Prepping for a Summer Vacation//Bikini Wax

Thank you Waxing The City for sponsoring this post. Unwanted hair is part of life...and so is getting rid of it. From brows - to backscaping - to bare it all Brazilians –we’ve seen it all. With 100 locations open –you’ll be sure to find a Waxing The City studio near you. First time customers get 50% off their first service!

Simon's swim lessons, friend BBQ pool parties and family reunions at the lake + an overwhelmed mother of two attention-seeking toddler boys who doesn't have a lot of time to keep up on her shaving desires, don't mix super well--but who wants to miss out on all the water fun? Especially when 115 degrees is the norm?? Not me!

Overall, I'd say I'm a pretty low-maintenance lady, but the idea of not having to worry about shaving the bikini line for a few weeks straight, sounded like a pretty nice perk this summer. I decided to take Waxing The City up on their offer to try out a modified bikini wax. (You can try one too--your first service is 50% off!)

I scheduled my appointment online--it was so easy and even virtually the service was personal and top-notch. I chose a day Marcus was home and headed down for my wax--

Now I'm kind of a prude when it comes to being naked in front of stranger- haha, I'm going out on a limb here in assuming I'm not alone in that way of thinking. So I was secretly hoping since I was getting a modified bikini wax I wouldn't have to bare it all...I was wrong 😅. BUT my waxer was so chill and didn't make me feel weird at all. Of course, they truly don't care--they chose this profession and have seen it all, apparently they've done over half a million Brazilian! We chit-chatted about life, her engagement, and how it's kind of weird that we all care about body hair anyways. She educated me a little on waxing, but wasn't pushy or salesy at all. 

The process stings a bit, but was overall so much better than my first experience at a different salon, where they used much bigger strips of wax and the end result was bloody and bruised hair follicles! 

At Waxing The City, their goal is customer comfort above all--not speed. One wouldn't assume an hour laying naked in front of stranger while they ripped tiny hairs off my body would be relaxing, but I guess that shows you how un-relaxing taking care of two little crazy (cute) boys is! 😆

Here are a few tips before you head down for your first wax:

• Grow out period is about two weeks--the hair has to be long enough for the wax to grab hold--Your hair grows in two cycles--so you follow up wax will be even less painful, smoother and faster.
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• If you're going to make this a regular part of your routine, they recommend coming in every four weeks, to keep the hair growth cycle on track.
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• Coming right before (or during) your period isn't recommended as you have more blood flow to the area and it will be more sensitive.
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• Wait to do self-tanning lotion until after your wax, as it will be removed with the wax.
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• After your wax, let your skin rest for a day or two, then start exfoliating to prevent any in-grown hairs. I loved their sugar scrub and their exfoliating mitts for this!

• When waxing is done consistently, hair grows back slower and sparser. Some say it eventually stops growing all together! Okayyyyy 👌

I truly loved my experience with Waxing The City--most of all because of the happy, positive and comforting vibe of the staff and the cute and clean office. Plus I had NO irritation post-wax, yay! I highly recommend them and if you do decide to give them a try, make sure to use the 50% off your first service deal! Just visit waxingthecity.com to schedule your service.

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of CLEVER and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

Cranberry+Cutie Holiday Tart Recipe

At the Bagley house we have a few traditional recipes we make every year for both Thanksgiving and Christmas Dinner--when it's our year to spend one of those holidays at the Nielson's, I always make sure my mom saves me a taste because holidays don't feel compete without getting my fill. One is my mom's sausage, cornbread dressing. It's so good that this year, I made it to bring to the Nielson dinner and all the brother-in-laws couldn't stop raving about it. I have a feeling it's going to become part of their tradition too.

The second is my mom's Cranberry+Cutie Sauce. It's more like a fruit salad, but it's what we use for our cranberry sauce, because, well, once you try it, you'll realize all other cranberry sauces are inferior. Marcus even asked me to make that and bring it to the Nielson's this year too.

The thing is, we always make up a huge batch so we can snack on it for the rest of the week, but I had an idea on how we could mix it up and use our leftovers to create something new! As they say, variety is the spice of life :)

One of my favorite summer desserts is fruit pizza--it's a sugar cookie crust with strawberries, blueberries, kiwi, pineapples and oranges. So I thought it would be fun to create a winter version--a cranberry+cutie tart!

You start off with the sugar cookie crust--use any soft sugar cookie recipe you like--I even used zest from the Cuties in my dough.

Depending on the size of tart you want, you can form it in large muffin tins, small pie tins or a full size pie! I like a pretty thick crust, so form it about 3/4 inch. Bake until just golden. Let it fully cool, then fill in with about 1/2 inch of the cream cheese, whipped cream filling. Lastly, you top that off with your cranberry+cutie sauce.

We use the Zyliss food slicer to cut up the pears and apples, but you can do it by hand if you don't have one. Blend up the cranberries in a food processor, nice and fine. Then chop up the pecans with a large knife, or lightly blend in a food processor. Dice up the cuties-- the more cuties the better! Really, the cuties bring such a refreshing, juicy pop to the tart. It was taste tested around the family and all agreed it was a winner!

