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Family

How To Save Money On Family Trips

Hi friends,

Hope you are having a great week! This week we went on our first family trip with Ella. As our family grows so does the cost of traveling. And though we love to travel it can get costly for families, so here are some tips below to help save money when going on family trips.

 

TIPS TO SAVING MONEY ON FAMILY TRIPS:

 

  1. Go on the Off Season – Everything is less expensive from hotel room rates, gas prices, even plane tickets. Plus when you go on the off season it means less crowds which is great if you are traveling with kids.
  2. Look For Family Friendly Discounts – There are tons of places that offer family discounts for people traveling with kids. Look for these discounts when looking for a place to visit.
  3. Eat in – Instead of eating out every meal opt to eat in by buying everyday items like groceries and ready to eat meals at Walmart. Not only will it save you money but time, and the headache of having to wrangle your children at a restaurant.
  4. Buy Snacks and everyday travel essentials at Walmart – Instead of buying at the resort or hotel, you can save money by buying water in bulk and other everyday essentials like snacks, napkins, and diapers at Walmart. Plus you can find a Walmart in almost every major city and town in the U.S. so you can utilize their drive thru pick up for even more convenience!

SHOP WALMART EVERYDAY ESSENTIALS:

 

I bought all of this at Walmart using their Online Grocery service on the Walmart App. Super easy and convenient for a busy mom like me who prefers not to shop in store with a newborn. It’s great because you can pick up from any local Walmart store near you, no matter where you travel.

New customers can use promo code TRIPLE10 to save $10 off their first three pickup or delivery orders. $50 min. Restrictions & fees apply.

Traveling with family doesn’t have to be stressful. There are ways to save on family trips and Walmart helps when it comes to saving money for families on everyday items like groceries. We always make sure to stop by Walmart to get our essentials when it comes to our family trips. I hope these tips help you save on your next family trip. Thanks for stopping by!

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This post is sponsored by Walmart. All thoughts and opinions are all mine.

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Family

What’s in My Hospital Bag As A Second Time Mom

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Hi friends,

Hope you have a great week! Officially 35 weeks and we finally packed our hospital bag. This time we are much more prepared than we were seven years ago now that we know what to expect. I remember the one thing I disliked about our first experience was how uncomfortable we were during our hospital stay after delivering our baby. So this time around I added some a few things that would make our stay so much better. Check out What’s in My Hospital Bag As A Second Time Mom below!

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What’s in My Hospital Bag:

Hospital Bag Checklist:

For Packing:

  1. Rolling Luggage – Love a good rolling luggage to put baby, hubby, and my things in for our overnight stay at the hospital. Easy to maneuver and load things on.
  2. Weekender/Mom Bag – I love this monogrammed bag as my mom bag. I put all my labor essentials in this bag.
  3. Makeup Case – Best traveling case to store your makeup. It’s not a necessity but great for getting ready for photos.
  4. Hanging Toiletry Bag – This is a must especially since most hospital rooms lack counter space in their bathrooms. Having a hanging toiletry bag saves space and is easy to pack.
  5. Packing Cubes – These are so convenient for separating and packing baby’s, hubby’s, and my clothes and keeping it organized.

For Baby:

  1. Polaroid – For capturing unedited candid moments during this special time.💛
  2. Baby Monogram Blanket /Swaddles  – Great for taking baby hospital photos
  3. Welcome sign –  For baby announcements
  4. Car Seat/Stroller – We got the Doona because it’s an all in one and so much easier to transport than carrying a car seat. That was one thing I wish we had seven years ago when I had Jayden. I still remember the pain of having to lug a car seat around.
  5. Portable Sound Machine – This is great for white noise for baby since hospital rooms are not always the quietest areas for sleeping babies.
  6. Going Home Outfit – This is a great two piece set to bring for baby’s going home outfit.

