Toddler Tuesday: When the Sickies Invade...

I know it's not Tuesday yet, thought I would just post today and re-energize my Toddler Tuesday posts.

I mentioned that the Sickies invaded our home last week. The worst yet, to date. After our afternoon at the pediatrician/hospital on Thursday, I was writing a quick e-mail response to a friend and found myself rambling about how emotional I was having to see M poked, swabbed, prodded all afternoon {um, he's fine, by the way} and all I could end it with was "I don't know how mother's of seriously ill children do it, but for having God as their rock". M was feeling miserable, but I knew that it would only be for a few days. But I still wanted an answer. I never got an answer, but I did receive the peace of mind of knowing what he didn't have. It was not strep, not pneumonia, not bronchitis, not mono, not...

I think my emotions were the result of this being my first experience of seeing a fever take over one of my little ones. Of M not being able to tell me what was hurting. You know, all of the scary stuff about being a mom. Next time, it will probably seem old hat. Instead of rushing him to the pediatrician I'll realize he'll get through the fever and just needs some extra snuggles and TLC.

What gets you through a week of a visit from the Sickies? Special meals? New treats? Certain movies?

For the kiddies:

I had a little bit of Tylenol on hand, now I will always have a back up of that and ibuprofen.

Those "Boogie Wipes" on the left are also a staple in the diaper bag, though I just purchased a back up for my purse.

The bulb syringe. Note to first-time mommas-to-be: Do not lose the bulb syringe from the hospital. Guard it with your entire being. Store-bought versions are.not.the.same. Period.

The forehead thermometer. Oh my word. Best thing, ever. Temperature taking is now effortless and much more pleasant.

Vapor rub. Need I say more? {Also went ahead and purchased the baby version. I figure if the Sickies came to visit M, they might just spend some time with O, as well.}

Vitamins. M is a picky eater, a vitamin a day gives me peace of mind. Word to the wise: Even though they are stored out of M's reach, he still knows what cupboard they are in and is having a hard time understanding that he is only allowed one tablet each day. He will walk in to the kitchen and just point and point at the cupboard. My solution? Yogurt melts.

Neosporin really had nothing to do with the Sickies's visit, just something I always like to have on hand, especially when the infant finger nails are sharp and scratchy, even when clipped.

Some of our other necessities this week were disinfectant spray, pedialtye (are you grasping my love for all things generic?) and Cars. We have probably watched Cars twenty times in the last five days. I had a fun week of "shapes" activities planned for M. We were able to do two of them before we threw in the towel and took sick days.

And a couple of remedies for the mama. Bright cheery flowers from a thoughtful friend. Encouraging text messages from friends.

And of course the good Word and a cup of joe.

Here's to a healthy week, ahead!

Day 19, 20 and whatever...

The Sickies invaded our home on Thursday morning. I know! I really don't like the Sickies either and wish they would just stay home and leave my children alone.

I was going to post a couple of 30 x 30 photos that I had on my camera, but the truth is the outfits are near repeats and, after the week we had around here, I'm just finished. The 30 x 30 challenge taught me so much, though. I cleaned out and organized half of my dresser drawers yesterday. I added to the on-going Goodwill pile and rediscovered some items of clothing that I think I will be able to reincorporate more creatively to make "shopping my closet" a bit more exciting so I'm not as tempted to "shop the mall". I actually intend to make the 30 x 30 "theory" a part of my regular habits and once a month I am going to pick the main staples of the clothing that I already have and make them my focus for that month. Most days it took the thought process out of getting ready and it made keeping up on [my share] of the laundry a bit easier! 30 x 30 also pulled me out of the "old hoodie" routine, love that.

From (in)courage

So, I was on the {in}courage website this morning, after a very long day/night {mama had a certain little man that was feeling very lousy, had to go through x-rays and labs, and it was breaking my heart, said little man is feeling much better this morning} and read this, it just was so encouraging! I think that might be the point?

Anyway, here is the original post and I have also copied and pasted below, but note that none of the text that follows is my own, it is all from the author, Vanessa, at {in}courage and the Bible.

I will never have it all together.

