Hey there, 2019!!! Not really sure where December went, but she ran out the door real quick! I woke up this morning and had to think what day it was and where I was supposed to be for a few minutes. It doesn’t help that I wasn’t looking forward to my coffee this morning. Black, no cream. Yup, I am doing Whole 30 this month. I wasn’t going to, but Chris said he wanted to so it is just easier that way. I am actually, mostly, looking forward to it. I have been eating like garbage the last month and I feel horrible. All puffy and bloated, face broken out like crazy. It will be good to get back to a routine and clean up my eating!
Of course, Christmas happened. It is so magical to see it through Zoe’s eyes!!! She loved every minute of it. We got to spend some great time with family and kept it pretty low key. We are usually in Gatlinburg right now, but I have no vacation time due to my new job…so back to reality it is! Hoping that we can start making it annually again next year.
Santa spoiled Zoe, and me! There were lots of cookies and treats to be had. We made a little dent in the Christmas movie list. There were so many we didn’t watch this year.
And of course, there was lots of good eats….
I normally wake up totally depressed to go back to work after the holidays. But not this year. This year I am thankful to have a job. One that doesn’t crush my soul and make me hate life. Sure, I would rather be home with my family…but since I have to adult….at least I can do it with a smile!
I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and New Years!!! I hope to be around this space on the regular again, and look forward to catching up with you all! How was your holiday? Do you have any resolutions or goals this year?
Happy Birthday, Zoe Jane!!! I cannot believe you are two! This past year has been so incredible. You went from just learning to walk before your first birthday, to full out running and dancing and climbing stairs this year. You come home with about five new words per day from school the last few months. Your personality is bigger than life. You are so funny! You crack us up and always know how to make me smile. Even your teachers call you miss congeniality at school and talk about your personality and the funny things you do.
You are such a good eater! There aren’t many things that you refuse. Your favorites are fruit, cheese, broccoli, beans, chicken and mini meatballs. You love your snacks and can now ask for most of them and tell me to put it in a bowl for you. One of your favorite things to do is go out to eat. You love sitting in the booth like a big girl and trying all the appetizers and food on my plate.
This year you have really made friends at school. Whenever I ask you if you had fun at school, you scream yes!!! And then start talking about Vera or KiKi. It makes me feel so much better knowing that you are having fun and developing relationships with others while I am at work.
You love to go outside and do bubbles. And bubbles always turns in to a walk around the neighborhood. And of course, climbing the front porch stairs. Your favorite movies are Secret Life of Pets, Moana and Frozen. You also like to watch Boss Baby, Vamparina, Puppy Dog Pals and Sofia the First. You get obsessed with things easily, we watched each of those movies for at least a month straight several times per day. And listen to their soundtracks in the car. Speaking of the car, whenever I know we are going to go over something bumpy, I usually say “bump bump”. And now you ask me to do “bump bump” and squeal in delight. I love the little moments like that.
You have been running up and hugging my legs at daycare since you learned to walk. But just in the last month, you have started giving the best random, real hugs. When I am holding you, you will grab my face in both your hands and just smile and stare in my eyes. And sometimes you will throw your arms around me and put your face against mine and give the tightest squeeze. It is the sweetest thing ever!!!
This year has been an interesting one in general. Daddy changed jobs a few months into the year so that he could spend more time with us. And then back in September, I lost my job and was out of work for several weeks. We have had some ups and downs this year, but through it all, I can honestly say that you have brought joy in to my life every single day. No matter what is going on outside our home, inside is filled with love, and joy and giggles. And I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Happy Birthday, Zoe!!! I cant wait to see what year three brings us!
I am still trying to get adjusted to my new job, schedule, etc. My comments on my last three posts still haven’t found their way to my email so I can respond. I am not sure if I have it fixed for this post or not, I suppose we will see! This past weekend we had our family and a few friends over to celebrate Zoe’s second birthday, which is today!!! We went with a Frozen theme, Zoe’s latest obsession. It was so nice to have both sides of the family under the same roof. I am always happy to see my parents in the same room. Even though they are divorced, I appreciate that they make the effort to show up to events like this, knowing the other is going to be there. They never make a scene, and are pleasant to each other with small chit chat. I know that we are blessed to have that.
Laura and her crew came over, and it made me realize we haven’t hung out with them since September. Soooo a weekend with them needs to happen ASAP! I also invited two friends from Zoe’s class, whose parents I talk to outside of daycare. It was so nice for Zoe to have three kids here her own age. She had so much fun playing with them! I will drop some photos here, and hopefully be back later in the week to catch up with you all!
