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Have you started shopping back-to-school sales 2017 yet? If not, I’ve found some awesome deals for boys and girls to help you prepare for the start of the school year.

Last month, I had the chance to visit Lisbon and Porto in Portugal. I didn’t do much research in advance of my trip, but I was pleasantly surprised that the work conference I attended brought me to some of the must-visit spots in Porto. If you have a chance to visit, here are the 7 things you must see in Porto Portugal.

For the longest time, I’ve wanted to make an appetizer recipe with endive. They seem like such a simple, yet elegant appetizer to serve at a party or get-together. Since the summer produce is so amazing right now, I decided to create little watermelon feta salad bites. They are super easy to make, taste so fresh, and are a unique take on a sweet/savory appetizer.

Thank you Dove for sponsoring this post. Dove Intensive Repair Shampoo and Conditioner works to repair hair and stop 90% of damage before it happens!

I think I’ve finally turned a corner with my kids. For the longest time I couldn’t get my 4 year old son to eat anything. Finally, he’s at an age where he’s more willing to try things. I’ve even found creative ways to sneak more fruits into his diet by making this Greek yogurt smoothie.

If you had asked me if I could wear a jacquard dress, I would have said no. I would have thought the knit material would cling to the areas I try to hide. I never thought a jacquard dress would hang right on me. Well, as I’ve said before, you’ve gotta try everything to know what works on you. This dress is now one of my favorites in my closet.

The very first time I visited San Diego was in 2005. My nephew was getting baptized right after Christmas, so we drove down from LA, after first visiting my husband’s family (we also got engaged in Laguna Beach on the drive down!). Needless to say, I fell in love with San Diego almost instantly. A major reason for my love for the city was because we did the San Diego 59-mile scenic drive. It is absolutely one of the best free things to do in San Diego today or anytime you visit.

Have you tried Moscow Mule recipes before? I’ve only tried one at a friend’s house, but I’m such a sucker for the cute mugs. It’s funny, I don’t even really remember what it tasted like, but I know I just loved the whole process of drinking them. There’s just something about a cute mug that makes everything better.

One fashion trend we can’t shake is the tassels trend. I wrote about it last fall, and it’s hot as ever for summer. At first, the tassels trend was only for accessories, especially bags and jewelry. For summer, tassels are on everything – dresses, tops, swimwear, shoes. Honestly, I love them. The more colorful the tassels are, the better

I recently traveled to Portugal for a work conference. I opted to spend my first night in Lisbon before heading to Porto. Although I was massively jet-lagged, I was determined to see some of Lisbon in the few hours I had available. Luckily, Pats contacted me a few days prior to my departure, offering me a personalized Lisbon walking tour. I was happy to take her up on the offer. She created a fantastic itinerary for me. Here is the run-down of my four-hour tour of Lisbon and a few other things you should know if you ever come to Portugal.

One of my favorite summer trends is the bright mango yellow color I’ve been seeing everywhere. Earlier this spring, I talked about the bright orange color trend, so it’s clear that bright fruity hues are major this summer.

I’ve been to the UK three times, but never got to Stonehenge. This trip, I made it a priority to do a day trip to Stonehenge. My colleague from Bristol agreed to rent a car (they say hire) to take us around the English countryside.

Summers in Phoenix can be brutal. The only way to get through them is to find ways to keep cool. I tend to spend a lot more time inside (with the AC blasting), but that gets boring. My other favorite way to keep cool is to spend time in the pool, with a cool drink in my hand. I created this porch crawler beer cocktail drink recipe because it is the perfect summer drink to enjoy while you’re lounging on your porch or chilling in the pool.

One of my dear friends is pregnant with her first child. She’s been a bit nervous about it all, so I’ve tried to talk to her my experience. One thing we talked about early on was the baby registry must-haves you actually need. So many parents get overwhelmed and go totally overboard on buying way too many things. In all honesty, you just don’t need that many things when you have a new baby.

When I was younger, I worshiped the sun. (See the picture above as evidence — that’s my college roomie and me on spring break my senior year.) I would spend hours laying out, getting browner, and soaking it all in. Laying out and going to tanning beds was my relaxation time.