“Serve the Lord with gladness;

Come before His presence with singing.

Know that the Lord, He is God;

It is He who made us, and not we ourselves;

We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.”

Psalm 100:2-3

I will never have the most perfectly clean home without toys strewn about and

cracker crumbs ground into the carpet.

“A woman who fears the Lord, shall be praised.

Give her of the fruit of her hands,

And let her own works praise her in the gates.”

Proverbs 31:31

I will never have all the answers.

“Oh the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God!

How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out!”

Romans 11:33

I will never know just the right thing to wear for every occasion, have the cutest haircut or be a trendsetter.

I will regularly leave the house in yoga pants, even though I don’t do yoga, and my hair will be in a pony-tail.

Hopefully I will have showered.

Do not let your adornment be merely outward-arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel-rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God.

1 Peter 3:3

I will never enjoy doing laundry and cleaning toilets, especially ones that are used by little boys.

“In all the work you are doing, work the best you can.

Work as if you were doing it for the Lord, not for people.”

Colossians 3:23

I will never have a body that does not have dimples in all of the wrong places.

“I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made,

Marvelous are Your works,

And that my soul knows very well.

My frame was not hidden from You,

When I was made in secret,

And skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.”

Psalm 139:14-15

I will never be a perfect mother. And I will never be a perfect wife.

I will make mistakes.

“A soft answer turns away wrath

But a harsh word stirs up anger.

The tongue of the wise uses knowledge rightly,

But the mouth of fools pours forth foolishness.”

Proverbs 15:1-2

I will probably never be viewed by the world as a success in my chosen role of Homemaker.

“She watches over the ways of her household,

And does not eat the bread of idleness.

Her children rise up and call her blessed;

Her husband also, and he praises her:

Many daughters have done well,

But you excel them all.”
Proverbs 31:27-29

I’ve never been someone who looks at the world through “rose-colored” glasses. But I’m pretty sure that I look at myself through “world-colored” glasses. I put them on and walk around looking through lenses that reflect all of my faults and flaws. It’s a miracle I don’t bump into things more often with such distorted vision! But, what if I took them off? What if I saw myself as He sees me instead of how the world sees me? Perhaps my vision would be restored and I would see that I am…

Always beautiful to Him

Always loved by Him

Always the daughter of the King!

My prayer is that you will join me in leaving behind the land of the “never” and choose instead to dwell in the “always” of His mercy and grace.

That is a place where we will never be more welcomed!

By Vanessa, At the Picket Fence

Dells, deals, deals...

We ventured to the Wisconsin Dells this past weekend for some fun in the sun indoor water parks! Jon's parents celebrated their wedding anniversary (the big three-oh) and invited us to join them for a couple of nights. We were snowed in on Sunday and ended up not coming back until Monday. No complaints here, the week has just felt weird because all day on Monday it still felt like Sunday to us!

time out for a snack

Matthew was a fish in the water. He loved the pool and got a kick out of the wave pool. He toted around an inflatable froggy float all weekend! He would tell us "I simmin!"

fueled up and ready to go again!

bundled up to head back for a nap

O was a great sport in the water as well. He had a penguin floaty and would just lean his head back and take it all in. No fear of the water for either of these little guys! We had a little cabana room at the pool with skywalks to a couple of other little water parks. It was great. We cranked the heat up in our cabana and other than the roof over your head, it almost {but not quite} felt like summer at the pool.

Our accomodations were approximately one mile from the Tanger Outlet mall. Oh, trouble. We don't really shop "just to shop" anymore, and I just had the itch to go to the mall and check out some bargains! I must say I was very excited about some of the deals.

How cute are these little kicks that we picked up for O? I think we snagged these for $7.48 (all of the clearance shoes at Stride Rite/Sperry were an additional 50% off and these cuties were reduced to $14.95). We (when I say we, I mean me and Jon's mom - the boys did not join us on this extravaganza, well O did, and he was a phenomenal little shopper) also bought M some snow boots for next winter for $10 that were originally around $45, a pair of sandals for O, and some dress shoes for M.








