Our Five Ring Circus: Friday Favorites

Friday, October 7, 2016

Friday Favorites

Happy Friday!!!

Can you believe we're already through the first week of October? HOW did that happen?!? We had a brief sneak peek of Fall weather last week but it warmed up again so it doesn't really feel like October. We're officially in the season where mornings and nights are chilly but the days are very warm. Finding the right clothing to wear can be very challenging!


This week, just like every other week since school started, kicked my butt. We are just so busy right now and it gets very overwhelming! Needless to say, I am SO glad it's Friday. I'm looking forward to a weekend full of sleeping in, decorating for Halloween, swapping Summer clothes for Fall clothes (Should I even bother yet?) and hanging out with my fellow Pittsburgh Moms Blog writers! Hopefully I can relax a bit, too!

FRIDAY FAVORITES

It's Friday which means it's time to share some of my favorite things! Here's what I'm currently loving:


Favorite Photo

Last Friday it stormed all day long. The girls and I took advantage of the brief break in the rain and headed to the stable to visit our horse. As we were driving, the most beautiful double rainbow appeared. I tried to pull over to take a picture but there was just too much traffic.  As we turned onto the long driveway that leads to the stable we saw that the rainbow looked like it started right behind the barn. I stopped the car and had the girls jump out for a photo op!

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Promotion

Now that it's official I'm finally allowed to talk about it! A promotion has been in the works for my husband since we were on vacation. He completely switched careers 4 years ago and decided to give it a go in the mortgage industry. He has been working so hard and putting in so many hours at the office and his hard work finally paid off!  He earned a HUGE promotion! Not only does he seem so much happier but it's literally life-changing for our family.  I'm so proud of him!

 Fall Clothing

I bought a few new clothing items for Fall over the weekend. Even though I love the warm weather, I am looking forward to all the cozy clothes. I just love sweaters, scarves, boot socks and boots. Perhaps it's because I'm always freezing!  I can't wait to wear these when the real Fall weather arrives!

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{Sweater-Kohl's / Boot Cuffs-TJ Maxx / White & Black Blanket Scarf-TJ Maxx / Red Plaid Blanket Scarf-Target

School Pictures

School Pictures. You either love them or you hate them! And, really, you never know what you're going to get! Dylan, Lexie and Lily got back their school pictures this week. Let's review...

Lexie's 4th Grade picture? They NAILED it!

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Dylan's 6th Grade picture was great but he's not happy with his hair. (Go figure.)

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Lily's Kindergarten picture on the other hand...well, I think I might actually take advantage of the retakes for the first time ever. At first glance, it's a cute picture. But a few things really bug me. It's hard to tell in this version but there's a very visible crumb on her lip. Her bow is on the opposite side of where it should be and it's falling out of her hair. And if you look closely at the bow it looks like it has mud all over it. There wasn't ever any mud on it so it's some defect in the photo.

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Halloween Mugs & Current Food Obsession 

I have a thing for mugs and tea cups and my collection is out of control. That being said, I couldn't possibly pass up a seasonal option! I also can't get enough of OIKOS Crunch right now. All the flavors are delicious, but I especially love the Lemon Shortbread. (This is not an ad...I just love it!)

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Halloween Clothing

I love buying holiday clothing for my kids! Right now, The Hairbow Company has some really adorable outfits! I love what they sent for us but I'm going to order a few more things! Use the code StefaniesPick2016 to save 15% on your order at checkout.

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Mealtime Essentials

I'm having so much fun being a Nuby Parent Blogger!  I recently tested out the Nuby No Spill Flip N' Sip cup with the 360 straw and the Wash or Toss Stackable Sectional Plates.

Three days a week I have to pick Lily up from Kindergarten then drop Liam off at school right at lunchtime. There's only a half hour between pickup and dropoff so there isn't enough time to go home. We've been spending that half hour at the park each day and I often pack a small picnic lunch.

