Month: February 2012

  • Less Of You To Love, Please.

    Husband and I have great car conversations. Really, they’re the best. And this past weekend, we were treated with hours of talk time. We could probably solve the world’s problems if we were in there long enough.
     
    Alas, we only focused on ourselves. Our brilliant idea? Lose weight and become more healthy! We’d both like to lose 10-20 pounds before we go on our cruise in April, which can be done in the next 8 weeks.
    I got a text from husband yesterday that completely reinforced the need to do this: “I love you so much, we just need a little less of each other to love.”
    Now, husband is a very direct man. He hit the nail on the head, for both of us. Not to mention, it incorporates my previous weight loss blog (less is more to love), so I could hardly be offended by it.
    Look, if I decide to do something, there are photos and blog posts to prove it. Not so much so for my husband. He supports my blogging life, but doesn’t care so much to be in it (aside from an occasional mention).
    I begged to be able to blog about THIS, and he finally agreed. (you’re welcome)
    As most of you know, I can’t do anything half-assed.
    I created a weight loss structure, complete with rules, weigh in dates and prizes. 
    I also created our weight loss tracker, and figured out the best way to calculate weight loss percentages (husband isn’t comfortable putting his weight out there, so we’re doing percentage lost instead. This also helps keep our weight loss “battle” fair)
    Today was our first weigh in. I cringed a bit, and he wasn’t happy with his number, but we’ve got our starting point. Now, let’s see what we can do to make the numbers climb back down.
    Who are you rooting for?
    Team Supermom
    This 5’6”, almost 30-year-old mama has been successful at weight loss, losing 35 pounds on Weight Watchers last year. She knows the rules, but insists on breaking them. Supermom is a night snacker, which gets her in serious trouble on the scale. (She’s since gained 15 pounds back) And exercise? What’s that?! Unless she’s chasing a toddler around, or traipsing through corporate headquarters, she’s pretty stationary.
    Team Superdad
    Say hello to Superdad, the 6’3”, mid-twenties dude that has always been able to eat what he wants, until recently. This daddy works odd hours, so meal time varies. Eating at night is an issue, as well as skipping meals altogether sometimes. There’s no set exercise routine yet, but he gets his steps in by walking the floor at work, and running around with love bug.
    Both teams plan on formulating a weight loss plan that works for them. No sodas, no beer, plenty of water, good protein and fruits and veggies. Fast food will be sparing, and slim fast will most likely be consumed.
    Now, wish us luck, and cheer us on. We’ll need all the support we can get!
    Anyone interested in getting in on the action? Of course you wouldn’t be eligible for the prize, but it could be fun to lose weight as a group! 
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  • Show Me The MONEY!

    Hello lovelies! I’m back from my vacation! Did you miss me? (Probably not) Now… on to today’s blog post:

    I wanted to do something nice for my mom during our visit this past weekend. We hardly get to see each other, so I wanted to choose something that was infused with “togetherness”.
    Mani/pedis, it is!

    I called all over town to get an appointment. Most places were booked, thanks to the annual daddy/daughter dance. I finally got us an evening appointment—at 6pm, we were off!
    My mom’s only had her nails done a handful of times, so it was a real treat for her. We were able to catch up in the small town salon; just her, me, and Miss Nail Lady.     


    After almost 4 hours, our fingers and toes were perfectly manicured.
    “How much do I owe you?” I asked, handing over my debit card. Miss Nail Lady looked at me for a second, then quietly said “Sorry… I don’t take debit cards.”

    WHAT?! NO DEBIT CARDS?! AM I IN THE TWILIGHT ZONE?!

    For over 10 years, I’ve rarely carried cash on me. Unless I was going on a toll road, or a vacation, the paper money stayed right where it needed to: the bank. I’ve never had an issue. My little blue card has always been run through and processed, sending me on my way, with newly-purchased goods in hand.

    Granted, I live in heavily-populated Texas, so vendors don’t really have a choice. But in small town Kansas, I guess that’s the way things are done. You better believe I’ll ask next time.

