Daily Dime – A Royals Game

Taking advantage of a new link-up to post 10-pics from our first Royals game as a family this year!

10 pics, one day: 

Feeling pretty confident in our parenting game as we strolled into Kauffman Stadium…both kids napped on the way and everyone was in good spirits!

Made it to our seats and enjoyed the first inning before the rain began…

Which eventually turned into a 2hr rain delay…ugh.  We debated leaving several times but decided to stick it out for a bit and made our way around the stadium in an attempt to keep the kids entertained.

Thankfully they pulled the tarp back just as we were reaching the end of our patience…so we grabbed a couple beers and made our way back to our seats.

As we neared the 4hour mark the kids were starting to unravel…

So we packed it up and headed home.  The Royals were down by quite a few so we didn’t miss much.  Even with the rain delay it ended up being a pretty fun trip to the K!

Linking up with Sarah and the other hosts of The Daily Dime!

Kristin // Taz + Belly

Kristy // Seven Graces

Kerry // XO Kerry

Chelsea // Binkies and Baubles

Jennifer // Life in the Greenhouse

Courtney // Our Alabama Life

Friday Hodgepodge

Oh hey there! In an attempt to get my blogging mojo back I’m checking in today with 5 quick things!

ONE }  On Monday Lance and I celebrated 7 years of marriage.  I originally started this blog to document the wedding planning process way back when so I couldn’t post without acknowledging that.  I won’t go into how our marriage has changed over the years…but it’s safe to say we have definitely evolved as a couple and learned so much about how to work together as a team since having kids.  Every year comes with new challenges and I couldn’t be more grateful to have Lance as my sidekick through it all.

TWO } Jack started TBall this week!  Lance has been pitching to him a ton in the backyard and I’m not trying to brag or anything…but the kid is getting pretty good.

I’m excited to see how he does this year!  The “games” are always good for comic relief.  You just never know what you’re going to get with 3&4 year olds.  Allison just likes the dirt…and yelling for “Da! Da!” the whole time.

THREE }  I’m meeting up with a potential babysitter tonight after work…and I’m not totally sure what I’m supposed to say or ask.  This is the first time I’ve tried to hire someone we don’t already know and/or family.  So while I’m a tad nervous…I’m actually not too concerned.  Now that it’s summer I’m itching to get out for some date nights!  So really as long as the girl doesn’t do meth I’m probably going to hire her.  Bonus points if she cleans up Mac-N-Cheese off the floor.

FOUR }  I’m proud to say I’m still going strong with the Beachbody workouts!  I never realized how much being in a challenge group would help…but it has made a world of a difference as far as staying motivated and on track.  If you’ve ever thought about doing it I say GO FOR IT!  

I was on the fence and am so glad that I did…I know I wouldn’t be in the shape I am today if I hadn’t signed up.  In fact, I recently finished 60 days of Insanity Max 30 and you better believed I submitted my results for that free tee.  That shit is HARD!

I lost a total of 9.5 inches, most of which were from my waist and hips!  So yep…this is what I’ll be wearing this summer from here on out.  Oh and next week is Shaun Week…I may be embarrassingly excited about getting my ass kicked every morning.

FIVE }  I ordered this super fancy blow up pool (since we don’t live in an HOA with a pool like the rest of JoCo) to keep the kids somewhat entertained on hot weekend this summer.

The seat on the inside sold me…and the cup holders because duh.  Planning to test it out this weekend with the balmy temps in the forecast so keep an eye on my Instagram if you want to see it in all its’ WT glory.  Hopefully a little classier step up from this…

Have a great weekend everyone!

 Linking up with Momfessionals

 

Friday 5

Oh hey!  It’s Friday!  Here are 5 quick things…

ONE }  Lance is heading to Florida this weekend to watch some spring training games with his good friends.  I’m 100% supportive of him doing fun things…but that doesn’t mean I’m not also 100% jealous that he will be kid free and living it up for 3 days.  I convinced my Mom to come down for the weekend so that she can take care of me….I mean the kids….I mean HELP ME take care of the kids 😉

TWO } If you live in KC and like good beer then you’re probably aware of the KC Tap Tour promotion currently going.

