5 Fun & Yummy Recipes For The Kids

Hi Guys! I found some super cute recipes that are perfect to make with the kids and just had to share them with you guys! Beckam loves to “help” in the kitchen so it’s fun to find things that we can make together. Most of these recipes are healthier options for some of the kids’ favorites so I am excited to try them!

recipe via pinterest

APPLE DONUTS

| Makes: 6-9 Servings|

Ingredients:

2-3 Apples
1 8 oz block of Cream Cheese
Food Coloring
Sprinkles

Directions:

Slice your apples about 3/4″ thick. Use a knife, corer, or pastry tip to make a hole in the center.
Color you cream cheese if you’d like. We just added a drop of neon food coloring to get these bright colors. Add sprinkles.

recipe via pinterest

FUNNY FACE PIZZA

| Makes: 6 servings |

Ingredients:

6 English muffins
1 jar spaghetti sauce/pizza sauce
2-3 cups grated mozzarella cheese

Decoration ideas:

Nose: Sweet pepper triangle, mushroom slice, broccoli floret, half an olive, or cherry tomato.
Mouth: Sweet pepper strip, half an onion slice or half a tomato slice.
Ears: Mushroom slices, sweet pepper cubes or half a zucchini slice.
Teeth: Green Pepper triangles
Hair: String cheese, spinach leaves cut up
Eyes: Sliced olives, pepperoni slices, halved cherry tomatoes

See instructions on these here.

recipe via pinterest

BREAKFAST SUNDAES

| Makes: 4 servings |

Ingredients:

4 waffle cone bowls
½ cup chopped fruit (I used strawberries, blueberries and banana)
2 cups Greek yogurt (I used vanilla)
¾ cup Cheerios™ cereal, divided use
1 tablespoon sprinkles
1 tablespoon mini chocolate chips
1 tablespoon sliced almonds
4 strawberry halves for garnish

Directions:

Divide the chopped fruit evenly among the bottoms of the waffle bowls. Top the fruit with 2 tablespoons of Cheerios™ and then add ½ cup of Greek yogurt over the cereal.
Sprinkle the remaining Cheerios™, mini chocolate chips, almonds, and sprinkles over the tops of each waffle bowl.
Garnish each bowl with a strawberry half and serve immediately.

recipe via pinterest

RAINBOW GRILLED CHEESE

| Makes: 1 serving |

Ingredients:

2 slices of bread
5 Tablespoons of butter
3 cups of milk
1 Tablespoon of salt
2 cups of Cheddar cheese
1 cup Monterey jack cheese
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup of flour
food coloring

See instructions on how to make these here.

recipe via pinterest

BREAKFAST SUSHI

| Makes: 1 serving |

Ingredients:

Banana
Greek Yogurt
Fruity Pebbles Cereal
Blackberries

Directions:

Begin by peeling the banana.
Using a butter knife, spread a layer of Greek yogurt on the outside surface of the banana.
Place your Fruity Pebbles in a shallow dish. Roll your banana in the Fruity Pebbles, until fully coated.
Place banana on a plate. Slice into “sushi” sized pieces. Arrange and top with blackberries.

Let me know which one is your kids favorite when you get a chance to try out a few of these recipes!

xx,

Christine

xo, Christine

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FOOD LIFE

Santorini Sunset Sail

Beckam was obsessed with the whistle on his life jacket. It was the only way we could get him to put the life jacket on and after the boat tour was over he was in tears when he had to take it off because he wanted his whistle.

Still blowing the whistle lol!

A lot of you were asking about this swim suit on snapchat. It comes in lot’s of colors. The black here, yellow here, red and white here.

The kids loved feeding the fish small pieces of bread and were so entertained watching the fish eat.

Cody jumped off the boat with all of the kids and B freaked out. At first he was excited and wanted to do it, but once they hit the water he freaked! I was lol at this pic cause he’s still blowing his whistle as they jump! He wouldn’t put that thing down!

I’m a little early on the nose plug, but better safe than sorry if you ask me. 😉 and of course noodles!

The water at White Cliffs was crazy crystal clear. You could see right through it! They give you a snorkel and we got to see a few cool fish. They say there are no sharks in the water there and something about being able to see the bottom (and no sharks 😉 made it a little easier to trust that there wouldn’t be any sharks.

