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Re-socializing The Kids During a Pandemic

by Courtney El-Ghoul

Hi Everyone!

This post is something that has been weighing heavily on my mind for a while now. I want to talk about my feelings around and our approach to slowly resocializing the girls while still being as safe as we can during this pandemic.

Those of you who have been around for a while. you know that the girls are social butterflies and we try to keep them incredibly busy… to say the least. That being said, we have been and continue to, take COVID-19 very seriously and have had the girls home since the beginning of March. We are super blessed to be healthy and happy, and I do believe that the girls are handling this whole thing very well. I find myself thinking to myself all the time like…  my goodness, how resilient these kids are, it’s truly amazing. 

Dealing with COVID19 Quarantine

At the same time, while all of that is true,  I do see the negative impact starting to show. Not being around other children has been incredibly hard on them. During the first couple of months of isolating, I wouldn’t have dared to bring this up, but now we are six months in and I am noticing more and more signs that this is not good for them.

For example:  If we are on a neighborhood walk and we run into some kids they know or even just casually wave and say “hi” to a child that they don’t know while we are passing by it’s like they both try to recreate that moment for WEEKS. Every day after they will ask me… “Mommy, will we see that little girl again from last time on the walk? Maybe we should go the exact way we went and leave at the same time?” It’s like they are genuinely scared to miss any opportunity to see other kids. It is so sad to see how much they miss playing and seeing other children.

I know it’s hard for all of us, but for children, they really need the social aspect for cognitive development. It’s what makes being a kid so fun. Being carefree, meeting new children, playing freely together in the park, it’s all so important for their personal development. So as scared as I am of COVID I am also scared to raise children who aren’t developing healthily. So, I have been trying to slowly get them socializing again being as careful as I can. For me, I am acknowledging that COVID isn’t going anywhere, so we just have to make smart decisions, and follow the guidelines the best way we can.

What We Are Doing To Re-Socialize The Girls

First and foremost, playdates are with family/friends that we know are on the same page as us. I just started allowing the girls to play with kiddos whose families I know are being just as careful as we are. Last week we visited a close friend,  and my goodness the girls had the time of their lives. They played NON-STOP and didn’t complain once about being hungry or hot, you would have never guessed it was 100 degrees, ha. Normally, we would be able to share snacks and go indoors! It’s a whole new level of preparation. But, you know what, it’s not that bad.  This way the girls get to have a moderate sense of some normalcy. I mean for the past six months the only faces they’ve seen are mine and Khalil’s!!! It is so crazy when you think about it…

I guess what I’ve come to realize is that this is what is going to work for us as a family. To keep my kids happy and myself sane. We are human beings and we do need that socialization. I am 100% still social distancing and following the guidelines to flatten the curve and stop the spread of COVID. Point is, with a little extra effort, you can have a little quarantine pod so that socializing can be done safely.

We just started lessons. Such a nice distraction from this mess. The girls were obsessed!

What about you guys, how are you feeling? Are you allowing playdates?

I want to talk about going back to school with you guys as well. Working on a post on what we are planning…

XO

Courtney

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FeaturedLifestyle

Christmas in July: Customizing The Cutest Cards With Basic Invite

by Courtney El-Ghoul

Hi Everyone!

Okay, if you guys have been around for a while or even if you follow my daily insta stories, you know that we are super into Christmas, and let’s be honest… pretty much all holidays. So, it’s no surprise then that the girls started singing holiday songs at the beginning of June… I can’t blame them! I mean, amidst a pandemic thinking about the Holidays and future celebrations, in general, is a nice distraction for sure! Which totally inspired me for today’s post.

Creating Amazing Holiday Cards

So let me dive right into what I want to chat with you guys about today, Holiday Cards! You know, I love a good party, so with all this extra time on my hands, I figured maybe I should start planning early this year. Perhaps I will even send out two christmas cards? A “Christmas in July” if you will. I always love seeing family photos of friends and loved ones, and now more than ever I think it would be something really fun to do. Once I got started down the rabbit hole of cards I couldn’t stop. I even started designing the girls’ next birthday party card since they are determined that this mermaid theme is happening! I know things won’t be the same, but we can still celebrate with family. Heck, I even designed a BBQ invite, in the hopes we can have a small get together this summer with some family/friends. Life doesn’t have to stop, and we can take the opportunity to just get a head start designing the future instead of procrastinating until the last minute! I have definitely done that one before! 

Sooooo I came across Basic Invite, and honestly, I have had so much fun playing around with the different christmas party invitation template and other designs they offer, and ordering my samples to preview. They came super quick, and it was such an easy process.

What I love about Basic Invite

Here is a little background on the company. They are one of the few websites I have found that allow you pretty much, unlimited color options with instant previews online. Once you have your design, you can play around with the colors of each element on the card. I had so much fun with this feature! They have almost 200 color options, so I could get the cards to look exactly how I wanted them to. I LOVE that you can get a printed sample before you place the final order! Isn’t it the worst when you order like 200 cards and then when you get it, it’s not at all what you expected. Oh, and another thing I love, is that if I wanted something more festive they also offer foil cards, I love the rose gold option! Super pretty.

They also offer over 40 different colors of envelopes, so you can get that perfect match for your invitation. They are peel and seal, which is a must for me! I refuse to lick an envelope! Ha, it’s so gross, and now I just think of COVID!!!

