Before Thanksgiving, Corey and I started planning our February getaway. We try to take an adults only trip in winter to get away from the cold for a long weekend! We knew we wanted to do an all-inclusive resort and I have been wanting to go to Cabo for at least 15 years, so our search began! When I found Pueblo Bonito, I was instantly obsessed and knew we had to go there!

We decided on The Towers at Pacifica for 3 nights! We were traveling from Kentucky and it was about a 6 hour flight in total. When you stay at the Towers, you have access to a butler around the clock! You also have access to the whale watching VIP lounge and are able to check into your room from there, where we were met with drinks and the most delicious guacamole, chips and salsa!

During our stay, we popped around to a few of the other resorts Pueblo Bonito owns, and were able to get there by their free shuttle. Our butler helped set up all of the transportation and reservations! Below is a breakdown of our time spent at Pueblo Bonito Pacifica and a list of the places we ate! I truly cannot express how delicious and fresh all of the food was here!!!

DAY 1:

Upon arrival, we went straight to the whale watching VIP lounge to check in and get some snacks and drinks. The lounge has a stunning view of the ocean and we saw 3 whales pop up within 5 minutes of being there! Our butler said that whale season was November-April and it was an incredible sight to see! Afterwards, we went to our room where our bags had been delivered for us; we changed and headed straight for the pool to relax for a couple of hours before dinner!

Night 1:

Night 1 we visited the onsite restaurant, Peninsula . We chose to dine outside on the balcony overlooking the ocean. This restaurant was stunning with white tablecloths and beautiful decor. We ordered the catch of the day appetizer which was fantastic! For the main course I had the shrimp in lobster butter and Corey had the Carne Asada. The service was top notch and we left dinner very full!

After dinner we went down to the beach where they had fire pits and chairs set up around them. It was so cozy, we ended up staying there for a few hours just talking and hanging out! Everyone we met whether it was staff or just other travelers, they were all SO friendly.

DAY 2:

On day 2 we were up at 6:30 AM Cabo time. We got dressed and headed back up to the VIP lounge for some coffee and breakfast! We hung out up there for a while just enjoying the warm morning and sunshine! Something we hadn’t seen or felt in far too long! After that we had an appointment for a couples massage. The spa was everything we needed and then some. 55 minutes of pure heaven. Corey and I both left there feeling brand new.

The rest of the day was spent at our cabana on the beach! You could order drinks and snacks right from there and the bed was suspended so it swung with the wind. This was the most relaxed I have possibly ever been! Until Corey discovered the ping pong table and had to challenge me to some friendly competition! ;)

Night 2

On the second night of the trip we took the shuttle up to LaFrida , which is at Pacifica’s sister property, Pueblo Bonito Sunset Beach. This was the best meal Corey and I had each had in a LONG time! The menu was so unique and the server did an impeccable job explaining what everything was and how it was made. We both tried Oxtail (something we had never had before) and I can’t recommend it enough. It was incredible. We ended the meal with the funnel cake and the basically had to carry us out of the restaurant! It was that good!

Day 3

The third day was our last full day and we wanted to do everything!! We started out with a wonderful breakfast at Quivira Clubhouse. The grounds at Quivira were stunning! Corey and I both had a big breakfast with eggs, cheese and chorizo that was out of this world!

After arriving back to Pacifica, we spoke with our Butler, and he arranged for us a trip down to another sister site, Pueblo Bonito Los Cabos. There, were were able to hop on and do a boat tour of the Arch of Cabo San Lucas. I love that we were able to schedule everything right from our resort, and we felt so comfortable! We were also able to order drinks and everything at Los Cabos was included since they were a sister property!

Night 3

For our last dinner We went back to Quivira for the steakhouse! I wish I could have eaten this meal over and over again. We started with the sliced tuna wrapped in smoked bacon. Say no more, right? It was as amazing at it sounds. For the main course I had the filet mignon with macaroni and cheese. 20/10- SO GOOD!

