Tomorrow is the day-

August 1st is the day that begins the calendar year for many diaries and planners. For years I carried a black leather agenda by Coach. I still have it in my home office, but when my little one came along, it was a little bulky in my handbag. Once I shed the diaper bag, I still had to maintain items in my bag to keep him happy (snacks, a mini tervis and an iPad) so the snazzy organizer had to go.

Last year, I turned to Lilly for an agenda. Though it was still thick, it packed a little less bulk than Coach. As a Lilly fan, it was also less formal than the leather one and added an extra "kick" to my daily planning.

One drawback is that the monthly tabs became dog-eared over time.The pages are also thin and if my little Kipster tugged on one, even a little bit, it tore right out of the spiral!

About a month ago, my friend, Ashley, at A Paper Affair convinced me to look at momAgenda. Ironically, Ashley wanted me to look at it a year ago, but I was too stuck on Lilly.

I originally purchased the leather-bound planner, but swapped it for this spiral. I like to have the option of folding it in half, which I obviously couldn't do with leather.

Always one to take advantage of branding, I placed my company logo on the front too.

A drawback to the momAgenda is that the lines are shorter than the ones I have used in the past and I feel as if I need to cram a lot of info into one box. The advantage, though, is the space at the bottom where I can write in my son's information, along with bills, travel plans, dinner prep and gym workouts. If I commit my weight-lifting, core classes or Zumba to paper, then I assume I am obligated to actually attend!

We will see how the next 18 months rolls along with this one. Otherwise, I will once again be searching for the next best thing to organize my life.

Rikki Ragland
the preppy debutante

Preppy Calling Card

Personalized phone cases can be found in stores and online. Monograms and initials have taken over iPhones, Droids and other phones. It is a glorified version of having one's name ironed inside of clothing during camp days. I love them!

Monogrammed phone cases from 2PreppyGirls

I decided to take a slightly different route and checked out the phones from flirtygirldesigns on Etsy. This vendor allows you to upload your favorite photo and they turn it into a phone case. I love that it is not a simple decal on the case, it is a permanent print embedded in the phone. Flirtygirl Designs provides EXCELLENT customer service too, so check her out!

Personalized phone case from flirtygirl designs

How could I resist uploading my company logo. It makes for the perfect calling card. Every time I make a phone call, I have a handheld advertisement for the preppy debutante.

Rikki Ragland
the preppy debutante

Sea life in Seattle

After our wonderful trip to Mexico, we were home for five days, then off to the great Northwest.

Our destination was Washington, where we went to the Seattle Aquarium with relatives. Cameron and his younger cousin, Dallas, learned about starfish.

The aquarium is very "hands-on," encouraging kids to touch the marine life. The boys got a kick out of the squishy little fish.


There is nothing like watching fish swimming ABOVE you.

Like most aquariums, there was a cool selection of exotic fish.





Of course, a trip here wouldn't be complete without a goofy picture of Dallas & Cameron.

Afterwards, we had a great seafood lunch and the boys went home for much needed naps. What a full day!

Rikki Ragland
the preppy debutante

Going back in time to Tulum

Along the east coast of the Yucatán Peninsula sits Tulum, one of the last cities built by the Mayans.

We spent a sweltering afternoon walking among the ruins.

Mayan kings would come to Tulum as a retreat. Our little prince contemplated what it would have been like for the royals back then as they enjoyed this place of solitude.



There are new residents of Tulum in present day. Critters are running all over the place. I am not a fan of reptiles (except for belts, shoes & purses), but they were fun to observe.





It was a great afternoon strolling through Mexico's history.

Centuries later, it still feels like paradise.

Rikki Ragland
the preppy debutante

Moses in Xcaret

When Moses drifted down the River, he certainly was not wearing a life jacket! Our tiny tot took his first trip, "down the river" in Xcaret in Mexico. The river was very similar to a lazy river, except there were no inner tubes and we wore snorkel gear. It was about 4.5 feet deep and took about 40 minutes to swim from top to bottom.


Xcaret is like a collision of Disney World, Wet N' Wild and a great zoo.

In addition to rides and entertainment,

exotic animals are everywhere.



By mid-afternoon, two of us had enough of the blazing sun and intense heat. Despite having lunch in a shady restaurant in an over-sized chair,

and slathering on SPF 50 (which did not seem to stop the sun from baking my shoulders & back), my little tourist and I were ready to call it a day.

It only took a matter of seconds for one of us to pass out for a nap. He was only in the hammock long enough for this photo and then we wrapped it up and headed back to our hotel.

We made our way back (30 minutes from our hotel) in the early evening,

And enjoyed a margarita

and a *spectacular* show in the coliseum!


The show told the history of Mexico and was a great performance.

It was a great day at Xcaret & we still only saw a portion of it. I guess we will have to go back one day.
Our next stop, and blog entry, will take us WAY back to the beginning of time...seriously.

Rikki Ragland
the preppy debutante