Black Friday Steals & Deals

Black Friday shopping is not something I typically take part in. I have zero motivation to wake up early and hit all the stores that offer amazing deals. I would much rather sit on my butt at home and shop online. I give anyone that fights through the crowds mad props. There are so many stores now that offer great deals online and a lot of them will offer free shipping too if you spend a certain amount. I try to get a lot of my holiday shopping done around these sales to avoid being out in public in my sweaty gym clothes and day old makeup (#priorities).

Here are some sales going on right now you don't want to miss out on.

Tory Burch is offering 30% off when you spend $250 with promotional code: THANKS

ShopBop is 15% off orders of $250 plus,  20% off of orders of $500 plus and 25% off of $1000+ use code: GOBIG15

J.Crew is 30% off your regular order (40% off sale) with code: HOLIDAY

Gap is 50% your order with code: EARLY

Kate Spade is doing a surprise sale with up to 75% off.

BaubleBar is 30% off with code: THX

 Neiman Marcus Last Call is an extra 40-80% off everything

Free people is offering free shipping with no minimum price necessary

Happy Shopping!

Winter is Coming

Cooler temperatures are upon us! Can I get an AMEN!! The weather in Oklahoma only allows for 2 seasons. Really effin hot April- November and windy and somewhat cold the other 4 months...I grew up in upstate NY where it's basically winter 11 months out of the year. We're talking Game of Thrones style. Winter is Coming!! I love clothes that I can layer on and bundle up in. I'm always on the hunt for staple pieces I can wear every season. I don't mind investing in a few pieces I know I will wear year after year. If i still lived in NY my wardrobe would be overflowing with coats and blanket scarves but since they don't get much wear here, I only keep a few on hand.

I have this J.Crew coat (below) in light pink and love it. I want it in every color. The tan would go with everything. If you use the promo code SHOPTOIT on the website you can snag it for 25% off. Same goes for the red sweater.

Both of these blanket scarves are on repeat in my wardrobe. They are super cheap and hold up really nicely. If you have no idea how to wear a blanket scarf ( I didn't at first), you can find out how to do that below from YouTuber Karla Reed.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gGQxTiWncYE

Hunter boots are awesome for all types of weather. The boot socks make them really warm so you can wear them in the snow as well.

J Crew turtle neck sweater, $145 / J Crew j crew coat, $465 / Hunter socks, $42 / Hunter rubber rain boots / Asos scarve, $27 / Asos scarve, $27

Fall Beauty Picks

I love that fall/winter not only brings cooler temps but allows for richer colors in my makeup routine. 

I dig a coral lip as much as the next Kardashian but sometimes its fun to mix it up. The Sugar lip stains by Fresh are the bomb. My sister introduced me to that Plum color and its been my go to the past few weeks. It goes on almost like a chapstick but you can build up the color with a few applications. Its great for everyday wear. 

Adding a body moisturizer into your skin care routine is important in the cold weather. The colder weather can make your skin super dry. Josie Maran makes a body butter that I use about twice a week and have not had issues with cracking itchy skin. The vanilla apricot scent is my favorite. 

Bobbi Brown eyeliner has always been my top pick. It goes on like a gel but is a lot easier to apply than your typical gel eyeliner. It stays on all day and is easy to take off with any generic makeup remover. That little pot will last you forever.

The Naked eyeshadows are awesome. You can blend the colors for a more dramatic look and get that smoky eye without a whole lot of trouble. 

You really can't go wrong with Tom Ford anything. I bought some of his perfume at the duty free shop in the airport in Mexico (winning) and have almost blown through the entire bottle. I hope its real...otherwise I may be steering you wrong. 

xoxo

Josie Maran Body Butter//Butter Nail Polish//Tom Ford Noir//Bobbi Brown Eyeliner//

Naked Smoky Eye//Sugar Plum by Fresh Lip Stain//Amazonian Clay Bronzer//Nars Blush

Fall Favorites

Fall is probably my favorite time of year. My birthday is in October so I try to stretch that out as long as possible. It's all about me! Below are a few staple pieces that can be incorporated into your fall wardrobe. Neutral pieces never really go out of style. Unless they are hideous. The purse is stupid expensive but a girl can dream, right?

Joe Malone Cologne//Suede Ankle Booties//Cape//Denim//Hat//Bag//Sweater

These boots were made for walking...

