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Sarah Shaw
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Are you like me and always looking for the perfect gift idea or unique greeting cards for every holiday season? I always start my holiday card search in September so when we schedule family photos in October, I am ready to order my greeting cards, and have them in hand to start on before November even hits! This year I went in a different direction and instead of card stock style family photos I found a unique permanent sticker holiday card and I am so excited to share these with you all! Let me explain! The Sticker & Co. company https://shareasale.com/r.cfm?b=1451890&u=3154083&m=93134&urllink=&afftrack= has the must-have holiday cards for this season! The cards are either permanent stickers or wall decals. The unique feature is the wall decal can be removed and repositioned, if need be, which is cool because if you decide you want to move it to a different spot no problem! The permanent sticker allows customization on their website (I uploaded a family picture), its dishwasher safe, waterproof, and can be removed to re-stick to another surface if you need to place it somewhere else. I am so excited to gift these to my friends and family this holiday season! Each decal/sticker comes with an envelope so you can send out like a regular greeting card. There are multiple style choices to choose from and could be used as a gift idea all year round since they have multiple styles and selections to choose from.  I was very impressed with the print quality of the decals. When you peel and remove the sticker it does not wrinkle, ripple, or crumple up. If you spill something or food gets splashed on the decal you can easily wipe it clean and still enjoy your sticker decal. I also think it’s important to note that the stickers do not fade over time if exposed to the elements!
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We recently did a 10-day vacation to Greece, and we had a daily itinerary the whole time we were there. We started in Athens, then flew to Mykonos, then boated to Santorini (more info to come on the details of this trip). The star of the show and the activity I looked forward to the most was The Flying Dresses in Santorini! There are a couple of important things to note when planning a Flying Dress Photoshoot. First selecting a company (there are several in the area to choose from but trust me when I say they are NOT all equal!! While doing our photoshoots I got to see some of the other companies in action and let me tell you…you get what you pay for. After extensive research we ended up choosing @flyingdress.photo . They were spendy but let me walk you through my experience. I had a ton of communication with my company BEFORE hand where to meet, a large selection of hand-crafted QUALITY dresses, and shoot location. I didn’t realize until we arrived in Santorini that there are 3 sections of the island. Fira, Imvimerovigli, and Oia. We went with the center town Imvimerovigli, and it did not disappoint. You had views of the cliffs, the blue domes, and water! On our shoot day we arrived at the location where we had a private dressing space and a personal assistant Vira to help dress into our gowns. I note the dressing room, because some of the free-lance: “Flying Dress” companies have you change in the streets or their car…how crazy is that? I think it is important to not to make sure you allow walking time; most walks were 20-30 minutes. . We walked to the first location, and I was so nervous. But after about 10 minutes I quickly relaxed. George was my daughter and I’s photographer, and I am telling you he screamed passion for photography! He told us EXACTLY how to pose (some of the positions legit cramped my body up, because I’m not used to posing like that…modeling is HARD). I thought this was important to note, because again as we observed other photographers and clients, we watched...I could tell...like she is going to hate that double chin. Why didn’t he instruct her to straighten her back. The extra attention George gave to posing made for exquisite images!! He communicated with us throughout the entire shoot and would tell us when a shot was beautiful, motivating us to keep up the hard work. He told us that to be a Flying Dresses photographer the owners require you learn to “fly the dress.” This is much harder than it looks, they pull the dress away from the body in a tight fashion and somehow snap the wrist to make the long train fly in the wind. I think it is important to understand the subject you are shooting and to me this was another reason to choose this company.. Watch this video below. The quality of the gowns is also something to take note of, the other free lance companies we saw the dresses were more like something you would get from costumes.com or a Halloween store rather an elegant elevated look. They have their gowns made of a beautiful silk and the color is top to bottom (other dresses we saw had color on top and the bottom lining was white). I felt absolutely stunning, elegant, and It truly is a spectacular and magical experience. I am sincere when I say it was one of the top 3 experiences of my life. I felt like a princess, I felt gorgeous, and I felt like a model for the day. Our pictures arrived in about 2 weeks, and we received over 300 images between me and my daughter. We are having them printed to a photo album and having a few framed for the living room! This company was professional, reliable, and went above and beyond to provide a quality of images I have never had before. I have been a content creator on Instagram for over 5 years and I have never had an experience quite like this before. I am very hard to please and this company truly elevated any experience I have been a part of. Check out their Instagram page here http://www.instagram.com/flying.dressphoto and website here http://www.flyingdress.photo/ ! I promise you won’t regret booking this for yourself! If you are looking to drastically change your skin to look and feel healthier than I have a skincare routine for you! BeautyStat is the #1 skincare brand searched on Google according to Google. I’ve been using the products for almost 3 weeks now and my skin is hydrated and glowing. Step 1: Universal Microbiome Barrier Balancing Cleanser This is great for removing makeup, grime, and sunscreen in one step.  