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Family

Back to School

Back to School Must Haves with Walmart

by Shalice Noel
written by Shalice Noel

I don’t love back to school frenzy but I secretly love all the prep and new gear! The kids share this joy with me. I bought the kids new Trapper Keepers, backpacks and jeans from Walmart. I had a blast from the past when I bought the Trapper Keepers home. I used to have one in junior high. Such good memories staying organized and “cool.” Now, my kids get to experience it.

See my picks below for starting off the year right:

Girls backpack // Girls Jeggings // Girls $3 tanks // Girls tees // // Boys backpacks // Trapper Keeper and this one / Notebooks // My cardigan // Boys jeans // Brooks’ shirt // Boys shoes // Boys Henley // Desktop Calendar //

Back to School for moms

Back to School for kids

Back to School Gear

Thank you Walmart for sponsoring this post!

Family

Saving time and money with Walmart+

by Shalice Noel
written by Shalice Noel

Why I use Walmart+

We moved into a house with a pool at the end of February, and honestly, it’s been great! We find ourselves outside so much of the time because of it, and doesn’t every mom want that? Due to all this outside time, I’ve been branching out, trying to find different things to eat, play with, and do outside. And if the doing coincides with the eating, then all the better!  Enter the snow cone machine and syrups from Walmart! They absolutely love snow cones after our trip to Kauai two years ago, but I definitely didn’t like all the sugar and coloring usually found in snow cones. Surprisingly, the syrup I bought from Walmart doesn’t have the common red #40 or sugar. So far it’s been a huge hit, and is always a favorite at any party.

Also, to my friends with kids still in diapers, Walmart is a great go-to in a pinch! We were out of diapers this week and Walmart+ came to the rescue with a 2 hour delivery. Same with groceries and produce! Walmart+ always gives the option for same day delivery, and since “same day” are two of my favorite words, Walmart has quickly become a favorite. Don’t forget to sign up for Walmart+ HERE, free shipping, no order minimum. 

For groceries:

Check your address to see if free delivery from your store is available at your address.($35 minimum. Restrictions apply.) I checked, and my address qualified, yay! 

Non-grocery items:

As for everything else like this rad snow cone machine, enjoy free next day or 2-day delivery. Don’t forget to sign up for Walmart+ HERE, free shipping, no order minimum required (excludes freight & Marketplace items). Sign up and let me know what you think. If you’re on the fence, start a free 15 day trial to try it out!

Big thank you to Walmart for sponsoring this post. All opinions are my own.

 

Click on the images to shop:

Snow cone machine // Syrups // Reusable straws // Similar white dress // Faux Fur slippers // Shatterproof tumblers

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Family

WE GOT A NEW PUPPY

by Shalice Noel
written by Shalice Noel

The kids have begged me for 6 years for a puppy and guess what??

Tomorrow we pick up our mini golden doodle puppy. He is 8 weeks old and the breeder named him Lukas. We cannot wait to pick him up tomorrow.

If you live in Atlanta, there is a breeder in Woodstock, that has both males and females called GLITZY GOLDENDOODLES. Check out her adorable Facebook page. Can’t get over those pictures of tiny puppies. Honestly, it was hard to just pick one.

This week, we have been watching youtube videos on how to train our new puppy. We’ve also discussed with the kids their new responsibilities. It won’t be perfect but I’m adjusting my expectations.

We’ve bought snacks, raw organic food and a travel crate for him to sleep in.

Next up, will be agree on a name?

Stay tuned 😉

Since we don’t know what we’re doing, please weigh in with any puppy training advice that you may have learned. Looking forward to sharing more of this new adventure!

5 TIPS TO GETTING A NEW PUPPY

1 Keep expectations low – be realistic, you won’t be getting a lot of sleep with a new puppy. You and you puppy will be adjusting to a new life and schedule.

2 Give him/her a safe place to play and sleep. We bought this crate.

3 Roll up your nice rugs!

4 Buy bells to place at the doors. Train the puppy to ring the bell to go out to potty.

5 Buy Apple bitters and spray on the furniture legs and lamps (with wires) before you get the puppy. This is key. We wished we did this before we got Lucca.

