Bday Wish List

My birthday is less than a month away! If you're a regular around here, you may remember that I love my birthday! It's the one day (or in my case, series of of a few days...I like to stretch the celebration out!) that people go out of their way to do special things just for you!  I love it all: the phone calls, the unexpected Facebook posts, the special meals, and, of course, the gifts!
Over the holidays, I posted my wish list and explained that I really didn't want or need anything that badly! Well, I'm pretty spoiled and got just about everything off that list. So now, I can say even more sincerely that there is very little I need or want for my birthday! But people always ask, so I am happy to oblige...
1. After a few years with my beloved Sony Hybrid, I think I am ready to take the plunge to an official DSLR. I haven't done much research, but think the Nikon D3200 is a good introductory camera. I'm open to suggestions if anyone has them!

2. Clothes, clothes, clothes. With my birthday falling right before the official start of spring (and usually the weather cooperates!). one of my favorite things to get for my birthday has always been spring clothes! 

Like this super cute dress from Apricot Lane (although I'm a little worried if I can pull off those cut outs)

Or a pair (or 2) of shorts from Loft

                 

Or this cute tee from Anthropologie (speaking of, I could probably buy the whole store)

Of course, gift cards are always appreciated as well!

So that's it. Nice and simple this year, but hopefully filled with lots of good times with friends, family, and my boys!

Beating the Winter Blues

With the holidays officially over and the kids back at school (PHEW on that last part!), I guess it's finally time to face the music that winter has arrived.  And in case I had forgotten just how much I disdain this time of year, our bitter cold temperatures over the last couple of days sure have reminded me.
If you're a regular around here, you know I usually sing the praises of each and every season.  But I just can't do the same for winter.  Here in Virginia Beach, we obviously don't get as cold as some of the rest of you, but we also don't necessarily get to reap the main advantage of winter either: snow!  Whether we see the white stuff each year is hit or miss, so including snow day fun in our winter to do list isn't realistic.
Instead I tried to come up with some other activities that might make this season more bearable...and go by quicker!

As much as I hate winter, I must admit there's a few things on there that I'm actually really excited about, so at least there will be a few bright spots on those unbearable cold, dreary days!  

What about you guys?  What's on your winter itinerary to keep your mind off the plunging temperatures?!?

Hello 2014

Happy New Year one and all!  I hope you are all got to ring it in with some very special people and are now settling in (or nursing hangovers!) for the next 365 days!  As we embark on this next one, I wanted to carry on my own tradition of making a little goal/to-do list for the year.  I have found that creating these actually leads me to accomplish them as opposed to when I have made resolutions which were always to broad to accomplish!
So without further ado, my 2014 to-do list:
1.  Budget, budget, budget!!!  This is probably my biggest one and although it is a little broad, Josh and I plan to sit down in the next couple of days to create a workable budget and then hold each other accountable to sticking to it.  We have been big spenders for a long time, so this will probably be a big adjustment.  But we also have some things we want to accomplish and need to learn how to live within limits in order to get there in the future!
2.  Push Dream Bashes a bit.  I've been fortunate to have some good work with my parties and Etsy shop so far.  It has been enough to give me a bit of spending money of my own.  But after some encouragement from others, I have decided to see what will happen if I actually market myself.  Maybe turn this into a legitimate business?!?  I have some specific ideas of things I'd like to try: post on my Facebook page regularly with occasional giveaways, update my Etsy inventory, and create postcards/mailers to send out and possibly even place in businesses.  The first two are easy...the last one I'm a little more nervous about because it involves investing money and putting myself out there!  But it's time to give it a go!
3.  Uh, weight. I hate that I'm even including this, but I WILL lose that final 15 pounds left over from Levi's birth nearly two years ago.  Every professional I have talked to about how stubborn this weight has been to get off has told me that I have to switch things up a bit and be very strict if I'm going to get rid of it.  So I'm ready to try...more protein, adding a sixth day of exercise each week, ordering healthy when we eat out, 3 meals + 1 snack each day (and no more!), etc.
  ***And if all that doesn't work, I'm giving up and just learning to love my new normal!
4.  Unplug a bit.  I'm not going to be naive enough to suggest I give up my technology totally or anything, but I have noticed some disturbing trends I'd like to fix!  No Internet/Facebook checking/Candy Crush playing in the car...whether I'm a passenger or driver, whether I'm at a stoplight (the only place I do those things if I'm driving).  Absolutely no texting while driving (even once the light turns green...again usually where I'm guilty).  And trying to deplug by 9 each night.
5.  Potty train Levi!!!  Um, crazy, but by the end of 2014, my baby will be days away from his third birthday.  Colton was even trained at 3 and he was late among his peers.  Plus, Levi has already showed much more interest in the potty than his brother had ever!  So, it looks like a potty party will be on our agenda in 2014...and we will officially be diaper free!!!
6.  Get Colton swimming.  Over the summer, Colton got very comfortable in the water...comfortable enough to go under independently, kick around, etc.  But he was not a "swimmer" yet in the sense that he most certainly couldn't survive if someone wasn't there to catch him!  We spend a lot of time in the water, and with Levi becoming increasingly adventurous as well, I need Colty to be self-sufficient!
7.  Freshen up the paint on our walls.  We have been in this house for nearly 4 years, and many of the walls that we painted when we first moved in have taken a bit of a beating over the years.  Luckily, it's nothing a fresh coat of paint can't fix!
8.  Dining room makeover.  This has long been the black swan of our house...it just doesn't fit in!  And that's mainly because of the bold color scheme in there, so it's time to bring it on track with the rest of our blues, greens, yellows of our abode.
9. Those darn lights...I got a start on them last year, but the nipple lights need to go.  And the fan in the dining room needs to be replaced with a chandelier...pronto!
10.  Laundry room doors!  With no door, the chaos down there is easily visible, and I don't want it to be visible!