Oh, and the icing on the cake is they have an address capturing service. You can share a link via social media to request friends/family’s addresses. This makes it so much easier during the design process, you can get the recipient address printing at no cost! No brainer for me. Check them out on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, & Twitter !

Anyway, I thought I would share my experience in case you guys want to get the ball rolling on ordering some Friends & family holiday cards 🙂

Basic Invite Coupon Code!

Right now Basic Invite is offering 15% off with coupon code: 15FF51 

Anyone else doing a Christmas in July???

XO

Courtney

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BeautyLifestyle

Eliminating Toxins From Your Beauty Products

by Courtney El-Ghoul

Hi Everyone! I am back with part two!!

This one is more recent, and I still have a lot of work to do, but I gotta say that so far everything I have tried clean ingredients-wise in beauty/self-care space has been AMAZING! Truthfully. Maybe I just got lucky with the brands I went with, but I have been super happy thus far.

I know this one is tough because we all have some trusted hair, makeup, and skincare products/brands that we have been loyal to for longer than we can even recall… But, it is so important!!! Honestly, when you think about it and do the research… your skin is the biggest organ you have… and we are just slathering it with these harsh chemicals on the daily!!! It’s so freaking scary!! Don’t even get me started on how they even get away with selling this crap, like… Tampax!?! It’s honestly so frustrating. But I guess just like with our food, medical care, pretty much everything in this world we have to take matters into our own hands and do the research. Anyway… I could go on a rant with that, but that probably wouldn’t be very useful to you. Back to the clean beauty recommendations… 

Note: I also want to mention that in comparison to what I was buying before, mostly everything has been pretty similar, if not more affordable price-wise than some of my older, less clean, products. 

Let’s dive into some of the stuff I have been using!

My Beauty Product Recommendations

Aunt Flo. I am so mad at myself for not doing this sooner… I recently made the switch to 100% cotton organic tampons. I am using Natracare, which you can get at whole foods, or via Amazon. Their products are perfume-free, chlorine-free, & biodegradable. This is something we are putting in our bodies monthly! It’s so disappointing to know that the brands we have trusted our whole lives have been so toxic and not transparent at all. Please, do your research, and make the shift! 

Toothpaste. I didn’t think I could do it, but I also got rid of my Sensodyne and switched to this Himalayan pink salt toothpaste from Rael. It’s fluoride-free with no harsh chemicals. I love it!! 

Deodorant. Right now I am either using Native or Schmidt’s. The deodorant takes getting used to but now it’s just routine for me. 

Collagen. Okay, honestly, this deserves a whole separate post… (note to self: write a whole post about this, ha) But, I want to mention it because this is newer in my beauty routine and I’ve already had to make a product switch out of fear of exposure to heavy metals in the powder form I was taking before. The brand I switched to is called Skin. So far so good, I have been taking it for about 6 weeks, and my skin feels more hydrated, nails are growing like crazy, even my eyebrow hair is growing. As it turns out, your body absorbs the liquid collagen over 95% better than the powder formula. Pretty cool 

Hair. I try to use all clean products for both myself and the girls. I recently started using this app called “Think Dirty” You can actually shop clean products and also browse to see which ones are not so great ingredient-wise. You can even scan the barcode with products you are currently using to see where they fall on the clean scale. Full disclosure: It will probably freak you out when you start looking!!! Yikes. So for the kids, I love The Honest Company  and Shea Moisture. For me, I recently switched over to  Dae hair by blogger @amberfillerup. No complaints here – my hair feels clean and strong.

Makeup. You guys know how much I love my makeup! There are still some things that I am just not ready to give up, but I am making baby steps. I have been trying to purchase and try out clean brands and some I love and some… I don’t. For the brands that I have tried that I will for sure keep using … The Lip Bar, beauty bakerie Coola, Tarte, and ilia. They are of high quality, long-lasting, and cleaner than some of the others I was using.

Sunscreen.  At this point, I only use Coola or sunscreens without parabens, reef-friendly, and zinc oxide free. I always check the ingredients for myself and the girls on this one. Coola is an easy go-to because I just order it online, via sephora and they have a spray-on version for the kids. 

Skincare. Again, this one I am working on. The Necessaire body collection is amazing, no dies, no parabens super clean. I love it! For masks, there are a ton of good ones. Summer Fridays, OLEHENRIKSEN and Origins have all made the final list for every skincare post I’ve done so far. 

Look, I know… I still have so many products that I could switch out. But, I am going to do it slowly, just like I said in last week’s post. It is a process, but doable.

 What about you guys? How do you feel about clean beauty products?

Likes, dislikes, brands you have been loving? Things you feel you can’t give up?

Would love to keep this convo going, I will of course continue to share new makeup/hair products I am discovering and loving!

XO 

Courtney

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LifestyleTwins

Part One: Reducing Household Toxins and Waste

by Courtney El-Ghoul

Hi guys! Okay, so I have been wanting to talk about the topic of eliminating toxins for a while. Making the changes has been a process, for sure. By this point, I feel like I can share with you all what I have done so far to change over my household to make it better for the environment and the health of my family.

