Wednesday Confessions

I feel like I don't do posts too often to just get out the many random thoughts bouncing throughout my head. And you guys, I have a lot of random thoughts. A lot of feelings. Just a lot of things. Sometimes it really helps to write it down and put it all out there, so here I am with my confessions as of late.

A lot of big changes are going on with the family lately. Some I am excited about, some I am unsure about, and some I wish just weren't happening. Regardless, it is a lot of change. A lot of big change. More life events happening now than have gone down in the past 5 years total. I feel like I am doing a lot of 'smile and nod, smile and nod' and trying my best to roll along.

Due to said changes, my mind has been super preoccupied. When major life changes are happening all around, it is hard to focus on work. Or school. Or anything that requires me to sit down and focus. Hence my complete lack of focus.

I started back up with school after three glorious weeks off the end of June, and am officially done today, after which I will be able to enjoy six glorious weeks of summer break before I go back for one final semeseter. You guys, I will officially have my MBA this December, and then I am saying adios to school for good! SO. DARN. EXCITED. I just might be wishing away summer and fall. Don't hate, I got my priorities.

My baby is busy, and it wears me out. I thought having three weeks off of class would mean more cleaning, organizing, and staying on top of groceries. Nope. Our house has been a mess, I have barely folded and put away laundry let alone organized, and we have eaten an embarrasing amount of pizza lately. Such is life with a 10 month old, I guess.

We have started on a new healthy eating kick (bye-bye, pizza). Mike is doing Isagenix again, which to be honest I am not sure what I think about. I am an advocate of eating healthy and getting all of your nutrients through food, but then again if a system like this jump starts some healthy eating and works for him, who am I to say no. Of course, healthy eating for the hubby means healthy eating for the wifey..and I could majorly go for a DQ blizzard right about now.

I am finally getting assigned some projects at my new job, and I am SO excited. In my old job, we were not well known to the community, got little public recognition, and just struggled to get out there. To be apart of a group that has people lining up to work with us is a very foreign experience to me, but I am loving it. Every day I am more positive that I made the right career choice, and this job is going to help take me to where I want to be.

Speaking of where I want to be..sometimes, I really just want to be a stay at home mom. I also know realistically that probably isn't my true calling..I love my baby more than anything in the world, but I love the feeling of purpose and contribution my job gives me. That being said..if I could provide for my family the way I want to on the salary earned working 20 hours a week..sign me up! 40 hours a week makes for a nice paycheck, but those weekdays off sure would be nice, too.

I could really use some days off. After taking a maternity leave and coming back right before the holidays, my vacation and time off was practically nonexistent. I have built it back up to a good spot, but am now already stockpiling my vacation days in anticipation of baby #2 (not pregnant). I feel like until my children are into toddlerhood and vacation days are no longer reserved for taking care of sick babies and preparing for pending babies, my vacation bank is basically a 'take care of baby time' bank. One day, I will take off a full week of work, just because the vacation time is there and I can. One day.

My blog is ugly. There, I said it. I mean, I like the color and layout well enough, especially considering I put a good amount of time to it back when I was on maternity leave. I have been debating finally biting the bullet and purchasing a template to make it look more legit, though. I just haven't been able to pull the trigger, though. 

I do not get the whole Lilly Pulitzer thing. I'm sorry, but I think it looks like the stuff I have always steered clear of in department stores for fear of looking too grandmotherly. I can get on board with the fun, bright colors, but I don't like the patterns, I don't like the cut and design of the dresses, I just don't like any of it. Which is fine, because it's expensive and I probably wouldn't be able to justify paying for it, anyway.

So many thoughts running through my head lately, but it's always great to it out into blogland. Everyone else, spill. What are some confessions we are all dying to get out!?

Linking up with Holly today

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Eleven Months.

He will be one next month. Don't wanna talk about it. Maybe if I close my eyes and plug my ears he will stop growing? Probably not. I have had multiple strangers come up and comment on how cute he is..and then they guess his age and the magic number is two. Two. My precious little not even one year old looks like a two year old to the stranger's eye. Please don't judge my 'two year old' for being unable to walk. Or talk. He is right on track, no really.

This month has been our typical busy, busy, busy, and between work, school, and baby, we are all ready to enjoy a legitimate 'summer break' watching our little man grow and explore.

Age: 11 months

Height: 32 inches. 100th percentile.

Weight: 25 pounds. 95th percentile.

