Friday Favorites || Beauty Edition

Friday, August 29, 2014

Momfessionals

Happy Friday Lovelies!! I don't know about you but I am so excited Friday has come this week! i think it may be because of the long weekend ;)!!! We have a busy weekend planned with the kids and with friends!! Do you have any big plans?

Today I am linking up with some lovely ladies for Friday Favorites, I decided to make it all about my favorite beauty products!! These are all products I just cant stop using, lately! If i'm mentioning them, they've no doubt made a difference in my life hahah







one || L'Oreal Paris Elnett Satin Hairspray This hairspray is my favorite hairspray I have ever used! The hold is amazing! It brushes right out, and does not leave your hair hard, shiny and gross looking. It's just amazing! 






two || Garnier Fructis Sleek & Shine Moroccan Oil Treatment This moroccan oil hair treatment is fantastic! it works just as great as the CHI version and it costs a fraction of the price! Living in Miami where the humidity is never ending, this product saves me from having a horrible hair day, pretty much on a regular basis! 






three || L'Oreal Paris Voluminous Naturale Mascara This mascara leaves my lashes looking the best and wayyyyy longer than many other grocery store brands. My favorite used to be the Dior Show mascara which is fantastic! And then i found this one, which is just as great but for a fraction of the price! 



four || NARS blush in "Orgasm"  This blush gives you just enough "pink" on your cheeks! And it lasts pretty much all day! LOVE LOVE LOVE! 





five || Laura Mercier Eye Primer This Eye Primer is magic for making your eye makeup stay on all day! It's a little pricier than drugstore makeup but TOTALLY worth it! and I even use it as an under eye concealer...It gives pretty good coverage!  


Hope you have a safe, long weekend!! 

Target Fab Find + The Bachelor + Let me brag a little

Thursday, August 28, 2014

Yesterday, after we dropped Gus off at school, Livs and I went over to Target (like we usually do) to grab a couple things and I got side tracked, like always. Seriously, who doesn't?? We ended up in the women's clearance department. While Olivia was playing Palace Pets on my phone,  I found these great maxi dresses for $8.99 each!! 

WOAHHH! What a bargain! It's no secret I love maxi dresses for any occasion, especially for daily wear with the kids. The length is perfect, you don't have to worry about showing something while bending over and they are so comfortable!! They had a charcoal non-sleeved (pictured below), Navy with white stripes and a solid black. 



 I ended up going with just the solid black although now I'm pretty sure I should have gotten all of them. planning on wearing them alone now and then they will transition perfectly with like a jean jacket when it gets a little cooler! 

On another note, Gus had such a great day yesterday! He accomplished multiple milestones, which we are sooo proud of!! When I picked him up from school his teacher told me he was the only child that remembered that letter "A" is for alligator!! He was so proud of his special "A" sticker he got!! 

After he gets home from school, he has been wearing underwear here at home to slowly transition him into  wearing underwear at school too! He didn't have a single accident and he told me he had to go to the bathroom!!! yayyyy!!! we are finally making progress! 

And he learned how to ride his bike!!! ...pretty much on his own! So now we officially have a bike rider!! This called for a trip to the park when the Mr. got home! We had such a great time walking around with the kids, enjoying nature, just the four of us! And little Gus wore "big boy undies" , as he calls them, and didn't have an accident!!!



 






I can't even get over everything that happened yesterday! 

And finally, can we please talk about how the new bachelor is farmer Chris?!?! I totally called it!! I am so excited for his season to start!! Are you?? 


Giveaway Winner + First week of School

Tuesday, August 26, 2014

Happy Tuesday my friends!! I won't make you wait until the end of the post but I do have an announcement as to who our This and That for Kids giveaway winner is!!!! Drum roll please....



Cindy B. !!!!!


Congratulations Cindy!! I will be contacting you shortly so that we can get your prize to you!!

On another note....

I hope everyone had a great first week of school! We sure did! Gus absolutley loves his teacher!! She has been so fantastic so far! 
Here are some pictures from his first day at school!




And if you follow me on Instagram, i'm sure you saw our pictures from his first day AND that we are cracking down on potty training! ohhh yes! Mommy is tired of changing two sets of diapers! And i'm even thinking i'm going to start training Olivia because she is showing interest!!

This process has been much longer than we had anticipated...I really think this is one of those things that is more challenging for boys than it is for girls BUT i am going to brag for a second because i am a proud mommy....He pooped in the potty for the first time yesterday!!!!!! I was SO proud of him. I screamed! and he got not 1 but 2 pieces of candy!!!  (sorry for TMI) 

We are working on positive reinforcement here!! I think it's working!!

Hope you're having a good week so far!! 

xoxo






Zulily Mountain Buggy-Nano + a Giveaway

Tuesday, August 19, 2014

**This post contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links.

There is a new addition to the side bar of this little blog--if you haven't noticed you should scroll down and take a look  at the new  zulily ad!
 I have was accepted to become a member of the zulily  Affiliate program!! Yayyy for me!! I love all of the great opportunities that are coming towards me, as a product of the blog!  This program gives me the ability to make a profit of any sales through the blog. I make a small percentage off of anything that is purchased through the links that I post on here. 

If I personally am going to buy something and I know someone can make a percentage by me just purchasing through clicking on their clink, I generally try to do that. There are so many bloggers that do this and gives us a chance to make blogging worthwhile! 

 From now on you may see me talk about  zulily events going on and those links are already set up to my account! 

To kick off this  zulily adventure, zulily  has a new stroller/travel system they have just released, the  Mountain Buggy - Nano Travel System - Nano Travel System. This stroller features the lightest car seat on the market and the stroller folds up into a shoulder- strap bag! say WHAT?!?! yep, you read correctly, a shoulder strap bag! This is a one-of-a-kind system that only  zulily offers right now. Here's the catch...

We can BOTH win one!!


 I am entering the zulily Mountain Buggy - Nano Travel System and if I win than one of my lucky readers wins one too!! 

All you have to do to enter is comment below, Starting today 8/19 - Thursday 8/21 letting me know what Nano color is your favorite...You can check them out here! 





Mountain Buggy- Nano Details:

• Includes the Protect Infant Car Seat one of the lightest on the market at 8.3 pounds
• Lifts out of its sturdy LATCH base without disturbing Baby and into the Nano easy-push 13.7 lb stroller
• The stroller folds ultra compact into a shoulder-strap bag to simplify travel for a family on the go
• Available for $349.99 with free shipping! 


 I want to know what your favorite color is! I think mine is the black...just because the stroller we have right now is red! 

What's yours? Comment away!! 



Gameday Outfit || Fanatics.com

Monday, August 18, 2014

Gameday Outfit Fanatics.com





Football season is right around the corner! Are you ready?! 
I put together a little style board to show my game day style! 

 I chose a Falcons jersey... Sorry Miami, but I'm an Atlanta girl ;) , a pair of Blanqi High Performance leggings, my Tory flats and stud earrings, an adorable Gigi New York clutch and MAC's Playland lipstick for a touch of pink. After all all I want on Game day is to be comfortable. Forget the heels and the skirts!

You can shop all of these pieces by clicking the images above! Fanatics.com has a great selection of NFL jerseys! Check them out to be football ready! 

What's your game day style?

Weekending + First Day of Pre-k 3

Monday, August 18, 2014

I hope you had a great weekend! We did--it was pretty low key. Gus had a birthday party Saturday, so that was pretty much the highlight of our day--along with a trip to toys r us which of course, included a meltdown from each of the toddlers. It was bound to happen. When does it not? 

Back to the birthday party-- The dad of the birthday boys is a fireman so they had his crew stop by the birthday party with the firetruck. Saying the children were ecstatic is an understatement! The were THRILLED! They got to climb onto the firetruck and pretend to drive it and put on the firefighter helmets. 