Tee shirt // Jeans // Sunglasses // Puppy crate

Travel

Where we vacation in FL!

by Shalice Noel
written by Shalice Noel

Peasant top in small // Shorts // Similar scarf // Sunglasses $15

How does a place become your family go to vacation spot?  Every family has that special go to vacation spot.  What is your story?

While growing up, my family loved going to Hong Kong.  I know that sounds strange, but my mom grew up in Hong Kong.  My dad was a pilot, so we would fly standby once a year back in the day when you could still smoke on airplanes.  Yes, those were long trips.  But visiting my cousins in Hong Kong was the best.  They would take us to the best places.  If we got separated, they would say, tell the cab…”NOW CHUN TOE, KOWLOON TONG,” and we would get home. Those trips to the markets to get cloths and grubs would forever be one of my favorite memories.

We had enjoyed many great day trips in California.  Whether that was Lake Arrowhead, Anacapa Island (See post) or Laguna Beach, leaving California was hard.  But knowing Florida beaches would be a short drive away, our sorrows turned to joy.  Florida is a favorite place to take our family.

Here is our tips on traveling to the scenic 30A.  The last few times, we have stayed near Alys Beach.  The community we stay in is called Magnolia By The Sea and we found it on VRBO.  It’s a small community of cottages across the street from the beach.  While small, the house sleep quite a few people.  Perfect for multi-family gatherings or big families.  We like that the beach is private and the community has a heated pool.  The perk for the location is that it is a short bike ride to Alys Beach.  I should mention, Alys Beach is our dream vacation goals.  Someday we want to stay there, but for now we enjoy riding our bikes, playing at the park and getting coffee within the town.  You cannot take a bad picture of this place.  The community is design perfection in my opinion.  Everything down to the window trim colors to the outdoor planters.  Every vista is perfectly harmonized.  Reid and I enjoyed sometime meandering the quaint streets.  Reid admires the architecture and design while I soak in photo shoot inspiration. 

Rosemary Beach is also another hot spot we like to take the kids to in the evenings.  It’s a bustling beach community with a lot of night life and you feel like you are in Europe.  While there are many places to eat and play, here is my brief list of our favorites for your vacation planning enjoyment.

·      Stay:  Magnolia By The Sea (Hint:  Staying outside of Alys/Rosemary Beach saves you $$$ – but you can still enjoy the public hot spots)

·      Eat:  George’s (Alys Beach)

·      Dessert:  Sugar Shack (Rosemary Beach)

·      Drink:  Neat (Alys Beach)

·      Breakfast:  Donut Hole (Inlet Beach)

·      Coffee:  Raw & Juicy (Alys Beach)

·      Do:  Rent Bikes – Don’t forget Sunscreen! I like this one – non toxic.

·      Shop:  Don’t be silly, this is a beach vacation

Grey and Ivory Bleeker street poncho via Shopshalicenoel.com

Easter

Our Family Easter Looks!

by Shalice Noel
written by Shalice Noel

My dress is under $95! // Levi’s shirt // Bow tie shirt // Cotton Chino’s //

MovingMoving Crosscountry

We Are Moving!

by Shalice Noel
written by Shalice Noel

We have a family confession to make. We are closet house flippers. Those of you who have been with me awhile have probably noticed that we move and or buy a house more often than the average family. I have never really classified us as closet house flippers, but now that I think about it, we may need an intervention!

We started in Bucktown, a trendy little neighborhood in Chicago. Then we moved to Wheaton, a suburb of Chicago. Two years later, it was back to the city! Then we made the big move to Los Angeles. While renting in LA, we bought the Lake Arrowhead A-Frame.  That was our first major renovation/remodel (a process that we kinda fell in love with!). After selling our A-frame, we bought our current home. We absolutely love this house and had intended to stay here long-term. But this past year ended up being so crazy, as everybody knows. Working from home full-time and doing school at home full-time made us realize that we really needed more bedrooms and our super unique house wasn’t as kid-friendly as we had imagined. And as we longed to be within a day’s drive of our extended family, we made the hard decision to sell our beloved home. If only we could pick it up and move it with us! (We are actually making photocopies of the building plans – maybe we will one day rebuild it.) 