Do you struggle to find age appropriate chores for kids? It can be such a challenge to get preschools to do chores. A lot of times, I get tired of asking them to do their chores, so I just do it for them. Bad mama! I need to stop spoiling them and make sure they are learning responsibility from a young age.

Having drop-in child care near me when we needed it most was such a relief. Here’s the quick story on how I came to feel this way.

I’m so glad there are so many summer activities for kids out there! We all look forward to summer time, but with kids out of school, summer can sometimes feel really long. There’s nothing that annoys me more than when my kids tell me they’re bored.

I’ve been ignoring the inevitable for awhile now. It’s probably been at least five years since I’ve needed to wear glasses, for distance, but I’ve refused. My husband (who has perfect distance vision) has been giving me the hardest time. I regularly ask him to tell me what the TV says or what time the clock reads. Ugh, ok. I officially need glasses!

How are you celebrating Memorial day? We’re getting together with some friends. I have a feeling there will be some grilling and imbibing. I’m not a huge drinker, but when I do have a drink, I like it to be fruity. To highlight some of the best produce of the summer, I created this blueberry watermelon smash cocktail.

It’s officially berry season, and I couldn’t be happier. I love when I can get fresh berries at the supermarket for under a dollar. It feels like such a win. My family loves most fruit, but my daughter especially loves fresh blueberries. I bought so many packs last week, I quickly realized I needed to do something with them.

In between two work conferences in Europe, I had a chance to hop over to Germany to visit my long-time friend. My college roomie moved to Leipzig Germany last fall and I promised I’d visit her. She’s lived in Europe before, but the timing just never worked for me to visit her. It seemed like every time she left Europe was the exact time when I traveled there for work. Luckily, this trip aligned with her also being in Europe, so I jumped at the chance to see her.

How do you start your morning? Before work, the minute I’m done getting dressed, I need my coffee. I’m a major Starbucks® coffee fan and I like to drink Starbucks® Pike Place® Roast. Once I’ve got my coffee (to go in my reusable cup), I head to my job, at a university.

The changing seasons can be so hard on our skin. It’s even worse here in Phoenix. I constantly feel like my skin is dry and I can’t seem to stay hydrated, despite my best attempts. Although it can be a major challenge, I think I’ve come up with some simple ways to stay hydrated and keep my skin looking it’s best.

Boss babes, I get it. You’ve been blogging for a year or two years and you finally received an email from a company asking you to promote their product on your blog and social media.

We make “Mom Drinking Wine” because motherhood is hard. There are a lot of days when I feel completely overwhelmed, feel major mom guilt, or some combination of the two that leads me to believe I’m absolutely failing at my job as their mom.

Do you hold onto clothes you love, even if you think it might be outdated? I tend to rotate through my clothes pretty quickly, although I hold onto shoes, bags and accessories for years. On occasion though, I find a piece that I love so much I hold onto it for years.

Can you improve your skin in 28 days? Olay asked me to participate in their 28-day study and it was intriguing. I already have a pretty regimented skin care routine, so I was doubtful if I’d see much improvement, but I wanted to give it a try.

Cinco de Mayo is just over a week away! I’m in full planning mode, as it’s one of my favorite holidays to celebrate since moving to Arizona. Unfortunately, I won’t actually be in town this year because I’ll be flying to London for work. So we’re celebrating early at my house. We are going to make these micheladas and elotes, which is grilled Mexican street corn, to serve alongside other great Mexican fare.

Micheladas are the new margaritas, haven’t you heard? In Arizona, Cinco de Mayo is a major celebration. To gear up for next month’s festivities, I wanted to test out the best michelada recipe because I’ve been told it is the new ‘it’ drink, replacing the standby margarita this Cinco de Mayo.

When I told my hubby about this blog story idea, he laughed at me. So moms are going to organize crafts for their kids to make to give to themselves? Silly hubby! There are so many other people who are looking for cute ideas for Mothers day crafts on Pinterest. I was looking for ideas because I thought it would be cute for my kids to make something for their grandmothers. I think any mom would appreciate these DIY Mothers day crafts, no matter who made it for them.

I’m always searching for ways to sneak healthy ingredients into my kids’ diet. They generally won’t eat much protein and they don’t like avocados on their own. I wanted to try this avocado pasta sauce because it seemed like a really simple recipe and I was hoping I could trick my kids into eating it since they do like spaghetti.

