THE WEEKLY

THE WEEKLY

May 9, 2015

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I'm a little late posting this...again. That's the way the days are rolling lately. Nico has been fighting naps like a champ and he's occasionally up for a bottle around 4:30, but he's giving us a solid 10-12 hours a night most nights so I mean, at least there's that. And my brain has been running like crazy trying to figure out how to get a solid little routine going for us so the house doesn't explode with all the messes piled up and we can manage to remember to bathe each kid a good amount of times during the week.

It's crazy, I tell you.

But otherwise, we had a good week! I probably had more important things but I've been going non-stop since 4:45 AM and my brain is finito.

And, Happy Mother's Day to all!

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THE WEEKLY

THE WEEKLY

September 26, 2014

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This week brought a major lack of sleep and a horrible cough that I can't seem to shake. But, we still had fun! And, it finally feels like Fall around here so if we get to break out sweaters and boots and open our windows at night, I'm a happy girl.

We celebrated Toby the stinky dachshund yesterday. He turned 7! Which meant a trip to the dog treat bar and a new rope toy was in order. Lia, of course, helped pick out everything and couldn't stop singing some version of "I love my dog and my dog's treats" all the way home.

Last night, I pulled out a pretty dress for my girl, ironed it and left it carefully hanging on the back of the door. This morning I took extra time to braid her hair just right and add two sweet bows then I sent her off to school for her last preschool picture day. I clearly remember registration and open house for her first year and now she's over a month into her second year and it feels like we've always been doing it.

And we're just a day away from our weekend trip. I can't wait for two days in North Carolina with my loves. We're checking out an apple farm in hopes that we can find somewhere we like for the Falls we don't make it to New York and then spending an entire day in Ikea. It sounds pretty amazing right now.

Here's to a fun, Fall weekend and ending my quest to find the perfect mini pumpkins! Happy weekending, xo.

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AND THEN PRE-K HAPPENED...

AND THEN PRE-K HAPPENED...

August 12, 2014

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It was her last first day of Preschool on Thursday! She's officially in Pre-K now. She's attending the same school as last year and we're still in love with her teachers!

It's crazy to think she'll be in Kindergarten next year so I just refuse to think about that. This year, she wanted Toby in all of her pictures and he wasn't a super willing participate. Hence the blurry outake photo above...

I dropped her off alone this year and already she seems too big. She was pretty nervous and unsure about a new classroom without her best friend but after I walked her in and helped her hang up her bags and sneak a peek at her teacher from last year, her new teacher swooped in with a big hug and let me sneak away. I got a call twenty minutes later that she was settled in and happily playing and I was reassured that I could worry a little less the next four hours.

And she did great! This year she stays an hour longer and eats lunch at school. She was all smiles and told me proudly how she opened her juice box all on her own. This Pre-K thing is cool but I'm still waiting for time to slow down!

PS. Preschool, last year!
 

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ALL THINGS CANDY AND COLORED EGGS

ALL THINGS CANDY AND COLORED EGGS

April 21, 2014

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Happy Easter, friends! Is anyone else relieved it's a new week? I'm excited to get the house in order and routines going again.

I woke up yesterday to a little girl asking if the Easter Bunny came and left eggs for her which was my cue to scramble out of bed, stuff some plastic eggs and toss them around the house.

We spent the day doing puzzles, cooking a nice dinner, watching Frozen and eating way too many chocolates. I think the colored eggs were the biggest hit of the afternoon. We used Kool-Aid packets to get the bright colors. And they were so much fun that the fridge is now full of more bright hard-boiled eggs than I think we can eat.

And things were pretty good. But I'm going to be honest for a minute - things were pretty bad too. All things considering, we're all happy and well and the day can go by with a check mark that says "Easter 2014 - completed!" but L complained and whined all day. She took almost two hours to finish dinner and thought we were horrible for not giving her dessert after that. I tried to keep her basket simple and full of things she only truly loved and needed and even then, she didn't seem appreciative. Don't get me wrong, she did say thank you for dinner and she did call me the best egg-colorer (if that's a thing...). I guess as parents we are so excited to see our kids excited, its a big let-down when a fictitious character takes the credit and the day is full of grumpy attitudes.

