hudson’s tee + shorts + shoes  ||  hayden’s top + shorts + shoes  ||  houston’s tee + shorts
my dress + hat + shoes  ||  harper’s dress + shoes  ||  hunter’s tee + jeans + sandals

As much as I hate to admit it, Summer is coming to a close and we are officially back to school. I say it all the time, but this summer really flew by so dang fast!! We were constantly on the go and trying to fit in all the things, which I love, but I swear it made it fly by even faster!! So since we did so much that I didn’t even have time to really share, I thought it would be fun to do a little summer cat up recap!

houston’s top + similar jeans  ||  joe’s tee + shorts  ||  hayden’s top + shorts  ||  hudson’s tee  ||  harper’s similar romper  ||  my top (sold out) + jeans  ||  ballon banner

:: BIRTHDAYS

We love our summer birthday boys!! In July we celebrated our little Houston turning 4 and insisting he is NOT A BABY anymore. I am so big mom! You can check out some more updates on him and funny things he is saying here. Then in August we celebrated our Hudson turning 10!! He is so sweet and also such a big helper! I shared a few of my very favorite things about him over here. I can’t believe how quick they are growing up!

. . .

hayden’s tank + shorts + flip flops  ||  similar suitcase  ||  harper’s top  ||  houston’s top  ||
my top + jeans + sandals + sunglasses

:: TRAVEL

We spent a lot of the summer traveling! Although being cramped in the van together may not be my favorite thing in the world, making all those memories together as a family was so worth it!!

hunter’s cardigan + shorts  ||  joe’s tee + shorts  ||  hayden’s top + shorts  ||  houston’s shorts  ||
my top + similar shorts + sandals + hat

So our first big trip was to California for Hudson’s baseball tournament. Harper was quite the terror in the car, so we made a pit stop at Nana’s house to calm us all down and take a breather. Then it was on to California! It was full of a lot of baseball games, but we managed to squeeze in some fun in the sun and yummy food too!

hunter’s similar tank + similar shorts  ||  hayden’s top + similar shorts  ||  harper’s similar romper    joe’s tee + shorts + sandals + hat  ||  hudson’s tee + shorts  ||  my tee + shorts + hat + sandals

At the end of July we headed up to Idaho to spend some time with Joe’s family. It was so fun to just relax and catch up with them! Then we continued on up to Yellowstone for a little vacation with my sisters. We stayed at my brother in law’s family cabin right on Hebgen Lake, and it was stunning. We loved getting to go out on the boat. The bigger kids got to try wake boarding and surf for the first time and LOVED it! I even showed my stuff and proved to them I could ski! I’m pretty sure they thought I was too old to do anything cool. haha!

We spent one day in the park too to check out the sites! It is such a gorgeous place and we couldn’t believe all the amazing things to see! Our favorite spot was Grand Prismatic because the colors were unreal!!

joe’s tee + shorts + shoes  ||  my tee + jeans (+ similar) + shoes + sunglasses

Our last trip this summer, Joe and I took a little weekend trip to Boston. Neither of us had ever been, and we had so much fun! We loved seeing Fenway, shopping, and eating our way through the city. You can check out all of our favorites as well as a ton of recommendations from you guys over here.

. . .

my tank + leggings + similar shoes here + here

:: NEW PROJECTS

And of course it wouldn’t be summer without a few home projects to make us crazy?! So call us crazy, but we decided to add on a home gym on the side of our house, and Joe convinced me to do a pool in the backyard!! We did the majority of the gym ourselves with the help of my brother in law and it is just about done!!

As for the pool, it was full of a lot of delays thanks to the weather, but just in time for the last week of summer we got it done!! As a result, the kids have spent basically every minute possible in it and we are already loving it so much!!

. . .

That about sums up our summer! So as much as we hate to see it go, we are ready to take on a new school year and some more routine in our days! So I wanna know, what was your favorite part of summer?!

  hayden’s jacket  ||  blue lunchbox + gray lunch box + food containers

We are already heading back to school and I can’t believe it is already here! While we’ve done our best to live up every minute of summer, and I love having more structure in our days, I’m going to miss my bigger people being gone all day!! But with Back to School on the mind of everyone, I’ve been getting a lot of questions on how we do the kids lunches and if we have any kind of system. So today I am sharing my 5 tips to simplify your kids lunches and help it be more their responsibility!

hudson’s jacket/top  ||  hayden’s jacket  ||  blue lunchbox + gray lunch box + food containers

:: ORDER YOUR GROCERIES ONLINE

If there is one thing in the world I want every busy mom and really person in the world to know about, it is Walmart’s Online Grocery ordering. I’ve been using it consistently since we moved to Utah, and I don’t know how I functioned without it! They have two options and I am obsessed with both of them. The first one is the grocery pickup. You can order everything you need from the comfort of your bed, pick a time you can go pick it up and you are done. They bring it right to your car and load it up for you! It is a game changer!! I recently started doing their delivery option and am loving it even more. We even ordered the kids school supplies and lunchboxes using it! I love that I no longer have to worry about running out of bread or other lunch necessities and having to make a late night run to the store.

:: ASK THEM WHAT SOUNDS GOOD TO THEM WHEN PICKING OUT YOUR GROCERIES

Save yourself the drama in the morning by letting them help pick out what you are going to put in their lunch, especially when it comes to the snacks and sides. If they don’t get to have a say in what they are eating, chances are it is going to go to waste, because you won’t be there to stop them from throwing it away. Or worse…the dreaded full untouched lunch when they come home because it was “gross”. I love to have the kids sit down with me when I am ordering our groceries and pick out the things they want in their lunches. Walmart has some awesome options in bulk individual servings, perfect for quick packing. We avoid fighting over getting all the cookies in the store, but still get what they will enjoy eating. Any drama you can save yourself in the morning is worth it!