Let me know if you give it a try and how you like it. I'd love to hear some of you favorite holiday recipes too!

Cranberry+Cutie Holiday Tart//

Start with your Favorite Sugar Cookie Recipe with Citrus Zest

Cream Cheese Filling:

One 8 oz brick of cream cheese softened

6 cups freshly whipped cream, sweetened to your liking with powdered sugar

Cranberry+Cutie Sauce:

Two Apples

Two Pears

6-8 Cuties

1 Package of Cranberries
1/2-3/4 cup of sugar depending on sweetness of fruit

Pecans to taste (we like lots!)

Check out Cuties website for more seasonal recipes and inspiration from their #100DaysofSunshine campaign.

And follow along on social: Facebook & Instagram

*Thank you Cuties for sponsoring this post. 

Minimalist's Baby Registry with The Baby Cubby

Since finding out we're expecting boy number two, I've been asking myself what items we'll actually really need. He's due around the same time of year as Simon, so most of the newborn clothes we have should work just fine for him. But a part of me is itching to "prepare" or "nest" so I thought just a FEW new items wouldn't hurt, right?! Of course when I started pursuing the baby cubby's beautifully curated website, a "few" turned into a little more than I was expecting and my wishlist got a little out of hand! Oops! Promise I won't buy it all...

It's pretty rare to find a shop that has so many things you connect with and is free of all the...junk you don't! That's exactly what I found at the baby cubby, probably because the cubby team is made up of real parents, who know, test and use these products themselves. They know they're the best and safest available, plus they offer free shipping and price matching--EVEN AMAZON! I don't know about you, but I love supporting small businesses over Amazon whenever I can, and when they're price matching, why wouldn't you?

Here is a group of my very favorites, some are tried and true by me and Simon (like Tubby Todd Natural Wash & Lotion and the machine washable Lorena Canal Rugs) and some are new goodies I hope to try out on #babyboynumber2 come February-- (I got my eye on you, DockATot!)

I'd love to hear some of your favorite baby items or things you learned about buying for your second child! Did you feel like you didn't get to nest as much?

Shop the Items Here: Tubby Todd All Natural Gift Set / DockATot Baby Sleep Positioner / Owlet Baby Vitals Monitor / Stokke High Chair Set / Salt Water Sandals / Lorena Canals Washable Beige Rug / Lorena Canals Black Rug / Grey Striped Terry Sweats / Little Unicorn Striped Cotton Quilt / Lulujo Baby Turkish Towel / PlanToys Submarine / Stokke Steps Bounce / Fitted Coverall / PlanToys Coastguard Boat / Ubbi Diaper Pail / Cranberry Swaddle / Aden + Anais Bandana Bib / Briar Handmade Bonnet / Piper Finn Stone Gray Oxford / PlanToys Racer / Natursutten Orthodontic Pacifier / Banana Infant Teething Toothbrush / EleFriend Bendable Toothbrush for Toddlers / NoseFrida Nasal Aspirator 




+Thank you babycubby.com for partnering with me on this post, as always, all opinions are my own.

Things Parents Find Exciting//Tuft & Needle Unboxing

We've had this mattress for over a month and we still have the box in our room because it's Simon's fave toy... Good thing it's pretty!

Sleep, you precious, precious ruby. It has always been a gem in my book, but becoming a mom has made me realize how much I took that treasure for granted.

It took Simon over a year to sleep through the night and there are still times (like three times this week *TEARS*) that he wakes up and will only be consoled by me. We had a hand-me-down mattress that was a high-end brand, but had lost it's luster and was sinking in the middle--we also had a memory-foam topper that drove me crazy. Memory-foam always makes me feel like I'm laying in quicksand or getting eaten by my bed--it's like it sucks you in and then you're stuck!

Anyways, what I'm trying to say is that we weren't happy with our bed and when you're a parent and sleep is of the utmost importance, you gotta "look at yourself, then make the change!" as MJ put it.

I'm a part of this wive's group on facebook and had been hearing all these great things about Tuft & Needle mattresses and I knew they had a showroom in Phoenix, so we made the drive downtown to check it out.

Their store is so freaking gorgeous and they take you into these mini bedrooms and let you lay on the beds for a few minutes alone then come back and answer any questions you have--NO SALES PEOPLE! They make no commission and don't try and pressure you in the slightest which is nice for easily guilted people like me (AVOID AWKWARDNESS AT ALL COSTS).

We fell in love with the company for many reasons--they're chill, they're made right over in California, they don't have all the nasty chemicals in them that many mattress companies do, you have 100 nights to sleep on it and if you don't love it, you get 100% of your money back and they help you donate the unwanted mattress to a local organization (SO NICE), there's a 10 year warranty if it feels soggy before then they'll send you a new one, their price-point can not be beat, plus they come in this pretty little box, delivered right to your door, you plop it on your bed, cut it open and BOOM--new, beautiful, crisp white bed!


