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Lifestyle

Impromptu Home Schooling: New Reality via COVID-19

by Courtney El-Ghoul March 20, 2020

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 🙂

Amazon is your best friend. I feel like this is number one on every list, ever? I started stocking up on non-perishable food items, educational books, play-based learning activities as soon as I started hearing the reports about how serious things were getting in Italy. Just in case. Now, here we are… school is out for a month! We’ve already started using My First Learn to Write Workbook, this School Zone – Big Kindergarten Workbook, and this Bob Books: Beginning Readers Set for morning lesson time after breakfast. We also got this Melissa & Doug Alphabet Train Floor Puzzle which is great for learning letters and hand-eye coordination. The girls LOVE it and it keeps them occupied while I tidy up from breakfast.

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?

Courtney

March 20, 2020 0 comment

Beauty Lifestyle

Lash Lift: My Experience

by Courtney El-Ghoul March 16, 2020

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!

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 🙂

Courtney

March 16, 2020 0 comment

Lifestyle Travel

Sailing The BVI’s: 10 Year Anniversary Trip

by Courtney El-Ghoul March 8, 2020

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.

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!

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.

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.

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.

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!!!

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?

Courtney

March 8, 2020 0 comment

Lifestyle Twins

Playroom Organization

by Courtney El-Ghoul February 29, 2020

The Unicorn obsession is so real in our house.

Okay, so while I was all gung-ho-let’s-get-this-party-started with my storage room makeover, I also started to look in the girls’ playroom. Instantly I was like… Holy Cow, these girls have way too much stuff. They are twins so they already have two of everything then add in a super over-the-top grandmother who must think our playroom is like 6000 square feet or something, haha. Seriously, my mom buys them way too many toys. Soooo ding ding ding! Another room that Carly from the Evergreen Method could help me tackle. I told Carly I would like to knock out the girls’ playroom right after we finished the storage area- I could not wait any longer.

I can’t tell you what a great feeling it was to have this all done. Seriously, taking the time to declutter, and let go of things that I knew the girls weren’t playing with or had outgrown was almost therapeutic. At the same time, it was a little sad, more for Khalil… if you can believe it!? I think he had a more difficult time saying goodbye to certain toys than even the girls did! Haha, poor guy, his babies are growing up! I mean it was sad for me too, but that’s life, they do grow up, right!? The way we saw it was that we were not going to throw the toys in the trash. The plan is always to donate. So, to help the girls (and us) feel better about the cleanout we reminded them that the longer we held on to the unused toys the longer it will be before they go into the hands of a child who may not have as much, and who would love and use them. This did the trick and helped speed the process up with the girls.

Here is how we got it done:

I sat with the girls and let them know that Ms. Carly was going to come over in a few days to help mommy organize their playroom. I explained to the girls that we need to go through their toys together and take the ones they don’t play with anymore to some other little boys/girls who don’t have as much. As you can imagine there were some tears, and some sneaky grabbing things back out of the donated pile when I wasn’t looking 😉 Overall it wasn’t that bad, the girls like the idea of donating to other little kids so this helped. We ended up with a pretty decent amount of toys/stuffed animals that we were able to take to Goodwill. I thought maybe they would ask for certain things once they realized they were gone, but nope… they have been fine.

Yes .. there is a whole bin for jewelry and kids tattoos, ha.

Now for the organization part. Carly and I came up with a plan to stay within budget by using the same storage system and bins that I already had but just adding in a few more. We moved their play kitchen into this little playhouse that they never even used before! Genius idea by Carly! It’s amazing how just a little rearranging of the room can make it so much better. Now, it makes more sense, and they have designated spaces for certain activities. Like – here is the arts/crafts area, here is the kitchen, here is an active play area, and so on. You get the idea. She also got these cute little food containers that are perfect for storing all their markers/art materials. All of the bins are clearly labeled and it looks ten times more inviting. I feel like because the girls had so many toys before, it was a little overwhelming for them. Ever since we finished this room I am finding that they are playing together longer and they seem less distracted. Unexpected bonus results, but we couldn’t be happier with the outcome.

We love Green Toys – they only use recycled plastic and they are so cute.

