Friday Favorites

Happy Friday! What are you up to this weekend?  It's been a long short week for us, but we're finally at the end of it. This weekend we have a cleared slate which is nice.  Of course we will be doing some pool lounging and a whole lotta nothing.  Hope you have a wonderful weekend, and here are this week's favorites...

Favorite Quote: Start each day with a dance party-via Hungry Digital Media. This is a good idea all year long! We have our own family Spotify station which we play every morning.  It really does help set the tone for our day. 

Favorite Accessory: $9 buck Panama Hat -via Walmart.  I've always been a hat girl, but hats and mommy-ing can be tricky.  So you gotta mix it up with some cheap hats that you won't mind tossing in the car, in the shopping cart or having your babes steal them. It's a rare occasion that I trek over to Walmart and when I do I realize they have some decent finds up in that mother! Haha!  I went in to check out Drew Barrymore's Flower Beauty line and picked this eyeliner and this primer as well. 

Favorite Shoes: Nike Slides -via Nike.com.  I never thought I was a slide girl until I got me some fakenstocks (haha!) then I understood the appeal of sliding my foot in a sandal and running out the door. So when I slid my foot into some Nike slides it was an Aha! moment. 

Favorite Swimsuit: Laser Cut Tankini -via Target.  Confessional: I am not a bathing suit/summer girl. So for me to say this is my favorite swimsuit means A LOT.  My girlfriend and I have completely different body types and both tried this on and loved it.  I like that you can pick your bottoms so I also bought these high-waist bottoms. 

Favorite Recipe to Try: Sweet Potato & Grilled Portabello Tacos -via Cocoon Cooks. Ever since I watched the What the Health documentary on Netflix I have been eating a la vegetarian style. I am leaning to eating as plant-based as possible, and tacos like this make it happen!

Favorite Manicure: Chanel nail polish in Emeraude.  If you're buying hats at Walmart and swimsuits from Target, you totally deserve a summer nail polish splurge.  I have been eyeing a lot of green tones, and this one is pretty. Can you imagine it under the water with your new swimsuit.  I also like the color Espadrilles. 

Favorite Song: If I say Despacito everyone's heads may explode, but guess what who cares! If you're anti-Beiber, then stick to the original. 

xo Lendy 

Watermelon Pineapple Paletas

It's #paletaweek over on Lola's Cocina and a bunch of us have come together to fill your feeds with deliciousness, and I am checking it off my 20 Things to Do in Summer.  These watermelon pineapple paletas were inspired by my husband's agua fresca, and I promise they will not disappoint. 

Ingredients: 

1/4 of a large watermelon chopped

1/2 of a pineapple chopped 

1 cup lemonade or water
*sweeten if necessary

1. Chop up all your fruit. Also, finely chop some extra pineapple and set aside.  This will be used as the first layer of your paleta. 

2. Add watermelon, pineapple and 1 cup of lemonade to the blender and blend. I like the watermelon flavor to be more prevalent, so added a little more watermelon as needed. *You can also add any sweetner of your choose. 

3. Spoon in the finely chopped pineapple you set aside into the molds.  Then place them in the freezer in order for the first layer to set. 

4.  Once the first layer of pineapple has hardened take the molds out of the freezer and pour in your watermelon pineapple mixture. Then put them back in the freezer for a few hours. 

5. Once the paletas are ready you can leave them on the counter for a few mins or run the molds under warm water to get them out. 

Now all you have to do is enjoy the taste of summer! 

20 Things to Do this Summer

As many of you know, Summer is not my jam, but since becoming a mom I have had to embrace it (kinda), and in an effort to place a positive spin on the inevitable heatwave, I put together a summer to-do list:

1 Lake Tahoe 

2 Inflatable pool fun

3 Escape the heat in San Francisco

4 Go on a long bike ride 

5 Outdoor movie 

6  Beals Point at Folsom Lake 

7 All-American grill out with good ol' hamburgers & hot dogs 

8 Berkeley Kite Festival 

9 Run in the sprinklers with Luna 

10 Backyard date night

11 Early morning run & catch the sunrise 

12 Make paletas

13 Avila Beach and stay here 

14 Picnic in the park

15 Go to the Fair 

16 Lemonade stand with Luna 

17 Go on a boat ride 

18 Invite friends over for a carne asada

19 Glamping at Inn Town Campground 

20 Visit one of these 15 gorgeous Northern California beaches

Family Vacation (Part 1): Portland

As you all know, we recently returned from our weeklong vacation in Oregon.  It was our first real vacation as a family, and it was such a great choice. We had a wonderful time. 

We spent one night in Salem, Oregon, and in the morning we walked to the park and beautiful indoor carousel. 

Once we settled in Portland, I walked into the first restaurant we saw, Henry's 12th Street Tavern, and asked the hostess if it was kid-friendly, and when she said sure! I was sold. 

After our early dinner we headed to the mecca of bookstores, Powell's City of Books, and I am not exaggerating, I was in heaven. Give me coffee and drop me off here any day.  

Next day we went to breakfast at Slappy Cakes which is perfect for kids. Pancakes make people happy. 

The Oregon Museum of Science & Industry  had an epic kids play area, and as you can imagine, Luna did not want to leave.  

Portland is known as Bridgetown and many other nicknames.  The bridges were something else. 

I also fit in some me time and headed to Nob Hill on my own. I got lucky and found parking on this beautiful tree-lined street. 

I had a nice walk, browsed several shops, and bought a dress from Sloan Boutique. Before leaving I picked up burgers for my husband and Luna from Little Big Burger and fish tacos for me from Pepinos right next door.

We stayed at the Residence Inn RiverPlace which is a fantastic place to stay, especially for families.  I was happy we decided to stay in one night because Luna was a happy camper. For those of you who have yet to stay at a hotel or rental with your kids, no worries, pack post-its. After dinner shenanigans, included post-it crowns and airplanes. Luna thought it was the funniest thing ever. 

She made me keep this crown on until her bedtime, and as soon as I would try to sneak it off she would yell "No Mama you're the queen!"

Our last day in Portland, my husband went out before Luna and I woke up and picked up some Blue Star Donuts. My favorites were the lemon poppy seed and Mexican chocolate. I also had a vanilla latte made with almond cashew milk from Heart Coffee, and it was delicious. 

One of my favorite things to do after breakfast was our walks along the river front. As you all know Luna loves dogs and rocks so these walks were her jam.   

Portland is a wonderful city. Oregon is beautiful, and I am so glad we chose to stay in three different cities and really got to explore. It felt like one happy adventure after another. I can't wait to share the last portion of our vacation which we spent on the Oregon coast in the city of Newport. 

Guess what!? Oregon here we come...

Guess what in  about 11 days (who's counting!) we are heading up the Northern California coast to Oregon.  

We are excited, and admittedly I am a bit nervous too because I an overthinker.  

Here are glimpses of some of what we hope to see and do.

In Salem, Oregon we want to check out Riverfront Park and the Carousel. 

In Portland, we are staying near the waterfront so we might rent bikes.  I definitely want to hit up Powell's Books, Stumptown Coffee and Pok Pok (not pictured Blue Star Donuts!). We are also hoping to go to toddler-friendly places like the OSMI and the Japanese Gardens.  

Lastly, in Newport, our main goal is to simply relax and stare at the ocean from our hotel room! We are definitely hitting up the Oregon Coast Aquarium, and I am certain Luna is going to love it. 

If you have any places you would like to add to our list, please let me know. Wishing us luck would be great too!