bear the fish

Title is a little confusing, isn't it? But the truth is, our Bear is such a fish these days and we are loving watching him become more and more comfortable in the water. He is taking lessons at FINS and has excelled so much just this summer- we are amazed with his progress and his sudden love for swimming. Last summer, he wouldn't even put his face in the water. Now he is swimming under the water, going down for dive sticks, jumping off the side of the pool by himself and swimming back to the edge, and so much more. I can't believe how far he's come and am so proud of our little guy!

If you live in Houston and are looking for swimming lessons for your little one, we highly recommend FINS. The lessons are 30 minutes long and you can choose day of the week/time that best fits your schedule; Bear was going on a weekday at 11am but is now going in the evenings to fit our schedule once school starts. He had Coach Cody for the first few weeks until he moved up a level and is loving Coach Christina, as well. FINS is family owned and operated, which we love, and the owners are very involved in the business. I met with one of them not long ago and he stressed to me that even if FINS didn't work out, that he hoped we'd keep doing lessons no matter where it might be. That really the founders just want to ensure water safety for kids, even if it's at a facility other than FINS. I could tell his intentions were genuine and not about making a buck, which made me feel even better about Bear being enrolled at FINS. But most of all, we just love it because he is learning so much and enjoying every minute. He asks almost daily to go to swim lessons, so I'm thinking I need to get him in a second day of the week. :)

If you have any questions at all about our lessons at FINS, Bear's progress, etc., I'm happy to answer them in the comments or via email (thehellohoneyblog@gmail.com). We've been calling Bear "Bear Phelps" and while he has no clue what that even means, he's loving it. We are headed to a waterpark for the next couple of days, Splashway, and I am so relieved in knowing that Bear has learned to swim and we can really enjoy our time in the water. One of our many summer goals has been achieved (only about 87 left)!
xo, Britt

nordstrom anniversary sale

It's that time of the year again- the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale is here!! This is seriously like Christmas in July you guys and I could drop some major money on the sale this year...SO much good stuff! So far I've only had time to scope out shoes and clothing (and a little bit of beauty), but I will be checking out mens, kids, and home decor soon, too. Because I'm too lazy to create a collage, I will direct y'all to everything I've ordered and some other things on my wishlist!

All you have to do is go to the "shop" tab at the top of my blog and click on it, or just click HERE and you'll find all my Nordstrom sale picks! There are some other items there as well but most of what's at the top of the page is from the sale. I'll also put a widget at the bottom of this post so that if you click on an image, it'll take you straight to it. I'll keep updating daily and adding new items to the "shop" tab that I find and love, eventually branching out from just women's clothing. You can only shop the sale right now if you have a Nordstrom card, which is free to open and you don't even have to use it to purchase (I just use my regular debit card!). However if you want to wait and not get a card, the sale opens to the public on July 19th and you can still snag some of the stuff then! I will say that about half the items usually sell out by that time, and a lot of them have limited sizes available by then as well. But you should still be able to get some of what's on your list- I'd advise making a list now so the minute the sale opens up to the public at 12am on the 19th, you can order right away! Returns are free and easy, so if you're questioning sizes I'd order one of each just to be safe. Nordstrom is known for having the very best customer service which is a big reason why I shop there so much. That and they have matching stuff for Bear and Boone...and y'all know that's a big selling point for me. :)

Linking some of my favorite purchases below that you'll be seeing a lot of this fall and winter (like Tory Burch flats WAY discounted- never happens)...and now I'm craving a pumpkin spice latte. Happy shopping and happy weekend!
xo, Britt

swimsuits under $20

swimsuit | sunnies
photos by Ban Avenue Photography


Looking at these photos, a lot has changed in the past month since they were taken: I cut about 5 inches/layers off my hair and actually have a tan now! I got a little sun while we were in Sweetwater and it feels good to not be so pasty white, even though I know laying out isn't the best thing for my skin. I didn't lay out much, in my defense- I mostly swam with Bear who is the biggest fish these days! I'll be sharing his swimming story soon and how far he's come this summer thanks to FINS and lots of practice. Couldn't be prouder of my little guy!

I bought this swimsuit last spring and have gotten so much wear out of it; the quality is amazing and so is the price! One of the questions I get most on Instagram is to help find swimsuit dupes (post on those HERE) and affordable swimwear. I wanted to share some of my favorite finds here as well, in case you're taking a trip to the beach this summer and need some new swimmies! I love finding swimwear that's reasonable so I can justify purchasing several swimsuits instead of just one. Most that I'm sharing below I already own and love, and if I don't then I have researched reviews to make sure these are options you'll love!

SWIMWEAR UNDER $20

I hope you're all having a great week! The next several weeks will be really crazy for us as I explained in the last post, especially since we don't know exactly when we're moving as of right now. But ready or not...so I better go start boxing. Lord knows my shoe collection alone will take a large moving truck.
Thank you for stopping by!
xo, Britt