After dinner we headed back down to Pacifica and the fire pits. They had a DJ up at the bar by the pool and we saw some friends we had made earlier in the day. We spent the last night dancing and having an absolute blast. There is truly something for everyone at this resort!!

Our stay at The Towers at Pacifica was out of this world. From the Butler, to the VIP lounge. to the spa day, to the incredible service and meals- everything was top notch. We truly felt so spoiled and it was SO hard to leave this place! We can’t wait to go back!!

For those of you who don’t already know this, our oldest daughter Ariana was diagnosed with allergies and asthma as an infant. She has battled asthma and breathing difficulties her entire life! This was a complete surprise as both my husband and I as well as our families have hardly any issues with either of those things. It has been a complete learning process and we have made it our mission to help spread awareness on what has worked for us along the way!

First and foremost, please find a doctor you can trust and consult with them before taking any advice.

Ariana was first prescribed a nebulizer back in 2018. Before this day, I had no idea what a nebulizer even was, much less the different options there were. We went with what our doctor at the time recommended and had used that one for a few years.

In August of 2021, just in time for the start of peak asthma and allergy season, I discovered that there are more options out there! We had been using a nebulizer that was extremely loud and honestly kind of intimidating for a little girl. She would cry every time we got it out because it scared her! Well, we finally made the switch and asked our doctor for a prescription for the OMRON Healthcare Portable MicroAir nebulizer and the OMRON CompAir Compressor for kids. Our doctor was even impressed by the size and the sound of both. The pediatric nebulizer also comes with a little elephant on the mask so Ari has something to look at while she does her breathing treatment.

Then there is the OMRON Portable MicroAir nebulizer that is so small it can fit inside my cross body purse and we can take it with us wherever we are going. This is HUGE as a mama of a busy 7 year old! I want her to be able to go out and do the things she wants to do without having to worry! It also comes with a mask which all fit right down into the case that it comes with!

While I of course wish my daughter and no children had to deal with asthma, I am extremely thankful for OMRON Healthcare for making a nebulizer that fits the needs of families! They are affordable, and kid friendly and we have been so happy with these two nebulizers for our Ari bug!!

For more information about OMRON and for their tools that they provide for our health, especially during peak asthma and allergy season- Click here!

We took our first flight as a family of 5 to Charleston for Fall Break and it honestly went better than I could have even imagined!! Starting from the top:

1- We flew a new airline out of Louisville called Breeze. They do 3 nonstop flights out of Louisville, one of them being to Charleston, SC. I have now flown on this airline 3 times and have been extremely happy each time. They are a budget airline so everything is pretty cheap, but you have to add everything separately (bags, picking your seat, etc.) The 5 of us were able to fly plus 3 bags for around $800 which I thought was amazing!

As far as the flight iteself, the girls did amazing! They had two rows of 2 seats so Ariana did have to sit in the row in front of us, but we downloaded a movie on her iPad and she was totally fine! The flight itself was only 1 hour so it was pretty quick and easy. Each of the girls had their own iPad with their own shows downloaded (there was no wifi on the flight so this would be a must-do) and we also brought a backpack full of snacks! 10000/10. So much better than driving 10 hours! Here are some photos from our flight-

Once we arrived at the Charleston airport, we had already rented a car from Enterprise and that process was very easy once we got there. I will say I was not impressed by their car seats we rented though and my husband had to fix the straps because they were not in correctly. If you are comfortable flying with your carseats, I would definitely recommend doing that.

We drove 30 minutes to Folly Beach, making a pit stop at Chick Fil A. PSA- there is one about halfway from the airport to Folly and it was a Godsend with 5 hungry people! We stayed at the Charleston Oceanfront Villas. We rented through VRBO and it had everything we needed. This place does NOT have a heated pool which was kind of a bummer since we were there in October, but we survived =) . The location was top notch. It was in walking distance from center street which has restaurants, bars and a cute little coffee shop that I went to daily!

