Friday, March 15, 2019

Friday Favorites - Sofia Jeans Edition

Happy Friday, friends!!!  I'm not sure about you - but this week has FLOWN by for us!  

I'm super excited to share  that I have  a new FAVORITE pair of jeans and YOU GUYS... they're UNDER $25!!!  There's  a new line of Sofia Vergara denim at Wal-Mart and they're all priced under $40 with a variety of styles and washes. 



This pair is a mid-rise and dark wash with a cut hem and I think they're going to be great for jeans days at school since they're not distressed.  


I've been shopping more and more from Wal-Mart lately since they offer free shipping (or in-store pickup if I'm in a big rush) and returns via mail are simple if something doesn't work out.

While I was browsing the jeans I decided to try out this denim jacket as well.  Denim jackets are my go-to for Spring and making my summer dresses work through the Fall for work.  


This one is slightly cropped and again, I liked that it wasn't distressed.


You can shop the entire line of Sofia Vergara denim HERE and see a few of my favorite picks in the graphic below.  I really want to try the flares and the $30 price tag is calling my name on the white denim.




(Thank you to Wal-Mart for partnering with me on this portion of the post!)

It's really been the best week... Dave was able to take off some time from work and we did what we love to do... spend time together.  I'm going to share the details of a few of the things we did next week, but today I'm super excited to share about my FAVORITE FAVORITE thing we did all week...


Erika, Narci and I are all sharing a few of our FAVORITES this week and we'd love it if you'd grab our graphic, link back to one (or all!) of us and share your FAVORITES as well.


I'm always on the lookout for activities we can do as a family where we're serving others.  I grew up seeing my mom serve in our church, at various charitable organizations and at our schools and understood how important and valuable that service was from a very young age.  My Oma would often take me with her when she visited people in nursing homes, I spent MANY afternoons/Saturdays with my mom at a home for abused women and their children as well as collecting food from restaurants and delivering them to several different shelters.  We gleaned potato fields, played cards and visited with residents of a local assisted living center, folded church bulletins and the list goes on and on and on.  I'm forever grateful for the example that my mom set and Dave and I both want to make sure that our kids have similar, meaningful experiences.

All that to say, it's not always easy finding places that you can volunteer as a family... which is totally understandable... and also why I was so excited when I found out that Feed my Starving Children has a local distribution center where our whole family could volunteer together.  I got us signed up for a two-hour shift and we were excited!

Hairnets on and we're ready to work!



We filled bags with a designated amount of vitamins, vegetables, soy and rice - sealed them and packed them into boxes.  It was SO WELL ORGANIZED and we worked as a team with a few other people at our table. 




After we packed for about an hour and a half we gathered with the FMSC employees and the rest of the volunteers and we prayed over the meals that we had packed (sidenote - you don't have to be a Christian to volunteer or to receive the meals... but the organization is a Christian non-profit).



After we finished packing and cleaning we headed back out into the lobby where they showed us a final video and gave us the totals for what we had packed... 115 boxes which equates to 24,840 meals and 68 kids fed for an entire year!  In just two hours.  It was awesome. 

I think one of the most impactful parts of the morning was when the organizer was talking about how there were women in Haiti who were feeding their children clay because they didn't have food (I MEAN!) and the looks on my kids faces reflected pretty much exactly how you're probably looking right now.  CLAY!  FMSC partnered with those women to actually use that clay that they had been feeding to their kids to craft mugs and other goods that in turn turns into income for the women (and the kids receive the meals from FMSC).  

It was heartbreaking to think of kids eating actual dirt and my kids have mentioned that several times over the past few days.  If you're not local to a FMSC distribution center you can buy a mug that provides close to 60 meals for a child as well as an income for these women HERE.


There are lots of colors available and these would make awesome gifts.


If you ARE local to Richardson, TX and feel compelled to volunteer you can click HERE to sign up.


I hope that this goes without saying but NONE of the above was sponsored... it's just such an amazing organization and opportunity and I wanted to make sure that everyone knew about the great work that they're doing.  

If you are local to the Dallas area and have other service ideas/opportunities for families I'd love it if you'd leave a comment at the bottom of this post!

Next up on my list of FAVORITES is sunshine and coloring.  We've been getting crafty and this sweet, creative time is my FAVORITE.






Y'all know that a good hat is one of my FAVORITE things - I recently discovered Codeword hats and I this TEX hat is my new FAVORITE.  Plus... the company gives a part of the proceeds to children's hospitals in your area code!  How awesome is that?!?!