Bright orange often reminds me of fall — pumpkins, hunter jackets, our president-elect. But seriously, I can’t quite get over the fact that bright orange is one of the hottest spring color trends for 2017. I noticed orange popping up everywhere lately.

Yay! Easter is almost here! How are you celebrating this weekend? I’m planning to take our kids to a couple different Easter egg hunts and I’m planning a small one in our backyard too. I also hope to find some time to try out some Easter crafts and maybe even a recipe or two. If you’re still looking for fun DIY Easter crafts and recipes to try out, check out some of my favorites below. Happy Easter everyone!

What is your toddler bedtime routine like? Do you struggle to get your kids to go to bed? No matter how much tough love I try to show them, they will not stay in bed! We’ve tried shifting their bedtime to later, but that doesn’t help, they still won’t go to sleep. Instead, they get louder and more riled up, which only means they get less sleep and they are even grumpier in the morning.

I love floral off shoulder dresses because they feel so light, airy and romantic for spring and summer. I’m also so glad that stores aren’t only carrying obvious styles – read white eyelet or lace – but also vibrant colors and interesting floral prints.

How amazing would it be to win $1000 Nordstrom gift card?! I wish I could enter, but since I can’t, I decided to search for all of the spring clothes I would buy if I were lucky enough to win it myself. There are so many cute pieces for spring. All the ruffles and the florals and the bright colors — I want everything!

I’m so excited that my kids are getting old enough to enjoy the holidays. This year, I’m already getting in the Easter spirit. I created these cute bunny candy jars and I’m starting to plan all the adorable treats I can make to celebrate. I decided to let my kids get on the action, so we created these DIY window clings.

We decided it was about time to make our own Kansas City BBQ recipe at home, here’s why. I miss living in Lawrence, Kansas for one major reason — access to great BBQ (I also miss these bumble bee cookies).

It’s National PB & J day on Sunday! So in honor of PB & J day, I had to share some of the amazing peanut butter and jelly desserts I rounded up.

I never really took my bra shopping very seriously until a recent tweet I sent got a lot of attention. Well, a lot of attention as my Twitter account goes. Finding the best affordable bras is a major challenge for a lot of women.

I’ve noticed this spring that a lot of the styles I liked in the 90s are coming back. Shell toe sneakers, embroidered jeans and jean jackets, patches on jackets and backpacks. I guess I’m at that age where the trends I liked as a kid or teen are cool again. Man, that makes me feel old.

For my day job, I get to educate museums about sustainability. If that term is confusing, my favorite definition is ‘to live on the earth like we intend to stay’. Basically, sustainability is about finding ways to promote economic prosperity and social justice while also ensuring environmental resilience.

Can I be honest? By March, I’ve usually quit or at least stalled on my goals for the year. I can admit, I’ve hit a bit of a bump with my half marathon training (it’s hard to fit in 4 days a week!), but I have kept up with my healthy eating habits.

One of my absolute favorite low-carb meals is cheesy cauliflower breadsticks. They are super simple to make, taste delicious, and are really healthy. I’ve made them into cakes, pizza crusts, and breadsticks, and all versions of the cauliflower-based crust worked out really well.

But I have to say, I do love the Gucci Marmont for three reasons.

My weekends are packed with running errands, taking the kids to swim lessons, trying to fit in some fitness, and all the other mundane tasks that have to happen on the weekends. It’s really hard to fit it all in, but my goals for 2017 is to focus on my health and fitness.

Easter is a little over a month away. Now that my kids are a little older, I’m going to put a little more effort in to making it fun for them. I already started thinking about ways I could decorate, like with this little Easter Bunny candy jar. Last year, I found a bunch of creative uses for PEEPs. This year, I’m searching for cute Easter desserts recipes to try.

Have you heard about or been to Arizona spring training before? If not, you need to plan a trip here soon. Spring training in Arizona is so much fun. The weather is perfect (hello 70s and 80s) and there is so much happening this time of year. It is the absolute perfect time to be in Arizona. Many teams have migrated to Arizona in recent years because of the perfect weather and so many things to do around the valley.

Who’s ready for spring? Me! I’ve been in a bit of a makeup rut. I mean, I absolutely love the products I use every day, but I’m ready to shake it up. That’s why I’m so excited about the spring 2017 makeup trends. Honestly, I’m usually pretty boring with my makeup.