Look, I get it, it is super overwhelming when you start thinking about getting into it. You feel like every day you read a new article about how straws are killing the ocean, hear a doctor on TV telling you that aluminum is poison, or see a meme shaming you for using single-use plastic. It can feel like no matter where you look there is someone who is telling you there is one more thing that is bad for you or the earth! You are probably just like… “Can’t I just drink my diet coke and not give up my Ziplock bags!?!” As a recovering die-hard diet coke addict, I feel you girl. I was the same way. Instead of getting overwhelmed, I just started changing things SLOWLY. I am so glad that I did. Now, I am nowhere near perfect. This is a long game, ladies. But I am committed to continuing to do better moving forward, and you can do it too! 

How I Started Reducing Toxins and Waste in The Household

For me it all started once I had the girls, so I am just about five and a half years into this journey. Honestly, I just wanted the best for them, and in turn, I realized if I am going all organic for them, why would I not do the same thing for the earth we all share, and for myself? So in the past five+ years, I have tried to do the best I can to eliminate things one at a time. If you try to go overboard and toss everything out at once you will go bananas, and it’s super wasteful! So, live it up with that last box of Ziplocks! Use those little bags like they are the last ones you’ll ever use… and then make them the last ones you ever use, ha. Slow and steady wins the race is my motto with this one. 

Let me break down some of the key things that I started with… 

Recycle. A lot of us are “wish-cycling” by just throwing it all in the blue bin and hoping for the best. Take a few hours on a weeknight or weekend and look up what actually gets recycled in your area. Make sure you’ve got the bins. Then set up an EASY system. The easier it is the more likely you are to do it. Master this… first.

Go organic. I know for a lot of people this sounds super expensive, and yes, some things are a bit more pricey but, I promise you that it’s not that bad. If you are scared of a potential increase to your grocery budget, start with just the “Dirty Dozen.” See how it impacts you and add in more from there. Grocery stores like Aldi and Trader Joes can make this MUCH easier and way more affordable

Cleaning Supplies. This is one area that I would say that if it is in your budget and you can toss your super toxic cleaning products and replace them, you should. Honest products are not super expensive (especially considering how infrequently we really need to buy these things. There are other options but these are really accessible and are a great place to start

Kitchen stuff. We switched to glass or stainless steel straws, reusable grocery bags, bamboo cutlery for packing lunches, and NO plastic bottles for water. I switched to the parchment paper as an alternative for aluminum foil and plastic wrap. Honestly, I think food even cooks better on parchment. Paper bags or the reusable ones for fruits/veggies when grocery shopping. All of these are great things to start with to get you going! 

Laundry detergent. Tru Earth has been awesome! This one was hard for me because I thought there was no way my clothes would feel clean with this tiny little strip? Well, I was wrong, our clothes smell and look clean. We also haven’t had any issues with skin sensitivity so we are super happy with it. They are eco friendly, clean, and so easy to use. Plus. I don’t have to look at those huge bulky plastic detergent bottles that not only have harsh chemicals for us but are terrible for the environment when the wastewater inevitably ends up going into the ground/water

Fast forward to the girls starting preschool…

I knew with daily lunch packing, I wanted to go the most environmentally friendly route. RIP Ziplocks, haha. When I stumbled across the Planet Box I figured we’d give them a try. They are so awesome! We are going into our third year using them and there is no way I am going back. Nontoxic, stainless steel boxes that are easy to clean and dishwasher friendly. Plus they are so freaking cute!! It also encourages eating clean whole foods rather than just throwing in a bag of chips or cookies. 

If I do need to put anything in a bag for them, I officially switched to reusable bags. It does feel like an over the top cost at first but the more I use them the more I realize that in the long run, I am saving by not buying single-use bags so much. Sweet!

More recently I have also been making big changes to clean up my beauty and self-care products… but that’s another post. ha. 

I mean guys, I know that I can do more and I am super excited to. All we can do is keep putting in the effort where we can and continue to be aware of how we can be better. There are still so many things in our household and my routine that are not great, but I will just keep at it!! 

What about you guys, how do you feel about getting rid of the toxins??

XO

Courtney

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BeautyLifestyle

Hair Extensions: My Experience

by Courtney El-Ghoul

I am so excited to write this post. Some of you who have been around for a bit may already know I have hair extensions and I LOVE them. However, I don’t think I have ever really discussed how I got into them and why I am hooked for life!

So, I have naturally wavy, pretty darn thick hair. It has always been super long. Except for that one time, after graduating high-school, that I legit chopped it to my chin!!! I don’t know what I was thinking, haha. Oh my goodness, I hated it, so much. Once it finally grew back I swore that I would never cut it short again. Short hair ladies, I don’t hate short hair… in fact, I love it… on other people. It just wasn’t for me! Point being, I love my long hair. 

How Pregnancy Affected My Hair

The first trauma of chopping off my hair… was my fault. But then, not too long after finally getting my long luscious locks back… I got pregnant. I know, I know, a lot of women talk about how AMAZING their pregnancy hair was… NOT ME. My hair fell out like crazy during my pregnancy, especially towards the end. It was such an emotional roller coaster. Seriously, guys, it was coming out in CLUMPS. Yikes!!! I honestly never got to the bottom of it fully. We speculate that my being anemic might have played a role, and there is the possibility that just carrying two babies was part of it?? Who knows why… The only thing I knew was that they sucked the life out of my hair! HA! They were worth it, obviously, but I won’t lie and say I wasn’t beyond anxious to figure out how I was going to get it back to life. 

