Blogging Archives - Small Things Are Big Things

May 18, 2016 by: Kara Noel Lawson

Mother’s Day on the Cover of the OC Register

I was surprised (and thrilled) when I started getting texts and snaps from friends early Mother’s Day morning. (Including great bloggers like her, her, and her.)
Why? Well, I was on the cover of the OC Register!
What!?!?

OC Register Mother's Day close up cover
My aunt had seen a request for unique OC Moms in her Facebook feed and sent a email about me.
That was pretty cool in itself.
A few days later I had a pleasant phone conversation with Marla Jo Fisher and a photoshoot with pulitzer prize winner Cindy Yamanaka. I knew the article was coming out on Mother’s Day but had no idea it would be on the front cover. I thought it would be in the local section.
Eeeek!
I felt like a celebrity when the (awesome) childcare worker at the YMCA recognized me!

OC Register Mother's Day Cover OC Register Mother's Day flower crown OC Register Mother's Day front page OC Register Mother's Day close up cover OC Register Mother's Day snap chat

The OC Register featured 4 incredible moms on Mother’s Day. (Read the online version here.)
The Register chose to highlight ordinary moms. You don’t have to become super mom to make your child’s life magical, you already are a super mom to your kids and their childhood is already magical just the way it is!
I think Fisher says it best, “…mothers often tap into an energy that’s unique between parent and child. Sometimes, that energy can lead to big changes.”
Yep! Small things can make a BIG impact.
Always.

Now I’m going to go watch Mary Poppins… because she really is magical.
I would choose to be Mary Poppins over Super Mom any day of the week.
Wouldn’t you?

Even without a cover of the OC Register, my Mother’s Day was lovely.
Homemade cards.
Church.
Wahoos for lunch.
New perfume.
And an epic hike. (Which will get it’s own post soon!)

Homemade Mother's Day cards

November 24, 2015 by: Kara Noel Lawson

Moonlight Madness at Outlets at San Clemente (Deals, people!)

You guys!

I’m obsessed with the Outlets at San Clemente! Seriously. We went to a family blogger event at the Tommy Hilfiger store last weekend and the whole store was 40% off.

THE WHOLE STORE!
So you look at the tag… $40 for a girls dress… turns into $24!
It’s H&M prices for Tommy Hilfiger quality.

I got the CUTEST Christmas dresses for the girls. See…

Brad and I got new jeans.
It was time.
It’s official, we are past the Hurley stage.

In the middle of the big courtyard is a giant christmas tree. Perfect for your Midnight Madness shopping photo ops… or in our case… a visit with Santa.

We were so impressed with the Outlets that we came back that evening and got Brad a BUNCH of new work clothes at Van Heusen ($12 long sleeved dress shirts!!) and $7 dressed for the girls at H&M.

And we know what to get Tess for Christmas…

I love that the Outlets at San Clemente Moonlight Madness starts on Thursday night. You can enjoy the feed-fest with your family then walk off the pumpkin pie at the Outlets and finish all your Christmas shopping.

Visit their site for all the details but here are the Cliff’s Notes and prizes:
OPEN 8 PM ON THANKSGIVING DAY FOR 26 HOURS
Thursday, Nov 26, 8 pm – Friday, Nov 27, 10 pm

See you there!

Black Friday, November 27, 1 AM – 8 AM
Moonlight Madness Prizes (see the full list here)Visit the Center Court Stage at select times to receive special gifts for your Moonlight Madness purchases. (Receipts must be from 11/26/15 – 11/27/15 and can only be used once. Some restrictions apply. While supplies last. Quantities are limited.)
1 AM – Celebrate Columbia Sportswear Company’s 100th store with a Columbia Cinch Bag to the first 100 people. No purchase necessary.
2 AM – $25 2XU Gift Card to the first 100 people with more than $150 in receipts.
3 AM – $15 New Balance Gift Card to the first 50 people with more than $100 in receipts.
4 AM – Take some time just “four” you! Spend $150 or more and receive $20 toward a spa treatment at Laguna Cliffs Marriott Resort & Spa.
5 AM – Get ready for a morning run with Under Armour Performance Headbands to the first 100 people with more than $100 in receipts.
6:32 AM – Enjoy the sunrise with Sun Diego Boardshops Trucker Hats to the first 100 people with more than $150 in receipts.
7 AM – Wake up to the sweet sound of music with a pair of Nike Earbuds for the first 100 people with more than $150 in receipts.
8 AM – Pack your bags with a Tommy Hilfiger Duffle Bag to the first 30 people with more than $300 in receipts.

