a sunday afternoon

A weekend day in photos.

Nothing out of the ordinary or particularly exciting here, yet the afternoon was perfect in its simplicity.

If you've ever had one of those days where it takes you until 3pm to get out of the apartment (laundry! dishes! more laundry!), then you know it's especially wonderful when you are finally able to break free, get some fresh air in your lungs and watch your rapidly growing little girl have a thoroughly enjoyable time at the playground.

Have a great week, everyone!

day at the museum


I will be the first to admit I'm a little bit addicted to my phone, which is funny as I've never been a big phone talker (I much prefer chatting face to face, if possible). No, I love my phone for all the other communication goodies it possesses... like being able to check my email, Facebook and Twitter accounts from anywhere. Having internet capability makes it so easy to look up any information I need, especially if I'm out and about and need to look up an address or find a store's website.

Most of all, though, I love taking pictures at a moment's notice. With two little kiddies at home, I'm constantly using my phone for its camera capability. It is SO easy to grab and start snapping photos, and the picture quality is surprisingly good. Nothing is easier and more convenient to use when we're out on the town, as seen in the photos below, on a recent trip to the American Museum of Natural History (Toddler S is knee deep in the dinosaur phase right now). I'm currently obsessed with the photo filter program Instagram, which is another handy dandy reason for taking pictures on my phone (I'm using the "Nashville" filter below).

During the work week, when I can steal a moment or two to myself, I love to look at the photos I've taken on my phone.  As I scroll through, each one brings up a different memory and a quick smile that I'm usually in need of at that moment. Basically, there's a chronicle of my life ready to be perused whenever I like, and really, how special is that? Enjoy!

Headed downtown...



We're here!



Paleontologist in training? The Discovery Room is awesome for budding naturalists



Dinosaur Train is great, but nothing beats holding a dinosaur bone (well, bone reproduction) 



Boo!



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Compensation was provided by US Cellular via Glam Media. The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of US Cellular.

starting the day off right

Here's the thing, I'm not a morning person. I'm not proud to disclose this to all of Internet Land, but there you have it. I have always looooooved my sleep. There was a time, not so long ago, when I thought rising before 11am on the weekend was early.  Eesh!  Even I have trouble admitting that one.

Sleeping in came to a dramatic crashing halt with the arrival of one Sweet Little Gal and is only a fleeting memory now that SLG #2 has made us a family of four. And that's okay. Actually, it's great -- my children inspire me to make the most of every morning before I head off to work, and every moment with them on the weekend. Which means getting up early, bleary-eyed or not.

One little thing I've found that helps get the day off right is stretching. I start with my feet before I even get out of bed and am stretching my arms and legs as I head to the shower. Believe or not, it actually helps wake me up and get me going in the morning. Nothing, however, beats the weekend, when both girls get in bed with us. Husband might disagree on the comfort level as he's nearly always pushed to the edge, but I love it when we're all snuggled there together. Throw in a little coffee, some breakfast and music -- which often leads to an impromptu dance party -- and you have a completely perfect way to start the day.


My snuggle bunnies

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Disclosure: Compensation was provided by Quaker via Glam Media. The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of Quaker.

big apple books: the super adventures of sophie & the city

The Super Adventures of Sophie and the City
by Kelly Florio Kasouf

All Sophie wants to do is spend a day with her daddy. She follows him to work one day, and in the process sets out on a spectacular adventure while roaming the floors of what is clearly the Conde Nast building. From the designer closets of Vogue to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Sophie encounters fashion's elite, from a Fairy Fashion Godfather (bearing a remarkable resemblence to Isaac Mizrahi) to Diane von Furstenburg, who shares what inspires her collections. I might have even spied Anna Wintour in an elevator. Illustrations by Judit García-Talavera create a New York City experience full of color and whimsy.

Kasouf's book clearly has the mini fashionista in mind, and while I suspect Sophie's wardrobe would put my own to shame, I must say I enjoyed going on this journey with her. Because for all the glitz and glam that Sophie enjoys along the way, she never loses sight of what's most important -- spending time with her family.

