Meet Zoey!

She is a 12 week old Plott Hound/Lab mix and she stole our hearts the moment we laid eyes on her.

It’s funny because we had actually picked out a different puppy online and the people ahead of us picked him out. We ended up taking one of Zoey’s brothers out for a walk and a different couple had taken Zoey. The puppies started playing together and we got to talking. They told us they wanted a boy puppy and we wanted a girl, so we traded them and both puppies got a new home!

We wouldn’t trade her for the world!

The post We Got a Puppy! appeared first on Frolic Through Life.

As soon as the kit arrived, we got to painting. Alex wanted to make sure that the fort was ready for the Tooth Fairy when his tooth finally fell out.

The kit included the wooden fort itself, six paint colors, a paint brush and pipe-cleaners, pom poms and adhesive leaves for decoration. The fort also came with a little treasure chest to put the tooth in and a story book explaining the reason behind the Tooth Fairy fort. It retails for $24.99.

Alex loves to paint and do all types of art projects, so this was perfect for him. He kept saying that he hopes the tooth fairy likes the little home he was making for her.

Once it was all painted and dry, we got to add the extra decorative pieces. Alex got really creative and made the Tooth Fairy a leaf shaped door mat and said that we should look into getting her a comfy chair so that she can rest while collecting teeth. He also asked why Santa gets cookies, but all the Tooth Fairy gets is teeth!

Once he was all done with decorating, we waited patiently for the tooth to come out.

Once the tooth fell out, Alex put it in the chest and into the fort. Before heading to bed that night, we read the Dreamland Tooth Fairy book that came with the kit. It was a really cute story and a tooth fairy that couldn’t get to a kid’s tooth. Alex really enjoyed it and was able to read most of the story himself, which made him feel very proud

When he woke up the next morning, the Tooth Fairy had visited and left him $5 in exchange for his tooth. He was beyond excited and is already make plans for what he will do with all his money when he looses all of his baby teeth!

The Dreamland Tooth Fairy Fort was sent to us for review. All opinions are our own.

The post DIY Dreamland Tooth Fairy Fort appeared first on Frolic Through Life.

1. Ice Amulet Bracelet: I got this bracelet from my cousin (thanks Patricia!) for Christmas and I have worn it basically every day since. It’s small and dainty, but gives my wrist a little bling.

2. Simple Micellar Makeup Removing Wipes: I had heard tons about micellar water and how great it is for removing makeup, so when I saw these wipes at Costco, I decided to give them a try. They do a wonderful job removing makeup, even liquid eyeliner comes off without having to scrub. They don’t burn around my eyes, which was my biggest complaint with other brands of wipes.

3. Glam Glow Thirsty Mud: This is the most hydrating face mask I have ever tried, and believe me I’ve tried a ton! In the winter my skin gets really dry and rough, and just 15 minutes with this on my face, and my skin is like new. I have a few other Glam Glow masks as well and they are all excellent.

4. Beauty Blender: I never thought I could love a little pink sponge this much, but I do. It does a great job of applying foundation and blending under eye concealer. I love the finish that it gives my face, it looks super natural, better than any foundation brush I have used in the past. I got the version that comes with the Blender Cleanser Solid, which cleans the Beauty Blender better than anything I had tried before.

January Favorites! @simpleskincare @baublebar @glamglowmud @beautyblender @killerbread
Click To Tweet

5. Dave’s Killer Bread: We buy this bread at Costco in pack of two, freeze one and refrigerate the other so it stay fresh throughout the week. The bread is great for sandwiches and toast, and is the only bread we buy other than the occasional roll or Italian Bread. It’s organic, non-GMO, whole grain and has 5 grams of both protein and fiber per slice.

6. Sperry Saltwater Duck Booties: After Blizzard Jonas hit, these were the only shoes I wore for days. They kept my feet dry and toasty, and looked super cute doing it. I had wanted a pair of duck boots forever and I am so glad that my wonderful husband got me these for Christmas because they came in so handy for the storm.

7. Kikki-K Personal Planner: I received the Kikki-K for my birthday in September, but didn’t really start using it until after the New Year because that is when my Inkwell Press A5 planner inserts started. I love the flexibility of a ring bound planner, how I can use any type of insert and totally customize it to my needs. It keeps me put together!

8. Eddie Bauer Westbridge Parka: I love Eddie Bauer for coats. They are waterproof, durable, super warm and super cute. I already had a fall/early winter coat from Eddie Bauer that is older than Alex, but still looked like new. When I started looking for a new winter coat, Eddie Bauer was a no-brainer. This coat is cute,  so, so warm, and best of all, comes in tall sizes, which this 6 foot lady really appreciates.