    But, back to the issue at hand: how would I pay this lovely woman, at 10pm on a Saturday?!

    Luckily for me, my mom sensed this may be the case (both that it was a cash-only establishment, and that this “big city girl” wasn’t prepared), so she ducked out while I was getting my nails done, ran to the bank and pulled out some money.

    Yes, mother does know best. Looks like she did something nice for ME, too.

    Thanks, mom. :)

    Do you carry cash, or rely on your debit card?        

  • BEEEEEEEEEEP! (I Heart Curse Words)

    I love a good curse word. Hell, I love a BAD one, too.

    I didn’t grow up that way. While my parents occasionally cursed around my brother and I, it was very understood that those words were not to be uttered by the under-18 set. So we didn’t.

    I think I was 16 and working at my first job before I picked up the “uh-oh” lingo. Whoops.

    It has been said that resorting to profanity to get your point across display a lack of education; you fall back on “easy words” to get your point across, instead of “acceptable” ones. I’m a college graduate, and know plenty of “big words”, thankyouverymuch. I’m an educated curser—is that better, or worse?

    Research has shown that curse words “perform social and psychological functions, and utilize particular linguistic and neurological mechanisms. Further, swearing is a widespread but perhaps under appreciated anger management technique.”

    Big words said by people whom I’m sure use profanity. Sweet.

    Apparently, most people use about 80-90 “swears” each day. Sounds about accurate for me.

    Oh, I found this particularly intriguing: “men generally curse more than women, unless said women are in a sorority.” I wonder how they concluded that?! Were they recording my sorority sisters’ late-night chats?

    Now, my husband and I have long enjoyed a good curse word. When we found out that love bug was on the way a few years ago, we knew our days with profanity were numbered. Husband and I made a pact to stop once he was born.

    That was three years ago, and we haven’t f**king stopped. We just can’t. We’ve tried!

    We recently revised the pact (thanks to love bug actually talking): foul speech would be reserved for spaces that little ears aren’t in. That’s great, until someone gets hurt.

    You know the drill: kid leaves toys out, mom steps on toys, kid laughs, mom curses and does the ouch-ouch dance. You don’t even think about it, but it just HAPPENS. Emotions took over (in this case, “MAN THAT F**KING HURT!), and a resounding *BEEEEEEEEEEEP* came out.

    Maybe he didn’t hear it?

    No such luck. Love bug treated me to a *beep* or two of his own that afternoon.

    S**T.

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  • It Was Seusstastical!

    After three months of planning, Noah’s Seusstastical Second Birthday has come and gone. My baby is two, and he had an awesome party to show for it! I enjoyed every second of planning this for him, even when it was down right frustrating to turn my vision into reality.

    Some may say that I went overboard, and that’s alright. Planning this party came at a time when I felt my creative juices were drying up, so I really needed the challenge to keep my sanity.

    Now, for the party details: I did most everything myself. I found inspiration in Dr. Seuss’ books, as well as from Pinterest. If you haven’t checked out Pinterest, I suggest you go. NOW. I decided to hire a photographer for the day. That was my one splurge for the party, considering I was able to make things myself, and find everything pretty cheap. I’m SO glad I did; we are getting some amazing shots from Everlasting Moments Photography, and I didn’t need to worry about taking pictures AND enjoying the party. Kelsey’s photos are watermarked with her company’s logo; the rest of the pictures we took before the party.

    the food

    Since this was an afternoon affair, I decided snack-type foods were the way to go. From Roast Beast sandwiches (ham and cheese sliders), to Pink Ink Yink Drink (pink lemonade), we kept the choices light and fun. 

