Cheeseball

Dear Little Turkey,

       I wanted to write you a note to let you know how much you've changed my life. And no, not in the cliche ways, ie: "for the better" or "I'll never be the same", but in the day-to-day small ways. Sound good? Let's get started.

* Did you know that as much as I love checking social media in the morning, it's seeing your happy face that I jump out of bed for?
* Did you know that I use my lunch breaks now to do laundry or clean the house? Why waste our precious time in the evenings doing household chores? I can always eat at my desk.
* Did you know that I'll make the same weird noise 57,642 times in a row if it means you'll keep laughing?
* Did you know that I go to bed earlier so that I can be there for you if you should need me throughout the night?
* Did you know that I always shorten my morning workouts in order to linger more when I drop you off at school? Oh, you want hug #18?  ABSOLUTELY! 
* Did you know that I'd rather snuggle and watch Thomas with you than any of my favorite shows?
* Did you know that I can really hurt myself and not cry whereas I see you get hurt and can't contain the tears?

Thank you for being you. Thank you for bear hugs and slobbery kisses and sweet smiles. I can't imagine life without them and look forward to them every second of the day. 

                                         Love,

                                         Mommy

MedWish Band Aid Bash 2013

I was so excited when my friend, Jen, reached out to me with complimentary tickets to this annual charity event. Amazing food by top chefs, exotic drinks, a live band and an auction all within a warehouse?

SOLD!

The event benefits MedWish which sends doctors and humanitarians usable medical surplus donated by hospitals. It's a wonderful, local organization that's been around for 20 years now and I was excited to get dressed up for a fun evening with the hubs.







The VIP reception began at 6:30 and shortly after, dinner and drinks were served. The event included small portions of various foods from four of Cleveland's finest restaurants. DE-LISH! The raffle this year was for a blue 1994 Porsche 968 (sorry dad, I tried to win it for you!), and the silent auction had tons to chose from. The live auction included luxurious vacation spots, a 3.2 carat necklace and a private jet trip to NYC. 

We ate and ate and ate. And then had a lot of drinks and ate some more. It was bliss.

In between eating, we did do some mingling, wine pulling, auction bidding and even ran across a couple of Cleveland bloggers, Julie and Katie. Aren't they hot mama's?

Then, just when we thought we couldn't stuff one more bite in our stomachs, a local ice cream shop and donut truck both showed up to hand out sweets. Needless to say, My Fitness Pal was majorly abused. YOLO.

Anyway, once the main festivities ended and the warehouse turned into a singles-nightclub-mingle, we decided to grab our bottle of wine and head home.

As far as a charity event goes, this one was outstanding. Now I just need to win the lottery so I can bid on the $24,000 luxury villa in Turks and Caicos next year!

(Disclosure: I was given tickets for this event in order to provide a recap for Jen's blog, however, all opinions are my own!)

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Also stay tuned for my May giveaway...

A custom blog design by Grey Loves Design! 

Details coming soon.....

Baby Birds & Blogger Babes

I guess we don't have babies yet, but they are coming! Momma Robin diligently made a nest on our garage's motion light a couple weeks ago and has been perched there every day. She's a smart mother... building a nest where squirrels can't reach and the elements won't really effect her. I like her.

Some of you might remember what happened last year in our front yard? I can't promise I won't try and snap another picture of the babies, but I'll at least catch them when they are much sooner and can't fathom flying. 

For now, I'll leave you with a picture of their gorgeous eggs.

Anyone else have cute little nests around their house? If so, any babies yet?

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Moving on....

I've always told you guys how much I appreciate your advice, words of wisdom and thoughts on my posts. Blogging has been a passion for years now and through it, I've made several great friends, some of whom I've met in person and some of whom I can't wait to meet! A local group, the Ohio Blogging Association, has led me to meet some wonderful people as well, a few of whom I met out for dinner and drinks Wednesday night! 

Thanks for the picture Jen!

It was a fun time full of great stories and if you are located in the Cleveland area, you need to check out their blogs! 

(from left to right)

Amanda from Clue into Cleveland

Kimberly from Smitten in Cleveland

Jen from Why CLE?

Julie from Am I There Yet?

Jess from JAM in CLE

And muah!

Have you ever met any bloggers in person?

Cheers to the weekend!

Never Stop

So this song is over a year old but I heard it for the first time a few weeks back

and FELL. IN. LOVE. My heart literally exploded.

And I cried.

This post is for you babe. 

No pictures of Drew. 

No stories of our outings.

Just a song to express my fierce love for you. 

You are my all. And I will never stop. Period.

This is my love song to you

Let every woman know I'm yours

So you can fall asleep each night, babe

And know I'm dreaming of you more

You're always hoping that we make it
You always wanna keep my gaze
Well, you're the only one I see
And that's the one thing that won't change

I will never stop tryin'
I will never stop watchin' as you leave
I will never stop losing my breath
Every time I see you lookin' back at me

And I will never stop holding your hand

I will never stop opening your door
I will never stop choosin' you, babe
I will never get used to you

And with this love song to you

It's not a momentary phase
You are my life, I don't deserve you
But you love me just the same

And as the mirror says we're older
I will not look the other way
You are my life, my love, my only
And that's the one thing that won't change

Battle Wounds

Let me set the scene.

It was a sunny, warm 56 degrees and I was nearing only a mile into my lunch-break run. I was excited to be running outside in my favorite capri's and it had been a great weekend to reflect on. People were enjoying the sun with windows down and it felt good to be pounding the pavement with some perfect music. Life was good.

And then it happened.

I don't really remember what I stubbed my toe on, but as I was falling down, a few thoughts rushed through my mind. 

* Please God don't let me knock out any teeth.

(I have a weird fear about that)

* Don't land on your phone and break it.

* Definitely will be blogging about this.

* Please don't end up on youtube.

As I reached for my mace, I noticed my bloody palm and thought meh, not bad. Pushing myself into a sitting position, however, I pulled back my pant legs to reveal a bloody mess on my knee and then the pain began. I couldn't stand just yet as the shock of it all had me shaky like I could pass out. There was also a string of cars about to pass by in which, I knew, at least one would stop and help me up. I mean, who drives by a bleeding girl with tears streaming down her face?

Um... apparently everyone.

I soon realized no one was stopping and my heart broke. Who sees that and keeps driving? I ended up pulling myself to standing and hobbling in the nearest door. It was a local chocolate shop with the sweetest employee who dropped everything and helped me to a chair. She ran to get items from their first aid kit, offered me water and chocolates and chatted with me to help me calm down. I'm sure the embarrassment combined with the fact my pants were trash led to why I was crying, but in my heart of hearts, I knew it was pure disappointment in the community. It wasn't like I expected people to jump out and rush me to the hospital, but a nice "are you ok?" would have sufficed. 

After I hobbled home, I patched up what I could and cried some more. A lot. It was odd how hard cried but I couldn't shake how mad I was at everyone who passed by. With words of encouragement from friends, and neosporin on the wounds, it was back to work for me. Derek did swimming lessons with Drew as I knew I couldn't handle the chlorine-on-an-open-gash pain and tylenol has helped somewhat. Thankfully, my friend McWhiskey also decided to join the pity party and is currently taking away all of my pain as I type this post. Sometimes he's all I need in life.

And now, the battle wounds. Rated PG-13.

Much worse than in 2009 wouldn't you say? Stupid clumsiness.

Personal plea: If you see a runner fall, please pull over and make sure they are ok. It's just common courtesy people.

EarthFest 2013

While looking for something different to do this weekend, I came across a flyer for Cleveland's EarthFest last week. Kettle corn, a petting zoo, healthy food and wildlife exhibits was what sucked me in and on the calendar it went. Thanks to the 39 degree weather, we bundled up and ventured out to the festival this morning.

Overall, it was pretty lame. Not gonna lie. Mostly exhibitors from energy and solar companies, but what originally had me interested didn't fail us. The numerous goats were of all sizes, the deer was adorable and the lemurs, owls and kangaroo's were too cute not to enjoy. (Who doesn't love seeing a 5 day old goat?!)

Right after we bought some kettle corn, we came across the food trucks and I spotted my fav: Sweet! The Mobile Cupcakery. It's the weekend....so splurging on calories is ok, right? We grabbed two for after lunch and were off towards home.

Oh and in other news, I'm now obsessed with Nutella. My bestie told me about it years ago and I should have listened to her. It's extremely addicting and the taste is divine! I'd suggest you get some today if you've never tried it. 

Beautiful Mama Award

Thanks to the wonderful and sweet Lanaya over at Raising Reagan for the awesome blog award! I know there are a lot of cheesy blog 'awards' that float around from time to time, but this one is about something I LOVE... being a mother!

This blogging community has given me so many tips, pieces of advice, helpful hints and more on how to be a better mother so I thank YOU! Your words of encouragement and funny stories sometimes make my day and I love the friendships I've built from blogging.

I could nominate EVERY mother blogger out there, but want to nominate a few of my newer favs -

Kelly from Four Kids, A Minivan & A Lot of Love

Jessica from Learning As We Go

Gillian from Comes in Colours

Stephanie from This Wonderful Life

Jenny at Creatively Blooming

Danielle from Lean Green Mama
Crystal at Next To Heaven

What to do:
1. Use the above image in your acceptance post.
2. List 3 things you love most about motherhood.
3. Nominate as many other deserving mamas as you'd like!

Three things that I love most about being a mom:

1. The fun. It's such a cliche to say you can't imagine how fun children are, but it's so true. Having my son has taught me how to just let loose and enjoy the moment while also reminding me that it's the small, spontaneous things in life that matter. Whether it's a dance party in the kitchen, or a crazy drive to chase down a train, life with an infant/baby/toddler has been so fun and for that, I'm grateful.

2. Letting go. With Drew in my life, I've really learned to let go. Let go of drama, let go of people who cause tension and let go of artificial wants. I've learned to let go of expectations and just be in the present, enjoying what life throws at us. Drew has taught me to enjoy the journey instead of focus on the ending!

3. My role. Although difficult sometimes, I love the role of being a teacher, snuggler, singer, healer, storyteller, and more for our son. I love that sometimes he only wants me to hold him and no one else. Only I can kiss his boo boo or put on his jacket and hearing him say the single word of "mommy" brightens my world.

Drew's Sunflowers

I'm obsessed with the $1 Target bins. Like, I have a problem. Anyone else? I know it's not just me.

Anyway, I picked up this little sunflower kit for Drew before Easter. I was really excited to let him do the planting in the tiny pot, then transfer outdoors once it grew to the recommended height. He carefully inserted the seeds into the pot and enjoyed watering it each day.

It's crazy how fast those seeds grew! Check out that speed! Wish I could afford some awesome time-lapse camera that I could have set up for the week...

Anyhoo, it grew to 3 inches meaning it was time to get evicted to the outdoors. We dug a hole, placed the extra, unused seeds in and then carefully transferred the already-growing sunflowers and their roots.

Drew was so proud of his plant and kept talking about it while we played outside that evening. I knew he would love to watch them grow throughout the spring and hopefully we'd get some real sunflowers! (Don't forget, I'm from Kansas so sunflowers have a special place in my heart!)

But less than 12 hours later tragedy struck.

...Or more like my green thumb failed me and I completely forgot to consider how much animals liked seeds.

This is what I found the next morning....

I noticed it as we walked to the car before school and quickly turned Drew's attention fearing he would want to, once again, see how his plant was doing. In the car I explained to him what happened and like a typical toddler, he didn't really care.{thankyoubabyjesus}

I, on the other hand, was pissed. How did I not remember that sunflower seeds were delicious and couldn't be resisted by our squirrels? I was honestly hoping to have a huge post this summer full of large, beautiful sunflower pictures. But here we are.... still barely spring and the project is ruined. Stupid squirrels.

You live and you learn, right?

Still Frigid

Remember last winter when I had to wear gloves and earmuffs to survive a freezing run? And I was jealous because all of you southerners were talking about the 80 degree weather?

Oh wait. That was two days ago. My bad.

Winnie is our running pal.

MID-APRIL people. And our highs this weekend hit like 42. But it "felt like" 38 all weekend. UGH. I was excited to put up Drew's winter stuff, but nope. I made someone sport a hat on Sunday while we played outside and said toddler was not too happy about it.

And then, out of nowhere, yesterday it hit like 66 and was actually sunny for a day. I enjoyed an amazing run with no headband, clothing layers or gloves and it was AMAZEBALLS.

Wanna see what I looked like?

And then here we are. This coming Saturday is only supposed to hit 45 again. Sorry Mr. Grill. You just might not be used until May this year.

I mean, seriously?

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For Boston....

Giveaway Winner

Good morning friends! 

Congrats to Emily Peak for winning the earrings! 

(You have until midnight on Tuesday to contact me by email to claim your prize!)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thanks to everyone who participated in my first ever giveaway, and a huge thanks to Ashley for hosting!

Feel free to shop Ashley's Stella and Dot catalogue anytime! 

Cauliflower Rice

I'm so excited for this new addition to our diet and had to share! 

Instead of actual rice with our meals, we'll now be eating cauliflower rice. 

The best part? How healthy it is!

1 cup rice = 200 calories (average)

1 cup cauliflower rice = 25 calories (average)

Excited yet?

Looks the same as rice. 

Tastes the same as rice.

Has the same consistency as rice.

You NEED to try this! 

It's super simple to make. All you do is chop up the cauliflower a bit, throw it in a food processor for a while, then put it in a microwave safe dish with about a tablespoon of water and heat for around 7 minutes. Then garnish with whatever you normally would rice! 

We love spray butter in this household. Zero calories and tastes exactly the same. I also like cauliflower rice with cilantro or rosemary. It's definitely a versatile side dish and we can't wait to try it with sweet and sour chicken next!

Bon Appetit!

Linking up:

It's OK Thursday

Today I'm linking up with Neely and Amber for their weekly Thursday party.

I think it's OK...
... that I snuck an extra cookie last night and didn't put it in My Fitness Pal.
... that I splurged on a new pair of Prada sunnies. Hey, I stretched my last pair of Chanel's for SIX years people. I think that sets a world record somewhere. (Don't be mad at me mom, I only splurge on a few things in life).
... that my son laughs when he toots. It's adorable.
... that I'm wearing flip flops and have no color on my toes right now.
... that I'm leaving the boys for two separate girls nights within the next two weeks.
.... to listen to Disney music during work for an entire day.
... that I'm obsessed with baked Doritos. Obsessed.
.... that I look at houses in Kansas City even though we won't be back there for years.
... that I'm probably going to act like a 23 year-old when we go to Vegas. Viva Las Vegas!

I Chose Him

Movies have tainted me.

Let me explain.

Some of my favorite movies are based on deep romances where the leading men sweep women off their feet with words and acts of sincere affection. Titantic anyone? Romeo and Juliet? Notebook? It's because of these overly-exaggerated scenes and love stories that I, along with millions of other women, dream of how our future husbands will romance us til the end of time. I envy the women in the stories, yearning for that type of romance in my relationship. All the while realizing that, chances are, it will never happen. 

You see, Derek isn't the romantic type. At least not like the movies portray how men should be. Sure he'll bring me flowers on vday or my birthday and maybe on a couple random occasions throughout the year, but in general, he's not what most consider "romantic". He'll write me little notes and stick them on the fridge once in a while, but grand gestures aren't his thing and he'll freely admit to that. I'd love to someday be able to post a story like Ami's fairytale but Derek's romantic acts are limited to things like telling me I'm beautiful and texting 'I love you'. I'm starting to think this is coming off as complaining to some of you. Well I'm not!

Let me clarify that the point is not to belittle my wonderful husband, or his small, but sweet romantic acts. In fact, I'm probably pretty lucky compared to a lot of women who struggle with their touch-and-go relationships. It's just that I'm a woman. And naturally I'm going to long for romance. I can't help that I'm jealous of friends who have crazy romantic husbands who constantly do beautiful things for their wife. I can't help wish he could put just a smidge more thought behind a surprise. Sorry, I'm human and I don't sugarcoat on this blog.

But do you know why I chose him? Because although he isn't as romantic as the movies show husbands should be, you can bet your ass he's a better father than any movie has ever shown. My husband plays harder with and cares more for Drew than a lot of men out there with their sons. His patience with him is outstanding and everything he does is for our son. It brings me to tears to see how he gently takes over when I'm flustered with Drew and need to cool off. And let's not forget that he loves me something fierce.