December 20, 2014 by: Kara Noel Lawson

CASHFLOW board game {…even more family arguments than Monopoly!}

{Disclosure: Many thanks to RichDad for sponsoring today’s story and encouraging me and my family to be financially savvy with CASHFLOW! Although this article is sponsored by RichDad, all my opinions are my own. What else can I disclose?… um… I never do posts about something I don’t like… ever. Oh and I cuss at my kids. Hope that covers all my bases. (smiley face)}

You all know that I have been doing some major life reflection since my mom died.
Today actually marks the two year anniversary of her fall… I can’t believe that two years ago I was about to embark on the crazy roller coaster of her coma and death. That sucked.

Something I’ve said over and over again is that I don’t want to be part of the “rat race” of daily life. That was one of the big reasons we started homeschooling this year. I used to be even more extreme – right after my mom died I was completely done with the rat race … I wanted to sell it all, buy an RV, and live off the grid with my family. But that’s crazy… though I still kinda wish we could do that.
True story.

Instead we opted to get our finances in order because things got crazy after we bought our house.
(yay for being debt free!)
And I have dreams of doing so much more.
I’ve always been the kind of person who thinks big. I fall asleep at night allocating the funds and imagining investments I would make if someone gave me 10 million dollars. (Yes, TEN million… that’s how big I think. And, yes, I know I’m crazy.) A clean 10 million would be enough for everything I want to do, with minimal effort. But 5 million would be good too. And 1 million would get me off to a good start. (Just throwing that out there to the universe… because you never know!!)

Just in case I’m not gifted a couple million dollars, I’m learning the basics about investing with a game called CASHFLOW.
It’s an intense game, but super fun!
Think Monopoly on steroids.

I think you’ll really like the game. The basics are simple: you start with a job in the “rat race” (doctor, janitor, teacher, etc.), and along with your job you get an income statement (this includes income, expenses and liabilities), then you are offered deals (big and small) as you move around the board. All in an effort to get out of the rat race and onto the “fast track.” Once you are on the fast track, the game continues with more deals and pitfalls.
Like I’ve said, it’s intense!

(Can we all just pray Cy is on the right side of the law!?!?!)

One of the reasons to play the game is to “learn why investment ‘risks’ aren’t so risky when you know what you’re doing.”
I love that! And the game’s creators should know! Robert T. Kiyosaki is the author of Rich Dad Poor Dad and Kim Kiyosaki is the author of It’s Rising Time. They are pretty amazing, check out his timeline about page. The Kiyosakis knows what they’re doing!

Another thing I love about the game is one requirement in the beginning is to pick, and write down, a dream. Your dream can be financial, (like earn a million dollars) or silly, (like own an alpaca farm). I can’t even begin to tell you how powerful that is to me! Writing down your dreams and claiming them is the first step to making your dreams come true.
We don’t think as big as we should.
And there are things we DON’T have in life because we haven’t asked.
I believe that with my whole heart.
And I want my children to believe it too.

If you think big, and have larger than life dreams (like me), but don’t want to practice with real money just yet, get CASHFLOW (here) at 10% off with the code: CASHFLOW

I feel like this is just one small way we can be teaching our children how to handle money properly!
Small Things are Big.
At least, that’s what I think.

November 5, 2014 by: Kara Noel Lawson

MilkSplash {my kids get a kick out of this}

My kids crack me up.
They are entertained by the simplest things! Right now they are getting the biggest kick out of MilkSplash.

MilkSplash is a zero calorie flavoring for milk, one squirt flavors a whole cup. I think the kids love it so much because they can put it in all by themselves – it’s not messy or hard to measure. Cy thinks he’s so cool, teaching Tessa how to use these things.

I’m cracking up right now, because I was taking pictures of Cy and thought it would be funny to have him teach Tess. Ha! Kids are so funny and I love the sibling relationships that are forming between them.

Right now their favorite flavor is to mix all the flavors.
Gross! I’ll stick with the Cocoa Loco!

Here is something fun to share…
Right now MilkSplash is having 2014 “Splash Off” recipe contest. A winner will get a $500 Visa gift card. (READ: Christmas is paid for!!) I am definitely going to enter!! And you should too! Wait… you totally shouldn’t enter and ruin my chance to win. Ha! Not really, if I don’t win the big bucks, then I would love for one of my friends to win. Use #MilkSplashRecipe when you enter!

Find MilkSplash on Facebook to get more details.

