ATX Bucket List: Austin Steam Train

Now that our impending move date is drawing closer, I've been itching to get things crossed off my family's Texas bucket list. At the tippy top of that list was the Austin Steam Train.

We had been meaning to do this for a long time since Jude (like most little boys) is all about trains. It's just hard for us to make plans to do fun, all night things because of Noodles.

Poor Noodles. She's always the foil to our adventures, as we always forget to make plans for her when we're planning a night out or a vacation. I love her, but I'd have a lot more checked off our Texas bucket list by now if it weren't for her.

Enter: DogVacay. From their site:

DogVacay is a website and app that makes finding great pet sitters simpler than ever. Pet owners can search for pet sitters nearby, book stays and pay online, all with a couple clicks. Our hosts watch your pup in their own home and treat him like a member of the family while you're gone, so you can finally have peace of mind while you travel!

So, it's kind of like Airbnb, but for dogs. And it's great! DogVacay made it possible for me to have a nice, sit down dinner with my family at Blue Corn Harvest and take a three hour train ride through hill country afterwards.
After we dropped Noodles off with host Melissa R for a last minute booking, we high tailed it up to Cedar Park. (This above photo, incidentally, is one of the photos Melissa snapped of Noodles enjoying her backyard while we were away).




Caroline was so happy and Jude is jumping for joy.


I think Lucy was just pleased to be out of her car seat.



Mesmerized by the passing scenery.

  But they were perhaps more so impressed by the snack car and using their Austin Steam Train Association dollars to buy M&M's and rootbeer.

  Our train car was the very last one and although the snack car was perfectly delightful, my favorite part was standing out on the back breezeway. The fact that you're allowed to stand back there must be a very well kept secret because only one other family joined us.



At the half way point, there's a little layover at a train depot built in 1912 in Bertram, Texas. While stopped, Jude wanted to take a closer look at the locomotive engine. It really was majestic!

I love that this may end up being one of Jude's earliest childhood memories.

It was so nice to not have to rush back to let Noodles out or worry if she had an accident in our house while we were away for so long. With Noodles well taken care of, I was able to relax, take in the scenery, and watch the Texas sunset from the back of a moving train: 

All this fun is thanks in part to DogVacay who made this minivacay possible for me and my family. If you have a summer bucket list you're trying to complete and there's a dog preventing this, check out DogVacay. New customers can enjoy $10 off their first booking with code ADOREDAUSTIN. Go here to get more info and check them out on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, too. For more info the train ride, check out AustinSteamTrain.org.

How I feel fresh in the Austin heat featuring New Ban® Total Refresh™ Cooling Cloths

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of New Ban® Total Refresh™ Cooling Body Cloths and Lucky Magazine. 
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I live in a place that has 100 days of 100º or more. As any Austinite can attest, staying cool can be a bit of a challenge... and by "a bit", I mean that it's darn near impossible. Feeling fresh in the filthy heat became even more of a challenge when Lucy was born. Suddenly, I'm out and about with a baby strapped to my chest while carrying a toddler and chasing after a preschooler. I've become a person who sweats.

My outfits these days have two requirements: to keep me as cool as possible and to make me as comfortable as possible. What I've been wearing lately has mainly been different permutations of this:
  light, flowy tank // loose shorts // flat sandals // cross body bag
An oh, my bag. I am rarely seen without my bag. Some may say that it's constant presence and attachment to me is akin to a fourth child. I don't dare leave home without it because it contains the essentials:

Diapers, baby wipes, toys, pressed powder, sunglasses, a nursing cover, 

and New Ban® Total Refresh™ Cooling Body Cloths. 

Admittedly, I sometimes don't get to shower every single day and I'm the kind of person who can't stay cooped up at home. Combine that with the fact that Texas is sweltering and that I'm literally chasing children all day, Ban's new body cloths are my new favorite discovery.

