Uncategorized | Playdates + Pearls

04/28

Calling All Bloggers!!

As my pregnancy progresses, and especially as I get closer to my due date, I’ll be looking for contributors for Playdates + Pearls. Are you a blogger who has a lot to offer my readers? I’ll be looking for bloggers to cover topics like fashion, food, beauty, home decor, & DIY. Content would need to be original, high quality, and of interest to my readers. A giveaway will be offered, provided by me, or sponsors, on a monthly bases which will cross-promote all my contributors. If you’re interested in more details, or page stats, please e-mail me at inkok@outlook.com

XO – Samantha

posted by Samantha Hawes 1 Comment
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02/21

Friday Favorites

1.|| Starbucks has been pushing a fun little add-in lately, and they hooked, line and sunk me with it. Venti White Mocha + 2 pumps of Raspberry = LOVE. It’s definitely a sweeter drink, so if you’re not a fan of sweet drinks (think peppermint mocha, caramel brulee latte, white chocolate mochas) then don’t order this. If you’re like me, and your Starbucks is also your dessert for the day, you’re going to be smitten.

2.|| Jamie over at Kreyv posted about belted magazines, and I’m loving the idea! Check out her post for inspiration. Her blog is one of my favorites, so go check it out even if you think belted magazines sound cray-cray.

3.|| I am totally going to (attempt to) make this DIY laptop table.

4.|| I have loved Ellen Page since Juno, but never as much as I did when watching her give this incredible speech.

5.|| Check out this video about texting and driving and #redthumbreminder…This is a habit I had to break when I had my daughter, and I won’t lie, there are times when I hear my phone ding and get tempted. It’s just not worth it.

6.|| I love this quote, and I think we should all remember this more often. Be nice, and be yourself. If they don’t like you, then it’s their loss.

7.|| I bought Cam these darling little gladiators at Target, and have received a thousand and one compliments on them They’re priced really well, and she thinks they’re comfy. Target for the win!

8.|| This video of a dad laughing at students slipping on ice had me in tears with laughter.

9.|| This amazing tutorial for making a pendant light has me dreaming of goodwill shopping and DIY’ing.

10.|| I have been battling dry, winter skin with a coffee scrub every other shower, and it’s made my skin feel amazing. My sister makes it for me (because she’s amazing, and I love her!!), but all it contains is 1 part coconut oil, 1/2 parts brown sugar, and 1/2 parts coffee grounds. (For example: 1 cup coconut oil, 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1/2 cups coffee grounds) You can also add extras like cinnamon, peppermint oil, jojoba or vitamin e oil, etc. to spice up your scrub. I always use this prior to self tanning. Do you guys use any at-home scrubs? Leave me recipes below if you do!

Hope you all have a great weekend!!

XO – Samantha

posted by Samantha Hawes 8 Comments
Filed Under: Uncategorized

02/13

Valentines is Bullshit.

Valentine’s Day is tomorrow, and I just want to take a minute and talk about the most loved, and hated, holiday.

If you’re in a new relationship, you’ve probably been anticipating this holiday since last March, and dreaming about the 2 dozen long stem roses, heart shaped box of chocolates, cuddly teddy bear, and dinner at your favorite restaurant (at 7pm of course, the most popular dining time…hope you booked this in December guys!) You obviously have to compete with your other “taken” girlfriends, because you and your man are the “power couple” of 2014, and today is the day to prove it.

If you’ve been dating for a while, you’re expecting that little blue box, and a bottle of Dom to celebrate. You’ll need your mom, dad, sister, and BFF’s to be there to celebrate with you after he pops the big question, so he’ll need to go ahead and fly them in. Oh, and since Kim Kardashian had a full symphony and an entire stadium when Kanye popped the question, your man better have something equally as amazing planned. If Ryan Gosling could get on one knee and ask for him, that would do the trick.

Married men have to raise the bar every year, so that full day at the spa that he treated you to last year just isn’t going to cut it. New diamond stud earrings, the 2014 Range Rover Sport, and that Prada handbag you’ve been eyeing are sure to be on the short-list. And don’t you dare bring me a new car if it doesn’t have a giant red bow on it, because I can’t instagram a photo of a plain old car.

