My precious M is a huge Disney lover. She is all about all things Disney. Her face lit up once we stepped foot on Disney property last month. Watch her showcase the big haul that came home with her!
Perfect Summer Cardigan {Jarrett Bay Clothing Co)
Living in the mountains in the summer can bring forth temperatures in the 80s during the day and 40s during the night. You just never know what type of weather will be in the evenings, so I always keep a light jacket and/or cardigan with me if I know we are going to be out and about.
Jarrett Bay Clothing Company recently reached out to me to offer to review their women’s cardigan. I jumped at the chance as I knew this would be perfect for the summer evenings. Also, I get cold very easy so it would be great for my very cold office at work.
This cardigan is so soft and lightweight. The wood buttons on the front of the cardigan bring out a unique fashion twist that helps you either wear it as a casual cardigan or you can dress it up for an evening out on the town.
This past Friday night, we went out to play a round of putt-putt. I paired it with my black skinny jeans and added a gold necklace. It was perfect for the night.
The length is long-style in which in my opinion helps pair well with skinny jeans or a maxi skirt. Right now, you can purchase the cardigan for 50% off on Jarrett Bay’s website. Sangria, charcoal, and navy are your three color choices.
This is a NC-owned business and they have apparel for everyone in your family. If you are looking for a boat, no worries as they have boat options as well.
Bring it on cool summer nights. My cardigan and I will be best friends forever this summer!
Disclosure: I received a cardigan from Jarrett Bay Clothing Co in exchange for my honest review.
Officially Weaned Off Of Steroids #EosinophilicEsophagitis
I wanted to update on L’s latest journey with living with eosinophilic esophagitis. From the last blog post, you know we were trying foods that eliminated the top 8. Unfortunately, after 48 hours, we ended up in the emergency room. She had a severe reaction. It was at this time, we started questioning if we were under the right care for L. After our research and talking with other families that deal with this disease, we switched to a hospital that is experienced in treating this disease.
This new hospital and team of doctors are amazing. They care about L and stay in contact with us. This is a hard disease to navigate and we need doctors that are going to walk this journey with us. It was decided that L would go on a new steroid and 100% Neocate Splash formula, no other foods or beverages. After 6 weeks, L is doing amazing with no reactions or symptoms. As of last Friday, we have weaned L off her steroids and all other medicines. Isn’t this great news?
Now, we let her body heal for three weeks before her next endoscopy and biopsies on June 30th. If all looks well during the endoscopy and biopsies, L will be able to do her first single food trial. She is hoping for potatoes but we will have to see what the allergist and GI doctor says for her to try. The allergist said they go on experience of what foods are usually not a trigger with other patients. This disease is very unique to each kid, so it is a trial and error method to figure out safe foods. We will try each food for six weeks and then do an endoscopy to see if this will be a safe food for L.
We will continue to keep you all posted in hopes L’s journey will be able to help others. Our family dynamics have changed so much since L cannot have any food. Obviously, her feelings matter to us and we want to be sensitive to doing activities with food. You don’t realize how much life in general revolves around food until your child cannot eat food.
My husband and I both continuously encourage L, praise her, and lift her up on a daily basis. She is a very strong and brave girl. Positive thoughts, lots of prayers and encouragement have gotten her through these last few months. We are in this with her!
Pray with us for good news on June 30th! Thank you!
Family Reviews the 2016 Toyota Rav4 Hybrid
On our most recent road trip to Disney World, we had the pleasure of test driving our very first hybrid vehicle, 2016 Toyota Rav4 Hybrid. Toyota graciously partnered with us on this road trip. All thoughts and opinions are of our own.
Click on the below picture to get a small glimpse into our road trip.
This was a sweet ride. We are a family of four and had plenty of leg room for us all. The only downside was all of our luggage and souvenirs. Since we were gone a total of 8 days and had all the medical things needed for my youngest daughter, we did run out of room in the back. My husband knows how to organize, so he did get us back home with everything.
As you see in the video, the interior is very elegant. The brown and black leather really makes this vehicle feel very upscale without the exhorbiant price. My husband and I both enjoyed the dual zone automatic climate control. I freeze all the time, my husband always gets hot. The dual zone will eliminate any fighting over the temperature. The heated seats were great as well when we were on the road early morning. My husband did like the feel of the leather steering wheel. Again, this gave luxurious feeling without the hefty price.
When you are in a vehicle for a 10 hour road trip, radio sound is a big key to a positive road trip. We enjoyed the Entune™ Premium Audio with Integrated Navigation during the trip. Our family did our own sing-along to the 70s and 80s music.
The gas mileage was amazing. We averaged 33 mpg the entire trip. The RAV4 Hybrid adds extra thrills with 194 net horsepower and outstanding acceleration.
While my husband was driving, I would check out the apps available as you can see above. It was interesting to see when we were running on battery power. When we were running on battery power, there would be no motor noise. As you are driving, you can leave this screen on so the energy monitor can indicate the operation of the gas engine, electric motor and hybrid battery. It provides real-time information showing how power is being used, and even how the battery is being charged. My husband, the auto geek, loved seeing the real-time information.
This Rav4 is a 2.5L, 4-cylinder. Check out the full specs on the Toyota Hybrid website.
Toyota, you have done an amazing job! A vehicle for the future for sure coupled with great comfort.
Hilarious Jungle Cruise Tour in Disney World’s Magic Kingdom
We are still talking about our recent Disney trip. All of our daily vlogs are up on our YouTube Channel. You all will enjoy our Day 3. Let’s just say, our jungle tour was a bit crazy! We also tried our first dole whip. Did it live up to the hype?
