Thank God It's Friday

So this week has been an interesting one to say the least.

Coming back after being gone for a week + solo parenting because Nick is out of town definitely has equaled a lot of craziness.

And to top it off, Cruz has had diarrhea all week. So gross I know, but it's true. Sorry folks you get the good with the bad around here. =)

And of course it only seems to rear it's ugly head at around 2am. So I have mastered him sitting on the toilet while I sleep sitting up on the bathroom floor waiting for him to get done. Actually a couple times I've put a towel down on the floor and laid on it. I swear it's like he's just sitting on the toilet as long as he can until I can't keep my eyes open any more and then I just hear him laughing at me while I start to drift off.

And to make matters even worse? I decided to take him to our favorite toy store - Fat Brain Toys - the other night to pick out a toy. We were in the store for at least an hour playing with the newest and best toys when he walks over to me and I smell him. I did the old "diaper check", except he doesn't wear diapers anymore, and he literally had sharted (yep, I went there). No, no, no. It was so gross. And I felt so bad for him at the same time.

Me: "Cruz, did you go poop in your pants?"

C: "Yeah, mama, my belly hurts. But it's ok, wight?"

What do you say to that?  He didn't want to leave the toy store, so I'm pretty sure if I hadn't smelled him first, we would've been there for quite a bit longer.

Poor kid.

I grabbed him - he didn't get a new toy - and we beelined for home and straight into the tub. Normally I would've just taken his clothes and tossed them - I don't have the time, or the stomach, to be washing his business out of his clothes - but the pants he had on were one of my favorites, so I had to.

Eh, just living the dream over here. What can I say?

Let's talk about more pleasant things, shall we?

{ONE}

When I'm not at work, I live in workout clothes. I like to be comfortable. Plus running around after a crazy three year old, well you have to do yourself a favor and keep it comfy.  I've recently posted about Fabletics and I just received my third order the other day. I'm a big fan.  Not only have I found that the pants fit really well but I've been loving the tanks and other tops I've gotten too. Plus the prices are pretty reasonable. And I can tell you this tank came in super handy when I was on my Vegas trip last week - I had forgotten to pack a slip and had to get creative and used this instead. It totally worked and no one was any wiser. =)

Cherrystone Tank/Tights // Brooks Runners (best running shoes I've ever worn)

{TWO}

Speaking of clothes, I'm also obsessed with my Athleta Gleam tights. Not only do I love Athleta tights in general (the fit is amazing), but I love that these are so versatile. Meaning I wear them out ALL THE TIME. They are a little party up front (the faux leather look) and business in the back (normal legging look) - like a mullet of pants, but waaaay cooler.  And did I mention they are so comfy? Notice a theme here?

{THREE}

I also love pictures and physically having pictures vs. looking at them on my computer (I'm the girl who printed out every photo back in the day and put them into photo albums).  However, that is so time consuming.  I was pretty stoked when a friend told me about Chatbooks, but I wanted to wait until I received my first one to post about it to make sure I like it. Well, I didn't like it, I loved it. Like really loved the book I received. It is great quality and it's awesome having all of my iPhone and/or IG pics printed out in a book that I can look back on.

The best part is I got a code (VAJNZX) that others can use to place their first order for a FREE Chatbook. Like totally free. No S&H. No cost. Mine was too because I used a friend's code. Even better, right?

{FOUR}

I finally ordered the SkinnyTaste cookbook. I've only been talking about it for months now and I'm so excited to get it. I've tried a couple of her recipes already and am a huge fan. Although, I guess this means I need to cook more....

{FIVE}

This beauty and I are headed for three nights of girl time in Dallas next week. Seriously I love my sis Tessa more than anything and even living in the same city we live completely different, super busy lives and I don't get to spend nearly enough time with her or her adorable family. So we've taken to planning trips together. You may remember our LA escapades from a few years ago (parts one, two, three). And while the weather was much nicer and stalking the Kardashians was kind of amazing, I still know we are going to have a blast.

But I need to know if anyone has any Dallas recommendations - we haven't been since we were in high school, so need to know what to see, where to go, what to check out. Please and thank you!