For Mom:

During Labor:

  1. Portable Fan – Great for keeping cool and comfortable during labor. Also great for baby for attaching to her stroller to keep her cool during the summer.
  2. Essential oil diffuser – Helps with the hospital smell and provided aromatherapy.
  3. Massage gun – Great for hubs to use on you to help alleviate pain during labor
  4. Slippers – Keep your feet warm and comfy as you labor in the hospital

After Labor:

  1. Waterproof slides – For walking to the bathroom and or taking a shower at the hospital.
  2. Robe – I love this cute Mama one from Amazon. Soft and comfy and comes in different colors.
  3. Nursing Bra – These come in a pack of three and super comfy.
  4. Nursing Friendly Pajamas – I found this gown that is nursing friendly as well as postpartum friendly even if you have had a C-section.

For Dad:

  1. 10ft charging cable – You never know how far the outlets are in your hospital room.
  2. Bluetooth speaker – For playing music or Hypnobirthing during labor
  3. Portable charger – keep electronics charged when you are mobile
  4. Extension cord – gives you extra outlets and reach.
  5. Blanket/Pillow – Provide extra comfort for sleeping on the couch in the hospital rooms.

packing list, hospital bag

 

HOW I ORGANIZED MY HOSPITAL BAG:

For my hospital bag I separated the things I need for labor in my mommy weekender bag, and the things for our stay at the hospital in the luggage. That way we don’t have to bring it in until after I deliver. I separated all of our clothes for baby, hubs, and mine in separate packing cubes for better organization.  I brought my LV tote because it has all my other travel essentials and one of my favorite travel bags. To see what I pack in my LV check out the post below!

Whats In My Travel Bag – Louis Vuitton Neverfull

 

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SHOP POST:

Excited for baby girl’s arrival and we are ready for her. I hope this post helps for any expecting moms out there. Thanks for stopping by!

For more pregnancy post check out these below!

Overcoming Fear and Anxiety During Pregnancy

30 Week Pregnancy Update

Baby In Bloom Baby Shower

Pregnancy Q&A

Gender Reveal

Pregnancy Announcement

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Family

Hawaii Family Beach Photoshoot

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Hi friends,

Hope you are doing well! I am so excited to share with you our Hawaii family beach photoshoot. When we were planning this trip I knew I wanted to capture these memories for my family. I feel like family photos are the best type of investment that will bring you endless joy. Hawaii was absolutely stunning and it the beach and the mountains made the perfect backdrop for this shoot. Check out more of our family shoot below!

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SHOP OUR LOOKS:

For this photoshoot we wanted to incorporate the Hawaiian culture with these beautiful leis from Sweet Blossoms Hawaii. Irene was so sweet to work around our busy travel schedule to get make these leis. I wish my haku lei could have lasted forever so I could have taken home. We took these photos at Kaawa Beach during sunset which had the perfect palm trees and mountains in the back ground. I still can’t get over how beautiful these photos came out.

Our photographer Lili did such an amazing job. She was also so kind to work with our busy work schedule, and with my crazy goofy guys. I would definitely recommend her if you are in Hawaii. She even took stunning maternity shots for me. I hope you enjoyed our Hawaii Family beach photoshoot. Thanks for stopping by!

Check out our Oahu, Hawaii family travel guide here!

P.S. Subscribe for weekly newsletters so you never miss a single post!

Photos by Lili Photography

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Fashion

Hilton Sandestin Girls Trip

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Hi friends,

Hope you are doing well! Can you believe it school is out and summer is already here! I have some fun girls trips plan this summer, but I wanted to share one of my favorite girls trip I took last month to the Hilton Sandestin. You know how much I love staying in the Sandestin area, and usually I go with my family. But this time around I decided to go with my girl friend Alley. It was a fun and much needed getaway. Check out more of what we did on our three day getaway below!

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Family

10 Tips for an iPad/iPhone Free Road Trip With a Toddler + Ruffle Black and White Swimsuit

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Happy Monday!