Before & After with the 24” Bellami sew in hair extensions
Another after with the tape-in before I switched to the sew in

So in a rush to find a solution… I remembered that when I was younger I had used clip-in extensions for fun. So, I tried that at first. With twin babies to attend too, I didn’t have the time to do them every day, but it was a start. I wanted something more permanent. My dear friend Nina, @beautymarkbynina, was like… “Court, why don’t you try the tape-in extensions??” She had used them for years and loved them. I did some research, put my fears aside, and decided to get them. Fast forward, 5 years later, I just recently switched to the sew-in option and I don’t foresee myself ever going back to a life without extensions, ha. 

Now let’s get to the nitty-gritty… All the questions/concerns you may have about hair extensions!

  1. Does it hurt? I would say overall no. Of course, it would depend on how sensitive your head is, mine is in the middle. The actual putting them in part- not at all. The first night you may have some sensitivity, but after a day or two, I don’t even notice they are there.
  2. How long does it take to put them in– your hair length, method ( sew-in vs tape in) how many packs you get, whether you are getting hair color, all these things will come into play. If you are interested I would suggest talking to your stylist about your hair goals, and of course having a consultation to discuss these things. For me, I plan 3-5 hours depending on if I need color or not. My stylist, @jammiesuebeauty and I chat, a lot, so it’s typically 5 hours for me:) just make it a “you day!”
  3. How long do they last-  You have to get the extensions moved up every 6-8 weeks but you don’t need to replace the hair. You’ll buy the hair before you get them for the first time. I get one pack of @bellami – 24″. With good maintenance, the hair should last about a year. For me, this has been the case.
  4. Does it ruin your hair– Okay this is like the number one thing I get asked! For me, 100%, NO. If anything it brought my hair back to life. I say this because I wash it less, use less heat, and way fewer products. With the extensions, I don’t need to style it or wash it as often because I have so much extra hair it just blends nicely even if I let it air dry. Again, everyone’s case is going to be different. But generally speaking, if you take care of your hair, the extensions should not damage it.
  5. Can you still style it/put it up– Yes, you totally can! Depending on how you want to style it, the kind of extensions will come in-to play. With tape-in, you can still do low ponies, halfway up, and braids. Buns and high ponytails are challenging because the tape is so light it could pull them loose. With the sew-in however, you can for sure do the high pony, buns, or whatever really because they flip up and down so easily, and there is no worry of them slipping. This is one of the reasons I just switched to sew-in… gotta love a high pony. 
  6. Washing, brushing, styling- You can absolutely wash it. You won’t have to as often though, which is great. With dry shampoo, I can easily go a week without a real wash. Brushing, blow-drying, and styling are all doable. You want to be careful because you won’t want to brush too hard. Honestly, though, it will be easy to tell how cautious you need to be once they are in your head… same as natural hair, ha. But, yes, you can pretty much proceed as normal. When summertime comes around, you do have to be more mindful of the chlorine and saltwater. For me, I just try to rinse my hair before getting in and again right after if possible. This will just help keep the hair healthy… just like with your real hair.
styled with curls

I hope that was helpful:) I know not everyone’s experience is the same, but for me I love them! If you are local, my girl Jammie has got you covered. She is the expert, so reach out to her if you are interested, and have more questions:) She is AMAZING!!!

What about you guys? Have you tried them? My fellow mamas, did you, or are you struggling with hair loss post-pregnancy?

XO

Courtney

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Lifestyle

Book Review Part 2

by Courtney El-Ghoul

Guys!!! I have been meaning to do this post forever. It’s like COVID happened, I started homeschooling, and everything I had planned for twinlatte.com just went on the back burner 🙁 Anyway, I am super excited for this one, cause I have read so many good books! Especially with us all being cooped up at home.

I know that, for me, reading is always a great distraction. It is something that I look forward to doing when I have some downtime. If you remember my last review, you know I am into fiction, but this time I tried to switch up my typical genre a bit. Let’s dive right in!

Quarantine Reading Recommendations & Reviews

The Snakes by Sadie Jones Okay this one totally stumped me. I will be honest, the first few chapters I was like… “huh??? I am not into this book.” However, I stuck with it and I ended up liking it a lot. The title really threw me off, I knew it was about a family and some type of drama happening within the family, but I kept expecting some creepy snakes to attack someone! Ha I won’t spoil it too much for you, but, in a nutshell, it’s a scary tale about the damaging effects of money & power. It will keep you on your toes, the way it plays out is totally not what you will expect!

 Everything I never told you by Celeste Ng– You guys already know that I love her books! Little Fires Everywhere was so good, and if you haven’t seen the series on Hulu check it out… This book is mysterious, heartfelt, sad, and just… so many emotions. It is the story of a Chinese-American family living in small-town Ohio during the 1970s. It is a mystery that dives into the nuanced struggles of a mixed-race family at that time. It was such a good book. I can totally see another TV series coming out of this one… (fingers crossed).

 The Girls by Emma Cline- Another book that I typically wouldn’t go for, but I did actually like it. It’s dark and disturbing, and will for sure keep you on your toes and interested in what is going to happen next! I don’t want to ruin the book, but it’s loosely based on the Manson Family… These teenage girls are choosing to live an alternative lifestyle, in a cult. so to speak. I will be honest here, it wasn’t the favorite of my recent reads, but it was interesting. If you are into the history of the Mansons, you will at least enjoy the parallels in the story. 

Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens- This book!! I loved it so much. I even convinced Khalil to read it and even he was hooked. The main character, Kya, just draws you in. It will almost certainly make you cry. It was such an emotional book but in a good way. It feels like I read it so long ago that I was just thinking of reading it again for a refresh. It is the most heartfelt love story. Ahhh just so good… Please read this one. 