And this dress. Oh, this dress. Love. I have been eyeing (is that a word? it is now) this dress on the Old Navy website for quite some time now. It was originally $29.50 and one day a couple of weeks ago the Old Navy website was having a 30% off everything sale, and I added this and three other dresses to my shopping cart and then looked at some empty envelopes and clicked the little red "x" on the browser tab. Needless to say when I walked in to Old Navy and the price tag said "$6.49" I all but jumped up and down right there in the store. Oh, but...

It gets better.

It was an additional 40% off. The total price of the dress was $3.90. Boom. Sold. and then I found twenty bucks. Just kidding. Then I found the cute little belt (yup, on clearance) at Gap. They go together like peanut butter and jelly, no?

I found some other amazing deals, but I will not bore you any further. I was just giddy to shop at ADULT clothing stores. Our last trip to an outlet mall was all about the boys (think Children's Place Osh Kosh, Gymboree, etc). This time, it was about the mama and the dada (found some stellar prices on duds for him too). And, disclaimer, that is NOT our furniture in the background. It was property of the Wilderness Lodge.

.blessed.: Matthew, Update!

.blessed.: Matthew, Update!: "It is high time for a Matthew update. My little toddler seems to be turning into a little boy more and more each day. About three or four we..."

Day 16, 17 and 18, and a what would you wear question...

Catching up on outfits, I'm not sure if I'm even on the right count, anymore!
From left to right...

What?
Dress - Target
Black leggings (not pictured) - Express
Scarf - gift (Von Maur)
Flats - Payless
Necklace - Premier Designs (hostess reward)

Where?
Traveling to the Dells. I have taken a page out of the husband's book on dressing up for traveling. See, in my opinion, sweats and tennis shoes are perfect for traveling. But the last few times we have traveled I dressed up and it feels much better, you never know what situation you might end up in and it's probably best to look presentable instead of unshowered in sweats *smile*.

What?
Plaid button up blouse - Wal-Mart
Yellow top - Loft (technically it's not in my 30 x 30, but I tried the blouse with gray leggings earlier in the challenge, and it turned out gross and demanded a pop of color)
Jeans (not pictured) - Banana Republic
Flats - Payless

Where?
Tanger Outlets @ the Dells (ohmyword. President's Day sale. I have bargains that I might post about later). Also, I realize this breaks the 30 x 30 shopping rules, but I will not indulge in wearing such purchases until the 30 days are over.
Dinner out with the family.

I am just not a fan of this top. Twice now I have tried it and I cannot make it work for me. What would you wear it with?

What?

Tuxedo shirt - J. Crew
Black cardigan - Express (many, many moons ago)
Jeans - Banana Republic outlet
Boots - Vera Wang for Kohl's... which leads me to (see below)...

Where?
Traveling, again.

How would you wear these? Or, as titled, "What would you wear" these with?

Today's outfit was the first that I have worn them in the 30 x 30 challenge. Prior to the challenge I only wore them once and found that my skinny jeans were actually too short for them because I had to keep pulling them down and back in to the boot. They look like they would come up past the ankle, but the way my feet sit in them they just barely cover my ankle. Maybe I just need longer skinny jeans or I am totally missing the cue on what to do with them. I am starting to just feel ridiculous when I put them on with an outfit. Help! I think they are super cute, until I put them on...

Day 14 and 15

This has been an exciting week. We've been to... the library and the pediatrician. Ha! So, without further delay, here is Wednesday's outfit (and I think it will shock you):

What?
Sweatshirt, J. Crew
Jeans, CAbi
Boots, Steve Madden

Where?
Wal-Mart (yes, I am there often)
"The office"

Quite honestly, this mom's brain cannot remember Tuesday's outfit, and I usually only remember by photos and apparently I didn't take one. Here's what I know... it was warm. Relatively speaking. When it has been colder than cold, 40 plus degrees feels down right balmy! {Yesterday, it was 60 degrees. Actually 60 PLUS degrees. I wore Nike running shorts and flip flops. I know, I totally cheated, but the only thing we did was go to the Y} I know that I wore ballet flats, jeans and probably the same sweatshirt that is pictured above, ha! Hey, all we did was go to the pediatrician and Babies R Us. The two places where looking like a mom is the dress code.

