Style, Travel and Lifestyle Blog by Christianne
Wishing all of you a Merry Christmas!!! Sharing all our yearly Family Christmas photos since I started blogging in 2015. Thank you all for you support and for being a part of my blogging family. Cheers to all of us and to the coming New Year!
Simply,
Christianne
SHOP THE LOOK:
COUNT YOUR STARS CARDIGAN
LOUNGE WEAR SET SIMILAR HERE
MAMA BEAR MUG SIMILAR HERE
NY AND COMPANY SLIPPERS
WAYFAIR COFFEE TABLE
THRESHOLD AREA RUG
In two more days kids will be on Christmas break and that means a lot of snuggling and cuddling at home. Also we wanna entertain them as well and ourselves included. We have watch a lot of them already and wanna share with you guys if you are looking for one.
On Netflix: Good watching with little kids….
KLAUS this is heart warming.
THE CHRISTMAS CHRONICLES there will be part 2 next year, this one really entertains us all.
CHRISTMAS BREAK-IN good family love movie
For a Rom-com fanatic like me….
A CHRISTMAS PRINCE, A CHRISTMAS PRINCE THE ROYAL WEDDING AND A CHRISTMAS PRINCE THE ROYAL BABY they are all connected so make sure to watch them all.
another one is THE KNIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS this one is really cute.
on DISNEY PLUS
We really enjoyed watching NOELLE and THE SANTA CLAUS.
This ones are really good with the kids and it is funny too. Perfect for the whole family.
on PRIME:
They have all the HOME ALONE movies and it was still really entertaining and we have been watching it over and over again together with THE GRINCH.
So if you are on a hunt of a good Christmas movies specially with your kids, these are the ones that we really loved and I am sure you will too.
And if you are still looking for last minutes Christmas gift ideas, check out my post here.
Thank you so much for stopping by and see you again next time.
Simply,
Christianne
Photos: Novel (my better half)
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Why did I call this our First Christmas Card? Every year since I started blogging. It became a tradition that we dress up and we pick a spot in the house for photo shoot. But I never make it into a Christmas card. It has always been a digital copy only that I use on my personal Facebook to greet our family and friends. This year , since we are now a family of 5 plus Mojo our dog so 6. I decided we can do this every year then.
I wanted to post the picture of the finish product of the Christmas card but it did not arrive on the expected delivery date. It actually got shipped on the supposed to be date of delivery. So I will update this post once I receive them so I can show them all to you.
As for the theme, I just thought of a plaid party for us since all my kids already own it. My husband and I plus my in laws just went to the thrift store and got ours from there.
Also, I though about Adi and I wearing cowboy boots and since we have this cabin like part of the house. I set it up like this so it will be more looking like our theme. Kinda like a farm house and I just added all these Christmas decorations like the Little Christmas tree, galvanized buckets.
How about you? Do you always do Christmas cards or no? Do you have any family traditions that you do every year? Also in case you did not see the last year’s family photo… it is here.
Thank you so much and y’all have a wonderful week ahead.
Simply,
Christianne
Photos: Novel (my better half) and my Father in law
I have been getting a lot of messages saying I already bounced back. To tell you all the truth, It may look it but I am still a work in progress. I still cannot fit my wedding ring, I still have the mommy tummy lose skin, this leggings is just so helpful hiding it here very well.
The reason I wanna talk about this is that, I want you all to know first we are all beautiful in any size and shape. We all wanna look good and feel better, and making sure we doing it for our self and then for others (my kids and family) They all depend on us and if we are not healthy how can we give them all.
And then I got pregnant, I started healthy and lost it on my 3 months before giving. My OB GYN kept on telling me that my baby is smaller than my other 2 babies and then I got scared so I thought if I eat more and also a lot of sweets and I literally ate everything. So fast forward 3 months postpartum. I went for my annual primary care check up. Then we found out that my cholesterol is slightly elevated. She recommended low fat diet and exercise, then it got to me that I really need to work on my health and get it back.
That being said I am really working on getting at least 3 times a week. It is really a struggle even though we have help I still fall short sometimes. I also working on meal prepping so I already have my food prepared which makes it even easier. We just lost my father last year because of heart attack and that made me think I really need to work on my health to be able to spend more time with family.
SHOP THE LOOK:
AMAZON ESSENTIALS SPORTS BRA
ALO YOGA LEGGINGS
CHAMPION PULLOVER SWEATER WITH HOOD
ASICS RUNNING SHOES
I started my fitness journey when I got introduced with Body boss method when I partnered with them, And ever since then I started working on it and I feel the best having all the energy to be able to play with the kids. Not just then they launched their meal plan.