Milestones: Holding our hands and walking across the room, and now independently walking without us and with his push and ride puppy, which is a whole new opportunity for him to topple over sideways. He has also started standing independently when he thinks he is cool and decides to let go of whatever he was holding onto.

Another milestone: drinking from a straw! Which makes getting him to drink water on hot days MUCH easier!

Sleep: He is still a monster at night. We had about a week reprieve after his last two teeth popped through where he slept though the night. And now he is being a naughty turkey again. Our biggest problem is whenever he wakes up in the middle of the night he literally demands to nurse. Which I have repeatedly tried to get us away from. Not sure if he is cutting another tooth or what, but everyone in our house is desperate for a full nights sleep.

Best Moment: watching him walk alone (with the help of his puppy..) across the room! Fun to see him make progress towards walking!

Worst Moment: he tried to stand in the bathtub and wiped out, biting his lip and bleeding. That was fun! And did I mention how awesome he has been sleeping???

Health: good! His next physical is in August but he has been healthy and on track for everything!

Eating: A few weeks ago he started outright refusing what little baby food he was still eating for breakfast. He is 100% table foods, and loves breakfast foods like pancakes and waffles. He also LOVES pastas and soups, or any of our meals that have a lot of flavor.

Teeth: 6. I have no idea how frequently teeth pop through once they have them so I'm going to have to research when to expect teeth and how often we will be  dealing with teething symptoms. I hope he learns to better deal with teething and not keep us up at night every time he is cutting a tooth. 

And there we have it. Eleven months. Literally a few weeks away from a toddler. I'm excited and sad and a little scared, he is only getting busier every day. We love our fun, silly, precious boy!

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Weekend Happenings: Busy House

Happy Monday everyone! Another weekend has flown by, but this coming weekend is the 4th of July, so I am eager to hop on and get this week moving along quickly. This past weekend was busy, but uneventful, if that makes sense. We had lots of things to do, but nothing 'fun' or 'exciting'. At least exciting enough for blog world, that is.

First off, while in night class Wednesday night, I received a text from my husband. "Jackson is not kid dynamite, he's kid haircut". Followed by a picture of my sad looking baby with what appeared to be some sort of slight haircut? The following morning, I smoothed his side part to find the sides were short, and the center hadn't been touched, resulted in a literal 'V' of his hair. HORRIBLE. I called Mike to tell him he was the worst hairstylist ever. In a fit of rage Thursday evening, while Mike was out at his grandparents farm, I let Jax finish his dinner, and because he seemed so content in his highchair, I pulled up Youtube and searched 'how to cut baby hair'. Below is the end result. So happy, so sassy, and so, so big :-( 

I think it is understood that the haircuts will be left to me from now on.

On Friday, I was off work around noon, and little man and I did our usual running of errands. I scored this portofino shirt at Express, where all clearance is an extra 30% off! Perfect for work, yet cool for summer. I also, by accident, stumbled across a pair of jeans that looked long and tried them on, and you guys, they were almost TOO LONG. And super super comfortable. And then I found out they shouldn't have been on the clearance rack and were full price. Sigh, But, I got a coupon for $25 off, so I am pretty positive I will be going back to scoop these up. They are fantastic.

Friday night, daddy golfed, and mommy and baby got cleaned up, put on our jammies, and watched cartoons before crashing two seconds into our bedtime story. Sweet boy.

Loving 'Cars', but so so sleepy.

Saturday, we were up and at em bright and early to go and meet with a lumber company to look at floro plans. We have found a lot and location we LOVE, and are seriously considering making the next steps towards calling it ours. Which includes figuring out cost to build and a floor plan we like. The floor plan we have down. Cost to build..still trying to figure that out. We are still trucking away at the process though. It is excited and scary all at the same time!

The rest of Saturday was spent cleaning, cleaning, and cleaning. We threw some burgers on the grill and relaxed on the couch, and little man crashed in daddy's arms watching Wallykazam. 

My boys, doing what they do best.

Sunday, I woke up to clean again (fun, I know). We had an open house, so we had to be out of there fairly early. We swung by Mike's parents, where Jackson threw on his new swimsuit (how brilliant are those one piece rash guards!?), went for his first wagon ride, and played in the pool. 

Cousin Logan makes a great recliner, according to Jax.

We made it home late afternoon, and our entire house took a long and much needed nap. We whipped up some pasta salad for dinner, gave the munchkin a bath, and called it a night with everyone in bed by 8:30. Isn't it funny how those summer days just suck all of your energy away??

