Welcome to the Juggle

The Final Countdown

2012-01-27T00:00:00.000-08:00

This song is on a constant loop in my brain this week. I can't believe the race is just two days away.

Two.

I am TWO days away from running a half marathon.

Holy shit.

There's a part of me that still doesn't believe I am going to finish it. I have a problem with following through and actually finishing things I start, so I think it will be a big deal when I cross that finish line.

But I am getting ahead of myself. This week I've been trying to focus on drinking enough water, stretching and compiling the perfect playlist. A girl has to have tunes if she's going to run for over two hours!

I've also been making sure all my gear is in order. I made sure to pack the socks that don't bother me and the sports bra that fits like a glove. I learned on the twelve mile run that even the tiniest bit of stitching can feel like a thorn after ten miles. And I can't afford the distraction.

We are taking off for Disneyland this afternoon for a little pre-race fun. Ben is running in the kids race tomorrow and we'll spend this evening and tomorrow at the park, on a mini-staycation. There is just something about staying in a hotel that makes you feel like you're on a real vacation. Even if it is only 40 miles from your backyard.

While we're there I'm going to be following these tips from the runDisney website:

Be positive. Pick a couple of key phrases that you can repeat to yourself when you need to motivate yourself.
DRINK! During the 48 hours before a race, drink at least 4-6 ounces of water every hour you're awake.
Avoid dehydrating elements like alcohol, caffeine & salt.
Rest & relax. Give yourself some time to relax in a bath or with a movie. Then hit the hay early. That 5.45am start time is no joke!

I am so excited/nervous/scared/proud/nauseous/giddy and I really can't wait to come back and share my thoughts on the race.

Wish me luck!!

Wednesday Wisdom: Race Motivation

2012-01-25T06:00:00.000-08:00

With just four days until race day, I'm pumping myself up with all sorts of motivation. No excuses!

Source: Uploaded by user via Liz on Pinterest

Wednesday Wisdom: High

2012-01-18T00:00:00.000-08:00

Source: sweetsugarspicecandy.tumblr.com via Liz on Pinterest

Tinkerbell Update: 12 Miles Down, 13.1 To Go

2012-01-17T22:00:00.000-08:00

Holy hell. The Tinkerbell Half Marathon is twelve days away.

Tension breaker. Had to be done.

(Bonus points if you can name that cheesy 80’s movie reference.)

Ok, now that I have taken a deep breath, let’s dive into this week’s update.

Over the holidays, I slacked off on running a bit. Cookies, parties and a splash of depression will do that. But once the first of January rolled around, I got back to it. Last Saturday was our long distance run and it was the longest distance I’d run in over seven years.

On the menu? Eleven miles.

Oy.

There was something about double-digits that really freaked me out. Physically, I thought I could do it. Mentally? Eh, not so much. I had visions of my kidneys failing or something. Mind you, I don't even know if your kidneys can fail from running eleven miles, but these were my thoughts.

Regardless of the crazy visions and fears swirling around my brain, I filled my water belt and put on my layers and met up with my running group at stupid o'clock in the morning.

My left knee was a little weak from the previous week so so I decided to baby them a bit and not overdo it. I gave myself permission to walk when I needed to and take it easy. But once I started running, it was hard to stop.

I felt good and my knee wasn't bothering me at all. And my kidneys were feeling good too! As I got to the turnaround point, I got a shot of inspiration from one Mr. Jon Bon Jovi.

I kept thinking I was never going to reach the turnaround and JBJ singing "We're halfway there-air" was just what I needed. I have to figure out how to make sure that song plays at the midway point during the actual race...

I finished strong and felt really good. Of course, I was tired and a bit sore but I was pretty damn proud of myself.

Things kinda went downhill when I got home, though. I started shivering and my lips turned a lovely shade of blue, while my fingernails turned a smidge of purple.

According to some of the running sites I follow, this is from my body trying to regulate it's temperature. Going forward, I have to make sure that I keep hydrated (this starts days before a big run, not just during). I also need to eat something beforehand, as well as after the race.

I'll also be following these suggestions from the runDisney website:

After the Finish
Keep walking for at least half a mile.

Drink about 4-8 oz of fluid.
Within 30 min of the finish, have a snack that is 80% carbohydrate/20% protein.
If you can soak your legs in cool water, during the first two hours after the race, do so for 10-20 min.
Walk for 20-30 minutes later in the day.
The Next Day
Walk for 30-60 minutes, very easy. This can be done at one time, or in installments.
Keep drinking about 4-6 oz an hour of water or sports drink

I didn't do any of those last week and I paid for it. I was sore and tired and spent the rest of the day on the couch, with a Philly cheesesteak and Season 4 of MAD MEN (thanks, Karl!).

According to the group leader, we ran 11 miles. HOWEVER, according to iMapMyRun, it was 11.82 miles.

SAY WHAT?!

I ran almost TWELVE miles?!

Ok, with that knowledge, I am feeling really confident about being able to run 13.1 miles in less than two weeks.

Holy hell. Less than two weeks.....

5 for Friday: Crushing

2012-01-13T09:00:00.000-08:00

The more I think about this space and what I want it to be and the kind of writer I want to be, the more I come across writers that inspire me. Funny that, eh Universe?

This week, I have compiled a short list of writers that I am crushing on. They all have one thing in common; they are honest (sometimes, brutally so) about their lives and experiences.

Some are old friends, some brand new crushes. All are inspirational.

1. Hollywood Housewife
I am girl-crushing so hard on the Hollywood Housewife. She's funny, smart, down to earth...I could gush on and on. I have been devouring her archives all week, while working up the nerve to comment but nothing I think of sounds .... enough. Told ya - crushing hard. One of my favorite posts of hers was the one where she asked herself (& her readers) who she would be if she wasn't a mom/wife/producer. It got me thinking and I love when that happens!

2. Moosh In Indy
I have been following Casey's blog for years and have ridden the ups and downs of infertility and depression and childbirth along with her. This excerpt, from a post earlier this week, really spoke to me. It provided me with the encouragement I needed to write this post.

To those of you who are just starting to find your feet on this path so many of us have been on for so long? Welcome, I hope you find all the joy and wonder I have found in my time here. I’m grateful to be here with you. To be counted among you as part of this social network that has brought us together like never before. Nothing should be scary anymore, nothing should be impossible because suddenly we have access to thousands of men and women who have been were we are or are headed where we too are going.

Also, she is an amazing photographer and her children are supremely squish-able.

3. Neil Kramer
I recently stumbled upon Neil's blog by clicking on a link that led me to another link that led me to Neil. And I am hooked. I love this post in particular, where he claims to have nothing to say and then punches you in the face with brilliance. If that's nothing to say, I can't imagine when he's full of inspiration.

4. Alice Bradley
In addition to her personal blog, Alice writes a column for Babble and it's kicks my ass with every post. She calls bullshit on all the reasons why writers tell themselves they CAN'T write. She also gives workable solutions for all those self-imposed roadblocks. Last month, she posted the five writing resolutions you should make in 2012. And dammit, she's right on.

5. Rebecca Woolf
My original girl blog crush, I met Rebecca when I was 6 months pregnant. After googling "LA mom friends", I came across her post about how making mom friends in LA. I emailed her and we met for coffee. I loved her immediately. She had a comfort in her own skin that I envied. I still do. She never shies away from acknowledging that she doesn't have all the answers, but she never stops forging her own path. This week she wrote a beautiful post about just that and it made me realize just how much I treasure her voice.

Who are your favorite bloggers? Who are your must-reads?

2011 - A Year in Pictures

2012-01-12T22:17:00.000-08:00

Is it too late to do a Year in Review? We are only twelve days into 2012, so I think we're good. Plus, if I don't get this all down, I know I am going to forget it all.

2011 was such a blur of highs and lows and WTFs, so let's just dive right in. Shall we?

We started the year off with a bang...and an emergency room visit. Ben had a scratched cornea and got to wear an eye patch for a few days. It was adorable and heartbreaking. Luckily, there was no permanent damage.

