Tag: postaday2011

{tuesdays with lola}

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On Tuesday morning baby girl and I have the entire morning to spend together.

If you remember from my {get moving…} post from last week, Tuesday is a running day on my exercise routine. You may also know that I have mixed it up lately and go to a class on Tuesday evening and run on Wednesday.

One of the reasons I have made this change is to spend some quality time with baby girl.

One on one time that we rarely get together.

We drop the little guy off at school, go get a bagel, and then head over to the library for the Fun for Ones storytime.

I love to watch her show her 17-month old independence.  Of course, it is always nice when she comes back to sit in momma’s lap for a snuggle.

home is…spending tuesday morning with my baby girl, lola.

get moving…

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…it’s Monday!

To get moving doesn’t always mean moving your body.

What about moving your mind?

Have you tried something new lately?

Trying something new everyday might be a stretch, but why not try something new every week.  A recipe. A craft. A new exercise. A new furniture arrangement. A new color paint. A new piece of artwork. A new hobby. Whatever it may be…try something new!

This is what did to move my mind last week.

I made these rose hair clips for a baby shower gift.  Another mommy from our Friday playgroup  is having her 3rd baby and her 1st baby girl!

Here is the tutorial I used from Make it Do.

home is…moving your mind.

something’s gotta give

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Internet is back up, but I’m not productive today. Blame it on the Superbowl!

No post about the new Boden catalog…I will get to that later this week.

I did spend more than half the day yesterday with a good girl friend…we went treasure hunting. It was a lot of fun. No big purchases for me. I didn’t even take any photos!

It is frustrating to me that when I take time for myself, which is important and makes me feel good, that lots of other things don’t get done. The house is a mess, the laundry is only getting done because my husband is doing it (and usually does because it is not a huge priority of mine and is a bigger priority for him).

I spent today playing with the kids this morning, arguing with my husband before lunch, going to the grocery store with baby girl before naptime, finally getting to go on a short run (30 minutes) during naptime, and then it was time for the Superbowl.  I wanted to sit down, have snacks made, and enjoy the game.  No snacks, and the only way I could sit and watch the game was to give the little guy my iphone to play with because he did not want to watch football and really wanted to play dinosaur which I was tired of playing. I feel so guilty for all the “screen time” that he has had, but he (and his sister) are so needy and there is only so much I can give!

So, the weekend is gone and I feel guilty for going with my girl friend yesterday morning, not being able to spend quality time with the family, am not making my husband happy. Blech! Not the way I like to feel on a Sunday night.

home is…feeling like something’s gotta give.

blogging from my iphone

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Internet is down tonight so I am posting from my iPhone.
It’s not as user friendly as my MacBook, but nice that I can at least put a post up to let you know I can’t put a post up.
I mean, I just did, but it’s just to let you know that I can’t “really” post the way I want to.
Got a new Boden catalog in the mail today. I am hoping to post about that tomorrow since I can’t scan the photos to my iPhone.
That was your heads up about a clothing post father-in-law!
home is…blogging from my iPhone.

teaching our children well

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First of all thanks for all of your comments on my post from Tuesday!

If a post hits home for you, please share it with others…you can use the Facebook, Twitter or e-mail buttons at the bottom of each blog post!

Also, please don’t be afraid to comment.  This is my blog, but I love to hear your thoughts, too. And, I know in yesterday’s post I said I could delete comments, but I wouldn’t do that unless it was an entirely “mean girl” comment.

It seems that more of us have been “Heathered” at one time or another in life. Although it makes me feel better to know that I am not alone, I feel terrible that it happened to any of us at all.

My husband, Ryan, read Jen’s blog and remarked on something that I have also thought about all these years, the glaring hypocrisy of how girls and boys are viewed, or treated in many situations. He said that in Jen’s situation she was labeled a “slut” (as is most always the case in high school situations such as this), but what about the boy? Typically, the girl is referred to as a slut (or similar name), yet the boy is often placed on a pedestal for his sexual conquests. Of course, as adults this hypocrisy is blatantly clear, but as children and young adults it is unseen and hurtful. I think this merits working on, to make sure that at least our children understand that this hypocrisy is wrong.

Of course, it was high school and there was a boy in the middle of all the “mean girl” stuff for me. It bothered me at the time that the boy was able to keep all of his friends, still live his life, and not have anybody treat him badly. The fact that he had done something wrong was ignored (and probably celebrated) for the most part.

That being said, the more important part of this event is not so much what happened, but that I want to do everything I can to teach the little guy to treat girls with respect. No girl should be treated as if they can be cast off when the next best thing comes along. As I mentioned before, I want to teach baby girl about being a kind and strong girl/woman, but it is just as critical to teach our young boys to be kind, strong and respectful of girls (and truly all people regardless of gender).

When it comes down to it the old adage is true: “Treat others the way you want to be treated.”

home is…teaching our children well.

on a lighter note

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Yesterday’s post was hard for me. I got butterflies in my belly when I posted it. And, believe it or not, I am still scared that some of those “mean girls” from high school will read it and post mean comments on my blog. I am also worried what you all would think of me if you read them! Seriously?! Ugh!

The good news is that this is MY blog, so I can write what I want and delete “mean girl” comments if I wish.

Moving on.

So, on a lighter note…no pun intended…

Edison Chandelier, Black

I think new lighting can make a big difference in a room.

