#OOTD & Back To School Shopping

It's that time again! School starts in a week and like usual I put off shopping until the last minute. Lexi is super excited for school this year. She's going into the 6th grade, her first year of Middle School. I can't believe it! Time seriously is flying by. I'm really excited for her. New school, new classes, new friends, new beginnings, and new memories to be made! She's really excited, and I think a little nervous too. We've talked about it for a while now, what it would be like as a Middle Schooler. We registered her, picked up her PE uniform, and her class schedule. I think it really started to sink in when she had that schedule in her hands. She's going to have a busy year, she's in all AP classes! Kevin and I are so proud of her for getting into those classes. She's in choir this year, but she's starting to wish she would have chosen Theater Arts. I told her to stick it out for the first semester, and if she still wants to switch at Christmas then we will talk to her councelor about changing over. She's definitely not excited about PE. She's not a fan of the uniform, or the idea of having to change in front of strangers. I told her not to worry, that PE uniforms are never cute, but that everyone will wear them so all the girls will be in the same boat. One thing she was looking forward to this year was having a locker. We were both so bummed when we found out her school doesn't utilize their lockers. Also, they aren't allowed to carry regular backpacks. Only the string cinch packs are allowed. Thankfully we found a really cute denim one with white polka dots for her to carry.

We are almost done with her school shopping so she's almost ready to go. She found clothes at Abercrombie, Kohl's, Dillards, and Target so far. We also are almost done with her school supplies. The only thing we need to get for that is plain manilla paper, which apparently is a hot commodity because we can't find it anywhere. We are going to go back out tomorrow to get a couple more shirts and she will be good to go. She picked out all her own clothes. When we got home we went through everything and she pretty much picked out all three-quarter length sleeved shirts. But really, that's all that we could mostly find that she actually liked. Tomorrow our mission is to find more short sleeved shirts. She's allowed to wear flip flops this year which she's really happy about, because that's mostly what her shoe collection consists of. She went through a growth spurt this summer and is a size bigger in everything. We went through her closet today and over half of it were clothes and shoes that were too small. Her closet is pretty bare now, so we are going to have to get her more clothes than I anticipated. I don't really mind though, because she only goes on these huge shopping sprees twice a year, once before school and once again in the winter time. I pick her up a shirt or a pair of shoes here and there through out the year, but nothing like what she gets for back to school.

Now onto our outfits of the day. This has been Lexi's signature summer look. Cute tank, cutoff shorts, and a pair of flip flops. She got that mint purse from Forever 21 for Christmas and takes it everywhere we go. She keeps her 3DS and games in it, along with her iPod and allowance money. Her go-to hair style lately has been a bun with a bow. She's starting to try and fix her own hair, and this is what she does to it every day. It's easy, and it keeps her cool with her hair out of her face.

Kason rocked one of his new shirts today from the baby clothing haul I posted a couple weeks ago. This shirt is from Macy's and it's just too cute. His dark gray cargo shorts and from Old Navy. Old Navy is my go to place for his shorts. The baby section there is very small, but the shorts are really affordable and they hold up good in the wash. He rocked his checkered Vans today. This is his second pair, the first pair he's already grown out of. I love these shoes but they are such a pain to put on.

I went with a simple tank from H&M, denim cutoffs from Pretty Little Things, and flip flops from Old Navy. These shorts are so comfortable. They are stretchy and don't ride up. My purse is the Selma Top Zip Satchel from Michael Kors. I got it last year and am still so in love with it. The color is perfect, and I like how sturdy and structured it is. It came with a long strap that clips on so I can carry it on my shoulder or cross body, but I prefer to carry it this way. I normally carry my Rebecca Minkoff MAC when I'm taking Kason out, but since he was in the stroller all day I was able to bring this one and put it in the bottom of the stroller.

I hope you enjoyed today's post. If you have any requests for posts you'd like to see, leave them in the comments below!


xoxo,
Casey

GRWM: Makeup, Hair, & OOTD

Hey ya'll!!

For today's post I just wanted to do a quick GRWM with a little more pizazz than usual! Instead of going into full blown tutorial mode on my makeup, I wanted to throw in how I did my hair and what I'm wearing. Kevin's out of town for work, and the kids and I didn't do much today. For the most part we hung around the house and I went to the gym and picked up some diapers. Tonight we are going to dinner to celebrate my sister's birthday, so I figured I would document how I got ready. Here we go!

I've been using the same makeup products recently. I've really been loving my Makeup Geek palette, but I decided to give it a break and bust out my tried and true Naked Palette. This is one of my favorite palettes of all time and I have hit pan on a couple of the shades. I think it's a really great neutral palette as long as you're ok with shimmer shadows. My foundation routine has been the same for about a month now, using my NARS Sheer Glow Foundation and the NYX HD Concealers. I never venture out and try new brow products, I'm pretty happy with my BrowZing and Anastasia Brow Gel. I've been really loving the bronzer/contour routine I've been doing lately. I've been contouring with the Hoola bronzer, and bronzing with the Becca. NARS blush in LoveJoy has been getting tons of love too. It was one of my favorites for July. Becca's highlighter in Opal is my holy grail highlighter, I'm so in love with it.