You may be saying to yourself, "Indiana, why don't you just use the baby wipes to freshen up?" Let me tell you: that's what I used to do sometimes, but after trying Ban Total Refresh Cooling Body Cloths, using a mere baby wipe to freshen up will never do again! The problem is this: baby wipes can mop up excess sweat okay, but more often than not, they would just end up making me feel sticky. And since Jude has sensitive skin, we use unscented baby wipes, so they never left me smelling markedly better or feeling substantially more refreshed. The Ban cloths, however, leave me smelling great and feeling cool. I bought all three scents just so I could try them all and stash them in different places (diaper bag, gym bag, and glove box). My favorite scent is Enliven: 
If the non-baby-butt smell isn't enough to convince you, consider the "PowderSilk" and cooling technology. Each cloth comes out of the package feeling cool to the touch and contains microfine, translucent powder that leaves your skin feeling dry and soft. Since coolness and comfort are my goals while getting dressed, I'm going to do all that I can to maintain that throughout the day.
There's no trace of white residue and the wipes can be used anywhere on the body: the face, underarms, chest, etc. I love to use them on the back of my neck and along my hairline. It's an instant pick me up and an easy, convenient way to freshen up, too. I really don't know why these didn't exist sooner, but I'm glad to have discovered them.

Now if you'll excuse me, I have a bike ride to take my kids on and some sweating to do.

Question: How do you stay fresh after being out in the summer heat? Any other tips you can offer? 

For more info, including where to purchase, please visit FeelBanFresh.com. Thank you so much for supporting companies like Ban who partner with Adored Austin to help support my family.


This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Ban. [disclosure policy]

The breeze really is a breeze + a giveaway!

Chris and I are in the middle of decluttering our house. It is a massive undertaking, but it's been a long time coming and is much needed!

As you might imagine (or can attest to), it ain't easy cleaning house with three little ones underfoot. I try to put in an hour of serious dcluttering a day. Usually I knock it out during their nap time, but if for some reason all three monkeys aren't catching zzzz's at the same time, I need to go to plan B. Jude, thankfully, can be contained via the power of a sticker book or the movie Turbo. Caroline, however, gets into everything. If I need just a few more minutes to finish up what I'm doing (nursing or cleaning up teeny tiny things Caroline would undoubtedly try to eat otherwise) I need to keep that girl contained. Enter: the 4moms breeze-
I love 4moms products. My friends and I have passed around a mamaRoo between us for the last three years, and if you follow me on Instagram, you no doubt were awed by my origami stroller (more on that at a later date).

True story: pack and plays are notoriously difficult to collapse. I don't know if she'd want me sharing this, but the one we had at my mother-in-law's house was so infernal that my sweet MIL ended up breaking it while attempting to collapse it and had to go get a new one.

I don't have time to wrestle with a play yard, and the one that I currently have is collecting dust in Caroline's closet because it's rarely worth the effort of setting it up.

So, wouldn't you know it, 4moms has what I'd say, without hesitation, the best play yard on the market. I mean, seriously. It was so easy to set up that I thought for sure I had done something wrong. Nothing is that simple, right? Hmmm:

No, really. It is that simple. And unlike my current pack and play, the 4moms breeze comes with a bassinet topper (also insanely easy to install) for Lu:
4moms is giving one breeze away to a very lucky Adored Austin reader (below), and they're also giving one away every day in June on their Facebook page, so up your chances and enter over there (daily!), too. Leave a comment to enter to win below: a Rafflecopter giveaway
Speaking of decluttering, now that we have a breeze at our place and my mother-in-law's, we'll be getting rid of our old one ASAP. To which I say good riddance!

Dresses anytime, any where // featuring Jockey Skimmies® and a giveaway

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Jockey. 

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Having a third child has not slowed me down like I thought it would. Nearly every day, I take my brood to a park, a playground, or the children's museum. It would be so easy to just slip on a pair of yoga pants and a comfy t-shirt, but it would be so unfair to all the adorable sundresses I own. But, man, is it hard to stay modest while wearing a dress and carrying a newborn, lifting and assisting an unsteady toddler, and chasing after a high energy preschooler. And y'all know how important my modesty is to me! Ha!

