3.30.2013

it's here, it's here!

The moment in the school year that teachers look forward to more than any other break (excluding summer of course)...spring break! 
 
I started mine on Friday..because those are slow work days for me anyway AND I have the liberty of doing so. Neener neener.

And if yesterday was any indication of the rest of spring break, I'm in for a good one. I think I did almost all of my favorite things yesterday: gym, pedicure, window shopping, park with Jillian, Cafe Rio with the fam, and movie night with the girls. Ahh, love it! 

It's warm and sunny outside and there's nothing to do. Couldn't be happier with all of that!

(why yes, that is the bottom of the closet)

Jillian teething her incisors (those beastly things) hasn't been the greatest, but we take the wins where we can get 'em. 
 
Happy spring break! 


3.23.2013

too fast & too soon

A few weeks ago I was reading a blog post about this mom who was emotionally distraught over her 18 month old who decided to self-wean from nursing. She went on and on about how she wasn't ready and it was too soon and she just wanted another baby so she could nurse all the time, blah blah blah.

I literally could not relate, like even a little bit. Don't get me wrong, I'm pro-nursing in the "great debate" of motherhood, but my experience was way past the expected "bumps in the road" for first time moms who nurse. It wasn't the promised bonding experience I'd read about to say the least.

Anyway. I FINALLY have an experience that I can semi-relate to this mother (and probably many other moms) that say they aren't ready for something to happen in their child's life. That it happened too soon.


Jillian is officially sans binky. 
I thought I was completely okay with getting rid of that nasty little thing. So okay in fact, that two days ago I randomly snipped off the end with my kitchen scissors and handed it Jillian while thinking, "There. Take that. Hmph". By her reaction, you would have thought someone in our family had just died. First the look of confusion. Then a quivering lip. And then the real stab in the heart- a wavering, "Fix it Mama!" 

Ohhh melt. I just broke her binky! Right in front of her! I'm a terrible, terrible person. 

Nevertheless, I made a unilateral decision and stuck to my guns (even though there were two secretly stashed binkies ..and still are..just in case of any emergencies). What is usually a very fluid and easy bed time routine was rough. Like, hour-and-a-half rough.
But since then? Not. Too. Bad.

And THAT is why I'm having a hard time. 
All of the sudden she's just okay without this little piece of rubber that was previously in sight at all times? She can't grow up that fast!

 And then it was like all of the sudden I had flash forwards of the future where she'd be okay when she let my hand go and walk into her first day of school, or okay when she decided to go hang out with her friends instead of sit on my lap and beg me to read Piggie and Gerald for the fourteen millionth time. 

She's gonna grow up and she'll be okay. My state of well-being is yet to be determined in this whole process. 

I think that's why people have more babies...because they grow up just too darn fast. 


3.15.2013

adios sister

Michaela flew back to Florida yesterday after being here the last two and a half weeks. It was a sad day. 

Over the weekend though, we had a "farewell" party for her with friends and family out here since she's leaving on her church mission next month (already?!)! Good times were had. It was also my first time doing a smores bar...which will most certainly be happening again.


 


 Fortunately I still get to see her one more time before she leaves. We'll be headed out to Florida the week before she heads off to Peru. YAY!


3.11.2013

toddler for sale

Toddler for Sale
(inspired by Sister for Sale by Shel Silverstein, nearly plagiarized by me)


One toddler for sale!
One toddler for sale!
One crying, whining toddler for sale!
I'm not really kidding, so who'll start the bidding?
Do I hear a dollar?
A nickle?
A penny?
Oh isn't there, isn't there, isn't there any
One person who will buy this toddler for sale
This crying, whining, messy toddler for sale?!


But seriously. I need a vacation. Or at least an uninterrupted meal.

3.03.2013

to sum it up...

I love New Girl. This quote sums up my life...
Thank you Jessica Day. 


3.01.2013

{kitchen sneak peak..well..reveal i guess}

I've tried really really REALLY hard to not write this post until my kitchen is completely finished, but even though I have every good intention of finishing it tomorrow, something inside of me says yeah that's probably not gonna happen. SO what the hay, that just means you get to see yet another post about my kitchen. 
Yay!

Remember phase 1 of the kitchen do over? White cabinets? I'm in lurve. So in lurve. 

Phase 2 and 3 are now complete! Well..almost..

We have new paint downstairs and bead board in the kitchen! The only not-quite-yet-done part is that I still have to paint the bead board and trim (white, duh). But you get the basic idea. 

before//after



from the very beginning//now


Oh look! My kitchen's still messy. Every blog I've ever read about "improving your blog" says something about waiting until day to take pictures in natural lighting, and making sure the area you're photographing is clean and organized so it's more aesthetically pleasing to look at...bahaha.

I love the look of a white kitchen. So clean and fresh (minus the giant mess on my counter..hah!) My goal was to brighten up the space and make it feel bigger than it really is. The best way to do that is use lighter colors. Darker colors make a space feel smaller and darker (especially if the area is already small). Using bead board helps draw the eye vertically and visually creates a larger space.

You'd think at this point my "to do" home improvement list is getting shorter, it's really not. Every time I cross something off, I add at least 2 things on. 

The next major projects on said "to do" list include stripping and painting the stair railings and hand rails- BE GONE nasty oak! (I'm torn between painting them white or staining them dark) and next (that probably won't happen until the fall) is to replace the nasty oak floors and the carpet with a uniform ashy dark wood floor- again with the goal in mind of expanding the space instead of the area being chopped up into areas of carpet and wood. I think I'm most excited about that!