We've almost made it to the finish line... today is the day!
As I reflect on our (long) move, I definitely have gain an appreciation for DOORS that can be shut between rooms and also I believe have insights into helpful lists of things to have when staying in an extended stay and moving with children. I will have upcoming posts on those.
For now... today is the day, and I will soon be able to wrap up my MOVING PLAYLIST! (Yay!) So I wanted to leave it here since it will slowly drop its way off of the front of BeingMommywithStyle. I'm looking forward to the adventure ahead - and all of the renovation & decoration projects headed our way too!!
Check out the moving playlist here:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLiFP1-yFEAllJjT-EqsHnRSjHmC29rKVg
Friday, August 21, 2015
Wednesday, August 19, 2015
Planner UPDATE! Sticker Issues...
I now have an Etsy sticker problem. And an Erin Condren & Plum Paper Planner on the way to compare.
Will report back more on what works, after they are here!! :D
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| Stickers from Sticker*Sters on Etsy! |
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| Stickers from The Sticker Patch on Etsy! |
Thursday, August 6, 2015
PLANNER UPDATE: Moving from a Binder Style to a Bound Style??
As the new school year quickly approaches, I've been thinking a lot about my planner and whether my current situation is going to work well for now having one in all day kindergarten and another beginning preschool. I will now not only contain our household schedule, meal planning, and personal appointments in my planner - but also juggle school deadlines, field trips, and special school dates in my calendar as well.
Just writing it out seems a bit overwhelming. In the past, I've tried having multiple agendas - one for each "subject" or area of life it pertained to, and I found this just didn't work for me. What works best, is having one extremely efficient planner that can do it all - so I can reference our entire schedule at a glance.
So now the question becomes... is my current planner situation going to work for me? My answer I'm thinking is... probably not?
As pretty as it is, the Kikki K isn't the most practical design for holding multiple schedules and it is also too big to carry in my purse comfortably. I'm on the hunt to find the perfect planner replacement and with a little under a month to do so! I'm considering making the switching back to a "bound style" planner. Brands such as Blue Sky Day Designer (found at Target), Erin Condren, and Plum Paper Planner all offer this bound style planner.
For years I have been using more of a "binder style" planner, like the Filofax, Louis Vuitton, and Kikki K styles that I currently own - you purchase paper inserts for each year (or they arrive with them new also) and place them into the binder area. There are usually card slots, pen holders, and paper slots as well with these types of binder style planners.
The problem with them is... they're bulky. Really bulky. And heavy. If I want to grab my planner and bring it along - well, I just don't. They are too bulky!
For this upcoming school year, I'd like to try something that has plenty of writing space to hold all AND can easily be carried from area to area in our house - with the possibility of being able to bring it out of the house as well if needed. I've picked up the Blue Sky Day Designer from Target to try out the style and see what I think - if it works great, I might even look into getting a more customizable planner in the bound style as well.
Have you ever made the switch from a binder style planner to a bound planner? Did it work out well for you?
Check out my Planner Update on YouTube:
* This is not a sponsored post. All opinions are my own.
Just writing it out seems a bit overwhelming. In the past, I've tried having multiple agendas - one for each "subject" or area of life it pertained to, and I found this just didn't work for me. What works best, is having one extremely efficient planner that can do it all - so I can reference our entire schedule at a glance.
So now the question becomes... is my current planner situation going to work for me? My answer I'm thinking is... probably not?
As pretty as it is, the Kikki K isn't the most practical design for holding multiple schedules and it is also too big to carry in my purse comfortably. I'm on the hunt to find the perfect planner replacement and with a little under a month to do so! I'm considering making the switching back to a "bound style" planner. Brands such as Blue Sky Day Designer (found at Target), Erin Condren, and Plum Paper Planner all offer this bound style planner.
For years I have been using more of a "binder style" planner, like the Filofax, Louis Vuitton, and Kikki K styles that I currently own - you purchase paper inserts for each year (or they arrive with them new also) and place them into the binder area. There are usually card slots, pen holders, and paper slots as well with these types of binder style planners.
The problem with them is... they're bulky. Really bulky. And heavy. If I want to grab my planner and bring it along - well, I just don't. They are too bulky!