My secret? Shorts. I always have shorts on under my dresses. That way if the wind blows or if my hem gets stuck under a kid that I'm hoisting up, then no worries. I used to just throw on some bike shorts, but now that Jockey has introduced Skimmies®, I can save my bike shorts for the gym. I'd say these are best described as slipshorts-- they go on like shorts but do the work of a slip.
Skimmies® come in a ton of different colors, two different lengths (short and regular), and three different kinds-- original microfiber is great for every day style, anti-static work great with slinky skirts and dresses, and wicking is great for activewear. I like the original microfiber Skimmies® in the regular length. You guys! I love these! Unlike bike shorts, Skimmies® are meant to be worn under clothing. That means they're lightweight, smoothing, and they're not at all bulky. The waistband and leg holes don't roll, no matter how much running, chasing, and lifting of children I'm doing. Boom! Modesty still in check!

You're dying to try them yourself now, aren't you? Well, good news! Jockey is giving away 240 pairs of Skimmies®, so be sure to leave a comment  at the bottom of this blog post telling me what you'd wear your Skimmies® under and enter the giveaway below:

a Rafflecopter giveaway Details: The giveaway will be open on Wednesday, May 28 and end Monday, June 9, 2014. 240 commenters will be selected to receive a one pair of Jockey Skimmies®. Winners will be selected by Sway Group once the giveaway closes. Jockey is responsible for prize fulfillment.

And if you'd like to win $5000 (uh, who wouldn't?!) or a virtual styling session with Rachel Zoe with a $1000 shopping spree, and other great prizes (including Skimmies®), you're invited to Seize the Day in Skimmies® by expanding your comfort zone. Every day until June 20, a fun challenge will be posted, encouraging you to try something a little daring. Today's challenge, for instance, says "Share a video of you singing a love song to someone you care about. Any song you'd like, just show some love." You can enter via Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram using the hashtag #SkimmiesPromo and tagging Jockey. I'm for sure going to do some of the challenges! I think they're going to be a riot! If you want to join me, be sure to visit http://bit.ly/SKIMMIES to learn more. Here you can find the challenge of the day, see other entries, and read the official rules. [Seize the Day!]

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Jockey. 

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Tomorrow: Meet us at the Austin Zoo

Chris has been gone all week for work, but he returns tonight, thank goodness. This has been my first time all alone with all three kids, and I was really nervous. We made it, though! Everyone survived, the house is still standing, and we all still love each other. Success!

Since Chris will be traveling a lot for work for the rest of the calendar year, one piece of advice we got over and over again was to make time to reconnect as a family; we were challenged to do something special together when Chris returns, instead of just trying to get house stuff done or veg out on our devices. I'm working on making an Austin summer fun list, and one of those things was to take the family to the Austin Zoo & Animal Sanctuary. Jude loves it, but hasn't been in a while, and Caroline has never been. I'm excited that the Austin Zoo is having a really fun event tomorrow. We plan to be there and want to encourage others to go, too!
KIND and Sprout are hosting family-friend events all across the country to celebrate kindness as part of its Kindness Counts Initiative. They're calling it Operation Kind Kids:

Tomorrow they're hosting an Operation Kind Kids at the Austin Zoo. There will be a collage wall, a station to create an acts of kindness tracker, and kids will be invited to pick a flower and share it with someone special. Since we had the Austin Zoo on our summer fun list and because we wanted to go out and enjoy the city together as a family to reconnect after Chris' week away, we thought this could be a great thing to go to together. I'm always scheming up ways to meet new people, and it would be great to meet you and your family, so I thought I'd share. The Adams family will be there in full effect. Hopefully you can make it, too!

Info:
Admittance will be free with the cost of museum admission ($9/adults, $6/children)

WHEN: Saturday, May 31 from 10:00am – 1:00pm
WHO: Geared toward parents and children ages 2-6, but all are welcome
WHERE: Austin Zoo & Animal Sanctuary (plaza behind the zoo gift shop)

What Mom Wants featuring RedEnvelope + a giveaway

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of RedEnvelope. 