Linking up with Karli, Natasha & Amanda.

Easter Style For Your Little Guy

We've literally just finished one holiday (like, literally, I'm still trying to get the green food coloring out from underneath my nails), and another is quickly upon us.

St Pat's was a lot of fun. We bought shamrock balloons, drank the heck out of some green milk and I suckered Cruz into a little photo shoot. I really just wanted to get one good shot for a St. Paddy's Day pic and then he goes and gives me this.

Tee // Moccs

I mean, come on. Seriously this boy.

But now that St Pat's is over, I can get back to figuring out Easter plans.

I think we are planning to go to my parents again for church, dinner and an Easter egg hunt with the kiddos. The best part, Nick's mom and man friend D come over as well so we don't have to feel bad about splitting our time and Cruz gets to see 2/3rds of his grandparents in one place.

Did I tell you how munch I love that our families get along??

Obviously I've been thinking about little man's Easter outfit for the last few weeks and finally have started ordering some of the items. I was just turned onto Next, an amazing UK company that one of my besties who is originally from Ireland buys from for her little guy. I have an order coming and cannot wait to get it. Seriously I think every item on their website is amazing. (After posting this, I was told Next has a US site. How did I not know this? Check them out here!)

Mix some of those items with some of my other faves and you have these two outfits that I can't get enough of. And you know I had to incorporate a little yellow into his Easter outfit, didn't you??

Navy Gingham Shirt // Navy Vest // Yellow Trouser // Suede Boot // Belt

Oxford Shirt // Bow Tie // Suspenders // Navy Chinos // Chambray Tom's

What are your Easter plans? Hopefully they include lots of good food, even more mimosas and being with the ones you love!

The Weekend

This weekend went a little quicker than normal. I spent the week in Vegas for work and while it was a great trip, as per the norm I missed the heck out of little man.

It was so great to come home.

Although I feel like the moment I got off the plane on Saturday it was all running to go pick up C and then get all of us ready for Nick's brother's surprise 30th birthday party.  And, of course, then we were the ones with a baby toddler in the bar.

Cruz was the life of the party. He really was. The kid knows how to work a crowd. And I wasn't going to leave him home after being away from him for so long, so he had to come.

Not only that, but we got to see so many people we love. Nick and I are so fortunate our families all get along and have such a great time when we all get together.

As much fun as the night was, it was also great to have an excuse to leave early to head home and get some sleep.

Three of my beautiful SILs (Britt, Marcy & Joey) and my gorgeous sister Tessa

As for the rest of our weekend? Cruz and I played like crazy people since the moment I flew back into town. And I loved every second of it.

With the weather was so nice, we had to take advantage. Our ducks were out, so we made a trip to the pond for our first feeding of the year. We seriously went to this pond no fewer than 25 times last year and since it's such a short walk from our house and because we both love going there, I guarantee we will be there just as much this year.

And then we played "safari" in the back yard with the water gun we had brought home for him. I hid his animals around the yard and then Cruz (and daddy) sought them out and soaked them in water.

 

If you follow me on Instagram (katiemango), then you've already seen some of these weekend snaps. I did receive some questions on little man's Best Kid Ever tee - it's from Littlest Prince Couture, but is on sale over on Zulily today. Check it out here!

How was your weekend? Hope it was as great as ours.

Linking up with Biana.

Friday Favorites

So this kid....

Last night when he was taking a bath, it seemed like just a normal night, letting him play while I sit on the bathroom floor next to the tub, kind of checking emails and the rest of the time having C create me really fun bath water 'drinks'. The next thing I know he stands up in all his naked glory and goes all Scarface on me and says,

"Mama, say hello to my little dinger."

Ummm. What?

Me:  "Cruz, what did you say?"

Him:  "I saaaaid, say hello to my little dinger."

Oh.

And I instantly knew where that came from. There is another guy in the house who is a HUGE Scarface fan and quotes that line all the time. The actual line, though, not the way Cruz had chosen to use it.

Which made me think about this that I saw on Facebook earlier this week...

{ONE}

I've definitely already had a few of these moments already and know the others are just around the corner. And the "no pants" ones are so Cruz. The kid loves to run around with NO PANTS.  Always no pants.