Thanks for hanging in there with me through my attempt at this 30 x 30 challenge. If you are looking for more inspiration and way cuter outfits, here are some of the 30 x 30'ers that I enjoy following because I love love love what they pick:

Snappy Casual 26 and Counting Hickstionary Kristine. Or Polly. and of course the originator of it all, Kendi Everyday

Day 10, 11 and 13 and little Valentine's

Monday Gear: Blouse, Wal-Mart Jeans, CAbi Belt, BR Flats, Payless

Friday Gear: Sweater, Target Blouse, Wal-Mart

Saturday Gear: Cardy: J. Crew Tank, Old Navy

Valentine's Day Goodies!

Matthew opened his Valentine and said "NEAT!"

Heart Sprinkles on Valentine's Day breakfast :)

Shameless self-promotion on Valentine's Day :)

Forgive the order of the photos, they are not cooperating and I am out of time! (Sunday gear, to be photographed, ha!)

Days 8 and 9, a little bit crafty, a recipe, Talk to Me Tuesday, and a snippet of the weekend...

 A long title and a random post! First things first, I am behind on posting outfits from 30 x 30, but I am still enjoying the process. I put a few things together this weekend that I wouldn't have thought of if I weren't doing the challenge. Although, those photos will have to wait because I actually didn't get pictures of them through the weekend...

Day 8 {Wed, Feb 9}

What?
Cardigan & Button-up, J. Crew
Scarf, etsy shop SpiderCreations (cute stuff, reasonable prices)
I know the scarf doesn't match but it arrived in Tuesday's mail and I basically haven't taken it off since. 
Jeans, um... they are Joe's, my BR jeans were dirty and I wasn't in a skinny jean mood but you can hardly tell, I just thought I'd fess up!

Where?
MOPS meeting







Day 9 {Thurs, Feb 10}

What?
Sweat-shirt, J. Crew
I think I will get a lot of use out of this sweatshirt, since it is my uniform of choice and the only one in the 30 x 30 collection :)
Scarf, gift (Jones NY)
Watch, Nike
Glasses, Anne Klein (you are going to be seeing a lot of these glasses, I ran out of contacts without paying attention and am waiting for them to arrive in the mail)
Jeans (ahem... Joe's again)

Where?
YMCA for Matthew's Toddler Games class
MOPS Steering committee meeting

And now for some fun stuff! Our MOPS group had a baby shower for one of our mom's on Saturday (which I, sadly, missed) and I offered to bring juice and some other goodies. A couple of weeks ago I had seen these little cuties on tatertots & jello...

 

and adapted the idea to make it my own for the baby shower:

white-cran/strawberry Ocean Spray, the only pink juice I could find

Next up, my latest breakfast obsession. You know how you find something that is warm and comforting for breakfast and then you want to eat it for every meal, every day? No? Me neither. Let me introduce you to my version of Fauxtmeal. If you follow Yellow Brick Beauty then you have already seen this recipe. I had to adapt it to make it my own, and I know it looks like a big pile of mush but rest assured it is a party in a bowl.

Ingredients
1 tbs margarine
1 cup almond meal
1 egg
1/2 cup skim milk
1 tsp Truvia
1/4 tsp baking soda
Frozen mixed berries

Directions
Melt margarine in microwave approximately 10 seconds. Stir in remaining ingredients. Pour in to two bowls and bake at 350 degrees for 15 - 20 minutes.

Here is the original (much healthier) recipe, and her photos are so much prettier!


Hicktionary's Talk To Me Tuesday is related to cabin fever, today. I have to say that we honestly have not had cabin fever this winter the way we did last year. We had a snow day recently and conquered the fever by baking and some other fun activities! In general, we conquer cabin fever with iChat's with my parents or sister, play-dough, coloring, cleaning. If it were just me snowed in, I'd conquer it with a good book and some crafting (scrapbooking and sewing!).

Toddler markers... Way to go, Crayola! I am a fan!

I used to brag about how good M was at keeping play-dough on the table

 In other news:

M has an opinion on his footwear, lately...