In January, Karl and I began doing some renovations on his house, prepping for Ben and I to move in. The first thing we tackled was the guest bedroom and bath. I am still so proud of the work we did and the way those rooms turned out. While things didn't turn out quite the way I expected, I learned some valuable lessons. For example, you should not paint over wallpaper and then wallpaper over THAT paint. If only to save future homeowners hours of head-scratching, cursing and exasperated sighing.

With March quickly approaching, February was a flurry of packing, packing and more packing. It was such a bittersweet experience to leave the apartment building that I had called home for almost a decade. My best friend lived two floors up. Ben was born there. I was leaving so much behind. It didn't fully hit me until I snapped this picture. The moving van was loaded and waiting outside, and as I took a last look around, I nearly had an anxiety attack. My apartment looked so empty and small.

I closed my eyes, took a deep breath and turned in my key. When I got to my car, I broke down into tears. After a couple of minutes, I gathered myself together and pointed my car toward the future and the house where my boys were waiting with pizza.

We began settling into blended family life in March. We signed Ben up for T-ball and he took to it like a fish to water. We had a couple of rough practices but he consistently impressed me with his focus and his wacky dances in outfield.

Because moving in and the adjustments that come with THAT wasn't stressful enough, Karl and I began the P90X regimen. So then we were stressed, overtired, sore and hungry. It was a rough month.

I remember April as a blur of great performances, sore muscles and anxiety. In one month, I sang and danced and faked a pregnancy at the Prince concert, was invited to a secret Robyn show and eavesdropped on a conversation between Steve Martin and Tina Fey. P90X kicked my ass on a daily basis and I enrolled in a writing class. I felt inadequate and anxious just about every day in April. Another tough month.

Worked amped up in May and I also co-hosted a baby shower for my dear friend Leigh. Planning brunches and late nights making cake pops. Stressful days at work and stressful nights at home. At least, I had this adorable diaper cake to show for it. And I even managed to post a tutorial on how to make your own!

June. Oof. June was rough. Thinking about it now still makes me verklempt. Ben graduated from Pre-K. My brother graduated from high school. And Karl and I broke up. To clear my head and get a bit of a breather, Ben and I spent a week chilling with the family in Vegas. We swam (& swam & swam & SWAM) and had plenty of family time. I did my best to make sure he had a fun vacation while I crumbled inside.

If June was rough, July was pretty much the worst. Ben and I moved out of Karl's house. We were lucky enough to have friends and family who took us in while I looked for a place to live. Ben spent most of the month with his dad while I stayed with my sister. While the breakup was hard, the worst part was being away from Ben and not having the option to see him everyday. We did manage to take some mini-staycations. We spent a week at the beach with family, celebrating SMK's birthday.

Perhaps my favorite day of the whole month was during Carmeggedon. We spent the weekend in our old neighborhood and had an amazing day at the Griffith Observatory. We took in the planetarium show, ate lunch with a view of the Hollywood sign and lounged in the grass. This picture reminds me that no matter what may be getting you down, you can still go skipping through the grass and have a great day in the midst of a pretty shitty month.

The chaos of the summer came to a head in August. The commute was wearing me down, I missed Ben and it seemed I was never going to find a place to call home. And then, I did. The perfect little bungalow in the perfect neighborhood. We moved in two days before Ben started kindergarten (TWO DAYS!) and a week before his bowling birthday party. While it was a bit hectic, it felt so good to be in a place of our own. Even if we're still not fully unpacked....

September was the month where things began to fall into place. Ben started Fall Ball and fell in love with kindergarten. I enrolled in Mondo Beyondo and magic class. The entire month felt magical and full of possibilities.

October was an extension of September. We explored our new neighborhood, made friends and settled into our new routine. Oh, how I love a routine. It makes me feel safe and secure and happy. Oh, October was also the month I began training for the Tinkerbell Half Marathon.

November is summed up by that picture. Fun, family, relaxed.

With December came the holidays and my birthday and some surprising emotions. The holidays were tougher than I expected, as was turning 35. That said, one of my faovirte memories will always be Ben and I working the holiday card assembly-line, each of us signing our names. I am so blessed. So very, very blessed.

*This was my first attempt at using Photoshop to edit my photos. And by edit, I mean open a text box and type in a month. I realize the font size is a bit off and the colors could be better matched, but hell, I'm proud I did this much! Go me!*

Wednesday Wisdom: Surprise Yourself

2012-01-11T00:00:00.000-08:00

Source: journal.neilgaiman.com via Liz on Pinterest

Wednesday Wisdom

2012-01-04T15:16:00.000-08:00

A pretty fitting message for the New Year, no?

Source: drewlindentellsall.tumblr.com via Liz on Pinterest

Our Year

2012-01-01T00:00:00.000-08:00

To the single moms, the single dads, the marathon runners, the dreamers, the lovers, the friends...

This will be our year.

Happy New Year!

Christmas Baubles

2011-12-31T14:12:00.000-08:00

After all the trouble I had getting it up (the bastard fell over on me twice), you'd think I would keep the tree up until mid-March. But we're having a couple of friends over tonight and I needed the space. So I carefully packed everything up and kicked the tree to the curb. Quite literally.

But before I did, I snapped a couple of pictures of my favorite ornaments, the ones I look forward to seeing every year as well as a couple of newbies.

This is my absolute FAVORITE ornament. It's a picture of Ben with some crazy bath hair and I love how the spikes on the snowflake match up with his spikes. The BFF gave it me about 4 years ago and I look forward to unwrapping it every year.

The year Ben was born, we must have gotten about five of those "Baby's First Christmas" ornaments, but this one is my fave. There is just something so classic & sweet about it. Every time I hang it, I think of that first Christmas with Ben and how sweet and absolutely perfect it was.

Representin' for the Chosen people! If you know me, you know I love me some Jews. For a while, I wanted to convert to Judiasm. I love having this on my tree and I smile every year when I place it.

Last year, when I hosted my sister's baby shower, I gave these adorable felt birds as favors. They were simple and sweet and they were a big hit. Now, a year later, I remember the excitement and love that was brimming over as we waited for Miss Emily's arrival. (I got these at Crate & Barrel & they are a little different this year, but just as cute - & on sale!)

In 2000, my family took a family vacation to Hawaii. This was pre-spouses & babies, so it was just the six of us. We had such a great time! We snorkeled, we frolicked in the sand & surf, we made amazing memories. And this little ukulele brings them all back every year.

I inherited this little bird from my ex-husband's grandmother. She had collected a lot of eclectic ornaments over the years. Mainly by stealing an ornament off of the host's tree whenever she was invited to a holiday party. True story. So I have no idea where this little bird came from, but he's all mine now!

You clip him onto a branch and he's supposed to sit there sweetly. But he always swings around and winds up upside-down. I kinda love this drunk little bird.

Last year, I had Ben make ornaments for his list of grandparents and relatives. I found this adorable tutorial and got to work. They were a big hit and I just HAD to keep one for myself. And now we get to see how much bigger his hand is each year.

Each year, I like to pick or make an ornament that kind of sums up the year or honors something that happened that year. This year was a doozie. There were a lot of changes, but the biggest was our new home. To honor that, I had to snatch up this key ornament when I saw it at Pier 1. Oh, look - it's on sale now, too!

Ben got to pick out his 2011 ornament and he went with this too-cute-for-words pencil from Target. He made it even cuter by putting his name and the year on it. Then he made me write "kindergarten" on it, to commemorate his first year of school.

I can't wait to unwrap them all again next year. And I am really excited to see what 2012 brings and what ornaments we pick to symbolize it.

Wednesday Wisdom

2011-12-29T06:00:00.001-08:00

Source: blushevents.blogspot.com via Liz on Pinterest

Wednesday Wisdom

2011-12-21T06:00:00.000-08:00

Source: google.com via Liz on Pinterest

Wednesday Wisdom - Birthday Edition!

2011-12-14T06:00:00.000-08:00

Source: carriedaway1.tumblr.com via Liz on Pinterest

Woo HOO!

It's my birthday today!

Feel free to have a cupcake to celebrate!

Oh, Snap(s)!