Disclaimer: I am a member of The Social Media Panel, LLC. who was given the opportunity to review this product. The brand or company has not influenced me in any way to provide any type of review other than my true and honest opinions. And I would never review something I didn’t like. I am disclosing all information provided in this review according to the information provided in Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.

I think they would make an EASY stocking stuffer. Something fun, and unique… not a cheap-o toy you will end up throwing out a few days after Christmas.

July 29, 2014 by: Kara Noel Lawson

Let’s Talk Bums { Cottonelle wipes & dispenser}

We just finished potty training Tess. She was ready. We were ready. That was good!
It’s crazy to think this might be the last little person we potty train.
Boo.

We are pretty casual potty trainers. But I have friends who have been successful with the 3 day boot camp style, or by transitioning to cloth diapers first. However you decide to take care of the dirty business, one thing is the same – eventually you have to teach your little ones to wipe.
To me, this is way worse than potty training.
How much toilet paper do you use?
What’s a skid mark?
How do you know when you are done wiping?
Front to back. Always?
Always.
We opted for the flushable wet wipe option to get those sweet bums clean. I just found this one with an upright dispenser for Tess. I like it because the dispenser keeps the wipes wet even if little people leave the top open. (This was a problem for us with our earlier potty trainers.) We tell our littles to use one when they think they are done to get off any extras… ahem… and wouldn’t you know it? Skid marks are a thing of the past! Buuuut be sure your kids are ONLY using one per flush… the Cottonelle wipes are safe to flush (and for septic too) but lets not get cray.
And the Cottonelle dispenser doesn’t look obnoxious on your bathroom counter. See…

And yes, that is an In-N-Out Burger cookie jar on my bathroom counter.
And no, this shot wasn’t staged.
Our whole guest bathroom is an In-N-Out theme… and it’s fantastic!
I keep womanly things things in there for guests.

I even pop the dispenser in the car for any side-of-the-road potty stops.
(Find my favorite travel potty here!)

Give Cottonelle a try with this coupon!

Happy wiping!

Disclosure, yo: This post is sponsored by Cottonelle but all my opinions are my own. What else can I disclose?… um… I never do posts about something I don’t like… ever. Oh and I cuss at my kids. Hope that covers all my bases. Blarg.

June 26, 2014 by: Kara Noel Lawson

If it’s adding to the noise, turn off this blog

My husband and I given blood every 3-4 months since we got married in 2005… because I think it’s super important… everyone’s civic duty… like jury duty. Except that instead of waiting 8 hours in a room full unhappy people you get to give three people life AND get snacks afterward.
FREE SNACKS!!!
You should schedule an appointment right now.
Go.
OK, now that you’re back, I’ll finish my story.
So I’m the table giving life blood and the nurse keeps looking at me. I’m thinking that I must look shocking without my makeup on or that I have poop smeared on my shirt. She finally asked my parents’ names.
Um?… OK?
I told her and she said, “That’s it!! I recognized you from pictures your mother showed me.”
It turns out this nurse worked at my mom’s general practitioner over 5 years ago at an office that was over 40 miles away.
But she remembered my mom.
And loved her.
It’s crazy to me that I keep meeting people who have somehow been affected by my mom’s life. I have received cards in the mail from people I’ve never met, who feel compelled to tell me what a great person my mom was to them.
But I guess it’s not so crazy when I think about how my mom truly cared about people and lived the kind of life that touched everyone who came in contact with her.
It automatically makes me reflect on my life.
How could it not?
Are my actions, words, and blog posts adding to the noise?
Or are they loving, encouraging, and inspiring my friends AND strangers.
Now, I’m not saying that you have to be perfect, or “on” all the time.
I am saying that if you are genuine, if you love, if you have general goodwill for people, then being impactful will just come naturally.
Make sense?
It made me think of a song called “Adding to the Noise.” The lyrics say, “What’s it gonna take to slow us down to let the silence spin us around?… If we’re adding to the noise turn off this song.”
What does it take for me to slow down?
Silence spin around??
HA!
Often it feels like I can’t just “be” anymore. When we are watching TV and a commercial comes on, I pick up my phone and go on Instagram.
REALLY!?!?
Is it even possible for me to sit and be bored for like 3 minutes?
Apparently not.
But I want that.
I want my mind to be OK if I’m not being entertained.
What is adding to the noise in my life?
It doesn’t have to be something bad like a sin, just things that prevent me from the Small Things that really matter.
So I guess what I’m saying is, if there is “noise” in your life, turn it off.
Even if it’s this blog.