If you’re single, this day sucks more than you expect your 50th birthday will. You can’t stay home and watch reruns of Sex & The City and kick back tequila shots without your non-single friends thinking you’re suicidal. If you go out with your fellow single ladies, everyone looks at you like you’re a walking cliche. It’s lose-lose. If you’re reading this, you still have time to get on an airplane and fly to mexico…just do it.

Ladies, it’s TOO MUCH!! It’s too much pressure, and too much money being spent on dumb things that should never cost that much. A $20 teddy bear? Why does a grown woman need a teddy bear?! $150 roses. (FYI: They’re $20 every other day of the year.) A heart shaped box of chocolates…and the chocolate is usual gross! We all take one bite out of each just to see if it’s as disgusting as the last. We expect sappy cards that say things that we would NEVER say in real life. For example: “We are two souls sharing a single thought, two hearts sharing a single beat, you are the light of my life!” If a guy says that out loud to you, check for signs of a stroke.

If you’re new to my blog then you’re probably reading all this and thinking “This chick is DEFINITELY single, that’s why she hates Valentines”…I’m not. So lets talk about my husband.

My husband and I have been together for nearly 10 years, and we’ve never celebrated Valentines Day…but we do celebrate being in love all day err day! He doesn’t have to prove he loves me one day out of the year, because he shows me in small, thoughtful ways, all year.

He buys me flowers, but not for any “Hallmark holiday”, just because he’s at the grocery store and knows I like fresh flowers in the house.

He makes me breakfast in bed. Ok, that’s a lie…but he DOES let me sleep in on the weekends, and entertains our 2 year old until at least 9:30, at which time he brings her into our room and lets her jump on me until I get my lazy butt up. He’ll usually make me coffee too, so that counts as breakfast.

He’s an amazing dad! He’s never been the “I don’t do diapers” kind of dad. He gets on the floor and plays, cooks Mac & Cheese like Emeril Lagasse (BAM!), and literally races me up the stairs to get Camryn up from naps when we hear her making noises over the monitor. He’s involved. He appreciates his time with her. He is teaching her the way a real man should treat her.

He’s dependable. When he says he’ll fix the garage door, I know I can count on him…to call a repair man. Seriously though, he’s always there when I need him, and he’s never, ever flakey.

He works really hard. He’s planning for our future, and he’s allowing me to be a stay-at-home-mom.

He’s honest. Always. Even if that honesty is saying “Babe, your breath is kickin’!” This is ROMANCE people.

He kills spider. This is an important trait ladies.

He doesn’t complain. When he’s eating healthy and hitting the gym every day, he doesn’t complain when I lay in bed at night eating hot Cheetos and ice cream. I actually thanked him for this last week, because I know if the tables were turned I’d be pissed that he was tempting me, and would absolutely kick him out of the bed.

He’ll let me lead. He gives me full reign when I want it. I’ve decorated, redecorated, and then switched out a few chairs, lamps, and pillows (also called redecorating) in our house about 100 times. He hates it…but he lets me continue with this madness because he knows I love it. He knows when to take a step back and let me do my thing.

He makes me laugh. I usually start laughing because he’s laughing, and his laugh is hysterical. He’s usually laughing because I’ve done something klutzy. This article makes us both laugh until we’re crying.

He’s easy to look at. Ladies, this is another important trait. If you have babies with an ugly person, your babies will also be ugly. (I’m KIDDING!! But for reals, nobody likes an ugly baby. TOTALLY JOKING!!)

He’s a genuinely nice person. I can’t think of anyone who dislikes my husband. He’s respectful, and kind, and extremely open-minded. He always approaches me with kindness and, even if we disagree about something, he’s careful with his words and is thoughtful in his argument.

This list could go on and on, and some of you might already be considering checking me for signs of a stroke, so I’ll end on this note. He’s not a drunk. He doesn’t do drugs. He doesn’t sleep around. (and 10 years later, he’s still a stud muffin) Happy Valentines to me!

