Author: nicoleklu

Clear Lake Continues…

By: Nicole Mikluscak

If you’re not sick of CLC’s lake pictures, then I’m your girl! My family is the last of the four of us to get to visit the lake this summer. We don’t get to come every year, and we are so thankful everything worked out perfectly for us this August! We rented a small condo near city park. And while the view wasn’t the best, the location was prime! We loved being by all our favorite restaurants, stores, and city beach / park.

I know may of our readers understand how challenging a “vacation” with small children can be. I was already overwhelmed by the time we left Omaha, car packed to the brim. “ARE WE THERE YET?” asked 47 times before we even made it to Des Moines. But I was able to leave that all behind once we arrived. The best thing about our favorite little lake town is the “come as you are” lifestyle and mentality. We walked around in our swimsuits and sandy flip flop feet all week. We went from building sandcastles to boat rides with family, to feeding the ducks at PM Park.

Some studies have shown that vacations can actually prolong your life! I know that Clear Lake will always do that for me. I’m definitely not looking forward to packing the car and heading back to Omaha on Wednesday. Please check on me people. Vacation withdrawals will be in effect. This place never disappoints.

I now resign my position from the Clear Lake tourism board.

XO

Nicole

Amazon Prime Day, July 15-16!

By: Nicole Mikluscak

Amazon Prime Day 2019 is TODAY! The famous shopping event features deals on electronics, fashion and more. It runs for 48 hours making it the longest Prime Day in Amazon history. Expect savings on tech items like TV’s, headphones, wireless chargers, Echo and Fire products, possibly even smartphones. Other retailers tend to drop their prices to compete with Prime day as well. Remember, Prime deals are for Prime members only, so be sure to sign up for your free 30 day trial if you plan on making any purchases. Last year, I was able to get a jump-start on my holiday shopping during this event!

TECH DEALS

BEAUTY DEALS

HOME DEALS

KIDS

Finally, don’t forget Amazon’s Smile program is a free and easy way to donate a portion of your purchase to just about any charity. Start your shopping experience at smile.amazon.com instead of amazon.com. Get shopping!

4th of July, Family, Food & Fun!

By: Nicole Mikluscak

Greetings from Omaha! We extended our 4th of July celebration into the weekend as some of my husband’s family was in town. We spent A LOT of time around the pool, soaking up the sun and swimming with the girls! We decorated our yard with Brittany’s fun yard stars, AND Lily lost her second front tooth! We’ve been keeping the Tooth Fairy busy!

Nicole’s Sunglasses
Nicole’s Swimsuit
Pool and puppy time!
Lily’s Top

My sister-in-law Lori and her husband celebrated their ten year wedding anniversary on Saturday evening. She planned a perfect beach theme party complete with a walking taco bar, and refreshing vodka + fruit lemonades. Maeve had three cupcakes!

Happy Anniversary!
Cupcake monster

I made two recipes this weekend to share! I copied Emily and made her cold, delicious cucumber salad. So easy, fresh and colorful!

Fresh mozzarella, cucumber, tomato, your favorite Italian dressing, salt + pepper!

I also made pink champagne Jell-O shots for the anniversary party. I used a recipe I found on Pinterest and will post the link below. They were a hit! I found the star toothpicks and sprinkles on Amazon!

You’ll love these!
Edible Gold Stars
Gold Star Cupcake Toppers

Champagne Jello Shot Recipe

Whew, this weekend was truly a marathon! I’m ready for a nap! Stay tuned for my Amazon Prime Day post coming this week! ~ Nicole

Stitch Fix Feature!

By: Nicole Mikluscak

I have been hearing about Stitch Fix for YEARS. I had never taken the leap, until I was given a gift card for Mother’s Day this year! It was such a clever idea and gave me no excuse not to do something fun for myself.

Stich Fix matches you with a personal stylist who hand selects clothing and accessories just for you, based on your size, style and budget. It makes you feel like a bit of a celebrity when you receive your delivery! I love that it isn’t a subscription service. You can order a box on demand or set up automatic deliveries on your OWN set timeline. You can pick!! Perfect for refreshing your wardrobe for the current season, or grabbing some fun things you wouldn’t normally choose for day to day.

You begin by taking personal style quizzes, telling the company about your fit, preferences and budget. Then you get matched with a stylist (remember, you’re a celebrity now) who picks items for you to try on at home. You buy what you like, pay on the SUPER SIMPLE app, and send back the rest in the FREE return envelope. You are not charged upfront, and you get to share feedback with your stylist about your likes and dislikes. This is a WIN WIN situation! NO fitting rooms with bad lighting, no dragging your kids to the mall. I’m hooked.