Was January a cold month where you live? What were some things that you loved in January? 

The post January Favorites appeared first on Frolic Through Life.

I actually have time to make breakfast and am not just grabbing something quick on my way out the door, which is really nice. I have also found that I am not starving first thing in the morning and sometimes my breakfast isn’t until closer to lunch.

Eggs are always a go to breakfast for me. This was two dippy eggs with sauteed mushrooms and a side of avocado and half a pretzel roll bagel. Yes pretzel roll bagels exist and yes they are as delicious as they sound!

One of my new favs are smoothie bowls. They usually consist of my Shakeology with almond milk and a fruit with some ice. I love to top them with more fruit and granola for some crunch. Even though this is just basically a smoothie, for some reason it seems like they keep me full longer than just drinking my regular smoothies.

Lunch and dinner are pretty much interchangeable because I usually eat last night’s leftovers for lunch.

Buffalo chicken quinoa bowls are my latest obsession. I cook up a bunch of quinoa, add in grilled chicken, broccoli and other greens that I have in the fridge and top it all with buffalo sauce and a bit of blue cheese. So good, and 21 Day Fix approved!

This was my couscous Greek salad with some grilled salmon. Alex and I bought Tommy a set of wood planks for grilling for Father’s Day and this was our first time trying them out. Even though I soaked them for almost 3 hours, the planks went up in flames, but at least the salmon tasted delicious!
A few weeks back we went grocery shopping at H-Mart and a this soup was one of the samples. After trying it, I had to pick up the udon noodles and soup base and recreate it at home. So good!

Last but not least are my favorite summer shish kebabs – shrimp, cherry tomato and pineapple. They are so quick to throw together and are ready in a flash. We like to coat them in a little bit of duck sauce mixed with water for extra sweetness, but it isn’t necessary. They are delicious either way.

What are your favorite summer eats?

The post WIAW: Summer Eats appeared first on Frolic Through Life.

My afternoon began with a text from Tommy asking if I wanted to grab dinner out and go to the piers. The piers are at the top of my favorite places in the world, so saying yes was a no-brainer.

We grabbed some food at a nearby supermarket and had a little picnic in the park. I have a sushi brown rice and quinoa bowl, which was delicious.

After we finished eating, we (literally) hung out in the playground, walked the piers and just enjoyed the warmth and sun.

Can we please just hit the pause button on the weather and have the opportunity to enjoy it before the heat and humidity of the summer hits? Here’s to hoping there are many more days like this ahead.

What is your favorite place in you city/town?

The post At the Piers appeared first on Frolic Through Life.

I’ve learned that the secret to being a successful shopper at Trader Joe’s on the weekends is to either shop early or shop late. We are always there either first thing, within an hour of the store opening or around 8 pm at night. Any other time is an overcrowded mess that makes me want to get out ASAP, which means that I end up forgetting a bunch of things.

Here are this week’s purchases:

We are planning on making Greek couscous salad with seared pork chops, turkey meatballs with broccoli rabe and shrimp Caesar salad for our dinners. We usually have enough leftovers to make at least one of our meals to stretch into dinner the next day.

We also stocked up on fruit and veggies: grapefruit, pears, apples, grapes, strawberries, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots, spinach and baby kale. We also got yogurt, cereal and some of Alex’s favorite bars. Oh, and of course ice cream!

Weekly Eats from Trader Joe's #fitfluential #eat
Click To Tweet

We usually pick up a few of their frozen meals which are perfect for busy days. The Kung Pao Chicken was recommended by a coworker, but we are yet to try it. We also always pick up some seltzer. Tommy and I are not big soda drinkers and we almost never keep it in the house, but we both love our seltzer. We also pick up cold cuts at a local deli for sandwiches and snacking.

Where do you do your grocery shopping? What are your grocery staples?

The post Weekly Eats from Trader Joe’s appeared first on Frolic Through Life.

Parts of the beach and boardwalk were still covered in snow and ice, but it felt so good to get outdoors and feel the sun on our skin.

We climbed up on the jetty and made it almost to the end. The waves were pretty big at the end of the jetty and we didn’t want to get splashed too much because it wasn’t warm enough.

We also collected a ton of gorgeous shells which I will be putting into a bowl that is currently filled with pine cones in our living room. Maybe if we summer-ify the house, the warmth will actually come and stay!

