40 in 4

I honestly loved my 30 by 30 attempt.  I didn't quite get all 30 but it did push me to do more things than I would have otherwise. I figured 40 by 40 was too much of a stretch...that would be 9 years and way too much can change in 9 years. So I created the 40 in 4.  These are 40 things I'd like to do before I hit 35, in exactly 4 years.

1. Run a 5k
2. Have my palm read.
3. Weekend in the Vineyard with my family.
4. Buy a bicycle.
5. Wear a bikini to the beach, no cover up.
6. Put my toes into the Pacific Ocean.
7. Go back to Disney
8. Go to Universal Studio
9. Get a job in Higher Ed
10. See another Broadway play
11. Fit into a size 8.
12. Travel to Europe, ideally London or Rome.
13. Get another tattoo (or two).
14. Be debt free, minus student loans and mortgage.
15. Put away a 4 month emergency amount.
16. Begin working on an administrator's license or a PhD.
17. Take a photography class.
18. Travel somewhere tropical.
19. Go camping.
20. Get professional head shots for the blog.
21. Sew Emma a matching dress for her and her dolls
22. Consider selling the custom shirts I've been making for the kids...
23. Take a cooking or baking class.
24. Take a cake decorating class.
25. Go to Ireland.
26. Find a local church to belong to/Baptize Tyler.
27. Get out of the minivan.
28. Take a calligraphy class.
29. Participate in Restaurant Week in Boston or Providence.
30. Go to Disney Land.
31. Work on our kitchen: backsplash, new desk, new table...
32. Buy a jacuzzi and redo the back deck.
33. Fence in our yard.
34. Landscape.
35. Finish the basement.
36. Attending the NYC Thanksgiving Day Parade
37. Create a real vegetable garden for an entire season/year.
38. Spend the day at the spa, getting pampered.
39. Splurge on our 10 year anniversary.
40. Save $10 for each accomplished task and spend it on something extravagant.

I'm excited to see what else I can accomplish in the next four years!

xo, Heather

Dancing with Little Adventures

Disclaimer: I was provided product to help facilitate this post, however, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

We had another amazing December weekend and went to see the Nutcracker. I brought Emmalee last year and she loved it, but I knew she'd love it even more this year since she's dancing now.  I seriously have to remind myself that she hasn't even been doing this for a year yet!

As magical as The Nutcracker is for me, it was more so this year, watching Emma's eyes light up as it happened on the stage.  She'd lean over and whisper "Mom, did you see that passe?" or "Did you see Clara's arabesque, Mom??" When the curtain calls were happening, Emma didn't sit and politely clap, she jumped out of her seat into a full relevé. It was magical to her.

She wanted to wear her new dance clothes to the show but I had to convince her that the Nutcracker required a little bit fancier, while her new dance clothes were perfect for dance class.

Little Adventures covers a ton of dress up ideas, like princess dresses, matching crowns, sparkly shoes, gorgeous jewelry, and satin cloaks. They have costumes for pretending to be pirates, superheroes, knights, and Galactic Warriors.

As if having matching American Girl doll outfits wasn't enough for me to fall in love with the company... they offer gorgeous and well-made dance gear for my girl. Seriously, there's a page of just tutus. Guys, an entire page! I showed Emma and asked if she had a favorite or two she would like since she's been doing so well at dance and she almost immediately asked for the Rapunzel Princess Tiara tutu and the Ballerina Gift Set.

I personally think the Ballet Gift Set is a great buy! For only $19.99, you get the leg warmers, a small tutu, a jeweled headband, and a cinch bag to carry it all in.  I'm not even lying when I say Emma has worn that headband every day (except 2) since she received it.

She loved the headband and leg warmers so much that she wore them again with the Rapunzel Princess Tiara tutu!

The Princess Tiara tutus also run $19.99, but you can see the quality in it.  It's soft and lined! I really want to buy her the superhero tutu next because it's just the best! I love that they offer the superhero tutus in the primary colors of red, blue, and yellow, as well as the pink and purple versions.

Right now, Little Adventures is offering free shipping so head over to their site then let me know what you'll be dressing up your little one in first! Plus, if you order by Friday 12/16- it will arrive for Christmas!

xo, Heather

Putting the ART in STEAM Learning with Build & Imagine

Disclaimer: I was provided product to facilitate this post, however, all thoughts and opinions are my own. This post contains affiliate links.  I may be compensated for purchases made through these links. For more information, click here. 

I've been talking about Christmas shopping a TON, especially in my savings group on Facebook, but I seriously think I'm done this year.  IN addition to the normal dolls, board games, and clothes that Emmalee normally gets, I've found myself adding a new category to her toy pile: STEAM! STEAM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Mathematics; all integral things for my little girl to be confident in doing.

Emmalee has always loved art but STEM is a new speciality in her school, right alongside music, library, and gym, and since she's started, everything has become a project.  We mix food coloring in water to blend colors, we have "water discoveries" to see what sinks and floats, and build towers with obscure objects to see what we can create.  I love that it pushes her brain!

Build & Imagine has lots of play sets that encourage kids to think. Each magnetic play set comes with multiple pieces at allows the kid to build and create as they want!

The Draw & Build Dollhouse  comes with four dry-erase markers, one character, four dual-sided panels with wipe-off surfaces, four equilateral triangle building panels, a functioning front door, and a microfiber eraser. It is complete freedom for my girl! The first time she used the set she wanted to just stick to solid colors and patterns, but as she grows older, those pieces may become flower shops, post offices, or a grocery store. 

The pieces are magnetic so they connect to each other in as many ways as your kid can imagine.  Sometimes it's 4 pieces standing next to each other and some times it's a 4 sided home. One of my favorite features is that since they are stand alone pieces, Tyler can be working on one piece while Emma works on the others. 

I love that the Draw & Build Dollhouse can stand alone or it can work with the other sets that Build & Imagine has like:

Malia's Home, the Pet Portrait Studio, Career Dolls, 

the Marine Rescue Center, the Day at the Beach set, and the Fairytale Theater.

Emma has used it every night since we opened it and even brought it on vacation with us since it was such an easy to pack toy! I think I'm going to buy the Career Dolls next so she can start customizing her Draw & Build pieces to go with some o those amazing careers!

Which play set is first on your list to purchase?

xo, Heather