And, last but not least, we made a trip to Des Moines this weekend. I had a few tax clients to meet with and we got in quality time with my sister and our friends Beth and Doug and their sweet babes. I did not take as many photos as I should have, but did manage to get this shot of M&M on a coffee date after church.

When we got home on Sunday, we all changed in to jammies and vegged...

The end.

Slightly reduced.

{I wrote this in my personal journal on September 29, 2009, as a reflection while reading "Reduce Me To Love" by Joyce Meyer, long before any of "2010 changes" occurred. I thought it would be fun to share this Valentine's Day 2011. A day just like every other, but one to be reminded of how much our Father loves us. So much that He sent His son to die for us. John 3:16.}

I wonder if everyone struggles to surrender to the Lord as much as I do. I trust Him, I certainly do. But, I don't know how to hand things over. Maybe because I can't tangibly hand Him anything. But maybe it relates to my "do not act without praying, do not pray without acting" post [a personal journal entry, maybe someday I will share]. Something I definitely need to work on.

In reading Joyce Meyer's "Reduce Me to Love" I am seeing so many areas of me that need humbling. I have journaled about this throughout, and finally have my book with me to catch up on things that have really hit home for me in this book.

The first thing that I underlined was "When we put our time and energy into things that do not fulfill us, we feel frustrated". I know that I underlined that because of [fill in the blank for you] and being frustrated. I was putting that priority ahead of the priorities that God has called me to, of course I was frustrated. As I am learning to walk in love and be a student of love I think that my [blank] will flourish, the frustration will go away. Instead, I need to use [blank] as an opportunity to be an outreach of God's love.

In the Bible, God tells us that love is even more important that faith! In I Corinthians 13:2 Paul says "if we have enough faith to move mountains and have not love, we are nothing". I know my faith is strong right now, I know my love walk is at the "still learning to crawl" stage. It is our personal love walk that gives us confidence before God and enables us to receive from Him what we ask for in prayer. I John 3:18-23 says "Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth. This then is how we know that we belong to the truth, and we set our hearts at rest in his presence whenever our hearts condemn us. For God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything. Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God and receive from him anything we ask, because we obey his commands and do what pleases him." Be Christlike. Be His disciple. If I love God, I need to act like it.

I have the ability to minister to others. We live in a world of people looking for something real, something tangible. They are looking for love and God is love. I can tangibly show them that. I'm reminded here of a quote "Your walk talks and your talk talks, but your walk talks louder than your talk talks." That is SO important for my son. When he was baptized the pastor said "there will come a time in Matthew's life that it will not be what you say but how you act" that raises Matthew to be a God-fearing Christian.

I Corinth 14:1 says "Follow the way of love and eagerly desire spiritual gifts, especially the gift of prophecy (the action, function or faculty of a prophet (a person who speaks for God)). Meyer says "If you and I want to learn about love, we will have to study it. We will have to read books about it, listen to teaching tapes on it, familiarize ourselves with everything Jesus and the apostles said about it." Meyer asks us to find someone who operates in love and study that individual. See how he handles people and difficult or tense situations. Observe how he gives. Examine the fruit in his life. I need to pray that God would make this person evident in my life.

Meyer says "Love can melt the hardest heart, it can heal the wounds of the broken heart and it can quiet the fears of the anxious heart. Most of the things we devote our time and energy to are things that are currently passing away, things that will not last, things that are not eternal. Let's put our time and energy in to something lasting - love."

Day 7, valentines and Phillipians

It's a kitchen picture again. Seriously, it's the best light in the house and all of the other pictures I had of this outfit are dark and shadowy... But, I am trying to keep up, learning a few things along the way. Monday's outfit...

What?
Cardigan, Express
Blouse, Wal-Mart
Jeans, CAbi
Boots, Steve Madden

Where?
The library... and home.

Thoughts... Not enough color, a little bit grandmotherly... Comfy shoes. This is a very fun challenge, and fun to blog about, but I keep feeling convicted about it. Today I read "God won't ask about the clothes you had in your closet, he'll ask how many people you helped clothe". As I have been going through this I have been setting things in boxes that are clearly not needed and I hope by the end of this 30 days that box is overflowing and I have truly learned to appreciate what He has already given and pay it forward.

