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Monthly Archives: November 2016

Alternative Christmas Gift Idea for Families with Kids: Memberships & Season Passes

29 Tuesday Nov 2016

Posted by blogjoiedevivre in Austin, Texas, Baby Girl A, Holidays, Motherhood, Shopping

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Children's Museums, Christmas gifts, Christmas list, Christmas shopping, gifts for families, Memberships, Merry Christmas, Season Pass, Thinkery, toy-lending library, Toybrary

That Hatchimal on their Christmas list gone out of stock?  Tired of kids with their eyeballs glued to a video game?  Or (in our case), does your toddler actually play with the box more than the toy inside?  Consider giving the gift of shared experiences this year!  –Not only shared experiences, but a gift the whole family can use year ’round.  I’m talking about the gift of memberships:  wether it be season passes to a local amusement park or an annual family admission package to their local zoo; memberships are a unique way to ensure you give the gift that keeps on giving.  Here are a couple GREAT options local to Austin:

  1.  Thinkery:  thinkery-2Austin’s official children’s museum is a wealth of opportunity for fun & learning for families with kids of all ages & stages.  They put on a slew of summer camps, reserve a “Baby Bloomers” morning just for the littlest crawlers, host a number of special events throughout the year, etc.  As my “Community Placement” with Junior League of Austin, I volunteered there a couple years ago to help with summer camps and kinda feel in love with the place.  Their exhibits are rooted in STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and math) education — it’s almost as if you can see the little cogs spinning in their minds as they interact & play.  The Family Membership is $99/year and grants general admission for a family of four at each visit BUT there are a number of pricing options to suit each family’s needs, including monthly giving.thinkery-1
  2. Toybrary:  A library is to books as Toybrary is to toys. –Super-cool concept, right!?  Toybrary is a toy-lending library and kids’ birthday party venue that also offers drop-in childcare.  Parents and children can stay & play and then check-out their favorite pieces to take home for awhile.  toybrary-1Here’s the dollar-by-dollar breakdown:  the average family in the U.S. spends $740 a year on toys if they have one child, and $1,200 a year on toys if they have two children. (PRWeb.com)  With Toybrary memberships at $40 per month & a year’s membership adding up to $420, the savings most families see is over $300 per year!  If you go once a week, and check out 3 toys each time, the kids get to use 12 toys per month.  But don’t forget, families can visit and exchange toys as often as they like.Toybrary 2.jpg

Life[style]: Nov. ’16 — Easy Natural Beauty Product Swaps

17 Thursday Nov 2016

Posted by blogjoiedevivre in Au Naturale, Beauty, Life[style], Product Reviews, Shopping

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ABBA Pure Performance Hair Care, Beauty Blogger, beauty products, best natural deodorant, natural beauty, natural living, Schmidt's Deodorant, sea buckthorn berry, Sea Buckthorn Facial Cream, SeabuckWonders, whole foods market

Y’all know I love reviewing new beauty products but I especially love sharing the latest & greatest NATURAL beauty products!  To start exploring some natural product alternatives, I partnered with Whole Foods awhile back to review a few offerings from their Whole Body Department…read my reviews on all that good stuff here.  Anyway, I can’t figure out why I have trouble trusting the natural stuff because what these products stand for completely aligns with me.  I just have this stigma associated with them in my head that they don’t work as well as the regular stuff.  And I’m sorry, but my beauty bag is not an area where I’m willing to make some of the sacrifices that come along with more natural, eco-friendly living –hello, unbleached (& scratchy!) Seventh Generation baby diapers, toilet paper, paper towels…you’re good for the environment but you kinda suck.  

I’m still a little skeptic of the boom we’re seeing in the natural beauty product category BUT I’m slowly but surely being converted, one amazing discovery at a time.  I find it a pleasant surprise when a natural beauty or wellness product rises to or even exceeds expectations.  Natural Living aisle at H-E-B, I WANT to love you, I really do… and sometimes I actually fall for something!  Here are my suggestions for easy swaps if you’re wanting to incorporate some more natural/healthy products into your beauty routine:

ABBA Pure Performance Hair Care:  abbaPure products — it’s that simple!  For over 25 years, ABBA has made a commitment to formulating products with the cleanest ingredients available, while never sacrificing the performance that their customers demand.  Where possible, all ABBA products are formulated to be 100% Vegan, Gluten-Free and made without Parabens, DEA, Phathalates, Synthetic Color Additives, Sulfates and Sodium Chlorides.  Plus, the brand has a strict policy that animals can NEVER be used for testing in the creation, development or formulation of the products.