I had no intentions of this post becoming so long and preach-ish, I just wanted to remind everyone that tomorrow isn’t about what you are gifted, and it shouldn’t be a competition. Tomorrow is Friday (WOOHOO!) and it’s also Valentines day, but it doesn’t have to play out like a fairy tale. Tell the people you love “I love you” and appreciate being told “I love you too” and then do it again the next day, and the day after that, and so on. If you like buying gifts, then go ahead, but don’t allow yourself to feel pressured to have to, or put that pressure on your spouse. Don’t be a valentine-zilla.

For me and the hubs, we’ll spend V-day watching House of Cards. Ohhh yeeaahhhh baaaabbbyyy, it’s back!

XO – Samantha

posted by Samantha Hawes 7 Comments
Filed Under: Let's Chat, Uncategorized Tagged: Valentines, Valentines Day, Valentines is Bullshit

02/04

Current Loves

I missed Friday’s Lust List to bring you guys my daughters “lemonade stand DIY”, so I wanted to roundup a few of the things I’m loving for you guys today.

1.|| This beautiful gallery wall.

2.|| 8 decor ideas that you should be stealing from Instagram

3.|| The sweetest and easiest DIY baby mobile.

4.|| I love this pillow, this pillow, and this pillow (which is HUGE in real life).

5.|| I’m looking for something similar to this artwork for Camryn’s playroom.

6.|| I want everything from this shop.

7.|| I bought Camryn this shirt, and I can’t wait to see her in it. It cracks me up.

8.|| Freshly Picked is having a big sale today, and clearing out their current moccs to make room for their Spring/Summer inventory. Go grab some, they’re only $45. I’ve got my eyes on the Cobalt ones, and I’m really wanting to grab the Cherry pair (not on sale).

Last but not least, this sweet face. This whole “Camryn Daily Project” is no joke y’all. I never realized how hard it would be to take a good daily photo of this girl. She’s getting fast, which makes picture taking nearly impossible! She was a good helper today and cleaned through toys with me, and organized, so she earned this big Valentines cookie (not all of it) as a treat. She wore her ballerina outfit all day, and twirled and twirled on her sugar high for hours.

XO – Samantha

posted by Samantha Hawes 4 Comments
Filed Under: Uncategorized

01/31

DIY Lemonade Stand

As promised, here is my DIY “Market”, which can really be a Lemonade stand, puppet theater, or anything you dream it to be. I decorated ours for Valentines, but you can change the sign or colors to your choosing.

You’ll need:

2 wooden crates – I bought mine at Michaels. Use a coupon!! I bought mine at 40% off for under $20

2 long, thin pieces of wood to hold up a sign. I used scrap wood that was in my garage, but you could use any long piece of wood or even the cardboard roll from inside wrapping paper. Get creative.

Paint (optional)

Nails & Hammer or nail/staple gun

Sew a curtain for a theater or awning, paint a lemonade sign on cardboard, use plywood to make a wooden sign, or paper for bunting.

What you’ll do:

Spray Paint your crates in your color of choice, or leave natural. I painted mine white.

I then used leftover chalkboard paint to paint stripes. I figured Camryn would enjoy being able to draw on her market, depending on what she’s selling that day of course. Every other slat, nothing fancy.

Once your paint dries, nail or staple the boxes together. Nail your side posts on at this time as well.

Camryn wanted to turn our rainy-day-painting into her sign (remember when we were stuck inside for days because of the freezing weather…this was our brilliant work of art that we created during that time). Sing it was a stretched canvas, I had to cut it away from the wood frame, and then use a paper bunting to trace the shape. I cut it up, hung it from ribbon, and ta-da, custom bunting.

That’s it. SO EASY!

Camryn is still obsessed with her “market”, and I think we’ll get a ton of play out of this little DIY. I can’t wait to see her sell lemonade from it, or put on a puppet show for Daddy after I make her a curtain. The total project cost me $25 including paint. I already owned the chalkboard paint, staple gun, ribbon, our rainy day painting, and the scrap wood for the side posts.