The view of Oia coming into the city to watch the sunset.

DETAILS: WHITE OFF-THE-SHOULDER BODYSUIT (SIMILAR HERE AND UNDER $20 HERE) | BLUE STRIPED SHORTS | SUNGLASSES | STRAW HAT | ORANGE BIKINI (IN BLACK HERE / RED OR WHITE HERE)

CODY: SWIM SUIT

We have been having such a great time in Greece! Santorini has always been on the top of my must see list and I’m so glad we got to do it together as a a family! I’m going to be sharing a full round up and travel guide but the boat tour was probably been one of our favorite things we’ve done so far so I thought I’d start there 🙂 We did a semi-private sunset tour with Santorini Yacht Club. The semi private tour has about 10-15 people, It was nice to be with other people – but not too many people.

We did four stops: Red Beach, White beach, Sulfur Volcano springs, and ended at sunset in Oia. The water around the volcanoes was supposed to be really warm but it didn’t seem that much different than the other beaches to be honest. We loved swimming and snorkeling and the beaches and cliffs were all so breathtaking! On the second stop they do a barbecue on the boat with authentic Greek cuisine and it was really good. Mara is a vegetarian half the time so they made vegetables just for her which turned out to be, hands down, the best part of the meal. It had this really good sauce on it, I wish I knew what it was so I could make it back home. ( A little tip: The tour is about 5-6 hours so we brought some snacks to tie us over between meals. Maybe it’s just our family, but it seems like the kids are always hungry so the snacks were perfect.)

Our last stop was sunset in Oia and it was unreal! All the boats gather in the bay and there were boats that looked like Pirate ships against the horizon as the sunset that made for such a cool view. Wes kept asking if there was “real pirates” on their boat because his friends mom had her phone stolen from real pirates lol.

It was a great kid-friendly activity and I would really suggest doing it wether you have kids or not. I liked that there was so many different stops so you weren’t in one spot all day. Definitely a must-do in Santorini. We got to Mykonos 2 days ago so tune into Snapchat (@hellofashblog) and Instagram (@hellofashionblog) to find out what our next stop is after that! Can’t believe we’ve been gone a week already! Time has flown! I’ll be sharing more from the trip so stay tuned 🙂

XX, Christine

xo, Christine

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BEACHES EUROPE MY STYLE SWIM TRAVEL TRAVELING

So Fresh and So Clean: My Style Secret

We just got this new Electrolux washer and dryer set and it has been amazing. It gets almost any stain out of my whites and leaves clothes vibrant. Our old washer and dryer were the first thing Cody and I bought together and it finally gave out so it was time for a new one! Our new Electrolux has a fast wash and dry cycle so I can literally have an emergency load done in 30 minutes (15 minute wash/ 15 minute dry). B always freaks when I wash his blanket so the fast cycle is a life saver. The dryer also has a steam cycle to loosen wrinkles out of my blouses and dresses and I use it non-stop. I don’t even own an iron so I’ve been taking full advantage of the steam system – is saves so much time and it’s gentle on clothes so you don’t have to worry about throwing in your favorite shirt-dress or top. The whole system keeps my favorite pieces looking and feeling like new.

XX, Christine

*In collaboration with Electrolux.

xo, Christine

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FAMILY FASHION Home Decor MY STYLE

5 Chocolate Desserts Worth the Splurge

Happy Sunday, guys! We have been on a major chocolate chip cookie binge at our house this summer. B is always asking me to make a batch – it’s so sweet I can’t say no (not that I would say no to homemade chocolate chip cookies anyway ;). I’m always open to new recipes so I’ve been looking for some new desserts to try and wanted to share some very yummy and very much worth-every-calorie desserts. Warning: chocolate ahead.

recipe via pinterest

LINDT TRUFFLE BROWNIES

| Makes: 9-12 Serving|

Ingredients:

1/3 cup boiling water
1/4 cup dark cocoa powder
1/3 cup + 2 tablespoons olive oil
2 ounce high-quality dark chocolate, chopped
1 large egg
2 large egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
10 LINDOR dark chocolate caramel sea salt truffles, coarsely chopped
1 teaspoon flaked sea salt