. . . SHOP OUR LUNCH FAVORITES . . .

:: PREP WHAT YOU CAN THE NIGHT BEFORE

I’ll be honest, we are not perfect and this tip doesn’t happen every day for us. But when it does our mornings go so much smoother. We don’t prep sandwiches in advance, but we will get all the sides that don’t need to be refrigerated, and put them in each lunch box in the pantry. Fill up their water bottles and have them nearby as well. Before bed we will set out all the tools needed to make their sandwiches, so it saves a few more minutes in our prep time. Taking the time to do what you can the night before when things are calm, frees up the much needed minutes during the morning rush.

:: GIVE EVERYONE A JOB

One thing I try to teach my kids is that jobs around the house are always a team effort. We work as a team and everything is not just my responsibility. The same goes for lunches. Everyone has a job. Someone is on sandwich duty and makes all the sandwiches so we aren’t in each others way and it gets done quicker. Another job is to pack all the sides the night before. Someone else is on water fill up. We work as a team to make it as efficient as possible!

. . . SHOP OUR FAVORITE LUNCH BOXES + ACCESSORIES . . .

:: HAVE A LUNCH DRAWER OR AREA

Last but not least is probably the biggest game changer tip to help simplify your kids lunches. Set aside a designated area in your pantry or kitchen as your kids lunches station. Make sure things are within their reach so you aren’t having to micro-manage anything. As you will see in our pantry, we have a couple of drawers that serve this purpose for us. I will order in bulk from Walmart, and instead of putting away the big boxes, we separate. The granola bars go in a drawer for easy access. Things like goldfish crackers are individually bagged in lunch size servings so they can just grab a baggie and put it in their lunchbox. Taking the time to stock this area after each grocery trip and have it ready to go save sooooo much time in the lunch making process.

. . .

I hope these tips to simplify your kids lunches was helpful for you! Remember as much as we want to do it all for them, this is such a good learning opportunity for our kids to take on more responsibility. So I wanna know, what are you lunch prep hacks that simplify your mornings?

in partnership with Walmart

photos : aubrey taiese 

hunter’s backpack  ||  hayden’s backpack

in partnership with Kipling + ShopStyle

You guys?! How is Summer already ending?? I am not one bit ready for it. We are just trying so hard to soak in every last second of having the big kids home with us even if it means busy chaos! While my heart wants summer to last forever, I am still attempting to be a responsible mom and prep for Back to School. At our house, we try to make the Back to School checklist a little more exciting. We do that by adding in a few traditions we all love! So today I thought I’d share some of those with you!

:: BACK TO SCHOOL DATE

When it comes to Back to School shopping, I have found it is a lot easier if I try and tackle most of it myself. I can find pieces that are timeless, transitional, and versatile without too many distractions. And I can spread it out throughout the summer instead of taking one big monster trip.

While I tend to do most of the shopping myself, one of our very favorite Back to School Traditions is our one on one shopping dates. Each of the little people gets to plan a date, just the two of us. They pick where we go to eat and where we shop. They get to pick out one outfit they love that is totally their personality.

This year they were all SO EXCITED to get to pick out their Kipling Backpacks too! They have all been begging for turns to look through the website and try and narrow down their favorites. New backpacks are not a yearly thing for us, because it is something I make sure we really look for quality in, and that is what you get with Kipling.

I love that their bags are amazing quality, lightweight, super functional with lots of pockets for everything, and of course stylish. They honestly had something unique and different that fit each of my little people’s personalities perfectly, and they cannot wait to use them. Hunter went with a super cute olive (that I definitely want to steal) and Hayden went with a totally bright and happy option! They even have diaper bags for us parents too! I’m just as excited as them because I know they will last for years and not something we constantly have to replace. And bonus! Now through August 23 you can save 15% off Kipling backpacks with the code BACKPACK15!

Of course, we finish the date with a treat too! It has been so special  just to have that time talking with them one on one. They feel more open to talk about all the excitement they have for the upcoming school year and even worries too. It is something I really look forward to all year, and I know they do too!

:: BACK TO SCHOOL DINNER

I would still consider this one a “work in progress” tradition, but something we all love! We started the tradition last year and it was a hit!  I love that you can make it as big or as simple as you want. So, if life is crazy, maybe your back to school dinner tradition is takeout. You do you and what works. You are basically just taking your dinner the night before school starts and adding a little flare.

If you want to decorate, I’ve seen quite a few dollar sections that have some adorable school supply banners + die cuts for simple decorations. Or you could tie some balloons to their chair. One friend just put their new backpacks on the back of their chairs with little name strips at each plate. So easy with things you already have but it means so much to them. You can make their favorite meal, or even get takeout from their favorite place. I love how simple it is but will be such a fun memory and something for them to look forward to.

:: FINISH UP THE BUCKET LIST

Another “back to school” tradition we have is to finish up our bucket list. That might mean it is a tradition for us to be a little bit of procrastinators. But we take full advantage of these last couple of weeks and finish up alllll the things! That may mean riding our bikes to get ice cream and taking it to the park so we can cross off 3 things in one night, but we are making it happen!! We really have loved having this bucket list! My little people are set on doing it for every season now!

I hope these little Back to School traditions help you think of some fun ideas for your people too! Just being able to spend that extra time with them and remind them how much we love them is all that matters to me. We are so excited for what the new school year has in store for us! What are some of your favorite back to school traditions?

photos : aubrey taiese