Besides hanging at the beach everyday, we did go into Charleston to do some site seeing! First up was the Charleston Harbor Boat Tour. Definitely a cool experience if you have never been to the area before. We got to see Ft. Sumpter and lots of historic landmarks on the water. The boat served snacks and drinks + alcohol, all for purchase!

After the boat tour we went straight over to the Boone Hall Plantation. Part of this plantation was used in the movie The Notebook and the Avenue of Oaks was something I have wanted to see my entire life. It was absolutely worth the drive. (About 25 minutes from the Harbor Tour). Seriously, if you are heading to the Charleston area, I highly recommend going to Boone Hall. We did a tour of the grounds and a self-guided tour of the home. Sawyer was napping in the car so Corey and I took turns seeing the property with Chandler and Ari. Here are some photos from there!

After we left the plantation we went back to the condo to get ready for dinner! We walked from our condo to Wiki Wiki on Center Street! We had lots of apps, drinks and dinner and everyone loved it! Its a fun, laidback spot and they have lots of options!

The next day, we had family beach photos done with Jewel Lia Photography and she is an absolute gem! She was so patient and kind with my wild kiddos, and the photos turned out absolutely stunning! I can’t say enough good things about her and the experience! The rest of the trip was spent relaxing on the beach and the girls played in the ocean A LOT! We had such a great time and the beach there is so laid back. It was quiet, given it was October and we had a late fall break, so most everyone else had already returned to school. We are already planning another trip back for Spring break!!

We finally transitioned Chandler to a big girl bed!! She is thrilled and I of course had an emotional breakdown about it. Something about your baby moving out of a crib is just bittersweet!

So with that, we weighed all of our options. Do we go with a twin bed? Do we get a padded headboard? Do we get bed rails? There are so many questions and options out there, so I wanted to share what worked for us!

We decided to go with a full sized bed, so that she can use it throughout her childhood, as she grows! Then we were looking at how to keep her from rolling off the bed, because while she does have more room, she still rolls around a lot! We decided to go with the Regalo Baby Bed Bumpers! I loved how soft they were, they fit right under her sheet, and she won’t hurt her arm, leg or head if she hits them in the night.

I attached some more photos below so you can see how they work. Both of them will go under her sheet, but I wanted you to be able to visualize them as well.

You can click the link below to go straight to the website! We have been super happy with them, and Chandler has yet to fall out of her bed ☺️

https://regalo-baby.com/products/single-foam-bed-bumper

This post is sponsored by BabbleBoxx

Christmas came a little early to the Rankin Girls! They got to open their BabbleBoxx which was full of all kinds of age appropriate activities and toys for all of the girls!

First thing we got out was the Will You Be My Friend? Book, by Sam McBratney. Ari is in 1st grade and is absolutely in love with reading. She was really excited for this and has read it to her sisters a few times now. We also have the Guess How Much I Love You book, and this one is the sequel!

Click the link to shop!

Next was the Silly Skaters Unicorn Inflatable Ride-On Toy by Kid Trax. It is recommended for kiddos age 1-3. Sawyer is 1 and Chandler is 3, so they play on it together constantly. It has light up wheels when it moves, and it’s inflatable on top so it’s super comfy for them.

Ari especially loved the Grab-n-Go Conversation Cards / Let’s Jokes! / Let’s Think! / Let’s Talk! Set from Open the Joy! She has been telling jokes all day and night! I personally loved the Let’s Talk set, because it got me asking her questions I didn’t even know the answers to! They were easy for Ari to read too, which made it even more fun. These would be great stocking stuffers!

Chandler and Ari were so intrigued with the Baby Alive Tinycorn Doll. They thought it was hilarious that you could feed the baby a bottle like a real baby and then it would also use the restroom in its diaper. The girls laughed and laughed and changed their baby, while I was changing their baby sister. So much fun!

Click the photo to shop!

Next up was the Box of 4 Assorted Soaps from the Best-Selling Kids Collections and Hand Cleansing Spray from Beloved Bath. This one was super special to me because they hire people with Autism to work there! My career has been in working with individuals with special needs, so this warms my heart!