I have said it before and I will say it again… if you are local to the Northern Virginia/DC area, hit up Carly at the Evergreen Method. She will even give TwinLatte followers 10% off your first booking! Drop the code TWINLATTE10 in your message to her to redeem!

Do your kiddos have too much stuff? How often do you find you need to do a big cleanout?

Courtney

February 29, 2020 0 comment

Lifestyle Uncategorized

Getting Organized – Storage Room

by Courtney El-Ghoul February 21, 2020

Okay, so in my recent Party Planning post, I mentioned that whenever I am hosting an event or party at my house, it always inspires me to get more organized. Deciding to host a “Galentine’s Day” for all the moms at the girls’ school, was no different. It was just the motivation I needed to get moving on our Storage Room! If you walked in my basement on February 1st, you would surely have thought it was still Christmas time!!! You could say that I got a little carried away with buying extra Christmas decorations this year. You could also say that this is the understatement of the year. I am not even kidding. I know, no one here is shocked. The problem with turning our home into a beautiful winter wonderland was that I ran out of places to put everything once we took it all down. Everything, including the extra tree that I purchased, was ALL OVER the basement. I know, I know. No one needs a tree in every room.

Anyway, to say I was overwhelmed would’ve been putting it very lightly. I knew we were having this party, and that I would be so embarrassed if someone went down in the basement, plus it just needed to be done. Of course, I had to call in my girl, Carly, at The Evergreen Method to help me contain the Christmas bomb that had gone off in my basement.

For starters, I sent her pictures of the disaster zone, and then we talked through my vision. Ideally, I wanted to keep the same shelving system we already had in place but thought maybe we could add some storage bins. Pinterest came in handy while I was getting together ideas for the look I was going for. When discussing the budget, Carly was great at being flexible with balancing the use of things we already had and only buying what we truly needed.

Guys!!! Look at this…

We ended up using black storage bins that are all clearly labeled and simple metal shelving. I loved when Carly suggested using the opaque black, to me it is more aesthetically pleasing than some of the clear alternatives. Everything is easy to find now. I can just grab what I need and move on. Christmas Decorations now have their own designated space. which in and of itself is extra as heck… but, oh well. I love it. I even organized all of the girls’ artwork from school and set it aside because Carly gave me a great idea to use Artkive which is so cool! Check it out if you haven’t already! There are so many cool ideas for hanging on to the littles artwork and being able to store those special memories. Before this I had it thrown all over the place. Now, I can keep all of the memories but maybe we won’t have to add an addition to store it all forever, ha

All the artwork is in a tidy pile and ready to be hung or digitized!

Initially, we had planned on having a small workout area in that room, as well as using it for storage. Up until now, it has been so chaotic that there was no way we could have even imagined making it a multi-purpose room. Now, I can walk around and visually map out where I could see us putting up a ballet bar, having some lightweights, and a place for a yoga mat. Maybe we will even be able to use the treadmill that has just been sitting there collecting dust and holding garland all this time! The space was so uninviting before, and now it has a purpose! Ahhhh. I am so happy!

I used to hate going down to the basement because it would give me crazy anxiety. Every time something didn’t have an official home, we would just throw in this room. Eventually, it just became a purgatory for stuff that had no real set place. You guys know I love the Holidays and that I can be a bit extra myself, so you can imagine the mess we had on our hands. Not any more! What else can I say? I LOVE my storage room now!

Next on the list! Girls playroom! Stay tuned for this one!

If you are local and require any organization but don’t quite know where to begin, Carly is your girl! She is the best!

How is your storage zone? Are you like me and keep adding more and more things to put away?

Courtney

February 21, 2020 1 comment

Lifestyle Twins

Local Charities in Northern Virginia You Should Know About

by Courtney El-Ghoul February 15, 2020

Today I am totally switching gears from all of the party planning chatter to something a bit more serious, and extremely important in our family. Philanthropy and giving back to the community. In my post about >>> going back to work <<< at Glass House for Khalil, I shared that one of the things I would be focusing on is bringing more awareness to the local charities that we believe in and have/will continue to support. Then I thought, I’ve also got this platform, so why don’t I also share a few of our local favorites here? I believe it is so important to talk about being socially conscious and how we can all give back where we can.

