Worth It

I woke up in a comatose state today. My eyes were literally crusted shut and Leila had to drag me out of bed. I spent the day in jammies with messy hair and no makeup until 4pm when we had to go to a birthday party. It was fabulous.

Considering the tone of my last couple of posts, you would think I would have had a productive weekend. Nope. I surrendered to my laziness and my children's need for attention. We watched an exorbitant amount of TV, ate pizza and chips and candy, did puzzles, played in the snow, and laughed more times than I can count.

It was heavenly. 

Normally I feel guilty when don't take advantage of the free time I get once in a blue moon. For example, today I had 2 full hours of quiet time while the kiddos napped/rested. What did I do? I crawled in bed with Leila and drifted in and out of sleep for an hour then finally decided to move my body onto the couch for some DVR catch-up. Totally my own worst enemy in the productivity department.

But, it was worth it.





I will always struggle with finding balance. But the truth is that we ALL will. Nobody has it down to an art. In my opinion, you can't beat yourself up if you just want to be lazy every once in a while. I know my kids will grow up remembering the days "when mommy stayed in her jammies all day and we just lounged around." I know I will. And that makes a lazy day every once in a while more than worth it.

Another shout out to that amazingly kind people behind Kickboard USA - they sent Landon his little micro-mini scooter (above) after reading the review I wrote on Leila's scooter. He loves it!! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!

The Anti-Winter + Kickboard USA Review

With the exception of one measly snow a few weeks back, winter has been pretty much non-existent here. We've been stuck in a never-ending fall with leaves covering the ground and temperatures hovering just above puffy-coat levels. Not gonna lie, I'm kinda liking it. (Edit: Funny thing - I started this post last night and it has since started snowing. Ha!)

This weekend I found myself at home alone with the kiddos while the hubby worked. Blue skies and crisp air were calling our names, so we decided to take Leila's new favorite thing in the whole wide world, a Kickboard USA mini micro scooter, out for a spin. You guys, this thing is amazing and my three year old is like a pro on it already.



Side Note: Leila dresses herself. She loves all things rainbow (like mother, like daughter) and insisted on wearing her rainbow dress with rainbow leggings with rainbow socks with rainbow underwear with a rainbow jacket. Oh, and a rainbow star hat. Plus blue leopard print TOMS. Ha!



But seriously, how cute is she?

It never crossed my mind to get my kiddo a scooter, but when the awesome folks at Kickboard USA offered to send one my way I totally jumped on it. They make scooters for all ages and I love, love, love that the mini micro is just Leila's size. It is ridiculously light weight (3 lbs) and is the smoothest ride ever. My girl was gliding over the uneven sidewalks in our old neighborhood like they were nothing. (Next time she will totally be wearing a helmet, though. I don't know what I was thinking leaving the house without it!)





So, if you still need a last minute Christmas gift for your little one (or yourself!) I totally recommend the Kickboard USA kick scooters. They come in lots of great colors, too!

This little walk really was the highlight of my weekend at home. Between this nasty cold that my whole family now has and a never-ending list of things to get done before Christmas, the fresh air and smiles on my kiddos faces was exactly what I needed. I never did get any pics of little Landon snuggled up in the ergo with me, but he sure was cute!

I hope your weekend was wonderful and full of little happy moments!

Yep, she's obsessed. Brings this thing to bed with her and even to the bathroom! HA!


Disclosure: I received the mini micro from Kickboard USA in exchange for this review. All of the opinions are 100% my own (& my daughters). We love this product! :-)

First Snow

Last weekend, fall made way for winter here.





The first snow is always exciting. It signals that we're just a hop, skip, and a jump away from the holidays. It makes scarf & boot wearing not only fashionably appropriate, but also essential. And the best part is the sparkle it ignites in children's eyes.





Okay, now for a funny story. These photos were taken after the first innocent sprinkling of snow. The next day, Monday, we got a few inches more. I woke up to big fluffy flakes falling from the sky and instead of my normal feelings of dread for the treacherous driving conditions and bone chilling cold, I felt down right jolly. I was singing Christmas songs while getting ready for work (usually a big NO NO for me - not until after Thanksgiving!) because I just felt that excited about winter and Christmas and all things cozy and happy. So, I get in our car feeling good and proceed to drive down our street very carefully, aware that we had failed to put our snow tires on yet. A few blocks later, I found myself sliding sideways down the hill. Luckily, I regained control and was able to park the car on the side of the street. And even more luckily, it was a day that the hubby was home with the kids and they weren't with me.

