8/10/11

Summer Essentials With Camila from Mattornety Life

Hello Lullaby Lubbockites! (Lubbockians? What is correct??) 

I am SO excited to have the chance to guest blog because LL is my inspiration for blogging and, let's be honest, mommyhood. I'm sure you all agree that Kristen and Allison are two of the cutest and craftiest and most fun-loving mammas you ever saw! 

A little about me: 



My name is Camila and I live in Atlanta, GA with my awesome husband Sean and my precious little boys Winlon (2 yrs) and Speight (9 mos). I work full time and try to maximize my free time with my family and friends. 

I love politics, cooking, crossword puzzles, reading, playing games, traveling, blogging, parenthetical asides (I even say "aside" to change course in the middle of a sentence while talking in real life), numbered lists, and being silly. I loathe (under-used word, no? I'm going for alliteration: love/loathe) celery, mean people and negativity, Jack Johnson (I know. I'm the only one in the world.), bad grammar, and bugs.

So these are my summer essentials. I am going to try not to do too many but when I'm excited I talk too much and I'M SO EXCITED to get to post on this awesome blog! 


1. La Croix. 



I know you are judging me just a little and that's OK because I was once like you. I mean I never saw anyone buy this at the grocery store except for ladies over 50 who, along with their cases of La Croix, also buy 3 different newspapers, a pack of menthol cigarettes, and cat food. HOWEVER my sister Caroline got me to try one and OMGeez these things are delish. It's summer and you know you need to hydrate more but regular water can get boring. So many flavors to try. It's bubbly and refreshing. My fav flavor is lime. Do it!! 

2. Swim Ways inner tube life jacket 


This swim jacket has been a life-saver. Winlon thinks he can swim. The fact that he absolutely cannot does not serve as any sort of deterrent to him. He will just run up to a pool and jump on in unless he is under constant and close supervision. Enter this swim jacket. He can pretty much do what he wants and never goes under. It is awesome and leaves my hands free for Speight who actually needs a little more hands on attention at the pool. I cannot say enough wonderful things about this swim jacket. And yes, I love it so much I bought it in pink because that was the only color left (I just tell people that it is a hand me down). 

3. Letting your kids stay up past bedtime.


*NOTE: I did not take this photo. But this is really what the fireworks look like on the National Mall. Put 4th of July in DC on your list of things to do with your family if you haven't already. AH-mazing. 

Maybe it's the Fourth of July and you want them to see the fireworks.

Or maybe you want them to discover lightning bugs in your backyard. Or just spend time with family and friends. Sure the next day will be hard for you their teachers at daycare, but isn't part of the fun of summer getting to squeal and delight deep into the night?

4. Simple summer meal 


I love to invent pasta dishes. A couple of summers ago, we invented Savannah Pasta. This summer, in honor of my little sister finding out she has Lupus and Minimal Change Disease we invented a low-sodium pasta called....Lupus Pasta! It is light and fresh, and quick and easy to make, so you can focus on having fun rather than cooking. And what is any good summer meal without a good summer dessert? Look no further than the Perfect Summer Cobbler. Seriously you can throw this together in a minute and let it cook while you eat, let it cool while you clear the table, and then DIG IN! 

*Note: Click on the hyper-links for recipes! 

5. Good, inexpensive white wine 



I enjoy a glass of wine and usually drink red in the fall and winter but when it starts to warm up it is white all the way for me! This brand, Kris, is really tasty and costs about $9 a bottle. Boom.

6. Outside bath for the little ones


We have a cabin in Florida that I grew up going to. It is super secluded and sits on a river. When I was little, my sisters and I used to get to take "River baths" when we would go down there. Winlon got to take his first River bath this past summer and it.was.awesome. This will be a must-do at least once every summer (while he's little...it gets awkward after a certain age).  No River nearby? Make your own with a water hose!

7. A good road trip with your summer music mix! 

Every spring I make myself a "summer mix" to get myself pumped for summer. The CD gets heavy rotation in my car and on my iPod during the summer. The music is fun and upbeat and only a little cheesy. It is essentially the perfect soundtrack for the inevitable summer roadtrip. What could be better?! I love a good roadtrip...the over-packing, stops at gas stations to stock up on junk food, playing games in the car or just daydreaming. And it doesn't hurt that a road trip is usually just to get you to a decent vacation!

*NOTE: Click on the hyper-link for my current summer playlist. 

8. Last minute friends for last minute plans. 


For me, summer is all about spontaneity. We are relatively new to Atlanta so this is the first summer where we have some "last minute friends." Last minute friends are those friends you're close enough with to call or text at 3 pm about grabbing dinner or coming over at 5 pm. I love last minute plans...where you think your day is going to be just normal but you end up with a crowd at your house shucking corn in the front yard! Sure it's chaotic but so much fun! 

Thanks so much for having me on your blog Kristen and Allison! I hope your readers will pop by my blog sometime and say hi! I am having so much fun making new blog friends! 

XOXO
Camila

6 comments:

Caroline said...

Yay Camila! Yay lupus pasta! What a great guest post!

The Crazy Castros said...

I LOVE Camila!!What a great and fun post!!!

Lifethrualinds said...

Love this post. So cute. I may have to try some La Croix and some Lupus Pasta since I try to be low-sodium too these days. Love you!

Olivia Howe said...

Yea Camila! Love it! I have never even heard of La Croix but if it is anything like Fresca (thank you Lindsay for introducing that one to me), I am in. Adding it to the grocery list...now

MC said...

Nothing screams America like the Fourth in our nation's capital. Great post with some fun ideas!

Anonymous said...

You're right: Last minute friends ARE the best!! :)

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...