I'm all for the magic of holidays and the dreams that take place when you fall asleep knowing something truly special is going to happen the next day, but I'm also a big fan of manners and being thankful and keeping things simple. It makes me stop and think "did we take a wrong turn on the holiday train?".

But here we are, it's a new day and the attitudes of yesterday have worn away. And, in my heart I know that I have one hell of a great kid who can be polite and grateful and amazing. I also know kids have their moments and I can't look back on yesterday and be unhappy about it. I just can't. Because when I look back, I remember the smiles and the happy moments and I hear her tiny voice shouting out the lyrics to every song from Frozen and I know regardless of any wrongs we did, we did so many things right.

Here's to a new week. It's a busy one for us before we take a trip to NC to spend time with family next week. I hope Easter was good for you, xo!

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THE WEEKLY

THE WEEKLY

January 31, 2014

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Having M home for a day and half in the middle of the week made this week so much sweeter. We didn't get any snow, only a few flurries mixed with ice and cold temperatures! Everything is clear now and life has resumed. Make-up ballet classes are on the calendar and a certain little girl is eager to get back to school!

And between handling another case of head lice that spread to me and my girl this time and all the cleaning involved there, we still had some fun moments. Nothing says romance like having your partner pick nits out of your hair, right?

But seriously...we watched movies in bed together, played with icicles, baked brownies and spent some time outside on the warmer days before the storm. And, we tackled every load of laundry. That's a pretty amazing feat around here lately.

We're heading to Ikea this weekend to pick out a big-girl bed for L. It's been a battle all week to decide which size bed to go with and these sheets I ordered may have been the deciding factor. I can't resist a black and white polka dot. We're going with a full size bed and keeping our fingers crossed it's the right choice!

My to-do list will most likely rule the rest of the weekend. I hope you enjoy yours, whatever you have planned, xo!

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OUR AFTERNOONS

OUR AFTERNOONS

November 14, 2013

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Our afternoons usually look like this...

Peanut butter sandwiches at the kitchen table. Books scattered across L's floor. A favorite show on TV before nap. And then a quiet two hours for me. Some days I clean, some days I relax. It sounds much calmer when it's written out. But, there's always whining about taking a nap, she's usually indecisive about what shape her sandwich should be and then she takes well over 30 minutes to eat. 

That's our day-to-day afternoon. I'm trying to slow down and remember that these are the sweet spots of our days together. I only get so many of these types of days and I want to know that I made them good for her amongst the imperfections. What do your afternoons look like?

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THIS IS LONG OVERDUE

THIS IS LONG OVERDUE

November 5, 2013

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So many posts should have come between this one and the last but life got crazy so this little corner of the internet got a few cobwebs.

If you follow me on instagram, you're probably pretty caught up with us. Snapping a picture update is way easier than a post right now.

But, the short version is this:

Our dog, Toby, got pretty sick over the weekend. We had to admit him to a veterinary hospital that was two hours away part of the weekend. It turns out that something he must have eaten or ingested messed with his GI tract causing him to vomit a ton. Bloody vomit, everywhere - it wasn't a pretty picture. That caused him to have severe dehydration which then caused his kidneys to stop working right. On top of that, his body temp was way too low and he lost 2 lbs. On an 11 lb dog, that's a pretty big deal. The good news is that his kidneys are functioning again and the round of meds he is on seems to be working. He's tolerating food well and acting like himself again - we just really need him to drink water. 

Emergency dog hospitals are expensive! Ha, pets and vets are a crazy thing. Honestly, we know it's just money and our dog is part of our family. We'll always do what it takes for him - even if the sticker shock is huge. But woah. Mama needed a new set of pots and pans.

