Bye Bye Hanger Helmet

I can't even believe it's been almost 5 months since we swallowed our pride and decided to pursue helmet therapy for Landon's misshapen head. What we thought would be a long, annoyingly painful journey was actually easy and went by in the blink of an eye. And if I'm being completely honest, a tiny little piece of me is sad about not being able to see my little man sport his blue head gear anymore.

Landon when he first got his helmet at the start of May...


So, ya wanna see the progression of Landon's head shape? Here it is based on a few pics I snapped over the last few months. However, the real 3 dimensional result in person is even greater.

Profile view...


From above...


What I learned throughout our helmet journey...

• As a parent, you HAVE TO trust your gut. Even if your doctor doesn't agree. Even if family doesn't agree. Do your research and make the decision that feels right for your family.
• Helmet therapy is stinky business. The smell of a sweaty helmet is like wet dog x1000. However, it does get better over time as baby adjusts to it.
• The cure for a stinky helmet is soap and water with a scrubby brush every day and laying it face out in the sun. Seriously, the sun is amazing! It bleaches out the inside of the helmet and eliminates the odor. Our orthotist said we won the award for the cleanest post-treatment helmet he's ever seen. :-)
• There are more good people in world than bad. I expected the worst when we first got Landon's helmet. I expected lots of stares and whispers. Instead, we got lots of smiles and people telling us he looked cute and people approaching us to let us know that their child/niece/cousin also had a helmet once. Not nearly as bad as I expected.
• When it comes to your children, time disappears. I dreaded the months that Landon would have to wear his helmet, but in the blink of an eye it's over. Before I know it, he'll be walking down the aisle in his cap and gown. Cherish every second.

In a nut shell, how would I put our experience with Landon's Hanger helmet? Totally doable and worth every penny. Is Landon's head perfect now? No, but whose head is? Will we ever know if the rounding out of Landon's head was due to the helmet or a natural growth pattern? Nope. But ya know what? I don't ever have to wonder "what if"...



If any of you out there have ANY questions about plagiocephaly/brachycephaly or helmet therapy, please let me know! You can email me at: ariel {at} dreamstodo {dot} com

Don't forget about YOU!

There's one thing about parenthood that's super easy - forgetting to make time for yourself.  When your first child comes into the world your perspective instantly shifts. Instead of living life for yourself, you are now living for someone else. Selfishness gives way to selflessness as their needs come before yours.

It really is an amazing thing.

However...  It is crucial to make time for yourself. Between mouths to feed, diapers to change, a career, rooms to clean, laundry to fold, and a partner to make time for, it is usually YOU that comes in last. Am I right? This is all fine and dandy until momma gets burned out.... until you have a nervous breakdown or at least until your hair hasn't been cut in a year and your toenails still display remnants of last mother's day pedicure polish.

I'm a big proponent of mom's NOT giving up their lives just because they have kids. YES, your children and spouse should come first. YES, you have a lot to take care of and very little time to do it all. BUT, your happiness and zest for life is what your children and significant other will thrive on. And your happiness is crucial to your day-to-day success.

Why am I thinking about all of this? Well, today I played hooky from work. I treated myself to a little spa day (facial, pedicure, hair treatment). And then I spent the rest of the day with my family - another neighborhood walk and a trip to the farmer's market. And ya know what? I feel completely refreshed and happy and ready to take on the world again.











PS - I bought my spa day through Yollar for like $50 ($150 value)... Yollar, Groupon, Living Social, and other group couponing sites often have awesome deals like this, so next time you see one snatch up a little something for yourself. And don't feel guilty about it!

Wise Words Wednesday: Workout

"Wow, I really regret that workout!" ~ No one. Ever.

Image via Design By Rita K (please pin from source, thanks!)

If you know me or you've been following my blog for a while then you know that I struggle with working out. I struggle with finding the time, but even more so I struggle with motivation. Not to mention that I just have never liked working out or any form of physical exercise. Ever.

On Monday I took my first ever Bar Method class. And let me tell you, it kicked my ace! If you aren't familiar with the Bar Method, it "integrates the fat burning format of interval training, the muscle shaping technique of isometrics, the elongating principles of dance conditioning, and the science of physical therapy to create a revolutionary new workout that quickly and safely reshapes your entire body." It is serious business people!