Let’s dive in:)

Local Charities We Love to Support

Wholehearted Foundation- I can’t say enough about this organization. It is staggering how many children are born with life-threatening heart conditions. We know a few families personally that have children struggling with heart conditions. Hearing the stories about how much they go through is just heartbreaking. I can’t even begin to imagine what I would do if Ava or Nahla had to go through heart surgery, never mind multiple. When I started to think about the long hospital stays, major bills, and all of the rehabilitation that comes with each of these surgeries, I realized that there is NO way any family could ever prepare for that financial burden. I hope that we can bring more awareness to this wonderful organization that is doing incredible work to support these children and their families. Khalil and I will continue our long-standing support of this foundation.
Wolf Trap Animal Rescue- The El-Ghoul family is full of major animal lovers. So, it is no surprise that we are passionate supporters of this Northern Virginia based non-profit organization. Khalil and I think teaching the girls about how important animals are is an important part of setting them up to be kind-hearted adults in the future. This is why Nahla, Ava, and I try to make it to as many of the “Meet and Greet” events as we can. They love getting to donate and then getting to snuggle all of the puppies. We have considered fostering but, we have a 12-year-old poodle named Sadie who is diabetic and blind, and we are not sure how she would react. Realistically, if we could adopt all of them, we would. There is nothing like the unconditional love of an animal. Imagining any of these special puppies or kitties not having homes just kills me. Anyway, this organization is amazing, and to date has rescued over 5000 dogs and cats from euthanasia!
BRAWS- I know that a ton of the readers here are moms, so I’m sure that like me this one will hit close to home. BRAWS works to provide women living in homeless shelters with clean undergarments and menstrual supplies. I can’t even imagine what it must feel like to be homeless. It is so easy, especially in the world we live in today to take for granted how lucky we are to just have a roof over our heads. This organization brings in supplies to help aid in women’s shelters. Things you may not think about, but are super important. Underwear, pads, and tampons to name a few. I know it may not be fun to talk about, but as women, we all need these things. Khalil and I are excited to be attending a fundraiser in March (MardiBras) to help support. I hope to get so much more involved here so we can raise the awareness around this topic.

Those are just a few that are in our local Northern Virginia area. I could go on, and maybe I will soon because there are so many organizations and groups that need help/support. I encourage you to think about what causes and organizations are in line with your family values and then to dig deep and figure out how you can support them. There is always something you can do to help, ALWAYS. Even if it isn’t monetary. Volunteering and spreading the word through fundraisers and social media can be so incredibly valuable. I guess it’s clear this is something I want to be more involved in. 2020 is a new year and there is always time to do more!

What about you guys? Do you have any charitable organizations that hold a special place in your heart?

My locals, have you heard or been involved with any of these?

Courtney

February 15, 2020 1 comment

Lifestyle Twins

Master Party Planning Checklist

by Courtney El-Ghoul February 10, 2020

So, party planning has taken over my life, for all of 2020 so far… not even slightly exaggerating that. So, I figured, I might as well share with you guys some of my best party planning tips. Need to plan a Kids Party, Holiday Party, or a Client Appreciation Event. Don’t fret I’ve got you covered 🙂

Party Planning Checklist

1.) Vision Board- The first thing I do when I am starting to brainstorm about an event or party is to hit up Pinterest. I am not by any means Pinterest obsessed, but when it comes to planning parties it is perfect. You can create a board, and just start gathering ideas. Maybe you see an invitation style you love, the cake you want at your kids’ party, or a drink that will be perfect for your Holiday party. PIN IT.

2.) Secure Your Venue– If it’s not happening at your home, be sure to find, reserve, and visit, of course, the space you want to throw the event or party at least a month or so in advance. There is nothing like being a week out and realizing the space you picked can’t accommodate your guests, or it just won’t work with what you have planned. I am learning this lesson with the girls’ birthday party this year… We invited 40 kids!! Guess it comes with the territory… twins in two different classrooms.

3.) Entertainment– If you are planning a kid party or any special event where kids will be attending… You can’t go wrong with a bouncy house, petting zoo, or in our case a local kids magician! Stay tuned for the girl’s bday post to hear all about our guy. Honestly, it may sound like it’s being extra, but the reality is that it isn’t that expensive for the return you get! Even a face painter or balloon artist will do the trick.