I've had a lot of comments recently about my FAVORITE Yeti cup (which Santa actually gave to Dave) and if Whataburger is your FAVORITE too you can grab one on the Whataburger website!  This would be a great Father's day gift!



We spent some time with some of our FAVORITE people this week and can you even handle the baby rolls?!?!


And Luke had several FAVORITES including Diesel...


... and these boys ;) 


Be. Still. My. Heart.


I hope that y'all have a wonderful weekend planned...  I'll be attempting to do #allthethings on my to-do-list that I didn't actually do over break :) 

Happy Friday, friends!!!

   
   

14 comments :

  1. I am not from Dallas but I do community relations for a corporation in a nearby state. We ask all of our staff to volunteer once per quarter during their workday but our volunteerism model has spread into the families of our staff. I am often asked for ideas of where they can take their kids to volunteer, which as you said is hard to find. Just YESTERDAY, I compiled a list of places in our small to medium sized community where kids are welcome. Here are a few ideas of where you can check in your local area:
    -clothing banks
    -Ronald McDonald House Charities (volunteer at a local RMD house to cook a meal, clean, rake leaves, pick up sticks)
    -food banks (sorting cans after donation, packing them in boxes)
    -food kitchens/serving lines (most will have a minimum age, like 8, but sometimes there are tasks for younger children)

    This is literally part of what I do for a living (yes, I love it!!). It makes my heart sing to see you involving your children!

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  2. Was excited about the jeans (I need a new pair SO bad).....but they are preorder and won't ship until June 1st. :( I need a pair way before then, but I definitely plan to try a pair of these. Thanks for sharing about them.

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  3. I always love your clothing choices! And those baby rolls...oh my!

    Shelbee
    www.shelbeeontheedge.com

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  4. What crayons did your kids use for their art? so cool!

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  5. Yay! So glad you all were able to spend some quality time filling up your love tanks this week. Our spring break started today and I love the slow start so far! I love that you served as a family, so cool! Also, I love those polkadots on you. Always love following along on your insta-stories :)

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  6. The Birthday Party Project is an amazing organization here in DFW that hosts monthly birthday parties for kiddos who are homeless, in low-income housing areas or in the foster system. They collect party supplies, gifts and donations to host these parties and are always looking for people who can help facilitate the parties or donate time or talent. We got to take the boys to tour their warehouse and are going to volunteer for a party this summer. They encourage families to participate together so it's perfect for the whole group.

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  7. Thank you for sharing about the Whataburger cup! I ordered it + the socks for my hubs. My boys and I are going to be gone for a few weeks and this will be a fun gift for him to open while we're away. Have a great weekend!

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  8. Thank you for the rec on Codeword hats. I have the Texas hat from Pumps that I LOVE but I'm originally from RI and snagged a super cute 401 hat that will donate to Hasbro Children's Hospital. I can't wait for it to arrive.

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  9. I know this post is about the jeans, but can we talk about the embroidered top? So cute! Thank you for posting about serving with your family, I am always looking for ideas for our family and our 1st - 6th grade church kids. Happy Friday, Andrea!

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  10. Through my husband's work, they do a lot of things with and for Ronald McDonald Houses! I don't think kids can physically volunteer at either Dallas or Fort Worth locations but there are tons of ways your family can still help! I've personally seen first hand how this organization helps families (including several of my friends)! and it really is the best.

    Some ideas:
    -Instead of cooking a meal IN the facility, you can sign up to drop off a meal from your favorite restaurant.
    -Houses have running wish lists that you can go on and have the kids pick out things and ship directly from the list or drop off! Side note, the lists are extra long during the holidays.
    -The houses will host events throughout the year (it's how they raise most of their funding money for the year), some of which are geared towards kids being able to participate! For example, the DFW house had a train exhibit during the holidays at North Park!

    DFW
    https://rmhdallas.org/get-involved/

    Fort Worth
    https://rmhfw.org/

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  11. Oh my goodness; those last few photos are just so adorable! How wonderful that you all got to volunteer together for such a wonderful organization.

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  12. What a beautiful legacy and participation you had as a child, and what an even better one you are leaving for your children, having them participate in such a wonderful organization, thus teaching them to carry on by giving of themselves. i applaud you and your dh for this.
    Enjoyed reading all your Friday favs.
    Blessings,
    Sue

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  13. What a wonderful experience for your children to participate in! It’s vital for children to learn the importance of helping others!

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  14. Wow - you had a great week. I love the volunteering opportunity and the great example it sets for your kids.
    The jeans and the jacket are so cute - and the kids? Adorable!

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