My friend Mary is training to be a Bar Method instructor at a new studio that will open this fall. So, she has been teaching practice classes and I got to take one. Two days later and I am still sore. But ya know what? I loved it! And I loved how it made me feel afterwards. I was so proud of myself for surviving the class and every sore muscle that I still feel 2 days later is proof that I got a good workout. I am super excited for the studio to open in a couple months! It is just right down the street from my work, so I can take classes over my lunch break. Maybe I'll finally be able to cross something else off my Dreams To Do list!

I've been feeling a little bit down lately and I know it is directly related to my lack of physical activity. I'm very hopeful that my new double stroller along with The Bar Method classes will help turn this frown upside down!

Soakin' It Up... even more

Being at the office today was even tougher than usual after such a fantastic weekend with my little family. I missed my kiddos (& the hubby, of course) like CrAzY! Here is the second half of my lovely little family weekend in pics...

Our friend's lake cabin. Yeah, I'm pretty jealous...


Landon & I got to enjoy some solo time on the shore while everyone else was off boating. It was special...






Leila Jade enjoyed her 1st jet ski ride! My girl is normally so timid (won't even go down a slide by herself), but when it comes to going fast, I guess she's got a need for speed!




Father & Son... such a special bond. I love watching these 2 together...


And my favorite part of our lake day? This little guy...


Landon's first froggy experience...




Ahhhhhh, the cuteness just kills me!


Can I just say the I think photography is the greatest invention ever? I feel so blessed to be able to capture so many special moments in pictures. Sure, I'll always be able to remember experiences, but photographs allow me to never forget them. Does that make sense? :-)

I hope your week is off to a great start!

Soakin' It Up

I feel it coming. I feel summer coming to a close. Labor Day is just a week away and that's my unofficial signal that summer is over. No more speeding through the school zone on my way to work. Time to dust off my cute fall boots (yessss!) and whip out the scarves. Well, almost...

My family & I had the BEST weekend. The hubby was off from work, the weather was spectacular, and for the first time in a loooonnnnngggg time we had no serious plans. With Andy scheduled to work over Labor Day weekend (3 days of me versus the kids and nothing fun planned.... nooooooooooo!)we soaked every bit of summer we could get as a family out of this one. So much so that I need to devote 2 posts to sharing my awesome pics.

I remembered to bring along the camera on our weekend adventures and it paid off. Today I take you on a walk in our neighborhood.  Tomorrow, I will take you to the lake.

Lando-pie is loving his new ride (& I love it, too!)...


My little Pinkalicious! Leila always insists on walking Billy...


Aqua camper? Me Me Me! I want!


We let our girl live out her dream of running down the middle of the street. Just for a moment (& for this pic)...


We were in tree lined street heaven...


Hubby's got mad style - Ha!


Our park has the cutest little outdoor cafe smack in the middle of it...


Can you believe she just turned 3? Looks and acts like a 6 year old...


My boy had a nice little nap...


These leaves were screaming at me to take their picture...


Taking a breather - we walked about 3 miles...


Our new Phil & Teds - luuuurve it! Lando likes it & Leila actually loves riding in it, too. 


Our morning walk to the park only lasted a couple of hours, but it made my weekend. This is the epitome of quality family time to me. It is our thing. I cherish all of our past family walks through the neighborhood (Landon's first one was one of my faves!) and look forward to the many, many, many more to come.

Oh! I just realized that there were NO photos taken of me on our little adventure, so I'm grabbing my Leila for an impromptu computer pic as I type this...

CHEESE!


More from my amazing final-days-of-summer family weekend tomorrow. For now, it is my bed time. Hope you all had a wonderful weekend, too!

What a week! High five for Friday!

TGIF!!! This has been the most horrible & amazing week for me. A mish-mosh of fantabulocity & horrificness (like my word choices? - HA!). Here are my highlights from this odd week...

1. My sweet hubby sent me flowers at work, just because. Before you vomit in your mouth a little over this sickeningly sweet gesture, the truth is that the hubby & I have had a rough few weeks together. Every marriage, even ones that seem perfect, take a lot of hard work. We've worked through the bumps and we're in a better place now. And now that he's sent me flowers, we're in an even better place. :-)



2. I got a new toy! I thought I could survive having two kids without a double stroller and I made it 10 whole months. The fact of the matter is that I don't need a double stroller, I just decided that if I had one I may be more likely to get out and go on more walks with the kiddos or maybe even *gasp* start running. I'm hoping this beautiful Phil & Teds will get me moving. :-)



3. A change in the weather. I feel fall-a-coming. Our 90+ degree days are dropping into the low 80s and it's actually getting chilly at night. Normally this would sadden me, but I'm battling a nasty, miserable cold this week and the cooler weather is allowing me to comfortably partake of hot soups and teas and snuggle up in sweats. Bring on the pumpkin spice lattes, boots, and scarves! (okay, maybe that's going a little too far!)