I have a bit of a boot obsession. It's a problem. I wish it was fall/winter all the time so that I never have to wear anything else. Find a tall black over-the-knee boot and your legs will look super skinny. The short booties are perfect for a more casual look. An over sized sweater, blanket scarf and some black skinnys with any of these boots/booties would be a perfect fall look.

I've been after those Stuart Weitzman Lowland boots for a good year now. Ahem Isaac.

It's like a jungle sometimes it makes me wonder...

I've been listening to the 90's rap station on Pandora for the past few weeks and have come to a few conclusions. Rappers of the 90's/early 2000's were really just stay-at-home moms. Everything else was just a front. Here is my life, as told by some of my faves.

Wake up in the morning. First thing I hear is screaming radiating out of the baby monitors. 

"Get me OUT OF HEREEEEE. I POOPEDDD" -Noah

After letting the dogs out/feeding cat/ making 300 different breakfasts that nobody eats I finally get a chance to sit down and drink my coffee. This is usually about the time the cat jumps on my lap and knocks the coffee all down the front of me. 

Party Up (Up in Here)
DMX

Y'all gon' make me lose my mind
Up in here, up in here
Y'all gon' make me go all out
Up in here, up in here
Y'all gon' make me act a FOOL
Up in here, up in here
Y'all gon' make me lose my cool
Up in here, up in here

Right before nap time is when my brain turns to mush. I've been trying to reason with a 4 and 2 year old all morning. I try and throw something in the crock pot so we have dinner and half way through have to break up a fight and forget about the dinner. Forgetting to hit start on the crock pot is infuriating. You are so close to having your shit together...

Gangsta's Paradise

Coolio

Power and the money, money and the power

Minuet after minuet, hour after hour

Everybody's running, but half of them ain't looking

Whats going on in the kitchen, but I don't know whats cooking

They say I've got to learn but nobody here to teach me

If they can't understand it, how can they reach me

I guess they can't

I guess they won't

I guess they front

That's why I know my life is out of luck fool.

After I put the kids down for naps/quiet time I really have a chance to reflect on my life. 

Crossroads

Bone Thugs-N-Harmony

Hey and we pray, and we pray, and we pray

Everyday, everyday, everyday, everyday

And we pray, and we pray, and we pray

Everyday, everyday, everyday, everyday

Fresh air is good for the soul. We try to make it outside for a little bit in the afternoons. I should know by now that I just shouldn't own nice clothes. It's a losing battle. 5 minutes outside and one of my 2 kids has hurled a shovel full of dirt/rocks down the front of me.

Dirt off your Shoulder

Jay-Z

You gotta get, that, dirt off your shoulder

You gotta get, that, dirt off your shoulder

You gotta get, that, dirt off your shoulder

You gotta get, that, dirt off your shoulder

Dinnertime is what we like to call "the witching hour" around here. No matter how hard I try, this will always be the worst time of day. Something is usually blowing up in the kitchen. The kids are cranky and tired and pick at each other non-stop. The dogs are all up in my business trying to get scraps that fall on the floor. Noah is typically naked in anticipation of bath time and peeing all over the house. But it's 6:30. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. And the end of the tunnel is bedtime. 

The Message

Grandmaster Flash

It's like a jungle sometimes it makes me wonder

How I keep from going under

It's like a jungle sometimes it makes me wonder

How I keep from going under

Broken glass everywhere

People pi**ing on the stairs, you know they just don't care

I can't take the smell, I can't take the noise no more

Don't push me cause I'm close to the edge

I'm trying not to lose my head, ah huh-huh-huh

Isaac gets home from work and I am typically a raging bitch. That's assuming I'm still alive..."How was your day?" Response:

No Diggity

Blackstreet

Please excuse if I come across rude

That's just me and that's how a players got to be

Stay kickin' game with a capital "G"

Ask the peoples on my block I'm as real as can be

Isaac's response:

I Ain't Mad at Cha

Tupac

I ain't mad at cha

'Till I Collapse

Time to get my fat ass back in shape! I went on a month long breakup with the gym while on vacations and I need to get back at it. I always find it a lot more motivating when I have a good playlist. And a cute outfit. I always love other peoples recommendations for workout playlists so feel free to leave some of your favorites in the comments. 

I am by no means a fitness guru. I puked the first day I worked out with a trainer last winter. I cheat in bootcamp. I try not to take myself too seriously when I'm at the gym. One time I went to get on a treadmill and whoever used it before me didn't shut it off. I went flying off the end of it at probably a 6.2 speed. I'm sure it looked really awesome to anyone who got to witness that. I might start leaving the treadmill on when I get off it too. 