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Yesterday I went into a clothing store and the young sales girl asked, "Are those... Cheerios stuck to your shirt?" I said nothing. I simply gave her a wry smile and gestured at my kids: Caroline, who had soaked her shirt with her own drool, Lucy, who was making pig sounds and rooting furiously on her fist, and Jude who was clutching a matchbox car and doing what one can only describe as a combination break dance/ Irish jig. I watched as the sales girl took stock of my crew, my shirt, and my unwashed hair, and her face faded from her salesgirl smile into something akin to terror. In that moment, I knew she was considering her future, "Could that be me in ten years?"

Ten years ago, I would have recoiled at the sight of a mom like me, too, but now? Now I give moms like me a knowing smile. Besides, Cheerios clean up easily compared to other things (see also: 1, 2, 3).

This has been my first week on my own with all three kids. And do you know what I've realized about motherhood? It is exhausting! It's also hilarious and precious, but it's astonishing how challenging it can be. Of course we've had a doozy of a week: Caroline is teething, Jude started his new homeschool curriculum, and Lucy can be officially diagnosed with colic now. Oh, my! Thank goodness God designed parents to think their kids are cute!

I don't think I understood how challenging motherhood could be until I had kids, which is why I never really thought much about Mother's Day. I didn't start thanking the mothers in my life until I begun to see that it's not just buying clothes and reading stories and preparing meals.

Mother's Day is May 11th this year. It's your chance to show the moms in your life that you see how hard they're working and that you appreciate their efforts. If you have ever been in a relationship with me or had to audacity to actually marry me (haha- Chris!), then you know that my love language is gifts. RedEnvelope is my favorite place to peruse Mother's Day gifts for my loved ones, but also for myself.

Here's what I'd like for Mother's Day, and what I suspect any mom would appreciate:

    

[via RedEnvelope]

1. Picture frames // I'd hang these in my bedroom and populate the frames with encouraging words and flattering photos of my offspring. You know... because as I go to bed I'd like to be reminded that my kids are capable of not having snot or dirt on their faces.
2. A bath caddy // Along with the bath caddy I'd also like time to soak and someone to stand guard outside the bathroom door so I can actually have a few minutes of uninterrupted / unhurried bliss.
3 & 4. A record player and record case // Mainly because my kids won't have any idea what these are or how to use them.
5. Hanging planters // And a prayer that no one treats them like piñatas.
6. A pretty jewelry box that locks // My 1.5 year old already steals my necklaces and bracelets. I need a place to keep things tucked away from her!
7. A cashmere sweater // I've always maintained that giving someone a sweater is like giving someone a hug. I'll take both, but the sweater will last longer. Plus, like a trench coat, a cashmere sweater is on the Tim Gunn 10 Essentials list!
8. Beautiful placemats // My wood dining room table is starting to look like the surface of a golf ball, with all its dings and nicks. I need a pretty way to protect what's left of it.
9. A pink bag that isn't a diaper bag // There will come a day when I won't have to carry a diaper bag anymore. Or when my husband will take me out on a date (after I feel comfortable leaving Lu). On that day, I'd like to carry something that isn't riddled with milk stains.
10 & 11. Personalized bracelet and necklace with my kids' names // In hopes that I can remember my kids' names when I'm going on just one hour of sleep and two cups of coffee.

I'll admit, I'm a list maker when it comes to gifts. I'll often send Chris an email or point him to an appropriate Pinterest board or blog post with gift ideas for me. If you're like me, you can download this graphic and email it to the person of your choice with links to what you want from RedEnvelope this Mother's Day. You've earned it!

Because I survived my first week alone with the kids, I went ahead and treated myself to the photo frames from RedEnvelope. I love that what I ordered from RedEnvelope actually came with a red envelope! Other (smaller) things I've ordered from them in the past have come in pretty red boxes, instantly making the receiver giddy to open it.

 

I was really tempted to get myself a record player, but I decided to get the photo frames, instead. I have lived in this house for seven years, and I spend a lot of time in my bedroom nursing, but I have nothing hanging on the walls. I just know that I'll regret never printing out any photos of my kids, so that had to be rectified. Amy Russell of Pinwheel Portrait had taken some adorable photos of my family, so I wanted to display them. 