Post bath snuggles and teeth brushing

More Wallykazam with dad. He is such a boy.

That was it for our weekend. Uneventful, but busy. Funny how that works, isn't it? This week we officially say adios to June and hello to July, which is just CRAZY. The months seem to fly by faster and faster. I hope everyone has a great week!

 



Linking up with Meg, Biana, and Ashley today!

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First Birthday Wishlist

I cannot believe I am at this point, but we are preparing for our little man's first birthday! At only a month and a half away, I am already brainstorming for his first party, one year photos, and, more importantly, what we will spoil him with! There are so many things that I feel cross my mind, but then I forget about in the grand scheme of things. Some of these items are typical, some of them were found through research, and some of them just look like too much fun to pass up!

1.Co-Z coup
I feel like every child just needs one of these. It is a great toy to have outside, let baby entertain themself in, and truly a 'right of passage'. And, this baby will be able to be used by any and all children we may have.

2. Water table
I have a little water baby on my hands, and as much as I love letting him sit in his pool, he also loves to stand and be active, so I think being we will still have a decent amount of summer left after his birthday, this toy will be perfect and provide plenty of entertainment for our little(big) guy.

3. Jumbo legos
He is a boy. I have accepted this, along with the fact that this means he likes boy things. And I really am okay with that. He loves to play, build, and explore, and I wouldn't be a true boy mom if I didn't get some legos in my house.

4. Melissa and Doug Puzzles

Again, cognitive development. Melissa and Doug products are fantastic, and now that Jax is more up to the level of developmental toys, I can't wait to introduce them more.

5. Play table
He loves, loves, LOVES to stand and get into everything, so I think it might be a great move to get him his OWN space to stand and play at.
6. Play Piano
This kid LOVES to bang on any piano or keyboard he can get his hands on. It might be great to give him his own little instrument to start experimenting with. After all, he needs to start practicing up for those piano lessons I will inevitably be enrolling him in!
7. Personalized Chair
Ok, how perfect would this be in his nursery!? As he grows, I know he will like to have his own place to sit, whether it be to watch cartoons, calm down before bed, or just feel like a big boy (much to my **dismay). This chair is just perfect. 

Does anyone have any other must haves for the one year olds in your lives, I would love to hear your thoughts!

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Friday Favorites!

Hooray for another Friday! This one has felt like a long time coming, as this week seemed to drag a bit. Whether it was because work is a bit slow, I am sleep deprived, or just have a case of cabin fever (which happens when you work inside when it is gorgeous outside, seriously), I am welcoming this Friday with open arms. Despite feeling a bit overwhelmed and stressed this week, I have found the time to stumble across some new things I am digging. Because priorities people,  priorities.

1. Backseat baby giggles

I know this isn't an 'item', but I am so in love with this lately. The sound of my sweet boy giggling is the sweetest and most precious thing to me. For some reason, though, he loves to look out the backseat window when we are driving and giggle at absolutely nothing. And I literally. can't. handle. it. It is so sweet, and every time I catch myself turning down the music and smiling to myself as I drive to soak in the sweet sound of his happiness. Perhaps it is because he is in his own little world and he has no idea I am secretly enjoying the moment with him, but it just makes my heart so full to know that he is such a content, happy baby.

2. Ed Sheeran: Photograph

I'll be honest. I have never really been into Ed Sheeran. His early music was very 'meh' to me. But lately he has been hitting it out of the park. I absolutely fell in love with his song Thinking Out Loud last fall; as in, I played that song on repeat all day. Now I have heard Photograph and am thinking I might be doing the same thing. It is so sweet, so catchy, and so perfect. Ed Sheeran is stealing my heart, I think!

3. Boom Chicka Pop!

How am I just trying this out now!? I bought a bag of their sweet and salty kettle corn, and it is nearly gone already. It is low calorie though, so it is all good, right? I am eager to try their other flavors, I am really not a popcorn fan, but this stuff might win me over.

4. Gap Credit Card

Ok, it is time for me to admit it: the Gap owns my soul. I just went through my last credit card statement and saw 'GAP' on there more times than I should probably admit. That being said, as the girl who never signs up for store based credit cards, I am acknowledging that I have been a fool for not getting a Gap credit card. Better discounts, rewards cash, and birthday promos. I mean, I am practically wasting my money but not reaping the benefits of my all time favorite shopping location. Plus, it applies at Old Navy and Banana Republic, as well. Fine, Gap, fine. I'll officially sign my soul over to you in the form of a credit card.

