My nine-year-old daughter Anna Claire and I have wanted to visit Restoration Hardware and its cafe. Today we were in Nashville, just the two of us, which is rare. We typically have my spirited five-year-old with us too. It seemed like the perfect day to treat my big girl to this experience.
From arrival to the end, we felt so special here.
We had already had a good lunch so we were just wanting to have coffee and tea in the cafe and then explore.
A hostess greeted us, and immediately made us feel at ease. There wasn’t a table available, and a 30 minute wait, so they gave us the option to put our name down for a table and wait, or take a to-go cup upstairs to the roof. My girl had wanted the formal tea service, but decided to go ahead to the roof so we could have time to shop afterward, so that’s we we did.
(I have to add that even the paper cup of tea felt special because it was served with the cutest jar of honey!)
The elevator, Anna Claire declared, was the nicest one she had ever been on, and the stunning chandeliers and light fixtures throughout the entire building we keep you saying, “Wow!”
You absolutely have to see the roof! My daughter immediately declared that “THIS is how to live!” Everything is furnished beautifully, of course, and there were many fountains and foliage that made it feel extra special. I didn’t think the roof would be an option for us on this rainy day but we got lucky because it had stopped briefly for the time we were there.
When we got back downstairs, I checked to see if by any chance there was a table available, and she told us one of the better ones was! We got couches!
From here, our minds were blown at the attention and awesome service we received. We explained to our waitress that my daughter had wanted the tea service, but there was no table when we arrived. She asked what kind of tea she had, and came right back with the tea service and also brought us chocolate chip cookies. The cookies were huge and still warm, right out of the oven. And Anna Claire’s tea was jasmine silver needle which tasted just like my jasmine essential oil! It was the neatest thing.
This is such a special experience that I absolutely recommend for mommy/daughter bonding. Followed by shopping at Green Hills mall, of course.
Madeline spotted this little friend yesterday in a shop and her Daddy and I both gave her the “you have so many stuffed animals already talk.”
But then…we saw her hide the toy under the other stuffed animals she said “so no other child could find her.” She came home and counted all of her change, $4.07, and presented it to me as an offer for her unikitten. She came up to me several times last night and said she couldn’t stop thinking about the unikitten. Then this morning she said she had a dream about unikitten.
And as you can see, today she is now the proud owner of this “very rare animal.” It is pretty cute. 😊
My oldest, Anna Claire, had two of her Harry Potter box set stolen out of her cubby at school. She loves reading HP more than anything right now. I was able to find both at McKays and use a credit I had from where I sold books a few months ago. I also grabbed a Barefoot Contessa cookbook for her. She’s my ten-year-old foodie and chef mini.
My youngest baby, Madeline, loves watching nursery rhyme videos on YouTube with her daddy. The Ugly Duckling and The Gingerbread Man. I found both at McKays plus a collection with Humpty Dumpty, another fave. I found a Barbie and Pinkalicious Collection too. And I remembered her saying she was sad that we can’t find Little Einstein’s on tv anymore so I was excited to find a dvd of one of her favorite episodes there too.
It is truly a treasure trove at McKays. My girls were over the moon. I love finding things to surprise and delight them and I’m overjoyed that books bring them so much happiness.
My school was greatly impacted this week by the sudden loss of a well-loved teacher, Kenna Robards.
I have read many touching descriptions of Kenna by her students, close friends and co-workers.
Although I didn’t know her as well as some, her spirit continues to inspire me as the words “live life to the fullest” have echoed in my mind all week long – every time her name is mentioned or I come across one of the many pictures of her shared by those who loved her on social media.
Kenna did live life to the fullest. One friend shared that Kenna “did more in a day than most people do all week.” She showed up for her students in a big way, attending their basketball games, plays and more. She was always willing to step up and volunteer.
I know that as she watches over us, she would want us to live life BIG, just like she did. As I read the synonyms for the word “vibrant,” each one fit her to a T: enthusiastic, spirited, lively, full of life, energetic, sparkling, dynamic, passionate, determined.