Step 2: Universal Triple Action Daily Peel This is a 10 pack individually wrapped wipes with Glucosamine and AHAs/BHAs, it exfoliates and helps to even out skin tone and texture of the skin.  Step 3: Universal C Skin Refiner Serum I love that this is packed with Vitamin C, reduces puffiness under the eyes, has 20% Pure L-Ascorbic Acid, face and eye cream with anti-aging properties and I love that it is fragrance free.  Step 4: Universal Pro-BIO Moisture Cream is the final step This skin moisturizer has hyaluronic acid, it is helpful for anti-aging and anti-wrinkle, lightweight, and non-greasy. Additional add ons I have also been enjoying is:  Universal C Refiner with Broad Spectrum SPF50. This is a serum for the face with 20% Pure L-Ascorbic Acid and Vitamin C. I apply this daily under my makeup.  Universal C Refiner UnderEye cream Love that this is packed with Vitamin C, reduces puffiness under the eyes, has 20% Pure L-Ascorbic Acid, face and eye cream with anti-aging properties and I love that it is fragrance free. Clean ingredients and for all skincare types. BeautyStat will be on major Sale on Amazon Prime Day https://www.amazon.com/shop/sarahshawyall/list/2AQ24COSJLSWE?ref_=aipsflist_aipsfsarahshawyall July 11th and 12th  I received the stainless steel/black version Newair 126 Can Freestanding beverage cooler SKU: AB-1200 just last week and I am very impressed with the quality and functionality! My shipping only took 2 days and I received multiple tracking emails while I waited. Once the cooler came I let it sit upright for 2 hours before plugging it in to reduce any malfunctions in the colling system from handling during shipping.  This beverage cooler is meant to be freestanding and should not be built into surrounding cabinetry. The recommended clearance is: ¼” for the sides 4” for the top 2” for the back side  Before plugging in our unit, we cleaned the inside with lukewarm water and a soft microfiber cloth. We placed it on a level surface that was strong enough to hold the unit while completely full. It is recommended that you keep the unit away from direct sunlight and or hot surfaces such as stoves, heaters, radiators. Direct sunlight could affect the outer acrylic coating. It should also be noted that being exposed to extreme cold or hot could affect proper performance. Once you plug in your unit let it run for 30minutes before adjusting any internal temperature settings.  Another great feature is the unit door can be adjusted to swing either way. In order to swap sides remove the plastic hinge cover at the top of the unit, unscrew the door hinge, flip the door upside down, attach the door to the opposite side with screws, and replace the plastic door hinge cover. The temperature ranges from 37-65 degrees F. The scale runs from 1-7, with 1 being the warmest. This is a great sized cooler that holds more than enough beverages for the type of family events that we host. It has a great price point, you can shop this fridge https://newair2018.myshopify.com/discount/SARAH10 discount code for 10% OFF is SARAH10 . You can visit the Newair Brand on Instagram @newairusa http://www.instagram.com/newairusa  One of my favorite Holiday Gift Ideas for Christmas 2022! I am always looking for the best gifts for my kiddos and as a Aunt of many I knew I had to try this Hawaiian Shaved Ice Machine out for myself! Christmas is right around the corner, and this is a super affordable snow cone maker that is perfect for pool parties, holiday parties with the family, or just a weekend treat! The Hawaiian Shaved Ice machine is durable, easy to clean, and has an adjustable blade to regulate snow texture. Perfect for soft and fluffy snow and can leave a coarse and crunchy texture! Here was our experience with the Hawaiian Ice Shaver machine with step by steps and pictures included! Step 1- Clean the inner compartment and reusable plastic bowls and lids before getting started. This requires opening the top safety lock (when you twist lift up at the same time-I had a hard time figuring this out).  Step 2- Fill water cup to the line, add cap, and freeze (this was the hardest part waiting for the ice to freeze). PRO TIP- Only fill your mold ¾ of the way full. Do NOT fill the entire cup!  Step 3-Once ice is frozen solid remove from the freezer and let stand at room temperature for 5 to 7 minutes (5 minutes was plenty in our experience).  Step 4- Remove ice from the cup, remove Hawaiian Ice Shaver safety lock, remove, and insert just the ice.  Step 5- Lock safety top into place and hit the shaver button. Always have the blade turned towards you and make sure that the motor unit is always snapped completely into the stand on both sides of the unit! I love that it has a removable drip tray, because the first time we missed the cup when we activated the shaver! It made for the easiest clean up experience ever! PRO TIP- If the ice is not dispensing, but the motor runs, adjust your blade using the blade adjustment knob until you get the desired consistency.  Step 6- Add flavoring (My son did Cherry and Blue Cotton Candy combined). We also had a Pina Colada flavor and this was my favorite.  Step 7- Enjoy your tasty treat!  Step 8- Clean and store away (I hand washed mine).