Plaid prints are a major spring fashion trend. Women’s Wear Daily talked about plaid clothes for women as part of the Resort 2017 collections. I’m loving the plaid spring fashion trend because it doesn’t feel emo or grunge this season. It feels a lot more elevated and modern.

My kids are picky when it comes to their proteins. Luckily, they will eat turkey meatballs. Since it’s National Meatball Day on March 9th, I thought it would be fun to come up with a recipe utilizing the Cooked Perfect Meatballs my kids already love. This meatball French bread pizza is a perfect appetizer or dinner. It is super easy to make and it’s ultra-tasty.

This week I am teaming up with an amazing group of ladies to bring you an INCREDIBLE giveaway. One lucky reader will win a $1,000 gift card to Target.

Did you know the average American child spends less than 30 minutes outdoors each day and more than seven hours in front of an electronic screen? These statistics were shocking to me. Not only do our kids not get enough time outside, as the obesity rates soar, our kids are missing out on all of the amazing health and developmental benefits of nature for kids.

How do you celebrate Easter? Last year was the first time that my kids really ‘got’ Easter. I coordinated a small little Easter egg hunt in the backyard and filled their eggs with little toys. Now that they’re another year older, I figured it was time to up my decorating game. I created this simple bunny candy jar that’s a quick and easy DIY Easter decor idea anyone can create at home.

It’s been over 7 months since we got back from Positano and I can’t get that place out of my mind. It is one of those places that just stays with you. The views, the people, the food. It’s hard to capture the magic of this place in words or even pictures, but I’m going to try. Here are the five things to do in Positano Italy.

Winter weather can be so tough on our skin. Now that I’m in my mid-30s, I spend a lot more time trying out beauty products to keep my skin looking it’s best. I know a lot of women don’t have time to try out a lot of different products, so I’m sharing my current favorite morning beauty essentials to save you some time.

I almost attended fashion week this February, but then I didn’t. I was all set to attend several shows, but then life got in the way. I’m really hoping I’ll be able to attend in September. Since I couldn’t make it there, I still wanted to review some of my favorite NYFW Fall 2017 looks.

Ever since coming home from Italy, I’ve been searching for more ways to connect with my roots. Creating traditional Italian dishes is one of the ways I honor my family heritage. Although I absolutely love eggplant parmesan, the standard recipe is really heavy and not very healthy. So, I decided to create a lighter eggplant parmesan recipe that still tastes decadent but it’s secretly healthy.

Right after Christmas, I had grand plans of a girly-dinosaur-themed birthday party I was going to create for my daughter’s third birthday. I started scouring Pinterest for inspiration and even reached out to a couple of companies with chic dinosaur accessories for women that I thought would be fun to incorporate into her third birthday. I was determined to throw a majorly adorable toddler birthday party for my daughter, like I had done when she turned two (in case you missed it, it was zoo themed).

With Valentine’s day right around the corner, I bet you’re planning on going out to dinner or making dinner at home. My hubby and I seem to get stuck in a rut of doing the same types of things every Valentine’s day. I was searching for some inspiration and I found lots of great date night ideas. Here are my top 10 free date night ideas (in no particular order) that I hope to try.

The 2017 Pantone color of the year is called Greenery. When I found this floral dress, I didn’t even realize it was the Pantone color of the year. I actually chose it because I just loved the bold print against the spring-green color.

When we lived in Kansas, we hosted a small dinner party for my husband’s law school friends. One of our guests brought this giant apple-shaped cheese ball appetizer and I thought it was the cutest thing ever. At first, I had no idea what it was.

Since it is Black History month, it is the perfect time for me to share my experience at the Apartheid Museum. I also talked about my trip to South Africa here, in case you want to know more about it. Nearly 3 months since I came back from South Africa, I’m still not the same. That trip truly opened my eyes to the ever-present inequalities in society on a global scale.

Happy Friday! Welcome to my fourth fashion link-up party. I’m so glad to meet new fashionable ladies each week so I hope you’ll share your link below! In case you missed week three, it was so tough for me to choose who to feature this week. There were so many good looks.

