Twee Blog

Fall Decor with @Properletter

Fall, is it just hype?!?!  I don’t remember loving fall when I was younger. Not as much as I do now anyways. For some reason the older I get the more I appreciate it. I think there’s just something amazing about those crisp fall Midwest mornings. Especially the first few. Even after an entirely too short & super hot summer.

Fall also brings me back to when I was a kid. I LOVED going back to school!  From shopping for school supplies (at Venture: aging myself here), shopping for new school clothes, to just that exciting feeling of a new year.

I also never really cared all that much for mums. Until we moved into our new house(in October) that we built and my mother in law brought us a mum for our front porch.  Mums have since had a new meaning to me.

The reason I think #midwestisbest is that we have 4 seasons, some seem longer than others but you appreciate the good days A whole lot more.

It’s officially Fall Y’all!!!  I was gifted this adorable It’s Fall Y’all doormat and The Tadic’s pumpkin from @properletter Guess what?!?! I’ve got a 20% off code(fall items only) for you to enjoy some fall decor from Proper Letter too!!!  Aislinn hand letters everything herself!  How special is that?!?!

USE CODE:  TWEE19

Shop everything else HERE, including my leopard booties!

XOXO,

Lissa

***The doormat and personalized pumpkin were gifted from Proper Letter but all opinions are my own***

Matching Swim for the Family

One of my favorite mom things to do is match with the kiddos so I was especially excited to partner with Yaffi Fashion!  It was an easy decision to pick the Watermelon print because Emme has been loving it and also calling it Wa Wa Melon 🍉 !  Yaffi Fashion is pretty great because they also have mens and boys matching swim.  So Max was especially excited to get to match with us this time.  For reference, I ordered up one size for each of us and the fit is great!  We also wore these suits swimming in the lake all day and they held up wonderfully!

Another bonus perk, Yaffi Fashion is on Amazon and of course works with Prime!  You can shop our swim HERE.  I’m so excited to get matching dresses and PJ’s in the future 🙌🏻  They have some of the cutest!!!!

Happy Matching with your littles ❤️

 

XOXO,

Lissa, Max, & Emme

 

***These swimsuits were gifted from Yaffi Fashion but all opinions are my own***

The Next Collective

“Life begins at the end of your comfort zone.”

-Neale Donald Walschb

What is your Next?!?

Have you ever thought about this?  Do you think about it daily?  I scored my first job before graduating from NIU, it was as a retail Manager. I always knew it wouldn’t be my lifetime career but I was never really sure what I would actually do “next”?  Part of that is because change is SO darn scary. Well I was lucky enough to attend a conference in Chicago recently:  The Next Collective. Mel put it on because she said it was the conference she WANTED to attend but couldn’t find!  The Next Collective was quite frankly the best conference I’ve ever been too. For starters I went alone. I knew absolutely no one walking into the Greenhouse Loft that Friday in May. I was pretty darn proud of myself for going alone. Was I nervous?  Anxious?  Scared?  Maybe a little bit. I didn’t allow myself to think about it much to be honest. I was just excited to be attending. My goal: to not eat lunch alone 🤣🤣🤣🤣. Thanks to some new friends, Samantha and Jenny. I did NOT eat lunch alone. Haha. Don’t get me wrong, I do enjoy eating alone but part of why you go to conferences is to network, amiright???  

A lot of the days talk was about pivot points. You either have a forced pivot: ie. get fired or let go or a Voluntary pivot: you quit your job, have kids, etc.   the speaker line up was to. Die. For. There couldn’t have been a better panel of women. They ranged from CEO’s to upcoming entrepreneurs!  All speaking about their story!  What got them to their “next!”  Some of them are still transitioning to their next while some are already there. Each and every women told such a great story and made you really able to resonate with them. 

Check out the Speaker/Panelist line up Here!