4.) Decorations- Depending on your theme, a little decor goes a long way with any party. Etsy and Amazon are your best friends, especially for Party Bundles. I could’ve spent hours on Etsy for the girls’ birthday party. You can really find anything, and it’s so affordable. Need table setting ideas? Fresh flowers will always spice up any table setting. If you love the look of flowers but want to save money, Baby’s breath is super inexpensive and looks so nice on its own in a pretty vase.

5.) Invites– Again if you want to be super into your theme, Etsy has so many cute paper invites. For me, Paperless Post is my go-to. It looks super professional and the platform is so user-friendly. Canva is also a great option.

6.) Catering – I mentioned this in my Holiday party post, but I think having parties catered is so much easier. Again, so many options. I mean pretty much anywhere has catering options – from Whole Foods to your Local restaurants… Save yourself the stress! If you are having a fancy party at your home, I love the idea of an in house chef who will whip up some appetizers. I tried to do this for our last Holiday party but I waited too long. So sad. Around the Holidays they will be booked most weekends so you’ve got to plan if you are going that route. With Nahla being GF/DF I can’t just order pizza, so I had to get more creative for their b-day party this year.

OH! And how could I forget, gotta have a good playlist! Music is so important. If it’s an evening party you are hosting make sure the lighting is on point as well!

Okay, I feel like I could go on and on, but I will stop for now. I will follow up with a more specific post about the girls Birthday Party this year! It is going to be such fun, if I do say so myself:) I have been party planning like crazy for their big day!!!

On a side note, for us throwing a party at our house always motivates us to get more things done in regards to home improvement! Whether it’s the organization, furniture placement, or just something you have been putting off doing!

What about you guys, any tips you have for planning the ultimate party??

Courtney

February 10, 2020 0 comment

Lifestyle Twins

Introducing the El-Ghoul Twins: Part 2: Meet Ava

by Courtney El-Ghoul February 7, 2020

Earlier this week I introduced you to our eldest twin, and now, it’s time for you to meet our feisty little cutie pie, Ava. Aka … Avo, Av, or Avie pooh. You didn’t think that Nahla was the only one with nicknames… did you?!

Ahh, Miss Ava, such a special gal. Sometimes I am just looking at her like… What?! Who are you?! The consensus in our families is that Nahla is a lot like Khalil. Ava, on the other hand, we are still baffled and confused about where she gets her quirks. She is a broken mold kinda gal. There is no one else like her. I am serious, she is truly one of a kind. At three years old she could sit down with you and have a full-blown, real talk, conversation with you. If you ever have the pleasure of meeting her, you will never forget her, that I can be sure of. Recently we spent an afternoon with some friends of ours, and after they were just like… “She is something else. #Avaforpresident.” haha. I think you get the point…

Ava’s Likes/Dislikes:

She is the pickiest eater on the planet… thank god she doesn’t have the gluten/dairy allergy. Seriously, I would probably lose my mind. She hates trying new foods. Especially vegetables or really anything with a little color, haha. She also has a major sweet tooth, loves horses, a true mama’s girl at heart. She is so protective of Nahla and is constantly looking out for her. She is not a girly girl, at all. She would much rather be on the soccer field, riding her scooter, or her bike. She is such an athlete, really solid. I picked her up the other day and I looked at her and I was like … “You are ripped girl!” So strong, seriously.

You would never know she secretly is not a fan of ballet haha

She is funny, loud, loyal, and incredibly smart. She thrives on a routine and doesn’t forget anything, ever. Sometimes, out of the blue she will come up to me and say something like – “Mom, do you remember that time when I was a baby and we went to that beach with the dolphins?!” I am like… How does she remember this?! She was legit a baby when we saw the dolphins in Mexico. But then she goes on to tell me specific things that she remembers from that trip. She is like “Of course I remember mom, I told you like 10 times already!”

…both of them with the sassiness, already. We are in trouble.

We butt heads at times, but she keeps me on my toes, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. The way she challenges me is one of the things that I love the most about her. She is so strong. I know that I don’t have to worry about anyone messing with her, or Nahla, for that matter.

Would love to hear your stories about your kiddos quirks?