End of Year Checkup

As 2013 concludes tonight and we prepare to usher in a brand new year, I wanted to look back at all that I have accomplished (or not!) over the past 365 days.  A few years ago, I switched from making resolutions...which are always so broad, and thus never accomplished...to making goals, or a to-do list of sorts, for the year.  So far, it has produced much greater success, so let's check out this year's and how I did!
In case you're curious, original goals are in regular font, and my progress/comments are in bold.
1.  SLOW DOWN!  Ever since I became a mom almost three years ago, I feel like my life has been go, go, go!  Part of it is most definitely my fault, though, as I hold myself to pretty high, if not darn right unrealistic, expectations...work out at least five days a week, make homemade dinner nightly for the family, complete daily cleaning tasks, take on ridiculous projects during nap time, take the boys to every activity imaginable, etc.  Don't get me wrong...I enjoy doing a lot of that stuff (not so much the cleaning), but by doing ALL of it ALL the time, I have burnt myself out some.  So in the coming year, I'm going to skip some of it...if and when the need arises.
This one is kind of subjective, so it's hard to tell.  I feel like I have a little, but certainly not as much as I probably should have, so we'll leave that as questionable!
2.  Redo house door knobs.  When we first moved into our house almost three years ago (!), Josh began switching out the door knobs.  Well, he got about halfway through the process and gave up, so we have tons of mismatched door knobs throughout the house.  At this point, I really don't want to deal with the whole switch them out process, especially because it would mean getting new keys for us and family members and stuff, so I'm going to spray paint them.  I've seen tons of tutorials online about doing this, and the general consensus is it holds up, so we'll see!
Done!
                                             
3.  Front makeover: mailbox, porch, landscaping.  We've already planned to use some of our holiday money to purchase a new storm door for the house which I think will help its aesthetic immensely!  But why stop there, right?  Our curb appeal could use a real boost, so I'm getting on it!
Accomplished!  And when I wrote it, I honestly didn't think I could get Josh to do the landscaping part, so we'll consider this a major win!  I didn't buy a door, but painted our old one instead.  And that lovely texting-while-driving incident helped with the mailbox!  Next up: shutters!
                                    
4.  Launch Etsy shop.  Last year, I started my party planning business, Dream Bashes, and have had a lot of fun planning various parties.  In doing those parties, I designed a lot of printables, came up with lots of party plans, and created lots of theme-appropriate decor that may be (*hopefully*) desirable to some party-people out there.  I plan to get on this really soon, so I'll share more details with you when I do:)
Done!  And happily fulfilling orders ever since, although I do need to get around to updating my inventory with some of the stuff from more recent parties...
5.  Lose the rest of the baby weight...once and for all!  No, seriously this time.  I lost MOST of my baby weight, and then October or so came around.  And after a few weeks of not being able to keep myself in check, I finally figured I may as well abandon efforts through the holiday season, but resume in 2013.  The good news is I only have about 10-15 pounds to go (I haven't actually weighed myself in weeks and refuse to do so until tomorrow when my plan starts, so I'm not sure exactly where I'm at)...much less than the 60ish I was dealing with last year, so I wholeheartedly believe I will be able to do this once and for all
Still stuck at that 10-15 pound mark, and very frustrated by it!!!  Some of it's from lack of effort, and some of it is from stuff just not working like it used to!   So in 2014, I guess I either need to figure it out or just deal with my new normal! 
6.  Accessorize. Considering there are many days my definition of "dressed" means yoga pants and a workout shirt, I tend to no longer spend a lot of money in the clothes department.  I have found that most of which I tend to purchase these days is simple and basic, but I have also seen several examples (a la Pinterest, of course) where people dress up these basic options with accessories.  I've never been one to accessorize, but this seems like the perfet solution for transitioning my daytime basics into nighttime appropriate (dare we say, even stylish) attire.
I've actually been so much better at this and really enjoyed doing it.  
7.  Potty train Colton.  I've been lazy with this big time, but as Colton quickly approaches 3 and all his friends are already potty trained, I'm thinking it's time to get this party started.
Done...in 3 days nonetheless!  
8. Date night.  We did better in 2012 about getting out, but still did not get out nearly as often as I would have liked.  One problem seemed to be that we were relying on family members who oftentimes had the same busy schedules we did, and we didn't want to burden them.  So, this year, we're going to put on our big girl/guy panties and actually pay for childcare...once a month at least.
Again, definite improvement (namely because we discovered the monthly JCC Parent's Night Out for $10 per kid!!!), but we're still not getting out monthly.  That's mainly because of our own scheduling conflicts, though, so I think this is about as good as it's going to get!
9. Levi's big boy room:(  My baby is a mere few days away from his first birthday, which means by this time next year, he will almost be 2 (AAAHHH!).  Colton was in his big boy bed at about 20 months  (mainly because of Levi's impending arrival), and the transition was a super easy one, presumably because he was so young!  So, I'm thinking it would be safe to say Levi will make his transition sometime around the end of next year.
Accomplished!
                                    
10. Improve some of our lighting issues.  We have hideous nipple lights throughout the house.  My budget probably does not allow for replacing all of them, but I hope to get some of them out of here in favor of more attractive options.
None of the nipple lights were replaced, but we did do the fan in Levi's room (can see it above) and got some new lamps for the living room, so some progress.
11.  Plan a family trip.  We actually have another big trip with my entire family on our agenda for August, but I want to make sure we also get in a little vacay...even if it's just one night...for the four of us. 
We made it to Florida twice, including a really nice stay at the Boca Resort.  
12.  Maintain some basic grooming.  As pathetic or stereotypical as it may be, as a stay-at-home mom, I often neglect some of the basics of my own upkeep: haircuts, eyebrows, painted nails, even regular shaving of my legs(!).  But I'm not just a mom, and I think it's really important for me (and for my husband) that I stay on top of those things!  TMI?
This one was just stupid.  I've done better, but really...who cares?!?  I think I was reaching for a 13th!
13.  Redo guest bathroom.  This one was on 2012's list, but I never got to it.  Therefore, it still remains as the only room in this house I have yet to get my paws on.  Now's the time!
Done!  
                                         
I guess overall that puts me at 10 1/2 out of 13 with one questionable...not too shabby.  Bring it on 2014!  Ready to accomplish some new stuff!