You pick up a $5 “guidebook” and make your way around the KC beer scene getting it stamped and taking advantage of the drink coupons/discounts. Even though we’ve been to the majority of breweries in the guide we are on a mission to complete it by the end of May so we can get the free Charlie Hustle tee…I mean duh.  We hired our trusty local babysitter a couple weekends ago and knocked out 3 of them.  Then last weekend we took the kids along to Martin City (since they have food!) and knocked that one out.  Big fan of that place as well and I can see us going back this summer with the kids and enjoying the patio!

So if you’re into beer make sure you grab a book and get touring…and invite me along because I have no idea how we’re going to get all these checked off because #kids and also #not21anymore.  Can’t hang like I used to.

(Oh and if there was any doubt I’m not getting anything for saying this…not even a free beer though that would be nice…I’m just a huge fan of local beer and supporting local things :)

THREE } I recently bit the bullet and bought a couple tops from Gray Monroe* when she had a 50% off sale stuff deal.  I was so excited to get them only to have them both be too big (I went with medium per my usual size) …womp womp.  However I decided to give it another go when she had all the tops on happy hour sale one day after seeing and wanting this top:

I’ve got a thing for loose peplum tops at the moment so I gave it a shot and WIN!  I went with a small this go around and it fits great and looks cute!  Of course I haven’t worn it yet because it’s white and I have kids…soooo need to find an excuse to escape my kids and wear it. Now I’m debating getting this romper…

I feel like this is way out of my comfort zone…but hopefully if I keep up with the beachbody workouts and (attempting to eat well) I can rock it confidently this summer!  Of course #2 above counteracts that whole “eating well” thing… #lifeishard

*this is an affiliate link…not that I expect anything from it…full disclosure people 😉

FOUR }  I’m about a month into my new job and so far so good!  It’s always awkward being the “new person”, especially in a place where new people are not hired too often.  So everyone notices you and wants to ask a lot of questions.  It’s been nice having human interaction again…granted sometimes it’s a bit TOO much.  I’ve been enjoying getting dressed in the mornings like a real put together person…but then of course I can’t wait to get home and put my leggings back on and baggy old tee shirt 😉 Somehow I have a lot more laundry now too.

FIVE }  We’ve been upping our crock-pot and meal planning game now that I work out of the house and this is one of the recent winners. Crock Pot Salsa Verde Chicken… So Good!  You have to get the Archer Farms salsa though…pretty sure that’s the secret.

OK THAT’S IT! HAPPY FRIDAY!!

*linking up with…

September Farm & Momfessionals

5 Things I Will Miss About Working From Home

Well it’s been a hot minute.  Let’s just skip over all the crap that’s going on in the ol land of the free and hop right into the super important things that make up my daily life 😉

I GOT A NEW JOB!

The reality of a Trump administration (not going all political rouge on you promise) means jobs like mine (climate science research) may not be promised funding for much longer.  I don’t think funding will get completely shut out…but I do believe funding will be harder to get.  When you’re paid by federal funds that come in 3 year packages, they eventually run out, and if you don’t win more funds…then you’re screwed.  Sooooo long story short…it’s always been the in cards that I would need to find a new job at some point.

Thankfully all the stars aligned and I feel beyond lucky to have landed a job right here in KC doing something in my field…which is NOT an easy task.  I’m still waiting to get the call that they changed their minds.  I’ve worked this same job for over 7 years so it feels weird to be starting somewhere new.  #prayforme

Anyways…my start date is Feb 21st and I’ll be trading in my daily leggings and old ratty sweatshirts for real pants.  I’m quite sad about this.  I actually need to do some shopping because I haven’t had to dress like an adult for a job since 2008.

 

And so I present…

ONE) Not having to wear real clothes.  As if this needs any explanation…I have fallen into the stereotypical ‘work from home’ person and rock leggings and sweatshirts pretty much every day…sometimes it’s the exact same outfit for 2-3 days in a row.  #noshame

I rarely put on makeup or wash my hair.  Basically I’m the opposite of the 1960’s era housewife.  I look like crap and my husband still loves me…so at least I got that going for me.  Now I just have to figure out what one wears to a job these days…are jeans ok?!  Are khaki’s still a thing?!  Can I wear slippers?!