For this upcoming school year, I'd like to try something that has plenty of writing space to hold all AND can easily be carried from area to area in our house - with the possibility of being able to bring it out of the house as well if needed. I've picked up the Blue Sky Day Designer from Target to try out the style and see what I think - if it works great, I might even look into getting a more customizable planner in the bound style as well.
Have you ever made the switch from a binder style planner to a bound planner? Did it work out well for you?
Check out my Planner Update on YouTube:
* This is not a sponsored post. All opinions are my own.
Wednesday, August 5, 2015
Extended Stay Meals!
Living in an extended stay while waiting for our new house to be available has been a challenge, but I'm hoping that by sharing our experience we can give other people headed into the same situation some ideas - or just the knowledge that they aren't alone!
Eating while in the extended stay is one of those easy/hard type of things... because yes - the room does have a kitchenette area, with a refrigerator, microwave, and stovetop. However, it doesn't have an oven and you really start to realize how much you use something - when you not longer have it!
I've tried to be resourceful and figure out some stove top meals that we could make and would also allow for leftovers so that my husband would have food to take for lunch. After dragging my feet, I also went and bought another CROCK POT - a tiny, little one that looks adorable on the counter by the way! - and it has been one of the best purchases for the room so far!
Here are some of our recent grocery hauls of the food I purchased to make for meal in the extended stay!
Organization wise - I purchased a laundry basket with wheels that has been FAB-ulous... and I would highly recommend if you're looking at being in an extended stay for a period of time. And I also picked up a drying rack, which has been handy for extra towels, swimsuits, and also clothing on laundry day.
* We are a family of four on a relocation journey from Illinois to Michigan for my husband's job! We are staying in an extended stay for a number of weeks while we wait for our new house to become available, and our Illinois house has sold. Follow along as I attempt to cook for our family, entertain preschoolers in a hotel room, and keep us organized along the way!
** All opinions are my own. This is not a sponsored post.
Eating while in the extended stay is one of those easy/hard type of things... because yes - the room does have a kitchenette area, with a refrigerator, microwave, and stovetop. However, it doesn't have an oven and you really start to realize how much you use something - when you not longer have it!
I've tried to be resourceful and figure out some stove top meals that we could make and would also allow for leftovers so that my husband would have food to take for lunch. After dragging my feet, I also went and bought another CROCK POT - a tiny, little one that looks adorable on the counter by the way! - and it has been one of the best purchases for the room so far!
Here are some of our recent grocery hauls of the food I purchased to make for meal in the extended stay!
Organization wise - I purchased a laundry basket with wheels that has been FAB-ulous... and I would highly recommend if you're looking at being in an extended stay for a period of time. And I also picked up a drying rack, which has been handy for extra towels, swimsuits, and also clothing on laundry day.
* We are a family of four on a relocation journey from Illinois to Michigan for my husband's job! We are staying in an extended stay for a number of weeks while we wait for our new house to become available, and our Illinois house has sold. Follow along as I attempt to cook for our family, entertain preschoolers in a hotel room, and keep us organized along the way!
** All opinions are my own. This is not a sponsored post.
Tuesday, August 4, 2015
Sea Life Aquarium - Great Lakes Crossing Michigan
We visited Sea Life Aquarium at Great Lakes Crossing for the first time. I honestly may do a separate video on our thoughts on it, because I know I was asked a number of times on my Instagram pictures whether it is "worth it" or not... My husband was really not thrilled with the value to experience ratio. It held Bella's attention (5 years old) and she enjoyed it - however Natalie (3 years old) lost interest mid way through in the "darker" areas.
Here's a comparison of just the numbers, without getting into any sort of critique of how the exhibits were...
For 2 Adults, 2 Children (over age 3):
1 Day at Sea Life Aquarium... $84
1 YEAR Membership at Detroit Zoo... $79
Detroit Zoo is obviously a great value and I spend an additional few hundred dollars a year there to continue supporting them as well, making a point to go to special events, purchase food and merchandise there. (Sea Life Yearly membership is $260.) However, for the content available - I'm not sure I would recommend Sea Life unless you are just wanting to try it out and especially like fish.
