First of all, how CUTE is this print from Yellow Heart Art? When it arrived I gave a little squeal of delight- cutest packaging and I just can't get over how perfect it looks in our bedroom. This is the cutest Anniversary present or "just because" present there is. I put it in a frame on Hank's nightstand one night when he fell asleep early as a little surprise when he woke up the next morning. He loved it. Get you own (and anything else in her darling shop) at 20% off with code SWEET20. Thank you Yellow Heart Art!
I shared this last week, but here's a giveaway that ends Sunday: Boon’s new Modster sippy cup is now available at Target and to kick it off they are asking you to share a photo of your Fearless Drinker making their "Modster" face. You'll will be entered for a chance to win $100 in Boon Feeding Products. Just be sure to enter by March 31.
Do you ever watch the TED Talks? I almost always do and thought this one was especially interesting, from the creators of Babble.com.
Almost exactly five years ago, although in a way it feels like a lifetime. In between then and now we've both graduated college (her undergrad, me grad school), gotten married, had babies, but still, after all the changing and growing, we're still the closest of friends. When we were little we each had a quote hanging in our respective rooms- "Sisters by chance, friends by choice." I think about this often, and how lucky we are to have had each other through all of it, through all the stages and chapters of our lives. And how lucky we are to have that one person who knows exactly what it was like to grow up the way we did in that small town, in that yellow house in the middle of the woods, to share all of the funny and silly memories no one else would ever get, to belly laugh over things only the other would understand. And so on Tuesday when Hank and I find out what this next baby is, although news of a girl would be so amazing, it would be just as wonderful to know that Henry will grow up with a brother. There's just something special about that kind of brother-brother or sister-sister relationship, either in the ones we find in our family, or the friends that feel that way.
Oh pregnancy, you're funny. I'm already a super emotional person but somehow this pregnancy has turned me into the biggest sap. Crying over car commercials! Tearing up at a cute old couple crossing the street! Listening to Moon River over and over again feeling like my heart might burst!
It's pretty neat though, right? In my kinda-crazy brain I like to think it's my heart's way of making more room in it for another little person to take his or her place in there. Like all of this crying is making my heart's capacity grow and expand, and in 5 months when the tiniest baby arrives I'll be ready. My heart will be ready!
So many things have been tugging on my heart strings, but this album for some reason has had this magical power to make me feel all of these feelings. And the second song. Just listen to that song, and tell me it doesn't evoke something in you. And it's not like it's some meant-to-make-you-cry type of song. Maybe it's the vocals or the cello, but it's just so beautiful to me. On repeat, forever.
Before Henry was born I had all of these images in my mind of how things would be- how it would feel to do certain things- to dance around the kitchen with him, to sit and play the piano with him, to walk holding his hand. And now these things are happening. One day is this day and it's so overwhelming to me, and so overwhelming to my even more over-emotional self that I want to cry at the simple joy in all of it.
And then I remember thinking awhile ago what it would be like to be pregnant again, what it might feel like to say "my kids," to be a mama of two, spending my days surrounded by children. And suddenly, I am here. And almost halfway done with this oft-dreamed-of pregnancy.
Life is beautiful, isn't it? The constant circle, the ebb and flow, the one days becoming the todays, and all of the possibilities to do with it what we will. And one day I'll look back to now, pregnant with our second baby, feeling so happy and emotional and excited, all rolled into one, and it will be amazing to me that I was once there, because I'll be somewhere totally different. Because that's how it works.
Feeling all these feelings and tucking it all away, in the same place I keep the happiest of memories. I want to remember this.
How's that for a long post title? There's just so much goodness to squish into this post that it had to be long. Just had to.
First of all, can I just say for the 100th time how much I love where we live? All of the activities for kids make Henry and me so happy, and the fact that so many of them are because of our amazing public library? Even better.
Every year the library hosts an Easter celebration that is only about eggs and bunnies and fun (which this non-religious family loves), and it's the best time. And this year, they did a fun activity we did when my sister and I were little, and it inspired me to share a little how-to here. It's seriously SO fun to do with toddlers and they love it too. It's a great alternative to a traditional egg hunt, and makes it a little less overwhelming whether you have one little one hunting, or a whole bunch of them.