TWO) The Freedom.  The ability to do laundry, run the vacuum around, clean up the kitchen, make my own lunches, run quick errands, sneak in a workout.  ALL OF IT…and without KIDS AROUND.  Sure working from home alone in a basement can be isolating…but who cares when you can do all this crap during the day WHILE working!  I’m not sure how I’m going to go back to not having this freedom.  Like my friend shelley used to tell me…”wait till you have a ‘real’ job”.  OH I know…the reality is about to hit me like a ton of bricks and I’m going to whine and cry all about it to her 😉

THREE) Sneaking in a workout.  For the last couple months or so I’ve been dedicated to getting back into a consistent workout routine.  The main reason I’ve had success (so far) is the ability to sneak in a workout here at home either before/after working for the day.  Thanks to #1 above, I can check morning email, blast through a T25 routine, and jump in the shower quick before getting down to business.

Now I’ll just have to beat my kids to waking up each day at 5am and squeeze it in.  I also recently signed up for a year of Beachbody on demand as an incentive to stick with it…so here’s hoping Brittany can keep me in line 😉

FOUR) The quiet.  If you have kids you know what I mean.  There is something so tranquil about absolute silence when your house is normally filled with screaming kids begging for things or crying because they can’t throw balls at their sister’s head.  No whining, no crying, no “you’re a poop” for 8 amazing hours.  Most days I listen to some spotify playlist in the background…but sometimes it’s nice to just enjoy the peace and quiet.

FIVE) Friday Beers.  Now that I think about it, I didn’t do this NEARLY as much as I should have.  Once in a while though, If I got all my work done early on Friday, Lance and I would meet up for a beer or two before getting the kids from daycare.  A couple of times I would have a beer while finishing up on a Friday afternoon.  I always said I was going to go “work from a brewery” some day…but that never happened because the thought of having to put on real clothes and the reality of me falling asleep after having a beer always kept me from busting out of my basement office.  So I’m not that cool.  Hopefully as I build up some vacation time Lance and I will still be able to meet for happy hours once in a while.  But still…the freedom of being able to take my computer and work from wherever will definitely be missed.

So Yes.  Time to strap on my big girl pants, do the commute thing, log the hours, build up the vacation time, store food in a communal fridge, and all the other weird things people do in an office.  Stay tuned to see if I survive.

Christmas 2016

Not gonna lie…Christmas is exhausting.  It’s like a giant shit show of presents, sugar, whining, giant toys, food, and no sleep. On Christmas Eve Eve I’m all ‘YAY CHRISTMAS SO FUN!’ …then by mid-afternoon of Christmas Day I’m done. Just tired of  parenting and being off schedule and sleeping in the same room as my kids.

Nevertheless we are fortunate to finally live within driving distance of my family and for that I am grateful.  Being with family over the Holidays is usually worth the exhaustion in the end. For all the hard and frustrating times we have while traveling with the kids, the fun moments tend to make it worth it.

We had “Santa” come on Wednesday night since we planned to leave Friday and didn’t want to drag all the crap up to Nebraska. Plus this gave the kids a full day to play with their new fun stuff while they were home on Thursday (aka made my day easier).

Then on Friday morning we opened the rest of our family gifts before hitting the road. Lance got Jack this giant Thomas track jump thing (without telling me) and it currently takes up half the basement…so that’s fun. I have strong feelings about toys that can not be easily stored away. Probably why Lance “forgot” to mention it. 

The trip up to Fremont was pretty uneventful (minus the dude with a gun on I29 causing it to shut down for a while delaying our leave time a bit) but confirmed the need for a van.  I can’t stand having to constantly turn around and pick up crap, give Allison her paci, get food for Jack, etc…drives me bonkers!!  I need SPACE!  and sliding doors!  and cup holders!

We went to my Dad’s house for lunch on Christmas Eve, and then spent the rest of the time at my Mom’s house with her 20 trees. Christmas decorations have never been lacking in her house.

The kids were overtired crank-fests by 5pm so we skipped church and Christmas light viewing and let them open gifts before the adults (we do Christmas Eve gift opening) so we could get them to bed before the meltdowns began.

Then we opened our gifts, drank wine, and played a million rounds of Catch Phrase.

