Let’s get real. Our kids have already been out of the classroom for over a month, and it seems like all they want to do is play online video games… like Roblox. Now, what if I told you there is a way to turn their passion for online gaming into an engaging educational experience? Interested? Then you totally need to check out iD Tech’s Virtual Tech Camps!
iD Tech is currently offering weeklong Virtual Tech Camps for kids ages 7-19 in a variety of topics ranging from Roblox and Minecraft game design to Python and 3D Modeling. There is something for everyone’s interests. Plus, each camp has no more than 5 students, so our kids get a lot of attention, opportunities to ask questions and assistance with their projects as they go.
My oldest Siobhan loves coding and playing Roblox so you can imagine how excited I was when I discovered iD Tech’s Roblox Game Design course. Sign me (really her) up! And it is one of the best decisions I have made during quarantine. Siobhan LOVED it! She anxiously awaited her daily two hour class, was engaged the entire time, made new friends that she now plays Roblox with and learned so many cool Roblox coding skills. She has been creating Obbys (basically in-game obstacle courses as I understand it) and publishing them to the game. Meaning, as soon as she was done with her daily courses and assignments, her and her friends would go play the Obbys she created. How cool is that?!
As a mom, I have been looking at her creations and am in awe of everything she learned how to do, especially at 7. At the end of camp, they had all of the parents join the class so we could see everything our kids had been working on (though full disclosure… I peeked at her work daily. Shhhh) and had the opportunity to ask the instructor questions if we wanted to.
I asked Siobhan to describe the class in one word. She chose “amazing.” The only downside according to her is the class is already over and she is going to miss it. That is a sign of a great camp in my book.
You totally need to check out iD Tech’s Virtual Tech Camps! You and your kids will be so glad you did. You can sign up at https://bit.ly/3cKfvGj and use Code: TASHA125 for $125 Off your course!
*Note – We received this camp for Free in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. *
Over the past year, I have tried a lot of great (and not so great) beauty products. With that said, I decided the best way to close out 2019 and the decade was to reveal my Fav Finds from the past year. Check them out below!
This is my fav find of 2019! I seriously call it Botox in a bottle. It uses Peptides to relax the muscles underneath the skin, essentially numbing them. I use this on my forehead and I started noticing a difference after the first day of using it. Now I can’t live without it.
Who knew hair vitamins could make such a huge difference? Well, let me tell you, they can and do. I have been loving these Hum Nutrition Hair Sweet Hair vitamins. Not only do they taste like strawberry candy (I seriously look forward to taking these everyday!), they work. Ever since having kids, my hair started thinning and falling out, thus, why you always saw me with my hair up in photos. I started taking these and after a couple months, my hair stopped falling out and growing in super healthy. Now I wear my hair down all the time!
Looking for a great anti-aging moisturizer that not only makes your skin look more youthful but also doesn’t make you break out? Check out Kate Somerville’s Deep Tissue Repair. It has quickly become my fav nighttime moisturizer.
Looking for a acne product that shortens the lifespan of those pesky breakouts? Check out this Mario Badescu Drying Lotion. Super easy to use and helps dry out those breakouts in no time. Just put a Q-Tip in the bottle (DO NOT SHAKE FIRST), and apply this to your breakouts before bed and wash it off in the morning.
The switch to Natural Deodorant was a struggle this year. Most of them do not work, and left me smelling so gross (seriously… even the kids commented on how bad I stunk 🤢), that was until I tried Kopari’s Coconut Oil Deodorant. And let me tell you… It is amazing! It works even better than those non-natural deodorants I’ve tried. Check it out!
Finding a good Dry Shampoo can be rough, because let’s be honest… Most of them just don’t work. But that is not the case for DryBar’s Detox Dry Shampoo. As soon as I tried it, I quickly fell in love. I have been able to get up-to three days out of my hair with this baby… And I used to be lucky if I could even get to day two hair!
By now, most of you know I love my Face Masks, and I have tried a lot of great (and not so great) masks this past year. But alas, there can only be one Best. And that would be this Cellcosmet CellRadiance Mask. The nanostructure of the actual mask helps it adhere perfectly for the skin. But most importantly, it showed great immediate results. My skin literally looked and felt tighter, hydrated and radiant.
I finally made the move from MAC’s setting spray to this Urban Decay All Nighter because it is amazing! My makeup stays in place until I’m ready to take it off. Now that’s a win in my book.
If you love K-beauty products, than you will love Beauteque’s monthly Beauty Box and Mask Maven subscription options. I have found so many great products this way.
It’s time for Ulta Beauty’s 21 Days Of Beauty sale, and you know what that means? There are some great deals on some great products coming up. I’ve gone through all the lists, and these are my top picks. Happy shopping!
It is that time of year… I don’t know about you, but it’s my Christmas in July… The Nordstrom Anniversary Sale! The time when a significant portion of the new Fall merchandise is on sale before the season. While the sale has changed a lot through the years, and if I’m being completely honest, each year seems to have less and less great options, it is still my mom and I’s annual tradition since I was 11-years-old. With that said, here are my top picks from the 2019 Nordstrom Anniversary Sale!
*Note – I will continue to add to this list as I find more great options.
Shoes:“Give A Girl The Right Shoes, And She Can Conquer The World”
Mother’s Day is right around the corner, and you know what that means? It’s time to find the perfect gift! But what do you get for the woman who has done so much for you? Or for your Mom Tribe? Well, keep on reading, because I’m here to give you some ideas to make your shopping that much easier.