If any of you make this, please tweet or instagram me a picture (@samanthamhawes on Twitter, and @playdatesandpearls on IG)

XO – Samantha

posted by Samantha Hawes 3 Comments
Filed Under: Uncategorized

01/28

Travelling with a Toddler

whattopack My sweet Camryn took her first flight at age 3 months. It was on my husbands birthday, entirely unplanned, and not a trip for pleasure. My Dad died, so quickly and without any time to plan or be worried about traveling with my teeny tiny baby, we boarded a 5 hour flight and headed to Washington. I was pleasantly surprised by how easy it was for the first 4 1/2 hours…and then we started our descent. Her ears were clearly bothering her, and I wasn’t nearly as prepared as I should have been. I learned my lesson.

The day before her first flight. 3 months.

The flight home from Washington was a breeze, and I had prepared a bottle for the descent, which helps babies ears pop and prevents discomfort. I was lucky that she was still so young because all she really did at that age was sleep, which made flying a cake walk.

I had time to prepare for our next adventures…and boy have we been on some great trips!

Las Vegas

South Padre Island

South Padre Island

Learning to Walk in Central Park

Auntie LOVES to put Camryn in funny places for pictures. :-)

Cabo

Cabo with Mom & Auntie

Goodbye NYC

North Carolina

Colorado

Napa Valley

Sonoma

Flight Attendants are your FRIENDS!! If they want to walk your baby around to say hi to passengers, let them! :-)

Our view on our many trips to Washington

All of these trips were when Camryn was a baby, so traveling then and traveling with her now are two very different situations. I no longer need to pack a bunch of diapers, spare clothes, diaper wipes, or bottles. I DO however need to pack snacks, toys, and her Istax 8 mini camera so she can snap pictures of everywhere we go.

Here are my tips on traveling with a baby or toddler:

1.|| Bring the right carry-on bag. This is important! Make sure the bag you’re bringing is large enough to hold all the necessities, which include a spare outfit (because babies love a good blowout in the most inconvenient of times and places), diapers, wipes, food, bottles (you can get any formula or milk through security if it’s for your baby), extra pacifiers and wipes, toys, and extra bags for trash or to hold any “blown-out” outfits….lawd knows you don’t want those loose in your bag. I used to bring a small purse inside my larger carry-on bag to keep my personal items separate from everything else. Tip: Don’t bring a carry-on that’s too large to fit under the seat in front of you, or else all your necessities will be overhead and out of reach.

2.|| Stroller. Finding the perfect stroller for traveling isn’t easy. You want something light and compact, but functional in all places (you are traveling…). We chose the Maclaren Globetrotter because it fold down quickly, weighs very little, reclines, and was budget friendly. We needed something that would collapse very fast for jumping on and off of trains in Paris, and it did the trick.

3.|| Activities. For those of you with Ipads – AMEN!! That will be your saving grace, especially for long (international) flights. Camryn will watch movies and play games for hours on her ipad! We also really enjoy sticker books, coloring, and plenty of snacks. Target usually has “Play packs” in the $1 section, and they include a coloring book, crayons, and stickers. BUY THEM!

4.|| Other essentials include:

*water (because you do not want an open cup of liquid with a baby or toddler on/next to you)

*hand sanitizer

*stain removing wipes come in handy

*socks for both Camryn and I for the plane ride

*Camryn’s blanket and/or stuffed toy of choice

*facial cleansing wipes for long flights

*wisps (tooth cleansers)

*Extra Ziplock bags for trash or dirty clothing

*Backpack leash, if you’re concerned about busy airports, or if you want to wear your kid out by running around without fear of them getting too far ahead of you. I swore I would never use one of these, but they really are great, and Camryn LOVES hers. She puts all her snacks and toys in it.