What I like so much about this snow cone maker is its small footprint. We can easily store it in the kitchen without taking up a lot of space. It shaves soft, fluffy, snow-like ice, it is so fun for the kids, easy clean up, and an affordable and fun product! This kit comes with the shaved ice machine, 5 ice molds with lids, and has a 1 year manufacture warranty! Get soft and fluffy snow-like ice in under a minute! You can make snow cones, snowballs, and or frozen drinks! Check out my Instagram http://www.instagram.com/sarahshawyall and or my Tiktok https://www.tiktok.com/@sarahshawyall?_t=8X8UYUkbfGl&_r=1 for the full video! Customer service is always just a phone call away as well! Contact support at 1-877-881-4413! Shop this link https://apogee.mvk.co/2mquf to purchase yours and have it shipped to your home today! #HSIShavedIceHoliday #AD Sensory play is considered an essential aspect of child development as it contributes to cognitive, physical, social, and emotional well-being. When children have opportunities to play, this allows them to build their creativity and imagination, resolve conflicts, and learn self-advocacy skills. Through play, children develop new abilities that lead to enhanced confidence and resiliency, skills crucial for navigating day to day challenges. Play allows kids to practice decision-making skills, discover areas of interest and engage in passions. We were so pleasantly surprised when we received Benji the Bear in the mail linking from Amazon HERE and HERE (Please note I do receive commissions on any purchases made using my link}. · Skills that can be targeted through sensory play with Benji: · Sensory processing development · Fine motor skills · Gross motor skills · Emotional development · Body awareness · Motor planning · Visual skills · Communication and play skills · Self-regulation and coping skills My son is 5 and we learned about touch, smell, visual, hearing, and discussed emotions and how to overcome sadness! In the video here you can see some of the ways that we played with both of our Benji the Bears. We learned some great lessons from Benji the Bear and whether you are at home or in the classroom Benji is the bear for you!  If you are new to subscription box services, then let me tell you about my favorite one!! I started using Wantable in June and I haven’t looked back sense! What I love about this particular box service is you get 7 pieces instead of the standard 5! You can order themed boxes, which keep the shopping process FUN! For example they have a Style Edit, Athletic Edit, Men’s Wear Edits, and right now a Sleep & Body Edit! You can choose a 1 time edit or you can choose to do an automatic monthly edit! Check out these athletic pieces I got in my last box! Another thing I love about this service is I get to try new brands I normally wouldn’t buy and you keep what you want, send back what you don’t in a pre-paid mailing label. The process couldn’t be smoother!
