I don’t garden. My thumbs are about as black as you can get. With the exception of a Christmas cactus that has magically survived for a few years, very few plans survive more than a week in our house.

Junior…she gardens. She’s got this amazing garden in her backyard with things like lettuce and pumpkins coming up back there. Rockstar green thumbs is what she has.

Since I don’t garden, I label. Yeah…I’m a big contributer to her project. I’ve got my fingers crossed it will earn me a piece of lettuce or something.

I started with these little woodsies from Michaels.

She said yellow so I painted them yellow.

Then, I grabbed some bright and colorful stickers to put on them.

I spelled out the things in her garden and then covered it in outdoor modge podge to seal them up.

For the “stick”, I used some of the bazillion striped straws I have around the house. Even though they are straws, I did give them a coat of modge podge too just for added protection. I hot glued those on the back

Let them dry and the garden markers are all done!

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of SAVE for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

We have two kid birthday parties {in the same weekend} in August! We’re in the middle of a basement finishing project that keeps going and going.  School starts at the end of August for the first time in our child’s life.  Work is even busier than ever.

All things considered, I think we need a second vacation!  Now, of course, with everything else going on, our budget doesn’t really support a beach vacation where peak rates are still going strong until mid-September.  I was looking around for other non-beach options and stumbled upon some information on San Antonio.

With SAVE – San Antonio Vacation Experience, we would have the ability to save big money on things like hotels and major attractions.  Their Limited Time Offers would enable us to get some big bang for our bucks at places like SeaWorld, Six Flags and Splashtown. We can save $10 off tickets at SeaWorld.  Six Flags is offering buy an adult and get a ticket free!  Over at Splashtown, they are offering discounts up to $42!  The kids love animals so the San Antonio Zoo, with $2 off admission, would be a great attraction to visit too.  Of course, we can’t miss the chance to take a trolley ride either.  $2 off each ride is a great value to help us get around the city and enjoy a unique type of transportation too.

When you consider options like those applied to a family of four, visiting San Antonio and using SAVE – San Antonio Vacation Experience is definitely looking like a great option.

There are several hotel options within the SAVE program that also allow us to enjoy the famous Riverwalk.  The Westin looks really inviting but so does the San Antonio Marriott.  Using a Marriott property would also help us for future trips since we earn points.  

The SAVE – San Antonio Vacation Experience also offers an app so I can access deals and information remotely.  Oh, and of course, I can follow @SAVEinSA on twitter to keep up too.

Hmmm…a second vacation is sounding better and better.  Now, I just have to convince Mathlete to put down the nail gun and get on the plane. 

Hat’s off to all the single and/or military moms out there.  I honestly don’t know how you do it!  It was only 3 days that I was home {essentially} alone with my 2 littles and I am exhausted!  I even had Mathlete’s mom around on Saturday for most of the day to help out too! 

Phew…I need another weekend to recover from this one.

Here’s a little glimpse at what we’ve been up to the past few days…

paint sampling…

furniture and art shopping…

 organizing…

oh…some online shopping too…

Seriously, how awesome is that sofa?!  I sent it over to Mathlete almost immediately…well, after I wiped the drool away.  Zinc door has partnered with Jonathan Adler for the month of July and the products {like this sofa} are gorgeous.

pizza night with H’s bestie…

race track time for the Mathlete of the house…

picking the first tomato from our patio tomato plant…

and making it inside just in time before the storm…

Hope you all had a fabulous weekend!

 

Dream Outdoor Living Space

Each year we like to take a little vacation as a family and sort of re-charge our batteries. {You may remember last year’s vacation to the Outer Banks in North Carolina.}

This year, thanks to the ongoing basement reno {you remember that, right?!}, our actual away from home time was shorter so we stuck a little closer to home.

We kicked our vacation with the annual block party that goes on out on our street.  We block the street off starting around 4pm and let the kids {and adults} go wild.  Each year, the local volunteer Fire Department also stops by with the their truck.

In return, we fill the boot with donations and feed them dinner.  Thanks to the Arcola Volunteer Fire Department for always being willing to support our little event.

Next up on our vacation list: Virginia Beach…well, first the 4 hour drive to get there.