Sorry ladies, your hubs can go ahead and sport a "my husband is more romantic than yours" bumper sticker, but mine wins 'Best Husband of The Century' award. I guess it's just about priorities, right? I would never trade his awesome financial sense, dorky humor that matches mine, love for his family, hard work ethic or his Channing Tatum level good looks for some romance. Never. Don't get me wrong though, I'm still secretly hoping he'll whisk me off to Australia someday. I guess a sticky love note will have to suffice for now though.

I chose him. My non-romantic, but amazing father of a husband and best friend in this journey.

Oh, and in other news, Drew begins a new toddler class on Monday that I found. It's titled "Romance: It's Never To Early To Learn The Basics". Start 'em early. 

New Design

Do you like it? I don't. I LOVE it. 

I've been wanting to change my blog around for a while. With how much my hair Drew is changing, I knew I wanted a header without pictures. I also felt it was time to remove all of our travel pictures off the sidebar. Although we love to travel and still do so, that part of my life isn't really front-page worthy anymore. 

If you are looking for some blog design help, I'd HIGHLY recommend Maree from GreyLovesDesign. I came across Maree's blog and etsy shop a few months back and knew I wanted to use her. I love her clean, simple designs that look elegant and fresh. You'll also be happy to know that our etsy communication is nearing 80 messages and she's not sick of me yet. I'm somewhat of a perfectionist with certain aspects of my life, you see, ie the blog. Maree changed the tiniest of things when I needed help without any hesitation. 

Anyway, this is just a shameless plug for my designer who is absolutely wonderful to work with.

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Also just a reminder that you have a few more days to enter the giveaway to win a pair of GORGEOUS earrings! 

Spread the word on your blog or post on facebook for the most entry points! 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Clothes Are Overrated

I think I've gone overboard with how much I mention naked time in our household on this blog. I can't help it. I'm seriously addicted. There's just nothing cuter than a dimply, soft toosh and fat squishy thighs. Don't worry, I didn't include any rated 'R' shots on this post. It's family friendly today.

What's funny is how much Drew has begun to adore naked time. When he jumps out of the tub he screams 'nakie time' and runs into his room as if he's been dying all day to be sans clothes. But then again, doesn't everyone feel better being naked after a fresh bath?

Sure we've had a few pee mishaps, but it's ok. That's why they invented papertowels. It's worth the cleaning to let that beautiful skin breath for a while with nothing covering it up.

It's worth seeing his baby fat jiggle as he runs around his room and seeing his cute, plump feet that I can't help but grab and kiss. Gross? Just wait til your a mom. You'll understand.

Only a few more days left to enter the Giveaway!

 Click HERE for more details.

Stella and Dot Giveaway

It's here. 

Who's excited?

My lovely sorority sister and a Stella and Dot Star Stylist, Ashley, had the brilliant idea of doing a giveaway on my blog. I jumped. What better way to show you all how much I appreciate your support, feedback, and words of wisdom than to give you an awesome pair of earrings!?

So here we go.

The Prize? 

One FABULOUS pair of these earrings in your choice of color! 

(Stella and Dot serenity small stone drop earrings available in 4 colors)

Giveaway Details

- You can enter once per day!

- The drawing will be open from April 5th through April 14th. 

- Ashley has graciously offered to cover all shipping costs!

Anyone who purchase from Stella and Dot through this link during this giveaway's window will be entered to win a $40 gift card to Stella and Dot!

(gift card will be sent electronically and does not include taxes or shipping costs. Winner will be verified with random.org and announced at the same time as the giveaway winner).

Let's think about the odds of winning that gift card. We all know only a few people will actually purchase something, right? Why don't you be one of them and have a shot at $40! 

