DIY Letter Beaded Bracelets

One of the trends are these adorable gold beaded letter bracelets. I really wanted one with each of the boys name on them. ShopBop has them for $36 and up. Etsy has them too, but they are still pricey. 

I was going to buy the gold beads at Michael's, but if you don't buy the real gold beads the color starts to rub off quickly. I decided to take a different route and make mine with colored beads. I saw the Dollar Tree had some seed beads and letter beads. 

Each package of the seed beads was $1 and the letter beads were $1. I spent $3 on beads total. I also have enough beads to make probably 10 more bracelets. I barely put a dent in the one package of blue beads.  I bought the elastic string on Amazon for $3.  

I decided to make the bracelets while Cashy was napping one day. G had a great time making his own bracelet and playing with the beads. He asked me to get his sensory bin down while I finished. We both sat at the table chatting away with our projects. 

I tied the elastic in a knot and then put clear nail polish over the knot. I tried to pull the bracelet to put it on before I put the clear nail polish and the bracelet exploded all over the dining room. I know there are beads hiding still after G and I both searched the floor on our hands and knees. Take it from me. Seal it with nail polish before you put them on. lol

I spent a total of $6 on supplies. I have plenty of supplies left that I could make numerous other bracelets. 

The boys love these bracelets. They each point to their names and smile. G will tell me each letter from the bracelets. They are so proud that I wear their names on my wrist. 

Monday Thrive June 19

Happy Monday! 

1) I hope all you father's had a special Father's Day yesterday! I am so thankful for my amazing dad! The older I get the more I realize just what amazing parents I had growing up! I was closest to my mom growing up. I remember a change in my relationship with my dad  when I was about 18. 

I had left Michigan where we lived to go to college in California. I went to college about 30 minutes from where I live now. I remember the second day I was at school l became horribly homesick. I had asked to come home. I didn't want to be there and so far away. I cried so much in those 2 weeks. I am not sure if i had ever cried that much in my life. lol My parents said I had to finish the semester. At the time it sounded like the end of the world to a 17 year old. I had no friends, was in a strange place, and I was almost 2,000 miles away. Back then I didn't realize I needed to stay because 7 years later I would end up moving right back there! I didn't know this until later, but my dad told my mom to let me come home. My mom was the strict one this round and said NO. If I had known my dad was the softy in this situation I would have talked to him more about coming home. lol 

My dad told me after I came home at some point that I was the first person he missed so bad and how hard it was on him when I went away to college. This past summer he told me that story again. I dread the day G goes away to college. 

I have spent a lot of time with my mom over the past few years. She has come to CA to take care of me when I've been sick and when I had G. She stayed with us for a few months when I went back to work, so she could take care of G. Last summer I stayed in ND to help take care of my dad after he had open heart surgery. I really cherished that time that I was able to spend with him and my family. We spent a lot of time watching the Olympics. I told him I will be coming back every 4 years during the summer Olympics, so we can spend some time watching it together. He is less than thrilled to spend time watching the Olympics. lol He said he never would have watched it if he hadn't been recovering. 


2) G started preschool last week. The first day he barely had time to even tell me good bye. When I picked him up he ran to give me a big hug. I asked him did you like school? He enthusiastically said YES! I asked would you like to come back tomorrow? Again I got a loud YES! He really loved it! He had to tell both sets of grandparents all about his day. He played with trucks, had cheese sticks and crackers for snacks and there were lots of dinosaurs. He was a little clingier the rest of the day. I asked him did you miss momma? He said yes, then gave me a tight hug. I told him it was ok to miss me, but I would always come to pick him up. 

They do lots of crafts, play with toys, play outside, have snacks and read stories. When I picked him up I loved how calm everything was in the room. It is a room with about 8-10 two year olds. Everyone is playing or reading stories on the bean bag chairs. The teachers are really fabulous! The staff is all so friendly too. I am so happy that we found such a great place. 

3) I recently bought these earrings from Mia & Mac. I follow her on Instagram. She posted these adorable gold hammered earrings on her IG story the other day. She was selling a few different designs of earrings for different price points. I loved the plain hammer gold hoops. They are about the size of a nickle. The perfect size! They are lightweight, dainty and simple. Just the perfect touch for all my gold jewelry. I am always looking for earrings to go with different necklaces. I need a plainer type of earring because sometimes I just wear my G Silver Wren tag necklace and other times I will wear a big statement necklace. I have been tending to lean more to more simple pieces since I stay home with G. 