Top Posts 2013

With all the "best of 2013" stuff floating around, I figured I would take the time to make my own.  I've done one the past few years, and I always enjoy combing through a year's worth of posts and reminiscing!  As usual, my "top posts" aren't necessarily the most read or anything, but instead a collection of some of my favorites: parties I especially like, big projects, and things that are personally relevant!  So here they are in order of which they appeared:
1.  Winter OneDerland Bash
                             
2.  Survival
3.  Flashback Friday

4.  Potty Time, Excellent
                                           
5.  Call in the Experts
                               
6.  $8 Curtain Panels
                               
7.  Favorite Things Party
                              
8.  Our Cruise
                             
9. Guest Bath Redo
                                               
10. S'More Please
                            
11. Lamp Shade Redo
                           
12.  Levi's Big Boy Room Makeover
                           
13. Gallery Wall Expansion
                                          
And some runners up:
* Front Door Makeover + ORBing our door handles
*Sleep with Me 19
*Painted Curtains
*Desk Nook
*Our Florida trips with my grandfather
*Mickey Choo Choo Party

Holiday Bucket List 2013

I'm definitely one of those people that believe November is for Thanksgiving.  As much as I love the December holidays of Christmas and Hanukkah and all the fun that comes along with them, I definitely get a tad annoyed when I see Christmas decor in stores after Halloween (or even over the summer in some cases), or Santa in the mall at the beginning of November, etc.
But Thanksgiving is officially in the books now.  Plus Hanukkah has already started.  And we already kicked off the season with the Illumination Parade and some other holiday fun.

  So basically, all this is to say it's high time I show you that we've officially moved on from our fall bucket list to our holiday version, my most favorite of the whole year!
On there this year are many past favorites and few new additions:

*Polar Express train ride  *Christmastown  *visit Santa  *write letter to Santa  *get tree

*make ornaments  *decorate tree  *drink hot chocolate  *see the lights  *holiday train show  *play dreidel

*eat latkes *make menorrah *gingerbread houses *reindeer food  *Colemans Nursery display

*donate toys *Hunt Club Winter Wonderland *ice skating *Christmas movie *make cookies 

*shop for gifts *decorate our house 

Like all of our lists, I don't necessarily plan to get every single item on there crossed off, but it sure is fun to try!  Plus the lists tend to provide us with lots of inspiration on days when we can't quite figure out what to do with ourselves!

Thanksgingukkah 2013

Can you believe it's November?!?  And Thanksgiving is just a few weeks away?!?  For us Jews, November is even more eventful this year because for the first time ever (!) the first day of Hanukkah happens to be Thanksgiving.  Supposedly, it won't happen again for another 70,000 years, so I guess it's a pretty big deal.  But really for us, that just means we need to get our shop on super early this year...uh!
To help get me on track, I came up with the boys' wish lists this weekend.

You may notice that Colton's super hero obsession carries over to his toys in the bat cave (which even I must admit looks pretty darn cool!) and the super hero figures.  Luckily, he's played with both at friends' houses during play dates...and we know they're winners in his world.  Actually the same can be said about the electronic keyboard and Hungry Hippos game.  As for the bike, I think it's about time he graduates from his tricycle to a big boy bike.  For a long time, Josh and I were sold on the balance bikes that are so popular right now, but friends (and secondhand advice from professionals) have since talked us out of them.  

Levi's list is also highly influenced by what he gravitates towards at play dates.  I am most excited by the Melissa and Doug Band in a Box (my boy loves to make some music...or noise more appropriately) and the shopping cart.  Levi has always loved to collect things and push them around, so the shopping cart is a perfect fit for him.  I'm pretty sure it was on his list last year, but we didn't get it, so this year I'm insistent on it!  There's also a standing car ramp and pounding bench on there.  Oh, and of course, there's a tricycle.  Colton isn't very good about sharing his with his little brother, so it's about time he gets his own.

We also tend to get the boys a couple things to share (usually more for Christmas, but I was making one holiday list so I put it on!).  I tried to tell Josh last year that our boys love playing with kitchens, but he didn't buy it.  Well, after another year of both boys flocking towards a play kitchen at various play dates, I am 1000% convinced we need one in our house.  In fact, I have never seen Levi play so independently for so long than when he was playing with a kitchen a few weeks back! As for the walkie talkies, I've never actually seen the boys play with them or anything, but I'm thinking they would enjoy them!

Of course, as soon as I completed the list, the holiday sales ads arrived with our Sunday paper...and I realized there were other items I could have/should have included (namely a Big Hugs Elmo for Levi and a Zoomer Robot dog for Colton), but I'm sure these boys, who clearly already have way more than they ever need, will be fin!

 If you've done the math, you've probably realized that with eight nights of Hanukkah + plus Christmas + Levi's birthday (which is January 4th), we actually have quite a few more items to purchase, but honestly we usually keep Hanukkah really small, so hopefully I'll find some good stuff to pick up while I'm out shopping...which I guess I need to start doing!  Guess you know where you'll find me while the boys are in school for the next few weeks!

Proceed with Caution

When we bought this house, we nearly doubled our square footage from our previous home.  We moved in kid-less and set up shop, marveling at how much space we had!  Fast forward to the present day.  Two kids and all their junk later, we are already busting at the seams in this place. Fortunately (or not...you be the judge), we tend to keep the chaos pretty well contained in our main living areas.  But when you step foot in the playroom and/or laundry/storage closet, disaster is pretty much the only word that comes to mind.  Take a look:

Starting next week, the boys will both be in camp for 12 glorious hours a week for the next four weeks (!).  I should have pedicures, massages, and pool time on my agenda, but instead I plan to conquer this beast...pathetic, huh?!?  Here's the basic plan:

• relocate craft/party supplies to laundry closet
• get shelving of some sort to store craft supplies
• convert closet to desk
• move books elsewhere
• come up with toy rotation system
• store rest of toys in more organized way

 Fingers crossed that by August this space is functional again...or at least more functional than it currently is!  Or fingers crossed I don't get buried in all the junk that is currently in there.  Whichever seems more appropriate!

