Category: Mommy Diaries

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Mommy Diaries Outdoor Gear

Aventura Spring Clothing Line – Modest & Comfortable

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For those of you that have seen the inside of our Airstream closet, you know we don’t have much room. Its not even the size of a normal person closet, yet we cram 5 people’s worth of clothes in it.  Top a small closet off with the extreme dislike of shopping and its a wonder I don’t wear my pajamas all day. Although we don’t have a lot of clothes what we do have are our favorites, so I’m super picky about the clothes I keep and wear.

Last year, I was introduced to Aventura – a company passionate about creating fashionable clothing with a low environmental impact. Every year they select Brand Ambassadors, and this year I was selected to be one! I couldn’t be more excited. As an ambassador we are given complimentary outfits in spring and fall in exchange for expressing our opinions and sharing the brand through our blogs and social media channels. Sweet deal, right?

Of course as soon as I committed I had cold feet. What if I  didn’t like their clothes? Let’s face it, I really don’t have room for more clothes. This is silly, I hate putting photos of myself out on social media. I’m SO not a fashion blogger.

All of these thoughts and more kept running through my head until I actually got my first shipment of clothes. Now? I’m seriously in love. Super comfortable, fashionable, and modest. I actually bought my first pair of colored capri pants as well – whoa! Totally branching out here. It helps that my family keeps telling me how cute I look (if the clothes fit Rachel I would definitely buy her some), and I feel great.

With our active lifestyle, I feel like my clothes need to hold up against wear and tear, move easily, but still look great. Although we rarely travel with suitcases, I’ve also heard their clothes pack well for vacation.! One friend even told me she’s had a skirt for years, taken it all over the globe, and it still looks like new. Perfect.

I feel like the entire spring line is light weight fabric, so although many of my choices are long sleeved- they aren’t too warm. Perfect for those cool days that aren’t quite summer.

Okay, so out of all the clothes in their spring line what did I pick? Here’s a run down of my favorites:

Outfit Combo #1

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The Arden Capris come in 11 different colors – so its super easy to mix and match with their various tops. My only complaint is that the waist is a bit big for the size and I have to wear a belt. I think next time I’ll order a size smaller and see how that goes. I love the Savannah Top as its flowly, yet still feminine and not baggy. The Erin top in black was a safe bet, but I’m thinking about ordering another one in pink. I love the sleeves and the back detail on the Raleigh Top and it goes great underneath the Redford Jacket (which also comes in 9 colors!) and has become one of my all time favorite pieces of clothing. Ever.

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Hanging out in Hot Springs, AR
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Evening walk with the family in Bella Vista, AR

Outfit Combo #2
spring outfit 1

I needed a new skirt, and the Arlington is long enough it comes just below my knees. It has the right amount of “swish” while not being too flowy and showing everything. The Pinellas Top is another stretch for me – its super cute and lightweight but I’m not sure how much I’ll wear it. Hoping to branch out my style and really learn to love this one. The Kyle Wrap has also become a staple! It looks great thrown over practically anything, and is a great piece to grab if you’re unsure what the temperature will be in a few hours.

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Meeting up with friends for pizza in Comfort, TX

Outfit Combo #3
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Another pair of capris – surprise! I already own shorts and my long, convertible hiking pants, so capris were a naturally addition to my wardrobe. I LOVE the Neema Hoodie, although I feel like it runs a little large. The Lulu Top is a bit more fancy. Its hard to see but there’s actually some green underneath the lacing. Not sure if I love that part, but it also goes great with my black pencil skirt for church.

 

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Sunday afternoon walk down by the river.

Outfit Combo #4

Once I retired one old skirt, I decided they all needed to go so that meant I needed another Sunday, church outfit. I love the Ashby Maxi Dress. The detail on the bottom is super pretty, and it has wide shoulders which work great with the Kyle Wrap in black or white. This is what I’m wearing on Mother’s Day and I’m super excited!

spring outfit 3

I really had a hard time deciding on my outfits, and actually ended up ordering quite a few more pieces myself. It was definitely time for a wardrobe change, so I don’t mind. Excited to keep wearing these outfits all summer and can’t wait to see what they have for fall.

If you are interested in trying out Aventura (or already love them and just need some new clothes!) comment below and I’ll email you a 60% off coupon good for up to a $250 order. They have also recently started a customer appreciation program called #AventuraLife. Its totally free to sign up and you can earn free shipping and discounts on clothes as well. Wahoo!!

For other ideas check out these posts from other Aventura ambassadors:

Alyssa- kidproject.org
Amy – Pit Stops for Kids
365 Atlanta Family

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San Antonio, TX Riverwalk
Categories
Mommy Diaries

We Need to Seriously Slow Down

DSCF4585-EditI’m a true believer in needing opposition in all things. Its hard to experience joy when you don’t know sadness. Beauty is all the same unless you’ve also seen something ugly. Travel and living adventure is fabulous, but only if you also have downtime.

We had a great time in Florida this winter, and I felt our pace was unhurried. We spent 14 weeks just bopping around the state from place to place and experiencing the different environments and ecosystems the state had to offer.

Then we headed west, and things started picking up. We ran into friends along the Emerald Coast, in New Orleans, and had a few meet-ups in both San Antonio and Austin. Combine friends with big cities, lots of tourist attractions, and plenty of outdoor activities and suddenly we started running ourselves ragged.

Its been a real struggle for me. More than just our most recent schedule, however, I’ve had an underlying feeling of needed a bit more community, and honestly less route planning would go a long way in reducing my stress levels. A frantic schedule on top of those feelings led to me being a bit of a mess the last few weeks. I apologize if you’ve seen me and I’ve been ragged, tired, and a bit short with my attention span.