With that decided, we went through the stressful journey of selling our home, living in the house while selling, and holding off on purchasing a new home until our sale was more finalized. I’ve got tips and tricks for dealing with all these experiences at the end of the post!  

After we decided to sell, the big question was where to go? We took a quick trip to Tennessee, as it was pretty central to both our families. So many people have been relocating there and the housing market is hot, which we learned the hard way. Everything we liked was either pending or sold. Then my best friend, who had just recently moved herself, called while we were in TN. She said the house next door to them just came on the market.  We looked it up online and liked what we saw. It wasn’t quite where we were expecting to go, but the house checked so many of our boxes. We quickly revised our Nashville trip itinerary and woke up early Sunday morning to drive down to see it. Guess where we drove? North Atlanta! The drive through Georgia was beautiful and we totally got that feeling–it felt like home. The fact that we knew the neighbors was the icing on the cake. So we put in an offer and by the time we landed back in LA, the offer had been accepted. 

The new house is more traditional than we are used to. But we like to think we are purchasing this house with the kids’ quality of life in mind.  Our LA home didn’t really have a yard … really more of a cliff.  So we are trading in the beautiful California lifestyle for the green, wooded pastures of Georgia.  I was technically born in Texas, so I guess I am a southern girl at heart. We are very thankful for our life in California and the wonderful years we had here! We’ll definitely be traveling back often to continue the Shalice Noel line. More to come in the future, but for now, I’m off to pack! 

Tips for Having a House on the Market and Moving: 

  1.  Quick cleans are essential, but declutter first!! Quick cleans are much easier when there is less junk. Keep your counters clean throughout the week in case you have a last minute showing. 
  2. Strategize where you want to go. The easiest way to do this? List what is important to you! Community, Land, Design, Jobs? We are thankful for the North Atlanta area because we wanted land, but also access to a metropolitan area for Reid’s career opportunities. 

We can’t wait to share more of the house, the pool, and this process. Add your questions in the comments and I’ll answer. Thank you for being on the journey with us from Chicago to LA to now Georgia!

Lots of love.

xo

Shalice

Family

The Cutest Matching Sneakers

by Shalice Noel
written by Shalice Noel

Happy Wednesday! We were busy with school, picking up groceries, working, and grilling steaks on the patio.

I absolutely love matching with my kids, so when Levi needed new sneakers, I had to get him matching Swift Run Sneakers, I jumped on them.

Levi loves to run and jump and fall. Thankfully you don’t see the scuffs on these adidas sneakers.

I also love these in CHEETAH!

I compiled some other shoes for Levi here:

Happy Wednesday!

Family

Last minute gift idea: Tiny Tags

by Shalice Noel
written by Shalice Noel

Mama necklace // Circle names necklace // Mommy and Me Bracelets

There’s so much you can get a tween from books to bracelets. However, Atalie loved this one from Tiny tags!! We were able to personalize them, “mama” and “Atalie.” I asked Atalie how she liked her bracelet and she said “It is very pretty and goes with everything.” I love matching my girls.

If you’ve followed me for a while, you’ve probably noticed I wear my gold Tiny Tags circle with all the children’s names – they were able to fit 5 names!

I will treasure these pieces for years.

Home

Outdoor Firepit Essentials

by Shalice Noel
written by Shalice Noel

With the short days and long cold nights we have a rekindled joy for our fire pit.  We turn off devices and screens.  Fill our mugs with hot chocolate and grab a warm blanket.  With the fire crackling we curl up together and talk.  Yes.  Just talk.  So simply right!  We’ve found the time really special and now the kids want to do a fire every night.  (Unfortunately, we need to restock our wood)

I’ve linked a few cozy fire pit picks for your cool outdoor nights.    I like the modern geometric shapes juxtaposed with the rustic alpaca throws and rugged wooden trunk stool.  Which one is your favorite?  Mix and match as you please, but I did put some thought into the pairings.

Here’s a fire pit tip from Reid.  We use a quick start fire starter to get the fire going strong.  

Our firepit // Steel Fire Pit // Modern Metal Bowl // Tera Stool // Throw blanket // Chunky wool throw // Alpaca throw // Round Planters // Indoor/Outdoor Bench // Indoor/Outdoor Coffee Table

Our firepit linked here

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