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I'm Shay! I’m a cookbook author, lifestyle blogger, travel agency owner, wife and mama who loves making every day special for my family.

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Mix & Match Mama

Everyday Life, Life Lately ·

Life lately.


A little life lately for your Thursday.

Basically, it’s pics of us and pups 🙂 .

Spending some one on one time with Poppy before bed 🙂 .

Madeley is totally loving the new puppy…

…and the other puppy too.

Awe!  I was volunteering at the kids’ school when I saw this cutie skipping by!

Some days, after school, we stop at the park.  I’m trying to soak up my “Madeley time” before she heads off to kinder next fall!

Ugh!  I’m obsessed.  I’m trying to get lots of snuggles in when Smith’s not around!!

I also saw this cutie walking to music at school.  She stopped to show me her art on the wall in the hallway.

Erika brought me all of the ingredients to make my own Medicine Balls, and I’ve been making myself one pretty much every day.  It’s one bag of Teavana Peach Tranquility Tea with one bag of Teavana Jade Citrus Mint Tea, honey and a splash of Simply Lemonade with your hot water.  It’s perfection!  I don’t know if you notice this about me or not on Stories, but I lose my voice pretty much at some point every week.  It’s always raspy.  I’ve gotten full on laryngitis three times since having my tonsils removed (in 2010).  Isn’t that weird???

On dance days when it’s not her turn, we like to play games while we wait for the other girls.  Go Fish is always a winner!

Isn’t she PRECIOUS?!  We are obsessed!

I spy Frenchie asleep with Ashby 🙂 .  We all know that Frenchie is technically Kensington’s dog…but boy, SHE SURE LOVES ASHBY.

See?

Pretty in Pink is always a good idea.  Any other movie suggestions like this one for Kensington and me to watch???

I came home from the gym the other morning and spied this cozy scene.

Look at Andrew Shull out and about for the first time after surgery. I drove him…

…and Miss Ashby to surprise K at her evening volleyball game.  They missed the earlier ones during the day, but by 6:00PM, they were both ready to leave the house.

We went to the Slaughter’s house for the Super Bowl! It was SUPER fun!!

And this picture makes me laugh every single time I see it.

That’s a little look at our life lately.  See you back here tomorrow!! xo

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Comments

  1. Margaret says

    With all that you guys have going on it is good to see all the smiles! Wish Andrew a speedy recovery!

    I was watching the hallmark channel & was happy to see them making your recipe. I totally get it ,family first!

  2. Susan says

    Hi Shay! Several years ago, I was hoarse all the time. My doctor sent me to an ENT and he ran a test and said I had vocal chord modules. He said the options were to go to speech therapy to see if the way I was talking was causing it, to rest my voice or surgery. I opted for rest and after several months they went away. Unfortunately, I think they are back. I homeschool my kids so I talk a lot and he said that’s what causes it. It might not be what’s going on with you, but I thought I would share.

      • Carrie says

        Yes, my Mom had this however the first thing they investigated was GERD. In fact my 9 year old has had severe GERD since she was an infant and that is her main symptom. My Mom in fact has both issues but the GERD is a more pressing concern. Untreated it can cause damage.

  3. Jodi says

    Have you been to the ENT to have your vocal cords checked? They may have nodules on them which can contribute to a raspy voice.

  5. Marci Smith says

    I think your raspy voice is an affectation. I had the same thing in college when I was a “party girl”. Had bad vocal fry as well.
    Voice therapy got me through it. I be learned to not talk that way and am so much happier!

  6. Margo says

    I recently ordered three DVDs of my favorite 80s Disney Sunday Night Movies (you might be too young to remember those) to share with my kiddos. But I was thrilled to find one old favorite “The Beniker Gang” is available on Prime Video for rent. It’s an Andrew McCarthy too 🙂 Might be fun for y’all.

  7. Deejay says

    Life lately looks pretty good. Hope your family’s February goes smoother and healthier than previous months. Movies for you and K…when my daughter was about that age, we enjoyed Aquamarine (maybe even younger), What About a Girl (a good part of this one takes place in London : ) and Chasing Liberty. Still like those years later.

  9. Deejay says

    Well oops! My Chasing Liberty recommendation is PG13 for drinking and some sexual content. My daughter is older, so maybe fuzzy on what age we watched that one. Still cute, but hold off on that one for later. My bad.

  12. Hallie says

    do you have the link to your sweater that you are wearing the picture with Ashby? Thanks! I love these kind of posts!

