© 2014 sarahfortune.

HELLO
Mom to Iris. Wife to Todd. Our little family lives at the foothills of the Ozark Mountains in Fayetteville, Arkansas. We love it here and I love sharing little bits of our life.

© 2014 sarahfortune.
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Health & Beauty, Skincare

Skin Care – An Update!

So for those of you following along, I wanted to give an update on my advanced skin care journey with NWA Center for Plastic Surgery‘s skincare center. It’s now been almost seven months since I started getting serious about caring for my skin. Since then, I’ve had dermaplane about once a month, Botox about every three months, various peels, and a new obsession with SkinMedica products. Once my skin had adjusted to my new routine, my esthetician introduced me to the Nordlys laser. I just had my third overall treatment, plus Fraxel laser on my nose, so I’m excited to share the end result once those treatments are complete! Spoiler alert – I can already tell that my overall complexion is smoother and brighter… stay tuned!

Food, Life, Sponsored

Annie’s Love

Spring has sprung, and so have our schedules. With our calendars in full bloom, our days are bustling from sun up to sun down. The older Iris gets, the busier our schedule gets and, of course I swear Iris is growing by the minute. That means not much time goes by without her tiny voice requesting a snack. Thankfully, as a long-time Annie’s fan, I have easy choices that I can feel good about. Whether it’s as soon as she gets home from school, during a back-yard picnic, or on-the-go, it’s comforting having snack choices that not only does Iris love, but that I know are better for her than many other options out there.

Available at Walmart, I was excited to see that Annie’s has an assortment of new treats. Located near the breakfast and snack bars, Iris is pretty keen on the new Organic Chewy Granola Bars. Since I already make a Walmart run at least once a week, I consider this a win-win.

I learned early-on to keep a packet of Cheddar Bunnies in my purse for any emergency grumpy situations that may arise, and now I’ve added Iris’ new fave (quite literally) to my back-pocket. This weekend we are going from work events, to play-dates, to the grocery store, so looks like another whirlwind of fun (and snacks) is in store!

This post is sponsored by Annie’s, a brand we have loved for many years.

Travel, Videos

California Bound!

As a parent, there’s nothing more fun than to surprise your kid with awesomeness. So when we booked a trip to California, we kept it a secret for a little while and told her that in two weeks, we’d be packing our bags and heading to the west coast. Our besties at the Loews Hollywood Hotel are hosting us and we’re going to explore Universal Studios while we’re there (Iris is a recent Harry Potter fanatic, so she’s super pumped). Here’s a little video of how we told her! She’s just starting to read, so I thought it would be fun for her to sound it. As for Cali – any other places we must visit? We can’t wait to explore!

Travel

TRAVEL LOVE: 21C Museum Hotel

Iris and I ventured just 30 minutes away from our home in Fayetteville and treated ourselves to a mini girls’ getaway right here in Arkansas. I’ve been dying to experience a 21c Museum Hotel since I first heard about them, so when they offered us a media rate to stay this past Saturday, I knew it was meant to be. Todd was backpacking through the wilderness for the weekend, so I thought Iris and I would have our own (much more comfortable) adventure. We were given the Kids Exploration Package, which included tickets to The Amazeum and even milk and cookies delivered to our room!

Speaking of our room, there were plenty of restaurants and shops to walk to, but I would have been perfectly happy staying put right there for the entire time. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again… I’m a bit of a hotel snob. Through my work and blogging travel I’ve gotten to experience the best of the best and I’ve really grown to appreciate a good hotel.

The beauty of 21c is that the hotel also doubles as an art museum. There are things to experience and take in throughout the building, like our favorites – the huge green penguins that mysteriously always seemed to be moving around the property when we weren’t looking. There’s also The Hive restaurant and bar, which made a killer pomegranate lemonade for Iris and of course had plenty of wine for me. Our package also came with an I spy card, which was a nice way to explore the hotel with a kiddo.

While certainly tempted, we didn’t stay locked in our room the entire time. We had a lovely brunch and dinner just a short walk away, a fun-filled trip to The Amazeum, and of course we had take the short stroll on the Art Trail to Crystal Bridges. The entire weekend was perfect – the location, the weather, and of course the company. As sad as I sometimes get realizing how big my only “baby” is, it’s so amazing seeing her bloom into such a lovely girl and share experiences like this past weekend with her.

While I did pay a media rate to write about my stay, all opinions are all my own.

Life

Life Lately – April 2017

Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday. I’m not a fan of Wednesday. This week, like most weeks lately, I’ve been checking items off my to-do list. Including: getting my car serviced, getting my hair done, and getting my skin lasered. Lots of maintenance going on around here, but at least two out of three are ones I look forward to (hair and skin, duh).

Last week was of course equally hectic, but with a bit of excitement. I had not one, but TWO speaking engagements. The first was for the local chapter of PRSA (Public Relations Society of America). I talked about being a blogger/social influencer (gosh I really don’t like those terms, but there’s nothing else that captures what we do), as well as what it’s like to work with brands. My other presentation was bright and early on Saturday morning to a a funeral directing group. Hey, at least I’ve got range!

This weekend Todd is going on an overnight backpack trip into the wilderness with some of his best buds, so Iris and I get a girls weekend. I think we’re going to get a hotel nearby and have a mini-getaway just for something different. Speaking of Iris, she has a few exciting things in her life currently too. She has three loose teeth (unfortunately, one is wiggly thanks to a bad fall on the school playground), she is counting down the days to her favorite holiday – Easter, and she is becoming such a great READER! It’s so incredible watch her mind grow.

For now it’s off to bed, but I’ll leave ya with my new hair and fresh skin (I’m guessing you don’t care to see a picture of my oil change).