4) Heather from My Life Well Loved started a series called Holy Grit. She talked about it on her IG stories. I was like meh I don't know that I really want to do a 30 day Bible series. I decided to sign up for the emails on it. I need some Holy Grit in my life. I am soooo glad I signed up for this series. It is so amazing! Each day I take the time to read the emails and read the verses. It has been such a blessing to me and helped me so much. There is still time for you to join in. I highly recommend you join in if you need some encouragement, positive influence or just are looking for a new type of devotional to do. 


5) We are planning some water activities this summer. I decided to buy G a puddle jumper. I keep seeing kids wearing them on social media. I am hoping he likes this and it works well for us. We have a small pool in our backyard. He is cautious in it. He would rather just stand in there with no one else and splash around just a little bit. What type of flotation devices do you use for your kids? 

Mother's Day Gift Ideas!

Mother's Day is right around the corner! I decided to put together a gift idea that I would actually like for Mother's Day! What is on your list for Mother's Day? Are you buying a gift for your mom, mother in law, sister, friend or yourself? I am not sure there is anything wrong with picking out your Mother's Day gift! Tell your husband exactly what you want that way you will be very happy when you open your gift. :)

1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6

I really love the Steve Madden blush perforated shoes! They are perfect for Spring and Summer! Blush has been one of my favorite colors the past year or two for clothing, shoes and accessories. Such a beautiful neutral! 

BeautyCounter's lip sheers are the most amazing things on your lips. They are so hydrating!!! They have this amazing vanilla smell to them too. I have the twig and plum colors. I wear them constantly! 

I have been using some random exercise bands I have to tie in a knot to work. I need some of the exercise loop bands that don't require tying to get in a workout. lol Have you tried exercise bands? They really are amazing! Your legs, thighs and butt will thank you the next couple days after you use them. Thank you by hurting like a mother!

I recently saw on Facebook an ad with these amazing Tom Cutout Sandals. I fell in love with them instantly. I rarely wear heels these days. I don't find them toddler friendly. I am usually going for walks, going to the park, shooting squirt guns or something else toddler related. I do think they would be super cute for a date night or a night out with friends. 

Who doesn't love a floral print? I love this sweet wrap floral maxi dress! It would be cute with those Tom Cutout Sandals or a pair of Sam Edelman leopard sandals! I have a couple pair of Sam Edelman sandals that I wear with everything. They are such a versatile sandal that will go with any outfit. 

Now to finish off your Mother's Day look you are going to need some cute earrings! I have had my eye on Kendra Scott Tessa Earrings for awhile. These earrings will go great with a casual or dressy look. I wear my tag necklace almost daily. I love to add in some fun earrings. These would go great in a fun bold color too. 

I would love to hear what is on your wish list! Happy Mother's Day shopping!!!! 

Disclaimer: All thoughts and opinions are my own. The post Mother's Day Gift Ideas appeared first on Because Chocolate Can't Get You Pregnant. 

OOTD

I recently started taking OOTD pictures again. I need to start wearing all the clothes in my closet. I get in a rut where I just wear jeans and tshirts or sweaters. Our weather has been so beautiful lately too. This winter we had a TON of rain. I wore lots of cardigans with tees with jeans. Now that the weather has been in the high 60's or low 70's I have pulled out some skirts and dresses. This summer I want to wear more skirts. Sometimes it is hard to wear a skirt with a toddler. 

I spent a good portion of my summer at my parents last year taking care of my dad. I had a limited amount of clothes with me. This year I would like to wear more of the stuff I have in my closet. It also helps I have lost more weight, so all my clothes fit me again. I have actually had to get some newer things in smaller sizes. Skirts and dresses don't change sizes for me much if I go up or down 20 pounds. Pants on the other hand I have to change sizes. 

Tshirt: Target 

Shorts: Old Navy

Sandals: Birkenstock 

I recently got the tshirt at Target for $5. I really love their tshirts on the tables. They are reasonable and comfy. I don't feel bad if I ruin them because I get them for such a good deal.  The shorts didn't even fit me last summer. I couldn't zip them at all. I haven't lost that much weight since then, but I have lost a lot of inches. I bought the Birkenstocks last summer during Amazon deals. I had been looking at a pair on Ebay, but I found brand new ones on Amazon for the same price. 

Tshirt: Target

Jacket & Jeans: Gap Outlet

Sandals: Amazon

Tshirt: Gap

Vest: Old Navy

Skirt: Lularoe

Sandals: Target

Jacket, Tshirt & Shoes: Target

Jeans: Old Navy

Jacket & Shoes: Target

Top: Lularoe
Pants: Old Navy

Top: Kohls
Cardigan: American Eagle

Pants: Old Navy

Slippers: Amazon

I love this cardigan sooooo much! It is so incredibly soft. I recently discovered American Eagle clothing. I really love their jeans. They fit amazing. They also don't stretch out. I bought jeans, cardigan and a tee recently from them. They are my most worn items. 