We took our first LONG (international) flight in September to France:

Notre Dame

Nice, FR

Chasing birds outside the Louvre

Monkey Leash

Gelato Break – Paris

Cannes, FR

Waiting on the Metro

The most frequent question I’m asked is “What do you do about the time changes, and jetlag?”. We’ve experienced a few hours time change here and there, but our trip to France was the first time I had ever really had to deal with jetlag and a NINE HOUR difference in time. Our flight left Texas at 4pm, and arrived in Paris at 8am, so we were lucky to start our day off in the morning. We didn’t sleep very well on the plane ride over, so we decided to take a few hours to nap and recover once we arrived to our hotel. We knew that if we slept for too long, we’d be wide awake all night, so we only allowed ourselves about 3-4 hrs. We were all very tired when we finally got up, but the excitement of seeing Paris perked us up. We had an early bedtime that night, and woke the next morning feeling 100%. I packed Melatonin tablets for all of us (safe to use for short periods of time, but check with your pediatrician before giving to a baby or toddler) but never needed them.

I hope this helps any of you getting ready to travel. Please feel free to ask any questions and I will be sure to answer. Happy travels.

XO – Samantha

posted by Samantha Hawes 3 Comments
Filed Under: Camryn, Uncategorized Tagged: flying with a baby, flying with a toddler, traveling with a baby, Traveling with a toddler

01/16

Camryn pics + more…

Here are a few pics from our visit, as promised.

We’ve been having too much fun. I spent the day with my little sister and step mom, and then went to dinner with a bunch of our dearest friends. It always feels so good to be home.

My SIL finds out what she’s having tomorrow, but is making us all wait until Friday when they arrive to spill the beans….it’s killing me!!!

Hope you are all having a great week.

XO – Samantha

posted by Samantha Hawes 4 Comments
Filed Under: Uncategorized

01/15

Oops…

Well guys, I messed up. I had planned on blogging each night, and uploading Camryn Daily pics as usual, but I wasn’t able to bring my laptop (because I was traveling solo with a toddler and only hand so many hands to carry stuff) and my FIL’s laptop doesn’t have a camera card reader. So….no pics until I get my hands on a macbook this evening. I’ll post a bunch of pics for you guys on tomorrow so you can see all the trouble we’ve been getting into on our vacay.

I’m spending today with my little sister and step mom. For those of you who don’t know me personally, my Dad died a few years ago, so my little sister and step mom are “my girls” and we stay very close. Our visits are usually the same every time; food, shopping, and the boy talk (I give my little sister the “no teen pregnancy or I’ll kill you” talk every single time). Hey, her dads not here to scare away little boys, so somebody has to…

Happy hump day. XO – Samantha

posted by Samantha Hawes 1 Comment
Filed Under: Uncategorized

01/14

Let’s Just Laugh!

I made it to Washington!! Camryn and I had a very long and interesting day of travelling, and literally found ourselves RUNNING to catch our 2nd flight, but we’re here. It’s gray and cold, but it always feels so good to come home to see family and friends.

I thought that today we could just laugh a little, and not take anything too serious. I was on Pinterest the other night and kept coming across funny animal pictures…or at least at 11pm, after a very long day, I thought they were hysterical…so I thought I’d share with you. You’re welcome.

I’m hitting up my beloved Bagelry today, woohoo. Hope you’re all having a great day, and if you weren’t already, I hope these funny pictures helped.

XO – Samantha

posted by Samantha Hawes 2 Comments
Filed Under: Uncategorized

12/20

Lust List + Giveaway: 12/20

It’s Friday! Ahhh that feels so good to say. IT’S FRIDAY!!! I feel like this has been the longest week, and I am so exhausted and ready for the weekend. If you guys could see the bomb that is currently my home….I would take a picture for you to laugh at, but honestly you wouldn’t find it funny. You’d probably just feel really bad for me. Yeah, it’s that bad. I have storage boxes from all our Christmas decor sitting in a stack by my front door because I’m trying to force myself into re-organizing my hall closet. I had cleaned and organized it over the summer (when I wasn’t thinking of Christmas at all) and managed to pack all Christmas related boxes in the very back of the closet. Everything had to be pulled out, and made a mess of, just to get Christmas decor out. Organize fail. I keep meaning to go buy a garage shelving unit from Lowes for in that closet so I can easily stack boxes and still be able to access all of them without it being a huge chore. Add it to my to-do list. Speaking of organizing and de-cluttering, I think that will be my New Years resolution. I despise clutter, and lately I feel like we’ve accumulated too much “stuff”, and we need a good purge and some fresh organizing to happen. Maybe I’ll do a “30 days organized” challenge in January and tackle a different space each day.Would you guys be interested in tackling this with me, in your own homes? A different task, or space each day, and then we’ll have happier and more enjoyable spaces to live in! Add it to my to-do list.

