Summer Must Haves: Mama (or not) Edition

Hot days, humidity, and mosquitoes. Ahhhh, Texas summer. This is going to sound absolutely cray, but I have always been one of those gals who could just skip over summer. I do LOVE my pool time, but ugh, the heat. Oh, and the fact that I burn in like 2.5 seconds. Not blessed with Brazilian skin, y'all. Obviously, fall and winter are my faves because of the holidays, but if I have to do summer, I want to do it right. Here are my summer must haves!

Caldrea candles - These candles smell amazing. My current favorite is their signature scent, Vanilla Lemon. And you can pick these up at Target which is a major plus. I just love Target. Where else can you get toilet paper and home decor in one place? Oh yeah, HEB. But we don't have one here in the F-Dub. I hope some major executive from HEB is reading this. I WILL single-handedly support your store if you build one near me. OK, maybe not but I can fo sho find friends to shop there too. PLEASE.

Neutrogena Clear Face Sunscreen - I have worn sunscreen on my face every.single.day. since high school. Thanks Marmi Rose for teaching me about good skin care. Typically I wear Olay daily moisturizer with SPF but I feel that I need something heavier in the summer since we are outside so much more. This Neutrogena sunscreen has an SPF of 55. Yes 55. And it doesn't smell bad or make you break out because it is oil free. If you need a reason to wear sunscreen, wear it because it will help protect your face from sunburns and wrinkles. Oh, and cancer. There. I gave you not one but three reasons to wear it. WEAR SUNSCREEN y'all.

All For Color Tote Bag - I am loving all things brightly colored. There has been a major trend of neon colors for awhile now, and these bags are the perfect way to work it into your style if you are afraid of actually wearing neon. These totes are water resistant, come in fun patterns, and look great monogrammed. Perfect for the pool, beach, and great as a carry-on for summer travel. I have the Moroccan tile pattern and it's my new favorite bag. You can order online or if you are in the DFW area, Spoiled Pink carries them.

Clorox 2 Stain Fighter and Color Booster - Summer brings grass stains, BBQ spills, and snow cone dribbles. This stuff is nothing short of amazing. I have been able to remove set-in stains that have been through the dryer. For people who don't know much about laundry, when a stain has been through the dryer, it can be nearly impossible to remove. My mom told me about this Clorox 2 situation and it is the best stain remover I have ever used. Bold statement but oh so true. You can use it to pre-treat stains before laundering by just pouring a little on the stain and letting it sit for a bit and you can also add it to your detergent to keep colors bright and stain-free.

Swim Cover-Up - Everyone needs a great cover-up for pool time, and I have the perfect one for you! Old Navy for the win with their chic, cheap, and fun cover-ups. I recently got the teal-colored one pictured above and it's awesome. I was a little worried that the pom pom fringe wouldn't hold up in the wash but it has done fine. I just love finding something that looks more expensive than it really was and this is one of those!

Hope your summer is off to a fabulous start. Coming up soon, I'll be posting my favorite baby/toddler summer must haves. Happy Thursday! I don't know about y'all but I'm counting down to the happiest hour of all! Is it 5:00 yet?

Baby Must Haves: Months Thirteen and Fourteen

Well that was fast. Fourteen months have come and gone since little R joined the Lombardi party. Um, actually it's been fifteen months. I'm a little behind on blogging. Why am I behind? Not sure. Kidding. Chasing my running/climbing toddler who seems to be on a suicide mission, keeping up with Etsy and invitation orders, and you know, eating bon-bons and getting the occasional pedicure. Time must be made for pedicures. It's summa-time and my toes need all the help they can get, k?

Here are our thirteen and fourteen month baby (I guess toddler now...insert sad face) must haves!

Little Tikes 2-in-1 Swing - I am BESIDE MYSELF that I did not get a swing sooner. Like last year. IT.IS.AMAZING. The best thing is that I can put Robby in here and be totally hands free to do things in the front yard. Like you know, water plants, pull weeds, and all that fun stuff. OR ignoring all that stuff and just drinking wine al fresco. Robby screams with glee as I push him in this swing and it is a total mood lifter on those toddler tantrum days when you are like, "Why did I have a kid again?" Except I'm NEVER like that so we swing purely for fun. We (meaning my yard man - and don't judge - I was not about to risk my life or become a widow letting Andrew climb up a 20-foot tall tree. I simply do not want to be raising a toddler by myself if I can help it) hung this from a huge tree in our yard and it is the perfect spot in the shade for Mr. R. It really is necessary to drink wine while Robby swings because I have an irrational fear that I will swing Robby up to the highest height and then will hear a crash. As in a crash from the swing falling. So the wine helps with a little pre-swing relaxation. Pre-swing because you start sipping wine before you actually get in the swing and then throughout the swing session. I wonder if they make these in adult sizes? With a cup holder?

Munchkin Super Grip Bath Mat - My little (big) man has outgrown our very beloved bath tub ring. I was starting to have a hard time getting him out of the tub ring. Have you seen his thighs? Anyway, that left me in a real pickle because my guy is not one to sit still. I needed something to give him some grip in the tub to keep him from sliding all over the place when he repeatedly stands up. This mat is just the ticket! Easy to use (make sure you get the back wet before trying to suction it to the bottom of your tub), stays in place, and not expensive - which is great so I can save those pennies for my pedicure habit. Score!

Sassy Baby Disposable Diaper Sacks - Y'ALL. THE SMELL. OF TODDLER POO. Ok, let's just say that since starting to eat a wider variety of solid foods, well, R's diapers are gross. They're better in the sense that they're more solid (excuse my oversharing), but way worse in the smell department. WAY.WORSE. These diaper sacks really help disguise that odor. And I started NEVER putting poo dipes in the genie a long time ago. I keep a box of these sacks in the top drawer of the changing table and poo diapers go directly in one of these sacks and straight out into the outside trash can. There's a little tip for ya if you think your house is smelling like diapers. DO NOT put poo diapers in the genie. Like, ever. Have you heard me say POO enough yet? Oh the things I would have been appalled to say out loud pre-baby.

The Very Hungry Caterpillar book - For some reason this book is Robby's latest obsession. He will sit down and flip through this and "read" it to himself which is just about the cutest thing I've ever seen in my life. If you could use 5 or 10 minutes of somewhat quietness, get this book for your little guy or gal! Aside from The Very Hungry Caterpillar, all books in general are a big interest of Robby's these days. Because he's a genius.

This is a great age, but it is most definitely when they start getting independent. And by independent I mean resisting authority. I need to read up on toddlerhood and hone my skills before it gets too crazy around here.

Here's a rundown of what is going on with our little man if you are interested:

Favorite Foods: pancakes, goldfish, carbs in general, raspberries, cheese, avocado, peanut butter
Favorite Activities: eating carbs, bath time, swinging, being a wild man
Favorite Words: Dada, uh-oh, this (pronounced "dis"), that (pronounced "dat"), and baby James (pronounced "A-E Jayz") *Baby James is Robby's cousin whom he ADORES! Now every baby he sees is "Baby James." He also says "Hey!" I can't wait until he really starts talking. As long as it's not "No."