  14. Karen says

    Some good movies fo you and Kensington to watch together – The Princess Bride, Mrs Doubtfire, Back to the Future, ET, The Dark Crystal, Ghostbusters, The Karate Kid, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, Honey I Shrunk the Kids

  16. Sue Monroe says

    Hi Shay, thanks for sharing Life Lately !!

    I know Smith is reading advanced books for his age. Can you do a post on what his current “reads” are?

    Thanks!

  18. mary says

    shay , how bad was it when you had your tonsils removed? I need to so bad but am chicken bc i’m older now and they say its really worse then!!

    • Mix and Match Mama says

      Ugh! Um, I hate to be negative, but it was seriously not fun. I am happy I did it, but boy…it was not great at all. Do it though if it needs to be done!!

    • Shannon says

      Completely unrelated but omg your skin!!!! It looks so perfect! Do you do any facials or treatments??

      • Mix and Match Mama says

        I used to do microderm and chem peels regularly but they started irritating my face. Now, I do one photo facial series a year (so that’s three facials)!

  20. Marie Claas says

    The picture of Smith lost in a book is probably the most amazing image of all! It speaks volumes about you, as parents! It just shows how powerful parents’ modeling of good practices is! He sees you reading, so he feels it’s important and fun! I just love that photo!!!

  21. Amy S says

    We’ve watched The Parent Trap, Freaky Friday, and The Little House on the Prairie series. Oh, and they also love I Love Lucy!

  22. Amanda Reid says

    Shay, I am a medical provider. You really need to see an ENT for your voice. You should not have “loose your voice” that often without acute respiratory symtoms. Please get that evaluated.

  23. Julie says

    My daughter (12) and I LOVED ‘Tall Girl’/Netfilx. A really really cute modern day romance and totally PG too. And the characters are so sweet-you will love them.

  25. tricia kw says

    Hi Shay!

    Santa brought me a Kindle PaperWhite (thank you for the idea!) and I have a couple of questions for you!
    Where did you get your cover from and, do you have a screen protector for it?
    Been reading your blog for years, thank you for always being fun and real and being a great inspiration… reading your blog is definitely a small daily moment of ‘me’ time! 🙂

  26. Jennifer Maynard says

    My daughter and I love to watch When Calls the Heart on Hallmark. The past seasons are all on Netflix. It is just a sweet, clean show that maybe you and Kensington would enjoy

  27. Jen says

    Troop Beverly Hills is a classic for my daughter and I! Curly Sue is another one we love watching together.

  28. Angie says

    Hey Shay! I know you can’t wear heavy earrings and neither can I – and those gold hoops are fabulous! Do you mind sharing where you found them?

    I hope all is well in the Shull house!

  29. AliJ. says

    Sixteen Candles, Uncle Buck and the original Adventures in Babysitting are popular with my 11 year old daughter. We’ve also watched 50 First Dates but she didn’t like it as much as I did.

    • AmandaG says

      +1 for Adventures in Babysitting! Also, someone earlier recommended The Parent Trap and I think that’s a great rec (original or remake). I also used to love Teen Witch when I was younger. Haven’t seen it in a while, but I do have it recorded on my DVR to watch at some point soon.

    • Jen says

      I just commented the same movie! It was my favorite growing up! I didn’t know it was on Netflix – this just made my day!!!

  31. Cara Sims says

    How much honey do you put in your medicine ball? Movies for you and Kensington…
    Stand by me
    Look who’s talking
    Benjamin button
    Simon birch
    Coming to America
    Mrs. Doubtfire
    Edward scissorhqnd
    Uncle Buck
    While you were sleeping

  32. Tracy Doubts says

    Miss Yankee Doodle is adorable as are Poppy and Frenchie. I picked up the book that Andrew suggested by Caesar Millan “How to Raise the Perfect Dog”, thank you Andrew, it’s super helpful!

  33. Tyson says

    I am just wondering how you take care of 3 dogs in a day and 4 kids! Especially the puppy – how much training is involved right now? We have 4 kids and I’m hesitant to get own dog for fear that we’ll not have enough time to train it/raise it/be home enough for it! Also, who takes your dogs when you travel? Thanks for sharing your family with us!

    • Mix and Match Mama says

      Right this very minute, the four kids are at school and Yankee is at work with Andrew. Poppy and Frenchie are both sleeping on the rug behind me. We just make it work. Lots of outside time, walks, we all work together…we just make it work. A really sweet family watches them when we’re out of town. Before we committed to a third dog, we checked with them and they were totally on board.

  34. Kathy Roe says

    The Princess Diaries are cute movies too for K’s age.
    I love the friendship that you and Erica share. Also your new puppy is the cutest! I think Ashby is really the dog whisperer in your family, just sayin.