Schmidt’s Deodorant:  schmidtsLooking for all-day odor and wetness protection from a natural product?  –Say hello to Schmidt’s Deodorant!  Available in six alluring signature scents, Schmidt’s classic stick (pictured) and sustainable glass jars have earned their reputation as the natural deodorants that actually “get the job done.”  Schmidt’s award-winning formula starts with plant-based powders and moisturizing butters to ensure odor and wetness protection that allows for the body’s natural process of sweating while still keeping you dry.  Amazingly, Schmidt’s effectiveness can not only match that of chemical alternatives, but can actually outperform them without the use of aluminum or other controversial chemicals!  Available in both Stick & Jar application at Whole Foods Market.

SeabuckWonders:  What’s small, orange and powerful? If you said the rare baby Langur monkey, Oompa-Loompas or Donald Trump’s hands, then you’re not necessarily wrong; however, we’re talking about the sea buckthorn berry here (Dr. Oz’s “miracle berry”) and why this power-packed super fruit should be on everyone’s radar.sea-buckthornThis little berry not only has over 190 phytonutrients and fatty acids (ALL the omegas: 3, 6, 9 and the rare Omega-7) that help protect against many diseases (including breast cancer).  SeabuckWonders, the original sea buckthorn company, has been providing maximum potency sea buckthorn products for over two decades now. Their products are natural, non-GMO project verified, cruelty-free, too!

 

How to talk to your kids about the election

10 Thursday Nov 2016

Posted by blogjoiedevivre in Austin, Texas, Everyday Joie, Faith, Motherhood

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Christian, Election 2016, Fearless Mom, God Bless America, Keep Calm and Carry On, Lake Hills Church, President, Scripture, Talking to Kids, Trump

I got up this morning to a gloomy rainy day in Austin, tired from staying up late to watch election results and pre-coffee cleaning of an epic poop-splosion by the toddler (it went all directions:  both up her back and down into her toes, dripped from the crib onto the carpet…so yeah, I woke up with bells on.)  However, this was a cringe-worthy wake-up-call for the history books:  the outcome of Election 2016 was finalized.  Donald Trump is President.  For me, the news was shocking, sobering, imminently grave, and unshakably disappointing.  Note:  Republican friends, ya don’t have to stop reading here…this post is not about Hillary, it’s about Jesus.current-moodThis selfie snap = my mood driving from home this morning:  angry Mozart on blast and wearing head-to-toe black, almost as if in mourning for the future of our nation.  Well, the Lord has a way of speaking to our hearts at exactly when we need to hear Him, amen?  I’m thankful the Pastors at the church where I attend a weekly parenting lecture series decided to be dynamic and timely and go off book to take a minute addressing what was weighing on all our hearts.  Before we began our regularly scheduled “Fearless Mom” lesson, the leaders took a few minutes to advise us mamas on how to talk to our kids about the election.election-sermonThe full video of their 17-minute message is linked above, but from my notes, I wanted to share some Scripture-based takeaways that helped me begin to Keep Calm and Carry On:

  • 1 Chronicles 28:20 — Tell your kids to be courageous (and model that behavior!)
    • David also said to Solomon his son, “Be strong and courageous, and do the work. Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord God, my God, is with you. He will not fail you or forsake you until all the work for the service of the temple of the Lord is finished.”
  • 1 Timothy 2:1-4 — Honor the office and pray for those with the position to succeed
    • I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people, for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.
  • Hebrews 13:8 — In an uncertain era, we cling to the truth
    • Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.

And finally, allow me to throw in the verse that will be my personal prayer for Trump:  Proverbs 11:2 When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom.

May God Bless America.

 

 

 

ADELE Live 2016…highlights of Adele’s concert in Montreal

04 Friday Nov 2016

Posted by blogjoiedevivre in Everyday Joie, The Arts, Travel

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25, Adele, Bota Bota, concert, French bistro, massage, Moms' Night Out, Montreal, Quebec, Sweetest Devotion