M is out of town on business. I'm kind of jealous he gets to check out Chicago without me, but my mom came in town for a girls week so we're still living it up.

Halloween was FUN! We have way to much candy leftover and L was the cutest Pippi Longstocking. And, we've watched the movie at least 5 times since Halloween. But I will NEVER ever attempt Pippi braids again.

Also, you should read this. It was a little cheesy and there's a pretty fine line between it being YA and an adult novel, but I couldn't put it down after I started it.

That pretty much covers the past few days. They've been good and bad and messy and everything in between. It's one of those seasons. 

Happy Tuesday, xo!

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THE WEEKLY

THE WEEKLY

October 4, 2013

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It's been a slow, resettling week. Unpacking suitcases. Clearing out surfaces covered in messes. Loading the dishwasher, unloading the dishwasher. Preschool runs. Ballet class. Many trips to Target.

Slowly, and most randomly, L will tell me about her days at school. Sometimes I feel too distracted by things going on, I wonder if that's why she doesn't open up as much. I beat myself up for not always being "available". This really got me thinking about that. This morning, L started telling me that one girl in her class took her toys because she "needed" them but L thought she needed them too. When I asked her if she told her teacher, she says she was calling her but her teacher didn't hear her. L is soft spoken, shy and part introvert. It's hard being a parent - I can't be there for her while she's at school. I have to let her go and flourish. She has to find her way. But it breaks my heart knowing that she may struggle with voicing herself in outside situations. Just let me kid have the pony, ya know.

But that was our week. The mornings feel like Fall, the afternoons do not. The house is half cleaned and the floors are dirty.Toby is taunted every day by our resident squirrels. I'm trying to find an explanation of why we didn't go to New York City because all my girl talks about is New York City. Pumpkins and mums are making me happy. Also, it's Friday.

A few things...
This video makes me laugh out loud. And bust out hashtags at inappropriate times.

A parenting gem.

I'm still feeding my black and white obsession. Target for the win!

My sweet friend blogged these brownie and ice cream pops. Fall may be on it's way, but I think the 80 degree weather permits me to make these!

Did anyone watch the season opener of Saturday Night Live? There's so many new cast members that it almost feels like the awkward beginning to a new school year. I'm not losing hope yet though.

DIY potato stamp. Makes me want to craft up a few dish towels this weekend.

The good news.

Need some halloween costume inspiration? L is insisting on being a princess and I want to whip her up a Pippi Longstocking costume. I think we'll meet in the middle - princess for Halloween at preschool and Pippi that night!

And, I'm convinced I need to own a donut pan.

Happy Weekend!

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THIS WEEKEND

THIS WEEKEND

September 27, 2013

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We're spending the weekend in North Carolina. My big brother is getting married! We're happy to get away for a while and break up our normal routine. The past two weeks haven't been stellar so this is pretty awesome for us.

While we enjoy family and the cooler weather - my sister has crunchy leaves scattered across her backyard(!) - I hope you all have a great weekend!

PS. Have you seen the new Fox TV show Sleepy Hollow? They are currently filming in my hometown! It's pretty cool to see all the trucks and lighting crews around. The town has a serious background in all things creepy. I grew up hearing all about ghost stories and the witches that used to roam the town. So, it's the perfect backdrop for the show. Today, they are filming in a local cemetery but recently they filmed at this venue which also happens to be where my brother's wedding is being held tomorrow. And, I had my bridal portraits taken there a few years ago. 

If you watch the second episode of the show, you can catch some of the scenes that were filmed here!

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LATELY

LATELY

September 24, 2013

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It's been a little quiet around the blog front as I've been dealing with doctor appointments and tests along with our everyday things. When our real life looks like a behind the scenes mess, inspiration for the blog - or anything, really - doesn't exactly flow out of me.