So one thing you need to know about me is that I have really random taste in music. If you don't like the first song just skip along to the next one. If you don't like that one either I don't know what to tell you. You probably have really bad taste in music. 

Workout Playlist 

Warm-Up

Slackstring: Lend Me Your Love & Stranded

Bob Marley & The Wailers: Is this Love

James Morrison: Undiscovered

When you are running and feel like your about to die and need a pick me up

Mika- We are golden & Big Girl (you are beautiful)
Hendersin- All I got 

Pitch Perfect 2 Soundtrack: Anyway you want it & Lollipop

B.O.B- Magic

Green Day: 21 Guns (The original Broadway cast recording ft. Rebecca Naomi)

Lil Jon: Act a Fool (featuring Three 6 Mafia) 

Hercules Soundtrack: Zero to Hero

You got this. Set that pace. Run like your kids are chasing you with greasy fingers and you are wearing white, girlfriend

Kid Cudi- Pursuit Of Happiness (Nightmare)
Dean Alexander: Live a Little

Milkey Chance- Stolen Dance & Flashed Junk Mind

Chiddy Bang: Opposite of Adults
Rufus: Tell Me Something Good

Craig Campbell: Keep them kisses coming

Miley Cyrus: FU (feat. French Montana) & 4x4 (feat. Nelly)

Three Dog Night: Never Been to Spain
The Band: Atlantic City

Nobody is watching. You can start walking now. 

The Head and the Heart: Rivers and Roads

Hillsong: Oceans

Sam Cooke: A change is gonna come

A few other places to check out for cute workout clothes

Albion Fit

Without Walls

Calia

Back to the grind

My goal of keeping this blog updated weekly slipped through the cracks the last month or so of summer. We had back to back vacations and I think I left my sanity on the last trip to Scottsdale. Nothing like having a delayed flight and then sitting on the runway for an hour the night before the kids are supposed to start school! Mom of the year over here. We got home at 2 am and then immediately turned around and went to school at 9. Their poor teachers didn't know what hit them. And if something or someone did physically hit them hopefully it wasn't my 2 years fist. He's going through a bit of a phase.

The first day of school is always really emotional. This is the first year Noah is doing Mothers Day Out and Levi is doing Preschool 4's. I basically have 3 days a week that are kid free for the first time in 4+ years. I did cartwheels cried all the way back to my car. I had no idea what to do with my new freedom. The possibilities were endless. All the things I complained about never being able to do with the kids tagging along, I could finally do. I could listen to Tupac in the car without worrying if Noah was going to pick up a new vocabulary. I could plan out meals for the week and make 1 trip to the grocery store instead of 5 trips because of forgotten items. I could go to the gym and work off the 3 pounds of vacation weight I put on. I could clean my house without Hansel and Gretel leaving a trail of ritz cracker crumbs behind my vacuuming efforts. In reality though I went home and slept, caught up on episodes of Naked and Afraid, got frazzled because there wasn't enough time to go to the store and pick up the kids and my house continued to stay a dog hair ridden pit. Im sure we had take out that night. So much for meal planning.

In all seriousness though I hope my kids really blossom in school this year. I keep seeing all these Facebook posts with moms posting their hopes and dreams for their kids futures. Be compassionate, respectful, giving. Heres what mine would say...

Levi,

You are such a sweet and loving kid. My hopes for you this year are that you learn to say your ABC's and not sing it to the tune of that really annoying girl on the Disney channel who is dressed up like a train conductor. You know the one. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kX-m4XWgcu8 

I also hope that the teachers give you a good head start on math. If you are anything like mommy you will need it. I actually had to ask your dad a fractions question when measuring out waffle mix this morning.

 **side note** Its really sad that I could memorize a Bone Thugs & Harmony song growing up but couldn't recite my times tables to save my life. Also, you will never know who Bone Thugs & Harmony is. -Muah

Noah,

Even though you are not in real school yet I have big dreams for you this year! I really hope you learn what not to do this year. Like bite your friends. I also hope the teachers potty train you so I don't have to. Kidding. Kind of. Also, if they can get you to nap and sit still while eating meals that would be a plus. -Love you, boo.

Blackberry Pie Recipe

We made a little trip to pick blackberries over the weekend. It sounded like a great idea in theory but by the time we got there (30 min after the place opened) almost all the berries were already picked. We managed to fill up 1 container which was just enough to make a blackberry pie with. 

