© 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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Life, Rosemary Beach, Travel

Rosemary Beach, Florida 2019

I feel like such a grown-up saying that we just went on our SIXTH annual trip to Rosemary Beach, Florida. I didn’t grow up going on the same family vacation year after year, so it feels extra special to be able to create these ongoing memories with Iris as a family. It almost feels like a piece of that place belongs to us.

Once again, we were lucky enough to have the Gundersons from Kansas City travel with us, along with some first-timers, the Hobbs who live in Boulder, Colorado. While we visit the same beach town every year, we’ve never stayed at the same house twice. I would be tempted to break that tradition though, because this was by far the best house we’ve stayed in. Not only was it huge (three stories!) with lots of room so we never felt crowded, but it was a one minute walk to the beach and our favorite pool.

Here are some photos from our trip to Rosemary Beach and surrounding towns… And you better believe we’ve already booked for next year. We ended up choosing a different house, but it’s right around the corner from our recent one and has its own private pool. There’s no bad spot in Rosemary, but it sure is fun trying to find the best.

Home, Sponsored

Introducing Home Made Simple – Plant Based Cleaning Products


This is a sponsored post, but all opinions are my own.

As a mom, two things in my life are guaranteed: I will always love my kid unconditionally, but I will be forever cleaning up after her. In my home, I feel like I’m constantly either things tidying up or wiping things down. It’s a daily struggle, but as Iris grows she’s becoming responsible for helping out more around the house. That’s why I was excited to see Home Made Simple – a new collection of cleaning products available at Walmart. Not only are the products plant-based (so I feel comfortable with their use around Iris), but they really work. From the lavender laundry detergent to the rosemary scent multi-purpose cleaner, there are options for every room that get rid of the everyday grime that comes with a seven-year-old.

The recent celebration of Earth Day was a good reminder that we should we aware of not only the ingredients in our cleaning products, but also what the actual bottles are made of. I was happy to learn that not only do Home Made Simple products contain no phosphates, gluten, parabens or dyes the ingredients are biodegradable, and the containers themselves are made from recycled materials.

Products that work – without the worry, I call that a mom win-win.

Home Made Simple’s line of plant-based cleaning products are now available in store and online at Walmart.

Rosemary Beach, Travel

Summer Ready!

I look forward to May every year… and finally it’s here! We’re about to embark on our sixth annual Rosemary Beach trip and I couldn’t be more excited. It’s one of those places you just fall in love with the very moment you arrive and we still experience that same feeling with each trip back. We’re renting a house that we’ve never stayed in before, so even though we visit the sleepy little beach town each year, we like the experience of staying in a different spot each time we return. Be sure to follow along my Instagram for updates on the road!

Health & Beauty, Sponsored

Spring Ready!

I am participating in an influencer program on behalf of Claritin®. This program is paid for by the makers of Claritin® and I have received compensation for my participation. All opinions expressed are my own.

Growing up, I (thankfully) never had to deal much with allergies. Maybe it was because of where I lived, or maybe I was just really fortunate; but ever since I moved to Arkansas over a decade ago, that all changed.

And now with a seven-year-old, I’m helping her manage seasonal allergies as well. Thankfully, we have discovered Children’s Claritin® at Walmart, the #1 pediatrician recommended non-drowsy oral brand of allergy medicine.

It’s cliche, but once you become a mom, you realize how strongly you care about your child’s health and happiness. When it comes down to it, that’s all that really matters. And with Children’s Claritin®, children are provided with 24 hours of relief from runny noses, watery eyes, and itchy throats. And if your kid is anything like mine (very picky when it comes to medicine), there are three different kinds to choose from: Claritin RediTabs® for Juniors (dissolvable tablets that melt in their mouth, appropriate for children ages 6+), Children’s Claritin® Syrup (grape flavor – Iris’ favorite, for ages 2+), and Children’s Claritin® Chewables (available in grape and bubble gum flavor, also for ages 2+).

And if you’re a new mom (or even an experienced one), make sure know you about the Smart Allergy Mom Toolkit® which is from the makers of Children’s Claritin®. It has everything from the pollen count in your town, to helping you figure out the difference between a cold and allergies. Their website also has a $3 off coupon for Children’s Claritin® at Walmart, so scoop that up while you’re at it! Pro tip: We also travel with allergy medicine since you never know how the little one will react in new environment.

Here’s to being able to play outside with your kid as spring rolls in!

Travel

TRAVEL LOVE: Graceland

Special thanks to Graceland for providing us with a few tickets!

On our way back home from our Thanksgiving trip to Nashville, we planned an overnight layover in Memphis (my hometown!). And to Iris’ delight, we stopped by Graceland for the grand tour. Todd has a velvet Elvis hanging in his work room off the garage and, when Iris was just a little toddler, she asked who he was. Todd told her about Elvis and played his music for her. Then, of course, she became a Full House fan and we all know how much Uncle Jesse loves to talk about the King. I would tell her about how he lived in Memphis and that one day we would go and visit his house. She never forgot my promise and finally, after several years of reminding me, Iris finally got to see Graceland.

Growing up in Memphis, both of my parents have stories about Elvis. I might not be remembering either 100% correctly, but from what I recall my mom once went on a date with his pilot, who took her aboard for a tour. They didn’t actually fly anywhere, but my mom claims to have picked up a pair of Elvis’ undies (just for a few seconds) out of the dirty clothes.

My dad, who joined us on our recent Graceland tour, shared a story I had never heard before. Apparently back in 1977 he was working, doing some sort of construction in Memphis, when somehow they accidentally knocked the power out to the movie theater next door. They got word that Elvis had rented out the theater that night to watch Star Wars, so they were working as hard as they could to get it back up and running. Unfortunately, Elvis never made it. The date was August 16, 1977.

What’s funny, is that even Todd has an Elvis story. When we first started dating he lived in Elvis’ old karate studio. There’s old footage of him kicking and chopping right where we used to spend a lot of time listening to music and hanging out with friends.

Visiting Graceland helps put those stories in perspective and remind me how cool it is to be from a place like Memphis. Most native Memphians, including myself, will tell you that if you live in Memphis there are two places you never go: Beale Street and Graceland. It’s true that mostly tourists visit those spots, but each holds so much history. It was pretty spectacular walking through the time capsule that is Graceland… Seeing home videos of Elvis swimming in his pool and then seeing his grave right by it. Lisa Marie’s baby bracelet. The tiny halls that make you realize how crazy our house standards have become. The dim kitchen that was probably fabulous for its time. And of course, the Jungle Room. It was pretty awesome to share this experience with my family.