Kenna was larger than life. To know her, was to love her. She would light up a room, and not just some days. She was a big personality and in the best possible way.
While I am almost old enough to be her mom, she always made me feel special, just like she did everyone. Her last words to me were that I was a great role model and she always told me I was a good mom. She did that for everyone: made them feel loved, supported, included, special.
Kenna helped me keep up with the times. She taught me how to Snapchat and I did my first Snapchat post with Kenna.
She was a treasure at my school and if I am heartbroken over this young person I adored, I can only imagine the impact this must be having on her family, close friends, her current students and teachers on her hall. My love especially extends to you all.
We had the best experience at Soundwaves. And it wasn’t just the water park. Everything about our stay was satisfying from customer service when we arrived, to our fancy schmancy hotel room to enjoying walking around the beautiful hotel grounds.
She was hoping there was a Starbucks!
When you book your package, you can request early arrival, which we did, and they will hold your bags and let you go ahead to the water park while they are preparing your room. They text you when your room is ready.
You will need to pay $32 for parking and it is only $8 more for valet.
We thought ahead and packed a pool bag with everything we would need and had our swimsuits on under our clothes. You won’t need beach towels; they provide them for you!
Once your room is ready, you can grab your bags, get your bearings and go back to Soundwaves if you want. We took everything to our room and checked out our digs, then spent another hour on the lazy river at Soundwaves.
Cuteness overload!
In addition to the lazy river and a traditional pool, Soundwaves offers something for everyone in the family, from a gentle toddler area, to a more daring kid area with climbing and an obstacle course, to surfing and super fast water slides.
We recommend locking up valuables in your room. Lockers cost $12 in the Soundwaves area.
As far as food, we didn’t go there, but it was nice that they had Decibels restaurant inside Soundwaves. It looked cool if you wanted to grab a bite without worrying about drying off and changing clothes. You could just eat in your swimwear.
They don’t allow you to bring outside food into Soundwaves. We did bring lots of snacks with us on the trip and made frequent visits to our room to consume them and save money.
If you are on a budget like we were, the pizza place located in the Delta was yummy and a good deal. It was $4 for a big slice, which was enough to fill me up. Pizzas are cooked in wood fired ovens and it was great because pizza is a favorite food of my picky eater who is five.
We did splurge on room service. Our girls begged for desserts from room service. My big girl devoured the tiramisu and my little one turned the creme brûlée over to me after trying one bite. It was amazing.
Booking your stay. You will need to book a hotel room or a party room to do Soundwaves. Check out all deals available. My daughter wanted family time instead of a party, and really wanted to stay at the hotel anyway. I didn’t look into the cost of booking a party room, but it is an option to consider.
When I booked there was a Soundwaves package, and when you go to the website for Soundwaves/Gaylord Opryland, you will most likely end up on Marriott Bonvoy website since that is who you will book through. I was able to find a teacher discount just by doing a google search, and if you live in Nashville/Davidson county they offer a special discount. Be sure to follow Gaylord Opryland on social media. They post offers and discounts there.
Another way we were able to get a better rate was by being flexible with the date we chose. Please do this. There can be a $200 or more variance in cost from one day to the next.
We went for my oldest daughter’s birthday and booked the for the end of our spring break. Her birthday is in June and we just went so that tells you we were extremely flexible. Waiting until June would be a) peak season, and b) have costed three times as much. When I pulled up their rates calendar where you can see prices for each day of the year, that date was the lowest, so we jumped at it. An example of the rate calendar is below.
Get approved for the Marriott Bonvoy credit card for $200 credited back. Be sure and read the fine print: we had to use our debit card initially for the deposit, then they transferred our balance to the Bonvoy card upon arrival at the hotel.
And if you use my referral link, you can earn 3 free nights, if you spend $3000 with your card the first three months. We were able to do this easily just by putting all of our expenses on the Marriott card during that time.