Our master bedroom is in need of a makeover.  Seriously people, we sleep in what we call the “duck blind”.  I have no idea what the people who lived here before us were trying to do with this wall finish, but it is horrendous. Of course, the only rooms we have painted in the whole house in the almost three years we have lived here are the kids rooms, but I digress.

I would love to add this to the ceiling…

Edison Chandelier, Black

What do you think?  Do you think lighting can make a big impact in a room?

home is…moving on.

believing that you can believe in yourself

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We are now a month in to a new year.  There are some who make resolutions…are you sticking with them? I don’t actually make resolutions, but I do set goals. Of course, a general goal is to become a better person.  Inside of that general goal are smaller ones…being a better wife, mom, sister, daughter, friend. I am constantly questioning and evaluating how good I am at any of the roles that I play. I never really feel that I am doing a good job at any of them. I’m not looking for sympathy…it’s just how I feel. Not sure where this comes from, but it’s just how I feel.

Anyway, yesterday I read this blog post and it hit home.

Over the years I was hurt by friends that I thought were my BFF’s. Eventually, I think I just decided that it was better to not get too close to my friends. Not to mention, before high school my parents almost got divorced/separated/whatever, but decided to stay together. Needless to say, there was a lot of turmoil at home, but nothing that I felt that I could share with a friend…at least nothing I thought they would be able to understand. So, I think I stayed distant for that reason.

I played sports, got good grades, went to parties, had boyfriends, and always had girl friends, but never a BFF.  Why?  I don’t know. (Maybe part of it was because I always had my sister as a BFF since we were just a year apart in school)

What I do know is that I wasn’t perfect.  I made mistakes, but I didn’t deserve what happened to me halfway through my senior year of high school. The blog I read yesterday put it perfectly.  In some ways I feel that I was “Heathered”, too.

I actually watched part of the movie Mean Girls 2 the other night on ABC Family and it made me sad. Girls are mean. And, it’s not true…they aren’t just being mean because they are jealous (what my parents used to tell me)…they are just MEAN!

It is almost 20 years later, and I still feel like a bad person. I made a mistake, but they made it worse. I cried everyday at school. I couldn’t eat in the cafeteria that I ate in for 3-1/2 years. I ate lunch alone. Stayed home from parties that I used to be able to go to. My sister was my lookout and only confidante. Eventually, I found new people to hang out with, but come on, this was my senior year in high school. It was miserable.

I hope I can teach my daughter to not be a mean girl and protect her from those who are. I need to feel good about myself so I can teach my daughter to be a strong girl and grow up to be a strong woman who believes in herself no matter what other people think about her or do to her. I need to find something within myself that makes me feel good about being a friend. I need to believe that I can believe in myself…as a wife, mother, sister, daughter, friend, and any other role I play in this life.

That’s all I have for today.

home is…believing that you can believe in yourself.

get moving…

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…it’s Monday!

Just thought I would share with you all how I get moving everyday, not just on Monday. Following is my exercise routine for the week. I guess you could call it a schedule, but I like the word routine. The word routine makes me feel like I am in charge and can be flexible, schedule seems rigid and inflexible. So, I call it a routine.

 

As I said, this routine is flexible.  For instance, last week I didn’t follow it exactly. Here is what I did instead:

On Tuesday morning I had errands to run and wanted to go to storytime at the library with baby girl while the little guy was at school.  I was also feeling a bit tired, so decided to postpone my run, and instead, tried out a new class at our health club. On Wednesday, I made up my run at our health club while the kids were able to play in the childcare. On Thursday I went to a Stroller Strides class with baby girl while the little guy was at school.  The rest of the week I stayed with the normal routine.

I usually try to get in 2 days of Stroller Strides, 3 days of running, and a couple of classes at our health club depending on how I am feeling. I know it is important to give yourself some rest time, so if I need a day off I take it.  Or, I take it easier by doing something different (yoga, pilates, etc.).

I am so thankful to Stroller Strides for giving me the ability to workout with my children and show them the importance of exercise. I am also so thankful for our new health club membership where I can get some time for myself to workout, relax, and even take a shower without kids interrupting. I am also looking forward to the spring and summer when I can mix in some additional trips to playgrounds and water parks, the zoo, hikes in the nature parks, time at the pool, and other outdoor activities with the kids.

home is…creating a flexible routine that keeps you moving!

not dressing like I stay at home with my kids all day

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If you check out “who inspires me…” on the right sidebar of this page you will see Jones Design Company.  I can’t even remember how I came across her blog, but I love it!  She is a momma, she is creative, and she lives in the Pacific Northwest.  I am inspired by reading her blog.

One of my favorite features is her “what I wore” posts.  She takes photos of the outfits that she wore for the week.  Now remember, she is a mom.  We all can get stuck in the stay in your pajamas or workout clothes mode once in a while, but doesn’t it feel good to get dressed up?  Even if you put on a pair of  jeans (I prefer Seven or Hudson), a white t-shirt, a cute sweater, some make up and a cute pair of shoes or boots it can make you feel better!

Check out her most recent post, which also has a link to her past “what I wore” posts.

I absolutely love her style! I also love her mindset about shopping for clothes. I do a lot of shopping at Target, spend more money on designer jeans, and then add to an outfit with some cute things I find at Anthro, Nordstrom or elsewhere. Some of you may also know that for a short time in my past I was Silpada Designs representative. I have some awesome jewelry from that gig, so I try to accessorize with it when I can!

I am thinking about doing a similar type of post on my blog. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, right?  What do you think?!

home is…not dressing like I stay at home with my kids all day.