You'll need:
dixie cups (6 per "basket") construction paper glue stick stapler/staples pipe cleaners multicolored plastic eggs (with colors that correspond to the paper colors) fun little toys or snacks to put inside the eggs
1. Match up six paper colors to six egg colors. Punch or cut circles in the paper big enough to cover most of the bottom of the cup.
2. Glue each circle to the inside bottom of each of the six cups.
3. Staple the cups together to form a basket, then attach the pipe cleaner to the top as a handle.
4. Fill up the eggs with fun surprises, hide them, and instruct your kiddos to match up the colored eggs with the colors in their basket. So fun!
My Mom did this with Lauren and I when we were little, and Henry absolutely loved doing it yesterday. It's a great sorting activity, and like I mentioned above, a great way to have a bit more purpose to the egg hunt so little ones don't get overwhelmed. And in the library's case, it was nice to have a cap on the amount of eggs the kids can get. If you're doing the egg hunt at home, and want to do more than 6, simply set out a regular Easter basket and have your little one empty out their cup holders into the basket, and try another round.
Happy Easter! Here our some photos from our egg hunt yesterday. Dying over Henry's serious egg-hunting face. And this first photo here is of our beloved children's librarian, Mr. Steve. He's the best.
"a portrait of my son, once a week, every week, in 2013"
Henry: happy to run and jump and play whenever possible, but equally as delighted to read book after book all on his own. See previous portraits here. This is a part of the 52 Project from the Che and Fidel blog.
It's funny isn't it, how some food items can take us straight back to the origin of a memory. Perhaps it's the smell of tomatoes on a vine, or the scent of bread baking wafting through the streets. Maybe it's the way cotton candy looks while spinning that reminds us of happy times with family, or the way the taste of a hot dog can transport us back to our very first baseball game. My childhood memories are so full of food- smells, sights, sounds- and during the holidays, so many memories come flooding back as seasonal items are released.
When Peeps contacted me about doing a post with them I thought it was too funny because I had just had a conversation with my sister about how vividly we remember the Peeps Hot Chocolate our Grandmother used to make for us every Easter. We grew up on the East Coast, so hot cocoa wasn't too crazy of a notion in March, as it was still pretty cold, especially at night.
It was such a simple treat, but so, so special to us, and something we only did once or twice a year right around Easter time.
We always knew our Grandma was planning on making the Easter treat for us because we'd see those familiar Peeps boxes in the basket on her counter when we arrived at her house, set out alongside a couple of mugs and ingredients to make the cocoa. It was such a fun tradition, and although we don't eat a ton of sugar in our house, you can bet we'll be making an exception everytime Easter rolls around so Hank and I can continue the fun with our little ones.
Here's my Grandmas' recipe for her Peeps Hot Chocolate- let me know if you try it!
2 cups whole milk (and milk of your choice would work too) 5 ounces milk chocolate, chopped 3 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 1 teaspoon sugar 1-2 boxes of Peeps (at least 2 Peeps per cup!)
Heat the milk in a saucepan to just below the simmering point. It's best to do this slowly, on medium heat. Take the pan off the burner and add the chocolate. When the chocolate is melted, add the rest of your ingredients and whisk together. Reheat slowly on medium heat again and pour into your favorite mug. Add two Peeps (my childhood favorites were always pink!) and let them melt. Cheers to my Grandma and enjoy!
and p.s, be sure to watch that video up there...SO cute! It's amazing all the things you can do with Peeps besides eat them! Easter crafts galore.
Have you ever done this? Do you and your family have any food-related traditions around the holidays, especially around Easter?
*this post was sponsored by Peeps but as always, all opinions are mine.
I appreciate you guys supporting the occasional sponsored content I share here. xoxo
There's really nothing better than a good sweat session, whether it be outside running (or walking, in my pregnant self's case), or in the gym on a favorite cardio machine. And there's nothing I love more than have a great soundtrack to fuel my workout. My intensity level and motivation is often tied to what music I have to enjoy, and I find that when I get bored with my music, I get bored with my workout too.