Enter the code “babbleboxx” at checkout and save 15% off your entire order now through December 20, 2020. Limit one per customer. Click to shop!

Lastly was the activity Play On! from Bay Area Children’s Theatre. Ari was setting it up for “snowball soccer” and then afterwards they also used the snowballs for their own snowball fight! We were so thankful for some screen-free fun!

Use code ADVENTURE10 to get 10% off all Play On! orders. Click the photo to go to the website!

If you have any questions about the above products, I would be more than happy to answer them for you!! You can comment here, or email me privately and I will get back to ya as soon as possible!!

Last weekend, I took my oldest two daughters and a girlfriend of mine to Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center in Nashville, TN. It is about a 3 hour drive for us from Louisville, so it was the perfect road trip for us! They are starting their kickoff to Christmas festivities and I literally could not wait to attend! They have everything from snow tubing, to Christmas Carols, to the indoor event “Everybody loves Christmas Movies” where they feature some of the best Christmas movies! There is truly something for everyone here whether you are 3 or 103.

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There are a couple different room options at Gaylord Opryland. We personally went with the atrium view room and I would highly recommend this. It was so cool to be able to sit on our balcony and eat breakfast while we watched people come and go. It was like an entire little town below our balcony! Our room had two queen beds which was perfect for the 4 of us. It also had a desk and chair inside so someone could sit in there and eat if they did not want to eat on the balcony.

The first day we arrived to Opryland, the girls wanted to go straight to the indoor water park, Soundwaves. This place was INCREDIBLE. It was freezing outside, but we got to put our bathing suits on and head to the 84 degree pool deck! They had cabana rentals, a full restaurant, waitresses taking orders from your lounge chair, water slides, a lazy river and SO. MUCH. MORE! The girls were in heaven! They also had life jackets and towels you could use for free, so we didn’t have to worry about packing those! There were a ton of different levels to the water park, so there was something from every age kiddo! They had a shallow splash pad for toddlers, then a medium size water park for kids probably 3-8 and then huge water slides for the older kids! The girls beg to go back here at least once a day now!

Once they were finally done at the Waterpark, we went back to the room and cleaned up for dinner and then the Christmas festivities! We had dinner at the Cascades American Cafe, where they had lots of options for the kids. They colored and chilled out while we were there! After that, we headed across the street to where the kickoff to Christmas was beginning. We got to listen to live music and watch an ice skating show, while sipping some hot chocolate. Quite a different experience than being in the 80+ degree pool!!

Next we went ice tubing and I think the girls could have done that 100000 times each. They laughed and giggled like I have never heard!! They had such a great time and I could tell were truly enjoying every second of this trip! There were huge decorations, huge lit up Christmas trees, I mean the decorating here was magical, even for me as an adult!

Next we headed inside to the I Love Christmas Movies tour! We got to tour replica sets from movies such as Christmas Vacation, Elf, A Christmas Story and more! It was like we were at the actual place these movies were filmed, and it was SO much fun to see!!

If you are close to the Nashville area, and even if you are not, Gaylord Opryland at Christmas time is a 100/10, must see! It was a truly wonderful experience and we already can’t wait to go back!!

My girls have always been really into brushing their teeth. The dentist is another story but I’ll save that for another day. Ari is 6, and she is very particular about the flavor of her toothpaste. She cannot stand the minty flavor, and it has to “taste good” or she will NOT use it! I did some research and found Grin Natural, who has an entire line of dental care products! I absolutely love that they use all natural products and include NO sodium lauryl sulfate, NO added sugar, NO preservatives, NO artificial colors, NO artificial flavors, NO fragrance and NO harsh abrasives. This is super important to me as a mom of three! Finding products that are safe and effective for my girls is number 1.

So after reading about their products, I let the girls pick some things out from their website. Although my girls already love brushing their teeth, I loved that we could still make it even more fun! They picked out a brushing chart that has stickers for morning and night. Once they finish brushing in the morning, they get to add their sticker! It is fun for them, and a great way for me to remember if they’ve already brushed or not!