We made really great time getting there.  So great, in fact, that we couldn’t check in to our hotel for 4+ hours 🙁  Not so great.  
We found some lunch and then took the kids to the beach for a little while as a way to kill some time

We spent 2.5 days there enjoying the sand, surf and boardwalk.  Having grown up so close, we never really went and stayed in Virginia Beach so it was a lot of fun to discover all it had to offer.

Hailey’s favorite thing might have been the Sweet Frog FroYo

Or maybe the family bike ride

It was definitely not the family picture time

Ethan’s favorite thing was definitely the sand…he took about a pound of it with him after each visit.  Oh, and sleeping in the stroller wasn’t too bad either.

I even managed to find a little home away from home at the historic Coast Guard station

On Friday, we headed out of Virginia Beach to meet my parents at the local Children’s Museum

If you are ever in the area (Portsmouth to be exact), it is a great place for kids!

The next day, we headed to our final stop: Busch Gardens. 

Well, I guess technically the ferry came first which was definitely an attraction/adventure for the kids {and Mathlete}

We had perfect weather for our trip to Busch Gardens.  We started in Sesame Street Forest and visited with a few friends

Followed by a lot of time in the water play area

And then lunch with a show in Germany

And finally…more sleeping in the stroller

And in the car

We finished out our vacation with a trip to the neighborhood pool

Oh, and Mathlete put together our new grill (purchased 2 months ago!)

Now, if only I could have another vacation full of sleep to recover from this one!

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of White Castle for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

Summer is still officially a few days away but that hasn’t stopped us from chowing down on some yummy summer foods.  One of the my favorite foods for summer: sliders!  They are the perfect size and are so tasty.  I was first introduced to the Slider at White Castle.  

White Castle sliders are better than pretty much any other slider I’ve had.  I’ll even buy the frozen ones from the store and skip homemade ones because they are so good.  I am going on record and saying that I think the onions is what makes them the best 🙂

While cruising around the interwebs a few days ago, I discovered their new website where you can Join Craver Nation! 

So, being a HUGE White Castle fan, I immediately signed up.  A bonus: 2 Free Sliders or $1.00 of a box of frozen sliders at the grocery store {for the poor souls like me who don’t have one nearby!}.

The website is also home to two cool challenges where you can win free stuff.  National Anthem (ends June 27th) will give the winner free concert tickets AND a recording deal for writing the Craver Nation National Anthem.  Edit a Road Trip photo to include White Castle and you could win a free MacBook Air with a special White Castle Craver Nation skin.

Do you live near a White Castle?  If not, how far would you go to get White Castle sliders?  Before you go, be sure to go Join Craver Nation! and get your coupon!

 

 

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Newport Beach. All opinions are 100% mine.

The recent long weekend reminded me exactly why I need a vacation!  Our weekends are so packed full of stuff that it just feels like we have 2 additional work days that are out of the office between actual work days IN the office!  Know what I mean?  I’m getting the point where I feel like I might start doing things like leaving my cell phone in the freezer or ATM card in the machine again {sadly, this does happen to me at least once per year when I get really busy}.

I’ve been looking at different options for an upcoming family vacation.  Mathlete loves the beach and we had such a blast last year that a beach is high on our list of requirements.   We’ve also had thoughts about trying to visit family on the West Coast at some point.

During my looking around, I came across the website for Newport Beach, CA.  I totally clicked on it because it was an option that combined our beach dreams with visiting family!  It is a pretty helpful site right from the front page where you can check out the upcoming events and look for places to stay!

Want more? 

Check out the ‘Things to Do’ tab.  It is filled with options for singles and families alike.  Plus, there is a list of kids’ summer camps to check out too.  They offer a bunch that are way outside of the norm.  If E was just a little older, I could totally see Mathlete choosing something like the Star Wars camp for him.  H is totally into dance right now so I am sure she would choose something like the Fairy Tale Princess Ballet camp.

Or, click on the where to eat tab and get a list of fabulous restaurants.  I made the mistake of doing this at lunch and my tummy was growling.