In honor of Adele’s sold out performances tonight & Saturday here in Austin, I wanted to share my experience seeing her in concert earlier this October.  Back in June (as my birthday gift!), my husband got us tickets to Adele’s Montreal stop of her world tour in Quebec, Canada.  He’s got a love affair with that city and figured it would make a perfect getaway weekend for the two of us.  Well, about two weeks before our trip, an important work commitment arose and after looking at all the options, we decided he just couldn’t make it work.  But no worries, because last minute he arranged for my good girl friend Marissa to fly up & meet me for the show!  adele-6Us girls had a short, whirlwind trip to Montreal…I landed the afternoon of the event and we packed a lot into those few hours we had to spare.  After meeting up downtown, we beelined to the perfect gourmet bistro for a fancy French-inspired lunch, complete with foie gras and rose’!  Then, she treated us to massages at the most unique spa concept:  a historic river ferry turned into a luxurious floating day spa in the Montreal harbor called Bota Bota.  It was a delightfully different way to unwind from our flights, take in the city skyline, and do something relaxing before the big show.adele-1We arrived to the venue a mere seconds before showtime but it was perfect timing!  Our seats were pretty high up but very close to the main stage.  And of course the sound, lighting, visuals, etc. were all stunning.  One thing I appreciated was that her face was up on the big screen the whole time…you could see up close how she sang each note & the emotion she put into every lyric.  No costume changes, just the right amount of pageantry, nothing superficial, perfectly classic timeless Adele.adele-2She performed for a full two-hours and showed us lots of personality in between sets!  Adele is very very funny, y’all!  We were cracking up — she was talking about how she’s trying to keep up with her work-outs on this tour but then she discovered Shake Shack during her pervious stop in NYC and those cheeseburgers did her in, haha!  Wonder if she’ll make a stop to one of our two Shake Shack locations while she’s in town?adele-3All the big chart-topping hits were sung, there was a short acoustic set, a couple covers, and best of all:  she told us the back stories.  She writes most of her own music and she really exposed herself emotionally by going in deep:  where she was living, at what point she was at in her career, where she stood in her love life, all of the nitty gritty & many times sad feelings that inspired her writing.  –Ah, Queen Adele crying, cold & wet, living and writing her songs in a dank, dark English basement…say it ain’t so!adele-4A few insights:  she told us that no, contrary to the tabloid reports, she is not pregnant.  She apologized for going away for so long but warned that she will go away yet again…that she needs & wants to be connected to her family and to live a real life and have real feelings in order to produce art that speaks to us.adele-5My favorite song of the night was Sweetest Devotion.  During the intro, Adele described how deep & different is the love for her son and talked about how motherhood changed her.  She was quite the prolific songwriter afterward, always writing, writing, writing pieces about her son.  Her producers cut a lot of it, but this one song stood out and it was thankfully included on her album, 25.  Well after hearing all that background, the song took on a new, more intense meaning for me personally and it was quite incredible to hear it performed live…ALL THE FEELS, let me tell ya.  Hearing her words & viewing them from the lens of myself as a new mother, both Marissa and I were moved to tears…it was a special moment for us mamas.

 

Highlights from our family holiday photo shoot {the greenhouse}

01 Tuesday Nov 2016

Posted by blogjoiedevivre in Austin, Texas, Baby Girl A, Dapper Dad, Holidays

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Christmas cards, East Austin, family holiday photos, greenhouse, Keep Austin Weird, Laura Morsman Photography, Merry Christmas, photo shoot, secret theater, Sekrit Theatre

Well, it’s November 1st.  Halloween is behind us.  The holiday season has begun!  Our family Christmas cards actually arrived from the printer’s last night, marking the occasion perfectly.  I went out around 10 p.m. to bring in the candy bowl and found the box sitting on the porch…my own little trick-or-treat surprise!dsc_3564We recently had the special opportunity to shoot our family holiday photos at Sekrit Theatre located in East Austin.  Our amazing photographer Laura Morsman had the contact & found the location, which is 2-acres of greenhouse, gardens, fountains, and artistic touches at every turn.  dsc_3572-2Although it’s private property and you do need an appt./permission to shoot there, I spoke with the owner at length before our session & he is opening it up as much as he can for photos.  The venue (his home) is his labor of love and called it like a cultural center…holding weddings there is donation-based, for example.
dsc_3602-2It’s sad, really:  due to some city zoning issues & complaints from neighbors, it’ll probably get all torn down and turned into condos soon.  You can read more about the plight of the our community’s “secret theater” here.  Go visit this little Austin gem while it’s still around! dsc_3674-2Today, I’m sharing photos from inside the greenhouse, but more moments from the rest of our shoot will be shared here on the blog & on my Instagram in the coming weeks.  THANK YOU Laura Morsman Photography!!!dsc_3781-2

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