I have been so busy posting about products, giveaways, and the holidays lately that I haven’t had a chance to sneak in a good chit-chat with you. What is going on in your lives lately? We’ve been doing a lot of potty training work over here, and moving from daytime potty training (which we’ve been doing for months now) to night time and nap time potty training. It’s been hit and miss. 3 days without any accidents, and then yesterday she pooped in her undies while sleeping…not my fave. She’s really been doing good though, so we’re sticking with it. The hardest part is having to limit liquids close to nap time, and not allowing her to take a water to bed with her. She’s notorious for chugging an entire sippy cup of water down when she gets in bed. I’m so glad that we tackled potty training in the summer when it was warm enough to run around the house without pants, because it’s too cold here to do that now. If you want to see a post dedicated to our potty training failures and successes, leave me a comment. Otherwise I’ll stop boring you with #2 talk.

We are going to visit my husbands grandparents next week, and spend some holiday time with them, and then my mom and her husband arrive on the 26th (my birthday) to have Christmas with us. Last year was so much fun because Camryn was finally old enough to understand the idea behind Christmas, and had too much fun opening gifts. This year she’s been asking me every single day if she can open presents yet. She’s fully aware of what’s going on, and she knows that inside all those boxes there are toys for her to play with, and the anticipation is killing her. I feel like I say “Not yet…X many more days…” at least twice a day. She’s going to be bummed when she realizes that 90% of those gifts aren’t even for her, and are going to the little girl we “adopted” at the Ronald McDonald House. The anticipation of bringing that family their gifts is killing ME. I feel like a real life Santa this year, it’s been so much fun! I’ll take pictures when we go and share them with you.

OK, enough of my blabbering….Here are the things I’ve been loving this week:

1.|| This family is awesome, and their Christmas “card” is even cooler.

2.|| Beyonce’s visual album is amazing. She always looks flawless.

3.|| I tried out a new food delivery service called Plated, and showed two meals and gave my review over on My Simple Kitchen. I used the code FBFIRSTPLATE to try 4 meals (“plates”) free.

4.|| Have you met Surya the orangutan and her hound dog BFF?

5.|| Jessica from Afternoon Style featured holiday recipes on her blog, including my peppermint milkshake. Told y’all they are YUM!

6.|| I mentioned that I recently visited Ikea – here’s an article about incorporating Ikea finds into your space in chic and sophisticated ways. Love me some Ikea.

7.|| “What does my kid say?” Mommy anthem.

8.|| What are your sentiments on the Phil Robertson interview with GQ that caused him to be “suspended indefinitely” from A&E’s Duck Dynasty?

9.|| Leigh Viner’s etsy shop is a HUGE source of inspiration to me, and her art literally makes me stop and stare in awe. This is one of the many pieces that I’m eyeing (no pun intended). I already own a few of her prints, but I’m dying to snag an original in the new year.

10.|| A celebration of a mom’s love – this will definitely make you teary eyed. Pass the Puffs!!!

Today’s giveaway will be on my instagram at some point today, so keep an eye open!

XO – Samantha

posted by Samantha Hawes 4 Comments
Filed Under: Food, Giveaway, Let's Chat, Lust List, Uncategorized

Calling All Bloggers!!

Friday Favorites

Valentines is Bullshit.

Current Loves

DIY Lemonade Stand

Travelling with a Toddler

Camryn pics + more…

Oops…

Let’s Just Laugh!

Lust List + Giveaway: 12/20

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