All the Ugly and Wonderful Things by Bryn Greenwood– This book was super interesting. This is another one where you just have so many emotions throughout the whole book. It is the story of a little girl, Wavy, daughter of a meth dealer. Throughout the story, you see how she ends up being the caretaker for herself and her little brother. It’s dark, it’s a love story, and it’s a mystery. There were so many things packed into this book. It’s worth the read!

The Lying Game by Ruth Ware– I love her books! They are the perfect choice when you are looking for an easy read. This book is full of mystery and suspense, but I wasn’t left crying, haha This one is about 4 women, now in their 30’s. They reunite as they are bonded by an awful mistake they made back when they attended boarding school together. It’s a good mystery that keeps you wondering… What happened?? Grab this on the just have on hand next time you just need to relax with an entertaining book.

Truly Madly Guilty by Liane Moriarty- Okay. I got this one, strictly because I loved Big  Little Lies so much! It’s about what seems like a typical family balancing work/family life. Then, they have this backyard BBQ, which turns into a nightmare. You end up learning so much about each of the characters at this BBQ. I don’t want to give away too much, but it is a good one! So glad I gave it a try. Not what you expect! You think you know, and then, a twist! 

The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides- Lastly, this one gives me the chills just thinking back on it! Total thriller, mystery, suspense, and all my favorites packed into one. It is a bit confusing, especially towards the end, but in a good way. In a nutshell… the main character, Alicia, is in a mental institution for the murder of her husband. The burning question is if she really did it, and if so, why ??? Insert dramatic music, haha

Okay, honestly as I am looking through my book collection there are even more I haven’t reviewed!!!! I have more to share with you guys in a future post for sure. In the meantime let me know what you think of these if you have read any of them??? Or any other recent favorites you may have.

XO

Courtney

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Lifestyle

Father’s Day Gift Guide

by Courtney El-Ghoul

Guys!!! I am back, ha. I know, I know, I have totally slacked on the blog the past few months… I just have been so wrapped up in homeschooling the twins that I just haven’t had time to focus on it! The good news is, we are in the last week of school! Woohooooo! I swear I have never had more respect for teachers than I do now!!! 

Anyway, back on track… Father’s Day is right around the corner and I thought this would be the perfect time to roll out a gift guide. If you have been around for a bit you already know that my husband is the ultimate gift-giver… it makes me crazy (until I open my amazing presents, ha) So I always try to really be on top of my game. Thankfully Khalil has dropped a few hints of what he wants this year and I have been paying extra attention. Here goes…. 

(Khalil weighed in heavily on this so I have to give him props for the inspo and dad seal of approval)

NOTE: This is a list of things that my husband would/does LOVE. I know that many of these things are not in everyone’s budget and they certainly haven’t always been in ours. If you head to -> https://www.liketoknow.it/twin_latte You will find options in a range of budgets for everything on this list. XO

For Dads who love fashion:  

Cuff Links: These are such a great gift, Khalil has these Salvatore Ferragamo Cufflinks, and wears them all the time!

Belt: Okay. I am 99% getting Khalil a belt this year because he has been eyeing this Tom Ford Belt for a long time now. It is a major splurge but I know he will wear it all the time, so I don’t feel as badly about the hefty price tag.

Duffle Bag: This Louis Vuitton travel bag-was a super splurge a few years ago but Khalil uses this bag all the time! It’s with him every time we travel, weekend trips, and even just to the gym… I am even guilty of snagging it for my own trips whenever he isn’t using it. I would never spend the money on the LV luggage, as I feel that would get so banged up in the airport, but with the duffel bag, you don’t have to worry as much, it really is the best travel bag!

Card Holder: I love this one! I honestly prefer a cardholder for myself as well rather than a bulky wallet. I got this Fendi Cardholder for Khalil like… 5 years ago? He still uses it today. It’s a great gift! I love how different this one is, with the gold detail on the hardware.

For Dads who love home decor: 

Jonathan Adler Pieces- Like… anything. ha. We love his stuff! We were stalking the website the other day and found so many cool pieces. Khalil hasn’t stopped dropping hints about wanting these cheeky “candid canisters” with silly labels. I honestly love the circus vibe – so I am a strong ‘maybe” on these. I know it won’t be everyone’s taste, but we have a playful sense of humor with our decor.

Practical Kitchen Decor: We actually both want this Marble fruit bowl for our house! It’s super sleek, gorgeous, and is a PERFECT size. If you are a fruit family, this one is massive and will hold all the fruit without building that risky pile. I notice that when the bowl is too small and we have to make a big pile, our fruit goes bad quickly

For Dads who are all about that skincare:

Khalil swears by Kiehl’s. He has been using their products for years. His skin care routine is as detailed as mine! I gotta say it shows for sure. He uses pieces from the Facial Fuel Collection and the Age Defender Collection. This would be a great gift at a good price point.

Khalil’s must-haves for all dads:

Tommy John Boxers & Undershirts -I am always stocking up on these for Khalil. He will not wear anything else. He says to be careful with this one because once you start wearing them you can’t go back to anything else. Super soft, durable, and comfy! His words:)

Lululemon shorts– He lives in these shorts I swear! I know he feels the same way about these that I feel about my align leggings . They are his go-to for around the house, running errands, gym, super comfy & casual for lounging.