I would say I am currently in my “Next”, right where I want to be at this moment. My pivot would be considered a forced pivot because I had kids and decided to leave my job as a Store Manager because working weekends when my husband traveled for work all week didn’t seem best for our family. I now have a fashion and lifestyle blog: Twee Blog. Which is what I have ALWAYS wanted to do.  Was this scary?!?  YES!!!!  Mainly because you are really putting yourself out there and social media can be a scary place. Of course it can and is an amazing place most days too!!  This conference was so empowering for me to attend. I left there feeling full. Full of knowing that I’m doing exactly what I want and need right now. Also knowing that it is scary. Life is scary. Doing what we want and know we should be doing is scary.  

Follow @thenextcollective on ig or www.thenextcollective.com to see all the upcoming events.

Thanks Mel for having me join!  I hope to see you ALL at the next event!!!

Cheers!

XOXO,

Lissa

***My ticket to The Next Collective was gifted but all opinions are my own***

Caripro Electric Toothbrush + Giveaway

Happy end of July!  Can you even believe that?!?  I feel like summer has blown by right before my eyes. I was gifted this Caripro Electric Toothbrush from Smile Brilliant about a month ago. When they reached out I immediately said YES!!!  I have always wanted to purchase an Electric Toothbrush and truthfully don’t know why I haven’t. I am someone that has kind of always had cavities and have been told to buy one before. After using it the first time I seriously felt like I had just left the dentist for a cleaning!!!  It’s amazing, and good news, a month later it still feels like that.

There are 5 different modes on the Toothbrush, I prefer Clean and White. I switch back and forth between them!  The Toothbrush is also set to pause every 30 seconds for 2 mins. This is so you brush for 2 minutes in 30 second intervals in each quadrant of your mouth.  I mean, I’m not going to lie. I doubt I was brushing for 2 full minutes before this Toothbrush!

Shop my PJ’s

One of the other perks of the Caripro is that you can buy new Toothbrush Heads vs. a whole new electric toothbrush!  Click here to check out all the FAQ’s you might need. Use code:  Tweeblog20 for 20% off your purchase by clicking here.

Enter the giveaway HERE to WIN your very own Caripro Electric Toothbrush!!!!

Good Luck!!

 

XOXO,

Lissa

 

***This Toothbrush was gifted to me from Smile Brilliant but all opinions are my own***

 


electric toothbrush reviews

Summer Snacking with Tru Fru

The kids and I headed into Costco today after Ballet Class.  We were on the hunt for these new chocolate covered blueberries from TruFru that just launched in all midwest stores yesterday!!!!!  We found them almost immediately near all of the other frozen fruits.  First off they are only $9.99 I think that is a fabulous price point!  And good news, if you are an Ibotta member, click here to save $2, making them only $7.99!!!!  They are white and dark chocolate covered and positively delicious!!!

They literally didn’t make it home before we opened them in the car, and truth be told, the kids LOVE them!!!  Emme’s favorite fruit is blueberries and Max LOVES chocolate so the combo is perfect.

On the fence?!?!  Don’t worry there is sampling happening at select Costco’s on 7.20.2019.

Happy Snacking Friends!!!!

 

XOXO,

Lissa

***This post has been sponsored by TruFru but all opinions are my own***

Active with Zyia

If you know me, you know I LOVE me some active/Athleisure!  Let’s be real, we are living in a leggings world and she’s not retiring any time soon!  So I’m always on the hunt to find my favorite items.  Whether they are for actually working out, just running some errands, or looking cute! I had heard of Zyia Active before but had never seen or touched it in person so I will admit I was Leary of ordering it!  But once I got my hands on it, I’m kind of obsessed!!!  These pants feel like butter and they have a phone pocket?!?!  I’m in a size 8-10 bottom and L top.  You can shop my look or the entire site here 🙂

Shop my shoes and sunnies here

I mean see how cute this outfit looks just hanging out with the kiddos too?!?

XOXO,

Lissa

***This outfit was gifted from Zyia by Becca but all opinions are my own***

 

#RoarMaxisFour Dinosaur 4th Birthday Party

“….and she loved a little boy very very much, even more than she loved herself.” – Shel Silverstein 

Today is Maxwell’s 4th Birthday. If you would have told me 4 years ago how quickly life would go I would never have believed you. From the moment they laid his 6 lb 4oz body on me my life has never and will never be the same. I don’t think anyone or anything can prepare you for the love you endure when having a child, or stress, or anxiety 🤣.  I love the quote about how you gave your child life but they teach you how to live. It sure is the truth. If anything, they teach you about what is truly important. Just in the past 4 months Maxwell has grown SO much!!  Dusko and I couldn’t be more proud of him and the little boy he is becoming. Sure, some days are hard but I wouldn’t trade them for anything!!!!  