2011-12-12T12:03:00.000-08:00

Is it me or do you completely lose all track of time during this time of year? Sheesh. I spent all of Sunday thinking it was Saturday & therefore, neglecting my Snaps duty. I have so many items on my ToDo list that my brain knew I would need double Saturdays, which I totally do. Except then it was Sunday and it was time to think about the usual ToDos, like laundry and dinner and bedtime routines and wait, where did my weekend go??

Well, most of it is documented below.

When I am out shopping, I take pictures of a) things I want to buy or b) things I think other people will want to buy for me. This is one such item. With my birthday coming up (you didn't forget, did you??) as well as Christmas, this book is definitely high on my list. Who doesn't l-o-v-e Diane Keaton?

This week we got our Ho-Ho-Holiday on in the bungalow. The tree has been set up and decorations are hung. My favorite? This one:

Could you just die?

We also started some holiday crafts. Here are 2 hints:

All will be revealed later this week.....

Saturday mornings mean running and coffee. I'm still kinda amazed at how much I am enjoying half-marathon training. I think I might be becoming one of those people. You know, the ones that put running gear on their wish lists at the holidays. The ones that look forward to getting up and running in the freezing cold. THOSE people. It's coming, I can feel it.

Training Update: Running in the Wild

2011-12-08T06:00:00.000-08:00

Source: a3.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net via Liz on Pinterest

During the week I train at the gym, but I realized that I needed to log some miles outside. After all, I should get some experience dealing with the elements on the off-chance that the weather isn't perfect for the race.

For those that are unfamiliar with Southern California weather in January, the above is a joke. It can range from low-90s to high-50s. There really is no telling what Mother Nature will be packing that day.

This week I joined a running group for my weekly long-distance run. We are all training for the same half-marathon so the mileage ramps up appropriately. This past week, we ran 7 miles.

7 MILES!

I haven't run seven miles in .... well a really long time. Once upon a time, I trained for a marathon and I think I got up to about ten miles before I injured myself.

But this week, I ran 7 miles. Despite it being 40 degrees and damn early in the morning, I ran. I dragged my ass out of bed and met up with eight other nutballs.

Throughout the run, I was tired, a little sore and wanted to walk. But I kept going. It helped that I am competitive and did not want to come in last. At the end of the run, the leader told me I had run seven miles in one hour and sixteen minutes.

1:16!!

That's kinda unbelievable. In fact, there is a part of me that thinks the run leader must be mistaken. But I'll take it!

Although there are days that I still doubt my sanity in signing up for this half-marathon, I'm really proud of how I am pushing myself and the results I'm seeing. Although there were plenty of reasons to skip that run last weekend, I am so glad I showed up.

Wednesday Wisdom

2011-12-07T15:00:00.000-08:00

Source: yesandyes.org via Liz on Pinterest

35 in 35: Week Four

2011-12-06T06:00:00.000-08:00

My 35 Good Things in 35 Days hasn't been going the way I had hoped. There's no warm & fuzzy feelings. No sweet smiles. No Thank Yous.

Instead, I've been greeted with general grumpiness that makes me feel stabby.

Kiki thinks it's because it's December and people are stressing over the holidays. But shouldn't this season make people more appreciative/nice/apt to act like a fucking human being?!

Ahem.

One morning at Starbucks, I decided to buy the elderly gentleman behind me a coffee. He placed his order and I handed over my card and said "I'll take care of his coffee."

"You want my coffee?", he asked.

"No, no. I just want to buy it for you."

"Ugh", he groaned.

He actually UGHED! I was taken aback and went to wait for my drink to be called. He headed over to the condiment bar, where he continued to look annoyed and borderline disgusted.

I was in shock for most of the rest of the day. I mean, really? Not even a thank you?! No "Gee, thanks, whipper snapper! That's awfully nice of you!"

Another morning, I was letting someone cut in front of me in traffic and received a nice, loooong HONK! from the guy behind me. It continued so obnoxiously long that I finally turned around and yelled "I. AM. TRYING. TO. BE NIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIICE!!!!"

And the woman I let cut in front of me? Not even a wave.

Those are just two incidents of more than a handful. On more than one occasion, I have wanted to scream "YOU SUCK! Yes, YOU! YOU SUUUUUUUUUUUUCK! Why do you ALL suck!?"

For the last ten days, I've looked at my list and groaned like the old man at Starbucks. I don't want to be nice to anyone or go out of my way for people.

And then I read this.

Turns out, there are decent people out there. And wouldn't you know it, they are my fellow New Yorkers.

This article has convinced me not to abandon my list and instead to double-down on being nice. So with one week to go.....let's do this!

~{ 35 in 35 }~

Donate books to the library

Pay 5 strangers compliments

~~Leave 10 lucky pennies on the pavement~~

Leave 15 nice blog comments

Send 20 postcards to friends

Leave 25 love notes in the world

Write in my journal for 30 minutes

~~Give $35 to a charity~~

Write a letter to someone I admire

Send cupcakes to a friend

Treat myself to a massage

~~Spend one hour of uninterrupted Ben time~~

Ask a stranger how his/her day is going

~~Make homemade pumpkin bread/ or muffins for coworkers~~

~~Help a new mom~~

Donate clothing and toys to Orangewood Children’s Center

Treat myself to a mani/pedi

~~Give spare change to the next person who asks for it~~

~~Buy coffee for the person behind me in line~~

Write a thank you note to a former teacher

Purchase coloring books & crayons for a waiting room at the hospital

~~Feed someone who could really use a meal~~

Forgive someone

~~Let the person behind me cut in front of me at checkout~~

~~Take my sister out to lunch~~

Apologize to someone

Send a random friend flowers

Do every good thing that presents itself that day

~~Tip someone generously~~

~~Go one day without complaining~~

~~Go one day without gossiping~~

Call a family member just to say Hi

Tape microwave popcorn bags to Redbox Movie machines

Make a mixed CD for a friend

~~Let Ben pick what we have for dinner one night - nothing is off the table!~~

5 for Friday: December favorites

2011-12-02T06:00:00.000-08:00

If I had to pick a favorite season ( & I do, every time I fill out one of those "All About Me" memes), I would pick summer. But when it comes to my favorite holiday, I pick Christmas. Every time. Once I flip the calendar page to December, all bets are off.

The top five reasons I love December? Here they are!

1. Holiday Music - For eleven months of the year, I have to hide my love of holiday music. But once December 1st rolls around, I can come leaping from the closet singing "I love those J-I-N-G-L-E bells". This year, there are 3 albums on constant rotation in my house: "A Very She & Him Christmas", Michael Buble's Christmas Album and Justin Bieber's holiday album. What can I tell you? Ben gets a vote around here too.

Source: michaelbuble.com via Lisa on Pinterest

Source: mergerecords.com via Lauren on Pinterest

2. Presents! More specifically wrapping presents. I have my own little wrapping ritual. I gather up all my wrapping supplies, put on some holiday music, pour myself a hot cocoa or a glass of mulled wine. And I wrap. I love getting each package just so and I LOVE LOVE LOVE the look of a Christmas tree piled high with presents.

3. Picking out the holiday card. There are SO many great choices out there. And this year, it's especially hard to choose since my dear friend, Ashley West Leonard, got so many great holiday shots of me and the boy. Here's one from TinyPrints that didn't make the cut but that I still adore.

4. My all-time favorite Christmas movie is Miracle on 34th Street, but I have a soft spot for most any holiday movie. This year, the Egyptian Theatre here in Los Angeles is showing White Christmas and It's A Wonderful Life and I can't wait to catch them both on the big screen!

Sing it with me: Snow. Snow. Snoooooow.

Source: silverunderground.com

5. Oh...and wouldn't you know it, December is my birthday month! Woo hoo!

Source: glorioustreats.blogspot.com via Kerrisdale on Pinterest

Oh, Snap(s)!

2011-11-30T19:53:00.001-08:00

Ben and I spent the Thanksgiving weekend traveling to and from Nevada to visit my folks. Didn't take a lot of pictures because we were busy eating, napping, watching movies, eating, watching basketball games, playing outside, eating, shopping, cooking and eating. There was a LOT of eating!