I did a quick search for some hotel options and immediately fell in love with the Hyatt Regency Newport Beach.  With their reserve one room and get a connecting room for kids {18 and under} at 50% off promotion, I was definitely getting psyched about the idea of this vacation.  Then, I read on to the all the activities like 3 pools, ping pong and shuffle board.  I practically had the phone in my hand ready to call their number {800-233-1234 in case you are at that point too!}.  Of course, Mathlete has to weigh in first since it is a family vacation 😉

So, are you ready for a vacation?   What is your favorite thing to do on vacation?  Think Newport Beach could be your destination?  Check out this video and it might seal the deal.

Alright, I’m off to finish booking my vacation!  I hope you’ll get one in this summer too.

[photo source]

You know that feeling when something awesome drops in your lap and you are giddy with excitement?  Yeah, that is where I am right.this.moment.

Way back in 2011 {yeah, a long time ago…I know}, I sat down and started this little ole blog as a way to chronicle what happens in our life.  It has grown quite a bit thanks to fabulous readers {like you!} and I could not be happier.

Today, Just Us Four was featured in the Best of Web series on Be @ The Home Decor Blog. 

Want to check it out? 
I hope you do…just click here!

While you’re there, be sure to check out the Tip Center which offers some pretty fabulous tips on everything from shopping to baking to gifts!

P.S. If you are visiting from the feature,
WELCOME! 
I hope you will click around and see what Just Us Four is all about!  Oh, and I’d love to have you join as a follower too so we can stay in touch!

Ok, off to finish my happy dance {oh, and call the Mathlete to share the news of course}!

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of éclos Skin Care for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

It was over 90 degrees here today.  Yep, summer is here in full force!  The extra hours of sun and time outside means it is the perfect time to help you skin out a little.  Especially considering sun exposure is the #1 source of aging for women.  Yep, you read that right…lots of time in sun can mean lots of aging on your skin!  Who really wants to look 5-10 years older than they really are?  {19 years old…don’t answer that one!}

Recently, I had an opportunity to try out éclos Skin Care Anti-Aging products. 

The kit they sent included the following samples of their Anti-Aging line

– Facial Cleanser Skin Prep {preps skin for subsequent treatments by balancing pH level}
– Cellular Activator Face Serum {nourishes skin cells to enhance their ability to function like younger cells}
– Moisture Therapy Regenerative Cream {tightens sagging skin}
– Restorative Eye Cream {visibly reduces fine lines and wrinkles around the eyes}
– Instant Radiance Facial Scrub {evens out skin tone and texture}
– Skin Renewal Clay Mask {cleanses skin, absorbs impurities and helps unclog pores}
– Terry cloth head band

I know what you are thinking.  There are a million products on the market that claim to help prevent aging.  I thought the exact same thing.  éclos Skin Care is made with apple stem cells which is way different than most products on the market.  In fact, since it is available at places like Wal-Greens and similar stores, it is the first product using this technology found in mainstream stores without a hefty price tag attached.

I was intrigued by the claims and the technology so, I decided to try it for a week.  Afterall, it isn’t fair to judge until I have tried it.  And pretty much anything that goes on in our house gets shared with you guys  🙂  In fact, I’m in such a sharing mood that you are going to get some sans make-up pictures {you were warned}

Here I am before I tried the products

Pretty scary, right? You can totally see the uneven patches and just overall terrible tone in my skin.  See why I was willing to try a new product?  Yeah, warned you sans makeup would be risky.

So, did it make a difference?  It is hard to tell in pictures but I think it definitely did!  I can totally see a more even tone to my skin AND it feels so much smoother.  Take a look though {oh, and the little hand is my constant companion right now as E is very much into mommy these days}

Now that you have seen/heard my thoughts, it is time to try to get your own éclos Skin Care starter kit {valued at $19.99}.  That’s right, I have one to give away to a lucky reader {within the U.S.}.  How do you enter? 

Easy…
Go visit éclos Skin Care and then come back and leave me a comment telling me what product you are most excited about trying.

Want a bonus entry? 
You can follow Just Us Four through GFC or Linky Followers for a bonus entry.  Just leave me a comment letting me know you did.

The contest will be open for 7 days from today and I’ll announce the winner here {and on Facebook and Twitter of course so be sure you are a follower}.

Good luck!