{TWO}

Remember when I was looking at gym shoes (here)? I found a great pair of neon yellow ones, but also picked out these Asics Gel-Fit Sana Trainers and they are my new favorite. They are great at the gym or running around town in workout wear. And I'm not a person who generally wears gym shoes unless I'm at the gym. I even wore them when I met Chris & Whitney. =)

{THREE}

Speaking of shoes, Katie went and posted about these Steven Madden fringe ones and I instantly fell in love. Not so sure the mister is going to agree that I need another pair of shoes, but seriously how gorgeous are they? I can't stop thinking about them.

{FOUR}

I saw these eggs on Pinterest the other day and now I cannot wait for Cruz and I to make them for Easter.  Aren't they just the cutest? He loves playing with the emoticons on my phone, so I think he will get a kick out of these.

{FIVE}

With that, I will be spending the next week in Vegas. Of course it's work but seriously how great will it be getting out of this terribly cold weather? Although as it normally works, as soon as I'm leaving town, the weather is supposed to get pretty nice around here.  And the worst part, always the worst part, is leaving my little man for an entire week.  However, he will be spending the week with my parents and I think he's just excited for me to get out of town so he can get to the farm. He LOVES the farm.

As I'm finishing this post, Cruz runs out of his room as daddy is putting him to bed and says, "mommy, daddy and I are stinkin' up the house. We are fartin' in there. Don't come in my room!" And then runs back into his room and slams the door, while laughing hysterically.

I'm surrounded by stinky, gross boys...

Enjoy the weekend!

Linking up with Karli, Amanda and Natasha.

St. Patrick's Day Style: For Your Littles

I don't know what it is about St. Patty's Day, but I'm a big fan of the holiday.

Although it has changed quite a bit from my prior life where I spent the day up at dawn drinking green beers, shots of Jameson, dancing a jig and eating my weight in corned beef and cabbage.

These days it looks a little more like this:

via

Of course, I'm still prepping for the holiday around here and already have Cruz's outfit planned. I also  thought it would be fun to throw together an outfit for a gal as well.  I just had to once I found these amazing leggings. Seriously, do you think I can find these in my size? Loving this black, green and gold combo for a little lady.

Beanie // Babiators // Hello Tee // Moto Pants // Moccs 

Clover Tee // Foil Leggings // Head Wrap // Satchel // Tom's

**Note: after noting on IG that these moto pants were sold out, Red Wagon Baby messaged me and let me know they added more on their site and on sale! How about that customer service!

What do you have planned for St. Patrick's Day? Hopefully I can live vicariously through some of your Irish car bomb fueled shenanigans? Maybe we will get crazy and head out to a local pub for dinner and at least one green beer.

Happy Wednesday!

Scenes From The Weekend

Having traveled last weekend for a quick little getaway, it was nice to have a low key, relaxed last couple of days. I had loads I wanted to get done around the house anyway so it came at the perfect time. And we even managed to fit in a little fun.

Friday night, we decided to hit up the Omaha Lancers hockey game. Not being much of hockey people, this is still a new experience for us but let's be honest anywhere we can get stadium nachos, a pretzel & cheese and a bunch of other goodies and we are all in. It was Frozen night so we figured Cruz would get a kick out of seeing Olaf, Elsa and Anna, although the announcer kept pronouncing Anna's name wrong and every.single.time. Cruz would shake his head and yell "it's Awwww-nuh" in frustration.

After Pilates Fusion on Saturday, I took the rare opportunity to run to the grocery store for a little kid-free shopping and came home and made this grilled cheese for Cruz and this Skinnytaste roasted cauliflower for Nick and I.  And, yes I need a recipe for grilled cheese. Don't laugh. And both were delicious. Speaking of Skinnytaste, do any of you have the the cookbook? It's back on Amazon so I think I'm going to order it this week. I have followed her blog forever and love her recipes.