So, I wrote one of the most raw and honest posts I have ever written for Lindsay and her Whiskey in a Teacup series. It is something that I don’t really talk about here on my blog. And if I am being 100% honest, it is the reason that this space isn’t as active as it used to be. I like to be real and authentic here, but I also don’t want to be a wet blanket all the time. During the week, all my focus is geared towards being happy in the mornings and evenings for Chris and Zoe. Trying to ignore the fact that the life is being sucked out of me 40 hours a week. Adulting, you gotta love it…right? I have my comments turned off today, go leave Lindsay some love. She has become such a great friend over the years. We have discovered that her and I basically live parallel lives.
Hey there Friday! I am not sure if it was because I was on vacation last week or what the deal is….but I am not believing we are already mid month!!! Forth of July was just last week, no? Goodness. I am not sure what all we have planned for this weekend. I do know that tomorrow we will be heading over to Laura’s to celebrate that sweet sweet baby boy of hers!!! Who isn’t really a baby anymore since he is going to be three. Shut up! Zoe is so excited to see her boo. It has been awhile since we have gotten those two together. I know my sister wants to try to see Zoe at some point. She doesn’t like going too long in between visits. Which is great for us, because we love her too and her crew too <3
–I am working on the most honest and real post I have ever written for Lindsay’s new series. I have so much to say and I keep thinking about things while I am driving in my car. I just don’t know how I want to start it. You can go read about her new series here.
–I shopped the Nordstrom sale yesterday, and got pissed off when all you bitches broke the site. The one thing I really wanted sold out before I could check out. SO RUDE!!!! I had about ten things in my cart and got it down to two. I call that winning! I decided on the purple Caslon Peplum top.
I wanted to get pieces that I can wear now. It is too hard for me to shop for fall/winter clothing when it is going to be 80-100 degree here until November. Fingers crossed I ordered the right sizes and that it actually went through correctly. I had to sign in about five times and hit purchase a few extra to get the confirmation order number. Then the confirmation email didn’t even come until 10 hours later. So, my hope isn’t all that high lol. What did you order?? I still really want to get the Sara Happ Lip Expert set that they had, but forced myself to put it on my wish list instead. I want the lip slip, but I suppose I can continue to use my own homemade coconut lip scrub. Sigh. Me and my cheap self.
–I got to see some old co-workers yesterday at lunch, and that is always nice. I like seeing them so happy in the decisions that they have made.
–I need to cut Zoe cold turkey from her paci I think. Anyone have any advice?? She LOVES that thing and it brings her so much comfort. We try to limit her to the car and bedtime, but she sneaks it every now and again other places. Her doctor wanted it gone already, and her teachers were shocked to hear that she still uses it when I didn’t realize she had it with her this morning at drop off. I feel like most of my friends that have older kids let them have it until they were 2 before cutting them off. Zoe is only 19 months. Any advice is greatly appreciated! I know it is going to be rough. Plus I am sad to see one of her last “baby traits” go away. You know?
Anyways, that is probably enough randomness out of me for today. I hope that you all have a wonderful weekend!
I have so many random pictures of things on my phone I took for a recommendations post, that I am sure there are probably more sitting in there. But these are the most recent of them. I try some good stuff sometimes, and I feel like more people need to know!!!
Parchment Muffin Liners – Did you know these existed???? For the longest time, I stocked the tin foil liners because they have less stick-age than the paper. But I still have issues with them. Scrolling in Target I found these and OMG!!! I will never go back to anything else. These are seriously amazing! Truly no stick. Go order you some here right now!!!
Skinny Foam – I found this Caramel Skinny Syrup Foam at either TJ Maxx or HomeGoods a few weeks back. You guys!!!! So good!!! Save yourself $45968 on Starbucks and just squirt a few pumps of this stuff in your morning coffee at home. Easy peasy and delicious!
Calidad Tortilla Chips – These chips were found in the International Food Aisle near the taco shells at Target. They are the closest to restaurant taste and texture that you will find. So good!!!
Waterloo Watermelon Sparking Water – I have tried the grapefruit and watermelon of these and love both so much! They taste better than La Croix and I found them at Whole Foods.
Rap Snacks Honey Dew – You guys, you might laugh but seriously. These are so incredibly delicious!!! Texture of cheese puffs with a sophisticated honey dew twist. The brand makes the coolest flavor combinations ever and you need to stop by your nearest gas station and check them out. These are my favorite, but I have enjoyed a few of the others like ranch white cheddar popcorn.
Avocado Salsa – We found this unicorn at Sam’s Club and it is so good! You get the best of both worlds, guac and salsa combined. This container is huge, but it didn’t last long around our house.
Lancome Skin Feels Good Hydrating Skin Tint – This stuff is so much better than the IT CC Cream. It smells better, it sinks into the skin better, and I like the color better. It gives you light-medium coverage and has an SPF that is perfect for the spring/summer. I have been grabbing this a lot over the last few weeks.
What products are you excited about lately? I realize that all but one of mine are food related. Clearly I have priorities.