Today is the first day in almost two weeks that I've felt like maybe "normal" is out there again. I plan on seeing a specialist this week so fingers crossed for some anwsers or a miracle cure(!). But for today, I cleaned the kitchen and showered so I'm calling it a win.

Life lately has looked a lot like this...

Peanut butter sandwiches. A lot of them. Of the dinosaur and pumpkin variety.
So many crafts and projects coming home with L from preschool.
And I live for the moments where she tells me how her day was.
Our dachshund, Toby, turns six today! We celebrated with a trip to the treat bar at Petco.
Putting together a wedding gift for my brother.
Finding a perfect little pumpkin at the grocery store.
And talking to the lobsters while we were there.
Clearing out old things we don't use anymore and finding them new homes.
Slowly pulling out some Fall decor and cozying up the house.
And, mountains of laundry.

Fall is official and the weather is cooling down here. Chilly mornings are the best kind of morning and I'm pretty happy to partake in them. We're gearing up for a really busy week with a wedding in North Carolina and a family trip to New York. I've got all kinds of things I want to do in that gorgeous city that has stolen my heart, but especially an afternoon in Central Park. With a blanket and a picnic, maybe?

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MONDAY YOU WIN

MONDAY YOU WIN

September 9, 2013

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I rarely have "a case of the Mondays". I like the idea of a fresh week and for now, L doesn't have school on Mondays so it's usually a good day for us. I guess Monday just wanted to keep things in check.

 

So, the dog thought it would be fun to sleep in one of my favorite shirts. I'm sure he slept good but then he got stuck and I had to cut it off him. Now I'm wearing it with no sleeves and feeling pretty sad about it. I look like a lumber jack. I mean, really. This happens?.

Then L's cough turned into other things and now she has her first ear infection. Which led to a really long wait for her prescription at Target. And I'm usually pretty tally-ho having to spend an afternoon there. But when your toddler feels miserable, I'm all tally-NO. Also, she was up seven times (7!) last night and threw up all over the kitchen floor this morning.

Turns out, the day had a sweet ending. M took us out for dinner. If he let me cook, I can pretty much assure you it wouldn't have been edible. I can only do one thing when I'm scatterbrained - be scatterbrained. And we finished up another small project for the house. So, I'm chalking it up to a "glad it's over" day and keeping my fingers crossed we can all sleep through the night.

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TRICK OR TREAT | 2012

TRICK OR TREAT | 2012

November 1, 2012

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another halloween has passed. seriously, where the h is the time going?
 

  

so this was our 3rd homemade halloween! i didn't actually make anything for her costume this year, except draw on her freckles! but it was all handmade from a friend or pulled from her closet. 

she did SO good this year. she totally got it and walked right up to the doors, said trick or treat, took her candy like and boss and said thank you in that adorable way she does and went to the next house.

we had some whiny moments and times where she just wanted us to carry her house from house but she is 2 and those are expected pretty much every 10 minutes or so in this house.

but it was so much FUN!! seeing her face light up at decorations and treats. she was so excited about all of it!

afterwards we hit up target, just because we do that. and then we got pizza. i pretty much crave pizza every day. it's so bad... and then we all slept hard. yesterday was a BUSY day.

 
 
 

 

costumes
l - little reding riding hood
m - a yankee player
me - a nerd
toby - a lobster, for about 10 minutes

i seriously pulled together mine & m's costume in about 5 minutes before he got home from work. we weren't going to dress up but we've always dressed up with L and i didn't want to regret it. besides, it didn't cost us anything!

but it night make me a little nerdy that i had all the pieces for a nerd costume in my closet, and most of them are things i actually use...

and today is the start of my favorite month! and the month we move. and the month the last twilight movie comes out in theatres. that may have been marked on my calendar for months now. i've been cleaning up the house, doing laundry & dishes, eating halloween candy. today is the last day our house will look normal. time to start packing and get ready for our next adventure. 

november, you are going to rock.
 

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