Progress Report

Can you believe this year is half way over?!?  I didn't even realize it until one of my Facebook friends said something about it!  And as soon as I saw it, I remembered that waaayy back in January I had made some goals...some goals I have yet to look at since.  But one of the good things about jotting these things down on a blog is that accessing them is easy, so I decided to look back and see how I'm doing thus far in 2013.  (by the way, original goals in black...progress in pink!).
1.  SLOW DOWN!  Ever since I became a mom almost three years ago, I feel like my life has been go, go, go!  Part of it is most definitely my fault, though, as I hold myself to pretty high, if not darn right unrealistic, expectations...work out at least five days a week, make homemade dinner nightly for the family, complete daily cleaning tasks, take on ridiculous projects during nap time, take the boys to every activity imaginable, etc.  Don't get me wrong...I enjoy doing a lot of that stuff (not so much the cleaning), but by doing ALL of it ALL the time, I have burnt myself out some.  So in the coming year, I'm going to skip some of it...if and when the need arises.  Maybe a little bit, but probably still need to work on this one!
2.  Redo house door knobs.  When we first moved into our house almost three years ago (!), Josh began switching out the door knobs.  Well, he got about halfway through the process and gave up, so we have tons of mismatched door knobs throughout the house.  At this point, I really don't want to deal with the whole switch them out process, especially because it would mean getting new keys for us and family members and stuff, so I'm going to spray paint them.  I've seen tons of tutorials online about doing this, and the general consensus is it holds up, so we'll see!  I've started with the front door and two living room doors.  Now, it's time to conquer the inside knobs...good thing there's 6 months left in the year!
3.  Front makeover: mailbox, porch, landscaping.  We've already planned to use some of our holiday money to purchase a new storm door for the house which I think will help its aesthetic immensely!  But why stop there, right?  Our curb appeal could use a real boost, so I'm getting on it!  So, we didn't actually get the new storm door...BUT I painted the storm door.  And we did get a new mailbox (thanks to a texting driver!) and some landscaping.  I also have a fun new accessory to add to the porch's decor, so I'm going to consider this one a success.

4.  Launch Etsy shop.  Last year, I started my party planning business, Dream Bashes, and have had a lot of fun planning various parties.  In doing those parties, I designed a lot of printables, came up with lots of party plans, and created lots of theme-appropriate decor that may be (*hopefully*) desirable to some party-people out there.  I plan to get on this really soon, so I'll share more details with you when I do:)  Done and done...loving filling those orders.
5.  Lose the rest of the baby weight...once and for all!  No, seriously this time.  I lost MOST of my baby weight, and then October or so came around.  And after a few weeks of not being able to keep myself in check, I finally figured I may as well abandon efforts through the holiday season, but resume in 2013.  The good news is I only have about 10-15 pounds to go (I haven't actually weighed myself in weeks and refuse to do so until tomorrow when my plan starts, so I'm not sure exactly where I'm at)...much less than the 60ish I was dealing with last year, so I wholeheartedly believe I will be able to do this once and for all  Good lord, I am so sick of dealing with my weight I can't even tell you what I weigh.  Last time I checked I was about 5 off my goal weight, BUT I feel like I like the way I look (especially in clothes, as opposed to a bathing suit!).  I've lost a LOT of weight since having Levi (70ish pounds to be exact), so I think I'm just going to consider it a success at this point.
6.  Accessorize. Considering there are many days my definition of "dressed" means yoga pants and a workout shirt, I tend to no longer spend a lot of money in the clothes department.  I have found that most of which I tend to purchase these days is simple and basic, but I have also seen several examples (a la Pinterest, of course) where people dress up these basic options with accessories.  I've never been one to accessorize, but this seems like the perfect solution for transitioning my daytime basics into nighttime appropriate (dare we say, even stylish) attire.  Doing it and loving it!  
7.  Potty train Colton.  I've been lazy with this big time, but as Colton quickly approaches 3 and all his friends are already potty trained, I'm thinking it's time to get this party started.  Yep, done!!!  And I must say, my big boy did pretty awesome with it!

8. Date night.  We did better in 2012 about getting out, but still did not get out nearly as often as I would have liked.  One problem seemed to be that we were relying on family members who oftentimes had the same busy schedules we did, and we didn't want to burden them.  So, this year, we're going to put on our big girl/guy panties and actually pay for childcare...once a month at least.  Luckily, Colton's school has kids night out once a month.  For just $10 per kid, we get 4 hours of alone time.  So, we've been doing that once a month.  Other than that, I still can't quite convince Josh to pay for childcare...and we don't really have a bunch of free babysitters volunteering...but it's a start!
9. Levi's big boy room:(  My baby is a mere few days away from his first birthday, which means by this time next year, he will almost be 2 (AAAHHH!).  Colton was in his big boy bed at about 20 months  (mainly because of Levi's impending arrival), and the transition was a super easy one, presumably because he was so young!  So, I'm thinking it would be safe to say Levi will make his transition sometime around the end of next year.  Haven't started yet, but I have started planning for it.  I'll give you a hint that it involves this:
                             
10. Improve some of our lighting issues.  We have hideous nipple lights throughout the house.  My budget probably does not allow for replacing all of them, but I hope to get some of them out of here in favor of more attractive options.
11.  Plan a family trip.  We actually have another big trip with my entire family on our agenda for August, but I want to make sure we also get in a little vacay...even if it's just one night...for the four of us.   Nothing yet, but I'll get on it!
12.  Maintain some basic grooming.  As pathetic or stereotypical as it may be, as a stay-at-home mom, I often neglect some of the basics of my own upkeep: haircuts, eyebrows, painted nails, even regular shaving of my legs(!).  But I'm not just a mom, and I think it's really important for me (and for my husband) that I stay on top of those things!  TMI?  Haircuts and nails are improved.  Rest of it probably not...
13.  Redo guest bathroom.  This one was on 2012's list, but I never got to it.  Therefore, it still remains as the only room in this house I have yet to get my paws on.  Now's the time!  Still haven't touched it...

Summer Bucket List 2013

Even though summer doesn't officially start for another couple of weeks, now that school is out, summer has officially started for us.  And with that, it is time to say bye bye to our spring bucket list (which we only had two things left on!) and say hello to our summer version.
We started our bucket lists last summer.  In case you've missed my spiel before, basically I try to come up with 24ish activities that are quintessential summer.  I don't include the things we are obviously going to do like go to the beach/pool, eat at Skinny Dip (our yogurt place).  In looking back on last year's list, I've kept a lot of the same things because the kids loved them and still will!  But I also ditched quite a few as well and replaced them with things that are better suited for this year.  I make a little card for each activity, put it on a magnet board in our kitchen (which is really just a painted cookie sheet), and we take each one down as we complete it.
So without further ado, our summer bucket list, the 2013 version.

If you can't read all that, here's an easier to read version:

*Busch Gardens *Ocean Breeze *eat an ice cream cone *root beer floats *watch fireworks

*go on a boat ride *baseball game *car wash *Botanical Gardens *bouncing bubbles

*tie dye shirts *pudding paint *backyard water pad *Williams Rec Center *putt putt

*aquarium *zoo *concert *Waterside fountains *make ice cream *shaving cream slide

*water fight *dinner on the beach *see Monsters University

I can't wait to get started!  I love, love, love summer, and want my kids to feel that it's a magical time just like I grew up doing!

