In partnership with Walmart. All purchases and opinions are my own!

Morning, friends! I’m currently sipping decaf coffee {not as fun- ha!} with the glorious tunes of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse in the background. Between bathroom redos and try-on hauls, I felt today was the perfect day for a chit-chat post. Monday through Thursday can always be a juggle of trying to balance schedules and work in between Maxi’s schedule, but I try to make Fridays a “Maxi day” where she picks what we do. So far, she has selected pancakes at a local breakfast spot and the park. Tomorrow, we’ve got two of my absolute favorite Christmas traditions. First, my friend, Cierra, has a December birthday. We all know that those can be hard to be lumped with Christmas as people are so busy. We do a traditional Christmas tea at a local hotel each December to celebrate her and honor her special day. Our moms grew up best friends in Oklahoma and so we all make an afternoon of it with her sweet sister. We are all friends, so it’s a fun afternoon of glamorous treats and fancy teas. Then, we have my best friend’s Christmas Party in the evening. Ashley throws this Christmas party each year with her husband and my favorite part about it {aside from the unreal food!} is the fact she is such a considerate hostess. She doesn’t just introduce you to someone you may not know and walk away. She will get a conversation going, tell you everything you have in common with the other person, and so on. I think her Christmas parties started 5 or so years ago, and in that time, I have felt like her friends have become my friends. It’s a gift that honestly, I need to have her do a Q&A on for the blog with hosting. I’ve never seen someone be able to connect people in a room as well as she does.

This week we started talking about larger family cars, and I took to Instagram to talk to you all about that. I have an SUV but it is on the smaller side on the inside. A few of my friends who have the car keep telling me that they have toddlers and newborns and it is way too tight of a fit. We also need above-head rear air because Maxi gets car sick and the bottom air just doesn’t cut it in the SUV with her car seat. Poor baby! I’m not even sure if I’ll sell my car and get a different one for baby #2, but in true Enneagram 1 fashion I have to start making a spreadsheet 6 months in advance of a decision. ha. I asked you all on Instagram about cars that fit those requirements but weren’t too big. I’m 5’3″ and some huge SUVs can be intimidating for me. Y’all, I got close to 5,000 detailed responses. Not even joking. Who needs Google when you’ve got girls to poll. ha! I spent the week reading each one, making notes, making a spreadsheet, and it was beyond helpful. If you shared in that poll on Monday, thank you so much! I was really able to narrow down what I’ll test drive because although some SUVs may be a perfect size and offer captain chairs and ample trunk space if we don’t have that top rear air it’s a no-go. Trust me on this. Driving in Texas summers and a toddler that gets car sick = I’ve washed a car seat more than I can ever handle again. haha.

I’ve also been working in clothing that fits the new bump! I’ll definitely do a post on maternity-friendly options as we get further along here, but I didn’t realize just how “in” cropped sweaters were until now. So many don’t work with a bump and I’ve been sorting through my closet finding the best options I’ve got. Now, let’s talk about these jeans. I made a big Walmart order to find some pieces that would work and these jeans were the best. I texted all my friends in their first trimester and said they had to get these. I sized up for bump but get your true size. The waist has stretch, but these don’t get loose, which can be an issue with stretch jeans. They are a TRUE skinny jean remaining fitted from thigh to ankle and at 5’3″ I love the crop. Normally, I’ve got to roll jeans or get them tailored and these are the perfect length. I could rave on them for even longer, but I’ll spare you. I’ve also shared the brand Scoop from Walmart and how you can’t miss it. Side note, I feel I need to make a post on my favorite fashion brands at Walmart. Would that be helpful? Scoop has really fashion-forward pieces that feel far more expensive than they are. I got this houndstooth sweater for the holidays and plan on wearing it tonight for a date night with Paul. Get your true size in it!

What are your weekend plans? Are the holiday plans in full swing or will things get a bit crazier for you next week?! Thank you as always for reading and for being such a highlight of my day!