They say to give it a week to reach it's full comfort level (it's been compressed to it needs to uncompress completely), but honestly we're on week three with it and I feel like it's even more comfy  this week than it was last week, so I don't know--to me it just keeps gettin' better.

Our overall review is that Marcus loves it and I like it, I had been waking up with a lot of back pain with our old mattress and I never have that problem with the Tuft & Needle mattress, so that is much appreciated, but it is quite firm--something I like in a mattress, but if you're a side sleepy, which I am about 50% of the time, it can be a little firm on your shoulders and hips--one bonus about this is that it is slowly turning me more into a back sleeper which is supposedly better for both your posture (you're not hunched over all night) and your face (wrinkles and acne come, in part, from smashing your face on a pillow!) Right now I'd rate it an 8 out of 10, but once they release their pillows that they had in the showrooms, I'm pretty sure that will bump it up to a 9 or a 10 because those pillows were a 28 out of 10, those few minutes I got to spend with one under my head changed my life and when they told me they were still in testing phases and I couldn't take one home with me, I questioned all my belief in the goodness of this earth, because I had finally found pillow perfection and I couldn't have it.
Dramatic, much?
They're that good.

So, have you tried T&N? Tell me all your comfy sleep tips in the comments or if you have any questions feel free to ask away! 


*I was given a free mattress in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own. 

Picnic with Stitched

I've already begun stressing about how I'm going to survive as a mother when summer hits here in Arizona. Simon and I are both happiest when we're outside exploring nature and enjoying God's creations, but when it's 115+ degrees, it's not even safe to spend more than a few minutes outside (besides the fact that it's completely miserable). But I'm trying my best to enjoy the time we still have before summer gets real. Stitched, a new custom design quilt company let me try out their service and I designed this pretty little picnic blanket, so we made the most of the cool evening temps and had a picnic on our back patio, both Simon and Poppy thought it was pretty cool and when they're happy, I'm happy :) I think this blanket will be getting a lot of use!

If you like the quilt I designed or have a design idea of your own, be sure and check out their kickstarter here and see how you can customize your own.

And please share tips how surviving the heat with a kid!

custom puzzle from this & that etc.//Simon's linen romper found here, moccs found here

Year Five: Wood

This weekend we celebrated our five year anniversary by taking a trip up north. We love a good themed anniversary and year five is "wood"--wood based gifts and a trip to the woods! 

It was our second road trip this month and we've been so lucky with how well Simon has been doing with them--maybe he knows that along with a long drive comes cooler weather and lots of time outdoors, his very favorite place to be! People are meant to spend time outdoors, having a baby has helped me realize this more and more. Being in Mesa during the summer makes me sort of depressed because it's dangerously hot outside (hence the reason we're heading on our third road trip this month tomorrow)! I love seeing this beautiful world through Simon's eyes. 

One of his favorite things, (besides nursing ;)) has always been watching the leaves rustle in the in wind. An aspen forest is pretty much ideal for such things! He also couldn't stop giggling at Poppy as she dug her heart out. It was such a beautiful escape and we can't wait to go back up to Flagstaff in the Fall to see the leaves change.

Marcus made me this pretty little video of our afternoon. I'll treasure it always.
song//Helplessness Blues by Fleet Foxes

We absolutely love our ergobaby performance carrier, it certainly helps us get outside and go on more adventures! It's made out of a sportier mesh fabric that keeps you cooler and dryer for outdoor activities. And when you have a 22 pound 7 month old, you need all the help you can get carrying him around! I let my sister borrow our carrier this week to see if she liked it. She has a bitzy little baby girl and so she used the infant insert. She's sold and can't wait to order one for herself. This little miracle has easily made it's way to our favorite things list! I wish I were Oprah and could give you each one! Haha 

I loved my friend, Dani's tip on how to stay even cooler while baby wearing this summer--an ice-pack in the zipper pocket! Genius! Here are some more tips on staying cool while baby wearing in the summer.

on me: striped top//swell (similar here, here and here), initial necklace//barberry&lace (here), buffalo check flannel//jcrew (similar here), grey skinnies//forever21 (here and similar here), mocs//minnetonka (here)
on marcus: linen button up//old navy (here), jeans//american eagle, boots//cole haan (here), watch//skagen (here)
on simon: striped onesie//american apparel (here), paci clip//madeline's box (here), natural rubber paci//natursutten (here), performance carrier//c.o. ergobaby (here), mat//c.o. let's playground, red union suit//c.o. goatmilknyc (here)

Grabbed dinner to go in Flagstaff and picnicked in the park on our way out of town!

We stayed the night in Pine and had breakfast at the historic Randall House before heading back to Mesa. I couldn't even deal with how cute Simon was in his red long-johns!

What's been your favorite adventure this summer? 

Any traveling with baby tips?

This post was sponsored by Ergobaby, but all opinions are my own. I truly appreciate the support from my sponsors since it allows me to continue creating fun, original content for you to read. Be sure and check them out!