This weekend we had a birthday party for Maxwell, and minus the rain delay, we all had a blast!!!  Here are some of the fun party details 🎉🎉🎉

The cake really stole the show!  It was baked locally from Eye Candy Bake Shop.  It had lemon filling and was absolutely delicious!!!  Not to mention, the kids all got a piece of candy and Maxwell got to have the dinosaur he had been begging me to eat since I brought the cake home!  But seriously how detailed is this cake?  Even the dino got a bite!!  haha!!

Every party, In my opinion needs a signature drink and a hashtag!  #roarmaxisfour

It only made sense to make my favorite drink; Kettle One Cucumber mint vodka with club soda and obviously slices of cucumbers, sprigs of mint, and a cute straw/napkin!

You can shop any of the party accessories here!

Including these cuties matching tees!!!  Kind of hard to see but they say, Awesome since 2015(well dusko’s says 1981)!!!

These two literally melt my heart.  They are at each others throats all the time but both look out for each so much!!!

Due to the rain delay, the kids played with some of their party favors!  Thank goodness I had bought something they could actually play with.  They did a fun dinosaur excavation!

You always need to make sure your guests know where the party is!  Thanks T-Rex!

Thanks to our dear friends for making this super fun dinosaur fruit platter, cute number 4, and jello shots!!!  Because no party is complete without….SHOTS, SHOTS, SHOTS, SHOTS!!!  Are you singing along or am I aging myself……?!?!?!

Crying, I literally can’t believe you are 4!!!!

The pic on the left is of Maxwell’s first friend that he made on his own at school.  I literally almost cried when he walked in.  They were both so happy and excited to see each other outside of school!  It was the cutest.

I am such a sucker for cookies.  I rarely even eat them but I just think they are so darn cute and add so much to a party!!!  These are from Sweet Temptations and I did sample it so I could share my opinion=delicious!!!

And what toddler party is complete without a BOUNCE HOUSE!?!?!?  Pro Tip:  I always try to get the house to match the theme.  I was super happy with how well this looked!!!  And obviously the kids had fun.  Well, mostly mine because it rained almost the entire party.  Life is what you make of it, and rain delays, they happen!

Hold him a little longer

Rock him a little longer

Read him another story

(You’ve only read him 4)

Let him sleep on your shoulder 

Rejoice in his happy smile

He is only a little boy for such a little while

XOXO-

Lissa

Shop anything I could link here!!!

***The cake was gifted to me from Eye Candy Bake Shop but all opinions are my own***

Swim Lessons with Goldfish Swim School St. Charles

 

Happy Friday!!  We started swim lessons at Goldfish Swim School St. Charles about 3 months ago. It’s crazy, we are around water ALL the time. My parents live on a lake( I grew up there), so we have always had a life jacket rule. Anytime any kids are over they have to wear life jackets wether they are on the boat or just swimming, etc. What I didn’t really think about was what would happen if they took their life jackets off. Truthfully, it didn’t cross my mind because my kids had never actually taken theirs off before and it seemed we as parents had full control. Well this past February we were in Florida, about to be done at the pool and Max made the decision to take his life jacket off. Because you know, toddlers are the bosses amiright?!  Well he walked into the pool, fell, and sunk to the bottom within seconds. I was literally right there but had I turned my head for 5 seconds that could have ended differently. Truth be told, because my kids always wear life jackets I honestly don’t think Max realized that he couldn’t “float.”  At any rate, both kids were signed up for swim lessons upon returning home and there was no question it would be with Goldfish Swim School St. Charles!  We had attended a third birthday party there and saw how adorable and fun it was!!!!  