5. Farmers Markets

I know that everyone has extra opportunities to get out extra during the summer months, us in the midwest only survive our 6 month winters because we have summers to look forward to. Because truly, late spring, summer, and fall in Minnesota are magical. The smells, the cool breeze, the literation that comes along with leaving the house without a jacket for the first time in months, it is all something we appreciate that much more because we are holed up for months during winter. One of the greatest things about summer in Minnesota is taking advantage of all of the fresh produce that is practically non-existent during the winter. $5 for a pitiful looking pint of strawberries is our reality most of the year. But not during the summer, oh no. Fresh produce is in abundance, for great prices, and we are loaded up on berries and fresh goodies all summer long. Yesterday my employer started holding their weekly Farmers Market, so my coworkers and myself walked on over, enjoyed the sunshine, and I snagged some fresh rhubarb. Someone, please direct me back to this post when I am grumbling about why I live in Minnesota in the middle of February. Because the weather and happiness I am feeling right now, that's why.

This weekend, we will be heading up to the lake Saturday for a family get together, so I am crossing my fingers our little guy behaves for the two hour ride each way! Sunday is Mike's first father's day! Obviously his request for 'his day' is to go golfing..I suppose I can oblige that request, as long as we can squeeze in some family time/brunch! Happy weekend, y'all!

Linking up with these ladies today!

Five on Friday // Oh Hey Friday! // Friday Favorites // Friday Favorites

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Weekend Happenings

Well, weekends are always a bit more interesting when you have to work in the middle of them. This is not a regular occurrence for me, but the occasional Saturday afternoon event does manage to slip into my schedule every few months. Not that I can complain. I work in a cushy office, with great people, promoting wellness and community engagement, and if that means spending a Saturday with a bunch of sweet kiddos, who am I to say no?

To compensate for my Saturday event, I was able to enjoy a Friday off. This more than makes up for giving up a Saturday. While working a Monday to Friday job is great, there is just something magical about hitting up the stores right as they open at 10am and browsing in solitude. Or maybe I am just a little bit strange ;-) So, Friday morning, my little man was up and at em bright and early, so we went for a run, had breakfast, got ready, and were in the Gap Outlet parking lot waiting for the doors to open with Starbucks in hand.

Wake up, MAMA!

I am so, so, SO sad that they took away our regular Gap (and just as I was figuring out how awesome that store truly is), but the outlet is pretty awesome. Usually I make out like a bandit with goods for my little guy, but on this particular trip, I scooped up a couple of loose, flowy long sleeve tops, and an adorable white jean jacket. And EVERYTHING was an additional 40% off! I had been on the hunt for a white jean jacket, so to scoop one up that fit perfectly for all of $25 was an epic win.
After the outlet, we headed over to the mall, if only for the purpose of walking a lap. I love to window shop, even though I almost always end up coming home and making my purchases online. Little man loves to people watch, too. He just drinks his milk and rides in style.

After our morning out, we went to my parents and sat out with my sister in the kiddie pool. We both agreed that having a baby is the best, because you can sit in a pool ten times too small and justify it because the baby is having fun. I cannot wait to do things that are only acceptable for a child and blame them on Jackson ;-)

Clearly loving his new pool toys

STUD

Friday night we just hung out at home, at pizza, and relaxed.

CRASHED after all of his fun in the sun

Saturday, I worked the morning into the early afternoon. I will say, this event turned out GREAT, and I left in a fantastic mood, truly happy with the turnout and amount of children we were able to reach. Some days I am just so proud of my job and love seeing the impact we are able to make. After work, I bolted home and got ready, and we dropped Jax off with my in-laws and headed out to Anton's for dinner, after a few weeks of me nagging. And I leave that place so happy and satisfied every. single. time. It is one of the only true 'supper clubs' left in town, and was a speakeasy back during Prohibition. The booths are covered in canvas like old wagons, and the food is just incredible. I would post pictures of my food..but I may have cleared my plate. I worked through lunch and hadn't had a real meal all day, ok?

My mother in law picked these from her garden. Aren't they gorgeous!? I love love love peonies.

Sunday, I had every intention of getting to church, but my little guy was fussing and ready for a nap right when we needed to be getting ready. And, as I laid him down in his crib, he woke right back up. So, too late to make it to church, we obviously loaded up and ran to Target for groceries. I scored an adorable puppy stuffed animal for Jackson, after coming to the realization that he literally has NO stuffed animals to cuddle with. And I came home and he crashed for a nap in his crib with his arms wrapped around that puppy for over two hours. Best investment ever?