I am sharing my link with y’all here: https://wntbl.co/sarahshawyall This link gets you a $35 credit, which waves the $20 styling fee.. AKA You get to try the service risk free, you only pay for clothes if you like them and decide to keep them! Last weekend I had the pleasure of exploring St. Louis, MO with my little family of 4! I adore this sweet family of mine. Blessed is an absolute understatement. The weekend was one for the books! First stop was St. Louis Union Station http://www.instgram.com/SodaFountainStl This little place is so iconic and mimics the old fashioned ice cream shop! They have amazing fancy shakes to choose from and specialty shakes weekly! I got the Unhappy Birthday and it was delicious! I advise on arriving early as the average wait time is 2 hours and they do no take reservations. Feel free to shop the candy store/gift store while waiting though! We were hosted by http://www.instagram.com/DruryHotels and http://www.instagram.com/CityMuseum and had a JAM packed weekend filled with activities hosted by various restaurants and centers! From the itinerary it looked like so much, but we had more than enough time to do every activity and heaven had time in between experiences. Saturday we visited the http://www.instagram.com/Aquariumstl at Union Station . They have it set up to arrive based off of ticket times. Our ticket time was at 10:00 am, but we arrived at 10:30 with no issues. I will say it was PACKED, but once you get through the initial entry way the crowd breaks up and you can walk around freely. I know some families need strollers, but I felt like having a stroller looked like so much work. There are so many tiny areas and the strollers seemed to block the flow of things in certain areas. Tons of exhibits, feeding shows, and hands on activity centers to keep you all entertained. Duration depends on how quickly you move. We made it through in about 2 hours. We left there and took a short drive over to http://www.instagram.com/4HandsBrewingCO for a quick lunch. They have the cutest outdoor area with turf, string lights, and picnic tables. We went inside to eat on the 2nd floor. Here you can play several arcade games for FREE! You will need quarters for the ski ball machines. This family-owned business started off as a wife, husband, and 2 kids. The hands made up a hop which was the original logo. The orange chicken wings were fire and the assortment of the brewed beers was fantastic. My husband was in heaven! We opted for some afternoon entertainment after lunch and stayed local. We enjoyed a phenomenal local circus show put on by the arts center http://www.instagram.com/CircusFlora , the show was about 2 hours long and there were several time slots to choose from. I thought it was cool that each one of the performers is local! They also sell 4hands brew and other concession foods! Don’t forget the popcorn and cotton candy! From there we rushed over to the www.http://www.instagram.com/druryhotel to enjoy the FREE drinks and a FULL on snack/dinner portion for the http://www.instagram.com/DruryHotel kickback hour from 5:30-7:00. Each guest 21 and older gets 3 FREE alcoholic drinks and the hotel provides a VERY GENEROUS snack options. I’m talking fettuccine alfredo, salad, hotdogs, soup!! It was a very nice spread and had we not had dinner plans we could have easily had dinner with the “snacks “provided by the hotel. I cannot express enough how friendly and amazing all of the staff was! After cocktail hour we headed out for dinner at http://www.instagram.com/SaltandSmokebbq . The ribs and mac n cheese were definitely my favorite! The service was excellent and it was cool enough to enjoy the patio. The neighborhood http://www.instagram.com/cwescene is so cute and there are lots of little shops and eateries all within walking distance. Each night the boys played in the pool at the Drury until 10:00 PM-while sister and I watched the sun go down on the hotel observatory deck. The pool is a heated indoor pool with 2 hot tubs and the rooftop is absolutely stunning, there is an amazing view of the St. Louis arch, lounge furniture, and a perfect view of the sky! Each morning we had a hot and FREE breakfast from the Drury Hotels (I can get you 15% off of your booking just drop a comment). My favorite feature…the coffee and make your own waffles! The biscuit and gravy was delish to! On our last day, Sunday we woke up slow and made it over to the http://www.instgram.com/citymuseum where we spent OVER 5 hours at. This place is LITERALLY HANDS DOWN the COOLEST place I've EVER taken the kids! There are so many things to climb and explore that you could easily get lost! Carson loved the outdoor climbing area and http://www.instagram.com/_ParisBinning and http://www.instagram.com/rzrbkfan even got in on it! We enjoyed a meat lovers pizza at the Sammich Shop inside of The City Museum (so yummy and the chocolate chunk cookies were 🔥. Pro tip bring a head lamp, knee pad, glow sticks, because there are so many tunnels and places to crawl through! As if this day wasn’t enough we headed over to http://www.instagram.com/JenisIceCreams and I had the rainbow sherbet OMG, the kids had waffle cones, and my husband had the trio! We walked to http://www.instagram.com/Lululemon because we HAD to work off the extra calories! We ordered http://www.instagram.com/Pi_Pizzerias for take away, BUT found out their dining area WAS open. So we pulled up a chair and enjoyed a