Directions here.

recipe via pinterest

PEANUT BUTTER MARSHMELLOW CRUNCH BARS

| Makes: 12 serving |

Ingredients:

¾ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
¾ cup Signature Kitchens™ Creamy Peanut Butter
1 ¼ cups Signature Kitchens™ granulated sugar
1 large egg, at room temperature
1 large egg yolk at room temperature
1½ tsp. vanilla extract
1 ½ cups self-rising flour
7 ounces Signature Kitchens™ Mini Marshmallows
1 ½ cups milk chocolate chips
1 cup peanut butter Signature Kitchens™ Creamy Peanut Butter
1 TBSP unsalted butter
1 ½ cups Signature Kitchens™ Crispy Rice Cereal

See instructions on these here.

recipe via pinterest

CARMELITAS

| Makes: 9-12 serving |

Ingredients:

3/4 cup butter, melted (1 1/2 stick; I use unsalted butter but salted may be used)
3/ 4 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup whole-rolled old fashioned oats (not instant or quick cook)
1 teaspoon baking soda
pinch salt, optional and to taste
35 caramel squares, unwrapped (I used Werther’s Originals Baking Caramels which are slightly bigger than cellophane-wrapped caramels; if using those, I recommend using a couple more)
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon salt, optional and to taste, if you prefer salted caramel sauce
1 cup (6 ounces) semi-sweet chocolate chips or chunks (I used a combo)

Detailed instructions here.

recipe via pinterest

SNICKERS BARS

| Makes: 12 servings |

Ingredients:

2 cup semisweet chocolate chips, divided
6 tablespoons creamy peanut butter, divided
1 (7 oz.) jar marshmallow fluff
1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 cup peanuts
11 ounces caramels, unwrapped
1/4 cup heavy cream

See instructions on how to make these here.

recipe via pinterest

OREO BROWNIES

| Makes: 4 servings |

Ingredients:

1 box of your favorite brownie mix
1 16.6 package Oreo cookies divided equally into 3rds all coarsley chopped
1 8 oz tub of cool whip thawed in the fridge
1 8 oz. block of cream cheese softened
2 cups powdered sugar
1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 Tbsp vegetable oil

Check out the instructions here.

Let me know which one is your favorite when you get a chance to try out a few of these recipes!

DETAILS: STRIPED LONG SLEEVE TEE (UNDER $20 – WEARING SIZE SMALL) | FLARED OVERALLS (UNDER $70)

Also don’t forget – today is the last day of the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale! These overalls were one of my favorite buys – they are perfect for fall.

Hope you guys are having a great weekend!

XX,

Christine

Save for later – pin here!

xo, Christine

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FOOD LIFE

Embellished Blazer

I’ve come across a few great blazers with unique details (obsessed with this one!) but when I came across this one I finally had to pull the trigger.Blazers are a staple but that doesn’t meant it can’t make a statement! I love the buttons and sleeve embellishment combo for a military effect.

The Nordstrom Anniversary sale ends this weekend and there are still some great styles on sale. It’s always the best time to stock up on all kinds of wardrobe essentials from budget-friendly brands to your favorite designers. I got this sweatshirt on sale for under $40 and it has been one of my favorite buys from the sale. I also got these AG jeans and these black ankle booties for over 30% off. Every girl should have a good black bootie and I love the stacked heel on this one – it’s the perfect height. Also love these booties under $100 and this pair of over-the-knee boots. You can also see more of my favorites from the sale in this post and my finds under $100 here.

We are in Paris right now but be sure to follow along on our next stop! It’s one I’ve always been dying to visit and can’t wait to finally see it in person! Follow along on Snapchat @hellofashblog for more!

XX,

Christine

xo, Christine

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FALL FASHION MY STYLE

3 Steps to A Full Volume Lob

Mousse, mousse, Mousse! Love this one!