If its adding to the noise, turn off this blog.

April 19, 2014 by: Kara Noel Lawson

Dirty Side of Blogging

I really love blogging. This little space on the internet has put me on a path toward better business, amazing friendships, meaningful inspiration and most importantly this blog has helped me to share a message I’m truly passionate about.
Small Things are Big Things!
Sometimes I meet people in person for the first time and they think I’m really cool. Like WAY cooler than I really am. Don’t get me wrong… I’m nice, and I think I’m fun to be around, but I’m not cool. I’m not a fun hipster who spends her days experimenting with a DSLR camera and listening to vinyl records while wearing a vintage peplum blouse and reading poetry out of the 1950’s volume of My Book House to my my children. (Ok… I do that last one… you should too…My Book House, Volumes 1-12.)

Any-woo, I hope my blog and Instagram pictures don’t give the false impression that I have everything together all the time.

I’m not the only blogger who wants to shed light on the dirty side of blogging! One of my blogging friends Sharon from Cupcakes and Cutlery has this great series which shows the a perfectly set-up shot from a blogger, then what it looks like around the picture. It’s pretty funny. Sharon just featured this picture I posted for one of The Adopt Swap’s exchanges…

But if you want to see what is around this photo you’ll have to click over to her post! Enjoy seeing what my home looks like all day every day.

Sharon mentioned that I “probably” made the bookshelf in this picture… and I did! Ha! Thank you Cupcakes and Cutlery for sharing. You are awesome!

February 15, 2014 by: Kara Noel Lawson

Kleenex Necklace

My mom and I had a running joke before she died about making a Kleenex necklace.
After every sneeze she would go get a Kleenex, only to return to a kiddo who had wiped their boogers on their arm… or shirt… or the couch… or a sibling… you know, just being real.
She would say the folks at Kleenex should make a necklace for moms to wear so they would always have a tissue on hand for runny noses.
While the Kleenex necklace has never caught on, they have upped their chic factor with the Kleenex Style Studio.
Cute stuff.
Kleenex sponsored me to do a bit of styling for their new designs, so in honor of my mom I’m going to show how I use the new Go Packs ($2.99 for 8) around the house and out and about, so you will always have a tissue when you need it!

I keep one in the kitchen junk drawer. Can I just say that my junk drawer cracks me up.
I did not stage this!
Like 5 pairs of scissors (including a broken pair), glow bracelets, water balloons, pens, an ink pad, my ‘thank you’ stamp that I like to stamp on random things, broken stuff that need to be hot glued (I keep the hot glue gun in the back of the drawer), crochet hooks and a lint roller. We haven’t used that lint roller in at least 6 years. I even tried to throw it away after this picture but I couldn’t because if we ever do need it, I want it ready.
I’m insane.
Oh, and you can just see my Christmas flannel Pajamas that I wear year round.

I pop one in each of the kiddos’ backpacks. I’m not even sure they know they are there.
I should probably tell them.

I keep a Kleenex Go Pack in my purse too. I choose a bright color so I can find it fast.
Again, not staged. I took this after a trip through the McDonalds drive through for a Frape (those things are crack). Toys, receipts, cash, rainbow loom stuff and my red lipstick… which I wear everyday because it makes it look like I tried.
True story.

And I keep them with my Park Workout gear now because it never fails that snot is dripping into their mouths in the middle of a hard exercise.

This Valentines Day, I even included a stylish Go Pack with our teacher’s valentines!
Sticky note pads with “It’s well NOTED, you are a fantastic teacher!” written on them.
Simple.

The Kleenex Style Studio is sure to make your current tissue box eyesore fit into any home décor. Though, I guess I could single handedly try to get the Kleenex necklace fad to take off!
Me in my PJs with no make-up… you know, just being real.
You never know…

July 2, 2013 by: Kara Noel Lawson

Delivery Man Exclusive Sneak Peek

Watch the Delivery Man sneaky peeky, yo…

I’m not sure about you, but I love a good comedy.
I can really only do comedies.
I like to leave the movie theater happy.
Delivery Man looks like a funny flick – Vince Vaughn plays an underachiever looking for his purpose in life, when he finds out he’s fathered 533 children through anonymous donations to a fertility clinic 20 years ago. Now he has to decide whether or not to come forward when 142 of his children want to meet their biological father.
From what I can gather the movie isn’t just frivolous laughs, but explores what different families can look like.
I like that.

Find Delivery Man on Facebook and Twitter.
#DeliveryManMovie