Courtney

February 7, 2020 0 comment

Lifestyle Twins

Introducing the El-Ghoul Twins: Part 1: Nahla

by Courtney El-Ghoul February 4, 2020

Okay, so I wouldn’t be “Twin Latte” without our twins. So, this week I want to introduce you to Nahla and Ava – The El-Ghoul girls. Our spirited, fun-loving, and exhausting little ladies who are truly amazing. I thought about introducing them as a pair… But man, are they different. So I think it makes more sense to introduce them individually.

Since Nahla is the eldest, by one minute, it seems fair that she goes first. Right?? 🙂

Nahla El-Ghoul

My littlest love, in size, is tiny Nahlie pooh. Nahlie, we love nicknames in our house, in case you were wondering. She is just the sweetest thing. She loves being a care-taker and is just an old soul to her core. She is always looking out for her sister and really anyone she is around. Her teachers tell me she is like the class mom. She has creativity and maturity that is a little outsized for a typical 4-year-old. Sometimes, when I listen to her, I just can’t believe she is only FOUR?! Her imagination and the stories that she tells are so freaking cute. Lately, her favorite thing to do is to have me tell her a story so that she can act it out while I am telling it. It usually goes a little something like this…

Nahla: “Mom, I need you to tell me a story. The one where I am a princess riding my horse in a scary forest because a mean bear is chasing us.”

Me: “What is your horse’s name?”

Nahla: “Mom, I’ve told you like 20 times before. Her name is Bellaaaaa!” (In her most like … Duh, Mom Voice.)

Me: Oh, sorry I forgot haha.

Nahla: “It is ok. Just keep going. Where is the bear? Is he getting closer?! Nooo!!! He is going to eat us!!!” This is, of course, accompanied by the most dramatic arm movements you have ever seen.

The whole time I am just dying trying not to laugh. She will even ask me to pause so that I can modify the story to include a break so that her horse and the mean bear can drink some water. I could seriously go on for hours. She is super imaginative, creative, and tender-hearted.

She loves animals, coloring, singing, dancing, and playing the piano. Perhaps, I have a future performer on my hands??? She hates chocolate (who even is she?!?), is not a fan of outdoor sports, hates bedtime, and doesn’t like to be alone. She is the polar opposite of her sister Ava, but you know, it works out.

Nahla’s Favorite Things To Do

As soon as Nahla gets home from school, it is no brainer that the first thing she is doing is changing into a dress with heels. She doesn’t skip a beat. I seriously die of laughter. We will have been home for two minutes, and I hear the clip-clopping coming down the hall. What can I say, I guess she gets that trait from her momma? Who doesn’t love a bit of glam and a hot pair of stilettos?! Her sister Ava is who doesn’t. HAHA. More on her in the next post…

For such a tiny girl who is so positive mentally, the past few years have been an uphill batter for her, physically. (Read more ☞ HERE) Her little digestive system wasn’t working properly, and we had to try everything, just to figure out why. She was so patient through the trial and (so many) errors. Eventually, we discovered that by eliminating Gluten and Dairy, we could solve all of her tummy troubles. We are so blessed that she has taken on this change like a total champ. I mean this diet change has been a lot of work and super hard and really, she never complains. Just one more thing that makes her so special.

Anyway, she is a super cool little chick, and I can’t wait to see what the future holds for her.

Would love to hear differences in my fellow twin parents kiddos? Do you have one that seems to be more of an old soul?

Courtney

February 4, 2020 0 comment

Lifestyle

Love Birds: How Khalil & I Met

by Courtney El-Ghoul January 31, 2020

Recently, there have been a ton of new readers coming to the blog and I couldn’t be more excited! HEY FRIENDS! If you are new you should know in advance that I get off topic regularly and I love (parentheses thoughts) Ok, back on track… So, I have been trying to brainstorm how I could reintroduce my family to our new friends and that would still be fun for those of you who have been with us for a while now…Hmm?

Then, I thought, with our 10th anniversary coming up… why not start with the story of how Khalil and I met… Everyone loves a love story! Right?! So, that’s what I am gonna do. (The real question is… Should I embarrass Khalil and bring out some old photos?) I mean, I do have to give you guys the complete “picture”… Right?!