Howard Stern Comes Again– Alright even if you aren’t a Howard Stern fan you can appreciate this book, and if you are, then even better! Khalil literally LOL’d like the whole time he was reading this book. I would be like “Huh??? What in the world is so funny!” Eventually, he even convinced me to read it. It isn’t my regular genre but I did really liked it!

Porsche Hat- This is kinda random, but it may be on my list for Khalil this year:) Good price point, and if your significant other is into cars/ Porsche could be a good one.

Car Coat Hanger – Khalil has this and loves it! If you are in the car a lot, which he is, it’s a game-changer. He never has to worry about wrinkles or his nice jackets getting tossed around in the backseat.

Lastly… because I see him using it every day! Ha! His  Yeti coffee tumbler 🙂

Okay, I had so much fun with this. I hope this is helpful. Please share with me what you guys think!

XO,

Courtney

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LifestyleTwins

Impromptu Home Schooling: New Reality via COVID-19

by Courtney El-Ghoul

Guys, I gotta be honest, I feel like this is all a bad dream! I am trying to remain calm and not panic, but it is so hard to watch as this virus is devastating to other countries. If we don’t think this could happen to us here in the United States, we are truly turning blinders on. As of this week, our local schools and community have shut down for at least a month. I know that this is a harsh reality that feels really drastic, but it is what needs to be done to contain this nightmare of a virus that is even more harsh and drastic. We, like many parents, are looking at this as an opportunity to really connect with our kids. We live in such a fast-paced go, go, go world… the connection really takes a backseat sometimes! Now, we have time to be with our kids uninterrupted and without distractions. That is the positive lens I am trying to look at this through. I am going to try and live in the moment with my family as much as I can. It’s all about that uninterrupted quality time now! 🙂 

So, let’s get into what I really wanted to talk to you guys about today…

Educating The Girls During Quarentine

I am going to go through some of the ways we plan to keep up with educating the girls while preventing them from driving us nuts while we are all staying at home. I will be sharing the plans that I have, the things that I have purchased, and the digital resources that I’ve found. 

How I plan to keep the girls busy 🙂

  • Keep them creatively engaged. Crafts, easy baking, and tea parties are all fun things that will help keep the littles occupied. My girls also love to dance so it’s been a perfect opportunity to practice their future recital routines and… try TikTok. Whatever extracurricular activities your kids do that have been postponed, try having them practice them at home for fun! I also plan to add in some Cosmic Kids – Yoga and Mindfulness where it feels like it is most appropriate – seeing where in the schedule it makes sense. It is great for them, and they love it!
  • Talk to your kids about what is going on! The New York Times did this great “How to Talk to Kids About Coronavirus” article which helped me get the conversation moving. We let the girls know that it would be different for a few weeks, but that we will still be running a schedule similar to school. After breakfast we will have a morning lesson, then they will prepare a snack just like at school. After that, I plan to alternate between my version of story time, music, and French lessons. It won’t be the same as their teachers but I will do my best. In the afternoon we will have lunch, they can play together inside, in the yard, or we can go for nature walks. In the evenings we will either watch a movie (Disney Plus is the bomb), bake something, or have them paint. 
  • Get your outdoor areas sorted. It looks like we will be starting the Spring Season at home, just the four of us. This has pushed us to get our backyard in gear ASAP. We don’t have much for the girls to do back there at the moment but outside time is going to be so important as we get into April. This weekend we are placing a big order to stock up on outdoor toys so the girls can be in the backyard playing and not get bored. I know that they are both dying for a swing so we are looking at ordering this Flying Saucer Tree Swing that I know they will both love. I was even thinking about getting them a mud kitchen so they can make mud pies. We started talking to them about gardening, and they seem super into it, so we will grab some kid-friendly gardening stuff as well.
  • FaceTime Play Dates! I have already talked to some of their besties’ mom’s about setting up afternoon FaceTime sessions and it looks like we will get that started next week. This is the best way for them to interact with their friends during this time of temporary social distancing. Plus, it will be a nice change of pace for them after they’ve only seen Khalil and me for so long, haha. I was even thinking of maybe asking some of their teachers if they would be down for this as well… 
  • Lastly, ask your child’s teacher what their favorite lessons are when they are at school. For example, Ava loves preparing daily snacks for her classmates so I am going to make a point of having vegetables/fruits she can help prepare for us all to snack on. Both of their teachers said they are obsessed with making patterns. So we are making sure to have lots of beads for making necklaces. 

Look, I know that all of us are likely still in shock that this is going down. It sucks. I won’t sugarcoat it. But, if we pull together as communities we can get through it. At the end of the day isolating ourselves for a month or however long it takes to contain this virus, is nothing, in the grand scheme of things. We have the rest of our lives! Let’s all be positive, kind, and do what’s best for humanity.

Next post! How do I plan to keep busy!?! And sharing my latest reading list faves:)

What about you guys? How do you plan to entertain your kiddos?

XO

Courtney

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BeautyLifestyle

Lash Lift: My Experience

by Courtney El-Ghoul

Okay, I have been dying of excitement waiting to fill you guys in on this lash lift that I got. I wanted to wait the full six weeks that it is supposed to last to give you the most honest feedback, but that’s a long time to contain the excitement! But, after having a horrific reaction to my lash extensions in the past I wanted to review the entire experience. Don’t worry, I won’t keep you in suspense! Drum roll, please… I am obsessed! I have zero complaints!