I got into a good habit after that and now I just have to get it back. Even better this time. My husband and I are helping each other so we can get to workout. I am not really a morning person so I workout when I get home. My husband will watch Andi so I can workout and the we switch so he can also work out. Luckily if she is sleep then both of us can workout together then Adi and Aidan will also go to the gym.
We are lucky to have a home gym. The previous owner added this extension at the back of the house and left us with all their strengthening machine. We just added the threadmill and elliptical, TV for Zumba and the punching bag.
I have not gotten back to my pre pregnancy weight but I am feeling stronger and energetic. I am slowly getting it back and that really makes me feel good.
I hope I was able to inspire you all specially the mamas out there that working out is not just vanity. It is really a good lifestyle than you can give to yourself and your family.
Thank you all for stopping by and see you again on the next blog post.
Simply,
Christianne
Photos: Novel (my better half)
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DIY Personalized Christmas Ornaments so you can feel that you are really at home with your loved ones during this Holiday season. So I got this flocked Pre-lit Christmas tree at Walmart last year and I am loving it so much. Easy to install and plus it already has a light. I just added some ornaments and this plaid ribbon and viola we are done.
The only thing about the flocked Christmas tree are the white “snow” that falls down. I was full of it when I was installing this but look how beautiful it came out. So to add our personal touched, I thought of taking pictures using our polaroid camera and it really was a joyful feeling. This is baby Andi’s first Christmas and we want it to be very special.
And if you decide to do this as well. Then you will feel your personal connection with your Christmas decor because you know it is yours. You can also just print some of your precious moments from your camera too and you can add ribbons if you like.
I hope I was able to give some good example on this post for you. Also if you missed the last post on deals and other gift guide to feel the bottom of your Christmas tree here it is.
Thank you so much for stopping by and see you again soon.
Simply,
Christianne
Family Road Trip To Shenandoah sharing the best view to see the Fall colors. This place is about 2 and half hours away from DC metro area. Planning a day trip is not that bad with all the gorgeous Foliage you will see there and along the way.
Along the way, we had stumbled to this small town to eat brunch. We ate at the Tula Bar and restaurant in Washington, VA. This was about 30 mins away from the skyline drive. This town has a lot of gallery to check out and the Fall colors here are just so gorgeous too.
SHOP THE LOOK:
CHECK COAT
RAILS SWEATER
CHINESE LAUNDRY OVER THE KNEE BOOTS (OLD) SIMILAR HERE
KAREN WALKER SUNNIES
H&M HIGH WAISTED JEANS SIMILAR HERE
We were suppose to go here the weekend before because it was the peak but it was a rainy weekend. It wasn’t a good idea then. Yesterday was a cold but very sunny day, perfect to go see the Fall colors of the mountain at Shenandoah before it is gone.
We had a rainy and windy week and some of the trees already lost their leaves but as you can see here. We were stay able to get to see the beauty of it all. We went here before probably about 4 years ago with family friends. This time we want my in laws to get to see the beauty of it.
We got here 3o mins before sunset and the colors are just perfect. It was so sunny that the colors would be washed out if we captured it at that time. This tunnel here is picture worthy, I tried so fast to get a a quick shot before cars starts coming.
And it’s a wrap! The moon is just as gorgeous as ever here. Check out the photos of us here that I posted four years ago.
Last weekend was a very fun experience. One of my co workers have given me 6 free ticket to Dutch Wonderland. I have never heard of it before but she was so excited to tell me a lot about it. It was just unfortunate for her that her ticket was expiring the day we used it so instead of her not using it at all. She said she will feel better if she will make other people happy by using it. Bless her heart (so when I came back I gave her souvenir from there).
If you live around Pennsylvania, like Maryland, Virginia, Delaware and New Jersey or Even New York. It is located at Lancaster. It is a very nice are because when I googled it. They have a lot of family friendly fun places around there.
Now let me tell you about our experience at Dutch Wonderland. This is perfect for families with little kids. If you don’t know, my kids are 9, 6 and a newborn. All their rides there are kids and family friendly. The kids really enjoyed it. It is unlike when you go to those famous theme park where a lot of grown ups go. When we go to those places, there are only few options for the kids that they can ride. In here, every ride is for them!
SHOP MY LOOK HERE:
They even have this sweet and delicious frozen banana covered with chocolate. Calling all banana and chocolate lovers out there!
They even have cool and different shows like this one. These guys did a lot of high diving. It was one splashy show and everyone enjoyed it.
They also have this cool exploration island. You can imagine yourself being in the Jurassic park on this side and a lot of sand that the kids can explore with their hands and play like how the kids will do.
I hope I was able to give you another place to go in case you are looking for something new. This is highly recommended by my whole family. The kids really asked us to take them here at least once a year. As much as we wanna come here more often. This is 2 and half hours away from us and we live in Southern Maryland. It was worth the drive.