PRODUCTS: NEXXUS NEW YORK SALON CARE MOUSSE PLUS | NEXXUS NEW YORK SALON CARE EXPAND VOLUMIZING WHIP | NEXXUS NEW YORK SALON CARE HEAT PROTECTING MIST

DETAILS: GREY TEE (OLD – SIMILAR HERE) | DENIM (UNDER $100)

Happy Tuesday guys! We are frantically finishing packing as we head to Europe tonight! Ahhh! I wanted to do a post talking more about the chop to the long bob! I’m really moody with my hair. One week I want it long, the next I want it short, then I want it blonde, then I’m back to dark. I love that there are so many options to completely change your look that aren’t permanent (cough cough not like my stupid lower back tattoo I got when I was 18 and finally got removed this year!). I have had extensions for a while now! I get them changed every 3-4 months or so. It was about a week before my next appointment when I woke up feeling super impulsive and texted me hairdresser: “Are you going to be pissed if I chop…” Luckily she knows how impulsive I am and didn’t bat an eye so I grabbed some scissors, not even hair scissors just regular old scissors and chopped away! I actually really love doing hair! I used to cut my cousins and my friends hair in high school and they would always have me style it for them, so it wasn’t too out of the ordinary for me to get crazy with the scissors!

I wanted my lob (long bob) to be have a really blunt line to help it feel thick. When you texture up into your hair it makes it easier to style but it doesn’t give it that thickness on the bottom. At least with my hair. I was planning on only keeping it short for the week until my new hair came, but I love it shorter! I feel fresher, and a little sassier 😉 It was just such a good change I decided to keep the lob.

The key to pulling of a lob is volume, and even if you don’t have naturally thick hair you can still get that bombshell volume with the right products and styling. I have a narrow face so for me the key is volume on the sides! If you have a rounder face you want to add volume to the top to create height and the illusion of a narrow-er shape. Here are my three steps for getting max volume:

One of my favorite tricks for achieving full volume is mousse, mousse, and more mousse. Instead of just applying mousse the the roots on the crown of my head, I section off my hair piece by piece while it’s wet at and apply Nexxus Mousse Plus at my roots all over especially the sides!
Curls are my best friend for voluminous sides – Before styling, I always use heat-protectant. The Nexxus Heat Protecting Mist is enriched with Flax Seed Oil and antioxidants and acts as a protective barrier. Blow-dry your hair away from your head to get the desired lift. Once it’s dry, the mousse does all of the work giving your hair full volume.
Once I’ve curled my hair I apply Nexxus Expand Volumizing Whip through my ends to give more texture and a piecer look so my curls don’t all clump together. I also applied some lightly around the top of my hairline to tame my fly-aways. It’s infused with silicone so even fine hair can get full volume.

The lob is literally everywhere. Last week Selena Gomez cut hers and it looks so cute; then Cara Delevingne was next – it’s having a huge moment right now. If you are debating taking those scissors to your locks, just do it! You won’t regret it!

XX, Christine

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*In collaboration with Nexxus. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

xo, Christine

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BEAUTY HAIR Home Decor MY STYLE

Q&A: Mixing Work With Mom Life

When I plan outfits I try on 20 different things to make sure what I put together is my absolute favorite. Somedays it comes together quickly and other days not so much. Anyone else have that problem 🙂

I love listening to books (Cody and my Dad got me hooked on Audible) because I don’t have time to read as much as I used to. Beckam always wants this book because there’s four guys balancing on a Ferris Wheels on the cover and he thinks they are doing tricks lol. Every time it comes up he yells “OH MAN MOM!! Look at that sick trick!”

Having a home office is so nice and other days really hard. Somedays I find it takes me twice as long to get the littlest task done because distractions continually pop up, but I am also so thankful to have that time with the kids. I keep two baskets of toys in my office so Beckam can pull out things to play while I get stuff done.

I know it’s cheesy but I love his little hand resting on my back.

DETAILS: ORANGE MAXI DRESS (MORE SIZES HERE – BUDGET-FRIENDLY OPTION HERE – LOVE THIS ONE) | WHITE DESK | DESK CHAIR |

I’ve gotten so many questions on working from home, from blogging to being a working mom and balancing family, ILY, and the blog so I wanted to do a little Q&A with some of my most common Q’s.

