3 Before You Shop Back-To-School Tips with Dick's Sporting Goods + 5 Giftcard Giveaway

 this post is sponsored by Dick's Sporting Goods® and VocalPoint.  all opinions and photos are my own!

welp, we made it through the very first week of school, y'all!  hoping and praying that us newbies, veterans-- everyone has a fantastic school year.  my Kindergartener was crazy excited and prepared for his very first day and beyond, thanks to Dick's Sporting Goods®!this Fall 2016, six locations will open up in/around the Houston area:

Baybrook Mall

Deerbrook Mall

First Colony Mall

The Woodlands Mall

Willowbrook Mall

we stopped by one of the largest locations to come above, The Shoppes at ParkWest (across I10 from Katy Mills Mall) for a quick pic, and we can't wait to actually go inside soon!until then, online back-to-school shopping it was.  less stress for me = no gas used, no getting in and out of the Texas heat, and no lines to stand in with 2 rambunctious boys and a baby bump. besides, what kid doesn't love to receive packages in the mail and tear open their 'gifts'!? everything was for Chiso's big Kinder debut, but of course we've gotta involve lil' bro. he chose a fresh pair of kicks,a super-fly book bag, and a lunch box to match. 

3 money-saving before-you-shop tips:

• shop your child's closet with them and take inventory of what they already have.  i wanted to make our online experience fun and let Chiso pick things he loved, but i made sure he knew we were only purchasing items we truly needed for the new school year.

• buy with 'hand-me-down' in mind (especially if you have younger siblings of the same gender of course).  i try not to buy super trendy items (ex. t-shirts with current sayings, sneakers with outlandish colors/patterns, etc.) and stick to classic colors and designs for the most part.  i'm not saying i don't ever buy those types of items because that's no fun, but they are rare and usually reserved for special occasions.  i should definitely credit Hubs for that tip, so i will ;) Dego (2) has plenty to mix and match from for a good while!

• splurge on the high quality, durable items that will be used daily.  else you'll possibly be buying those same items several times a year.  this might be a no brainer, but i think of the things Chiso will be carrying daily (lunch box, back pack) and how often they get thrown around, banged up, and used in general.  i treat those items just like i would my sports bra purchases.  when i buy them cheap, i can't be mad when the support is basically non-existent after a couple uses and washes!  it's something i truly need and use daily, so spending the money on a few quality bras is the best investment.   the same applies here.

ready.i was too!  #NoTearsoff he went.  1 week down, 17 years left to go, haha.

shop DSG for back-to-school for book bags, lunch boxes, casual to athletic sneakers & clothes and beyond!  i do believe this will help ;)

we are giving away 5, yes, * F I V E * 50.00 Dick's Sporting Goods® gift cards to * F I V E * readers!!

 a Rafflecopter giveaway

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this is.... thirty fo'

and another one! 

y'all know by now my hubby puts it down for special occasions!  he revealed to me that he had a weekend getaway planned for my bday (April 7th) buuuut he forgot all about my weekend fitness classes and clients. bummer.  he recovered nicely though and we enjoyed a memorable, kid-free, staycation instead.  instead of IGing the play-by-play of the entire weekend like i planned, i decided to put my phone down and unplug for a lil' bit and truly live in the moment.  the big day! thursday morning i woke up at 4:15am full of energy (enough energy for a douchebag selfie LOL..it's been a good while...allow me this one), threw on my birthday fit, and hightailed it to the gym to teach my Lifetime Fitness class.i could not wait to wear this! both the top and bottoms are on sale right now!i go grab a kiss from my hubby before i leave in the mornings and he had these in his hands, sitting in the dark #creepy.  hurray for no more silent cardio!  i told him to find me a new pair (after snapping my old pair in half over Easter weekend) and he came through for ya girl and even upgraded me to wireless.

 seriously... the gifts and all the extra hoopla... those things are nice and added blessings no doubt. but this is what makes my heart happiest.  being with my lil' family.  