Thank you so much for stopping by and maybe this weekend you might wanna check them out. The tickets are low now and they are only open on weekends this Fall.
Check out my previous post to see all new Fall trends you migh wanna try wearing this season.
Simply,
Christianne
It was one Sunday afternoon after having lunch with the family at a Vietnamese restaurant. Before heading to the car, I spotted the Goodwill Store across and I was like. We have been dining to this restaurant for a longtime and been seeing that store but I have never been. So there we went and we actually had fun searching for a lot of things.
First tip, this is the best place to buy those expensive items like quality Winter Coats, boots, jackets because those items can be very expensive brand new. I remember before moving here in the US. We were still back home, we went to the thrift store to buy winter coats because they are nice quality and only costs us 100 pesos which was $2 a piece. You can’t beat that right?
But if you just want regular items like sweaters like the ones I was wearing here. I would rather buy new because there are a lot of them new and good quality too like these…
Just like these coats I bought from the thrift store they were only $12
It is just like a physical store like Ebay and Poshmark. And speaking of… you can follow me and shop my pre-loved items on my Poshmark here. This coat is good quality and real wool. And this Green coat as well.
Another good thing to buy are the big items like furniture, outdoor stuff, workout items.
So when we were looking around, I found this nice slightly used threadmill, I mean you can tell from the appearance of it. It is priced at $69.95 but it was 50% off (even better!) so We got it since we were renovating our home gym. It was truly as steal! I was also looking for a desk chair for my home Office and also found it there.
I hope you find this post helpful in deciding what to get from a thrift store.
Thank you for stopping by and have a nice weekend.
Simply,
Christianne
Photos: Novel (my better half)
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Happy first day of Fall! I am finally sharing my front porch decor here on the blog. If you have been following me on Instagram you might have seen me post it on my instastory. I just wanna show you our simple home and this time I am being practical. I bought faux pumpkin from Michael’s instead of those real pumpkins which is pretty much the same price. I am actually saving money and you will too if you do the same and will not have to make those pumpkin be rotten.
As for the other stuff, I got me those scare crow this time. But I always of course have the Fall wreath and the fresh mums from Home Depot. I also always change my doormat every Fall. I usually don’t get the expensive ones so I can justify me getting a new one every year.
It is just so nice to have these decors every year. I am not really good keeping the flowers alive. But my mother in law who has a green thumb is here with us to the rescue. She always make sure that everything is well lit and hydrated.
Do you always decorate your front porch every season? Me, I only do it every Fall really and Christmas of course, just like last year on this post. Comes Spring and Summer I just change the wreath to compliment the season. Like I said, I cannot keep flowers alive and I am not happy seeing Faux plants or flowers outside the house either. I pretty much have it everywhere here inside the house.
Next up, I will show you how I upgraded the look of my dining room. I actually wanted to buy a new dining set but I do not have to budget for it yet so I just added something that changed its look and I love it, so I wanted to share.
Thank you so much for stopping by as always and have a wonderful week ahead.
Simply,
Christianne
SHOP THE POST:
GARNIER HAIR MASK
DOVE DRY SPRAY
NIVEA COCOA BUTTER BODY CREAM
NEUTROGENA KOHL EYELINER
I know I do not talk about beauty products much. But I just wanna share these drugstore beauty products that I swear by and why. I will outline all the reasons why and what benefits it gives our hair, skin and the whole body.
GARNIER HAIR MASK I use the coconut
First of all, it smells good! You cannot deny that we all look for products that can make our hair smell fresh. It nourish my hair so much that all my curls are being defined and the frizziness is eliminated. I have been getting a lot of compliments on my hair since I started using this and I myself is loving it so much, the texture of my hair is so much better than before.
DOVE DRY SPRAY
Using a spray is so much better than using a stick. I still use a stick though sometimes but the spray last long. Even if I really do sweat a lot, it still gives me that fresh scent. I cannot stress it enough since I tried it and promoted it on my Instagram, I got hooked! I know you will too. Also, no more worries that it might stick to your clothes.
NEUTROGENA KOHL EYELINER
Since I promoted this on Instagram last year. I have been using it, you know why? Because it doesn’t come of unlike the other eyeliner I have used before. I use this as an eyebrow pencil and of course I do not want it to smudge. This one really last long and stays, it is water proof.
NIVEA COCOA BUTTER BODY CREAM
What I love about body cream is its texture and the softness it gives my skin. It dries out easily compared to body lotion. It gives me long lasting moisture on my skin.
We all have beauty products that we really splurge but these ones are really worth the bucks and is inexpensive. How about you, what are the drugstore beauty products you swear by?
Thank you for stopping by and see you again next time.
Simply,
Christianne