Sunday, was a lot of relaxing. I did some grocery shopping, napped with little Gus and we took a family outing to the park. Nothing really exciting but a lot of quality, down time, which was really nice since last weekend was quite busy! 

Today is our sweet boys first day of Pre-k 3. Since he had such a fantastic experience the few months he was in school last year, he will be going 5 days a week part-time, meaning basically until noon, this year. He is so excited to start a new school year, a fresh start, a new teacher, a new classroom. Part of me is so sad he is growing up so fast. I really wish time would just freeze. He is such a good age right now where he understands a lot, remembers a lot but he is still an innocent little baby. 

But he really loves school and as long as loves it--we may as well encourage his love for learning. 

So weekday mornings it will be just little Livey and I. I have to get a new weekly routine going with my favorite girl. Today-- it's all errands. lots of errands. her favorite. (can you hear the sarcasm). I'm excited though to have more girl time with the little lady! 

On another Note-- Don' t forget to enter the giveaway for an outfit from This and That for Kids!! The giveaway ends Friday so hurry! You don't want to miss your chance! You can get to that post by clicking here

Happy Monday! 

Timeless & Classic + A Giveaway || This and That for Kids

Friday, August 15, 2014

So remember when when I had mentioned that we did a photoshoot for a Children's Smocked Clothes Company? Wellll....I got the pictures back from the shoot for this feature and they are so adorable!!  I am so excited to feature them on here because this clothes is just classic and timeless! 

Their fall line is to die for! I am kind of biased, I think, because I love anything smocked for Gus and Olivia! But the quality of the clothing that This and That for Kids offers is top notch! It washes great and can be used for everyday wear AND for special occasions. 













I love that they carry matching sets for siblings of all ages but in different styles! As you saw, we matched Gus and Olivia in the first few pictures with the Smocked cows. In this last picture, Olivia and big cousin, Valeria, are matching in the lady bug outfits! 

You can check out This and That for Kids here and check out their AMAZING summer sale here! I already snatched up a smocked bathing suit for Olivia that is just adorable! They have some adorable holiday pieces  that they've already started posting on their Facebook and Instagram and those always go quickly, so you'll probably want to grab those fast! 

This and That for Kids and I have teamed up to give away ANY outfit of your choice to one of my lucky readers!!! 

 And using the coupon code "ELDA10" you can get 10% off of any purchase from This and That for Kids  !!!! So go to their website and check out their super adorable timeless looks for your little ones!!

Good Luck!!


a Rafflecopter giveaway
**The Giveaway ends Friday, August 22nd. The winner will be announced within 48 hrs**

Celebrating #29

Wednesday, August 13, 2014



If you follow me on Instagram (@eldalarrazabal), you probably know that this sweet guy's 29th birthday was Sunday. I am so thankful for his birthday. To dedicate one day of the year to celebrate, him coming into this world because we all know I have no idea what I would do without him and his patience with me, he's one hunk of a guy just for that.  

We did a lot of celebrating with family and some friends. A couple friends invited us over for a cookout, Saturday night after a first birthday party we had. Little did he know that the host and hostess had already called me behind his back and asked his favorite type of cake, when he told me we had an invitation for a cookout that night ;). So they surprised him with a little birthday cake and we sang happy birthday. It was such a  nice gesture from them and Gus really appreciated it! We are so blessed to have such great friends!

Then Sunday night we had a little family pizza party here at the house. I made some homemade whole wheat pizza's and this time I made the sauce from scratch too with a recipe that I borrowed from my uncle. (I typically just use pasta sauce--to save time but since it was a special occasion I went all out ;)) Well the sauce turned out pretty darn good! 

I wish I had taken pictures of the pizzas! But naturally, I was too busy being a hostess! 

The celebrating but simple but it was a quality celebration. We celebrated with the people that mean the most to him and that was the most important. You know what they sayy...."Less is always more". 

{my experience with breastfeeding}

Wednesday, August 6, 2014


In honor of National Breastfeeding Month I wanted to share a little bit  of what my experience with breastfeeding was, in hopes to inspire or help  mommies-to-be out there who are contemplating breastfeeding or mommies who are, currently, going through a difficult time breastfeeding their little ones. 