Besides an awesome Thanksgiving spent with the family, the most exciting thing to happen this past week, was the delivery and set up of these bad boys! I have never been so damn excited to do laundry in my life. No more quarters, no more laundromat, no more schlepping 40 pounds of clothes in & out of the car, no more wasting an entire day doing laundry. Nope. Now I can throw a load in before I leave for work and have it all done by bedtime. I never knew I could love an appliance, but my stove and these lovelies have proved me wrong.

One of my favorite holiday traditions is Black Friday shopping. Every year, we (SMK, Kiki, & I) get up early and hit the stores. The combination of too little sleep, too much coffee and hilarious headgear resulted in the above picture. Have I mentioned lately how much I love my sister? Oodles.

While with the family, we took the opportunity to toast Kiki and wish her an early happy birthday.

And now, we can officially start the holiday season! I can unabashedly listen to holiday music now, I can bust out the decorations and start baking cookies.

WOO HOO!

Word of Thanks: Birthday Edition

2011-11-30T08:02:00.000-08:00

For this month's last Words of Thanks, I gotta go with the person I am most thankful for - my sister, Kiki. It's no secret, I consider my sister to be my soulmate. Without a doubt. I've written about our bond and our relationship before and nothing has changed. If anything, I am more in awe of her than ever.

Kiki became a mother this year and watching her with her baby daughter, I see her in her element. You see, Kiki was always meant to be a parent.

Growing up, Kiki kept a book of things she would do as a parent. The book was in reaction to the mistakes she saw our mother make...and the list was long. In college, she majored in Early Childhood Development and her list got even longer. She would often sit my parents down to let them know where she thought they were going astray. It was always good-naturedly and we laugh about it to this day.

It's been so fun to watch her list and reality meet.

Her journey to motherhood was a long one and I can't help but smile when I see how she looks at my niece. Kiki is an amazing mother and dedicated wife. A loving daughter and supportive sister. Funny, smart, motivated. You name it, my sister is it. I want to be like her when I grow up. Nevermind, the fact that she's my younger sister.

For my sister on her birthday. There isn't a memory I have that you are not a part of.

I love you, Kiki!

Source: bluebarnhousestore.org via Liz on Pinterest

Word of Thanks

2011-11-23T10:09:00.000-08:00

Source: fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net via Liz on Pinterest

Oh, Snap(s)!

2011-11-20T21:38:00.001-08:00

If you follow me on Twitter, you may have seen a couple of these shots, but I'm posting them here to have them in one spot.

Ben and I both got new hair-dos this weekend. He requested the new Justin Bieber haircut. Me? I just wanted to cover the roots and grays.

It was a great chilly weekend, perfect for baking. On the menu: pumpkin muffins. One of my favorite things is cooking with Ben. I let him make a mess and in the process I think we're making great memories.

We had a photo shoot with Ashley over the weekend, in the hopes of getting some shots for our holiday card. These are two of my faves that won't make the card but will definitely make the gallery wall at home.

On Friday, I spent the day at Disneyland with some coworkers. I had a great time riding all the rides Ben won't let me go on. I even rode the Hollywood Tower of Terror for the first time. That ride is no joke. I lost my voice screaming on it. Of course, I couldn't wait to ride it again.

They were filming some holiday webisodes at the park and I got to see my all-time favorite, Goofy. But my favorite pic has to be Donald going over his lines and blocking. There is just something so LA about that shot.

5 for Friday

2011-11-18T06:00:00.000-08:00

Each Friday, I link to, and ramble on, about 5 things that I've been crushing on during the week. Here's this week's smorgasbord.

1. Kate from The Small Things always has the best tutorials. This adorable braid bun makes me wish I hadn't cut my hair. And also that I could properly braid my own hair.

2. I can always count on Curbly for great ideas and this one? GENIUS. Instead of wasting money on those gift tag stickers, use iron-on sheets and customize the ribbon on each gift. I believe that the outside of the present is just as important as the inside and I love to do something special. Since I have a ton of iron-on sheets leftover from my bowling shirt project, I'm going to use this as my "something special" this year.

3. Centsational Girl is one of my favorite bloggers because she always has a ton of great home ideas. This week she did a round-up of 20 great children's books. I am a sucker for children's books and I can't wait to check out all of her pics. An assortment of these would make a great Christmas present.

4. In the next two months, my family celebrates five birthdays. That is, of course, in addition to Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's. Needless to say, we do a lot of celebrating. This entertaining supplies closet from Atypical Type A makes me swoon. Imagine having all your party supplies in one place. And organized! This is so inspiring, it makes me want to carve out some space in my hall closet.

5. My obsession this week has been Marcel the Shell. He is adorable and hilarious and I must have watched this video at least eight times. My favorite quote: "Know why I smile all the time? Cuz it's worth it." Amen, Marcel. Amen.

Training Update: Getting Back On Track

2011-11-17T06:00:00.000-08:00

Life as a single mom is hectic. This isn't a newsflash. Working a full-time job and taking care of Ben leave little time for much else. On top of that, I signed up to run the Tinkerbell Half Marathon and on occasion, I try to have a life.

It's not always easy. Hell. it's never easy. But most days I do okay. Lately, though, it's been really hard to find time to run. And this last week has been balls.

There. I said it.

Balls.

I didn't run. I didn't cross-train. I didn't eat well. I overslept. I wore comfy pants more times than I can remember. The only thing I didn't do was drink.

A perfect storm culminated in me falling out of my running routine. First, that damn time change means it's dark when Ben and I get home so our neighborhood runs have stopped. Then the temperature dropped and that makes me want to sleep in and eat stew.

Not at the same time, obviously.

On top of all that, my Saturday long-distance runs have increased and Ben gets bored riding his bike around the track for over an hour. And then I have mommy guilt and wind up cutting them short.

I had to figure out a way to get back on track and fast. Otherwise, Tinkerbell is going to kick my ass.

After taking a look at our schedules, I realized that it would be best to give up my work gym membership. While a great deal, it's not really convenient. It's not open on weekends, doesn't have childcare and it's not exactly easy to get to. I usually spend half my lunch hour trying to find parking. Then I wind up cutting my runs short because I am stressed and rushed.

Although it is crazy cheap, in the end it was costing me more than money.

So last night, I headed over to my local, brand-spanking-new 24 Hour Fitness and signed up. The shiny, pretty, clean facility is close to home, has a TON of awesome equipment, provides childcare and also has a swimming pool. Ya know, for when I lose my mind and sign up for a triathalon.

I hit the gym this morning and it feels good to be getting back on ~~track~~ the treadmill.

Source: fitsugar.com via Erica on Pinterest

Word of Thanks

2011-11-16T08:00:00.000-08:00

Source: bitsotruth.blogspot.com via Liz on Pinterest

35 in 35: Week One

2011-11-15T06:00:00.000-08:00

Working off my list, I spent the last week doing little things & planning big things. So far, so good. In the last seven days I have tipped generously, let Ben choose our dinner menu one night, dropped lucky pennies all over town and gave $35 to Movember (in honor of a dear friend's fight against cancer).

I think the key has been to pick small things and tackle the bigger ones as they present themselves. And they will.

I was wondering how I would feed someone who could really use a meal, when I stumbled upon Scary Mommy's post about matching up needy families with donors. BAM! Sign me up! Ben's school also sent home a flyer about adopting a needy family for the holidays. Done.

Really excited to see what the upcoming week has in store!

~{ 35 in 35 }~

Donate books to the library

Pay 5 strangers compliments

~~Leave 10 lucky pennies on the pavement~~

Leave 15 nice blog comments

Send 20 postcards to friends

Leave 25 love notes in the world

Write in my journal for 30 minutes

~~Give $35 to a charity~~

Write a letter to someone I admire

Send cupcakes to a friend

Treat myself to a massage

Spend one hour of uninterrupted Ben time

Ask a stranger how his/her day is going

Make homemade pumpkin bread/ or muffins for coworkers

Help a new mom

Donate clothing and toys to Orangewood Children’s Center

Treat myself to a mani/pedi

Give spare change to the next person who asks for it

Buy coffee for the person behind me in line

Write a thank you note to a former teacher

Purchase coloring books & crayons for a waiting room at the hospital

~~Feed someone who could really use a meal~~

Forgive someone

Let the person behind me cut in front of me at checkout

Take my sister out to lunch

Apologize to someone

Send a random friend flowers

Do every good thing that presents itself that day

~~Tip someone generously~~

Go one day without complaining

Go one day without gossiping

Call a family member just to say Hi

Tape microwave popcorn bags to Redbox Movie machines

Make a mixed CD for a friend

~~Let Ben pick what we have for dinner one night - nothing is off the table!~~

So Long, Vodka-soaked Nights!

2011-11-10T06:00:00.000-08:00

Whenever I step up my physical activity, I tend to want to eat better, get more sleep, drink more water.

My body demands it.

Since I started training for the half-marathon, it's come to my attention that late nights soaked in vodka tonics are not conducive to early morning training runs.

Go figure.

So while I am training for the half-marathon, I have cut back on my socializing. Well, the social events that require me to choose between sleep or a headache in the morning. Unfortunately, that includes magic class.

I've been taking magic classes at The Magic Castle for the last two months, but that had to be put on the back burner. On class nights, I wouldn't just show up for class, practice my Biddle grip for two hours and then go home. No. I would usuallymeet classmates for a pre-class drink and then stay after class to catch some shows and enjoy a couple more cocktails.

Mornings after class weren't pretty. There were more mornings than I care to admit where I passed on my training run in order to catch some extra ZZZs or spent an extra twenty minutes in the shower berating myself and vowing not to stay out so late next week.

I need to focus on this training and give it everything I can. I need to respect my body and give it what it needs to get me over that finish line without passing out or throwing up all over myself.

It's the very least I owe myself.

Source: chasingkristina.tumblr.com via Liz on Pinterest

Word of Thanks

2011-11-09T08:02:00.000-08:00

Source: Uploaded by user via Liz on Pinterest

35 Acts in 35 days

2011-11-08T06:00:00.002-08:00

With my 35th birthday approaching, in 36 days to beexact, I have been thinking of how to celebrate it. A night out on the townwith friends, a housewarming holiday party, a day at the spa.

All of these are good ideas, but none of them leaveme feeling particularly jazzed.

Enter Pinterest.

I searched for “35^th birthday ideas” andcame across something that really got me excited. A number of bloggers(including Christine Castro Hughes of BRUNCH and Robyn from MIX MINGLE GLOW) usedtheir birthdays to do nicethings for other people.

BINGO!

This obviously isn't a new idea, but it reallyspeaks to me this year. Perhaps it is an extension of Mondo Beyondo or wantingto be an example for Ben or just good old-fashioned aging, but this year feelsdifferent.

So borrowing from Christine, Robyn, and The Random Acts of Kindness Foundation, I put together a list to work off of for the nextthirty-five days. This is a living, breathing list so I may cross three thingsoff the list one day and nothing the next. I may add some items and remove someothers. Who knows?? You’ll notice thereare some nice-to-myself items on this list. Hell, it’s my birthday, after all.

The only constant is that I will make a consciouseffort to do something nice each day.

~{ 35 in 35 }~

Donate books to the library

Pay 5 strangers compliments

Leave 10 lucky pennies on the pavement

Leave 15 nice blog comments

Send 20 postcards to friends

Leave 25 love notes in the world

Write in my journal for 30 minutes

Give $35 to a charity

Write a letter to someone I admire

Send cupcakes to a friend

Treat myself to a massage

Spend one hour of uninterrupted Ben time

Ask a stranger how his/her day is going

Make homemade pumpkin bread/ or muffins for coworkers

Help a new mom

Donate clothing and toys to Orangewood Children’s Center

Treat myself to a mani/pedi

Give spare change to the next person who asks for it

Buy coffee for the person behind me in line

Write a thank you note to a former teacher

Purchase coloring books & crayons for a waiting room at thehospital

Feed someone who could really use a meal

Forgive someone

Let the person behind me cut in front of me at checkout

Take my sister out to lunch

Apologize to someone

Send a random friend flowers

Do every good thing that presents itself that day

Tip someone generously

Go one day without complaining

Go one day without gossiping

Call a family member just to say Hi

Tape microwave popcorn bags to Redbox Movie machines

Make a mixed CD for a friend

Let the person behind me cut in front of me at checkout

If you’d like to help me celebrate my birthday, pick somethingfrom the list (or create your own).

I couldn’t ask for a nicer gift.

Wiped Clean

2011-11-07T06:00:00.000-08:00

In true Murphy's Law fashion, I lost just about everything when I updated my iPhone last week. Did I call that or what?

Contacts, passwords, photos.

Gone.

I was smart enough to manually save my photos, but everything else was lost.

When I contemplated the update, my main worry was over the photos. The fear of losing them was the main reason I put off updating my phone for so long.

Yet, it's the texts I mourned this week.

Most contacts can be re-synced; passwords re-entered. But the texts cannot be recreated. They are completely gone.

Every text I sent or received over the last two years. Records of entire relationships erased.

The butterflies before a first date, shared with a close friend.

The fears after the first fight, shared with that same friend.

The make-up.

The break-up.

Birth announcements of friends and family members. Those adorable first pictures from the hospital.

The back-&-forth with a cop who pulled me over and gave me his number instead of a ticket.

The "thank you" text from a girl I met as I walked to a party. She was walking home from a bad date. How bad? He didn't even offer to walk her home! So I invited her to the party I was going to and we had a blast.

I am not an overly sentimental person, but I liked having those texts there to flip back through. To relive happy times. To cry over sad ones.

Perhaps it is a good thing to start with a clean slate. No more living in the past. But I still can't shake the feeling that a little piece of my personal history is gone.

Oh, Snap(s)!

2011-11-06T20:28:00.000-08:00

Due to a snafu with my iPhone (and by "snafu" I mean totally fucking meltdown), I was iPhone-less for the beginning of the week. Here's what the end of the week looked like in our neck of the jungle.

Fall Ball is winding down and I am so proud of the improvements Ben has made this season. He pretty much owns first base these days. Here he is guarding the plate as the runner advances and his teammate throws him the ball.

I promised myself I would run 4 miles on Thursday, no matter what. Even if it meant run/walking, I wasn't getting off that treadmill until I hit that target. Thanks to the Cathy Dennis station on Pandora, I completed my goal in just over 45 minutes. If I can keep that pace up for the half-marathon, I will be THRILLED!

We have had two rainy days in LA this week and I absolutely love this weather. It gives me an excuse to drag out boots and sweaters and make homemade chili and cornbread.

It's also a great excuse to make cookies!

Another rainy day project was working on a turkey for Ben's class. We couldn't stop laughing at that googly-eye. We would both start giggling whenever we saw it.

Tinkerbell Update

2011-11-03T06:00:00.000-07:00

The last couple of weeks have been tough training-wise. I battled a cold, then had a really hard time making time for my training runs.

This week has been a whole 'nother story. I made sure to carve time out for my cross-training and even squeezed in a run during my lunch break on Tuesday. My goal was to run for thirty minutes and just see how I felt.

When it was all said and done, I wound up running a 5k! I didn't realize it until I stopped and took my towel off the display screen (a little trick I use to keep my mind on the run). Imagine my surprise!

My new goal is to attempt a 5k twice a week and then pace myself for my long-distance runs on Saturday.

Source: ourtimetochange.tumblr.com via Liz on Pinterest

Words of Thanks

2011-11-02T08:00:00.000-07:00

For the month of November, I'll be posting words of thanks on Wednesdays. Just a little reminder to myself to concentrate on all that I have to thankful for.

Source: fitisthenewbeautiful.tumblr.com via Liz on Pinterest

Top 5 Scary Movies

2011-10-31T20:00:00.000-07:00

It's Halloween night and unlike year's past, I'm happy to be home alone, prepping to watch a scary movie. But which do I pick? Here's the top five choices for this year.

1. Halloween
I love this movie. The opening sequence, with the creepy music and the lone jack-o-lantern. A young and adorable Jamie Lee Curtis. Everything about this movie is so simply scary. There are no real special effects, just slow tracking shots of everyday situations. I might be asking for trouble, watching Halloween ON Halloween, but I'm leaning toward this one.