4. Bye Bye Helmet. Landon woke up on Wednesday with a bright red line across his forehead from his Hanger helmet. It was finally getting too tight. So, I called his orthotist and we decided to discontinue use. This means that Landon is done with his helmet therapy!!! A post will be dedicated to this very soon. I am thrilled with the outcome.



5. A new kind of relationship. The fact that I'm a mommy of two smacked me in the face this week. I was taking a breather on my fabulous chaise lounge in our living room while my 10 month old and 3 year old laughed and played on the floor. Their laughter, fun, and enjoyment had nothing to do with me. I could see their innate sibling love for each other and I let my mind drift off to the future... Leila crying when Landon destroys her baby doll, Landon's friends flirting with Leila, Leila driving Landon to school when she turns 16. I can't wait to watch their relationship grow. This is what makes having more than one child SO worth it.



Happy weekending friends! I hope you find some happiness and fun in whatever you have on the agenda. :-)

Linking up with Lauren @ From My Grey Desk today.

Wise Words Wednesday: Strategy

"What do you want to achieve or avoid? The answers to this question are objectives. How will you go about achieving your desired results? The answer to this you can call strategy." ~ William E Rothschild

I have never been a very strategic person. I'm not good at following through with things because of this. I guess I'd rather just "wing it" in life and see where it leads me. Okay, obviously this isn't true otherwise I probably wouldn't have started this blog. I want very much to make things happen - to accomplish some of my "dreams to do." The problem is that I'm not a planner. I guess I'm lazy. I guess I just suck at strategy.

Unfortunately for me, all of the people out there who are making their dreams a reality are doing so via careful planning. Of course, there are always those lucky few who get their date with fate (why can't that be me?) and things just fall right into their lap.  However, I think for the most part those who accomplish their dreams do so with a lot of hard work and a little bit of strategy.

So what brought this topic to mind? I was sitting down the other night with my nifty new blog planner and I started jotting down some ideas and some of my goals for next week. I thought to myself, "Go me! I'm planning ahead!" And then I thought, "Why don't I do this more often?"  I guess I had a little bit of an epiphany that setting small goals, even on a week-by-week basis, is better than nothing... all of these small little goals can lead up to accomplishing the big goals.

I'm thinking even just a little bit of strategy can go a long way.

10 Months

My little monster will never be in the single digit months again. And this means that it's getting close to time for me to plan a 1st birthday party!







All about Landon Drew at 10 months old...

• 10 months and 0 teeth. My boy is a pro a gumming down food. Just because he doesn't have any chompers yet doesn't mean he can't devour a piece of steak. Ha!
• Weighing in at 22.7 lbs & 29.5 inches long (as of last week). Still a beast, but his growth is slowing down a little.
• When I call Landon my little monster, I mean it. He's already a little trouble maker. He gets into everything and loves to pull his sister's and mommy's hair. He also loves to throw any and everything. The boy's got quite an arm! Baseball?
• Still just the happiest, sweetest little guy (even if he is a monster). My favorite is when he cracks himself up (which happens frequently). He'll throw a toy and then die laughing as if it is the greatest thing he's ever seen. Love him.
• In just the past couple of weeks he's started to interact with Leila a lot more. He "chases" her around the house and always wants whatever she has. He's made her cry a few times already just by being an annoying little bro.
• Landon has been sleeping through the night more frequently, but it is still a special treat. For the most part he's up 1-2 times at night. He either has a night terror or just stands up and wants to play.
• He's losing interest in my boobs. I've still been breastfeeding him in the morning and at night while he has formula during the day. However, for the past few days it's been a fight to get him on the boob. He'd rather just hold a bottle and do his own thing. I guess he's self-weaning. Makes me a little sad, but I was going to try to wean him around 1 year any way.
• He finally graduated on from the crazy monkey/one leg up crawl and now crawls normally. And he pulls himself up to stand on everything. Still not close to walking, but I'm sure he'll be at it by the time he's one.
• Landon loves loves LOVES to roll around on the bed or a soft blanket on the floor. This simple act brings him so much joy. Put down a blanket on the floor and he'll speed crawl over to it and start rubbing his face in it and rolling around with the goofiest grin on his face. Put him on a bed and he's even happier. It is so cute that it's been known to make me cry.
• Words? Just a lot of "da da da da, ga ga ga ga, ba ba ba ba" and I'm pretty sure I heard him say "Dora" this morning.
• Helmet? Still wearing it at night, but off during the day! We are just waiting on one more little growth spurt and we'll be done with the thing forever. :-)