There are certain pieces in my wardrobe that I consider timeless. This black and white floral print cardigan is one of those items. I’ve literally owned it for close to a decade. I got it back in the day when I worked retail at Banana Republic.

I’ve seen a lot of great baked oatmeal recipes online but I never made it myself. I love the idea of baked oatmeal because it’s a perfect hot breakfast you can make it in advance and then eat it all week long. Plus, I love baked goods. This blueberry baked oatmeal is a healthy way to get the taste of a baked good, like a blueberry muffin, without all the sugar and calories.

One of my 2017 goals was to generally eat healthier, especially fitting in more servings of produce every day. I’ve found that making a smoothie bowl recipe is a super quick and easy way to get more produce into my diet.

TGI Fashion Link-Up Week 3! In case you missed it, here were our first and second fashion link-up parties. The goal of the Fashion Friday Link-Up Party is to connect with and feature women who love fashion. I decided to create a link-up party as a way to celebrate these people and hopefully meet more amazing ladies.

How are you spending this Valentine’s day? We are planning a simple date-night at home. I will make my hubby a nice homemade meal and dessert so we can enjoy some time together over a nice meal. When it comes to desserts, I like them sweet, but I also like a little salty flavor thrown in. It’s so hard to choose just one flavor, so I combined them and made these chocolate chip cookie popcorn bars.

One of my absolute favorite foods is my husband’s homemade pizza. After much trial and error, he has perfected it. We’ve never tried a BBQ chicken pizza before, so we thought it would be a fun way to use our stand-by skillet pizza dough recipe.

Welcome to Fashion Friday Link-Up No. 2! In case you missed it, here was our first link-up party. The goal of the Fashion Friday Link-Up Party is to connect with and feature women who love fashion. I decided to create a link-up party as a way to celebrate these people and hopefully meet more amazing ladies.

I decided to make these honey-oat no-bake homemade cereal bars because my kids are obsessed with ‘Papa’s cereal’. Somewhere along the way, Honey Bunches of Oats became known as Papa’s cereal in our house. It’s pretty darn cute when they ask for it, but I hate when they eat it because the tiny little flakes and oats end up all over the floor and them. I often find little flakes in my daughter’s hair.

My son turns 5 in October. I’ve been contemplating if I should send my 4-year-old to kindergarten because he seems ready. The hard part is, I’m not sure if I’m the best judge of his readiness because I’m his mom. Of course, I think he’s great. Of course, I think he’s super smart. So is he really ready? I did some research to figure out how to determine if your 4-year-old is ready for kindergarten.

If you’re a curvy girl, you might think you can’t wear a printed skirt. Up until last year, I was sure I couldn’t (or shouldn’t) wear printed skirts. I thought my hips were too wide and that they looked terrible on me. Then, I tried a floral printed pencil skirt and it finally worked.

The goal of the Fashion Friday Link-Up Party is to connect with and feature women who love fashion. For the first two years of blogging, I was completely oblivious to the community of bloggers and how supportive they were. I had no idea just what amazing friendships could develop via social media and through blogging.

The week between Christmas and New Years I was obsessed with organizing my house. I rarely have an entire week off of work, so I tried to make the most of it. During the week, I spent a lot of time decluttering. I also started searching for closet organization hacks to make my closets cleaner and my home more organized.

Family traditions are important to me, especially those that celebrate my Italian heritage. Each holiday, I try to find an Italian recipe I can incorporate into my own little family’s traditions. This year, I tried my hand at a panettone bread recipe.

I love the off the shoulder trend because it feels so romantic and feminine. I’m also glad stores are carrying vibrant colors, interesting prints, and not-so-obvious styles (like white-lace only).

What’s your New Years Resolution? I don’t usually make just one resolution. As a busy mom, I try to set a lot of different goals for the year. I have career goals, blogging goals and travel goals. I also have a lot of health-related goals for the year.

Are you starting a diet as part of your New Years resolution? If you are, I bet you’ve sworn off foods like pancakes. But you don’t have to! These gluten free oatmeal pancakes are totally healthy and a super filling way to start your morning. You can start your year refreshed with healthy recipes like these pancakes without sacrificing on flavor.

One of my favorite fashion trends that continues from 2016 is the saddle bag purse trend. I love their retro, yet practical vibe. I’m constantly searching for the perfect cross-body bag for all my travels and I think I finally found it. I’m obsessed with my denim blue saddle bag for three reasons.