    • Leslie S says

      We just watched Overcomer and it was awesome! My girls loved it. Princess Diaries series. Sarah Plain and Tall, Mama Mia is a fav, some mature innuendo but it’s so good —and, high school musical (there are 3) is one all your girls can watch together, Smith will even like these!

  35. Kelly says

    Kensington would love the Disney Channel Original Movies on Disney+ from the late 90’s and early 00’s.. Cadet Kelly, Double Teamed, Smart House, Color of Friendship to name a few. So fun to go back and watch!

  36. Melissa Sexton says

    My daughter just turned 12 and we watched Then and Now together. Is was really fun seeing a coming of age movie with her that I had watched when I was young also. And we had a great conversation afterwards too!

  37. KAL says

    Your pups are so cute! Your mentioned giving them all bones in the AM. What type do you give them and do they last more then 2 minutes??

    • Mix and Match Mama says

      I don’t know that I know the brand. We give them the bones that they can chew on for days (like bully sicks).

  38. Larissa says

    So fun! I love that picture of Smith reading in the morning. How on earth do you get your kids to choose that instead of screen time!? My 7yo wants the iPad first thing in the morning when he wakes up and basically all the moments after until bedtime. We have rules of course but I would keel over from shock if I randomly walked in to him reading a book, haha! What do you guys do for screen time guidelines? Do you discuss this somewhere else I just haven’t seen?

    • Mix and Match Mama says

      We don’t really do a lot of screen time over here. I am more lenient about it, but Andrew is super hardcore. We like to watch TV together at night as a family and of course, there is a time and place for the kids to watch movies on their iPads, but (so far) this hasn’t been really a battle over here. (Don’t worry though, we have other battles!!!)

  39. Summer says

    I admit it kind of surprised me the first time I heard you speak. I work in the medical field and thought “she should get that checked out.” Definitely look into it and don’t ignore it! Love the pictures of your sweet family!

  40. Jen says

    Has Kensington ever watched Girls Just Wanna Have Fun? That was my favorite movie growing up! I wanted to be on DTV just like Janie!!

  41. jennimc says

    I’ve really been enjoying your posts lately. It’s good to see that things seem to be getting back to normal 🙂
    I recently went back and read some of your packing/travel posts because I’m getting ready to pack for a trip and I wondered….how long does it usually take you to pack yourself for a week’s trip? And how far ahead do you do it? I always find it so hard to pack very early because I need to use so much of it everyday!

    • Mix and Match Mama says

      I really work off of lists. I already have a list going for our spring break trip which isn’t for another month. I think by making a good list (what I need to buy/pack/dig out of the closet) then I can wait and pack the day before (or maybe two days before) because I have everything I need. I find it hard to pack early too!!!

  42. Kayla Booth says

    Hey there! What kind of dog is Yankee? Is she a teacup or miniature dog? How big will she get? She is adorable! ❤️

    • Mix and Match Mama says

      She’s a labradoodle (a mini one), so yes, she’ll get bigger but not “lab” size.

  43. Courtney says

    Love all the pics! You have a beautiful family!
    Do you know where you got Madeley’s pink leopard sweater? My daughter is obsessed with anything leopard and pink.
    Thank you! ?

  44. Annie Delgado says

    Hi Shay.
    Have you had an ENT look at your vocal chords? It might be worth a check.
    Also your tea is a great idea. When I used to get laryngitis all the time as an advice RN I used to steam. Just put a kettle on the stove and when it boils turn it down to simmer, place a towel over your head and breathe in the steam for 10 minutes.
    A cool mist vaporizer at night would help too!

  46. Shannon Leyerle says

    I highly recommend the PBS Anne of Green Gables miniseries with Megan Follows. I’m guessing you might have been too young to catch it when it first aired, but it’s available on Amazon and is by FAR the best version of this great series. Kensington is at a great age for this!

  49. Catherine says

    Some movies my girls and I have enjoyed watching together are: Father of the Bride 1 and 2, You’ve Got Mail, Sabrina (newer one), Parent Trap and Sleepless in Seattle.

  52. Jennifer says

    It’s likely vocal nodules; those are pretty classic symptoms. ENT could easily make the diagnosis for you. After years of raspiness and laryngitis, I was diagnosed with them in my 30s. One of my symptoms was feeling really tired which I attributed to having 3 young kids, but It’s more difficult to produce sound with the nodules which is tiring to the body. The more tired a person with nodules gets, the more difficult it becomes to produce sound, so there’s a tricky cycle there. I encourage you to make an appointment with an ENT.

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