back from the lake.

back.

we (sort of) spontaneously went on vacation at the lake last week & it was glorious.  we boated, we floated, we shopped, we ate, we drank & we got tan. b's obsessed with the boat, which is pretty adorable & pretty convenient too, since he loved it so much he willingly napped on it.

and now we're home. i've got lots coming up... big wedding weekend for my brother in law, big wedding shower/bachelorette party weekend for one of my best friends next weekend, big wedding weekend for another friend the following. august = wedding.

b's getting 5 new teeth all at once.  this will more than double the amount in his mouth.  he's a bit cranky, but i suppose i would be too, what with 5 things piercing through my gums. ugh.

i have reviews/giveaways i need to work on, as always & we have big personal changes coming up.  aaaand the new cookie lee catalog is coming out! yay!

stay tuned.

Playing Catch-up

i feel like i am. constantly. playing. catch-up.  i've been slacking off on blogging & i guess this is my sort of 'stream of consciousness excuses' aka... this is life.

it seems like ever since our summer hit (yes, i realize summer doesn't officially start until the 21st, however, it's warm & sunny, & kids are out of school. to me, this has always equaled summer) i've hit a blogging low.  perhaps it's the heat, sucking the life out of me? or the biking that we've been trying to do at least three times a week? or possibly, it's the way we sometimes live life like we're in transit... constantly waiting for that next change (this is not meant to be puzzling or secretive, it's just us waiting on some news to find out what, if any, changes will be occurring this year). add to this our at least twice monthly trips to Iowa for baseball & boating & you may have anyone worn out.

...oh but did i mention... we've been invaded by a terrorist.  he's small, but he's loud.  he's happy, but he's stubborn.  he's adorable, but he is tricky & conniving.  and into everything.  this, ladies & gentlemen, is the sometimes frightening reality of a real life toddler.  at 17 months, this kid is climbing on everything (think up the desk chair, onto the lower level of a roll top desk, up to the top of it, & halfway up the printer, before the huz stopped him), he's emptying every drawer, fighting us on anytime we want to constrict him in a car seat, a stroller, even a wagon.  he's screeching for his food or his toys or whatever is currently in mind.  he imagines most objects to be baseball bats & he's ready to hit a homer.  he wants the same book read to him repeatedly & frankly, this mama is tired of elmo's missing little black puppy.  but, read we do, because he's sweet when he asks me & climbs into my lap.

we also talk. a lot. i started keeping track last week for 2 days, of all the words b says. i got to 38.  last weekend while we were at my in-laws, during dinner, we started talking.  mike has started pointing at himself & asking b who he is... b responds with "dada", same with me "mama" & when pointing at b, he says "b!" ... we asked him who each person at the table was & he correctly identified each person, even differentiating between his grandma & his great grandma- same with grandpa & great grandpa. this kid never ceases to amaze me.  he may be a mini terrorist in our house, but he can correctly name off 9 people, so i guess we'll take it.

in other news, we (the huz & i) have started the 30 day shred & have been adamant about biking at least 3x a week (weather permitting, of course).  i'm always shocked at how much workout is packed into the 20 minutes of the shred, & gosh darn it, if i don't have shredded abs when we're done with all this work, i'm going to be pissed. (i'm joking. sort of.) i broke my personal record yesterday & biked 26 miles, literally mostly uphill & into wind, 13 without a break & then 13 more after a short playground break for b.  we even endured a 5 minute rainstorm, where we hid under a tree.

as for future excuses, they are as follows (literally this is what's on our calendar):
although unsure of our exact plans for the next two weekends (each involves a birthday -mine & a father's day & will either be spent at home/in the city or in iowa, with family) we will be headed to iowa for the last weekend in june for a baseball tournament; in chicagoland for the 4th with friends visiting; in iowa for a wedding thing (aka shower & or bachelor/bachelorette party) & 3 birthday things; in iowa for a wedding thing; in iowa for this biking thing called ragbrai (ever heard of it? look it up here); in iowa for a wedding; in iowa for a wedding thing; in iowa for a wedding thing; at home; at home; at home; in iowa for a wedding. chances of us maintaining those three at home weekends, when there's potential to be boating in iowa.... slim to none.

and that folks, is life.

