Best Shoes 4 Summer Travel

Every year around this time I'm either shopping around or being asked 'where to find good traveling shoes'. This year it's been both. So that got me to thinking maybe I should write a blog post on the shoes that I think are best for summer fun and travel.

First up...for the little ones:

These are 'Trekkers' from LandsEnd. I love this for travel because these closed toes sandals protect kids feet very well. I also like that they come in a great array of colors for both boys and girls and NO LACES! No one wants to be stopping the fun to tie laces...especially not when your at any kind of park. Hopefully of the amusement or water variety! :)

There are quite a few companies who make variations of this shoe. My kids have also had the Jumping Beans brand available at Kohl's.

Now don't get me wrong gym or tennis shoes and socks are fine if you don't mind being hot and sweaty and stuffy on the foot all day. I also like the flip flops you can find around town for as little as 99 cents. They're great for the pool or splashing around but if you can find a Good closed toed sandal that protects the foot, let's them breath and is no hassle...Go for it!

For Mom and Dad: 

The boat shoe.

These Sebago leather shoes are nice but obviously if you invest in leather...just fly in them. The boat shoe is great for flying in because it slips on and off easily and if you've broken them in enough they're extremely comfortable.

Again, there are tons of options when it comes to the boat shoe. There are designers such as Prada and Sebago. Brands like Sperry and Polo as well as companies who make this style available at every price point. I found an awesome pair at Target a few ago.

These leopard print shoes are available at SperryTopsider.com. 

As for trekking across large parks, sporting around and the overall length of your stay I also recommend something similar to my kids pick. A shoe that you can walk, run and spend all day in comfortably. A shoe with the right support technology. 

These Keens are perfect for that purpose. They're available at a number of retailers including Scheels & DSW.

As are many shoes from the J-41 brand. I like to be able see my pedicure and I need some arch support. 

So whatever shoes you choose for your family's summer and travel needs I hope this blog post helped in some way. Thank you.

Still Sewing

In case you missed it, I've started sewing. I'll link that post here: http://lotsofloveandlaughs.blogspot.com/2014/06/sew-sew.html?m=1

We've decided to add it(sewing) to our 'Must Do on Summer Vacay' list. 

I've started out simple...with pillowcases. I found a great tutorial on YouTube, I'll link it here: http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=MrYWCma9wgM

I've learned to press all the fabric before I sew so that the finished product comes out smoother.

I've also made some in satin.

:) I know right! 

Excuse my pie.

Neo To Go Plus Pain Relief

As you all may know from my blog post yesterday I'm participating in the Influenster TLC VoxBox campaign. One of the products I wasn't so sure how or when I'd get to review was the Neosporin  To Go plus Pain Relief. Well while making pretzels with the kids last night I cut my finger.

Now had I asked my eight year old to get the First Aid Kit from the pantry shelf and find this or that and unpackage something to end my pain...that might have taken FOREVER. Thanks to my Neo To Go plus Pain Relief (courtesy of Influenster) all I had to do was tell her to "grab my keys". One simple step. One easy thing for a kid to do while Momme is hurt. This Neosporin plus Pain Relief was a life saver yesterday because it REALLY was immediate pain relief. Pain relief in the palm of my hand.

My wound started to heal and the kids enjoyed their pretzels. Hence the Before & After below:

I did manage a few bites of cinnamon sugar buttery goodness. That helped too!  :)

Although I was sent this product complimentary from Influenster for testing and review purposes this is a VERY TRUE story and my absolute HONEST opinion. Thanks for reading!

New Music from David Gray

I was contacted by One2One Network to review music from Grammy Nominated artist David Gray.

I was initially somewhat hesitant to review this album because I'm fairly new to the Folk Rock genre. After listening to some of Grays past work including 'Babylon' and 'This Year's Love' I was extremely intrigued by his incredible songwriting. Grays tenth studio album is set to release tomorrow June 17th and music lovers are in for another array of incredible lyrics fused with beautiful melodies.



My favorites on the album are 'Beautiful Agony' and 'Girl Like You'. Mutineers is available for pre-order on iTunes: http://bit.ly/DavidGrayMutineersiTunes and Amazon: http://bit.ly/DGMutineersAmazon  .
I am honored to have been given a sneak peak at the 'Mutineers' album and have fast become a fan. If you get the chance check out the British singer songwriter sensation that is David Gray.

 http://www.davidgray.com/
 https://www.facebook.com/davidgray
 https://twitter.com/DavidGray
 https://www.youtube.com/user/TheRealDavidGray
 http://instagram.com/davidgray

Although I received a free download of the album to review from One2One Network all opinions are my own, Thank you.

Sew Sew

I've decided this is the summer I learn to sew. I can sew by hand but if it's more than a few buttons or a hem my hand cramps up. So I'm investing in learning to use a sewing maching and the first things on my list are...(drumroll please)....pillowcases. I want to make a bunch for the family. I figured my Dad could use some more in the coming weeks and the kids love any kind of craft, so they've been the perfect place to start.

Once I've stocked everyone with enough I plan to move on to decorative pillows, pencil skirts and maxi dresses. Wish me luck :)

Moms' Wedding

Hello my beautiful blog readers. I've been super busy with the last couple of weeks with the end of the school year, preparing to go home for my Moms wedding and just everyday life responsibilities. We had a great time in Chicago even though our stay was uber brief. The wedding turned out beautiful and if I do say so myself my Mom was an absolutely gorgeous bride. The three oldest were in the wedding and our gruesome twosome were Honorary flower girl and ring bearer as well. We really enjoyed being with family.