[credits: Pinwheel Portrait & verses from Sweet Blessings]

Easy update, right? The photos are easy to load, so I can switch them out (which I plan to with better quality prints soon). I think this would be a really great gift for a new mom or a mom who has recently moved to a new space. Photo frames have become one of my favorite gifts to give because people just don't take the time to print out photos anymore!

Have you checked out RedEnvelope before? If so, what do you want? Why do you deserve to treat yo' self? Or why does your mom deserve a treat? I ask because you are herby invited to enter to win a $500 RedEnvelope giftcard. Yes, $500! You read that right! Leave a comment and tell me what's on your RedEnvelope wishlist and enter below. Not sure what to get for the mom in your life? Here's a cute flowchart that will give you some really thoughtful ideas. Enter the giveaway below & be sure to leave a comment in the comment section below that: 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Details: The giveaway will be open on Wednesday April 30at 12:01am PT and end May 7, 2014 at 11:59pm PT. Three winners (from all 20 blogger giveaways) will be selected to receive a $500 RedEnvelope gift card. Winners will be selected by RedEnvelope once the giveaway closes. RedEnvelope is responsible for prize fulfillment.

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of RedEnvelope. 

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But butt... I thought you cloth diapered? // i.e. this post is about the sanity saver of disposable diapers

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of H-E-B Baby Diapers. 

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I have two kids under two, and that means I have two kids in diapers. As I tweeted earlier today, let me be your cautionary tale: If you have two kids in cloth diapers your life is laundry. 

Who knew that people so small could create such large mounds of laundry each day?

And when you suddenly find that -whoa!- you're a family of five, your life is also grocery shopping. At least mine is. No joke: I find myself at H-E-B more times a week than I shower. That's not to say that I don't shower regularly-- it's to say that I'm at the grocery store A LOT. The amount of milk, eggs, and bananas that this household goes through would blow your mind.

Something that surprised me about having three kids is that shopping is suddenly a whole new cart experience. I have no shame in giving myself a round of applause if I can get them all into the store in under five minutes with no tears (from them or me!). Whereas I used to have no problem hopping from store to store, it's all I can do to do just one quick shopping stop in an afternoon these days.

So what's all this mean? Well, it means that sometimes I need to give myself a break and create some pathways that make life a tad easier. If I see that I'm going to have a particularly hectic week, I need the laundry piles to relent, so I'll put the girls in disposable diapers instead of cloth. If I know that I only have time for one outing that day, I'll go to H-E-B because I can get a litany of things all under one roof: milk, eggs, cookie butter, beauty supplies, and those newly redesigned and improved disposable diapers of theirs, which Caroline really likes:
I mean, how adorable is that little zebra?
All my kids have worn cloth diapers save for the first few weeks of their lives (meconium- yuck!). We also use disposables when we're traveling (which I did a lot of last year). Lately I've been putting Caroline in a disposable to anticipate a #2, so I can just toss it and it's one less diaper I have to spray down. When Caroline starts Mothers' Day Out in June, I'll be purchasing and going through a lot more disposables, so I want the most economical and highest quality ones I can find.  H-E-B Baby Diapers fit that bill perfectly!

  Aside from the convenience at being at my local (and favorite!) grocery store, H-E-B diapers are great. They're soft, comfortable, and great for Caroline's sensitive skin since they're fragrance-free with a hypoallergenic liner that contains aloe, natural botanicals, and vitamin E. Don't let their trimness trick you: they offer up to 12 hours of leakage protection. The kid sleeps from 7:30 pm until 8:30 am, so that's important! Caroline has just now begun to show an interest in potty training, so I'm not sure how much longer she'll be in diapers. Until then, we'll be picking up our disposables at H-E-B. I'm there at least four times a week, so perhaps we'll run into you in the baby aisle one of these days!

Question for cloth diaperers: Tell me, do you ever "cheat" and use disposables?
Question for parents of 2+: How many times per week do you get out to shop?
Question for humans: How cute is Caroline in this bottom photo?!

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H-E-B Baby Diapers c/o H-E-B. 

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of H-E-B Baby Diapers.

[disclosure policy]