Outfits For Vacation

Hey guys,

I know it's technically not "vacation" but next week I am going to be spending a few days with my boyfriend and his family so I was like "Why not make a blog post and show you all my outfits that I have planned out to take with me?" So, that's what I'm gonna do! I'm gonna be there from the 27th-1st. I'm gonna add some more shirts just in case I want to wear another shirt that I have with me or just for a more variety of outfits. I'm gonna try my best and tell you where I purchased the clothing items and boots. If I can't find the exact clothing item, I'll try to link to something similar. These are not in any particular order to what I want to wear each day.

White 3/4th Length Shirt:Target, Similar

Blue Jeggings: Wal-mart, Similar 

Gray Jacket: Five Below

Scarf: A gift

Brown Boots: A gift

White tank top: A gift, Target?

Green Top: Goodwill but Old Navy Brand

Black Leggings: Wal-mart, Similar 

Brown Boots: A gift 

Sliver/Glittery Wrap: A gift, Forever 21

Purple Shirt: A gift; Aeropostale

Jeans: Unknown

Black Uggs: Unknown

"Be An Icon" Shirt: Five Below

Coralish Jeggings: Wal-mart, Similar 

Gray Jacket: Five Below

Brown Boots: A gift

Black top: A gift,Worthington Brand

White Tank Top: A gift, Target

Black Leggings: Wal-mart, Similar Item

Scarf: A gift

Black Uggs: Unknown

Other packing necessities:

• Phone Charger
• Undergarments and socks
• Hair brush
• Hair detangler
• Shampoo
• Conditiner
• Toothbrush
• Toothpaste
• Deodorant
• Body Mist
• Since it's Christmas time, I'll need to bring all of the gifts for him and his family

What are the key items that you bring on vacation/out of town trips? 

<3 Amanda 

Christmas Songs Playlist

Hey guys,

Here are songs that I listen to during the month of December:

1. "Where Are You Christmas" : Faith Hill
2. "Baby, It's Cold Outside" : Lady Antebellum
3. "All I Want for Christmas Is You" : Mariah Carey
4. " Santa Looked A Lot Like Daddy" : Brad Paisley
5. "Do You Hear What I Hear" : Carrie Underwood
6. " O'Holy Night" : Martina McBride
7. "Put A Little Holiday In Your Heart" : LeAnn Rimes
8. "I  want a Hippopotamus For Christmas" : Gayla Peevey 
9. "I'm Getting Nuttin' For Christmas" : Relient K 
10. "Sending You A Little Christmas" : Jim Brickmen ft. Kristy Starling
11. "My Grown Up Christmas List" : Kelly Clarkson
12. " Bring Him Home Santa" : The Song Trust
13. " Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas": Martina McBride 
14. "Reason For The Season" Lonestar
15. " This Christmas Time" : Lonestar
16. "The Angel On The Top Of My Tree" : Kenny Chesney
17. " Paper Angels" : Jimmy Wayne
18. "Christmas Shoes" NewSong
19. " When Christmas Comes To Town" : Polar Express (Meagan Moore, Matthew Hall)
20.  "Warm And Fuzzy" :Billy Gilman

What songs do you have on your Christmas playlist?

<3 Amanda 

Favorite Instagrammers Pt. 2

Hey guys,

Last week I did my part one of this post and said I was going to do a part 2. Well, here it is! Here are the rest of my favorites:

Uptownwithellybrown(Account):  Elly is a mom to 3 cute sons. I think she is a great mom to her boys. She also has a blog where she posts gift guides, reviews and more. On her blog, she has a section where she posts pictures of her outfits and gives you links to where you can purchase the clothing items.  You can find her on other social medias as well; Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and Pinterest.


Purejoyhome(Account): Liz is also a mother and she has 2 cute children. She is also a great mom to her children. Her blog is located here.  She posts about a variety of things. She has a section where she posts pictures of her and her children's' outfits with pictures of the individuals items with links for you to go to the particular website to purchase the clothing. You can find her on her Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.


Emilyduplooy(Account): Emily is a mom to a son and daughter who by the way are cute. You can find her blog here.  She shares lifestyle blog posts and about the products that she loves. Her husband and her also have a wedding photography business which if you are getting married or know anyone who's getting married, check them out here. They are based in North Georgia though, so keep that in mind.  You can also find her on Pinterest.


Kailee_wright(Account): Kailee is a mother to 5 cute kids. On her blog, you will find posts about fashion, beauty, lifestyle, baby essentials and more. She also has a section where she posts pictures of her and her children's' outfits with pictures of the individuals items with links for you to go to the particular website to purchase the clothing. You can also find her on her other social media sites; Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter.