5 Must-have Fashionable Pieces to Pack for Every Weekend Trip

Now here's something I know about.  This may be a little known fact about me... I love fashion. A lot. I rush back from the mailbox each month when InStyle is in my hand & I devour it.  I actually graduated from college with a degree in Apparel Merchandising, Design, & Production... aka fashion.  I still remember how my pulse quickened during my first class, when the instructor demanded we subscribe to Vogue, Harper's Bazaar & Women's Wear Daily as homework.  Here's something else that may or may not be well known about me.  We travel a lot.  Especially during the summer- we're constantly headed to Iowa where we pack weekends full of my hubs' brother's baseball games & boating.  These are two of Mike's most favorite things in the world.  All this traveling means packing a lot. So here it is: my list of 5 must-haves (& since I'm clearly an expert, you should totally listen to me, right?!)

First a tip: I generally decide what color scheme I'm going with & I try to stick with it for all pieces I pack... generally this means black or brown, so I can limit my shoes.  For the sake of the length of this article, I'm also sticking with summer weekends, since it's hot now, although for the most part this can be adapted for winter (boots in place of sandals, of course).

1. Comfy sandals that can be dressed up or down.  I don't just mean Old Navy rubber flip flops... I mean, cute sandals that are appropriate when you're on the boat, in a swim suit or when you're wearing shorts & a tank top.

2. Basic tank. I generally pack two- white & then black or brown (depending on that shoe decision I already made). This way I can layer under whatever else or I have a plain tank to dress up with jewelry!

3. Jewelry ... that's right. Even in summer, I wear jewelry. (Of course I do, duh! Check out my other blog for more info on that!)  I pack a few key silver (cause I prefer it to yellow gold) pieces & then a few colored pieces.  I like to mix & match, depending on what activity we're doing.

4. A great tote/handbag.  For me, this often has double duty as a diaper bag.  You see, when I go away for the weekend, it sometimes allows for the Hubs & I to get that rare date in, so I don't want to be toting my diaper bag to a restaurant when it's just the two of us.  But at the same time, I don't want to take extra bags on the trip, so it needs to be large enough to toss a diaper & snacks in. (No kids? This applies to husband's extras too... I used to refer to my handbag as "Mikey's diaper bag, cause I carried so much of my husband's stuff. Also, if you'll be shopping or whatever, this applies!)


5. One fabulous, versatile accessory... Mine is typically a scarf. Works to keep me warm, if it's a little chilly in the morning.  Helps mix it up, in case I only have that basic white tank left.  Greasy hair? Wrap the scarf around it! Think you may need it, but not sure? Tie it around that great handbag & you'll have it with you when you're shopping! My favorite way to use a scarf, as a mother- a cover up for public nursing, a cover up for that food stain that my toddler threw at me, etc, etc.  Versatility people, that's what I'm talking about!

One last fashionable piece- a positive attitude! Being away for the weekend can be stressful, if you let it, so just relax, have fun & know that you look great!

I wrote this blog post while participating in the TwitterMoms and Gap Outlet blogging program to be eligible to win a $20 gift card. For more information on how you can participate, click here. Check out this link for more ideas: http://www.twittermoms.com/forum/topics/share-5-musthave-fashionable

Is it time?

Let's call it.  It's time.  It's officially our summer.  We've recently begun hitting 90 plus degrees & have cranked the air conditioner up.

Here's a rundown of how we've spent our first four days of "Summer".

We began our journey at a Celebration of Life... it was fabulous.  Full of dance routines & green balloons, fond memories, & love. Lots & lots of love.

We've spent two full days on our bikes, riding twenty miles each time.  Looking through the trees at gorgeous houses & the river... stopping for refreshing drinks & diaper changes... racing our friends & trailering B.

We've walked, run through a sprinkler (just once, cause B wasn't a huge fan of the cold water), we've sidewalk chalked & walked to the grocery store...

We've escaped to our local bookstore to bask in books, toys & air conditioning.

We've gone to lunch with friends... 3 times! Enjoyed catching up with an old friend & learning about a new friend...  Tried new restaurants & stopped in our favorite too.

We've been to the park with friends & moved the party to a house, when it got too hot... at 10am.

Bubbles have been blown, Cozy Coupes have been driven, & grill outs with friends & beer have happened.

...on the menu for tonight? A bike ride, more grilling, & a bright white, new pad of paper with sharp, jumbo crayons.

And this weekend? Oh, get ready... the zoo, baseball, boating & a movie date... can't wait!