13 in 2013

Happy New Year all!  Hope you all had a safe and fun start to 2013 surrounded by loved ones and friends.
As we kick off another year, I'm continuing on my own personal tradition of bypassing traditional resolutions and instead making a to-do/goal list for the year.  I've been pretty successful with these for the past couple of years, so here's to hoping that I continue that part of the tradition as well!
                              
1.  SLOW DOWN!  Ever since I became a mom almost three years ago, I feel like my life has been go, go, go!  Part of it is most definitely my fault, though, as I hold myself to pretty high, if not darn right unrealistic, expectations...work out at least five days a week, make homemade dinner nightly for the family, complete daily cleaning tasks, take on ridiculous projects during nap time, take the boys to every activity imaginable, etc.  Don't get me wrong...I enjoy doing a lot of that stuff (not so much the cleaning), but by doing ALL of it ALL the time, I have burnt myself out some.  So in the coming year, I'm going to skip some of it...if and when the need arises.
2.  Redo house door knobs.  When we first moved into our house almost three years ago (!), Josh began switching out the door knobs.  Well, he got about halfway through the process and gave up, so we have tons of mismatched door knobs throughout the house.  At this point, I really don't want to deal with the whole switch them out process, especially because it would mean getting new keys for us and family members and stuff, so I'm going to spray paint them.  I've seen tons of tutorials online about doing this, and the general consensus is it holds up, so we'll see!
3.  Front makeover: mailbox, porch, landscaping.  We've already planned to use some of our holiday money to purchase a new storm door for the house which I think will help its aesthetic immensely!  But why stop there, right?  Our curb appeal could use a real boost, so I'm getting on it!
4.  Launch Etsy shop.  Last year, I started my party planning business, Dream Bashes, and have had a lot of fun planning various parties.  In doing those parties, I designed a lot of printables, came up with lots of party plans, and created lots of theme-appropriate decor that may be (*hopefully*) desirable to some party-people out there.  I plan to get on this really soon, so I'll share more details with you when I do:)
5.  Lose the rest of the baby weight...once and for all!  No, seriously this time.  I lost MOST of my baby weight, and then October or so came around.  And after a few weeks of not being able to keep myself in check, I finally figured I may as well abandon efforts through the holiday season, but resume in 2013.  The good news is I only have about 10-15 pounds to go (I haven't actually weighed myself in weeks and refuse to do so until tomorrow when my plan starts, so I'm not sure exactly where I'm at)...much less than the 60ish I was dealing with last year, so I wholeheartedly believe I will be able to do this once and for all
6.  Accessorize. Considering there are many days my definition of "dressed" means yoga pants and a workout shirt, I tend to no longer spend a lot of money in the clothes department.  I have found that most of which I tend to purchase these days is simple and basic, but I have also seen several examples (a la Pinterest, of course) where people dress up these basic options with accessories.  I've never been one to accessorize, but this seems like the perfet solution for transitioning my daytime basics into nighttime appropriate (dare we say, even stylish) attire.
7.  Potty train Colton.  I've been lazy with this big time, but as Colton quickly approaches 3 and all his friends are already potty trained, I'm thinking it's time to get this party started.
8. Date night.  We did better in 2012 about getting out, but still did not get out nearly as often as I would have liked.  One problem seemed to be that we were relying on family members who oftentimes had the same busy schedules we did, and we didn't want to burden them.  So, this year, we're going to put on our big girl/guy panties and actually pay for childcare...once a month at least.
9. Levi's big boy room:(  My baby is a mere few days away from his first birthday, which means by this time next year, he will almost be 2 (AAAHHH!).  Colton was in his big boy bed at about 20 months  (mainly because of Levi's impending arrival), and the transition was a super easy one, presumably because he was so young!  So, I'm thinking it would be safe to say Levi will make his transition sometime around the end of next year.
10. Improve some of our lighting issues.  We have hideous nipple lights throughout the house.  My budget probably does not allow for replacing all of them, but I hope to get some of them out of here in favor of more attractive options.
11.  Plan a family trip.  We actually have another big trip with my entire family on our agenda for August, but I want to make sure we also get in a little vacay...even if it's just one night...for the four of us.
12.  Maintain some basic grooming.  As pathetic or stereotypical as it may be, as a stay-at-home mom, I often neglect some of the basics of my own upkeep: haircuts, eyebrows, painted nails, even regular shaving of my legs(!).  But I'm not just a mom, and I think it's really important for me (and for my husband) that I stay on top of those things!  TMI?
13.  Redo guest bathroom.  This one was on 2012's list, but I never got to it.  Therefore, it still remains as the only room in this house I have yet to get my paws on.  Now's the time!

There Has to Be a Better Way

Last week, my mom had Colton over for a special Nene-Colton day, which left me and Levi to have specially mommy-Levi day.  I learned a lot in that day:
*there's only but so much you can do with a six-month old...after making funny faces for about 15 minutes or so, I was antsy to move on to something else...so I would do something for a bit...and then come back to the funny faces (or other appropriate activity!)
*having one child is amazingly easy!  How did I not realize this when I only had one?!?
*saving all the house upkeep tasks for one day make for a pretty crappy day
While I really can't do much about the first two, I did realize that I could do something about the third.  I guess I should give you a bit of background first.
When I became a stay-at-home mom, I took over the cleaning duties from our very nice cleaning lady, Rowena, in an effort to save a bit of money.  But considering I absolutely hate cleaning, I would put it off and put it off until the dust/gunk was so noticeable that it HAD to be dealt with.  This would usually result in a once-every-three-weeks-or-so cleaning spree... while Colton was at school, since it was pretty hard to accomplish with him in the house...that took me a few hours.  Well, since Colton hadn't been in school for awhile, I knew that the day he was going to be at Nene's was the opportunity for me to get the cleaning done again, but it totally sucked!  Instead of getting to enjoy a rare day with just Levi, I was busy slaving away at these awful tasks.  And that's when it hit me...maybe it would make sense to spread these tasks out instead of tackling them all at once.  I realized each individual chore was only about a 10-20 minute task in itself (sometimes even less), so if I committed about 30 minutes (and hopefully even less a day) to cleaning than not only would I not have to ever have a dreadful cleaning day again, BUT the house would also hopefully not get so out-of-hand in the first place.  Duh, huh?
I looked on Pinterest at a lot of different cleaning schedules, but none of them really seemed to work for me, so I made my own.