Water = cold. Soundwaves is a warm 86 degrees!Bring sunscreen. Both girls got a little sunburned.They loved exploring the hotel as much as Soundwaves
Human dryer! So cool!
Edited to add (9/20/19):
We just booked our SECOND stay at Opryland Hotel this year, and it was FREE with our Marriott Bonvoy points! We will go this weekend for Madeline’s birthday. She picked to go to Soundwaves instead of having a birthday party! 🙌🏻
I had been wanting a rewards card for awhile, and after doing lots of reading I settled on Bonvoy. Not only did we quickly earn points for two free nights at any Marriott (and Opryland Hotel is owned by Marriott 🤓) they also gave us a $200 rebate from our stay for AC’s birthday.
We earned the $200 rebate by putting our first Soundwaves stay on the Bonvoy card. I was skeptical but sure enough, the $200 was credited back to us on our next statement just as promised.
We earned the two nights by putting all of our monthly purchases on the Bonvoy card then paying it off at the end of the month. Sure enough, an electronic certificate appeared on my Bonvoy app for two free nights. This company is true to their word and I feel like a have made a wise choice choosing this card! Too good not to share!
If you use my referral link below, if you spend $3000 with your card the first three months you will get 3 free nights stay from Bonvoy. I earn points for each of you who get the card using my link. Win win!
We love Soundwaves, Opryland Hotel and Marriott!
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Earn a 3 Free Night Award with the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless™ Credit Card. I can be rewarded too if you apply here and are approved for the card. Learn More.
Sheerlume (aka “Spanx for your face”) is back in stock!
Dark circles? Age spots? Fine lines? Redness? Acne scars?
Just the tiniest amount lightens, tightens and brightens your whole face. I was skeptical when I first bought it but it really has evened out my skin tone and using this along with Frankincense has turned back the clock. My skin is smoother and younger looking for sure. I get nervous when I’m close to running out!
Most skin brighteners have hydroquinone or mercury (warning: heavy metal poisoning)as their active ingredient. Hydroquinone has been referred to as one of the most harmful ingredients used in personal care products.
Sheerlume is free of these. Like all other Young Living products, you can trust it to be plant-based, formulated with a blend of botanicals and pure essential oils including Royal Hawaiian sandalwood, sacred frankincense, vetiver, geranium and jasmine.
I have been rationing the small amount left in my jar and so thankful it is back!
As a Young Living member, you get 24% off this gem and all future YL purchases, and it only costs $45 for a membership. What I love is that with the membership is you will get the YL favorite, Stress Away essential oil. Become a member here, and be sure in the drop down menu to select “Basic Kit.”
We didn’t really have a clear agenda for today, but thought it would be fun to spend the day in Nashville. I have found that our best family outings are spontaneous and flexible, not locked into a schedule.
I also like packing a picnic lunch for us to save money, and when it’s nice out, it’s fun to eat outside at one of the local parks. Today was perfect for that. Madeline has so much fun helping me pack a bag of goodies for each of us.
We decided to try going to the Frist Museum first. The girls love the children’s art area and we haven’t been in almost a year. When we arrived there were two Metro buses that had just dropped children off for a field trip, and the lot was full.
We decided to go to Cumberland Park by the river and have our lunch first, then go back to the museum after the field trip kiddos had cleared out and the hopefully there would be parking.
This was the best plan and worked out perfectly. I think we all felt recharged after spending time by the water, taking in beautiful views of the Nashville skyline, and soaking up some sun and vitamin D.
When we arrived back at Frist we had our choice of parking spots and there were just a handful of patrons at the museum.
All four of us enjoyed doing art, especially watercolor! The girls enjoyed doing art with colored pencils, doing prints and had fun with lights, fabric and markers. We are so grateful for this program that is free for children under 18 and $15 for an adult. (Money saving tip: when you pay for admission, ask the museum employee for the museum patron parking discount. We only paid $4 and would have paid $20!)