I want to start off by saying that breastfeeding is not for everyone. Every mother, every baby and every circumstance is different. Your first child may be able to breastfeed like a charm and your second may not be able to at all. I also want to add that I am not a medical professional so everything I will be  sharing is based upon my experience and what I have learned breastfeeding two children.

When I became pregnant with Gus Jr. breastfeeding was always how I wanted my baby to get his nutriance. I did a lot reading and research. I knew that it was souly the healthiest and most organic source of nutrience for my baby. A mothers milk is made of the exact vitamins and minerals that her baby--it's basically gold. 

Several experienced women had told me it was difficult at first--like a lot of things but I really didn't know to what extent.  Well let's just say it was wayyy more difficult than I ever imagined it to be. Gus latched on great from the very first time I tried to feed him in the hospital. Latching is something many women have a lot of trouble with so I was lucky he latched on so easily, me being a first time mom.

My breasts were sore for weeks. If I didn't feed every 1.5-2 hours my breasts would get engorged. And it was exhausting --very exhausting. and frustrating. Especially considering Gus was a large baby. He weighed 8lbs 14oz. 

At the beginning I wasn't producing enough milk to feed him. He was eating all the time. I did supplement with formula here and there--mainly for nighttime feedings so he could sleep a little longer, since formula is heavier than breast-milk. 

After a rough first month or so, I finally had breastfeeding down. I was able to breast feed him for 9 months. I had to stop breastfeeding him because I found out I was pregnant with our little  princess. And my experience  with her was a completely different story. I was only able to breastfeed her for about 2 1/2 months.

When Olivia was born, I kind of already knew what to expect and honestly, I was expecting breastfeeding to be just as easy, if not easier than it had been with Gus--well besides the initial first month. She didn't latch on immediately like Gus did. It definitely took her a few tries. 

A couple weeks after we came home from the hospital, Olivia started having crying episodes. They were high pitched but I figured she was just having gas since Gus had the same thing and we did some exercises with her that we had done with Gus when he was little. That seemed to soothe her for a little bit.  Nothing would make her happy. She screamed in the car seat, in my arms, wherever. We actually stopped going a lot of places because her crying episodes were so bad. 

Well after multiple doctor appointments and several formula's later her pediatrician told Olivia had an allergy to a protein in milk. By that point I had already been supplementing with formula out of the frustration, that I couldn't calm her down. We tried Enfamil Premium Newborn, Enfamil Gentlease Enfamil ProSobee (a soy based formula) and then finally the peditrician recommended we try Similac Alimentum. That did the trick. It was much much more expensive than the regular formula and breastfeeding, obviously. 

I always carry that guilty feeling that I breastfed Gus longer and gave him a better source of vitamins for  much longer than I was able to with Olivia. But like I said earlier, every baby and every situation is different!

I definitely would not have been able to do it without the support of my husband and my mom who pushed me during those initial days/weeks. I think a strong support system is crucial for success in breastfeeding. It requires a lot of patience--a lot of understanding from your spouse or partner. It really helps a lot to communicate your feelings with your support system. That initial time when you come home from the hospital and after you have given birth is filled with lots of changes in your lifestyle, your hormones and not everyone copes with it the same. Believe me I shed many tears breastfeeding with both babies--but that's just me. I'm a crier. 

It requires a lot of sacrifice from your part--you cant eat a lot of things depending on how your baby reacts to it. The baby also depends on you more than normal. You really almost have to have the baby with you at all times unless you are pumping but I found that, that required a lot more work, that I simply did not have time nor the energy to do. 

For the women that are able to do this, it truly is a wonderful and beautiful thing. And it is a gift to be able to nurture your baby with something so organic that you can produce. It is truly amazing how mother nature works!!

I hope this was somewhat helpful information, if you are a mommy-to-be or if you are past this stage, I hope you enjoyed reading this! 

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