In case, you're looking to utilize this too, I feel like I should clarify a few things.
*I included anything and everything that needs to be maintained...our house, the outside, the car.
*I didn't bother to include things on the schedule that I already do on a daily basis (make the bed, cleaning dishes, etc) or things that would really need to remain random (weeds, running the dishwasher).
*I aimed for NO MORE than 30 minutes of work daily (and hopefully less each day).  I hope to get this stuff done first thing in the morning before we even leave the house (I already do our daily stuff then anyway, so we'll see).
*I didn't include weekends cause who wants to clean on the weekend?  I figured they could always serve as make-up days if necessary!
*I didn't feel the need to define the tasks too much, instead figuring that I would do as much as necessary each week, so for example, if the bathrooms need sinks, toilets, tubs, etc scrubbed one week, but really only the sinks the next, then so be it!
*For the things that have two listed on one line (sheets/car and high chair/patio), I plan to rotate which of those I do each week...in my mind, they were things that only needed to be done every other week instead of weekly...we'll see!
*And finally, I figured while I was at this new spread out cleaning mentality, it also made sense to take away the deep cleaning from one month (I usually save it for April) and spread it out throughout the year as well.  So, I also created a monthly schedule for that.  For some things, deep cleaning will be more of decluttering (like the closets) and in others be actual cleaning (baseboards, blinds, etc).  I strategically placed the closet cleaning twice a year during the months in which I typically switch over the clothes for the new season.  I also did the kitchen twice a year because our pantry, freezer, and refrigerator seem to need organizing more frequently.

So, there it is!  Because I'm a big dork, I'm actually kind of excited to initiate my new schedule this week and see how it goes.

Progress Report

Can you believe it is already July 1st (well, 2nd technically, but you get the idea)?  My sweet little Levi will be 6 months old this week (!?!) which made me realize that the year itself is also halfway over already!  I then remembered that back in January I made a list of things I wanted to accomplish in 2012.  Considering I haven't looked at this list since, I figured this was a good time to check in on it (and, of course, share my findings with you since you're sooo interested).
So, here it is with the original list in black and my updates in pink:
1.  Lose baby weight...I'm giving myself the year, but really hope to be back in pretty decent shape by the summer!  Summer is here and I would say I'm back in decent shape.  In fairness to myself, I've lost about 40 pounds since getting home from the hospital and while I don't know exactly what I weighed when I got pregnant, I am about 10 pounds below what I weighed at my first doctor's appointment (when I was about 10 weeks along).  SO...I guess I've probably technically lost the baby weight, but still have some work (about 20 pounds) that I want to do to get where I would like to be.
2.  Continue the vacation thing: one getaway for just Josh and I (as hard as it is to leave the boys) and one as a family.  Truthfully, the family one is already in the works (we're headed to the Atlantis in the Bahamas in August for my parent's 35th anniversary...YAY!), but we will need to work on the other.  Our trip to the Atlantis is about a month away (!!!) and we are actually planning another small family vaca for the fall, but Josh and I don't have any of our own in the works yet.  Honestly, considering I don't work, vacations are one of the things we don't have a huge budget for, so it may not work out, but I'd love for us to get away...even if it's only for a night...I'll have to see what I can work out.
3.  Decorate porch...rug, accessories, hammock, tv, so we use it more this spring/summer/fall (when I can enjoy lovely glasses of wine out there...oh how I've missed you, wine!!!)  Done on all counts...decorating and wine...but my lovely husband still has not hung the stuff for me, so I haven't been able to show it to you all.  Must get him to do that pronto.
4.  Redo guest bathroom, one of the only spaces in our abode (along with our bathroom!) that has thus far been spared from my hands!  Hmmm...I did our master bath, but not the guest one.  We'll save this for the fall when Colton is back in school.
5.  Learn to sew....time to add some more to my DIY repetoire.  No bueno here, although I have become quite the master of no-sew tape...does that count?
6.  Initiate monthly, planned date night with hubby...no more waiting for people to volunteer.  We're going to pick at least one Saturday night a month to get out and be us!  I've actually already jump started this plan.  In Josh's stocking I put monthly date night cards and have already enlisted the help of my family members to serve as babysitters for the first few months...YAY!!!  Total success.  We've gotten out monthly!
7.  Get Colton in swim lessons.  I had this on last year's list, but the lessons for his age at that time were just meant to get them comfortable in the water, something my tot has NO issues with!  With as much as he is around the water, though, I am hoping we can find some this year that will actually teach him some sort of basic survival skills!  Again, success!  He completed his swim lessons and while he still can't swim on his own, he is definitely a lot more independent in the water this year than last (good thing cause Levi certainly needs my hands!).  
8.  Actually pursue dream bashes, my party planning "business."  I put up a website a few months ago, but with baby's arrival imminent, I didn't really do much more.  While my hopes for this adventure are modest at best, I would like to give it an honest shot before throwing in the towel on it!  I'm proud to say that I have actually started pursuing it.  I've done a few parties, have a few more in the works, and now need to put my big girl pants on and actually contact some businesses about advertising and stuff.  I'm a pretty big wuss when it comes to this stuff, so hopefully I'll actually have the chutzpah to do it!
9.  Budget, budget, budget...come up with a budget and actually stick to it!  Josh and I both have a horrible tendency to just spend and deal, but it's time to start making smart decisions!  Total fail...no budget...still spending to our heart's content.  Not to put it on Josh, but I have asked him several times to sit down with me and make one, but then we never follow through.
10.  Start a girls' monthly wine night (or something similar).  With a house full of boys, mama needs to get her girl time in.  Especially with my sister now living in the area, I want to make sure I take time to enjoy that relationship (and others).  Funny!  I actually just contacted my ladies last week and our first "girls' night in" is scheduled for later this month (I'm sure you'll hear more about it!)
11.  Get dressed daily.  OK, this sounds ridiculous, but once I became a stay-at-home mom and especially once my waist line started expanding with my pregnancy, I gave up on clothes.  Routine has been: go to the gym, wear gym clothes to run errands, etc, shower during Colton's nap around 3ish, put on sweats and t-shirt unless we were going out to dinner (which is only about 2-3 times a week).  This year, I will actually be dressed when Josh gets home from work daily!!!  Well, if we modify the definition of "getting dressed," then this is accomplished thus far!  I realized quickly that as a stay-at-home mom there were several days that it just didn't make sense to get but so dressed. So, I've given myself a new set of rules.  If we're going somewhere that it makes sense to get dressed for (the mall, out to lunch, museums, etc), then I shower at the gym and get dressed there.  If not and if we're staying in for the night, then after I shower, I put on my yoga pants...but I pair them with an actual tank or basic shirt...and I actually have a bra on!  That's acceptable, right?
12.  Still give Colton the quality time he deserves.  This is vague because I really don't know what it is going to entail, but I have loved taking my little boy on his "field trips" and other outings.  As we welcome his brother to our brood, I don't want Colton to get shafted, so somehow, someway, we will continue to get out of the house and head to parks, the zoo, museums, etc.  Not to toot my own horn, but we have kicked this one's arse!  We have gone just about everywhere that we used to go before Levi (with the exception of one crazy-crowded large park that I am too scared to take both boys by myself).  I know Colton is appreciative...I'm pretty sure Levi enjoys it...and I certainly think it's worth the little extra effort!