Blackberry Pie Recipe

Ingredients

1 quart fresh blackberries, washed and drained

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

pastry crust (2) for 9 inch pan

1 tbs. butter

Preparations 

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Combine blackberries with sugar and flour. Let sit for 10 min. Line pie plate with pastry crust leaving some overhang. Fill pastry lined pie pan with blackberry mixture. Dot with butter. Roll out your second pastry crust and place over filling fluting the edges. Cut 3 slits in the top. Bake in preheated oven for 10 minuets then reduce heat  to 350 degrees cooking for an additional 25 minuets. Let pie cool before enjoying! 

Pretty Little Liars

We spent the fourth of July up at Grand lake this year. Levi and Noah had a great time swimming and playing outside and cruising around on the boat. The break from our usual groundhog day schedule was much needed. Both boys celebrated birthdays in the few weeks leading up to the fourth and as you can imagine life at the Jacobson casa was a little crazy. Although turning 4 makes him a year older, I'm not sure it made Levi any wiser as he put his arts festival bow through a 55' flat screen TV in his playroom. I was checking Facebook folding laundry in the hall outside the playroom when I heard the smash.

"What happened!?!?" -me

"Noah did it."-Levi

Noah was actually nowhere near the crime scene and Levi's nose was growing by the second. I sent him to his room until he could come clean about what actually happened to the TV.

 I don't encourage lying to my kids but I have to say he is not the first one in the family to blame something on Noah.

**Stop reading now Isaac** 

I went through a phase where I kept cracking the screen on my iPhone. It probably happened 700 times in a span of 6 months. I was out one day jogging with Noah in his stroller when I went to change the song on my playlist, hit a speed bump with the stroller and it flew out of my hands yet again shattering the screen. I told Isaac that the baby threw it and that was how the screen broke.

So after almost an entire day in his room Levi finally owned up to the TV situation.  I consider this a win. Minus the broken TV.

Loading up for a boat ride

Boating babies

One of these days everyone will look at the camera

Sweet boy

Checking out the sunset

Watching fireworks

Let Freedom Ring

Fourth of July is right around the corner!! We usually spend ours at the lake and I'm trying to get a head start on packing this year. These Wildfox Couture (3, 8) sweats are awesome for throwing on after a jump in the water. Super soft and they don't shrink up after washing. I think they actually get softer as you wash them...I'm also obsessing over this Janessa Leone hat. I want one in every style on her website. A little tip if you are not wanting to show off that stomach in a bikini: Find yourself some high waisted shorts. Rock them with a cute bikini top and voila. Hope you all have a great 4th!

Palm Print

The palm leaf print has been one of my favorites this season. Its casual but can easily be transformed for a night on the town with a hot pair of shoes. This For Love & Lemons dress needs to get in my closet ASAP. 

Favorite Sunscreens and Self Tanning Products

If I could go back in time and tell my 16 year old self to ease up on the days spent in the sun or tanning beds without sunscreen I would show up wearing bells and whistles. It makes me cringe to think how careless I was. Luckily, that whole fake bake tanned look went out of style (not sure it was ever really IN style but you know we all make mistakes) in my early 20's so I wasn't completely SOL. There are some really amazing products out there now that can help you achieve that same glowing bronzed look. I've tried all of the products listed below and can honestly say I love them. Next time you are in Sephora ask for a sample of whatever you want to try. They are usually very happy to help and you can try them out before purchasing. As far as sunscreens go, I have had a hard time finding one that won't make me breakout or leave me feeling greasy all day long.  A good tip is to use a daily moisturizer that has SPF in it. These are usually formulated to be less oily and you are already one step ahead before going out in the sun. Always reapply if it has been 30 minuets before going outside. I am hesitant to use spray sunscreens after reading an article about a little boy who got 3rd degree burns from having some sort of chemical reaction to the ingredients mixed with sun. Yikes! The sunscreens listed below are lightweight and they WORK. Aging gracefully is hard enough. Don't speed up the process by spending your days baking in the sun unprotected. 

Self Tanning Products for body and face

Alpha beta glow pad for body

Alpha beta glow pad for face

Somerville 360 Face

St. Tropez Everyday 

Sunscreen

Max 50 UV Milk

Max All Day Moisture Defense

Josie Maran Argan Daily Moisturizer

Clarins UV Plus