If you'd like to explore more of Sophie's world, check out her Ipad app -- so neat! 

dr. sears answers my questions

If you're a parent, or have come into contact with the baby aisle of any store, anywhere, chances are you know about Dr. Sears. "Dr. Bill," as he prefers to be called, has practiced pediatric medicine for more than 30 years, and is probably the most well-known pediatrician in the US as a result. His seal of approval on products is a powerful endorsement. Dr. Bill and his wife, Martha, a R.N., have raised eight children, three of whom followed their parents into the medical profession.  You can find out more about the Sears family, along with helpful answers to your parenting questions, on their website.

"Dr. Bob," one of the three children who followed in his father's footsteps, was in town last week speaking about one of the most common issues babies struggle with during their early months of life: colic. Though I wasn't able to meet with him face to face, I did get to send along a couple questions for him to answer. I must admit I'm totally thrilled to post this video for you -- though I didn't meet him personally, this opportunity is probably one of the highlights of my blogging "career" thus far.

See below for answers to my questions regarding colic and what to do with a toddler who's decided she doesn't like to nap anymore (it's fun times at my home right now)!!

preparing the perfect nursery

I had the pleasure of participating in another Momversation video last month on preparing the perfect nursery. I wanted to offer a few additional thoughts on the subject, and I welcome any other suggestions you might have, too. My girls' room (part nursery/part toddler destruction zone) is an ongoing project, but I've had so much fun picking out the color scheme, Big Girl Bed quilt and bedding, etc. thus far. I have storage issues galore, but I'm saving that for another post coming up.

Anyway, we touch on it in the video, but I really don't feel like you have to go overboard with your baby's nursery. Generally, I feel like less is more, and I think that translates to interior decorating, too. As I mention in the video, I put my old dresser in the baby's room, and it's worked out really well.  I painted it over and we have changing pad on top, with room for diaper caddy and a few other misc. items.

I love the idea of putting a few sentimental items in the room as well. In our first nursery, I had my silver baby cup sitting on a bookshelf alongside a pair of Husband's baby shoes that his mother had dipped in copper. Pretty neat. The walls were painted a light yellow (we kept the first little gal's sex a surprise), but with an added bonus: my dear friend from childhood, a very talented artist and mama to three little gals, flew up to NYC and painted a gorgeous mural on the wall of a tree and a few birds. Perfectly lovely, and it made a tiny room (and former "office/junk storage/man cave") a really special place to be.

Well, that and the cute little baby living there. :)

Our first nursery:

beautiful chaos

I think a friend of mine, also a mother of two children, described it best.

Life these days is beautiful chaos.

The term has really stuck in my head, during the wonderful moments and the not-so-wonderful. And it has a lot to do with why I haven't blogged in over a month. I felt the days of maternity leave slipping by so fast once December hit that I just wanted to spend every available moment with my little gals. Couple that with the hectic rush of the holidays, car travel to Wisconsin for Christmas (!!) and getting my head around returning to work and you have one slightly-exasperated-yet-trying-to-savor-every-moment mama. Which left me exhausted. And seriously questioning my multi-tasking skills.

I returned to work last Tuesday, and it was depressing as hell (can't think of a more eloquent way to put it...) I must admit, however, that I've found falling back into a schedule somewhat comforting in a way. And it means that every available moment at home is jam-packed with:

hugs
wails
kisses
whining
giggles
crying
smiles
tears
there's 2 there's 4 there's 6 there's 8...
tickling
pouting
LOVE

Beautiful chaos.

We are learning how to manage it all, this new life with children who are growing so fast I desperately want to freeze time. With work. Added responsibilities. Schedules. Our days are challenging at times but so incredibly worth it.

And hopefully I can find some time to write about it here.

Here's to more blogging in 2012, and a happy/healthy/laughter-filled year for all of you!
 

1st museum visit... American Museum of Natural History

 

New Years Eve