We had a delicious dinner at my Aunt and Uncles house in Omaha on Christmas Day and played the game of logos…or something…I don’t know I spent most of the game time trying to get Allison to nap. The few minutes I played I was terrible…brands are apparently not my thing.

At least Allison rocked her buffalo check headband from the Splendid Bow Shop!

We had planned to stay one final night at my Mom’s before heading back, but after spending two hours trying to get the kids to sleep we surrendered and threw them and all the crap in the Rav and headed back to KC. They slept the entire way (thank god) and we got to listen to the Chiefs win…so not a total waste!

All in all it was a great Christmas. Holidays with kids are fun but also a ton of work…you don’t get to relax really…it’s nonstop parenting.  The holiday hangover hasn’t been too bad now that we are back to work/daycare and on schedule.  Of course we have a 4-day weekend coming up for New Years so wish me luck!

Or send wine.

Merry & Bright Playlist

 

Now that the Holidays are in full swing (we got our first dusting of snow today!) Christmas tunes are basically on non-stop around here…much to Jack’s dismay.  He has lots of opinions about which songs I’m allowed to play and/or sing.  Poor thing is only four and he has a whole life of torture (via my singing) in front of him.

I put together a little playlist of some that I’m loving right now and torturing my family with.  This one is more indie leaning (maybe I’ll do one with my favorite pop/classic songs as well?!).  Enjoy!

White Winter Hymnal – Pentatonix

Let it Snow – Colin & Caroline

Up On The House Top – Zach Gill

Baby, It’s Cold Outside – Colin & Caroline

Silent Night – Zach Gill

Only at Christmas Time – Sufjan Stevens

I’ll Be Home for Christmas/The Christmas Song – Colin & Caroline

Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas – Daniela Andrade

This Time Next Year – Colin & Caroline

If you’re a Spotify addict like myself, you can listen to it here!

 

** Oh and I recently started using Bloglovin’ so you can find me there!
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30+4

Jack was born one week before I turned 30.  Since he turned 4 last Saturday, that makes me 34 as of tomorrow.  I stumbled across some old photos I scanned way back when for our wedding slideshow (do people still do these?!) and came across this gem:

Me on my 4th Birthday.  30 years ago I was rockin yellow like it was my job.  Also, that giant homemade sign is quite impressive…I think it’s safe to say this was probably the biggest party of my life.  Further evidence of this is my cake that year…

I mean look at thing…my Mom didn’t even need pinterest to pull that off.  Apparently I had friends too…no idea who they are but that kid next to me seems slightly concerned about something.  Probably the fact that the kitchen floor had carpeting…. good ol’ 1986.

The thing about being born two days before Halloween is you almost always have a halloween themed birthday party.  There’s no way around it.  It’s been a while since I’ve had an actual party type celebration for my birthday…I blame the kids.

This year though I’m lucky enough to live only a few hours drive from my BFF so she’s coming down so we can watch football together without being touched by kids.  And cuss.  Football, beer, and cussing…sounds like a pretty stellar birthday to me!  No costumes required!

 

 

 

 

Jack at 4yrs

I feel like this blog has been very Allison heavy as of late…that little girl showed up and stole my heart what can I say.  However big brother is turning 4 tomorrow and he deserves a little love too!

This last year has been defined by adding little Allison to our family, but it was also a year of huge growth and development for this kid.  When I think about how much he has changed over the past year my mind is blown away.  3 to 4 is definitely a big year and I feel like the ultimate transition from toddler to little kid.  Here are some random things I don’t want to forget about this past year and my number one man.