In the afternoon, we headed to my niece Dayvaney's dance competition and I tell you that girl just impresses the hell out of me. She is SO GOOD. Doesn't seem nervous at all. And just look at how cute she is. I will say Nick continues to be so interested in the fact that dance companies can get away with dressing little gals up like this (and this was her more conservative outfit of the day). I just can't believe that they require specific Sephora brand or more expensive make-up for their looks and their warm-up gear is all Lululemon. It is quite the business, I tell ya.

Because I prefer not to make dinner on the weekends - or ever, for that matter - we headed to DJ's Dugout so Nick could watch basketball and Cruz & I could play some keno. Below he's studying the sheet to ensure he picks us some winners.  Later, we had a big ol' Mango slumber party in our bed when we got home. I think we all were asleep by 9:30pm. It was amazing.

Sunday was pretty uneventful, not really even worth mentioning, so let's talk glasses. As in, I got some new ones and I'm pretty excited.

Ever since Cruz started rocking these glasses, I decided I needed a pair of my own and started looking whenever I came across them in stores. I just never could find a pair that fit my face and didn't make me look like I was playing dress up.

Enter these bad boys. It was like the stars aligned when Firmoo contacted me and asked if I wanted to review a pair of their glasses. Um, yes please. How did you know I have been searching high and low for the perfect pair?

Yes, those are selfies. I still can't talk Nick into just being a good blogger husband. Working on it, though.

And if you are looking to change up your look a bit, check out Firmoo. They have both prescription and just for fun frames and I was shocked at how quickly they shipped! I got this pair and you can hardly tell they are dark green frames, but I love the little bit of color. If you aren't sure how you will look in glasses, check out the frames on this page to receive yours for free or this page are 50% off frames! You can't beat it and let me tell you it's pretty fun showing up and surprising your family with your new look.

Although I'm pretty sure Cruz still pulls the look off better than me. Dang cute kid face.

However, as I'm finishing this post, Cruz runs over to me with the bottom of his shirt balled in his hand and tells me not to touch it.

Me: Why?

Him: Because I'm pretty sure I peed all over it.

Aaaaand back to my reality....

Have a great week!  Linking up with Biana.

A Stitch Fix Review: Five Clothing Items That Showed Up On My Doorstep

Happy Friday! This week flew by and now I'm looking forward to a circus date with my best little man and my nephew Ace tonight. Cruz thinks he's going to ride the elephant and while I'm all for it, I'm pretty sure the multiple conversations we had last night about said elephant and his concerns with riding it, lead me to believe it's not going to happen. What I'm trying to say is if I was a gambling man, I would take the under.

Case in point...

"Do elephants go really fast?"
"What if this one does? I might fall off."
"Is it really stinky? I don't want to get stinky."
"Do you think Ace will want to ride with me? Maybe Ace will ride by himself?"
"Mama, I need to make sure I don't do this (mimics kicking a horse to make it trot) because that would be bad if I'm the one who makes the elephant go fast and all the kids fall off."
"How big are elephants? Will this one be as big as the one at the zoo?"
"Maybe it would be better if I watch them from down below."

Me: "Cruz, you don't have to ride the elephant if you don't want to."

"Buuuut mama, I really want to! Why won't you let me? (fake cries)"

Me: (smh)

Enough circus talk, but staying in line with things in the wild, check out this great cardi I got in my most recent Stitch Fix. I think I'm in love. Not only do I love being able to pair it with jeans and a tank for a casual dinner out, but I am also envisioning it rolled and tied over a maxi this spring or thrown over a pair of leggings. (Don't you just love my mirror in the bedroom selfie with terrible lighting? Yeah, me too. I could never make it as a fashion blogger.)

Tank // Jeans // Booties

Speaking of Stitch Fix, I received my first in December. It was less than favorable. There were a couple of maybes, but nothing I had to have, so I sent four items back but kept a handbag for my SIL.

I wanted to give it another chance, so in January I received another fix. There were three items I was really into as well as a pair of earrings and another pair of skinnies. I ended up keeping an gray asymmetrical wrap cardigan and I absolutely love it - a very functional piece that you can wear with jeans, leggings and yoga pants.