We spent the afternoon at Mike's parents, letting Jackson swim a bit, hanging out on the deck, and just enjoying the summer weather. 

There may or may not be a bunch of baby raccoons living in my in-laws yard. Adorable, and terrifying at the same time!

 

We wrapped it up with grilling some burgers, and called it an afternooon when we made our way home to watch the season finale of Game of Thrones. OMG you guys, OMG. I am reflecting on what happened in that episode and my heart is just broken. And they are going to make me wait way too long until the next season comes out. They are officially ahead of the books, now, so I am DYING to know what they writers come up with!

After a busy, happy weekend, it is back to the grind today. I hope you all have a great week!

Linking up with Meg, Biana, and Ashley today!

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Friday Favorites!

Another busy work week, another week gone. This week has been absolutely crazy for me, multiple events and meetings out of town, some late nights, and unfortunately a half day tomorrow for an event. I have quadruple checked my calendar, and I am pretty sure this is my final Saturday event of the year, so fingers crossed on that one. As always, I am digging lots of things lately, and can't wait to share.

1. Fridays off
I don't have to work today! This is, of course, to compensate for the late days during the week and having to work Saturday (this is one of the pros of being hourly versus salary..of course there are plenty of cons to that one too!) As much as I hate working a Saturday, there is something so nice about having a day off during the week to get some errands done and enjoy life free of the weekend crowds. To top it off, the weather today is supposed to be absolutely gorgeous and I can't wait to take advantage.

2. Baby talk

Little man can't officially say any real words yet, but I just love listening to him talk. 'Ga ga ga ga ge ge gshhhh ga ga' is his favorite conversation and he babbles all day. We are saying mama and dada to him on repeat in hopes he will mimic our requests, but so far no luck. Yesterday, however, I said yayyy so he would clap his hands (a new favorite game of his) and before clapping he proudly said 'yayyyy!' melt this mama's heart. I don't know if 'yay' qualifies as a real word, but he consciously said something that is more than just jibberish, so I am calling it a win.

3. Gap sales
If you don't subscribe to Gap's emails, you are missing out. If you want to save money, you are probably smart. They run so many good sales, I have a moment at least once a week where I feel like I would be insane not to make a purchase. I was able to scoop up these and these, which were already on sale, for an additional 40% off. And Gap carries TALL sizes, which speaks to my soul. You all, those gray jeans came to a grand total of $17. Their sales are too good to pass up.

4. Bath and Body Semi Annual Sale

Speaking of sales..candles. Give me all the candles. I absolutely love Bath and Body Works 3-wick candles, and when sales like this come up, I have to stock up. Thanks to the last semi-annual sale, I have a collection of Christmas scents stored away and ready to go when ?Halloween? rolls around. Ok, maybe I will hold off until Thanksgiving. But seriously, at the sale this week I was able to get this one, this one, and this one, and they all smell delicious. I have gotten into a habit of burning candles whenever I can, so I know they will get used. There are just so, so many yummy smells, I can't resist! Right now, the candles are 50% off (which beats their value at the 2 for 24 promotions), plus there are coupons floating around for an additional $10 off your purchase, which brings the price per candle down well below $10.

5. Maternity clothing
No, not pregnant. However, after my last pregnancy where I procrastinated on buying clothing, which resulted in me never owning a pair of maternity jeans, I am already doing searching for affordable and sale pieces. Maybe this makes me crazy, but I don't care. I got so frustrated with my search for jeans last time (tall girl problems, remember?) I survived wearing maxi dresses and skirts to work every. single. day. last summer. Which was incredibly comfortable and awesome, to be honest. But not all pregnancies fall perfectly where right as I am outgrowing my pants the weather changes over and shirt dresses and skirts become acceptable as daily wear. My next pregnancy will most likely mandate a pair of jeans and dress pants, so I if I stumble across those unicorn finds of maternity, size, and length, I may already be snatching them up. And being my cart already had a few cute items in it, I threw in this top. I would wear that thing not pregnant, so it is acceptable that I just did this, I swear.

I hope you all have a fabulous weekend with lots of beautiful weather and sunshine! Today, my little man and I are going to sneak in some pool time, a run, and probably a trip to the craft store for supplies to start a Christmas project. I just can't control myself.

Liking up with all of these fabulous ladies today!

Five on Friday // Oh Hey Friday! // Friday Favorites // Friday Favorites

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