This month if I’ll be sharing all about our road trip and tips and tricks with traveling with a toddler. It really was such an amazing vacation, and very relaxing to unplug, connect with my family, and enjoy our surroundings. Now to be fair we only have one kiddo and for the most part he was very entertained just being outside and playing in the pool or at the beach. So let’s get back to the road trip, yep 36 hours on the road with our little guy and we survived. Haha I’m being dramatic when I say survived because we had a great time on the road. So what did Jayden do the whole time while we drove with no iPad or iPhone to entertain him? Well let me tell you. Here are some tips and tricks to an iPad/iPhone free road trip with a toddler.

Continue reading “10 Tips for an iPad/iPhone Free Road Trip With a Toddler + Ruffle Black and White Swimsuit”

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Family

Texas State Railroad Museum

Happy Friday ya’ll,

Father’s day is just around the corner and I wanted to share our Father’s day trip we took last weekend. I know ya’ll want to see more of my family and little guy on the blog, so what better way than today’s post. Since Josh works this weekend we decided to do a fun Father’s day trip with his family this past week, which included four generation of Darnell men. How cool is that? We took Jayden to his first ever steam engine train ride at the Texas State Railroad museum where Josh went when he was a kid. It seriously was such a fun time with the whole family, and memories we will cherish forever. If you’ve never been, I highly recommend going, especially if your little guy is just as obsessed with trains as our little man. Check out the video above and the pictures below!

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Travel

Arriving with Amstar

Thank you Amstar for partnering up with this post.  As always all thoughts and opinions are mine alone. Thank you for supporting those who support this blog.

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Hey guys, I am finally recapping my wonderful trip at the Dreams Resort in Playa De Mujeres. I will be breaking it down in several post because there is just so much I want to share with you of my trip. First let’s talk about my first day and my arrival with Amstar.
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Fashion

Travel Fashion for Under $100

Travel Fashion for Under $100 by Houston fashion blogger Dawn P. Darnell

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TGIF everyone! I hope you are having a great week. I cannot wait to finally spill the beans on this amazing collaboration I am doing this weekend, plus a special travel fashion for under $100 feature.  Last year one of my dear friend decided to do a girl’s trip in Mexico. Having some experience with working with hotels in this country (view previous travel collaborations here) I thought I would give this international resort a shot. I was over the moon when they decided they wanted to work with me! So want to know where I am staying?
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Family

A Couple’s Weekend Travel Guide To Chicago + Giveaway with Betsy Boo’s Boutique

A Couple's Weekend Travel Guide To Chicago

This week has been a busy week. My hubby and I celebrated our two-year anniversary! We had an amazing night, having wine and dinner with a beautiful sunset view on the water, and then topped it off with our very own s’mores bar. It was absolutely perfect. If you didn’t get to check it out on Snapchat, I posted this picture of my outfit and the view on my Instagram. Two weeks ago we went to Chicago for a little weekend getaway to mark our second year of marriage and our first trip out of the state without the baby. It was hard for us to leave the little guy, but we knew he was in good hands with our family. Those three days in Chicago were amazing. It was one of the most beautiful cities I have ever been  to, great weather, delicious food, and we stayed in one of the best hotels in Chicago. There are so many things to do and see especially in three days in Chicago, so I teamed up with the Betsy Boo’s Boutique to give you the best tips on what to wear, where to go, places to eat, and where to stay from a couple’s perspective. Continue reading “A Couple’s Weekend Travel Guide To Chicago + Giveaway with Betsy Boo’s Boutique”

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Fashion

Suite Mother’s Day Weekend @ Hotel Sorella

Suite Mother's Day Weekend @ Hotel Sorella

Last weekend we were fortunate to stay at the Hotel Sorella CITYCENTRE for Mother’s Day weekend. It was truly a 5 star experience. I couldn’t have asked for anything more for Mother’s Day. I didn’t have to cook, or clean, and I sleep in as late as I wanted in the most comfortable bed ever. Now isn’t that all we really want for Mother’s Day?

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