Anyway, I ended up walking 4 blocks back home up hill to get our other car (the better one). Of course Andy couldn't find his keys to come get me and take me to work - HA!. I walked home cursing the snow and winter the whole way, while the wet falling flakes ruined my perfectly curled hair. I couldn't help but laugh at the whole situation by the time I got to work nearly a half an hour late. :-)



Snow, glorious snow.

For fun, I looked up my "First Snow" post from last year and Landon was just a newborn and Leila was still so little! I feel like I just wrote that post - time just flies! Check it out HERE.

Away

It's amazing what even just a couple of days away can do for you. On Friday, I took the day off work to enjoy a long weekend getaway to Seattle to celebrate my hubby's 28th birthday and my nephew's 3rd. (Of course the PNW blogger meet-up just happened to be taking place in Portland this weekend when I actually could have made it for once if it had been in Seattle! Oh, life!)

Our weekend consisted of a one-night splurge in a fancy downtown hotel, the Cheesecake Factory, overcast Seattle skies, Pike's Place Market, laughter with old and new friends, happy kiddos, lots of good food and wine, screaming & squeeling 3-year-olds, cake, love, and rest. My little family of four soaked up our time together as if our life depended on it. And it felt SO good.







One night on our little trip I experienced something I haven't done in a long time. We were at the hotel and I had just gotten the kids to fall asleep. Andy was out with some friends (I urged him to go... at least one of us should be able to go have some fun). I was trapped 25 floors above a bustling city in a quiet, dark room with nothing to do. I didn't have a book to read and I didn't want to turn on the TV since Leila is such a light sleeper. So, it was just me and my thoughts. Sure, I could have played on my phone, but for once I didn't feel like it. I literally laid in the dark on the bed for a good hour just letting my mind drift. What's funny is that I kept getting waves of guilt - surely I should be doing something! But then I would remind myself that I'm on vacation, that I deserve this time, that there is NOTHING wrong with doing NOTHING every once in a while. And then I fell asleep. A little after 9pm.











Long story short, we had a wonderful time with some much needed relaxation and reconnecting with family and friends. And now a bitter taste is in my mouth from returning to reality. It's fun to run away every once in a while, even if it's just for a couple of days. :-)

Where the heart is.

When I feel like I'm getting a little bit too caught up in the stresses of life I like to escape home, to where I grew up. With my hubby stuck at work this weekend and me feeling trapped in the claustrophobia of our house, alone with 2 kids, I decided to head north for the day.

There was a lot of relaxing, and visiting with family and friends, and soaking up the still-summer-like sun, and getting our flip-flop wearing feet covered with dust. It was exactly what I needed - exactly what we all needed.

Sun soaker...


Eating a pear straight off my parents' tree!


No collars or leashes needed. Just one-hundred acres of freedom.


I'm not the only rainbow lover...


Oh the whimsy found in my parents' home...


Dirt road walking...


Cousin love...


Sleepy ergo baby - fighting it good...


Dirty feet to end the day...


There's something magical about returning to the woods where I grew up. It's just so out there that it actually makes me forget "real" life. No internet. No cell service. No noisy streets. Just nature and family. A little piece of my heart.

Driving with kids should be illegal.

Sure, talking on your cell phone while driving is against the law, but it is perfectly ok to transport a screaming infant and toddler in your vehicle. Pretty sure dealing with my psycho kiddos is a tad bit more distracting than talking on my cell.



Today I had the pleasure of being alone in the car with a less-than-happy Leila and Landon on a 1+ hour drive home from visiting family and friends. Landon screamed his head off just because he could the ENTIRE time while Leila decided to continually whine about Landon crying and being cold (meanwhile I had sweat dripping down my sides).

I actually had to laugh out loud at my life when I found myself cruising down the highway while reaching behind me blindly to shove baby yogurt melts into Landon's screaming mouth. Those things would shut him up for approximately 2.5 seconds until he was ready for another. Finally I just gave up and cranked the music.

In the end, both kids were dead to the world within 5 minutes of our house. Isn't it ironic?

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!