The Wash or Toss Stackable Sectional Plates are great because the 4 plates stacked together are slim enough to slide into our picnic bag. I'm a big fan of plates that are divided into sections. We've been using them for the past few weeks and they are durable enough for repeat use!

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Liam only uses straw cups. The ones with the weighted straw that allow him to drink from any angle are our favorites. I also love the flip top lid that keeps the straw clean when the cup isn't in use. The handles are a great feature because it's often difficult for his tiny hands to grip a large cup!

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Kindergarten 

Lily was so excited for her fundraising walk at school today! I was initially nervous about how she would adjust to being one of the youngest kids in the class, but I'm so glad we decided to send her. She absolutely loves school and is always so enthusiastic about every little thing!

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The Best Learning App

I had the chance to review the Kidloland app for Liam and after using it for a week, I deleted almost every other learning app off of our device. Read my full review HERE and enter the giveaway!

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Down Syndrome Awareness Month

Liam and I are spending the month of October spreading Down syndrome awareness! Follow along on Instagram to see our daily posts on what life is REALLY like with Down syndrome!

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Teami 

I absolutely love hot tea and drink it all the time. I was recently introduced to Teami and I love their Focus and Relax blends! The infusers are really cute, too. Use the code LS10 to save 10% on your order!

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My Favorite Find

While I was searching Amazon for birthday gifts for Liam I found the coolest play mat! I couldn't pass it up. This circular mat is meant to be used for Lego play or for any small toys. It has a lip around the edge that helps keep small pieces from scattering during play. And when you're done, you just pull the drawstring and it becomes a storage bag! No cleanup necessary. I love it so much!

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That wraps up my favorite things for the week! I hope you all have an amazing October weekend. What's on your agenda?


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Let's Be Friends!






12 comments:

  1. That rainbow is amazing and so neat that it looks like it's right at the barn. Lexie's photo is a so great! I think Dylan's is too. Cracks me up that he's not happy with his hair. Lily's does looks great at first glance, but since you explained I see it. :) Good thing there are retakes.

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  2. Love the rainbow photo! I think the school photos look great. Zachary always takes bad school photos! I am glad Lily is happy in kindergarten. Simon is the youngest in his class and so far I'm still happy he started on time!

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  3. That last picture of all your kiddos together is precious. And all their school pictures turned out great. I'mean going to have to go to kohl's and find that sweater. Loving the lace at the bottom of it.

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  4. I LOVE that picture of the girls with the rainbow! How beautiful!

    And all of your kiddos sure are photogenic for school photos! Not one bad photo in the bunch!

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  5. Those school photos are so good!!! So sweet!

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  6. We love the app, too!! I have a review and giveaway coming up. Connor begs to play.

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  7. Busyness is a simile to fall, right? I've been drinking coffee in the afternoon lately, and I never do that! I just gotta keep moving!
    I love that black sweater from Kohls & I happen to have some Kohls cash burning a hole in my pocket. I may have to go pick myself up one! We can twin!!
    Congrats on your husband's promotion! It's always nice to see hard work rewarded!

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  8. WOW! They absolutely nailed their school pictures! Those are some of the best I've ever seen. You have such a beautiful family, Stefanie!

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  9. That rainbow photo is fantastic. Congrats to the hubby too. It must be nice to see all of that hard work pay off!

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  10. The rainbow pic!! Perfection!
    What are fall clothes, and when do you wear them? We are in perpetual summer over here, and dying for a reason to bust out a scarf or two.
    We've been looking for some new, good apps for Marcus. Headed to check out Kidloland!

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  11. Love the rainbow picture - it's just so vivid! Those Halloween outfits for your girls are just darling! Wish they made them in adult sizes :)

    happilyevergriedlscom.wordpress.com

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  12. Oh my gosh that picture of Liam with the ipad is so precious! He looks so grown up! I see what you're saying about Lily's photo but she is still so beautiful in it! I love fall clothes... I just wish we had more opportunities to wear them here!!! Yep its still in the high 90's here. :(

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