And, now, stepping off my soapbox... Post-library I thought I would get way ahead of the game and have Matthew color and decorate his valentines. They may be a little be-lated... Matthew lost interest after about three hearts and I have had to reintroduce them throughout the week. Then, life took over, I haven't stopped moving since Sunday, it feels like, and these lil puppies will be hitting the mailbox on (hopefully) Saturday.

This week has left me feeling a bit overwhelmed. Very overwhelmed. (Thank you April 18, 2011). I have prayed over this verse: Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. Phil 4:6 and was thankful to spend some time with friends last night and one of them gave me a little sticky note with this verse: I can do all this through him who gives me strength. Phil 4:13.

I read something on twitter the other day to the effect of "You cannot give 10% to 10 different things and expect a 100% outcome"... Food for thought.

Talk to Me (Awesome)

Over at Hickstionary it is "Talk to Me Tuesday" again. Today's is:

Inspired by Sarah's link to this Awesome video. What would make your Awesome List? (Lists, photos, videos, etc. welcome!)

Topping my awesome list for the past week:

Matthew's vocabulary taking off over night. Suddenly he is stringing together two to three words at a time and really telling me things. Like "thank you ma" and "I playin! I slidin'!" and running around the house saying "I flyin!" Or, telling me that he needs to go "Nigh nigh".

A Valentine's Day package from my mom and dad for all of us. Seeing Matthew's face light up at receiving his very own set of toddler markers!

Paying off the very last cent of vehicle debt!!! {Please excuse me while I toot our own horn.}

Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Cookies.

Baking cookies with three other mom's with toddlers at our heels.

Coffee, because coffee always tops my awesome list.

Reading "Wild at Heart" by John Eldredge.

Hearing "This is the Stuff" on the radio during what was one of our "little messes".

Clicking on Heidi's blog and seeing this post come up under her "you might also like" buttons. 


Comparing these two photos:

 









There's more, but this is what comes to mind... 

 

.blessed.: Seven months old!

.blessed.: Seven months old!: "My sweet, sweet baby boy is seven-months-old already. He just melts my heart every day. At seven-months he has a contagious laugh that bring..."

Day 6: structure or lack there of?

What? Gray (or is it grey) cardigan, Walmart; tank, Old Navy; skinny jeans, CAbi; boots, Steve Madden (December '08, I remember the date specifically because I bought them right after M was born and I was having the worst back pain ever. All I wanted was flat boots, little did I know how much I would love these, or that someday I'd be able to buy them for a quarter of the price at Target...) M was also a fan of the boots, apparently, because as soon as I put mine on he ran and found his...

Where? To Younkers to get some new foundation (notice the lack of makeup, ick). I had to face the facts that the foundation I have been using for the last two and a half years just doesn't cut it and it was time to try something new... Thanks, Clinique, so far so good, I think! That's about it. Then it was home to sweats to watch the Superbowl work on taxes allllllll day. We didn't make it to church, O slept lousy (which never happens) and the thought of service at 8:15 a.m. just made me feel even more exhausted. We all have those days, right?

This is a better view of the tank, though I'm not sure what is going on with the lighting... 

(remember, I was a few pieces short of 30, so I have added these two)

I did not post better photos of the outfit, primarily because I was just not a big fan of it. While the idea of the outfit was cute, to me, it did not sit right once on. The cardigan totally lacks structure (which, apparently I need in every aspect of life) and the tank was sitting too low and I just felt sloppy. I tried the skinny belt around the middle, it wasn't working for me. I'm not really sure how to wear said cardigan. Open to ideas...

Day 5...

Today's outfit was gross. This 30 x 30 is a bit more challenging than I expected. If I don't figure out what my style is by the end of it, I will certainly have figured out what my style is not and that is a good thing! Ha! Stay tuned, though, because in bigger and much more important news, Owen is seven months old today and I'll post pictures of his cuteness later today!

Day 4 of 30... cookies, toys and pizza.