Here goes… the full rundown on what a lash lift is, and how it all went down 🙂

All About My Lash Lift Experience

What is a Lash Lift?

Let’s first talk about what a lash lift even is. I have been hearing about them for a while, but after my lash extension reaction, I was super nervous to try it. The nice thing is, it honestly isn’t very complicated. Just like I wear skims to lift my butt… this is like the beauty equivalent for my lashes! haha. The lash lift almost instantly lifts and separates your lashes. My lashes are decent in length, but they seriously grow straight out. The lift gave them that perfect curl without the hassle of having to use an eyelash curler or deal with mascara. You will look so much more awake and refreshed. I even feel like it made my eyes look bigger, which I LOVE. 

The Lash Lift Process

Okay, on to the process. I went to Dekalash in the Mosaic District, and Giselle was my technician. First of all, the studio is super cute and the chairs are very comfortable. I got my 30-minute power nap for the day while I was there. I arrived a little nervous and Giselle was super sweet and eased my mind by explaining the whole process to me. She assured me that if at any time I had questions or felt uncomfortable, to let her know and we would stop. If you are super sensitive like me they can always do a patch test first to check in advance if you will have any skin reactions.

The whole process took about 35 minutes from start to finish – way faster than extensions! First, they prep and clean the lashes and then they apply the solution and use these funny rods to hold your lashes in place, like a mini-perm. I thought maybe the rods they used to hold my lashes in place would be uncomfortable, but honestly, it didn’t bother me at all. I didn’t have any burning with the solution, which was a really pleasant surprise. The solution does have a bit of that old school perm smell, which I was warned about in advance. But hey, a little funky smell is well worth the result, if you ask me!

When we were all done, and I looked in the mirror, and I was honestly so shocked at what a difference it made! I couldn’t believe those were my real lashes. LOVE LOVE! So, anyway I was instantly obsessed, but I wanted to wait and see if it lasted before I gave it a full review! Well, here I am 6 weeks later, and I am just starting to wear mascara again! It even held up through a week sailing through the British Virgin Islands, the beach winds, salt water, and #twinmom life! Yayyyyy! A few people have asked how it compares to getting lash extensions… and I can say that I like it better for everyday wear. I can touch my eyes and take a normal shower! With the extensions that always bothered me! I am 100 percent doing it again, and next time I am also going to a lash tint! My lashes are dark, but not black, so I feel like adding the tint will make it more dramatic. I will fill you guys in after, of course!

Before/After

Caring For Your Lash Lift

After Care – I almost forgot to share the instructions for after. Probably because it is so easy! Just don’t get them wet for 24-hours! Skip the mascara, serums, and oils for at least 24 hours, and you will be good. I mean I wouldn’t go crazy rubbing my eyeballs, but it’s nothing like how careful I had to be with the lash extensions. Full disclosure, I didn’t get them wet for almost a full 48, but they will tell you 24 hours at a minimum.

Pro tip- I told you guys before that I use a Lash Serum a couple of times a week, for maintaining my length and volume… and if you do as well, you can still use it! Combined with the lift it makes for even more full gorgeous lashes! 

What about you guys? Have you tried it?

All my locals use code TWINLATTE20 at your first appointment 🙂

XO

Courtney

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LifestyleTravel

Sailing The BVI’s: 10 Year Anniversary Trip

by Courtney El-Ghoul
3 sisters:)

It’s been a little over a week since I got back from paradise and I am ready to dish!!! To be totally honest I feel like it took me a full week just to get back into the swing of things. But, as promised, I am going to give you all the deets, and share our full itinerary 🙂

Here goes…

Day 1- We flew direct into St. Thomas. We arranged in advance to have a taxi waiting to take us to the boat. After a quick ride, we arrived at Yacht Haven where we met our crew Michael (captain) & Casey (chef). We used wlms charters to book the trip, and Mandy (who was so awesome to work with) was even there to greet us at the boat 🙂 Michael & Casey were so warm and welcoming so instantly I knew we were off to a great start. Once we got to the boat Casey had champagne & snacks waiting for us! She gave us the tour and we quickly got unpacked( only 1 carry on!) We were so ready to chill. We had some drinks and then took a nap while we sailed to Maho Bay, St. John where we docked for the night. Casey made us a delicious dinner and we went over our itinerary for the charter. It was such a great way to set us up for the week. I will admit I was a little nervous about how I would sleep on the boat, but… I slept like a baby!

Day 2 – I am going to give you the real deal! Haha… I had a bit of a hangover when I woke up on day 2. You know, all the excitement led to a little too much champagne!!! I knew we were sailing early, but I thought I could just sleep below deck. NOPE!!! Thankfully though, this was the only time during the whole trip that I felt sick. Casey quickly informed me that I wouldn’t want to be below deck while we were sailing. So, I made my way to the main deck and just slept it off on our sail to Jost Van Dyke. We sailed to White Bay for some morning lounging, had breakfast, and then swam over to the infamous Soggy Dollar for some cocktails. I would say this island is much more of a party scene than I expected, lots of great people watching for sure! Foxy’s is the hot spot as far as the late-night scene goes. So, of course, we had to check it out! Everyone, including us, was living it up! It was a great party and we enjoyed every minute of it! 