Below are my top workout songs of the moment. Be warned, this is a WEIRD mix of music I enjoy, but although it seems a little eclectic, this exact mix is what I've had on my iPhone for the past couple of weeks. I'm loving it! Which song is your favorite?
And if you wouldn't mind, would you share some of your most-loved get it going workout songs in the comments? I'd love to find some new favorites and I'm sure you guys would too!
Hello (and goodbye) weekend! We headed down my parents' house on Friday as soon as Hank got off work, narrowly escaping rush hour traffic. We somehow managed to bypass our usual stop for pie and headed straight for burritos, with my only regret being that we didn't stop for both! It was a quick drive down though, and really, there's not too many things more awesome than Henry's excitement and anticipation at seeing his grandparents. The "Gigi! Poppy!" yells start the second we exit the freeway and don't stop until we've pulled into their driveway and are out of the car. I love it.
Best things about the past couple of days: seeing our family from NY, spending time with Nanny, frozen yogurt, running around barefoot in the grass, laughing forever with my sister, holding little Lucy and daydreaming about this summer when our little one will be here, getting the rest of Henry's Easter goodies, my baby belly finally popping (!!), and driving around with my guys listening to our current album of choice, Bob the Builder. Although this starting to make it to the list below this one after the seventh listen.
Worst things (just to keep it real): Henry's little meltdowns when things don't go his way, or he doesn't want to leave where we are, or he does want to stay where we are (getting the picture here?), seeing my Grandma not doing so well, our meal on Saturday- I think loving Mexican food so much makes me even angrier when it sucks so bad, and feeling like I had ladybugs crawling all over me for hours. Thanks Mom!
I hope your weekend had a lot more things in the "best" section, than in the worst. But the good news is that even if it didn't, there's always next time...
And one more giveaway: Boon’s new Modster sippy cup is now available at Target and to kick it off they are asking you to share a photo of your Fearless Drinker making their "Modster" face and you will be entered for a chance to win $100 in Boon Feeding Products. Just be sure to enter by March 31!
Interesting: timeline of gay marriage in pop culture and the courts. It's still so shocking to me that not everyone has equal rights. Ugh.
Happy weekend! I have made a promise to myself to take my camera out all weekend so if I don't post a "Scenes from our Weekend" post on Sunday night or Monday, someone pinch me!
Kristin is no stranger to this blog- she's a friend of mine who I've convinced to let me feature her a few times (here, here and here!), and I'm always, always blown away by her. She's a lot of wonderful things, but I think the most beautiful thing about her is her selflessness, which inspires everyone around her to do more. I love following along with Kristin on her adventures and journeys, and her IG is one of my absolute favorites. It's a welcome break from photos that can all tend to look the same (mine included), and a great reminder that there is a whole world out there outside of the little bubble we so comfortably live in. Kristin has the most beautiful heart and someone I look up to- she's incredibly sweet, gorgeous both in and out, and I'm beyond excited to have her on Sometimes Sweet once again. Thank you, Kristin!
Name: Kristin Lay of Time Won’t Wait For Me (honestly, this is a blog you'll want to add to your reading list NOW) and hey_kristin on Instagram
What should we know about you: I’m a fairly simple lady. Missouri born and California raised. I graduated from nursing school in 2008 and life was going exactly how I had planned. I had what was, at the time, my dream job, lived in a great area of Southern California, had awesome friends and an amazing boyfriend. Then in January 2011 everything changed suddenly and unexpectedly. I went on a short-term surgical mission to Guwahati, Assam, India with Operation Smile. What was supposed to be a two-week trip turned into me realizing that my life was meant to take a 180-degree turn, if I would let it. I did, and in May 2011 I moved for ‘six months’ to help open a comprehensive cleft care center for Operation Smile in Guwahati. Well, it is nearly two years later and somehow I am still here!!