• Jack can identify all the NFL football and MLB baseball teams….and will even remember who played who randomly.  He has also learned a bunch of NASCAR drivers and is obsessed with the little NASCAR cars you can buy (not cheap!) and pretends to race them around.  He even does pit stops.  I don’t know where this kid gets it.  We don’t even watch NASCAR (we tape races now so he can) so I’m always surprised when he talks about a driver I’ve never heard of and proceeds to tell me about their car.
• He can write his name. This is amazing to me considering last year at this time all he could do was scribble and had no clue how to properly hold a pencil/pen/marker.  Now this kid is tracing letters and always asking how things are spelled so he can practice writing them…he loves writing his name and his daycare friends’ names.
• He is oddly interested in the weather.  I don’t know where he gets that (maybe b/c both his parents are meteorologists?!)…but he loves watching the weather report and naming off the different temps and letting us know that on Sunday it will be sunny.  When it storms he asks to see the “radio” on our phones….aka the radar.  For some reason he thinks it is going to snow next Tuesday…clearly his forecasting skills aren’t nailed down yet.
• He uses the words poop/toot/fart way more than I’d like.  When we say prayers and sing songs at night he likes to exchange words with toot and poop…so I mean at least he is creative right?  He gets mad if I say “A-men” instead of “A-toot”.  I assume God gets it.
• Speaking of said  “bathroom” words…it took us MONTHS to get this kid to go #2 in the potty. #1 was relatively quick and painless.  I should do an entire post dedicated to our potty training woes…but imagine all the possible things that can go wrong…and they did.  When we thought we were getting there…he would flip the table and then hold things for almost a week.  We had some VERY miserable weekends.  When you are buying economy size Miralax….you know shit has (or in this case hasn’t…ha) hit the fan.  Then…after a rough trip to North Dakota…he got it.  I think I maybe cried a little.  So it took about 9 months from start to finish.  God please let sister get it faster…PLEASE!!!
• Sports are his jam and he loves to play catch with the football, and hit the baseball in the backyard.  He prefers it when his Dad pitches…he told me the other day  he shouldn’t play baseball with me because I’m not very good.  Thanks kid.

I know there’s a million other things about this kid I want to bottle up and never forget…but then this would never end.  He can push my buttons more than anyone and constantly tests my patience…but then out of nowhere he can be the sweetest kid.

He is a handful no doubt and I think for me this past year has been a lesson in patience.  Trying to stay calm and not overreact to every little thing.  It’s tough.  This age has not been easy.  So many more arguments and straight up defiance.  I’m often left feeling like I failed and I have no idea what I’m doing in this whole parenting gig.

Then there are times when he is so sweet to his sister and will get her a toy to play with, or push her around in her cozy coup and my heart just melts.  I know she adores him…but I’m never quite sure how he feels about her.  I can see the beginnings of a strong relationship there…and I look forward to seeing how it blossoms as they continue to grow.

So Happy Birthday to my Jack-y Jack…my little stubborn readheaded ball of energy.  You are loved more than you will ever know!

 

Allison at 1 Year

My little girl is one.  It happened so fast….before we know it she’ll be a walking running, talking, sassy 3yr old.  As much I want to put into words all the thoughts and emotions I have about this…given the current status of her baby book there’s a good chance that won’t happen until she’s 2.  So for now…5 quick things that I don’t want to forget about Allison right now!

ONE:  I’m calling her having her first official “word” and it is “uh-oh”.  She mostly says it when she drops her paci and or sippy cup.  It’s the cutest thing in the world.  I’m not even sure when or where she picked it up but she seems to understand what it means…as far as her beloved paci is concerned.  She also points and mutters “keeeee” when she sees one of our cats.  I’m not sure what she loves more…her paci or the cats.  Or her new pink cozy coup…

Dad wins best birthday gift this year.

TWO:  She is now taking a hand full of steps by herself.  She can go from sitting on the floor to standing/crouching/bending over and taking a few steps all without holding onto something.  She has not been too into push toys which is completely different than her older brother.  That kid pushed ANYTHING and everything around the house for months before and after he learned how to walk…oh wait he still does.  Sometimes she doesn’t seem to care and will just crawl where she wants to go.  Other times she is determined as ever and will get this cute grin on her face as she tries to take some independent steps.  I just love this initial walking stage…when they are just toddling about and look like mini drunks.  Pre-hitting their head on everything and falling all over.

THREE:  Girl loves the wagon.  If we’re outside and she catches the tiniest glimpse of that sucker in the garage all bets are off.  She could happily sit and get pulled around in that thing all day long.

When we go for walks she will just sit back and put her arms out and hold onto each side like she’s just taking it all in….enjoying the ride.  I just roll my eyes and then die from cuteness.