They are all great moms and Instagrammers and I recommend them all to you.

<3 Amanda 

MunchPak Subscription Box Review (Coupon Code)

Hey guys,

I unfortunately had to cancel my account with MunchPak  due to financials, but I wanted to review my recent box for you and tell you all about the subscription box. You can receive 5+,10+, or 20+ snacks either weekly, monthly or every 2 weeks. The prices vary from how many snacks you want to get, how often you want to get a box in the mail and how long you want to receive this subscription box.  I'll give you an example:

10+ snack/monthly
Pay every 6 months $20.95
$125.70 total

You can also customize the box but each choice you choose is an additional $1, so keep that in mind. You can also add beverages but they cost an additional $5 each.

I like how it tells you who prepared your box for you. Thanks Roxanne!  :)

Below are the items I received in my recent box. I used the Munchpak Website and also the Munchpak app on my phone to find out more information about the different items.

Cadbury Dairy Milk-Top Deck

Creamy, rich Cadbury chocolate layered with white chocolate

South Africa

Serving Size: 1

Calories: 240

4/5, Not a fan of white chocolate

Paskesz Taffy Crush 

Sour filled candies 

Brazil

Serving Size: 3 pieces

Calories: 57

3/5, Hard to chew/have to suck on it until it gets soft enough to bite into

Meiji Yan Yan-Strawberry Creme

Japan

Serving Size: 1 container

Calories: 310

0/5, Chocolate one is better

Parle Kreams - Gold Elaichi Flavored Sandwich Biscuits

Crunchy,well baked cookies held together with vanilla cream

India

Serving Size: 8 pieces

Calories: 310

0/5

Barbecue Prawn Flavor Stick Biscuits

The right amount of both barbecue and shrimp flavor

Malaysia

Serving Size: n/a

Calories:  n/a

Cosmos Zhang Snacks

Sweet honey flavor

South Korea

Serving Size: 1 bag

Calories: 280

They smelled like something familiar but I couldn't think of what

0/5, Didn't taste like honey

Matilde Vicenzi

Crunchy perfectly glazed pastry is filled with sweet bakery-quality cream

Italy

Serving Size: n/a

Calories: n/a

0/5, Too crumbly when bitten/hard

Lotte Choco Pie

Smooth ,dark, rich chocolate with marshmallow 

South Korea

Serving Size: 1 pk.

Calories: 120

1/5, Not a fan of marshmallow

Tyrrell's Hand Cooked Potato Chips

Made with Snowden potatoes, this bag of salt and vinegar chips is more mellow and sweet than your average vinegar chip, and crunchy like the finest of kettle chips!

United States

Serving size: 1 bag

Calories: 190

3/5, Not a big chip person

Baltyk Candy Coated Peanuts

Sweet, crunchy and salty peanuts

Poland

Serving Size: 10

Calories: 48

0/5, Hard 

Chiki Snack Balls

Indonesia

Serving Size: 1 bag

Calories: 50

Didn't smell the greatest

Reminded me of the cheese balls we have in the U.S

4/5

I think this box would be a good Christmas gift for someone who loves all different kinds of foods. You can use the code SNACKIN for $2 off your first MunchPak.

<3 Amanda 

The Act Of Giving Back (Operation Warmth)

Hey guys,

My father taught my brothers and I the act of helping others and paying it forward at an early age. When he got laid off in the winter months of 2004, he decided to start a charity that helped the homeless stay warm during the winter months. As he was driving home, he passed people living on the streets and knew he had to do something about that; he had to make a difference. When he got home, he asked my second older brother if he wanted to help him with making a change and making a difference, and he quickly said "Yes". My dad then asked me and my other two brothers and we also quickly said "Yes". My dad and (second) older brother came up with the name ; "Operation Warmth". 

Our first year was December 2005, the Saturday morning before Christmas. We collect winter clothing and items throughout the year. We go downtown with all of the donations and set up all of the banana boxes full of clothing on the sidewalk and other items, and the homeless come and get what they need. You might think they would be pushing each other and grabbing everything that they could hold, but no they are really polite and pretty much stand in a line.

How do we get all of these donations?  We let our friends and family know on Facebook where to drop off their donations, we post about the charity on online garage sales groups, we make boxes and place them around the community (at schools,businesses, churches,etc.). We also go to garage sales throughout the summer and purchase items that way as well.  