they serenaded me with the cutest munchkin voices and i blew out my candles.  Chiso almost cried he wanted to know my wish so bad, lol!  Chiso also wanted some cake before school so we all enjoyed a lil' bit right then. next, we dropped off the kiddies with family and went straight to check into The Westin Galleria!  i love staycations.  still feels like i'm in another city.  we drove down the road to iPic Theaters after that to catch Batman vs. Superman. we've heard so much about this place!  the movie was already pretty lengthy (2.5 hrs), and we were super comfy, soooo it was basically a nap trap.  i mean they give you a pillow and blanket for crying out loud! i ordered the chicken wrap salad with the dressing on the side, and Sonny ordered the fish tacos. birthday hair transformation!  i never thought i would go from wearing my hair straight ALL the time to only having it straightened a few times a year.  going natural is a TON of work for me but it was definitely worth the switch.  this is the healthiest my hair has ever been!

i actually bought a cute cocktail dress from H&M for my birthday earlier that week but saw this jumper as i was leaving out of the store. i got home and couldn't stop thinking about it!  so i went back and exchanged my items. i love this thing! my sunglasses  and earrings are from there as well.       would you look at the size of this bathroom!? Sonny wasn't telling me to hurry up and stop selfying, haha, he was only saying that a fridge was all somebody needed to live up in there. i agreed!  i'm still getting used to community bathrooms though...... what are your thoughts on them? you could say i was excited about dinner!  because we stayed in town, Sonny asked a few close friends and fam to join us for dinner at Quattro.  also, so much shoe LOVE!  i adore them too and had to have them! unfortunately they are in-store only, but this similar pair is apart of Aldo's current spring sale, and this new arrival is just as cute IMO.

i enjoyed the chilean seabass with baby potatoes, carrots, olives, cooked in an acqua pazza broth, and of course i ate off of Sonny's plate of gulf wild snapper, dried tomato and olive crust, broad bean cream, and asparagus. suuuuper yummy! it was last-minute, so i was extremely grateful for those who came and happy to spend time with my fam.y'all... the next morning i slept till like 10am. haven't slept that late in years. no kidding. no tiny elbows or feet were there to slap me in the face and interrupt my sleep :) .  apparently i needed that! i actually did join Sonny in the gym for about an hour, but i did zero cardio and lifted 'pretty' (basically i barely sweat) so my hair wouldn't frizz up so fast.cleaned up, dressed, and ready for day 2! i've had this springy, Urban Outfitters dress for a while now.  as soon as i sat down in the truck though, my left strap popped right off! i was ready to eat... so we did just that first #FoodOverEverything. i tucked it in and rocked it with 1 shoulder like nobody's business. off to brunch!we all have those nostalgic treats we order that just make us 100% happy.  this is one of mine!  hot cocoa with whipped cream from Le Peep.  it will always make me feel like a big kid no matter how old i get.our protein plates! basically... Sonny has a photo shoot in a few weeks and when he's on his best food behavior, so am i. we headed back over to the Galleria H&M and i found this super similar 17 dollar slip dress in like 3 seconds flat. 

next, my first pedi of 2016. i think! i don't even know, smh

 by recommendation, we went to The Palm for dinner.  Thanks again, Jerry! all he had to say was lobster mac & cheese though.everything was incredible, especially the service!  Sonny ordered their 28oz steak with sautéed spinach, and i got the lobstaaaaaaaa! the waiter explained that the cheesecake was New York style but it wasn't as creamy as i anticipated.  that didn't stop me from take it with me and eating the rest in the hotel bed. good times!  after another night of restful sleep, it was time to check out. we went straight to Lifetime so i could teach my class there (Sonny took it too!), then to my prenatal fitness class so i could put my Preggo Patties through a saturday afternoon cardio workout.

 grateful to God and to Hubs for another wonderful birthday spent with the people i love!

thanks for reading!

K E E P   U P   W I T H   U S !

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The Green 6.2 10k & Kid's K

1 year ago! i was proud of this guy then, and was thrilled to finish side by side with him a year later at this past weekend's Green 6.2! biiiig thanks to my brother for this action shot. we excitedly got our matching Nike fits together the night before! my running shorts have built-in tights and were crazy comfy.  my running tank is sold out online, but here, here, and here are some similar, affordable Nike racerback styles you just might like. this one is on my shopping list too!  shop all our discounted Nike gear here: