Hi! Thanks for stopping by. I've switched blogging platforms, and unfortunately some past links don't bring you directly to my new site. I'm still working on getting my Bloglovin' feeds consolidated so if you are a Bloglovin' user, hold on tight for a bit.
You can find the new site at:
www.cedarsandtinyflowers.com
See you in a little bit!
Wednesday, November 5, 2014
Tuesday, October 28, 2014
One Year Old
And he is one. One! Cliché or not, my how time flies.
We had a lovely, albeit busier than preferred, Sunday celebrating Conor's birthday. My parents drove up for the weekend, which was so kind of them. My mom cooked the whole weekend including lumpia, my favorite food. They had to leave around noon on Sunday so we decided to celebrate Conor's birthday with brunch and cake. I made chocolate chip pancakes, cheesy scrambled eggs and sausage. And as you would for a birthday in 2014, much of brunch was spent discussing who was going to be FaceTiming, Google hangouting and Skyping on which corresponding device. Then I deleted multiple apps off my phone in a mad dash to make enough space to video the happy birthday singing and
I had baked spice cake for all to enjoy including a little smash cake for the birthday boy, which sounds a lot fancier than it really was. I just poured enough batter (made from a box! Top knotch homemaker over here) into three tiny ramekins in addition to the regular cake pans, stacked them on top of each other and slathered on some buttercream. It was tilting over by the time for songs came along, but that just added to the cozy, rustic, homey, just-like-mama-made-it look, right? Right.
As expected, Conor was happy we let him eat cake.
 |
| Wait ... so what's so exciting about this? |
 |
| Still not impressed. |
 |
| THIS is how you do it. |
 |
| My sister was Skyping from CA, my brother and sister-in-law were FaceTiming from MD and Chris' brother and sister-in-law were Google hangouting from AZ. We had some technical difficulties with Chris' family in San Diego so we got to video chat with them later in the day :) |
 |
| Contemplating his opinion. |
 |
| Close up of our Phoenix family. |
 |
| Happy. |
The rest of the day for Conor was spent napping, walking around our friends backyard at a pumpkin carving party and hanging out at home until I brought home one of his favorites - starts with a Ch and ends with -ipotle.
Thank you for an amazing first year, Conor Daniel Harrington. You helped us grasp a better understanding how God is able to love all of us. Our heart didn't split between you and your brother; it grew and grew and grew. It's kind of crazy how much you put up with having such an opinionated and enthusiastically strong older brother, but you've got spunk yourself, kid. You also can be terribly dramatic, but hey you make up for it with your jolly good mood the rest of the time. Your current favorite activity is chasing the broom as I sweep and trying to get your curious hands on the pile just before it makes its way into the dustpan. You also love banging blocks on the top of the printer and computer. That needs to stop. What doesn't need to stop are your goofy pursed mouth smile, adorable clapping and animated conversations consisting of one syllables repeated over and over and over. We love being yours.
Love,
Your favorite family
Netflix #StreamTeam - What Helped Me Lazily Prepare for Birth.
Disclosure: I am part of the Netflix #StreamTeam so I will be writing one post a month about movies and shows that have made me happy to have in our family queue. To be totally forthcoming, I have been compensated with a streaming device and a one year streaming subscription to Netflix, but this is a service that I have used at minimum four times a week for the past four years (and at many points in the timeline, everyday) so you can say that I am definitely excited to be partnering with them.
As I just mentioned, I've been utilizing Netflix Streaming for four years. It all started when I had to watch a movie for my French film class my last semester of college. The movie was available in the library which was all the way across campus, and I would have to hope no one else was watching the movie when I got there. My professor had noted in the syllabus that the movie was also available on Netflix so when comparing the pros and cons between signing up for a free one month trial with Netflix and trekking to the library, I quickly got myself a Netflix account and watched the film from the comfort of my own bed (and my dorm bed was actually very comfy thanks to an excellent mattress pad, but I digress).
From then on, I pretty much have a Netflix movie or TV Series to go along with the memories of the past few years. I designed, stamped, addressed, and stuffed our wedding invitations while watching every romantic comedy Netflix had to offer. Our time in Chicago had Grey's Anatomy in the background whether I was writing one stack of 300 thank you notes, making dinner or folding laundry after work. I unpacked to Private Practice when we moved to South Bend. I watched Tangled way too many times for an adult to be able to during its stint on Netflix. The summer when Ryan was a baby, my brother-in-law put Cheers on everyday he got home from class. Downton Abbey in two days two winters ago. And don't get me started on 24! Anyway, last fall was no different; I had a Netflix soundtrack, if you will, yet again, and it turned into a makeshift birth prep cheerleader.
I mentioned in my last post and here that even though I had already gone through labor and delivery with Ryan, I was still pretty nervous for our second because 1) I KNEW how much it hurt and 2) what if the first time was a fluke? I planned on reading the Bradley book again as a refresher, but other than that, I had no other plans to up my confidence even though I needed it.
Here is how Netflix helped me via a British television series.
Call the Midwife.
One day, I read somewhere that if I liked Downton Abbey, I would love Call the Midwife. As luck would have, I saw it pop up in the Netflix New Releases one day when I was flipping through. The BBC series is based on the memoirs of a nurse midwife in the East End of London in the 1950s. It follows a group of nurse midwives based out of a nursing convent as they tend to one of the poorest parts of London both when mothers are giving birth and when the neighborhood's residents are ill. The series is not always happy, but there is a sense of optimism throughout the times of heartbreak; maybe it comes with the territory of new life. Chris does say, "If you were to hear Call the Midwife from another room, it would be the least relaxing mix - babies crying, women screaming and my wife crying from watching it," but I found it fascinating and confidence building. The history in itself is interesting, but seeing women give birth in all kinds of circumstances was incredibly motivating. I'd think, if she could give birth in a shack full of fish, I can give birth again in my sanitary hospital. If she could give birth aboard a ship, I can so do it in a spacious labor and delivery room. The third season has been up for a bit, and I'm finally rewarding myself by starting the third season. I highly suggest it!
Other films that helped me prepare and that are only available through Netflix DVD:
The Business of Being Born: this is an extremely biased documentary, but it did provide some food for thought and prompted me to do much more research about our options.
BABIES: this documentary follow four babies and their mothers who are each in completely different environments and cultures. It is not an incredibly active piece, but I enjoyed it because it calmed me down about pending parenthood. The babies were happy and healthy whether they were in Mongolia, Japan, Namibia or San Francisco.
Any other Call the Midwife fans out there?
Do you have any genres you would like to hear about during the #StreamTeam series?
As I just mentioned, I've been utilizing Netflix Streaming for four years. It all started when I had to watch a movie for my French film class my last semester of college. The movie was available in the library which was all the way across campus, and I would have to hope no one else was watching the movie when I got there. My professor had noted in the syllabus that the movie was also available on Netflix so when comparing the pros and cons between signing up for a free one month trial with Netflix and trekking to the library, I quickly got myself a Netflix account and watched the film from the comfort of my own bed (and my dorm bed was actually very comfy thanks to an excellent mattress pad, but I digress).
 |
| Just me, Netflix, and my poor interior decorating skills, fall 2010 |
From then on, I pretty much have a Netflix movie or TV Series to go along with the memories of the past few years. I designed, stamped, addressed, and stuffed our wedding invitations while watching every romantic comedy Netflix had to offer. Our time in Chicago had Grey's Anatomy in the background whether I was writing one stack of 300 thank you notes, making dinner or folding laundry after work. I unpacked to Private Practice when we moved to South Bend. I watched Tangled way too many times for an adult to be able to during its stint on Netflix. The summer when Ryan was a baby, my brother-in-law put Cheers on everyday he got home from class. Downton Abbey in two days two winters ago. And don't get me started on 24! Anyway, last fall was no different; I had a Netflix soundtrack, if you will, yet again, and it turned into a makeshift birth prep cheerleader.
I mentioned in my last post and here that even though I had already gone through labor and delivery with Ryan, I was still pretty nervous for our second because 1) I KNEW how much it hurt and 2) what if the first time was a fluke? I planned on reading the Bradley book again as a refresher, but other than that, I had no other plans to up my confidence even though I needed it.
Here is how Netflix helped me via a British television series.
Call the Midwife.
One day, I read somewhere that if I liked Downton Abbey, I would love Call the Midwife. As luck would have, I saw it pop up in the Netflix New Releases one day when I was flipping through. The BBC series is based on the memoirs of a nurse midwife in the East End of London in the 1950s. It follows a group of nurse midwives based out of a nursing convent as they tend to one of the poorest parts of London both when mothers are giving birth and when the neighborhood's residents are ill. The series is not always happy, but there is a sense of optimism throughout the times of heartbreak; maybe it comes with the territory of new life. Chris does say, "If you were to hear Call the Midwife from another room, it would be the least relaxing mix - babies crying, women screaming and my wife crying from watching it," but I found it fascinating and confidence building. The history in itself is interesting, but seeing women give birth in all kinds of circumstances was incredibly motivating. I'd think, if she could give birth in a shack full of fish, I can give birth again in my sanitary hospital. If she could give birth aboard a ship, I can so do it in a spacious labor and delivery room. The third season has been up for a bit, and I'm finally rewarding myself by starting the third season. I highly suggest it!
Other films that helped me prepare and that are only available through Netflix DVD:
The Business of Being Born: this is an extremely biased documentary, but it did provide some food for thought and prompted me to do much more research about our options.
BABIES: this documentary follow four babies and their mothers who are each in completely different environments and cultures. It is not an incredibly active piece, but I enjoyed it because it calmed me down about pending parenthood. The babies were happy and healthy whether they were in Mongolia, Japan, Namibia or San Francisco.
Any other Call the Midwife fans out there?
Do you have any genres you would like to hear about during the #StreamTeam series?
Friday, October 24, 2014
That Mother Forgetfulness
I have a pretty good memory. It could almost be called uncanny, but the number of times a day I search for my keys keeps its ego in check. I don't forget much, but I'm grateful for the universal ability of mothers to be forgetful of one very specific and monumental thing - birth and the time soon after.
Following his birth, Ryan was going to be an only child. That long list of baby names I had at the ready for our passel of future children was now useless. Maybe we could use it on pets down the road. I couldn't do it again. Sure, he was worth it. Father, mother and son, we fit. Yes, we fit well together. Still, the scent of his new life was only addictive to a point; it was as calming and heavenly as it could be, but it lacked mind-wiping powers. I couldn't do it again.
I operated in a blur of shock, a blur dotted with many adorable moments, but a blur of memories that made me feel like a deer in headlights. It was too much. It being the lack of progressing, the three hours of pushing, the ring of fire, the stitching up as little as I needed to be stitched, the starting the marathon of parenting at 4:58am immediately upon crossing the finish line of the marathon that is birth, the stinging and painful recovery, the tick I was close to developing if my peri bottle weren't near, the fear of the going to the bathroom, the process of peri bottle, patting ever so slightly, but never delicately enough, pad change, numbing spray, tucks pads, the waddling back to bed, the burning each time after he latched, the contractions that ripped through my back while we nursed, the cluster feeding, the distaste for any clothing or bra because my nipples were sore and raw, the terror of imagining I wouldn't be able to find that precious tube of lanolin, the sharp tingly let down, the swing of hormones, the severe engorgement with no relief, the lying down on the floor next to our closet with white noise roaring from our bathroom vent each night, the overwhelming and overheated feeling when nursing a fussy baby around other people, the watching your poor baby being stuck over and over by an inexperienced ER nurse at six days old, the keeping vigil under the bilirubin lights, the feeling tremendous guilt and sadness from learning at two weeks that he had been suffering from a broken collarbone from birth, the hurting from the clogged duct from Hades and more and more and more. That was it. And that was it.
New motherhood was raw. I needed some time to stew.
Three months later, he was maybe going to be an only child. Six months later, the baby fever had taken over. Excellent job, mother forgetfulness.
That Sunday when I was sick, when our child that wasn't going to be was tucked in against me, I realized that I was very happy we hadn't used the name Conor on a pet.
.JPG)
Following his birth, Ryan was going to be an only child. That long list of baby names I had at the ready for our passel of future children was now useless. Maybe we could use it on pets down the road. I couldn't do it again. Sure, he was worth it. Father, mother and son, we fit. Yes, we fit well together. Still, the scent of his new life was only addictive to a point; it was as calming and heavenly as it could be, but it lacked mind-wiping powers. I couldn't do it again.
I operated in a blur of shock, a blur dotted with many adorable moments, but a blur of memories that made me feel like a deer in headlights. It was too much. It being the lack of progressing, the three hours of pushing, the ring of fire, the stitching up as little as I needed to be stitched, the starting the marathon of parenting at 4:58am immediately upon crossing the finish line of the marathon that is birth, the stinging and painful recovery, the tick I was close to developing if my peri bottle weren't near, the fear of the going to the bathroom, the process of peri bottle, patting ever so slightly, but never delicately enough, pad change, numbing spray, tucks pads, the waddling back to bed, the burning each time after he latched, the contractions that ripped through my back while we nursed, the cluster feeding, the distaste for any clothing or bra because my nipples were sore and raw, the terror of imagining I wouldn't be able to find that precious tube of lanolin, the sharp tingly let down, the swing of hormones, the severe engorgement with no relief, the lying down on the floor next to our closet with white noise roaring from our bathroom vent each night, the overwhelming and overheated feeling when nursing a fussy baby around other people, the watching your poor baby being stuck over and over by an inexperienced ER nurse at six days old, the keeping vigil under the bilirubin lights, the feeling tremendous guilt and sadness from learning at two weeks that he had been suffering from a broken collarbone from birth, the hurting from the clogged duct from Hades and more and more and more. That was it. And that was it.
New motherhood was raw. I needed some time to stew.
Three months later, he was maybe going to be an only child. Six months later, the baby fever had taken over. Excellent job, mother forgetfulness.
That Sunday when I was sick, when our child that wasn't going to be was tucked in against me, I realized that I was very happy we hadn't used the name Conor on a pet.
Wednesday, October 22, 2014
Birthday Wish List for a One Year Old
Okay make that birthday wish list for a one year old's mother ;) Or it could be called: what my kids try to sneak home from their friends' houses. Or it could be called: what won't end up in the donation pile.
My brother, Conor's godfather, asked me a bit ago what to get Conor for his birthday. I answered with books! because we can never have enough good books. We'll give Conor an extra bath and some streamers on his birthday, but we aren't going to buy him any presents because ... he is one. Maybe we are weird. Sorry, boys, maybe you drew the short end of the stick on this one! But, just because we aren't going to buy anything ourselves doesn't mean that we don't thankfully accept gifts from doting grandparents and the like. I rounded up a bunch of quality items that my boys always make a bee line for at other people's houses starting around this age. I could make this whole thing books, but I will refrain for another day. Here is a budget-friendly list of classic toys + regular items that the baby will love, should last for the long haul and that won't make the you recoil at the thought of the annoying noises that will plague you post-birthday.
Toys Under $15
1) Melissa & Doug Magnetic Wooden Alphabet I think you will find these on many, many refrigerators in this country. You can't go wrong with a good way to buy some time for cooking dinner without someone hanging off of your leg.
2) Hape Tambourine This one is easy to hold and lightweight so shake, shake, shake!
3) The Original Toy Company Pop Up Fire Truck . The peg fire fighters are cute, but I love how much Ryan would concentrate when pushing down to get the pegs to pop up.
4) Stacking toys --> Adorable stacking turtles from Etsy or the Melissa and Doug Geometric Stacker. Stacking toys have been a hit over here.
5) Inflatable Beach Balls - I know they are meant for the beach, but I'm picturing these bringing lots of entertainment through the long winter. Like most babies, Ryan and Conor love balls and these have a low likelihood of knocking anything over.
Toys Under $25
1) Melissa and Doug Classic Bead Maze. A true classic.
2) Learning Resources Jumbo Farm Animals. Again, going with animals is kind of a guarantee in our house. I like that these are life-like and a bit bigger so they aren't as easy to lose.
3) Pacific Play Tents Find Me Multi Color 6' Tunnel This would be another winter lifesaver. Lots of energy
4) EverEarth Jr. Size Ramp Race. It pretty fun to watch the baby's eyes go back and forth, back and forth as the little wooden cars race down.
5) Plan Toy Push Toy. Another one for exercise. Tire those babies out!
Items You Probably Already Have
1) Solo Cups. Right? Baby's favorite.
2) Water bottles, plastic or metal.
3) Measuring cups and spoons. If you get sick of having to counting how many 1/3 cups you added to your cooking because some cute baby snagged your 1 cup, just find a set for the baby at a garage sale or thrift store.
4) Sunglasses. It's nice that it seems that giving away free, cheap sunglasses at events to be a thing because we somehow have many pairs Ryan and Conor can wear/break without a care.
5) Empty wipes containers. Conor has been trying to push things into the wipes slot, but you can also fill it with scraps of fabric so your baby can pull them out.
You can normally find any of these toys at a local consignment shop so check there first before buying new!
Last note - make sure you keep the boxes because we know those are really the golden ticket to those babies' hearts.
So tell me, what other items that aren't even toys are great for you? What toy has been a hit?
I originally intended to just list five toys, but then it grew and grew. But the sets of five still make it eligible for Five Favorites, right? Go see Jenna for more!
My brother, Conor's godfather, asked me a bit ago what to get Conor for his birthday. I answered with books! because we can never have enough good books. We'll give Conor an extra bath and some streamers on his birthday, but we aren't going to buy him any presents because ... he is one. Maybe we are weird. Sorry, boys, maybe you drew the short end of the stick on this one! But, just because we aren't going to buy anything ourselves doesn't mean that we don't thankfully accept gifts from doting grandparents and the like. I rounded up a bunch of quality items that my boys always make a bee line for at other people's houses starting around this age. I could make this whole thing books, but I will refrain for another day. Here is a budget-friendly list of classic toys + regular items that the baby will love, should last for the long haul and that won't make the you recoil at the thought of the annoying noises that will plague you post-birthday.
Toys Under $15
1) Melissa & Doug Magnetic Wooden Alphabet I think you will find these on many, many refrigerators in this country. You can't go wrong with a good way to buy some time for cooking dinner without someone hanging off of your leg.
2) Hape Tambourine This one is easy to hold and lightweight so shake, shake, shake!
3) The Original Toy Company Pop Up Fire Truck . The peg fire fighters are cute, but I love how much Ryan would concentrate when pushing down to get the pegs to pop up.
4) Stacking toys --> Adorable stacking turtles from Etsy or the Melissa and Doug Geometric Stacker. Stacking toys have been a hit over here.
5) Inflatable Beach Balls - I know they are meant for the beach, but I'm picturing these bringing lots of entertainment through the long winter. Like most babies, Ryan and Conor love balls and these have a low likelihood of knocking anything over.
Toys Under $25
1) Melissa and Doug Classic Bead Maze. A true classic.
2) Learning Resources Jumbo Farm Animals. Again, going with animals is kind of a guarantee in our house. I like that these are life-like and a bit bigger so they aren't as easy to lose.
3) Pacific Play Tents Find Me Multi Color 6' Tunnel This would be another winter lifesaver. Lots of energy
4) EverEarth Jr. Size Ramp Race. It pretty fun to watch the baby's eyes go back and forth, back and forth as the little wooden cars race down.
5) Plan Toy Push Toy. Another one for exercise. Tire those babies out!
Items You Probably Already Have
1) Solo Cups. Right? Baby's favorite.
2) Water bottles, plastic or metal.
3) Measuring cups and spoons. If you get sick of having to counting how many 1/3 cups you added to your cooking because some cute baby snagged your 1 cup, just find a set for the baby at a garage sale or thrift store.
4) Sunglasses. It's nice that it seems that giving away free, cheap sunglasses at events to be a thing because we somehow have many pairs Ryan and Conor can wear/break without a care.
5) Empty wipes containers. Conor has been trying to push things into the wipes slot, but you can also fill it with scraps of fabric so your baby can pull them out.
You can normally find any of these toys at a local consignment shop so check there first before buying new!
Last note - make sure you keep the boxes because we know those are really the golden ticket to those babies' hearts.
So tell me, what other items that aren't even toys are great for you? What toy has been a hit?
I originally intended to just list five toys, but then it grew and grew. But the sets of five still make it eligible for Five Favorites, right? Go see Jenna for more!
Tuesday, October 21, 2014
Weaves + another indication that I have grandma ways
When I posted the cross stitch pattern that I stitched last fall, Bonnie had sharp and flattering eyes and asked if I could share the pattern for the the silverware cross stitch that was also hanging on the wall. Here you go, Bonnie! I hope this helps someone out there who needs a pick me up for their kitchen or dining room or needs an easy homemade gift idea. Go forth and stitch.
Monday, October 20, 2014
Participling
 |
| From a few weekends ago when Chris' program went apple picking. |
I'm taking cues from Bridget and taking stock. Also - have you read her post about whether or not she feels she missed out on her twenties? It's a good one.
Okay I wrote half of these Sunday night and half today during a heavenly simultaneous nap by the boys so I'm sorry if this is a bit confusing. Concerning that glorious nap --> see my feeling one down below: God provides.
I'm ...
Making: a crochet pattern for this hat as prompted by Camille and Tiffany. Hopefully I don't mess it up because the last time I made a pattern was probably for a 4-H project when I was 14 or so.
Drinking: not enough of anything. Reading: (rereading) Pride and Prejudice for my book club. It's been a few years since I read it last, and I loved it so. I'm happy I have a little nudge to turn the pages in it again.
Wanting: to look up spoilers for the rest of this season of The Walking Dead, but I'm resisting.
Listening: to Shake It Off, surprise, surprise! Actually, tonight Chris took Conor to play with so I could make dinner without a clumsy assistant obsessed with emptying the cupboards. Before he left to go to the other room, he turned on the Taylor Swift channel on Grooveshark. I felt the love.
Listening, part ii: a neighbor's dog that will not stop barking. It's kind of cute - just don't wake up the nappers.
Eating: my poor attempt at beer-battered french fries. They taste decent, but their appearance leaves something to be desired.
Smelling: the leftover smell of frying oil from the french fries which is why I don't like frying things normally. Ha it isn't the unhealthiness of it that keeps me away, it's the lingering scent. And the mess! Poor Chris, this keeps me from making his favorite sopapillas often. I like to boil cinnamon or lemons to make the smell go away since I never really have candles around (I know! What's wrong with me? I guess, I never spend money on candles). Do you have any oil-be-gone tricks?
Enjoying: watching Chris enjoy grad school. He is the bomb. And he laughs when I say something or someone is the bomb.
Loving: the baby sounds that come out of Conor's mouth. I can only describe them as pure joy. The little ones when he goes, "tdah! tdah! tdah!" or "Oh-ooo! Oh-ooo!" Or our latest Fighting Irish feat - stick his index finger up in the air while saying, "Idish! I-is! I-is!" If you heard it, you would think, "WOW, that really is a stretch," but hey, we are his parents and he was baptized in the Log Chapel so give our brainwashed/brainwashing hearts a break.
Hoping: we win out after Saturday's heartbreaking, and I mean HEARTBREAKING loss. This is the most pain I've felt after a loss ever ... and my class has the most losses out of any other in the school's history! I balance out my grandpa - they never lost a game when he attended.
Feeling: thankful. God provides.
Wearing: the same shirt I wore yesterday and the pajamas pants I slept in. They are actually the pajama pants I wore the night before our wedding. I'm weird and wanted to be able to say, "A girl can't get married in flannel!" so I found the perfect white with blue roses pair. Name that movie.
Noticing: the endless amount of I'll-get-to-it-later stacks that I really need to get to.
Bookmarking: people talking about making elderberry syrup. I really wanted to make it, but, I just checked and it seems looks like the Amazon provider saw that every mom blog wanted some elderberries and the ONE bag left is $350. There goes that!
There is the end of nap time cry. Tell me what you are up to!
Sunday, October 19, 2014
Why I Admire Lou Holtz and You Should Too
Do you know who Lou Holtz is? You know, the eternally optimistic ESPN commentator who is a College Football Hall of Fame coach. Being the fifth coach to bring our beloved alma mater to a national championship, he always favors the Irish. This might be seen as a fault to some, but it is most definitely is not a fault in my eyes.
When Chris and I were planning our wedding, we decided it would be fun to send out a few invitations to celebrities that we admired. We wrote letters telling of why we looked up to them and thought they were the bee's knees, found addresses to send the invites to, and then expected to never hear from them.
At the time of the wedding, our celebrity guest tally was as follows:
Pope Benedict XVI - no response.
Mike Golic - no response
Jim Caviezel - no response
Coach Brian Kelly - sent his response card back checked, "Regretfully decline."
Lou Holtz - no response
We were zero for five, or at least we thought until after we had returned from our honeymoon. My parents came for my college graduation ceremony and gave me a large envelope. I couldn't believe the return address. I opened the envelope to find this:
------------
April 12, 2011
...
Dear Christopher and Katrina,
Congratulations on your wedding and I wanted to tell you how sorry I was that I didn't receive your invite until April 8th. Anytime it's sent to ESPN they take a month or two to get the correspondence down to me.
I'm not sure I could have attended the wedding but I certainly could have written you a letter and congratulated you both on the success you've achieved thus far in your lives. But nothing is more important than your marriage. My wife and I will celebrate our 50th anniversary this July 22nd, and predominantly because our relationship is based completely on trusting one another. I'm sending you both a Notre Dame key chain I had made up and I hope you'll think of Our Lady on the dome when you use it. Sorry I couldn't be with you, but I am most honored that you thought enough of me to invite me to the most important event in your life.
Sincerely,
Lou Holtz
-----------
 |
| We use one, and then we are saving one for when our boys are driving. |
He sure is a man of character.
Thursday, October 16, 2014
Balance Bikes! - FirstBIKE Giveaway.
Last summer, Chris noticed our neighbor's little boy's bike. He was two and zooming around confidently, as fast as he could go on the way to the park. I hadn't noticed anything about it at first other than how much fun he was having. But Chris pointed out that the bike had no pedals and no training wheels. Yet this little two year old was gliding around on his own completely able to balance.
It made so much sense. Why were training wheels invented when the hard part of learning to ride is balancing not pedaling? We were sold, and Chris went on one of his product research rampages. He read reviews and consumer reports for a few days until he settled on FirstBIKE. He even called the customer service line. He is thorough. I've mentioned before that we are pretty minimalist in some aspects of kid stuff, but when it comes to really useful and beneficial items like a child bike seat, we'll go for it. The FirstBIKE Basic Blue was going to be Ryan's Christmas/2nd birthday present which was a far cry from his first Christmas and birthday when we just didn't get him any presents. When we bought it last September, we were too excited so we jumped the gun. Chris quickly assembled it (it was so easy) during Ryan's nap time, and we wait for him to wake up. Sadly, it was slightly too tall for him at 20 months so it sat in the the closet until his birthday when everything was covered in snow.
Finally, when it was spring, he finally got to ride it outside, and we are completely satisfied with our purchase. I love watching Ryan and his friends use it - it is amazing how quickly children learn. If you are having trouble imagining what it looks like when a child is riding a balance bike, I put together a little video for you. Please excuse my lack of cinematography skills:
FirstBIKE from Katrina on Vimeo.
FirstBIKE was started by a German cyclist and dad who wanted to build a bike that his children could learn to ride intuitively. He developed a bike that naturally helps develop a child's balance, motor skills and self-confidence. Here are the specs:
+ For children from age 2 to 5 (with a lowering kit, they can start at 22 months)
+ High-tech, injection-molded composite frame doesn't scratch, splinter, swell or rust like wood or metal frames
+ Extremely lightweight
+ High-strength yet flexible, and durable material
+ Weatherproof
+ No sharp edges, parts or extruding screws
+ Easy to carry, clean and store (The holes in the frame make it easy to hang from my stroller when Ryan isn't riding it if we are out walking)
+ Sealed industrial wheel bearings to prevent clogging by dirt or gravel
+ Adjustable, tools-free seat with special "horse saddle" shape to provide maximum comfort and stability to prevent children from slipping off
+ Grows with your child until they are ready for pedals
+ Height adjustment at the turn of a knob (It is so easy. Our neighbors and Ryan can take turns on it within seconds)
+ Child-friendly, rear drum SafetyStop™ brake (the Basic Blue bike that Ryan has does not have a break)
+ Lifetime Warranty on frame & fork; 5 year warranty on all other parts
+ FUN and keeps your kids active.
I have been SO excited about this next part. I reached out to FirstBIKE telling them how much we loved Ryan's bike that we bought, and they are generously offering the winner of the giveaway a bike in the style and color of his or her choice. That is up to a $199 value!
So which one would you go for?! Are you as excited about this as I am?
THANK YOU for supporting my blog, and thank you to FirstBIKE for this giveaway!
You know how to Rafflecopter it up. (And for those wary about sharing your email to sign up in Rafflecopter, it is just so I know how to contact you when you win!)
Good luck!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Happy Medium
 |
 |
.jpg)
Oops, I think I'm the last one that attended to recap The Hundred Event. Two months after the fact.
When I first heard about The Hundred from Grace, I couldn't believe how the stars aligned in such a way that I could actually attend such a jackpot of an event. It was happening in Dallas where Chris' generous and welcoming extended family lives, it was happening a weekend we would already be driving home from San Diego, it only added a few hours to our drive home and it was happening when Chris had no commitments whatsoever so I could go kid free. Without all of that and Grace's kind support, there is no way I would have been able to go.
Now back in April, when we were in Dallas for Chris' cousin's Confirmation, we asked Chris' uncle if he could pick us up from UD because I wanted to meet one of my blogger friends, the lovely Martha Reilly. All the uncles joked that we were going to meet a chubby old man. It was pretty funny. I'm guessing their inspiration came from this song. Well, I'm here to say that the real life Martha is an even lovelier woman in person and more beautiful, if you can imagine that. In fact, I haven't been let down by a blogger meeting yet. Meeting a blogger makes me love her blog even more.
So I was really excited to see old e-friends and new friends, buuuuut I was nervous about the same thing - meeting so many people at once and having to be "on." I think sometimes people can think I might be snobby or stuck up when I'm quiet in person, but really I'm honesty just shy and kind of terrified of speaking to you. I mean, last night when it was my time as the hostess to move everyone from the tea and biscotti chit chat part of book club over to the living room last night, I asked Ana the Outgoing to do it for me.
Lauren, Megan, Bridget and Grace know how to throw a blogging conference. The whole event was useful yet fun, elegant yet easygoing and really, it was just a luxury weekend. Dinner complete with swag bags at the Melrose Warwick Hotel sponsored by Joules, breakfast at Breadwinners, lunch at Cane Russo sponsored by Twine Interiors, dinner by Ruthie's Food truck and Steel City Pops for Saturday night's block party hosted by Peacock Alley, and Sunday brunch at the Aldredge house during which I won this dress. It sure beat the Sonic that I had more times in a row than one should. I learned from Kendi, THE fashion blogger (I have to note that I felt nerdily cool when her husband, Bryan, remembered the time in April when Ryan was being quite the toddler in their old store), Curt Steinhorst, Stacey Reeves, Jenni from J.Noel Photography, Tara from the Dillettante Collection, and many other wonder bloggers and entrepreneurs. Best of all, I got to spend almost two full days becoming real-in-the-flesh friends with many of my oldest blogging friends and have the privilege to many meet new-to-me bloggers that now enrich my precious (ha) blogging time. It wasn't scary after all, although I'm sure I could have put on my big girl panties more and been more outgoing.
It really was amazing. There is a recap link-up here, if you are interested.
But it wasn't all sunshine and rainbows (at no fault to The Hundred itself). When Blythe and I were walking back to the hotel room at the end of the Saturday sessions, she asked me how I was feeling. It was hard to explain, but I answered that I felt kind of blogged down - the blog version of bogged down. Now that I've had some time to mull the feeling over, I know it came from a few factors. I was tired and probably a little over socialized. Next, I have a knack for being an insecure person. I remember crying to my mom when I was four because I thought my skin looked green (what?? I know). A lot of what we were learning about growing your blog stemmed on being confident and being able to promote your own blog and content, which is a tall order since having a tendency to being insecure does not exactly breed confidence. Will my whatever-is-going-through-my-head-crumbs-awareness-bless-this-mess mom blog tie work well? That lack of confidence in my current and future ability to be a blog worthy of your time just added to my confusion of whether or not I wanted to venture past the sticker shock of quoted desired social media stats with monetizing the blog.
But then I had an epiphany while pumping (of all times), and that epiphany was reaffirmed when I returned downstairs to the lobby for another night hanging out on swanky hotel couches with women I felt like I've known for years and years. This was why I love blogging. This sitting around sharing stories was the blog actualized in a real life setting. These women and the solidarity they offer have helped me be able to boast that I can probably count on one hand the number of times I have felt alone in this crazy and lifelong gig called motherhood. Yes, my mother-in-law always helps. But when she isn't available, and it's been a day and I have zero desire to run the marathon of getting little ones out the door to see my friends in town, all I have to do is read about Blythe defending the mess of being a mama while making me pump my fist while holding back tears. Or Grace talking about the rigors of raising saints while still being funny. Or Ana being real. Or Britt discussing the extreme vulnerability of being a parent. Or Joanna sharing about her decision to stay home. Or Nell, being the motivational lady that she is, cheering me on with her wisdom. Or Katie telling me how to replicate the s'mores pizza we ate at Cane Russo. Or Olivia calling for an end to the stupid mommy wars. Or Kate typing yet another relatable post about being a wife. Or an email from the best readers in all the e-land telling me about their day. Or any lady kind enough to let me see a peek at her experiences. And I love supporting them whether it be commenting, emailing, clicking on links in sponsored posts, ordering through affiliate links or just praying for them.
The book club I'm in just read Hannah Coulter by Wendell Berry. Community constantly jumps out as one of the key themes. Now, I'm 100% sure Mr. Berry was absolutely not thinking about mom blogs and internet as he was writing about rural Kentucky, but the blogging world is one of my communities. This community, as overused as that word is in life and in this paragraph, easily outweighs the drag of social media stats and the like.
But where is the happy medium? I'm in a fortunate position to delve deeper into the partnership with sponsors world and earn (a very small) amount of money to supplement my other part time jobs while having fun with my e-friends, bloggers and readers included, but I don't want to become a blog robot blindly after one more Instagram like or Twitter retweet. As Blythe perfectly wrote, I want my opportunities to host giveaways to be a well-deserved THANK YOU to you, the community that keeps me sane and inspired. I want my chance promote products via sponsored posts to benefit you not bore you.
So I think the happy medium is up to me. I promise to keep the blog what I have always hoped it would be (although I feel uncomfortably presumptuous that people even might consider it to be - see? confidence problems) a pleasant and rambling virtual cup of coffee, hot chocolate, tea, what have you, whether it be for the mom, the yet to have children, the wife, the happily single, the friend, the great aunt, the rugby player, the invisible lurker, the person who googles, "scarily messy kitchens," etc. I promise to only promote products that I actually think are of high quality and worth spending money on and that go well my stories. I want those to be the gravy to the meat, the whipped cream to the pie, the parmesan to the pasta. I really would just be honored if you could pray for our family. If you click on sponsored links, order through my Amazon ad or affiliate links, awesome. Gracias, merci, grazie from the bottom of my heart. But prayers are always welcomed with open arms. You can never have too many of those.
And comments. I love comments.
Any thoughts?
This was supposed to go up last night, but here I am at 7:45am ... okay now 8am ...editing this while listening to Everything is Awesome from The LEGO Movie and kids spinning my chair around. Check back later today for an AMAZING giveaway as a thank you to YOU.
Photos by Awake Photography and J Noel Photography or snagged from Nell's Instagram. Purple dress and all shoes from my sister-in-law, Meaghan.
Tuesday, October 14, 2014
F-a-l-l, the last five years.
Fall has been making me nostalgic lately so I went back and found my favorite fall photos from the past few years. Also - I really need to go through my photo library and delete many, many images. How many blurry photos can one person keep? I might be setting a world record.
 |
| My favorite engagement photo, 2010. |
 |
| Our last day in Chicago - moving day to South Bend! 32 weeks with Ryan in 2011. |
 |
| Ryan, October 2012 |
 |
| I wish I knew where that hat has gone to! |
 |
| 37 weeks at the pumpkin patch and then 39 weeks at an ND game with a certain pumpkin named Conor in 2013. |
 |
| One of Ryan's last days as an only child. |
 |
| He's here! |
 |
| Same trees, another boy, 2014. |
And I'm sure I will have another fall photo post this season because, come on! There are a whole lot of leaves left up there. I'm only human.
Monday, October 13, 2014
A Healthy Sunday
I too often cram too much into my Sundays. Normally not with activities. No, I cram it full of expectations, expectations of what must be completed before Monday. At the same time, I lament that I'm robbing Sunday of its heavenly and holy rest. Then when I don't get what I think must be done finished, I begin the week feeling completely behind which is not the way to start a week is it?
Yesterday was different. Beginning with a morning of being more familiar with the toilet and holding my mane back than I care for and continuing with an afternoon of queasiness, this Sunday was actually been quite lovely. There was no guilt in taking time to rest; my stomach wouldn't allow any semblance of it. Rest it was. I let myself take a three hour nap with my baby. We nursed. We nursed. And we nursed. I watched Conor sleeping, his lips and plump cheeks moving as if he were still nursing.
Soon he sat up straight with the perfect posture of an infant, gave a few drowsy blinks and then focused on me looking at him. A sleepy smile spread across his face with a simple glee in his eyes. Hey, Mom.
Hey, Baby.
In the afternoon, I found three of us piled on one end of the couch. Chris had to go work on a school project. The sun pouring through the blinds painted stripes on us and on the couch. Conor was still in his pajamas, his eyebrow healing, his nose running a marathon, and Ryan was in his preferred potty training uniform of nothing. They were as they are, baby and toddler, squiggly and squirmy. Ryan pestered Conor; Conor rallied back.
.JPG)
.JPG)
I was laughing at myself earlier when I was alone and sick in our bed with the sounds of the morning carrying through the closed bedroom door. Conor's yelps and Ryan's announcement to Chris, "I have a good idea. Okay, Dad?" Chris will hear me complain, "I neeeeeeeeeeeeeed a break." With that in mind, it was puzzling and humorous when I was getting a forced break from an upset stomach, I was lying their thinking about how they would be such good medicine. Well, as long as I didn't have to get up to care for them, of course. I just wanted some smiles and to hear, "You feel bettah, Mom?"
Back to the couch. Both had slipped their way out of afternoon naps; Conor because he had taken such a long one with me, and Ryan because he was quiet enough for quiet time to be almost as rejuvenating as nap time. Almost. They both normally would be pitching fits in this napless situation, but since I was giving them what they wanted, "wasted" time with Mom, they were content. One of Chris' professors told his class to not be so caught up in worrying about planned quality time with your children; rather, just be willing to waste time with them.
And so we did.
Conor kept looking like it was the greatest day since he first ate a grape. And his face. His round face. Oh, how his round, plump, chubby, pudgy face just does me in. I'm so his mother, huh? Ryan played with the rings on my left ring finger. "Mama, who gave you da rings?" "Hmmm, who gave them to me?" "Daddy gave them to you. Mom, you Dad's wife?" Conor was hungry for eye contact and songs. Ryan suggested, "Let's sing da Alma Mater!" He sang every word with me, and I started to cry because hello, my toddler was singing one of my favorite songs that brings back so many happy memories to my baby. The book I was reading might have also put me in the disposition to cry happy, wistful tears.
Thank you for your glory, restful yesterday. I am much more prepared for the short naps and the tantrums and the painted toilets only a potty-training parent would know of today.
In short, I need to mom up and let myself have our Sundays. It's not like I'm working on a world-saving project with a pressing deadline that won't allow for breaks in the budget. No, I'm raising my boys with my husband, and I realize that Sunday rest is an important part of that.
Also - I now realize that you shouldn't indulge in the ready-to-eat sandwiches at your local Asian market unless you eat them all the time. Whew.
Saturday, October 11, 2014
Freshly Picked Giveaway!
Way back when Conor was an actual baby - now that he toddles around, it seems more accurate to call him a toddler, except that I am an emotional mama who can't believe she almost doesn't have a baby in the house! - I snagged an adorable pair of baby boat shoes from the local consignment store. They perfectly matched Chris' boat shoes (how could I pass that up??) so I tucked them away for the million weddings we were going to go to. He wore them to my cousin's wedding. They were kicked off a million times, but I was with him all the time so the shoe police were on patrol.
Conor has been taking steps/walking for a little over a month now and the temperature has dropped enough that the easy barefoot route isn't really passable anymore and putting his shoes back on so often like the boat shoes gets old. Freshly Picked kindly sent over a pair of the Prince George moccasins, and of course, they are just as great as the Weathered Brown pair that I was so in love with previously. Easy to put on, and they stay on ... until Ryan pulls them off. He is all about pulling socks and shoes off these days. But if a shoe or moccasin stays put no matter how much kicking a baby's legs do, I'm sold.
 |
| Hat : Mom. Shirt: Once Upon a Child Jeans: Old Navy via Once Upon a Child Moccasins: c/o Freshly Picked in Prince George |
Yesterday we went to four different store for grocery shopping and the zoo, and they didn't come off once. Not once. Concerning his ability to walk in them - they make being a toddling almost toddler much easier since the soft soles help all of this toes balance. Well, that is what I'm guessing because he can't really speak in sentences - or even words - to let me know. It is the next best thing to being barefoot, and the best when it is cold!
Freshly Picked offers 36 colors in sizes 1-10. Check it out. I have found that the colored moccasins do wear a bit more than the weathered brown, but the footprint that develops make for a nice keepsake of his tiny feet. The leather is still nice and strong, you can just see they are well-loved and where his little toes press down.
If I haven't convinced you on Freshly Picked moccasins, I highly suggest you want this Shark Tank starting at the 32:30 mark. Susan Peterson, the founder of Freshly Picked, has an amazing amount of determination and quite an entrepreneurial. If you don't want to watch the clip, you can read about her story here. I so admire her work ethic. Chris watched it with me the other night, and even he was impressed. Let me tell you - he doesn't care about baby moccasins.
So! Would you like a pair? So do I, but sadly 8.5 in Women's isn't a size they carry so I'll give you an even better option - how about a pair for your little one, your little one-to-be or your nephew, niece, cousin, best friend's baby, etc.? Freshly Picked is kindly giving away one pair of baby moccasins to a lucky reader. Just visit their site, and then come back here, comment what pair you would choose and enter via the Rafflecopter widget. There are many extra ways to enter also.
You know how to Rafflecopter it. Good luck!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
You know how to Rafflecopter it. Good luck!
Subscribe to:
Posts
(
Atom
)