All in all, I am pretty impressed with how much I have accomplished considering I didn't even remember what was on the list!  As for the things unaccomplished...well, hopefully, we can get those done in the next six months!

A Day at the Beach

I  have officially kicked off my third summer as a beach mom.  Even though my carefree beach days seem like a distant memory, each time we venture out I am still amazed at how much C.R.A.P a day at the beach now requires.  Considering we make the trip at least a couple of times a week during the summer, I consider myself something of a "beach mom expert" (yes, I coined the phrase).
Since it is now officially summer (yay!), I've decided to share my knowledge (much of which was acquired after some sort of botched trip).  To clarify, I figured it would make most sense to divide it into things you will need for an infant, things for a toddler, and things in general.
 For those of you that are frequent beach goers as well, this list will probably be pretty obvious.  But   hopefully it will serve to help some of you who may not be lucky enough to live close enough to do the beach on a regular basis!

Beach Mom Essentials

In General:

• HUGE bag!!!
• multiple towels...at least one for each beach goer!
• sunscreen...both baby version and adult 
• camera for snapping pictures of the kiddos

For infant:

• beach hut/tent/umbrella (the huts work the best and are really easy to put up, although a pain in the arse to take down!)
• something to sit in if baby can't sit on its own yet (or even if it can if you plan to be there awhile)...we've done the car seat, Bumbo, and bouncer...the Bumbo is definitely easiest to tote and coolest option, but the bouncer seems to be the most comfortable)
• some toys, but keep in mind they will probably get sandy, so bring things that can be rinsed off easily (sadly Sophie tends to trap the sand)
• enough bottles/food to last your duration + some (*I don't know about you, but I tend to get hungrier when at the beach...babies seem to follow suit)
• sippy cup with water if your youngster can handle that
• beach hat
• towel to lay on, preferably in a sun hut so it won't get too sandy!
• small baby pool if possible for baby to cool down in

For toddler:

• lots of snacks and drinks!
• as many toys as you can possibly carry...some for the sand, some for the water
• a kiddy size beach chair if you plan to have toddler eat a sandwich or something...otherwise don't bother...they won't sit down much anyway

The list for a toddler may be surprisingly short, but the great thing about a toddler at the beach is that their constant desire to explore and play actually comes in handy!  I have taken an infant to the beach (about 3-5 months between both boys), a 1 year oldish, and now a two year oldish, and I must say this is the easiest age yet (at least so far).  Colton totally entertains himself with the sand toys, understands the boundaries like you have to wait to go in the water with an adult (unlike last year when he would just make a beeline), and doesn't get overly hot or bored like his baby brother!

Even though it's pretty much a pain in the arse to get there, I love taking my boys to the beach (although Levi has been slow to enjoy it himself!).  Hopefully, this list will make it easier for you, so you don't have to learn from mistakes like I did!

25 Things I Want My Boys to Know

Today is Colton's second birthday!!!  I know it is totally cliche, but I can not believe my sweet boy is already two years old!  As I am sure you can tell from this blog, he brings us (and all around him) so much joy just being his adorable self.
                            
Although I am thrilled to be celebrating his special day, I am a little freaked out at how quickly his life seems to be flying be...I mean, before I know it, he's going to be a teenager sneaking out of the house or something.  I take my job as "mom" very seriously, and as much fun as I have taking the boys to the park, throwing their birthday parties, or giving them other life experiences, I also want to make sure I am putting forth the effort daily to teach them the things I find to be the most important.  As quickly as the time flies, I decided to take the time to really think about what those things may be.   And I figured his birthday was the perfect occasion to share my list with him (and you all of course, considering he won't understand a word of it right now!)
I have seen these lists (for boys and girls too) all over the Internet.  While a lot of my ideas will probably overlap with those already written, I wanted to create my own personalized version for my boys, so here it goes:

1.  You are loved.
  Before I became a mom, I had heard tales of the deep love a mom had for her children, but wasn't sure exactly what that entailed.  Now I know.  I love your successes, your failures, the good days, the bad...I love everything about you (both of you) in such an unconditional way.  I don't know exactly how your dad feels, but I can tell it's about the same as me.  Plus, you have grandparents, and aunts, and uncles, and great grandparents, and friends...you have a lot of people that love you deeply.

2.  Recognize how fortunate you are, but stay humble.
You don't need to know if we're rich, poor, or somewhere in between.  Do acknowledge, though, how lucky you are to have the things you have in your life.  Be aware, also, that others are not so fortunate.  This does not make you better then them.  Instead, put forth effort to share what you have with them.

3.  Find your passion.
You will be especially good at something: athletics, music (although probably not...your genes don't look good for that one), cooking, art....whatever it is, follow it!  Your dad and I will support you in whatever path you choose.  Put your heart and soul into it, and enjoy it.

4.  But keep in mind, you don't have to be the best at everything.
Everyone has their thing.  Johnny may run faster than you, or Bobby may win the Spelling Bee...as long as you tried your best, there is no shame in losing.  Be a good sport about it.

5.  When you find the girl of your dreams, spoil her.
Let her know how much she means to you both through your actions and your words.  Sure, your heart may get broken a couple times along the way, but I promise you will eventually find "the one."  And if that girl is special enough to have earned your adoration then you need to continuously remind her of that.  Put her happiness ahead of your own constantly.