Ok, OK… back to the story…

How My Husband and I Met

For the new folks who don’t know. Khalil and I are college sweethearts. (Insert: awwwwwwwe) We met when we were both undergrads at George Mason University, pretty classic. I will start this story by telling you something about my husband. Khalil is and has been since the day I met him…an entrepreneur. He sees opportunities like no one else and has the energy and intelligence to see how to turn any opportunity into a profitable business. He literally can’t help it.

So moving onto the story. How we met is pretty classic, but the surrounding circumstances are what makes it hilarious.

Like I hinted at – Khalil’s entrepreneurial drive was already in full effect by the time we were in school. He was a social butterfly who was constantly promoting an event and/or throwing a party of his own. He was 100% “that guy” on campus. Looking back, you could say that he was the popular frat guy and a total ladies man, for sure. I was a small-town girl who loved tanning booths, dark eyeliner, and colored contacts. (go ahead, you can giggle)

Halloween Party, Pretty sure Khalil was channeling Kanye with the pink polo.

SO, one night my sorority sisters and I were going to a fraternity party… you know where this is going. Wouldn’t you know it, but who else would have been throwing this party and greeting all the ladies as they arrived… You guessed it, Khalil 🙂 There he was with the backwards hat, sleeveless shirt ( he loved showing off his arms), and too cool for school look. I thought to myself – this guy is so full of himself. None the less I found myself talking to him for like 5 minutes, tops. After that, my friends and I were on our way to the next party. The following week he had one of his fraternity brothers come find me on campus to give me his AIM screen name. ( Yes. Guys, I am that old) Instant messenger was the jam when we were in college. Anyway, I tried to play it cool and I was all… “This guy can’t even talk to me himself???”

The original backwards cap with the white Tee:)

Fast forward… I gave in. I know I know, but the arms were nice… ha. We started chatting a bit on Instant Messenger. THEN, the next time I saw him I could tell… He didn’t remember my name!? He tried to smooth it over by calling me “pretty eyes.” I wanted to roll my “pretty eyes” but… I fell for it, ha. I finally (it didn’t take long) gave in and agreed to start going out on a few dates with him… Dates? Kind of? It was college and we were broke so a “date” was like hanging in my dorm room or meeting him at whatever party he was promoting…

I had so much fun going through these old photos

Once we started getting to know each other, I realized I had been all wrong. As soon as I started to get to know him it was like… sure, he had fun, and was good at throwing/promoting parties. But, he wasn’t doing it to be cool or get girls; he also had to pay the bills. He was paying for school, clothes, food, and everything … on his own. Even when we were in school, doing that on a minimum wage job that cut into class time, it wasn’t an option. (we aren’t THAT old, school was expensive!) Anyway… I learned all of this and was totally hooked. It was so unexpected because we were sooo different! I mean, here I was this little girl from the smallest town on the planet suddenly head over heels for this Palestinian guy who couldn’t have had a more contrasting upbringing. He always tells me it was love at first sight for him, which I will always raise an eyebrow at, but I will never get tired of hearing. I guess the old saying really does mean something in our case… opposites attract!

OH – I have to include this part!

SO, you know the thing you do once you are in a serious relationship… where you talk about “when you REALLY knew you were in love with each other?” Well, when asked, we both will agree on this part of our story. And, it is hilarious.

Instantly we say that we truly fell in love on a SPRING BREAK trip to the Caribbean. Another one of Khalil’s college business endeavors(there were many). It was one of these group trips that if you organize everything, your trip is free. He was broke, so what better incentive. He ended up putting together this WILD Jamaican adventure for like, 25 of us. I kid you not, once again that ambitious mind of his making moves and getting things done. Not only did he pull it off, but I am not kidding when I say that some of our friends STILL regularly talk about that trip, to this day. We had the time of our lives. It was romantic, exhilarating, and (looking back) probably super dangerous. Haha. I can’t even believe my mom let me go. (I hope she isn’t reading this!) I for sure remember jumping off of cliffs, partying a little too much, and taking some risky cab rides. Not to mention I was wearing zero sunscreen and straight-up baking in the sun. You wonder where my skincare obsession came from… probably recovering from that trip. Even the place we stayed at was a little sketchy, but hey, here we are 15 years later going strong.

And there you have it, the love story of the El-Ghoul’s.

What about you guys?? Would love to hear your love stories!!

Courtney

January 31, 2020 1 comment