied everything, set up and took down everything, stayed to serve everyone, and decorated so elegantly. We loved that we didn't have to worry about the food at all because they were on the ball and completely took care of it. Our menu included a Greek salad, pita bread, hummus, veggies, basmati rice, grilled chicken kabob, bistro beef kabob, and grilled veggie kabob. You can check out their website here and find the nearest location to you. You can also take a look at all their catering options here. We highly recommend them!









Next up let's talk about the party rentals. When serving dinner, you need to make sure people have a place to eat... right?? We did some research online and found out that in San Diego, Allie's Party Rental is the place to go for all your rental needs! We were able to get the round tables from them, black fold up chairs, the bar, the belly bars, the riser for the band, and all of the linens for the tables. Everything arrived the day before so that we were able to play around with the layout and not stress about timing the day of. They delivered everything to us and came and picked it all up once the party was over. Renting from them was a very smooth and easy process and we were impressed with their customer service. Everything we rented from them was in good condition and really helped the party look above and beyond. They have so many different options of party rentals on their site that you are sure to find everything you need all in one place. They also have the option to sit down with a planner and have them help you create the party/wedding/event of your dreams! You can check out their website here and see all they have to offer!












Okay next let's talk decor. Okay, this was a BLAST to decorate. A little out of my element since I'm a 90's baby, but once we got going, it was so much fun. When planning we just kept envisioning black and lots and lots of neon. We asked everyone to dress in 80's attire and that made it even more fun. There were fish nets, leg warmers, shoulder pads, MTV shirts, wigs, off the shoulder shirts, fanny packs, bangles, zebra pants, teased hair, and tons of scrunchies! It was so much fun to see what everyone came up with. For the tables we chose to keep it pretty simple. We did black table cloths and black chairs with a mirror round in the center. The centerpiece was a tall glass vase with black raffia and glow sticks It looked so fun as it got darker outside. We strung market street lights over the area with the tables and where the band played to supply extra lighting. For the candy barI used my cricut to cut out some little records, I designed the sign in the back and we just stuck it on a piece of poster board, and the banner on the bottom is tulle pom poms. There was all 80's candy stuck in apothecary jars and glass jars. The belly bars had a black table cloth with neon colored tulle tied in a bow around the middle. We stuck more round mirrors with magic 8 balls and rubrics cubes in the center. These were placed near the band. The cake table was so fun! My mom cued a card table to make a pac man game on the top. She used blue painters tape to re-create it. We made a lemon cake and decorated it like ms pac man, then I used my cricut to cut out some pink circles to place the mini cupcakes on. The background was just bright colored streamers taped to to the wall and a simple happy birthday banner. I loved it! For the snack table my mom's friends brought some fun 80's snacks like cheez wiz and bugles! The cassette tape banner and the circle banner were made with my cricut. The entry table had a cork board with old pictures of my mom. It was so fun to see those photos! My mom's friend made the adorable cards box to look like a boom box. We put all of the glow sticks on this table for people to get decked out once it got darker. We also had a photo booth and kept th backdrop simple with a black door curtain, but my mom had tons of fun with the props! I saw people taking photos all night. 





















Lastly, the entertainment! The first hour or so people ate dinner, mingled, and snacked. It was fun to catch up with old friends and new friends! Once it got a little darker the band got started and played for the rest of the party. They were awesome! People were dancing, singing along, mingling at the snack table, sitting and watching the band perform, and even getting up on stage and dancing, ha! Once the band was done people stayed around to talk and snack and needless to say, we were all pretty tired the next day! Having a band come and play, dressed in 80's attire and covering 80's songs was awesome. Everyone had a blast!















This party was so fun to plan and attend and we are so thankful for the two sponsors, Luna Grill and Allie's Party Rental! I hope you all enjoyed this post! To see some live play by plays head to my instagram stories highlights!

All my love,
Aleigh Joy


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