Q. How do you juggle your responsibilities at work and being a mom?

A. Honestly, it’s a weekly struggle! I try to make it a point to work hours when the kids are asleep or out with Cody so I can take full advantage of the time I have with them. I have some days when it all comes together and somehow feels so easy but then of course there are times when all my deadlines seem to hit at once and there are never enough hours in the day. There are weeks when I feel like, no matter what, something’s gotta give and I am falling short somewhere (or everywhere!) whether it’s missing out on moments with the kids, falling behind on things for ILY, missing deadlines for the blog, or not getting enough one-on-one time with Cody.

I had one of those days last week! I woke up to my blog not working and had 3 projects due for work. Mio got out and was missing for over 5 hours. I was panicked looking everywhere for him. Beckam was having a two year old tantrum crying over everything, then he had a diarrhea explosion and got poop all over our bedroom floor. I was literally in tears. Now I look back and laugh but it was one of those days I was like, “ugh I NEED a break!” I think we all have those days, but I also believe you have to have those struggles and hard days to appreciate the good!

Q. What’s your work day like?

A. I end up working really odd hours but sometimes that’s hard when the rest of the world and deadlines operate during normal business hours. When there’s a lot going on with work I’m up by 5:00 or 5:30am so I can get as much as possible done before the kids wake up. I usually work for 2 more hours once they are awake because they like to play in the toy room or cuddle in bed so it’s just lazy time for them around the house while I get a few more things done. I love working in my home office! But there are days I have places and meetings I have to be at. The kids end up running around with me, from shoots to handling stuff at ILY. Cody is amazing and takes the kids for the full day once a week and takes the kids at 3pm three days a week so I have time to knock out as much as I can for work from 3-6pm without distractions and so we can focus on family time when we are all together. Once the kids are in bed it’s back at it again. Cody and I set days and times to shut everything off, but we both work a lot at night because we both want to be involved with the kids as much as we can during the day.

Q. How do you get focused when you are working from home?

Time blocking! It has seriously saved my life! I set times to get certain things done without distractions. That includes time with the kids where you don’t have your phone or do anything but just spend time with them.

Cody also got me hooked on audiobooks. It’s so hard for me to find time to sit down and actually read. We always download Audible audiobooks about habits of successful businesses and entrepreneurs. I like to listen to them while that we listen to on road trips or when we are traveling. It’s seriously one of the best ways to stay motivated and ambitious! Some of my favorites are Outliers and The Power of Habit. Also just restarted listening to the Life Changing Magic of Tidying up, it’s so good! I always go through a big dejunking after I listen to it.

Q. How do you stay focused?

Cody and I have always made it a priority to set goals. We literally take dry-erase markers to our mirrors and windows and set goals for ourselves personally and also for our blogs and companies. Posting your goals keeps them on the back of your mind (or front!) and has always made me more ambitious to accomplish them.

Q. How do you find time for “you time”?

I’m a huge believer in finding you time. Losing yourself is the first step to losing your sanity so think of keeping yourself grounded as an investment! I’m a sucker for massages and also love going shopping (surprise!). For those days when I’m lucky to get a few minutes free here and there at home during nap time, it’s weirdly relaxing for me to organize my home office. Our house is literally almost always a disaster (I’ve come to realize it can’t all be done and a clean house was the first thing to go 🙂 so organizing my office has become a common occurrence. I usually have an audiobook playing too, whether it’s my current motivational read or an old classic like Anna Karenina (narrated by Maggie Gyllenhaal).

Q. What advice would you give those moms trying to balance it all?

Don’t be afraid to ask for help! At some point you realize there is no such thing as a perfect mom. The word mom has so many different meanings now so don’t compare yourself to others. You don’t have to have the perfectly kept house or a home-cooked meal every night. Stepford wives don’t exist anymore (at least not in my world :). It’s ok to let the dishes go and take those extra moments to cuddle your kids!

Comment below with any other questions you have! I’m going to start doing more question and answers 🙂 Also I’ve teamed up with Audible to offer you guys a free 30-day free trial with a free book download. It gets so addicting, especially for long flights or when you are multi-tasking around the house.

XX, Christine

*This is a post sponsored by Audible. All opinions and text are my own.

xo, Christine

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ADVICE DRESSES Home Decor LIFE MOTHERHOOD MY STYLE REAL TALK