Day 3- The next morning we had a beautiful sail to the Indians. Khalil was learning so much about sailing and actually got to assist Michael with driving the boat, he was in heaven! Oh. sidenote: They had an amazing speaker, a Sound Box, I am totally buying this for outdoor parties! It was INCREDIBLE! I mean we were just blasting Biebs new album while enjoying a few refreshing Truly haha. Just living life to the fullest! We also did some snorkeling and had lunch on the boat. Some of my friends have been like … “Didn’t you get bored?” But honestly, I never did! Even on the long sails I would just nap, read my book, and hang out with Khalil. Casey would whip up the most delicious afternoon snacks with espresso! I mean, seriously, it was ahhhhhmazing!!! Okay I am on a tangent… back to the breakdown 🙂 After lunch, we took the dinghy over to Pirates Bight for sunset cocktails. We chilled on the beach and then had dinner on the boat. We weren’t going to go, cause we felt like such tourists, but we decided to head to another infamous hot spot…  Willy Ts. I can’t lie it was pretty cool to see the legendary floating bar. The original ship was destroyed during Hurricane Irma, but they have rebuilt it since. The people-watching was so fun, and I am glad we went! Speaking of Irma we also had the most amazing massages in this floating spa! The spa was built from lumber salvaged from the hurricane. There are glass windows on the bottom so that you can see fish swimming below you during your treatment. Oh my gosh, it was so cool! What a genius idea!! Not to mention the massage itself was BOMB, like I was so relaxed afterward.

The Indians

Day 4- Okay it’s so hard to choose because all the islands were unique in their own way, but this day was one of my favorites! We sailed to Little Harbor on Peter Island, and guys… it was so beautiful! The water was that crystal clear where you can see right down to the bottom. We paddle boarded, snorkeled, and saw the cutest sea turtles! There was a mom and her baby, the cutest!!! Ahhhhh I was in love! After, we headed to Cooper Island which was so our scene! They have the cutest beach club where we did some shopping and had sunset cocktails. We had dinner at the restaurant there and visited the famous rum bar for cocktails. Such a fun day!

Peter Island

Day 5– Another favorite!!! It is so hard to choose…. We sailed as long as we could with the awesome winds up to Anegada! This is the only flat island in the BVI’s. So, we rented a Jeep for the day and explored all the beautiful beaches. Each beach was so different & gorgeous! Anegada Beach club was super chill, had a really cool gift shop. The beach was so secluded we got in some great relaxation time.  Loblolly Bay & Cow Wreck Beach were also really cool. We had a beautiful dinner at Sid’s on Pomato Pt. No joke… it was the best lobster I have ever had!!! I usually don’t even care for lobster, this was so good. After dinner, we danced the night away to some old school hip hop at Potters by the Sea.

Khalil was all in to sailing:)
Anegada

Day 6- Okay I am starting to get sad as I am writing this. Coming to the end here but still, so amazing! We sailed from Anegada to Savannah Bay where we had our last snorkeling adventure, and I felt like I was in a movie walking on this beach. I am not even kidding. We were like the only people on the beach. It was so magical that I felt like I was in a dream. After an amazing morning we headed down to the Baths ( Virgin Gorda) where we explored the sea boulders. This was so cool! It is for sure a tourist spot, but Michael knew to go there in the afternoon before they closed the beach. It was so nice being able to explore the area like it was just Khalil and I.

Savannah Bay
The Baths Virgin Gorda

That evening was our actual anniversary so we anchored off Coco Maya where we had a romantic dinner at Coco Maya restaurant. It was super romantic and a gorgeous restaurant. The best kind of beach chic, for sure! Oh, and Casey made us a cookie cake ( Khalil’s fave) with some bubbly before we headed out that evening. She was seriously amazing. As I am writing this I am remembering all these small extra details that she and Michael did for us that were so nice:) Honestly, guys, it was the perfect trip! Like a dream come true, I swear.

Last day Breakfast:)
Anniversary Dinner at Coco Maya:)

Of course, we had to go out with a bang! So on our way back to St. Thomas to catch our flight we saw a freaking humpback whale north of St. John!! It was sooo cool!!!

Amazing!

I swear, I could go on forever… and probably will. It was the most amazing trip, Khalil and I fell in love all over again, it was just what we needed. Casey & Micahel were so awesome, and we hope to do it again with the girls for sure, to show them this beautiful place.

Now for some tips!

  • Catamaran on a budget- You could skip the middleman to save cost (IE a charter company) and book directly with the boat owner. However, I do feel like Mandy (wlms charters) was amazing, and who is to say if we would have found 3 sisters without her?? You on the other hand… can just book with them -because we found them for you 🙂  
  • You could make it a group trip and go with other couples to split the cost. You also don’t have to have a chef, but I totally recommend it. Some people just go out to eat, or they bring their own food onboard.

Tips in general

  • When you are doing your research look for a crew that will fit your personality, really do your homework. I could see where the experience would not be good if you didn’t match up with the crew personality wise. Boats are small and you’ll be together a lot. 
  • Look for newer boats. 3 sisters is a 2018, and we studied all the pictures online. We knew what we were getting into as far as sleeping, showering, for the most part. Older boats will have more problems, and may not be as comfortable.

Check out Casey & Michael at

http://www.visailing.com/catamaran/3sisters

https://www.instagram.com/sail3sisters/?igshid=lzumfsp4vbkt

What about you guys? Has anyone done any catamaran charters?

XO

Courtney

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