    candy was a huge part of getting the color theme across. I found the lollipops, rock candy, twizzlers and swedish fish at either Wal-Mart or the party store. The pinwheels were from a DIY kit at Michael’s, and the paper straws were ordered from Amazon.com. I painted the Seuss hat.
    love bug LOVES fruit, so we incorporated some of his favorite snacks into the theme.
    my MIL had this beautiful drink dispenser from Longaberger—the color was perfect! Inside? good ol’ fashioned pink lemonade (Pink Ink Yink Drink).  
    there’s just something fun and whimsical about paper straws.
    colored deviled eggs with ham pieces were the hit of the party!
    colored candy melts tops off this tasty treat.
    MORE CANDY!
    people really seemed to love the rock candy… it brought them back to their youth!
    my mother-in-law did such a GREAT job on the cupcakes. funfetti with cream cheese icing, in the “One Fish, Two Fish” theme.
    this was MY favorite. I love Swedish Fish.
    one fish, two fish, red fish, blue fish crackers…

    the presents

    If I have a theme, I carry it the whole way through. His presents were no exception. 

    the décor
    It was a Seuss-tastic wonderland! I had so much fun putting everything together. I may even leave it up for a few weeks, to get the most out of it. 

    our mantle. I painted the picture (it will eventually make its way to love bug’s room) based on a spread in “The Lorax”, and decked out the space with books, feather boas and paper poms.
    the entry table. Each year, I set out a “time capsule” for guests to leave notes for Noah. One day, he will be able to look back at all of his birthdays, with notes from along the way.
    Dr. Seuss. Yes, he’s taller than me.
    The ceiling decorations have to be my favorite part. It took the most time to do, painstakingly attaching each bit to the ceiling (and I’m afraid of heights!), but it came out just as I imagined.
    We’ve got quite a collection of Dr. Seuss books, so I put them to use.
    balloons, balloons EVERYWHERE!
    quote cards.

    the favors
    I did a set for the grown ups (chocolate popcorn) and bags for the younger guests. See my “how to” post here.

    yummy popcorn is the perfect parting gift.
    the younger ones enjoyed bubbles, pinwheels and an activity sheet!
    love bug’s doorway. he’s the birthday boy!

    the games
    We had two games: “pin the hat on the cat” (magnetic) and “guess the fish”.

    We used love bug’s play magnetic board to house the game. Great fun for the younger ones!
    I tend to have a “guess the number” game at every party, so why not here?!

    the kid 
    Love bug had such a great day. He enjoyed the people, the cake, and especially the presents. Thanks to everyone that helped make his day Seuss-tacular!

    “I’m gonna eat this cake…”
    my baby is two!

    I’m pretty proud of myself and this party, I’m not gonna lie. It just shows that I can do anything I put my mind to, especially while being a working mom! You all can do it, too! And if you can’t, I’m here to help! Don’t forget, I’m giving away a set of custom-designed invitations for your next party, so check it out here.

    —Supermom OUT
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  • He’s Almost TWO?! WHA?!

    photo by Kelsey Richardson of Everlasting Moment Photography

    I’ve got 9 days to go before my son turns two. TWO! That’s such a bizarre thought. People say it all the time, but it really does feel like yesterday that I was pregnant. Mere hours seemed to have passed since giving birth. And yet, the past two years have been a blur.

    Sure, I can look back at pictures, and snap back to that moment. I’ve taken thousands of pictures of my baby in the 721 days I’ve had him. But if I just sit here and think back to two weeks, four weeks, five months… It’s all jumbled together.

    I can’t believe that I am a person with a two year old. Where did my baby go? The little 5 pound, 13 ounce bundle that fit in the crook of my arm? Now, he’s half as tall as me, and runs, jumps and screams around.

    I am—WE are—unbelievably lucky. My husband and I hit the baby jackpot with our son. He couldn’t have been more perfect. Ten fingers and toes, a beautiful face, personality and good health. I continue to wonder what I had ever done so right to deserve him.

    Maybe that’s why I’m going overboard on his second birthday party. I just want to give him a beautiful day that is worthy of his awesomeness. I’ve got a long way to go in the next week to get ready. Invitations have long been sent out, party favors have been designed, and supplies have mostly been gathered. I’m not looking forward to blowing up all the balloons, but can’t wait to see everything assembled. It’s going to be an amazing time, for an even more amazing little boy.

    I love you, my baby, to the moon and back. 

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