How I fill my days: I start every morning with a cup of tea on my balcony. I find in a country that can be so overwhelming, it is really important to begin each day with this quiet moment to center myself. I then drive my scooter through the crazy traffic to the cleft care center. There, we repair cleft lips, palates and other facial deformities year round (free of cost) and just performed our 5,000th surgery since opening in May 2011! So awesome!! On any given work day you may find me recovering patients from surgery, leading nurse education, running the surgical schedule, teaching CPR and advanced life support, or just simply playing with patients before surgery with about a million other tasks in between. I have to admit, my job is pretty great.
After/outside of work I dedicate my time to a slum outreach project I started in October 2011 called Pratyasha Foundation. We cook food for and feed roughly 80 kids at our Sunday ‘picnics’ every week, have a healthcare partnership with a local hospital, hold girls days and every evening seven of our girls attend school. School is our biggest and most recent accomplishment and we could not be more excited for our girls who are taking this step! Thanks to support from friends like Dani, this project that started so simply has grown quite naturally.
Everything in between is just normal every day stuff for here. I bathe from a bucket (after heating up my water on the stove), buy fresh veggies from the open air market in the evenings, battle dehydration from the mass amounts of sweating during the summer, wade through the monsoon floods, wiggle my head back and forth to say ‘yes,' eat with my hands and pray for strong enough internet to be able to make Skype calls home!
What I'm currently working on: I NEVER thought I’d be saying this but I am currently elbow deep in officially incorporating Pratyasha Foundation and applying for 501(c)(3) status! I am a total science/medicine person and have exactly zero experience with all of this legal stuff but we are getting through it with some help. I spend too much time looking up the meaning of legal terms and worrying that we’re going to do something incorrectly but I know the actual work we are doing is good and necessary and will grow even more if we take this step to make everything official! Plus? We are planning our Pratyasha outreach center, which means I should also work on increasing the hours in my days and the days in my week!
Who or what inspires me: Sometimes I feel a bit like Ricky in American Beauty…. You could definitely find me exclaiming “That’s the most beautiful plastic bag I’ve ever seen!” I find inspiration in a lot of things because I choose to. Sometimes living in a developing country is extremely overwhelming but so much of that is in the way we choose to process our surroundings. Instead of being broken down by the widespread difficulty here, I find inspiration in the pulsing life and beauty that persists despite it. Working at the surgical center and in the slums has become a tangible way to put this inspiration to work. Also this simple and beautiful quote by Dr. Bill Magee: Love is a choice to make someone else’s problem your problem.
3 current favorite blogs to read:
No Model Lady- I wish my writing was as entertaining as hers! Plus, I literally dream of being in Japan!
Maggie Doyne’s journal on her website- She is practically my neighbor and I love keeping up with what she’s doing in Nepal.
A Beautiful Mess- Okay, so I can not utilize about 99% of their crafts/recipes/décor/fashion/beauty tutorials but can I just say…. GIRL CRUSH? What a couple of amazing ladies!! Bonus points for their shop being in the town I was born in.
It was my second year teaching high school English. I was 22, maybe 23. It was the start of a new school week in the Fall when I received the news that I had been nominated for "Hoopcoming Royalty" which is like normal Homecoming royalty, but for teachers rather than students and as a part of our "Hoopcoming" basketball game. Fun. Until I heard that we had to do a dance during the pep assembly that upcoming Friday. First of all, I am never one to shy away from dancing, or even being in front of a crowd dancing, but already being the youngest teacher on campus and then shaking my booty in front of my fellow teachers, students and hundreds of other teenagers? No way. Never. Not fun.
I tried to get out of it, I did. But the girls on student council let me know I couldn't let my partner down and being my sensitive self, I was overcome with guilt and promised to participate.
I got over my initial fears, and wrapped my head around the task at hand. I could do it! And no offense to my partner, a male teacher in the Social Studies department who shall not be named, but I got stuck with a dud, a too-cool-for-school kinda guy. Regardless though, we discussed our plan, and what would happen. We'd seen enough of the kids' Homecoming royalty pep assembly shenanigans to know the drill- a song we picked would come on, and the two of us would go to the middle of the gymnasium and dance for 20, 30 seconds max. I assured Mr. Cool that it wouldn't be so bad. We could pick an old, silly rap song and more lip sync than anything. We'd be okay.