GOOD LUCK!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Terms and Conditions: You MUST be a US resident and at least 18 years old to enter. Winner will be determined at random using Rafflecopter. The prize will be mailed to a location only within the United States. Winner will need to contact Sarah within 48 hours after the giveaway ends. If they do not, the prize will be awarded to the 2nd place winner. The winner can select only one of the four colors of earrings listed above and this giveaway is for a one pair of earrings. The giveaway begins Friday, April 5th at 12:00am EST and and ends Sunday, April 14 at 11:59pm EST. Subject to all federal, state and local laws/regulations. Neither Our Journey, Stella and Dot, nor any affiliates will have any liability whatsoever for any injuries, losses or damages of any kind caused by any prize or resulting from acceptance, possession, use and/or misuse of any prize or participation in these promotions. All opinions are 100% that of Our Journey. 

Say Cheese!

Drew has been smiling on command for a few months now. The problem, however, is that his 'smile' is this cheesy, squinted eyes (adorable) face where he kinda looks like he's about to start yelling at someone. Or like he's trying to drop a deuce or grinding his teeth in frustration. I'd say this probably happens 90% of the time when snapping pictures and I ask him to "say cheese".

Exhibits A-C

...and D

See what I mean? It's adorable, sure, but I'd give anything to catch smiles like these more....

I guess that's why we call him cheeseball.

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Do YOU want something to smile about? Come back tomorrow for my very first giveaway! 

It will be worth your time... promise. 

Truths About Me

The lovely Whitney at Black Little Button tagged me in her post last week about self truths. I love posts that show people who bloggers really are and thought it would be fun to put some random truths about myself out there.

* Sometimes I think I'm in a movie similar to The Truman Show. Like for realz. There are way too many oddities and serendipitous moments in my life for me not to be. The husband and I even call it "the producer"  when strange things happen. I should start a journal so you guys can see what I mean!

* I've had some weird stuff in my lifetime. Ringworm? Check. Xanthogranuloma nevus? Check. (and yes, that's spelled correctly.. google it!) A Ganglion Cyst? Check. Shingles? Check.

* We owned a camper growing up and I've spent time in probably 35-40 of our great states. Traveling with my family was a big part of my childhood and seeing the world that way helped shaped me into the person I am today. Sure we could have stayed at 5-star resorts, but living with the basics for a week or two at a time changes your perspective on 'needs' versus 'wants'.

* I canNOT go to the bathroom (and we're not just talking #1 here people) without having something to read. If I'm in a public restroom and there's not a spray bottle or something to read, I become very anxious and can nearly break out into cold sweats. Weird I know.

* I twirled the baton for 15 years. I'd love for my daughter to do the same should I have one someday!

I'm tagging these new followers and lovely ladies: Nikki, Kelley, Katie and Suzanne.

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And on another note, I hope you'll hop over this Friday for my first ever GIVEAWAY!

Here's a hint to what it might include...

Check It Out!

I'm guest posting today on Sarah Tucker's blog. She's an awesome chica who also has two big dogs, one of which is named Bailey! 

Check out my post here.

Easter 2013

I'm sure everyone is already over Easter and on to playing awesome April Fool's jokes today, but I had to get a quick recap of my own up for documentation sake. It's been a great Holiday weekend having my parents in town and here's just a snapshot of we did this weekend accompanied by pictures....

Easter Egg Hunt #1
Our local nature and science center has an awesome hunt for only $7. Spots are limited and child-trampling isn't allowed. They each get the same bag of goodies and there's even a real live bunny for the children to torment pet.

Then we wandered around the center to check out the other animals before ending at the puppet show where Drew had a blast 'putting on a show'.

Easter Egg Dying
We didn't try this with Drew last year as I was just deathly afraid of getting dye everywhere, including him. This year he was an awesome little helper who listened to directions and did exactly what he was supposed to.

Church
I was so glad to have my family in town so that we could attend church on this wonderful Holiday together. And, of course, having a great excuse to dress up the little man.

Easter Egg Hunt #2
We did the obligatory front yard hunt and it was another success. The little guy loved finding what was in his eggs and putting his coins into his piggy bank!

Chalk Time
We winded down the evening on Sunday with some drawing sessions. My father is an artist and I'm sure he relished in this moment with Drew. It was adorable watching him try to draw with both Gramma and Poppa drew.

And here's a quick video of the cuteness that ensued when making noise while drawing with chalk: (make sure your volume is up around 20 seconds)

Hope you had a glorious Easter as well!