What's creepier: the theme music or the voiceover in this trailer?

2. A Nightmare on Elm Street
Another personal favorite. Call me crazy, but there was just something about Freddy Krueger. I had a weird fascination/crush on him. Go ahead. I'll wait while you call me crazy. This movie also has a young Johnny Depp and that creepy kids song. It also follows all the rules of your classic horror film.

3. SCREAM
Speaking of rules, SCREAM was the first film to reference all the unspoken rules of horror films and systematically follow and break them. Being a lover of classic horror films, SCREAM remains one of my top picks. I actually watched this over the weekend, during the day, and was still scared to death. While out shopping last week, I walked past a ghost-face statue that said "What's your favorite scary movie?" as I walked past. I nearly jumped out of my skin! So I may just skip this one tonight....

4. Psycho
It wouldn't be Halloween without a Hitchcock classic. This is usually my go-to Halloween movie. The Bernard Herrmann soundtrack is top-notch and it sends chills down my spine whenever I hear it. Anthony Perkins as Norman Bates makes you second-guess every nice guy you've ever met.

5. Shaun of the Dead
I know, I know. This is a comedy...or is it? I have a well-documented fear of zombies and this movie scares the beejeezus out of me. I'm pretty sure this is how it would go down in a real zombie attack. You'd be hiding out with your friends in a bar, trying to fight off zombies with everyday tools. Yes, I laughed but mostly I was near tears from fear. On second thought, let's tae this one out of the running. There's no way I can watch this alone.

All things considered, I'm going with Halloween tonight.

What's your favorite scary movie? Do you have a Halloween tradition?

Oh, Snap(s)!

2011-10-30T18:51:00.000-07:00

No snaps this week as I am attempting to update my iPhone (I know! FINALLY!) and it is taking a year and a day. I'm pretty sure I'm going to lose everything. Just because I work with iPhone technology on a daily basis, doesn't mean I know how to upgrade my phone without losing all my contacts and photos.

Shit.

Was that foreshadowing?

With A Name Like TinkerBell....

2011-10-27T06:00:00.000-07:00

In my note to self, I mentioned that I was training for a half-marathon. More accurately, I mentioned that I was slacking on training for said marathon. I was referring to the TinkerBell Half Marathon. I signed up for it earlier this year and then promptly forgot all about it.

About five weeks ago, I got a reminder email and I was actually shocked.

Wait. What? I actually volunteered to run 13.1 miles? Why would I do that? Do I have split personality disorder? Is this a joke??

Nope. I signed up, paid the registration fee and I am locked in. Oddly enough, I am looking forward to finishing it. Mind you, I didn't say RUNNING it.

I believe that knowledge is power and in order to run 13.1 miles through Disneyland and the surrounding areas, I am going to need a lot of power. I started researching training programs and exercises and foods that fuel marathoners. I love to research and soak up all sorts of tidbits. The downside is that I will often get completely overloaded with information and freak myself out. Before I even ran a mile, I was worrying about my toenails falling off from the friction in my shoe.

Baby steps. I need to take them.

I took a deep breath and logged onto the RunDisney site and found a great training program, specifically designed for the TinkerBell Half. Created by Jeff Galloway, renowned running coach, it helps get you across the finish line upright and injury-free.

I have been using the training schedule for the last five weeks and I am surprised at how easy it is. You run 30 minutes twice a week (Tuesday and Thursday) and a long run on Saturday. At frist, I was scared of the long run, scared that I would hurt myself or throw up or not be able to finish. But I have found the key is to give myself permission to walk when I need to, even if that means every other lap (I usually do the long runs at the local high school track). So far the longest run I've done is 5.5 miles and I ran the majority of it, surprising myself.

As the runs get longer, I get more anxious. I have to remnid myself to just run and see what happens. Put one foot in front of the other.

Ah, don't you love when life metaphors sneak in?

Words of Wisdom

2011-10-26T08:00:00.000-07:00

Source: prettystuff.tumblr.com via Liz on Pinterest

Note to Self

2011-10-25T09:38:00.000-07:00

Hey you!

How's it going? Good? Good.

Although not really. You're not fooling me. You're anxious, staying up WAAAAAAY too late, slacking on the exercise.

I know that you wish the house was more put together and that you had decorated a little more for Halloween. But it's ok. It's ok that there are still random unpacked boxes tucked into closets and corners.

Repeat after me: It's ok.

You moved eight weeks ago. In that time, you have done a lot with that little bungalow. Take a deep breath and look around. But instead of seeing all the stuff you need to do, see all the things you've already done.

Pictures are on walls, the kitchen is (mostly) organized, your bed is made, Ben's room is functional and covered with toys. As it should be.

Do you notice that you smile when you open the door every evening? I notice. The projects will get done. Your visions will become reality. Make your project lists and trust. Until then, this little house makes you happy. Remember that.

You are also stressing about the half-marathon in January. You know how I can tell? You are slacking on your training schedule. I know you're scared that you won't be able to complete the race or that you'll blow out your knee or throw up at some point. It's ok to be scared. But it's not ok to let that fear paralyze you. Let's not even talk about how disappointed you'll be in yourself if you don't complete the race. So, be scared. Then put your shoes on and go for a run.

Yes, that means today.

Yes, even though it's raining.

Go.

Feel better? I thought so. Cut yourself some slack with the house and your expectations. But don't slack off with the training.

Ok, I'll be back the next time you need a hug or a kick in the pants.
xoxo

MAKE IT: Bowling Shirt Party Favors

2011-10-24T06:00:00.000-07:00

While purging snaps from iPhone, I came across some pictures I took with the intention of posting a tutorial. Better late than never, eh?

When your birthday is at the end of August, your party has to involve water or air-conditioning. And lots of it! For Ben's fifth birthday, we decided on a bowling party.

Although the alley provided a goodie bag for each child, I really wanted to do something unique and fun. But what? We had been in our new house for less than a week, work was crazed and my brain was completely fried. I honestly couldn't think of a damn thing. Then I remembered that my niece had a bowling party once upon a time and my former sister-in-law made each guest their own bowling shirt. So I stole that idea and ran with it.

Hey, it's been three years, it's totally safe to ~~steal~~ reuse.

Here's what you'll need:

Computer with inkjet printer

T-shirts (1 for each kid, with maybe 2 or 3 extras for screw-ups)

Iron-on transfer paper

Iron

Here are the easy steps to a clever, unique favor for your guests that will make every mom asking "Oh my God, are you serious?!".

1. Decide on the color shirt. I went with white because I figured it was a great unisex color and colors would show up nicely. I did entertain the idea of picking a girl color and a boy color. Then I remembered that I am not crazy.

2. After you decide on the color, go to every Target in a 25 mile radius and buy your shirts. Murphy's Law states that you will either a) forget a child on the day of the party & have to throw a shirt together 25 minutes before the party starts or b) completely screw up at least one shirt, so buy 2-3 extra.

3. Decide on your design. I decide to keep it fairly simple. I wanted to have each child's name on the front of the shirt, with the party logo on the back.

What? You don't usually have a logo for your parties? Did I mention I go a little nutty when it comes to party planning? Well. I do. But I am not crazy.

4. So I googled "bowling shirt iron on" and came up with these links: one for the front of the shirt and another for the back. I played with fonts, wording and colors to make the design my own. I also created a tagline ("This is how we roll!") and played around with the image size. The links above were kind of large for my 5T shirts, so I scaled them down. There were a couple of baby guests and I had to scale theirs down even further.

5. Once you've got your design finalized, start printing. In order to save money, time and printer ink, I printed the names 4-up on a page. This meant instead of using 2 transfer sheets per kid, I used 1.25.

Here's what my sheets looked like fresh off the printer:

{FRONT}

{BACK}

6. Trim each front badge so that it looks something like this:

I also trimmed the back design so there wasn't a lot of empty iron-on space.

7. Now it's time to warm up that iron. The transfer sheets I used recommended not using an ironing board, but that didn't seem right to me. So I used one.

I'm such a rebel.