But he refused.
So what was I to do? I certainly wasn't going to go do it on my own, so the gracious student council members said we could just be announced and walk out there at the end. Kind of lame, but better than doing it on my own.
The week went by stress-free. I didn't have to rehearse a silly dance, I didn't have to anticipate being embarrassed. It was pretty awesome!
Then Friday came. The assembly began and soon our part came up. We were last of 4 other pairings since we were just being announced. I still thought it was totally lame, but I went along with it. Couple #4 went...then we were up. Mr. Cool and I walked out to the center of the gym, ready to be announced, give a little wave, and walk off. But instead, something else happened.
I'll never forget it. We were about six steps to the middle, our feet echoing in that silent gym as I'm sure the students were anticipating what dance we would do. And instead of what I expected, a song came on the loudspeakers.
"I'm too" (wait? what?) "sexy for my love," (holy shit, no way is this happening...) "too sexy for my love," (Jesus H. Christ.) "love's going to leeeeeeeaaave" (yes, this is happening).
The beat began.
In that moment I wasn't sure what to do. My partner, the 6'4" basketball coach, notoriously stoic and straight-faced, continued to be stoic and straight-faced. And me, the 5'3" English teacher, notoriously goofy and pretty smiley, decided to channel my inner-Grandma dancing at a wedding, and dance around my stoic partner, who was still standing there in the middle of the gym, unmoving.
I'm not sure why I chose to do this, or what came over me. It was truly a slow-motion moment, a car accident, something I'm sure if you saw happening you wouldn't be able to look away from. In less than a second I became a dancing, shimmying fool. My subconscious had apparently choreographed a number to this song sometime in the 90s and there I was, in front of hundreds of teenagers and my colleaugues, performing it.
In the middle of my 30-second routine that felt like a lifetime, I remember seeing faces. Some surprised, some horrified, some astounded. But I kept dancing. And when the music ended, there was a slow clap. A slooooooow clap. And then cheers as we walked off, either excited about my awesome moves, or excited that it was over, who really knows...
You'd think one of my most embarrassing moments in a high school would have happened to me while I was in high school, but no. It was in my twenties. And in front of all the people I worked with, and all of the little people I had to have authority over, even after they saw me shaking it to "I'm Too Sexy," and even after I was already mistaken for a student every day of my existence. A few life lessons though: one, never assume someone will do what they say. There might always be someone in the group who thinks it's funny to throw some Right Said Fred in the mix. Two, speak up. I should have demanded a different partner so I could have done a fun rap routine, or on at least worn a banana costume like the PE teacher did. Way cooler. There are other lessons here too, like who cares what people think, get over yourself, etc. But most importantly, perhaps the lesson here is that I should channel my inner-Grandma at a wedding more often because guess what? I WON.
This has not always been my motto, and you can bet that more times than I'd care to admit I've been swept up in the more, more more mindset. It seems to be an easy thing to do, with all of the pretty things floating around online. One look at Pinterest and I'm lost in gorgeous this, that, things and more, and it's easy to start to get the itch to have even more myself.
I grew up very simply- we didn't even have a microwave or any more than 12 channels on our one television. No cable, we line-dried our clothing, and my Mom grew most of our vegetables in the backyard. As I got older though, things changed. And as I started to make money (see me rolling at my first job at Subway), I started to want more.
Now as a Mom I feel like one of my biggest responsibilities is to raise a person who grows up to be kind, compassionate, and tolerant. Those are the biggest things, outside of having love for themselves and those around them. And I think my own Mom did it right. It was so nice to grow up being focused on activities and moments, rather than things. I mean, I never knew the difference then, but looking back now I am incredibly grateful.
This is not to say that I am going to suddenly get rid of our cable (never!), grow all our own food, or even stop indulging on pretty things that make me happy. What's the point of writing all of this then? To me, it's about finding a balance; it's about focusing on and being thankful for what I already have. Memories and activities over things, trying to pare down what we already to have to include only items we find useful or beautiful. This seems like a such a simple idea, but it's something I definitely struggle with and something I'm currently working on.