Although most people are rearing to return the item immediately after Christmas, it’s actually really smart to wait until after New Years when stores slow down. Also, you might actually get more for the item if you wait for the Christmas sales to end and for the items to go back to full price.

As a mom of two littles, I’m constantly amazed by all the great products out there. I had the chance to test out some new products and all of them would make perfect new mom gifts. If you have a mommy friend who is having a baby in 2017 or just welcomed a new bundle recently, check out these four products that I think would make excellent presents.

Every year, it seems like a take on a new everyday mom style. Last year, it was cropped skinny pants and a blouse. This fall, I’m rocking some version of cuffed cords, booties and I always top it with a wool moto jacket.

What do you get those people in your life who are impossible to shop for? Gift subscription boxes might the answer. For me, subscription boxes make the perfect gift for several reasons.

I decided to try my artistic skills with royal icing to make gingerbread emoji cookies. After making these irreverent and funny gingerbread men, I had a bunch of leftover gingerbread dough and royal icing. I racked my brain to think of another recipe that could use the ingredients.

My kids are obsessed with anything that has their name on it. This Christmas, I opted to get them the best personalized gifts. I got my kids these awesome personalized books because they both love to read and I want to encourage it whenever I can. I have a distinct feeling they will ask us to read their stories again and again.

Around the holidays, I struggle to make meals for my family. We’re all so busy running to a holiday party or our kid’s school performances, so I just can’t seem to find time to make a hearty meal. I always seem to forget that I can fit in the time if I break out my slow cooker. I created this crockpot enchilada soup recipe because I wanted something warm and comforting, but still healthy this holiday season.

I love to bake. Especially during the holidays, I’m constantly trying out a new cookie recipe. This year, I knew I wanted to try making a hanging gingerbread man recipe. What I didn’t know is that we’d undertake a DIY cookie cutter project in order to craft the perfectly silly gingerbread men we created.

I love December—full of holiday baking, parties and decorating. I also love the opportunity to buy a flirty and feminine holiday dress for Christmas parties or New Year’s Eve. I generally don’t endorse buying items that aren’t versatile, but I fully support buying one special party dress per year that you can wear to a holiday party (and New Year’s Eve, if you pick wisely).

Are you having trouble finding the perfect Christmas gift for your husband, boyfriend, father or grandpa?

I never imagined I’d visit South Africa. It just never crossed my mind. Visiting South Africa felt surreal before I got there and pretty much the entire time I was there. I’m not sure why I couldn’t quite grasp that my life and career has taken me to so many amazing places in such a short time. I had no expectations of what South Africa would be like.

I love to bake. It is so therapeutic and a really great stress-reliever. The holidays can be so stressful and finding gifts for everyone can feel like such a challenge. That’s why I love to give baked goods as gifts. This year, I created these little Christmas tree brownies and found cute little white boxes, perfect for gift-giving.

For Thanksgiving, we bravely decided to take our two toddlers on a California road trip. We hadn’t seen most of my husband’s family in over two years since we moved to Arizona. We figured it was time to make the trek so our kids could meet their extended family. They had yet to meet their aunts and uncles, cousins, and great grandmother (who is 86!).

There are tons of great sales this for Black Friday 2016. Unlike years in the past, sales are already underway and are going strong through Cyber Monday. If you’re not a huge fan of shopping online, you’ve got to get over that. You should check out my tips for shopping online and then dive right in.

I’ve made a lot of cookie recipes for the blog over the years, so it would a bit tough to think about a cookie I’ve never made to prep for the holidays. These almond thumbprint cookies fill two categories. I’ve never made any type of thumbprint cookie before, and I’ve never used almond flour in a recipe for the blog before.

Now that my kids are a little older, they are really starting to get into the holidays. With Christmas right around the corner, I wanted to create a cute, inexpensive and kid-friendly craft. I created this DIY Christmas garland using paint sample cards from the local hardware store.

Christmas is right around the corner, so I’m sure you’re thinking a lot more about other people than about yourself. But now is the best time to find great deals on 2016 fall fashion. There are so many great sales right now. You don’t need to break the bank to get some great pieces to amp up your fall wardrobe.