My stylist nailed it this month. I was so pleased with my items that I kept all five! I received a perfect variety. A fun dress, a casual white t-shirt and jean short combo, a trendy off the shoulder top, and a crossbody purse that I haven’t been able to let go of. I should also mention that your small shipping charge is put toward any items you purchase, and you get discounts should you choose to keep three or more of the pieces. If for some reason you feel your stylist just isn’t getting it right, you can ask to be paired with someone different. Stitch Fix will do the firing for you! Ha! 🙂

  • Cece Sportswear
    Raelyne Off the Shoulder Cotton Top
  • Level 99
    Tinley Distressed Cuffed Short
  • Moda Luxe
    Brooks Crossbody Bag
  • Raelyne paired with white jeans and the bag!
  • Calvin Klein
    Parnetta Mix Media
    1 Pocket Knit Top
  • THML
    Roonie Embroidered Dress

Stitch Fix has some items that are exclusive only to them! So it’s fun knowing you won’t show up to a party wearing the same thing as everyone else, but hard when you want to share favorites with a friend! We’ve done our best to link my items, or find you some similar options! Be sure to visit our SHOP page, or click on the widget below!

This is NOT sponsored – Give Stich Fix a try! Treat yourself or someone you know to feeling a little famous for a day. 😉

https://www.stitchfix.com/invite/yhbxkcqn8s?som=c&sod=i

Here’s $25 if you’re interested in trying!

  • HOW TO Style Cards!

Omaha Weekend Fun!

When you have little kids, your weekends revolve around them and their activities. But I wouldn’t trade this busy stage of life for anything!

Friday night pool time with Turban Tina

Maeve’s suit is last year’s Hanna Andersson but I am linking something similar!

We had so much fun watching Lily play softball on Saturday morning. She had three big hits and is really enjoying her first year on the field!

Saturday was my day to work the snack shack. My little helper (who also happens to be a junk food fanatic) thought this was the BEST job ever. She even earned some tips!

We had friends over Saturday evening after games! We grilled and made ice cream sundaes! It was a perfect summer evening! Find Lily’s striped dress on our shop page. There are three great color options!

Grill Masters
When in doubt, SUNDAE bar!

This poppy colored ruffled tank is perfect for humid Midwest evenings. I love these Gap sandals – so comfy, and they come in four colors. Linking the denim shorts and jewelry to our Shop page as well.

Find this look on our Shop page!

The temperature dropped 30 degrees on Sunday so our options were limited! I had been hearing great things about the Children’s Museum in Lincoln, so we headed about 50 miles west to check it out! It was a great time and a perfect indoor activity for the day.

The Lincoln Children’s Museum was so much fun!
The Ninja course was a favorite!

My girls are thrilled to start Vacation Bible School this week! Signing off after another great Summer weekend!

Cheers!

Nicole

Garmin Vívofit Jr.

By: Nicole Mikluscak

Today I’m reviewing a kids’ product that we have really enjoyed using in our family. My daughter Lily was given a Garmin Vívofit Jr. for her 7th birthday this year. I had only recently heard about how popular the device was becoming among the kids her age at school!

This activity tracker is designed to be kid-friendly; comfortable and water resistant. Lily even wears hers when swimming!There are band choices for boys and girls. It tracks steps, sleeping patterns, and gives recommendations for 60 minutes of activity a day. Lily loves the alarm feature and prefers the sound to her regular alarm clock.

The compatible app home page. Incredibly user friendly! You can also add multiple children to the app.

One of my favorite features is the chore tracker. Your child can earn coins to redeem for agreed upon rewards managed by mom or dad on the free compatible app. You choose the chores or behavior, and send the coins right from your phone when accomplished. The app also includes mobile educational adventures that Lily loves to play. In addition, the program unlocks different trails as fitness goals are met. I love to watch her excitement when her tracker beeps because she has met a step goal!

Lily’s current adventure trail full of games etc. based on her level of activity.

Another attribute to mention – The user replaceable battery will keep kicking for up to a year, so there is no need to recharge!! Lastly, the Vivofit Jr. fits bands for the Vivofit 3. As they get older it will not look childish with a replacement band.

This is a fantastic product with useful, practical functions. Summer is a great time to give the Vívofit Jr. a try! Add summer reading and studying to your child’s list of chores and let them choose a reward for earning their coins. It’s all about BALANCE, and I love that you can alter this fitness tracker to meet your needs in all aspects of your child’s life. Let us know what you think!!

Amazon:

Flower  —  https://amzn.to/2WfNySU
Minnie Mouse — https://amzn.to/2ELVnoq