For my most recent Fix and the one I received the above leopard print cardi in, I only kept that one item. And I also got the below, but sent them back for various reasons.  In typical Katie fashion, I didn't make time to take any pics when I had the other items in my possession and before I knew it I was getting the notification that I needed to send my items back. So back they went and all you're left with are these silly pictures from the outfit cards they include with every fix, which I love by the way to get their ideas on how to style each item you receive. =)

Again, I only kept the one item, but you know what? I'm doing it again for a couple reasons.

• I love getting surprises on my doorstep each month.
• And checking out different styles they send.  Most have been pieces I wouldn't even give a second glance to in the store, so it's fun to try them on and see how they look. Who doesn't love playing dress up?
• You get FIVE different items in each fix and you tell them if you want just clothes or add accessories, shoes, handbags, etc.
• Even if I only end up with one item, it's totally worth it.
• If you end up sending anything back, then you are only out a $20 styling fee (this includes S&H to and fro), but hopefully this will never be the result for me.
• I have yet to keep all five items, but if you do, you get a 25% discount off the total price.
• You can give your stylist feedback on what you liked/didn't like to help them guide your future fixes. Plus, if you want to change your "profile" from weekend casual to dresses for an upcoming wedding, or work pieces, etc, you totally can.
• Did I mention I love getting surprises each month?? 

Now I'm patiently awaiting my fourth Fix. I changed up my profile and asked for some spring/summer dresses, maxis, midis, etc, for my annual gal pal trip to Scottsdale in April (check out last year's trip here). Can I tell you how excited I am to be thinking about wearing clothes like that again...well, scratch that, I'm just excited to get out of this terribly cold weather we've been having and into the sun with a cocktail in my hand and two of best gals by my side? Really, really excited.

If you haven't checked Stitch Fix out and you want to give it a whirl, feel free to use my referral link. Or don't. Totally up to you. =)

So have you tried Stitch Fix yet? What did you think?

Linking up with the Friday girls - Karli, Amanda and Natasha!

Cruz Favorites | Recent Purchases

Lately I have been trying to curb my Cruz purchases, I mean his closet is just about the most ridiculous thing ever and I find myself jealous every morning when I pick out what he's wearing for school and then retreat to my boring old clothes to get myself dressed for the day.

However, there are just so many amazing products out there for kids (clothes and so much else) and I just love checking them out - aka buying them - and finding new favorites. And of course, sharing our faves with you all.

Not talking clothes here, but we just got our new Fred & Friends 3-2-1 Lunch  Rocket Utensils. Suffice it to say we are fans - we already have the Dinnersaurs fork & spoon and the Food Face dinner plate. I mean their names alone would make me buy them, but they are actually really awesome and a great way to make dinner time fun. And no one wants to eat a boring dinner...am I right?

As far as clothes go, I've been eyeing  Dudley Denim jeans for C man for a while now and finally pulled the trigger on this Torn to be Wild pair. Check out their Etsy shop. I can't tell you how excited I am to add these to the rotation. And I can't tell you how much shit I'm going to get from my dad for "actually spending money on a ripped pair of jeans" and the subsequent head shake.

And of course as soon as I got the notification in my inbox about the Tom's sale on Zulily last night, I got pretty excited AND set my alarm for 8am sharp to do some damage. They go quick so check them out ASAP if you are in the market. I got Cruz two more pair this morning, but I've also gotten them as gifts for other kiddos in the past. They are so versatile and comfy! Trust me, their mamas will love you.

I started pulling pics of Cruz rockin' his Tom's so I could prove how much we love them and couldn't stop at just one. I mean, just look at this boy...and his shoes. 

(I'm pretty sure we've had the gray pair in every size possible...)


And if May could hurry up and get here soon, I'm pretty pumped to get this delivery on our porch. If you haven't heard about the Phillup cups yet, well let me tell you. The company who makes the Puj Tub that we loved for Cruz when he was a little babe, has come up with a genius product and we got in on the Kickstarter project to push it into production.

The slogan? "Tired of dirty cup pile-ups? So were we!" And so is this mama...now that Cruz has learned to run the water spout on the fridge. I mean he fills up everything. Multiple cups, our water bottles, random vases. Cannot wait.

So there you have it. And I'm always looking for other fab items for kids....please do share some of your favorites!