One year we made Christmas cards for the homeless. We went to a local elementary school and talked to the art teacher, and she had the students make Christmas cards for the homeless. Another year we made little (Christmas trees, Stars, and more) ornaments out of construction paper and etc.  Each year we try to also pass out candy canes to the homeless. Even though we already have winter clothing and necessities for them, we still want to make them feel remembered more. 

I still have memories from when I actually went down there that morning. I still help by donating, spreading the word on social media and etc. One memory that I still have to this day is one year a homeless man gave me a stocking filled with a variety of items. There was gum, a toothbrush, toothpaste,socks and more. He could have kept it for himself to have his feet stay warm but he consisted that I take and keep the stocking. Another year, a homeless man gave my younger brother a backpack. He could have kept it for himself to store things but again, he wanted my bother to have it. Some homeless people are really nice and even though they are in a tough situation, they still put others before themselves like the two men that I have just talked about.

Garage filled with banana boxes of clothing and etc.

Living room filled with more banana boxes filled with clothes and etc.

December of 2015 was supposed to be our last year doing this charity as my dad, the founder,moved out of state earlier in 2015 but he didn't want that to be the end of "Operation Warmth". This year he once again came back a few months before this year's date (the 23rd of December) because he doesn't want to stop helping the homeless stay warm through the winter months.

Vans and trailers used to transfer banana boxes downtown

You could ask "Why don't we do this earlier into the winter months"?  We always do it the Saturday before Christmas because we want them to feel like they are not forgotten and loved. It also like they are receiving Christmas presents for us if they sadly don't receive any.  We want them to know that they are being thought about especially during the cold and snowy months. We also want them to know that it doesn't matter what your story is and the reason why they are homeless, we just want them to stay warm and know whatever their story is, that they are worth it.

<3 Amanda 

YouTube Channel Shout Out: The Bos Life

Hey guys,

Are you looking for new YouTube channels to watch? Well, I have a channel for you that I'm sure you'll love. I just found this channel not very long ago, maybe like 2 weeks and I have watched a lot of their videos. This channel is called "The Bos Life", which you can start watching here. Their family consists of dad (Bryon), mom (Darci), Mady (Albert), Audra (Will), Jack and Ann. Their family was actually on the TV show "The F(food) Word" with Gordon Ramsay in Season 1.

They post videos like recipes, Q and A's, Challenges, Food Testing and more. Audra is pregnant with her first daughter, so there are pregnancy videos as well. Congratulations to her and Will. They will be good parents, and also Happy belated birthday to her. I also have a December birthday so happy birthday month to us.

In one of their recent videos, they had a mini house tour and I still remember something that Bryon said, and that was something along the lines of "Even though we might not have a lot, we still like to give back". In my opinion, Bryon and Darci are great parents and great role models to not only to their children but to everyone who knows them, and also to everyone who is subscribed to their channel.

I definitely recommend their channel to you. You can also check out their other social medias:

Facebook:

• YouTube Channel
• Bryon
• Darci

Instagram:

• Channel
• Bryon
• Darci
• Mady
• Audra

Twitter:

• Channel
• Bryon
• Darci

<3 Amanda 

Father Takes Toddler Daughter Out On Dates Is NOT Creepy

Hey guys,

I was just on Facebook one day and while I was strolling down my news feed I noticed an article that read "Young Dad Takes 4-Year-Old Daughter On Monthly Dates Even Though Critics Say It’s ‘Creepy' ". I clicked on it because I thought that it was cute that the dad takes the daughter out on monthly dates.  Here's a little background to the family:

Caitlin and Noah found out that she was expecting when she was 18. Most young expected fathers gets scared and leave but not Noah. They now have 2 cute children(a daughter and a son) and are married.  Every month, he takes his daughter out on their monthly dates. She gets all dressed up, receives flowers from her dad and then go have dessert at a restaurant.

When I read that some people say that it's creepy to go on monthly dates with your daughter, I fully disagreed with that.  I think it's a great idea because her dad is showing her how she should be treated by future boyfriends and then a husband.  In the article, it said that Caitlin plans on having the same kinds of date with her son when he gets older. I think that's another great idea because boys should also know how they should be treated later in life when they have girlfriends and then a wife.

I don't know Noah and Caitlin but from this article, I can tell that they are great parents to their children, and they shouldn't stop doing monthly dates because that's an amazing idea and bonding time.


Smith, L. (2017). Young Dad Takes 4-Year-Old Daughter On Monthly Dates Even Though Critics Say It's ‘Creepy’. Retrieved December 16, 2017, from https://www.littlethings.com/daddy-daughter-dates-noah/

What is your opinion of this story? Do you think the monthly dates are creepy or sweet?

<3 Amanda