6.  You are lucky to have each other.
Friends come and go, but family will always be there.  With less than two years between you, the two of you will probably be the best of friends at times and completely over each other at others (or maybe that's just girls...we'll see).  But keep each other close: support each other, have fun together, stand up for each other, respect each other.

7.  You are smart.
I don't care if you are the highest reader in your class, a straight A student, or considered gifted.   You go to school to learn, not to compete.  Do the best you can, enjoy the experience, and learn all that you can and you will be successful one day.  You don't need to be the top of anything to be considered smart.

8.  Don't be afraid to get dirty.
Boys will be boys.  Play in the dirt, make some messes, get holes and grass stains on your jeans.  Explore your world, and have a good time doing it.

9.  BUT...respect the boundaries.
Getting dirty is one thing; destroying property is another...you know the difference.  Play with the things that are yours, and keep your grubby paws off of mom and dad's things.

10.  And finally...
I am sure as you get older you will push those boundaries.  You will experiment with drinking, or speeding, or other stupid teenage boy fun.  This is a part of growing up, and I will not be so naive to think you won't do it.  But use your common sense, and don't push it too far. Please know you can come to me if you find you need help...a ride home, condoms, advice, whatever.

11.  Be mindful of your words.
Hurtful words can stay with someone forever.  Saying "I'm sorry" is a nice gesture, but it may not completely take the pain away, so think before you speak.  And while we're at it, "I'm sorry" should only be used if you truly mean it...if you say it just to say it, it loses its significance.  With that being said, don't be afraid to say it if you truly do feel it.

12.  Study your mom and dad.
When you leave this house, you should be able to do your laundry, take out the trash, mow the lawn, cook some meals, vacuum, dust, make your bed, etc. Oh, and you will certainly have learned how to clean up after yourself. Learn to do these things...trust me, your future wives will thank us!

13.  Never, ever wear skinny jeans.
They look ridiculous...enough said.

14.  It's OK to cry.
 It's not a sign of weakness and certainly not reserved just for babies...everyone cries when they're hurt or sad; don't be afraid or embarrassed to do so.

15.  Stay active.
You are growing up in an age where technology is everywhere.  Shoot...Colton, at age 2,  you have already mastered the iPad.  TV, video games, etc. have their place, but get off the couch, get outside, and play/get some exercise.

16.  Learn to budget.
Part of being responsible means learning to manage your money and not just spend til its gone or without thought.  We'll help you out with one overdraft, but after that, you're on your own.  One day you will need to manage a whole household's money (or find a wife who can do it for you!), so figure it out now.  By the way, mom and dad may not be the best source of advice on this one...ask Papa instead!

17.  Treat others the way you want to be treated.
Sure, it's not original, but it's true.  Bullying is one thing that will not be tolerated in any capacity in this house.  Everyone has their worth, and our differences are what make the world go round.  Value them; don't belittle them.  You don't have to like everyone, but you certainly need to act like you do.

18.  Smile at life.
You will have your bad days...we all do.  But learn to look for the positives in any situation, laugh at the things that just don't matter, and keep your head up.  You will be happy if you choose to be happy.

19.  You are only as good as your reputation.
Be honest, loyal, and show integrity.  If you make a mistake, own up to it.  One blemish can forever tarnish how people think of you, so always tell the truth.

20.  Work hard.
Don't expect anything in this world to just be handed to you, but you will most certainly be successful in life if you learn to work hard.  When the going gets tough, rise to the occasion and persevere.  It might not always be fun, but I promise the results will be worth it.

21.  You are Steelers fans.
You have no second favorite team.  I'm not forcing you in a certain direction, but it's a way of life...you'll grow to love it (Colton, you already have!).

22.  Be a good friend.
When you meet someone lucky enough to be considered a "friend," do whatever you can to maintain that friendship.  Share, take turns, be willing to play what your friend wants to sometimes, be there for him/her when you are needed.  True friends are golden.

23.  Don't be afraid to take the road less traveled.
Pursue the things that are most important to you.  Make your choices based on what you believe to be right.  Follow your own heart...not that of your peers, or society in general.

24.  Make the most of every day.
Life is short.  Do things that make you smile.  Cherish the people around you.

25.  "I'll love you forever.  I'll like you for always.  As long as I'm living, my baby you'll be."
No matter how big you are, I am still your mom and could not be prouder or more honored to be.  I love you...no matter what.  You always have a home to come to...a place that you are loved, and wanted, and cherished.

Spring To Do

When I became a stay-at-home mom last summer, I realized how easy it was to get caught up in the daily errands, chores, and activities.  I wanted to make sure I took some time to really take advantage of the fact that I was able to be home with my boys and give them experiences that would be rich and meaningful.
I'm a sucker for a good list, so I started making a to-do list each season of the things I wanted to make sure they boys (and I) got to do.  With other things I tend to enjoy making my list more than I actually enjoy accomplishing it, but not with this one!  I have had a blast taking Colton on our outings, doing crafts with him, and experiencing the world and his first through his eyes.  And now we'll have Levi along for the ride (although admittedly he won't be a very active participant just yet!).
With each list I try to come up with unique experiences for us...things that we will probably only do once for the season, not something like "go to the park" which we will probably do at least a couple times a week!  I also stick to things that are age-appropriate obviously, but also so that our list can change a little from year to year.  So with all that being said, here is our newest list:

I'm fairly confident that we'll be able to cross off everything!  Anyone have any other recommendations of things a mom and her tot MUST do in the spring?

Top Projects of 2011

                                                       

I hadn't really planned on doing this post, but after seeing tons of "highlights" posts on other blogs, I thought I'd give my own a go.  Plus, my lovely late-pregnancy insomnia has left me with a few extra hours of quiet time, so I needed something to do!  In all seriousness, it was actually a lot of fun to look back at the year and see all that I have done.

1.  Stenciled Curatins

2.  DIY Patio End Tables

                                     

3.  Thumbtack Balls

                                

4.  Knock-Off Pottery Barn Eagan Mirror

                              

5.  Playroom

                             

6.  Nursery

7.  $2 Coasters

                                 

8.  Little Man Party

                                 

9.  Gender Reveal Party 

                                              

10.  got baby? Milk Theme Shower

                                              

Man, I was busy!  And that doesn't even include the biggest/most important project we embarked on this year: baby Levi!  I'm sure a newborn will slow our progress some this coming year, but I am anxious to see what else I can manage to accomplish in 2012!