They also picked out some new toothbrushes, floss and toothpaste. The thing I really love about their floss, is that it comes in a neat little storage container and all of them are individually wrapped. They are also biodegradable. I mean they have truly thought of everything!!

They have gift sets available and I personally grabbed a few for my friends! I always try to get people a want, a need, and something to read! This would be a perfect addition to the stocking this Christmas season! I will attach the link here so you can see all of the fun products they offer!

https://grinnatural.com/collections/all-products-toothpates-and-toothbrushes

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Well if you know me, you know I have a serious love for McAlister’s Deli! I was in a wedding over the weekend, where the Father of the Bride gave a speech. He joked about how the bride and I once went to McAlister’s 20 times in one month. TWENTY. Like 2-0. Haha. He asked “How is that even possible??” But McAlister’s has SO many options, there is literally something for everyone. They have a few fun events coming up that I wanted to share with you guys, so you can try and love McAlister’s Deli as much as I do!

McAlister’s Deli is hosting its popular annual Kids Eat Free event From Friday, October 30- Sunday, Nov. 1, 2020

• In Restaurant: The Halloween Kids Eat Free offer is valid in-person for kids 12 and under wearing a costume with the purchase of an adult entree. And,when placing an order online, each guest will receive one free kids meal with the purchase of an adult entrée when they use promo code FREETREAT20, rewards members only. Additions to kids meals will be charged. Only items from the Kid’s Menu apply. The Kids Eat Free offer cannot be combined with any other offer and there is no cash value.

• McAlister’s will also have another Halloween treat for guests this year with its Halloween social sweepstakes (for kids 12 and under) where four lucky guests will win a month’s worth of free kids meals! To enter for the chance to win, parents or guardians can post a picture of their child (12 and under) on Instagram, Facebook and/or Twitter wearing a costume and use the hashtag #McAlistersHalloween. All entries must be posted by 11:59 pm on Sunday, 11/1 for consideration. Remember to sign up for the Rewards program! It is free and easy!

McAlister’s Deli National Sandwich Day Buy One, Get One

• What’s better than one McAlister’s delicious hand-crafted sandwich? TWO McAlister’s hand-crafted sandwiches - one for you and a free one for you to share with a friend or family member! In honor of National Sandwich Day, all McAlister’s Rewards members will receive a Buy One, Get One Free (BOGO) Sandwich reward in their account under My Rewards (Special Offers). The BOGO free sandwich offer will be deposited into rewards accounts on 11/3 and will expire on 11/17/20. Be sure to check out https://www.mcalistersdeli.com/ for more information and to check out their entire menu!

Should you need any recommendations, I would love to share a few of my favorite items!

• The broccoli cheddar soup. Get it, you’ll love it.

• The Spicy Southwest Chicken Sandwich. It certainly has a kick to it, but it is SO good!

• The Chipotle Chicken and Bacon Spud. It pretty much speaks for itself. All of their spuds are delish though!

• Lastly, don’t forget a cookie. They are soft and chewy and amazing!

Truly, you cannot go wrong with their menu. I can’t wait to hear what you get and what you think!! Be sure to comment what your favorite item from McAlister’s Deli is!

I wanted to share a few of our favorite shots from our beach session! We went to Orange Beach, AL in August and had the BEST time! On the third day I wanted to get some family photos taken. (I had booked these pretty much the moment our trip was booked), I figured by day 3, everyone had settled in a bit and we didn’t spend our last day fighting about getting dressed up. Believe it or not my girls have some STRONG opinions about clothes and if it is not their idea, it is often a battle.

So anywho- I booked Emily Jo Photography. She is based out of Mobile, AL but does some beautiful beach photos. I am not honestly sure how far her she travels, but I would book her again in a heartbeat. Here are some of our favorites from the session:

I liked that we did a lot of natural poses as well as some staged poses. We also did a big group photo at the end which I will cherish forever! You can never take too many photos, right?!

Is there anything better than laughing with and matching your babies?! Click the photo to shop some super cute matching (or non matching) hats!