Here’s to hoping that the temperatures keep rising, so next time we can hit the beach without coats!

How’s the weather in your area?

The post First Beach Day of the Year appeared first on Frolic Through Life.

We started off our Friday at Bounce!

Bounce is an indoor trampoline park and it is so much fun! The place is separated into different sections and you can go for free bounce which is just a bunch of trampolines to jump on or you can try the different swings into the foam pits or even play dodgeball. We went with a few kids from Alex’s preschool and they all had a blast. I joined them in the trampoline area and it was so much fun. They do fitness classes there and have adult jump times, which I would love to try out!

When we got home, we arrived to the best package in the world…coffee!

I was all out of my regular coffee k-cups and was stuck drinking flavored coffee for the last two days. While I do enjoy flavored coffee every so often, I need a cup of good strong coffee in the mornings.

Friday night was sushi night. Alex and I picked up Tommy at the subway and headed to our favorite sushi spot. I was really excited when I saw that they redid their menu since the last time we has been there and had a ton of new rolls to choose from. This one was called the Crystal Roll and was spicy tuna with jalapeno and sriracha on top. Yummmmy!

Saturday was our lazy morning of the weekend. We lounged around in our pjs until noon, drank coffee and played board games.

Alex got this iSpy game for his birthday and it is so much fun to play.

In the afternoon, the little man had a birthday party to attend.

The party was a lot of fun for the kids, with clowns, face painting, balloon animals and even a visit from “the real” Spiderman.

After the party, we planned on going to Pennsylvania for the rest of the weekend. Our usual two hour trip took almost 4 hours because of the snow and the fact that none of the highway was plowed or salted.

We had to go super slow to prevent the car from sliding all over the place and half of the time we couldn’t even see where the lanes were. It was a pretty scary trip.

Luckily, the roads were all cleared on Sunday and we were able to hit up the outlets for a little shopping. I got a ton of stuff on clearance for Alex at Osh Kosh. They always have amazing end of season deals and I stock up on basics for next year. I also picked up a few things for myself at the Gap and Banana Republic.

I am in love with the dress and cannot wait for it to be warm enough to wear it. I also scored a really pretty white blazer at the Gap for only $30. I have almost zero white clothing and with our wedding this fall, I am going to need some white bride-ish things to wear to the bridal shower and other events.

The rest of Sunday was spent on the couch and watching the Oscars while folding laundry. Not a super exciting way to end the weekend but I can’t complain!

What did you do this weekend?

The post Weekend in Review appeared first on Frolic Through Life.

The weekend started off on Friday with a Bake Sale at Alex’s preschool. Check out all that pink and heart covered deliciousness! We made cupcakes and chocolate covered pretzels for the sale and they were both a big hit.

Since Saturday was Valentine’s Day, I made a special breakfast for my two guys. I didn’t have a squeeze bottle to make perfect hearts, but I think they still came out pretty good for freehand.

A few hours later, I found Tommy in the kitchen melting some chocolate for a surprise for me.

I was spoiled with two dozen roses, homemade chocolate covered strawberries and a gift certificate to my favorite nail place.

The little man and I tried to keep ourselves from going stir crazy on Sunday with some science experiments. Alex loves at home experiment kits so we made a homemade rocket launcher with vinegar and baking soda and a volcano.

At night, we decided to do some indoor camping. Tommy tied some string around the room and we ended up with a pretty cool looking tent.

And what’s camping without s’mores?

We moved the coffee table out of the way and camped out on the living room floor all night.

The only thing that made this weekend even better was the fact that we all have Monday off!

What did you do this weekend?

Linking up with Erin, Biana, Meghan and Ashley

The post Valentine’s Weekend In Review appeared first on Frolic Through Life.

We got there soon after they opened, so the crowds were not bad. The exhibit was really cool and the dinosaurs were very lifelike. At first, Alex was a little hesitant to get close, but he warmed up the the creatures after a few minutes.

There were also a ton of activites for kids. The little man got to ride a T-Rex, go on a scavenger hunt, dig for fossils, mine for and gemstones in a cave and pan for gold.

It was a really fun was to spend a Sunday afternoon and a great educational experience for the little guy. He learned a lot of interesting facts about dinosaurs in a really fun setting. We have already been to the Museum of Natural History to see dinosaurs bones, so it was really cool the see what those bones looked like when they were still inside the dinosaurs.

What did you do this weekend? Have you seen “live” dinosaurs before?

The post Discovering Dinosaurs! appeared first on Frolic Through Life.