To give it a bit more stiffness, I put a piece of cardboard on top of the ironing board and then laid my shirt on top of it.

That was a terrible idea. Don't do it. The transfers did MUCH better on the ironing board alone.

8. Position your front badge and iron that sucker!

9. After doing a couple of left/right/up/down passes over the badge, remove it from the ironing board and let it cool. Start working on shirts 2 - 16. Once shirt #1 is cool, slowly (SLOOOOOOOWLY) peel off the backing.

10. Step back and admire your handiwork.

But not for too long. Remember you have 15 more shirts to peel.

11. Once the front badges are done, get cracking on the back.

Be sure to let each shirt cool completely before peeling the backing off. You don't want to accidentally peel part of the design off on the last shirt and break down crying because this is taking forever and you're never going to get to bed and whose stupid idea was this anyway!?!?

Just sayin'.

13. You can get fancy and package the shirts in individual bags or tied with ribbon. I did none of those. I simply folded them, brought them to the party and handed them out as guests arrived.

Without prompting, every guest put their shirt on. It was so great to see all the kids in their matching shirts and they all loved that their name was on it.

Now what the hell am I going to do for his 6th birthday?

Look at that face. Who are we kidding? I'll do whatever it takes to get that smile!

Oh Snap(s)!

2011-10-23T21:59:00.000-07:00

I'm pretty sure my iPhone is going to crap out any day now.

I haven't upgraded the OS since I bought the phone in November 2009. I know, I know. There have been like 12,000 updates since then. But nope, I am still running on the 3.1.3 version. I have tried to download the newer versions, but my laptop gives me scary warnings that say things like "Are you sure? If you continue with this backup, you will lose all information" and then I hit cancel and figure my phone will be fine.

But this week, I noticed that I have 1878 photos on my iPhone.

And half of them no longer show up.

Just a blank screen.

That can't be good.

So until I can upgrade to the new iPhone 4S (I can't wait for Siri to help me get my life together), I should keep Little Murray Sparkles alive.

Yes, my iPhone has a name. Doesn't yours?

I'm not going to do anything crazy like figure out why my laptop can't handle an iOS update or move the 3 years worth of Ben videos to an external hard drive. Nooooooo.

Instead I am going to start purging some pictures and posting them here at the end of each week. BIG thanks to Mandy from Harper's Happenings and Amy from A Good Life for the inspiration!

A couple of weeks ago, we were lucky enough to be invited to the REAL STEEL premiere. We had a great time walking the red carpet and hanging out at the after-party. I made sure to stress to Ben that going to the movies isn't always like this. Still it was so fun to do something like that on a school night. The cherry on top was that the film was really good!

Another school night adventure (this time without Ben) involved birthday drinks at Seven Grand, followed by macarons at Bottega Louie in downtown LA. I love that downtown is going through this amazing transformation. There are people on the streets after dark that aren't hobos or crackheads. The bars are fun and the restaurants are amazing. I've heard Bottega Louie has great food, but on my first visit I was hypnotized by their rainbow of macarons. They looked almost too good to eat. Almost.

There are only a couple more weeks before we fall back and plunge into darkness by 5pm. In order to take advantage of the shrinking daylight, Ben and I take walks & bike rides around our new neighborhood. We chat about our day, point out which houses are already decorated for Halloween (we are SO going to that "trick or treat" house!), and just wind down at the end of the day. It is one of my favorite things to do. Ever.

Fall Ball. I love it. Ben loves it. I'll be sad when it's over in a couple of weeks.

I reached the Gold level at Starbucks. In a way I am surprised it happened so quickly. On the other hand, I've been going to Starbucks for the last 10 years. How did I just find out that if you register a gift card and use it 30 times, you will receive a gold card WITH. YOUR. NAME. ON. IT?? I can't wait to use it!

Ben and I took some friends to The Magic Castle for brunch this past weekend. It was so cute, seeing these adorable 5 year olds with ties on. We got a private show from a friend of mine and danced to "Hey Jude", as played by Irma, the pianist ghost that lives in the castle.

I realize that downloading these fourteen pictures is not going to save Little Murray Sparkles, but it's a start! Maybe if I do this every week, it will buy me some time?

Words of Wisdom

2011-10-19T08:00:00.000-07:00

Source: styleyourlifeblog.com via Liz on Pinterest

Even If...

2011-10-18T08:00:00.000-07:00

Source: toysrus.com via Jamie on Pinterest

Ben and I read a book called “I love you Stinky Face” where a son tests his mother’s love by asking if she’d love him if he was a meat eating dinosaur or a stinky skunk. Each time the mother assures the child that she would love him no matter what.

No matter what.

After reading this post by Alaina, I started ending my “I love you”s with “no matter what". Ben does his best to think of scenarios to test my “no matter what” rule.

The other night during bath, he told me he loved me and I responded in kind, adding “no matter what”.

“Even if…..”, he trailed off trying to think of something other than his usual “Even if I poop in my pants”.

While he searched for something equally outrageous (& disgusting, no doubt), I just sat on the edge of the tub, nodding my head.

“Yup, even then.”

“But I didn’t say anything Mom!”

“You don’t have to – whatever you think of, I’ll love you even then. No matter what."

Not Ready

2011-10-17T08:43:00.000-07:00

Recently, I logged back into my OKCupid account. Almost immediately, I was questioning why I was there. Is it because I feel like I SHOULD be getting back out there, rather than really WANTING to get out there?

Because the thought of cracking myself wide open again is scary and, to be honest, unappealing. At this point, the idea of being in another relationship illicits a groan rather than a sigh from me.

Yet, I dutifully updated my photos and punched up my profile. All the while dreading the idea of scrolling through profiles and weeding out the weirdos (because we all know the ratio of weirdo to normal is pretty high with online dating).

After a couple of weeks, my attitude hasn't improved. In fact, I have noticed that I'm letting my visitor count speak to my worthiness and value. I hate that. I don't want someone (or some online dating tool) to validate me. I don't want to need that. But right now, with the state of my heart and ego, I do. I don't want it gnaw at my self-confidence if someone I think is cute doesn't send a message or "wink" at me. But it has been.

I hate that. And if it's affecting me like that, I think it says something. I'm not ready.

I was so happy to read about Alaina’s new love. She deserves every happiness & I am so glad that she has found someone to give her butterflies & make her smile. She almost makes falling in love sound appealing. Like Alaina, I am a believer in love. I believe that true love will come when I'm ready.

I'm just not ready.

Food for Thought

2011-10-12T06:00:00.000-07:00

Source: fabulouskblog.com via Liz on Pinterest

No Place Like Home

2011-10-11T07:00:00.000-07:00

During the summer, when I was displaced, I would scroll through design blogs, sighing and pinning, trying not to get depressed or upset that I may never have a house to make my own.

I shed so many tears, thinking of the ideas I had for making the house our home and I grieved for all those ideas and projects and times I thought we would share, as a family.

After torturing myself a bit longer, I would finally close the laptop and move on. I didn't have a place to call my own so I would bite my lip, shake my head and trust that soon enough I would.

And now I do. I feel more settled and at home than I have in a long time. In fact, after just one week, I felt more at home here than I have in a long time.

Now almost two months in, I am making changes and putting my ideas into action. Bit by bit, picture by picture, project by project, this place is becoming more and more ours.

Burning Love

2011-10-10T07:00:00.000-07:00

I am in love.

He's strong and hot and dependable and HOT.

Like really hot. You gotta love 2 pilot lights that generate heat all day long.

I love the built-in shelf!

And this handy cover for when I don't want to clean the stove before company comes over!

When I toured the bungalow for the first time, I was sold as soon as I saw the huge kitchen. It was full of life and big enough for my dining table and chairs. The original tiles were in great shape and there was a window over the sink, perfect for daydreaming while washing dishes.

As I took in all the amenities, I spotted a bare wall. "And is that a hookup for the dishwasher?"

"Uh, no...that's where the stove goes."

Oh. Right. The stove.

Somehow I had missed the fact that the kitchen was lacking a stove. So, now I had one more thing to add to my ever-growing moving list: Buy a stove.