I decided to curl my hair today and opted for a larger barrel than usual. Ever since I cut my hair, I had been using a 3/4 inch barrel to curl my hair. It's starting to grow out so I decided to use a 1 inch barrel today. I love the way it turned out! The 1 inch created a soft, touchable, bouncy wave. And do we see how much volume it added? I think I just found my new favorite hair style. I love wearing my hair straight, but every now and then I get really bored with it. This is a very nice change of pace. I washed and blow dried my hair like normal. I then sectioned my hair in three sections and curled away from my face. When I got to the crown, I parted my hair in the direction I want it to go before I started curling. It didn't take long to do this look at all. It was super quick and easy. To finish it off and get some extra volume, I teased my hair on each side of my part just a tad.

I love wearing rompers in the summertime. They are easy, comfortable, and keep me cool in the warm weather. This one I purchased from Forever 21 at the beginning of summer. I love the Aztec print and the added flap that gives it a dressy look. The only thing that bugs me about this romper is that it has a snap closure in the front and it is constantly popping open. It can be quite annoying because let's face it, no one wants to see my sticky boobs I have on underneath. 

I hope ya'll enjoyed today's GRWM. I really want to get a new curling wand, because all I have is a measly little old school curling iron. Let me know what your favorite curling wand is in the comments below. Ta-ta for now!

xoxo,

Casey

OOTD & How To Be A Fashionable, Yet Fabulous Momma

Hey ya'll!

Today I'm showing you my "Outfit Of The Day" for my daughter Lexi's 5th Grade Class Picnic. I'm also going to talk about how to make time for yourself and still be a Fashionable, yet Fabulous Momma.

Mom's, there is a way to dress appropriately for a school function without being too casual, or too dolled up. Getting dressed, doing your hair, and putting on some makeup may seem like a challenge due to our busy schedules, but it is possible and it just flat out helps make you feel good about yourself.

Everything I am wearing today is linked below:
Kimono: PacSun
Tank Top: Target
Jeans: Abercrombie
Flats: Lucky Brand


So many mom's make excuses on why they can't put themselves together because they just can't seem to find the time. I get it, because I'm a mom myself. I know what it's like to be busy and to feel like you're suffocating thanks to your to-do list that just seems to keep growing by the minute. I am so blessed thanks to my husband Kevin, who is able to solely provide for our family, so that I can be a stay at home mom. Between having a school-aged child, an infant, a rowdy dog, and a house to take care of, finding time for myself can seem dang near impossible. But it isn't! We can all find time, we just have to make time. Whether that means getting up a little earlier, or going to bed a little later, we can all find a little "me" time during the day to pamper ourselves, and to help us look and feel good without taking time away from our kiddos.

If I need to get myself ready, I put Kason, my son, in his chair with a toy or in his bouncer. I turn the TV on Disney Jr. and he is fully entertained! I am able to get dressed, fix my hair, and put some make-up on while he hangs out and watches his shows. Now before anyone freaks out, yes I check on him, and no I don't leave him stranded by himself. My bedroom is right next to my living room so I can hear and see him the whole time. Some mom's are against letting their babies watch TV, and that is 100% okay. We all have different ways of raising our kids, and we all have to do what we think is best for ourselves, and for our families. There's no right, or wrong way. Everyone is entitled to raise their kids however they see fit. Unless it is physically, mentally, or emotionally harming the child, I don't think any of us are in any place to tell someone else what is best for them, or what's best for their kids.

For me, getting dressed for the day, fixing my hair, and putting my face on really helps to get me going, and makes me feel good about myself. No I don't fix my hair or put makeup on every day. Half of the time I'm in gym clothes with my hair in a pony or a knot. But I do try to put some effort into my appearance regularly.

One thing that I absolutely cannot live without, and saves me so much time, is dry shampoo. Every mom needs it! It is a life saver when it comes to getting ready in a pinch. My favorite is Batiste and you can get it at Ulta for $7.99. My hair gets very oily and I used to wash it every day. Once I discovered this little baby, Holy Guacamole! To prove how much I love this, and how amazing it works, I am on 3rd day hair. Yes I said it, 3RD DAY HAIR! Trust me Momma's, go pick this up. You can thank me later.

I hope you all enjoyed this post. Let me know in the comments below what you like to do for "me" time, and how you pamper yourself on the daily (like having a big fat glass of wine after the kids go to bed). Don't forget to follow me on Instagram & Twitter for daily pics, tips, and extra little tid-bits!


xoxo,
Casey


*UPDATE*
Here's a picture of my daughter Lexi, my son Kason, and I from her class picnic! :)
My sunnies are Gold Ray-Ban Aviator Flash Lenses in Blue