 What?
Plaid ruffle button-up: Wal-Mart (recently... it's lei brand, remember when lei used to be cool and somewhat expensive, ha!)
Long sleeve tee: Scheel's
Skinny belt: Banana Republic outlet. I am sure I was in college when I made this purchase!
Jeggings: Target (also recent... I own jeggings?! I feel like it's wrong to own these over the age of 18, but alas they are comfortable and slightly cute... Though, they are not super flattering to this post-baby body, so now I am motivated to work a bit harder)
Ballet flats: Payless (this past fall)

Where?
My kitchen, baking cookies with the MOPS steering committee. It was chaos and I loved it! Also, tonight, to game night (and PIZZA! {wait, what was that I said about post-baby body? I'll worry about that tomorrow!}) with other MOPS mammas and their hubbies. Good times. I decided I needed to pick something for today that would last me through cookie baking and game night. I think this works.

My thoughts? 
I feel like this is very blah! I wish I had a bright skinny belt or some kind of fun colorful necklace to go with it. Oh well! Wish list it, I guess!

So thankful for these friends!!!

Now to go clean up the results of this mornings chaos! (As pictured...)

Day 3 of 30

 What?
Sweatshirt: J. Crew, forever ago
Tuxedo shirt: J. Crew (this one I can remember Jan. '06)
Jeans: BR
Boots: Apt. 9
Necklace: Forever 21

Where?
Nowhere. Again. Sad, isn't it? Actually we made it out of the house nice and early this morning for a workout at the Y and then Toddler Games for Matthew. I had no clue the schools were closed today, thus Y Play was closed so we kind of ambushed some friends this morning (no makeup and unshowered, thanks for not judging me, friend!).

I actually took the time to get ready during the boys' naps thinking we'd head to Wal-Mart and the library. Shortly after getting ready decided it was just too cold to bring the babes back outside and stayed in. But, once again, getting out of the sweats helped me be much more productive today!

{Taking photos in the kitchen, again? It's the best light in the house. but then, I decided I should probably show what the front of the outfit looks like...}

So, I can't decide, a lot of what I included in my 30 x 30 collection is years old. I have no plans to go out and buy anything new any time soon, but is it working or should I quit now? Ha!

No Shoe Snowday, Day 2 of 30 and a Good Tune...

 

What? 

Shirt - Scheel's, fall of '09

Scarf - probably TJ Maxx, way back when...

Jeans - Banana Republic Factory (when I snagged these puppies the whole store was something crazy on sale (60%, I think) and I had another coupon for 40% off of a purchase over a certain amount. So, my MIL and I went in together and the total cost of these jeans ended up being $8. They're my fav.)

Belt - J. Crew clearance rack, way back when (close up on right)

Socks - Wiguam, you get a close up because who wouldn't wear these amazingly warm socks on a day like today? Who said they just have to be for hiking?

Where? 

Nowhere. Today was a snow day, but I decided that, instead of mismatched sweats, I would use pieces from my 30 picks, in hopes that wearing jeans instead of sweats and a normal shirt and scarf instead of a sweatshirt might make me feel more motivated to tackle items on my to-do list. And, you know what? It worked. But, let's be real, bottom right: ditched the scarf by 10 a.m. and had hair half-pulled back by 10:10 a.m.

More about this snow day... It goes without saying that the midwest was freezing cold, snowy and windy last night. We looked out our window to find five-foot snow drifts in front of our driveway. Darn. I was looking forward to a playdate morning and some other adults to talk to. But, Jon stayed home until about 11 a.m. and we iChatted with my sister, so all in all a good morning! Topped off with some Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip cookie baking.

I had fun laminating during nap time, thus post-nap we enjoyed a slew of activities...

Counting snowflakes from itsy bitsy learners

Practicing drawing lines from itsy bitsy learners - MJ more interested in playing with the marker cap...

Play-time with Dada

And, last but not least, for the last few days I have been listening to Francesca Battistelli non-stop. Primarily, her tune "This is the Stuff". I just love it and have to share it (you'll have to go to the bottom of my blog and hit pause on the music player before playing this video):