We’ve been holed up in Hot Springs, AR for almost a week. In a campground where most people only spend a night, we’ve been here six and its been fantastic. Drizzly, overcast weather has helped keep us indoors to just get things done. We’ve been cranking on school, work, blog organization, and I’ve even read a few books.

While its a temporary fix, slowing down and spending a week in places where we normally would only spend 3-4 days will hopefully help us bridge the gap until we execute Phase 2 of the Currently Wandering plan. While we aren’t exactly sure what that phase will look like, we have goals and and ideals we’d love to incorporate into our family life that are difficult to do full time on the road.  So, maybe we’ll graduate to a more hybrid approach. Whatever we end up doing, this year is bound to be exciting!

Categories
Florida Mommy Diaries

New Year, New Possibilities

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New Year’s Eve found us sitting on a moat wall outside a Civil War era fort on an island 70 miles from Key West. We laughed, talked, reminisced, and watched the brilliant reds and oranges of the sunset paint the sky as the sun dipped below the horizon.

In that moment, I couldn’t think of any place I’d rather be. I was surrounded by my husband and kids in a magical place as we explored, pushed our personal boundaries, relaxed, and enjoyed each others’ company.

We each took turns voicing our favorite adventure from the year as well as speculating on where 2016 would take us. The possibilities were endless. When we sold our house and decided to travel two years ago, an entire world opened up to us. Suddenly we could do anything, and be anything we wanted and that feeling hasn’t changed. We continue to feel liberated with the freedom to create and shape our family without many of the social pressures we felt while living in our house.

We aren’t the type of people that make solid New Year’s Resolutions. I can never keep them anyway, so I prefer to make shorter, easily attainable goals that help me progress throughout the year. Or if they aren’t easily attainable, I prefer vague, broad goals that easily have a chance of me hitting them without trying. Some of those include, “continue to eat healthy and exercise regularly,” or “try something new”

Nestled in the broad goals that may eventually become more specific, there are also a few things we do plan on doing or seeing this year. Unfortunately, the ever elusive state of Maine is not on this list, but eventually we’ll get there too.

In 2016 we’d like to:

  • See a rocket launch
  • Explore Arkansas
  • Go on a multi-day river rafting trip
  • Backpack in the Sawtooth Mountains, Idaho
  • attend Camp Noyo with Sam’s family
  • Teach our kids how to ski

Its not a long list, but I don’t feel it needs to be. I feel like this year will be less about states we visit, or Junior Ranger Badges we earn, but the outdoor adventures we go on together as a family. I can’t wait.

Categories
Daily Life Mommy Diaries Utah

I Don’t Trust Myself in Suburbia

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“Just get out the door. Just get out the door,” I chant to myself as things start to look bleak for our afternoon adventure. In a perfect world, our kids jump up, excited to get out the door and explore. The reality, however, usually consists of a whole lot of whining.

“I don’t want to go,” says Rachel, our oldest. “That doesn’t sound fun. Do we have to?”

I sigh, count to ten and then looked at my daughter. “Yes. We really need to get outside. We are going and I want absolutely no more complaining. You’ll feel better when we get there.” The longer we go without hiking, the harder it is to get everyone motivated.

Rachel looks at me doubtfully, but nods realizing she’s lost this battle and heads toward the bedroom to change into her hiking pants.

We have been staying with my parents in Utah for over a week and this was the first opportunity we had to get outside on a hike. With Little Cottonwood Canyon only about 20 minutes away, I feel like a complete failure because it has taken us so long to carve out an afternoon to get up there. We are advocates for an active, outdoor, adventure, family-oriented lifestyle so what does that say about me when I can’t even get us out the door in over a week?

It says that life in Suburbia is hard and we are cheaters.

There’s something about being in a house (luckily not my own) that makes me lazy. As a family, its so much easier to spread out into the far corners of the house and be completely unaware of each other. The kids are upstairs playing nicely, so I’ll jump on my laptop for a few minutes and suddenly an hour goes by and I have no idea what anyone else doing. Its much easier to let the kids stay inside and play with toys than it is to grab our gear and hit the trails. Its even easier to let grandma play with the kids while I “get things done”.

I just don’t trust myself in a “normal,” suburban lifestyle. I don’t have the willpower to get us outside and exploring from a house, and I love how much we’ve been able to explore over the last two years from our Airstream. Its cheating. We don’t have to deal with soccer, or cub scout meetings, or neighborhood friends, or all the other distractions that pull us away from each other and use up all of our time. Don’t get me wrong – those things can be good. They just aren’t what is best for us right now.

As we hike up the hill towards Cecret Lake, I watch my kids break up ice in the frozen stream, and stare with wonder at the sky as it starts to snow. They run up the trail with their cousins, and for the first time in over a week I start to relax. I knew we’d all feel better after a little outdoor therapy, but I never realize how much better until we get there.

Rachel looks over at me and smiles. “Thanks for bringing us up here,” she says. “Its so nice to be back outside!”

I know exactly what she means.
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Categories
Mommy Diaries

While the Cat’s Away, the Mouse Will Stay Up Until 3am Watching Netflix

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I really kept thinking I should go to bed, but for some reason I just didn’t feel tired. It had been an exhausting day and I should have dropped off to sleep, but Royal Pains kept calling my name and tempting me with one more episode. Netflix auto playing to the next episode is such a sneaky design feature.

Every time Sam leaves for a work meeting or conference I have aspirations for getting more done than when he’s here. How I became that delusional is up for debate, since running this circus with two of us is hard enough. Instead I find that by the time the kids are in bed,  the dishes are washed, and there is some order to the trailer I have no brain power left over for blogging, editing, or anything productive. Thus, Netflix.

Amazingly I was still conscious during the day and helped the kids plow through school and even a bike ride. We had a good time, but I’m grateful when my better half is home to help keep my schedule sane!