We let both girls pick out a souvenir at the gift shop. Anna Claire picked a set of crystals and Madeline picked out a kaleidoscope that we could barely get her to remove from her eyeball to see where she was going. 😂
We trusted Siri to direct us with the best way to get home which ended up being Rosa Parks Blvd. It took us right by one of our favorite places, the Nashville Farmer’s Market. So of course we had to stop in to browse and get some Jeni’s ice cream.
Such a great day. We love Spring Break – an excellent prelude to summer.
Coming clean and sharing with the world that you are ready to make a major change for the better, should be a good thing, right? It should feel freeing, and alleviate guilt or shame you were feeling before the confession.
I had some well-meaning and respected others advise me to pull my recent post where I shared a real and raw truth that I was moving past in my own life. I did pull it – not because I wanted to – but out of respect for them. And it felt awful. It made me feel I had done something wrong. Even worse for a writer, it has made me feel censored and watched and under the microscope for any future posts.
Just as I was majorly second-guessing and beating myself up for my perhaps overly-honest piece, I was so inspired by an amazing sermon delivered by one of our pastors yesterday. I felt like it was just for me and so timely coming right off the heels of making a big confession in my own life.
One of the things he said was that we can either “acknowledge” what we’ve done “and find mercy, or we can hide.” Another friend encouraged me with these words, “When we keep the dark things hidden, it’s only then that they have power over us.”
Some said I was “brave” to share, and maybe so, but the intention was to release it so that I could finally be free of it, and hopefully give hope to others in a similar circumstance.
Bringing things to light, is not only ok, or just for certain crazy “brave” people who have “lost their ever-loving minds to share something so personal,” it’s also biblical. Something we should do.
Both of my girls played early morning soccer games this morning with temps here in Northern Tennessee in the 40s and wind that will cut right through you.
I had an impulse this morning to look and see if there was such a thing as oils for warming the body. I checked a couple of my essential oil references.
They both named the same five oils! Black pepper, oregano, rosemary, marjoram and juniper. One reference mentioned cinnamon bark and thyme as well, but I have found them to be too hot when applied topically so I steered clear of them all together. I opted not to use oregano either for the same reason.
The oils listed make so much sense because they all help the get the blood pumping which is what keeps us warm. They are known as rubefacient oils which are defined as “substances for topical application that produces redness of the skin (if not diluted properly) by causing dilation of the capillaries and an increase in blood circulation.”
I mixed them up, diluting well at 4:1 (four drops carrier oil for each drop of EO.) I’m calling this my “warm roller.” I applied it to my extremities – hands and feet. It smells herb-y and earthy.
Edited to add: I was concerned about experiencing redness to the skin or skin sensitivity sense a few of these are considered hot oils but had no issues. I was not as cold as I expected to be during the games which could be the oils or could be because I was prepared and layered well.
If you are new to oils, beyond curious and ready to dive in, the Premium Starter Kit is where to start. It has the 12 oils you will use the most often (including peppermint, lemon, lavender, Thieves, Digize, Peace & Calming, Valor, Citrus Fresh, Panaway, Stress Away, Raven and frankincense) plus a diffuser. Grab yours here.
My nine-year-old daughter Anna Claire and I have wanted to visit Restoration Hardware and its cafe. Today we were in Nashville, just the two of us, which is rare. We typically have my spirited five-year-old with us too. It seemed like the perfect day to treat my big girl to this experience.
Meet Unikitten.
Sheerlume (aka “Spanx for your face”) is back in stock!
We didn’t really have a clear agenda for today, but thought it would be fun to spend the day in Nashville. I have found that our best family outings are spontaneous and flexible, not locked into a schedule.
Coming clean and sharing with the world that you are ready to make a major change for the better, should be a good thing, right? It should feel freeing, and alleviate guilt or shame you were feeling before the confession.
Oils for warmth. 🔥
Essentially Better Living 