loaded pizza with garlic knots! From there we went back to the hotel to enjoy the last evening at the hotel on the rooftop swimming and watching the sunset. Hope you can use this information to spend an unforgettable weekend with your Fam! We only get a short time here at this life- live it to the fullest! Don’t forget to follow me http://www.instagram.com/sarahshawyall for travel, fashion, and lifestyle content!! Love and Light Xoxo Sarah If you have been following along I started a new course a few weeks ago with LadyBossBlogger I am nearly finished with the entire course now and I learned so much! My biggest takeaway from the course is TIME MANAGEMENT I was able to obtain new skills to keep me efficient and effective with my time creating content. If y’all don’t already know blogging and influencing can be soooo time-consuming, but guess what it doesn’t have to be. What Has LadyBossBlogger Taught Me? Being introduced to LadyBossBlogger has been a total GAME CHANGER. “How To Make Money As An Influencer course is such an easy program to follow and although I thought I knew everything there was to possibly know about social media, here are my final takeaways below:
I can’t tell you how much time you will waste spinning your wheels trying to figure out what works and doesn’t all on your own. If you are serious about becoming a blogger or influencer on Instagram I urge you to take a course like this. Trust me, in the end you spend more money on trial and error and Elaine saves you A LOT of heartache with all this information in ONE place and ONE course 40% Off Any LadyBossBlogger Course You can try the LadyBossBlogger course using my code “SARAHSHAW” for 40% off. They also offer 6 months or 2 months installments or you can pay in full with ease of a 30-day money-back guarantee. Free LadyBossBlogger Courses
Instagram Giveaway Winner for the Influencer or Blogger Course! THE WINNER IS @MEGANAUGUST13 Congratulations on winning!! I hope you find just as much value in the courses that I did! For those of you that didn’t win: What if you could concentrate on your wants and needs?! Be FREE from clocking into a 9 to 5, spend more time with your kids, have FREEDOM to explore whatever you want, what would it be? What are you passionate about? How could working for yourself change YOUR life?! Imagine the possibilities and dare to DREAM. Thank you so much LadyBossBlogger + Elaine Rau for sponsoring this post.  Momming is HARD work, but Momming a strong willed child is just whooooo weeee it knocks the wind out of you sometimes. My precious Carson is our rainbow child a blessing from God I know this, however he keeps me frazzled 90% of the time. Honestly there are days where I feel trapped and held hostage by my 2 year old boy. Fearful to leave the house, because he may hit someone, he may run into the street, he may have a melt down because he is out of “chocolate milk”. They say terrible 2’s hahahaha have they met threenagers? We haven’t even got to 3’s yet!! This battle started when he was about 19 months old and has gradually escalated into meltdown mode to current time (27 months old). I keep hoping it’s a phase and somedays I see the light at the end of the tunnel and think to myself wow, this parenting thing is easy, I’ve got this….and then I give him the wrong colored cup! I can’t tell you how many mornings were “ruined” over a cup! In all fairness he is 2 and it’s my responsibility to teach him how to manage his little emotions and behaviors, but somedays it’s so hard, like I literally want to throw in the flag and surrender….and then he will come up to me and wrap his tiny little arms around my neck and say Momma over and over. My little sour patch kid in every single way and I know this is just a phase and someday I will look around the house and wish for the spilled chocolate milk, the mushed bananas in the carpet, and a room full of metal cars to step on! In the meantime things I have found helpful to AVOID meltdowns are: 1: Do NOT wake the beast..let him wake on his own in the morning 2. Have him already dressed the night before ready to go the next day (we only do a shirt or soft clothing like basketball shorts, this saves at LEAST 30 minutes) 3. Have his milk ready to pull from the fridge-if he sees me pour it we fight over cup colors 4. Make sure he naps-HAHAHA he is the type that will literally bounce up and down until he falls over on the floor. The only way I can get him to nap is to lay with him..Momma needs naps to? 5. Limit screen time. I have noticed on days he vegges out on the tablet he is the grumpiest. 6. Avoid large crowds or loud events-he gets way too stimulated and I can’t calm him down and it’s usually a 45 minute meltdown. 7. Avoid the toy aisle or parks if you are not intending to buy or play (I envy parents who can take their kids past these things and they can reason with their children). Carson does NOT reason, he is a different beast! 8. Stay calm and voice lowered, he seems to get more anxious and “crazy” acting when I raise my voice or say NO, so I have learned to redirect. 9. Hold him when transporting, he’s a runner and will GO just like that. I understand now why parents do the bracelet attachment things and I pass no judgement-I have considered it myself. 10. Give him all of the love I can-know that he will not be little long and someday I will miss the chaos-embrace the chaos!  |
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