A General Admission to Shedd Aquarium in Chicago, a short 5 hour drive away and MUCH larger aquarium, with a wider variety of animals - what I would consider to be an "actual" aquarium is $8 per adult and $6 for children... a total admission of $28 for the same family of four.
I would be inclined to suggest you drive to Chicago and spend the night there, applying the additional purchase price towards a hotel to visit Shedd Aquarium. Parking does cost additional in Chicago if you're going to park a vehicle, so there are additional expenses (parking is free at Great Lakes Crossing)... however having had both experiences, I can say the Shedd Aquarium experience is a much grander experience and would be my recommendation.
My local recommendation would be Detroit Zoo.
All of that being said, if you don't mind spending $84 and want to just try it out, it is nice that metro Detroit now has an "aquarium"... although it would be great if it were a bit bigger.
Check out a video our experience here:
Here are links with all of the info on the three places I listed above:
Shedd Aquarium - http://www.sheddaquarium.org/plan-a-visit/advance-ticket-options-tickets/
Detroit Zoo - www.detroitzoo.org
Sea Life - https://www.visitsealife.com/michigan/
** This is not a sponsored post. All opinions are my own.
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| Bella enjoyed completing the stamp book. |
Here's a comparison of just the numbers, without getting into any sort of critique of how the exhibits were...
For 2 Adults, 2 Children (over age 3):
1 Day at Sea Life Aquarium... $84
1 YEAR Membership at Detroit Zoo... $79
Detroit Zoo is obviously a great value and I spend an additional few hundred dollars a year there to continue supporting them as well, making a point to go to special events, purchase food and merchandise there. (Sea Life Yearly membership is $260.) However, for the content available - I'm not sure I would recommend Sea Life unless you are just wanting to try it out and especially like fish.
A General Admission to Shedd Aquarium in Chicago, a short 5 hour drive away and MUCH larger aquarium, with a wider variety of animals - what I would consider to be an "actual" aquarium is $8 per adult and $6 for children... a total admission of $28 for the same family of four.
I would be inclined to suggest you drive to Chicago and spend the night there, applying the additional purchase price towards a hotel to visit Shedd Aquarium. Parking does cost additional in Chicago if you're going to park a vehicle, so there are additional expenses (parking is free at Great Lakes Crossing)... however having had both experiences, I can say the Shedd Aquarium experience is a much grander experience and would be my recommendation.
My local recommendation would be Detroit Zoo.
All of that being said, if you don't mind spending $84 and want to just try it out, it is nice that metro Detroit now has an "aquarium"... although it would be great if it were a bit bigger.
Check out a video our experience here:
Here are links with all of the info on the three places I listed above:
Shedd Aquarium - http://www.sheddaquarium.org/plan-a-visit/advance-ticket-options-tickets/
Detroit Zoo - www.detroitzoo.org
Sea Life - https://www.visitsealife.com/michigan/
** This is not a sponsored post. All opinions are my own.
Monday, August 3, 2015
We're in Michigan!
Well... we made it to Michigan! We're currently enjoying a few weeks stay in an extended stay - that I'm sure will make us that much more appreciative to be in our new house! For now, we're keeping busy enjoying the new sights, trying new activities, and catching up with old friends!
I will be vlogging as much as possible while we are in the extended stay, and then near daily after we get into the house to document our relocation and renovation experience! After we get into the house, we will have a number of renovation and redecoration projects that I will want to get started on, which I will detail in a future post and video. I hope you enjoy following along!
See what we've been up to since we arrived in Michigan...
Welcome to Michigan!
I will be vlogging as much as possible while we are in the extended stay, and then near daily after we get into the house to document our relocation and renovation experience! After we get into the house, we will have a number of renovation and redecoration projects that I will want to get started on, which I will detail in a future post and video. I hope you enjoy following along!
See what we've been up to since we arrived in Michigan...
Welcome to Michigan!
Getting the girls enrolled in school!
First Michigan grocery haul!
Splash Pad Fun at KLR Splash Pad in Oxford, MI!
We become Detroit Zoo Members again!
Stay tuned for more MI fun!
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