New Necklaces

Recently I bought 2 necklaces from Jane.com. I really love Jane for great necklaces. They are reasonable, fashionable and great knockoffs. 

I bought both of the necklaces for less than $20 including shipping. 

OOTD

Recently I bought another pair of boyfriend jeans from Old Navy. I had a pair from Gap that were distressed. I don't feel distressed jeans are appropriate for a manager to be wearing to work. Boyfriend jeans are some of my favorite jeans because they are super comfy and they fit me really well. 

I am part of a beauty and fashion forum. Each Wednesday we have a different challenge. I love these challenges because make me think outside of the box and my comfort zone. Last week the challenge was to replicate an outfit inspired by Pinterest or Blogger Style. I wanted to wear my boyfriend jeans, so I did a search on Pinterest. I love the outfit that Olivia Palermo is wearing in the picture below. I decided to go with red, white and blue since it was September 11. 

Blazer: Tommy Hilfiger

Tshirt: Target

Jeans: Old Navy

Shoes: Bass

Jewelry: Banana Republic

Jacket & Necklace: Target

Tshirt & Skirt: Gap

Shoes: Michael Kors

Dress: Kmart

Cardigan: Nordstrum Rack

Shoes: Target

Top & Pants: Old Navy

Shoes: Bass

Necklace: Veryjane.com

Top & Jeans: Old Navy

Cardigan: Nordstrom Rack

Sandals: Target

Bracelet: NY & Co

Last week OOTD

Dress & Cardigan: Gap

Shoes: Sears

Necklace: NY & CO

I have been wanting to go to Old Navy to look for a army green tshirt. I just haven't gone. Well I decided to go shopping in my closet last week and what do I find....an army green tshirt. gooooood lord I have a problem!

Tshirt: Gap

Jacket: Burlington Coat Factory - this was the best $19.99 I have probably ever spent

Jeans: Old Navy

Sandals: Target

Tshirt: J Crew Factory

Cardigan: NY & CO

Jeans & Sandals: Target

Necklace: Charming Charlies

Shirt & Jeans: Old Navy

Blazer: Tommy Hilfiger

Scarf: one of the monthly boxes I subscribe too

Sandals: Target

Shirt & Cardigan: Gap

Skirt: NY & CO

Sandals: Kohls

The entire outfit is Old Navy

Sandals: Michael Kors

Necklace: Veryjane.com

HCG Diet Update

I started the HCG diet 14 days ago. As of yesterday (day 13) I was down 14.5 pounds. I have finally lost all the weight I gained since surgery. I can't even tell you how fabulous it feels to finally be down to where I started and for my clothes to fit again. My clothes have been fitting, but they were tight. My skirts were tight across my stomach which hiked them up. Those 14 pounds sure make a big difference. Finally one thing is back to normal. The rest of my body is a long ways from getting back to where it use to be, but at least my weight is under control. My goal is to lose another 8 pounds. Hopefully I will be able to do that in the next 7 days. 

Last weekend I went to Costco to buy some new sunglasses. Costco now accepts VSP, so I was able to use my VSP benefits. Why is it as soon as I found a pair and checked out the sales people start bringing out new styles. They had a super cute pair with a bow. Next round I am getting the bow pair. 

In the picture below you can see my scar. I have been putting vitamin E on it each night and rubbing the scar in a circular motion. Around the scar use to be all raised and half of that is gone. The skin is smooth and is fading a little. I have been very diligent with making sure my scar is always covered when I am outside. I have been wearing a scarf 98% of the time. The other 2% I have used my hair to cover my scar when I am outside. I have decided not to cut my hair. I need to keep it long, so it will cover my scar until it fades. 

T-shirt & Cardigan: The Loft

Skirt: NY & CO

Shoes: Sears

Necklace: Etsy

Sunnies: Costco

Yuni Kelley Bracelet

I am part of a style and beauty message board. We participate in Elfster Christmas gift exchange. My elf has been in contact with me to let me know my gift was on it's way. I received a Yuni Kelley pave textured chain bracelet. I was thinking the other night I was going to actually buy myself a bracelet. Low and behold guess what arrived in the mail.....the bracelet I have been wanting! 

picture source: Yuni Kelley

Check out Yuni Kelley jewelry on etsy. It is simply amazing! Yuni Kelley is also offering 30% off to my friend and family. Enter coupon code "CELEBRATE" at check out. 

Here are some of my Yuni Kelley wants.

silver pave ball clasp bracelet

gunmetal bracelet

Gray & Black Chain Necklace

All pictures source: Yuni Kelley