FOUR:  She finally has teeth!  Compared to her teething maniac brother who had a full set by 18mo…she is way behind.  Or just on normal teething time.  She has her two front bottom teeth and 3 1/2 top teeth (last I checked).  I also believe those suckers are the current reason for her sleep issues.

She still wakes up 1-3 times at night and fusses…most of the time she puts herself right back to sleep once she locates her paci.  However lately she has just been sitting up and crying until one of us goes down, retrieves her paci off the floor, and then lays her back down in the crib.  It’s usually quick and painless so I’m not too torn up about it…except when she does it multiple times from the hours of 4-6am.  She loves to wake up and party whine by 5:30 and it is THE WORST.  UGH.  Sleep is for the weak right?!  I’m just holding out hope that one day she will sleep through the night and both her and her brother will stay in bed till 6:30am.  Oh the dreams I dream…

FIVE:  I’m staring to notice little “girly” things about her.  It is so crazy to watch how she is different from her brother.  My mom got her a little baby doll for her birthday and she was instantly taken by it.  She loves to point at the baby’s eyes and hold it in her arms.  It has to sit with her in the cozy coup at all times.

She also loves to try and put headbands in her hair.  I stopped putting them on her for a long time because she would just rip them out…but now she will reach for them and try to put them on.  Then when I do she will smile and touch it lightly with her fingers.  It’s so funny to me!

Overall she is a pretty sweet little girl.  She puts up with her obnoxious older brother constantly taking toys from her (although she is starting to fight back) and will sometimes lay her little head on your shoulder if she feels like cuddling.

I know everyone says this…but it’s true….we are so lucky to have her in our lives.  She brings so much joy and happiness to our little familiy (except at 5am of course) and I feel lucky to be her Mom.  Until she hits puberty anyways.

*linking up with these ladies!

 

Mug Love Exchange

As any Mom will tell you, enjoying a hot cup of coffee on a weekend morning is a rarity.  I’m lucky if I can sneak in a couple sips before I inevitably set my mug up on some high shelf in order to pick up my crying child…only to forget about said coffee until later.  Which by that time it is of course cold…but I still drink it…cause ain’t nobody got time to heat it back up.

Regardless…there is the rare Saturday morning when my kids are being little baby angles and playing happily on the floor long enough for me to enjoy my coffee while it’s still hot.

So of course…being the coffee addict that I am…when I saw that Sarah and some fellow bloggers were hosting a mug exchange I jumped right in.  Who doesn’t love a fun mug?!

Well lucky for me I was paired with Mary of Eat Drink & Be Mary …and she totally spoiled me with a cute mug and fall goodies!  Mary’s blog was new to me and I had so much fun getting to know her through her blog…she seems like a total sweetheart.  She just turned 25 so you should go wish her Happy Birthday!  I’m over here about to turn 34 and still look fondly at 25…oh to be young and free (from kids) again 😉

On to the goodies!

See what I mean…spoiled!  I have already used my mug twice…and washed it by hand just so I could use it again this morning.  Oh and Pumpkin Ale bread mix?!  Um yes…that will be getting made next weekend for sure.  I guess I’ll have to go to the liquor store and stock up on more pumpkin beers!  So thanks for giving me another excuse to go buy beer Mary 😉

I seriously love everything…it was such a fun fall package to get in the mail!  So thanks Mary for totally spoiling me and indulging my love for all things Target dollar spot 😉

And now for the bad news…the mug I sent her BROKE in the mail!!  Seriously…how horrible am I at packaging?!  When she messaged me about it I felt so bad…ugh.  Of course I instantly ordered her an even cuter mug off Etsy and left the packaging/sending part up to the seller…so hopefully it gets to her in once piece and she loves it enough to forgive my poor mailing skills.  So yep…I’m officially fired from all future blog exchanges.

Thanks to all the lovely bloggers for hosting this exchange!  They are also giving away a Starbucks gift card so go enter.

Jaime of No Getting of This Train

Jen of And Hattie Makes Three

Courtney of A + Life

Whitney of Work it Mommy

Liz of Chasin’ Mason

Sarah of Seeing All Sides

Lexi of A Blissful Haven

Amy of Keeping Up with the Smiths

Beth of Our Pretty Little Girls

Stephanie of Wife Mommy Me