 

Emme is 2, so she started out in the Mini 2 class where she had to have a parent with her. She loved this because she had one of our undivided attention for 30 mins!  She was in this class for about 2 months and or 8 sessions. We asked if they thought she was ready to move up(simply because she is so independent) and they agreed. So she is a couple of weeks into her mini 3 class and is LOVING it. I couldn’t believe how great she did her first class, goggles and all!  

Max will be 4 in a couple of weeks and started in the Junior 1 class. It has been fun to watch his progression and even simply his maturity of going to class alone!  Every week he gets more brave and confident with the water.

A couple things, each class is 30 mins long and meets once a week.  If you have to miss a session you are able to make it up. This is such an awesome rule as a lot of places don’t offer this. Goldfish also has family swim times a few days a week. The kids especially love this!  There are changing rooms, an awesome blow drying station, diapers(which we often need because I always seem to forget one), and Maxwell’s favorite:  the swimsuit drying machine!!!

 

Below are some pics of the kids celebrating National Water Safety Month at home in our bath tub!

Good Luck on your swim journey!

 

XOXO,

Lissa, Max, & Emme

***Goldfish Swim School has provided me with the experience of swim lessons, all opinions are my own***

Happy Birthday to Me!!!

 

I have always been one to love celebrating my birthday, I know some people hate getting older. I for one, think life truly gets better and better with age!  Plus, I like a good party!  However, I will admit saying I’m 38, 3-8, sounds really Freaking old!!!  I’m closer to 40 than 30, and can hardly wear heels anymore 🤣. But, You are only as old as you make yourself and I feel more like 25 so whatever 🤣🤣🤣.

It’s so crazy how quickly a year goes by and how much can change. Last year I was starting a new job(working part time from home), and here I am a year later,  I just left my job and am SO excited to spend the summer with my kiddos!  I am constantly reminded how precious life is and how quickly it can be taken. Trying to soak up every second of it!

A special thanks to Patricia Anderson Photography for these AMAZING photos.  They seriously turned out so great and it was a super fun photoshoot!  A good photographer is not always easy to come by and she is the REAL deal!!!

On to the GOOD stuff!!!  Starting today, Sunday, June 9th, 2019, for SEVEN days straight I will be doing one giveaway a day!!!!  Every day at 8am I will post a new giveaway that only runs until midnight CST that night.  The next morning I will announce the winner of the giveaway with the new Giveaway dets for the day!!!  I’m seriously SO excited to do this and hope you are too!!!!

 

GOOD LUCK!!!!

 

XOXO,

Lissa

***This photoshoot was gifted to me by Patricia Anderson Photography, all opinions are my own***

How to wear A cotton dress 3 ways!

I love a short week but this week seems to have drug on forever and it’s only Thursday!!!  I need to just relax and enjoy it because we have a busy weekend ahead of us.  I was recently gifted this super adorable dress from Ensemble Boutique and decided it would be fun to show a few different ways to wear it!  There are seriously a million ways to wear this and any other t-shirt dress, for example, with heels!  Which apparently weren’t on my radar today!

Can you guess my favorite way?!?!
Ok, I will just tell you!  For some reason, I naturally default to this look.  I guess the dressier of the three.  The funny part is I don’t get dressed up as often anymore but I suppose they are all pretty casual really.  I also loved adding black to this dress because I normally would wear my tan Tory Burch Miller Sandals.  This outfit is perfect for a lunch or dinner out!  You can snag this dress or anything else from their site at Ensemble for 15 % off with code: Alissa 15, shop the rest of my look here.

This second look has two options!  You can wear the baseball hat or not, I would probably wear the hat depending on what kind of hair day I have had.  Love the concept of sneakers with a dress too.  Shop my look here.

Look #3 is SO perfect for Spring in Chicago because we have definitely needed a jacket lately!

Shop my look here.

Shop this super adorable Dress RIGHT HERE!!!  Use code: Alissa15 for 15% off anything on the entire site!  A couple things to note about this dress, it has POCKETS!!!  And I am wearing a L!

Happy ALMOST my Birthday Month!!!

XOXO,

Lissa

***This dress was gifted from Ensemble Boutique, all other links are Affiliate Links which means I may make a small percentage off the purchase of these items.***

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