Lately

 The girls were both at Summer Camp last week so I had a nice break.

I spent one morning at the beach and another at the pool *BY MYSELF*.

Two books that I was able to finish and enjoyed:

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Got started lime-washing our stone... 

Spent one morning thrifting...

Score!

I also went to the Once Upon A Child Summer Clearance event.  They hold this every year and it's an extra 50% off Spring/Summer.  Considering everything is already priced so low, it's an awesome opportunity to find some nice things.  I thought about doing a separate post on my secondhand shopping tips, but for now here's my approach.

1. Know the fine print.  Typically there are tag colors that are off limits.  Certain categories that are excluded from the sale... Make sure to know the rules so that you don't end up at the register only to find out several things you picked are full price.

2. Think ahead.  Right now my girls are 2t and 4/5t...so those are the first sections I shop.  I will also skim through 3t and 6t, thinking ahead to next year.   I'm looking for *special pieces*.  

3. Stretch the season.  What I mean is that, considering Charleston really doesn't have a true winter, you can get creative and look for items that could translate as "holiday".  See below.  Each of these dresses was included in the Summer sale, but I bought them for the girls to wear at Christmas this year.   And they were under $5 each.

4.  Go without your kids, so that you can really look.

 I get such a thrill out of being frugal and finding unique things.  Still trying to figure out how to make a career out of this ;)

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Father's Day=Hometeam.

Parenting is hard work, and finding humor in the chaos is crucial.

Thanks for laughing with me, K.

Love you so much.

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That's what's been going on!

xLaura

Summer Somethings

Week 2 of Summer Vacation, Here we go!

We made a poster with our game plan/schedule which has been working pretty well so far.  I definitely find myself feeling overwhelmed at times, but putting some systems into place is helping us find our groove. Also, a well-stocked snack bin.  

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Recent thrift finds:

These adorable plates are heavy duty plastic and perfect for our summer cookouts.

The prettiest cover-up:

And then this cute sarong, or currently "pareo":

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I realized that the majority of my swimsuits are older than my second child, so this year I decided to grab a few new ones.  This is probably my favorite, which I found online at JCPenney.  It's hard to find one pieces that aren't matronly and I think this one is very "on trend" if you will.

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I don't think this would fall under the category of "Beach Read", but I'll go ahead and call it a "Summer Thriller".  Enjoyed it...  

Oh!  And just a reminder if you have little ones...Don't forget to start Summer Reading.  The girls picked up some prizes yesterday and they're great this year:  Riverdogs tickets, Aquarium pass, Putt-putt.  Instilling a love of reading is a top parenting goal for me, and special rewards definitely help!

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I can't believe my little one is turning 2 this month!  I'm sending invitations out this week.  I think these are so cute and can't beat the price!  

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That's Summer, so far.

Off to EB's first ballet class!!

xLaura

Memorial Day Weekend

 We had beautiful weather here in Charleston for a long Memorial Day weekend.  Pool, Beach, Hot dogs on the grill....Summer has arrived!

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Friday was EB's last day of 3K!  Here's a comparison photo:

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We have already made great use of the pool we joined for the Summer.  

Raisins in the Sun :) 

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I finally found a frame I loved for MB's One year portrait.  Now for the matting.  I am going with a pale pink to give it a feminine touch.

Yesterday we were down on Folly.  We timed it so MB would nap while we sat in traffic.  It worked perfectly!

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Today we are working on our Summer Game Plan.

We are making a daily schedule, a list of activities we want to do, and also a meal plan outline that will help take the guesswork out of my grocery list.  

Getting ready to tackle these long days ahead...

xLaura