I love him so much - it's indescribable. One look at his chubby little face and every doubt I have about my life disappears.

Thoughts On Unplugging: August 2012

This month I never really took an official day off to unplug from technology, the internet, and social media. However, the week we were at Priest Lake I hardly had any cell service and the internet connection was as slow as molasses. I guess I probably unofficially unplugged for at least 3 whole days in there.  But that's what summer vacay is all about, right?

I've noticed something in the blog world recently. There are a lot of peeps posting about how they feel uninspired to post lately and a lot of people apologizing to their readers for being MIA from their blog. This is silly people! It's summertime! We are supposed to be out enjoying real life... running through sprinklers with our kiddos, toasting up s'mores over a fire at night, and just plain feeling brain dead because our mind is in off-from-school mode. If anything, we have no one to apologize to except for maybe ourselves for taking life too seriously.

I've learned something over this summer of unplugging. We all crave the opportunity to disconnect - to relax. It is something we should try to give ourselves as a gift more often. Maybe this doesn't necessarily mean killing all ties with the outside world (i.e. hiding the cell and computer). Maybe instead this just means backing off a little... taking a day to really embrace life - a day to soak up our surroundings and not worry so much about "keeping up with the Joneses." Don't ya think?

Life is too short to not unplug in some way or another every now and then.


Linking up with Emily @ Peck Life for her "Let's Unplug" series. You can read about my June & July days of unplugging HERE & HERE.

Monthly DIY: Blog Planner

Obviously it isn't easy juggling a 40 hour/week job, a marriage, a home, and 2 little kids to take care of. Throw a blogging hobby in there and really there isn't time for anything else. I've always been a really disorganized blogger. With the exception of my "Wise Words Wednesday" posts, I have absolutely no schedule that I post on and usually no clue what I'm going to post about until I actually sit down to write. This method has worked out well for me, but I'd really like to start being a little more intentional with this here blog and lately I've also been craving more structure in my life. I need more of a schedule.

So, I set out on a Google mission. I was interested in finding out how other bloggers manage their internet homes and I was hoping I would find some sort of organizer/planner for my blogging. I wanted something physical. Sure I love my computer and my phone, but when it comes to organization, notes, and my creative thoughts, nothing is better than good ole pen & paper. My search led me to Beckie at Infarrantly Creative's Free Printable Blog Calendar. You guys, Beckie is seriously a GENIUS because this thing ROCKS!

I'm totally counting this as my monthly DIY project even though I didn't really do much of anything myself. However, I am VERY excited about this and love how it turned out!




You totally need to visit Beckie's post on Infarrantly Creative if you are interested in seeing how cool this planner really is - she has a video posted! But basically, it consists of a monthly calendar tear-off pad with weekly planner pages that store behind the monthly calendar. This way the current month and week are always right there when you open it up.

Beckie offers readers a file that is already "pretty" AND a plain one that you can add whatever background you'd like to. So, I decided to utilize a variety of chevron and moroccan tile colored backgrounds. And I also changed the text on a few of her boxes to keep track of what matters most to me.







I printed off all of the pages (to last me through the rest of 2012 and all of 2013) myself and then took them, along with a front and back cover (laminated print outs I made) to Office Depot. I had them make the monthly calendars into a tear-off pad and had them bind the weekly pages. Then, I cut down a file folder to size and attached the tear off pad to my planner book (see Beckie's exact tutorial for all of this). Office Depot charged me $5 for this. Not too shabby!

I found the backgrounds I used at my new favorite freebie blog by Mel Stamps. That's also where I found the chevron overlay that I used to create the planner cover in photoshop. Love this blog!

Now let's see if I actually utilize this thing to bring a little structure into my chaotic life!