The Gifts That Keep On Giving
I wanted to start with this category because these are the gifts that keep on giving, and show the moms in your world that you care… frequently throughout the year… but what are these gifts? Why some great quality Subscription boxes of course! Find my top 3 below:
For The Mom Who Like A Little Bit Of Everything: FabFitFun.
Seriously, this subscription is amazing and comes with so many perks in addition to the full size goodies in the box (which range from beauty, to fitness, to fashion, to self care), including their FabFitFun TV. FabFitFun TV has everything from Cooking Demonstrations to Meditations to Workouts and more.
Upbox is a newer subscription service that is super affordable and filled with a variety of self-care products, including bath bombs and salts, body washes, candles, face masks, body creams and more. One of the cool things about this service, is that every month they pick a Bible verse and then plan the entire box around that theme.
For The Mom Who Loves Trying New Skincare Products: C’Nu Skincare
C’Nu Skincare is a subscription service specializing in providing Natural Luxury Skincare products. And the cool part? For every subscription sold, they donate a subscription to Dress for Success to empower women in need.https://seenewskincare.com/collections/home-page
Gifts For Skincare and Self Care
These are some gifts for the Moms in your life that love all things skincare and self care.
So this post is a bit different than my normal posts, partially because we’ve had an emotionally stressful and exhausting weekend when it comes to our fur baby, our first baby (she was even in our wedding!), our adorable pug. At 11-years-old, we know she is considered elderly, but it really hit home this weekend.
Saturday started off like any normal day… until it wasn’t. When our pug went out for her normal potty break, she all of a sudden lost mobility in her back, right leg, and toppled over. We carried her inside, and she continued to have no control over her leg and refused to eat or drink. My husband thought she hurt her hip or knee somehow, but when I looked into her eyes, something wasn’t right. I told him I was worried something was wrong in her brain, possibly a stroke, and we needed to go now because the sooner you treat a neurological event, the better.
Fast forward to the Veterinary ER hospital. I told them of her symptoms (though she had regained the majority of mobility in her leg, thank goodness!!!), and that I was worried the symptoms were caused by something neurological. They told me to sit in the waiting room, and I watched pet after pet come in after us, yet go back before us. They were treating our dog as a strictly orthopedic problem pup. She wasn’t the priority. At this point, I noticed her head had an abnormal tilt. And then we were finally called back.
I told all the symptoms to the student in charge. Again, they focused on orthopedic and dismissed my concerns of a neurological problem. The student left the room to talk with the vet… for what seemed like hours. As I was waiting with my pup, I noticed her always hanging in the center tongue was coming out of the side of her mouth instead… for the FIRST TIME in over 11 years. That was it. I was my dog’s voice, her only voice, and I was going to make them listen one way or another. The student came back in, and I told her I didn’t think there was anything orthopedically wrong, and stressed the head tilt and now the abnormal tongue placement. She finally listened… and the response – “I hadn’t noticed that before, but her head is tilting” Excuse me? I pointed that part out before and have been talking about being worried something was wrong neurologically since I walked in the door! My fur baby is finally taken to the vet for observation.
Fast forward an hour. The vet comes in and told me that I had a “great catch.” Nothing is wrong with her hips or knees, but she does have a head tilt, a side leaning tongue (because of my abnormal report) and her eyes aren’t behaving normally. What does this mean? Something is wrong in her brain.Â
The official diagnosis is Vestibular Disease, but now they are trying to figure out why. They’ve been ruling out cancer, stroke, brain inflammation, benign tumors and more. We are still waiting on final results, but at least our pup is home and appears to be recovering. She is eating, drinking, walking more normally (with a few tumbles still) so I will take that as a win.
The moral of this story is TRUST YOUR GUT. And after you trust your gut, ADVOCATE for it! If I hadn’t kept at it, they would have never even looked past an orthopedic problem. And it’s true in all aspects of life (especially with medical care). If you don’t feel something is right, it’s not. And make sure you are heard. Whether it be for yourself, your kids, your spouse, your pup, your friend, your siblings, your parents, whomever. I know I’m glad I did.
Trust your gut, and remember… YOU ARE YOUR OWN BEST ADVOCATE.
I don’t know about you, but this is my favorite time of year to stock up on all of those beauty goodies. Why? Because you either get the products you love at a lower price, or try that item you’ve been eyeing, but it was out of price range. And even better…. If you wait till closer to Christmas, you can get an even better deal! Like on this Kate Somerville Ageless Radiance set. It is a value of $173 if you bought each product individually, Â and you could get all of this for $110 around Thanksgiving… but now it’s on sale for only $77! The DermalQuench alone is $98, so this gift set more than pays for itself. All of that said, whether you’re shopping for yourself or that person who loves all things beauty, I have rounded up some of the best beauty deals out there in the below Beauty Gift Guide. Enjoy!
And, if you’re able to splurge, this dryer is supposed to be amazing! Definite wishlist goals… Dyson Blown-A-OUAI Noir Set https://shopstyle.it/l/WZLE
Christmas is almost here, but don’t fret… there’s still time to get the perfect gift. Whether it be video games or L.O.L. items – which are all the rage amongst the girls these days – and STEM toys or Jurassic World, below is a list of some gift ideas for the kids (in all price points) that will still make it to your door in time. Happy scrolling!
Don’t forget to vote! This is an important election, and your voice matters. And while you’re doing your civic duty, why not do it in style? I chose to wear this Isaac Mizrahi poncho. It’s super comfy and warm. While this one is no longer available, I have linked similar looks at the link below. Enjoy!