The kitchen is adorably retro and I wanted to buy a stove that would blend in. I've also always wanted one of those old-timey stoves and there's no time like the present, right?

After tracking Craig's List for about a week (and checking out plenty of duds), I finally found this bad boy. His previous lover was moving and had no room for him. I scored him for less than $500! I still can't believe it! I absolutely adore it! There are days when I just stand in front of it, smiling like an idiot.

After weeks without a stove or microwave, we'd been doing lots of ordering in. The first night the stove was installed, I couldn't wait to use it.

As counterspace. That counts, right?

Wordless Wednesday : My Hero

2011-09-14T09:03:00.000-07:00

I am officially obsessed with this picture of Bubba. My sweet & uber-talented friend Ashley West Leonard snapped it as part of her series on summer. You can see the rest of Bubba's pics here.

Wordless Wednesday: Welcome!

2011-09-07T05:39:00.000-07:00

I stumbled upon this post by Suitably Cool post (thank you, Pinterest!) and I knew it would be the perfect way to make the Bungalow feel like home.

On moving day, while the movers were en route, I quickly drew up this little mat. And two weeks later, I still love it!

Bungalow Tour : BEFORE

2011-09-05T10:13:00.000-07:00

Happy Labor Day everyone!

I hope someone reading this had a relaxing weekend, because that would make one of us. Bub was in San Diego and I took advantage of the quiet time by braving Ikea not once, but twice, then assembling not one, but TWO giant PAX wardrobes with my dad.

I also unpacked a bunch of boxes, only to find about five more hidden in a closet. At this rate, I feel like I will never be completely unpacked.

To combat the anxiety that comes with being unsettled, I decided to take a look back at what this place looked like on Day One.

LIVING ROOM

The living room is good-sized but the door opens into the middle of the room. It presents a bit of a challenge when it comes to furniture arrangement, but I think we've found a keeper (to be revealed in a future post).

Miss E took full advantage of all the crawling room.

VIew from the front door. Go Miss E! Go!

Other side of the living room.

KITCHEN
The kitchen is HUGE. It was one of the main reasons I snatched this place up. The other was the backyard. The kitchen has a great eat-in area and is full of light. It's even got a great window over the sink that looks into the backyard. I love the original tile and the counterspace.

Eat-in area.

Other side of kitchen, pre-stove. You can see the laundry area/mudroom through the doorway.

Main wall of kitchen, pre-fridge.

BATHROOM
The bungalow only has one bathroom, but with just 2 of us, I am not worried. The peach tile is a bit much, but I've got an idea on how to handle that. Stay tuned!

This picture is pretty dark, but it's the best I could do with the iPhone.

View from up and in the shower/bath.

MASTER BEDROOM
The master bedroom is a great size, but there are drawbacks. The vertical blinds, for starters. Luckily, the owner gave us the go-ahead to change them out. The other drawback is the tiny closet. The doors are only about five and a half feet tall, so I have to duck to get dressed most mornings. The trip to IKEA was supposed to remedy that.

Master bedroom

Master Bedroom. Please notice the midget closet on the right.

BUBBA'S ROOM
Bubba's room is cozy, but thankfully his bunk beds fit in there perfect. Now to figure out how to organize the 4854854788971 toys he has.....

Bubba's Room

Bubba's midget closet, but it works for him.

MUDROOM/LAUNDRY AREA

There is a great area right off the backdoor that is begging for some laundry/mudroom love.

So, that's our little bungalow....well that's what it looked like before the movers showed up. Afterward, every room looked like this:

It actually makes me feel much better to go back and see how far we've come. Hell, we have a fridge AND a stove these days. That alone calls for rejoicing.

We still have a way to go but this place is our home, more and more every day.

Career Day

2011-09-01T10:35:00.000-07:00

The other day at breakfast, Bubba laid out his career plans.

"When I grow up, I want to be a manager at a bowling alley. Then I could watch my friends bowl and I could get to walk on the lanes."

I didn't have the heart to mention all of the smelly shoes he'd have to deal with.

Wordless Wednesday: Feels Like Home

2011-08-31T11:31:00.000-07:00

It's the little things that make a house a home. Like this adorable key. It makes me happy every time I look at it.

MAKE IT: Diaper Cake Tutorial

2011-08-06T05:25:00.000-07:00

A couple of months back, I co-hosted a baby shower for my sweet friend Leigh. Her and her hubby were expecting their first baby (A BOY!) and the shower was a Welcome Home of sorts since they had been living in Canada for the last 9 months or so.

The co-hostesses and I wanted to make it a really special day, with lots of special touches. One of my contributions was the diaper cake. I love making these things! I think the repetitive motion is somewhat Zen and calming to my normal Type A soul. Once you've been rolling diapers for an hour, you may be ready to kill yourself (and me) and wonder how I find this calming...but I do.

If you're thinking "Rolling diapers? Oh lawd, what have I gotten myself into?", then it's time to begin!

I've seen a lot of variances on the diaper cake. I've seen them done with clothing, tissue paper, bottles & binkies. But this is my fave. It's elegant looking while not being over the top.

You will need the following for a 3 layer diaper cake:

Large bag of rubber bands (I recommend getting the variety pack bag)

A cake plate or stand (I got mine from Michael's in the cake decorating department)

A bottle of champagne (or sparkling cider if the mom-to-be is partial to that)

Diapers (I go with the Pampers Swaddlers because they are mostly white. All the other brands have a lot of crap all over them. No pun intended. The Swaddlers just look prettier once the cake is finished. I also recommend using Size 1 or 2 diapers.)

Ribbon (about 1.5 - 2' wide to cover the rubberbands)

OK, now that you've got everything assembled, let's start rolling!

Lay one diaper on top of another with the printed band facing up.

Begin rolling both diapers up toward the printed band. Keep rolling until you have a diaper roll. Secure with rubber band.

It should look something like this:

TA DAH!

Now you keep rolling. Roll and roll and roll until you are done with both bag of diapers. Oh, I think I forgot to mention that you will realize halfway through that you need 2 bags of diapers. Take a break from the ~~tedious~~ calming activity of diaper rolling to grab a latte and another bag of diapers from the store.

Once you return and finish that second bag of diapers, it's time to start assembling your cake.

Place your bottle of champagne in the center of the cake plate/stand. I have learned that it's a good idea to secure it to the base with either some heavy duty glue stickers or rubber cement. You don't want that thing sliding off or falling over en route to the baby shower.

Now that it's secure, begin arranging the diaper rolls around the bottle, like so:

When the bottle is surrounded, use one of the larger rubberbands to secure those bad boys to the bottle. Simply stretch it over the bottle and the diapers. I say "simply" but you should be prepared for a rubberband to break and shoot either across the room or into your face. You're welcome.

So now you should have this:

Next, add another layer of diapers around the inner ring.You want it to extend to the edge of the platter, if possible.

Here's the view from above:

Once that 2nd ring is in place, secure with another large rubberband. Hopefully this one doesn't shoot you in the face.

For the second tier, repeat the process, but only use one ring around the bottle. Same goes for the 3rd tier. Because of the bottle shape, they will take on a tiered effect.

Like this!

Isn't that pretty?

Here's what it looks like from the top:

Now it's time to decorate!

Take your ribbon (I used 2 different ones that corresponded to the shower colors/theme. Wrap them around the tiers, so they hide the rubber bands. Secure with either hot glue (you're braver than I am), glue stickers or simply tie the ribbon in a cute bow.

The top of the champagne bottle will still be visible, so you can either put flowers on it, some baby stuff or a paper poof. Foe Leigh, I opted for the paper poof. To secure, I went back to my trusty glue dots.

And here is the final product:

Not too bad, eh?

It looks even better with a super-happy, adorable pregnant friend next to it.

Has anyone ever made a diaper cake? If so, what are some of your tips? I'm always looking to improve on mine.

Double-date with Jason Bateman & Ryan Reynolds

2011-08-04T13:58:00.000-07:00

I know what I'll be doing this weekend....

5 for Friday: Vacation, All I Ever Wanted

2011-07-22T16:00:00.000-07:00

Bub and I are heading to the beach for an entire week. Here are the 5 things on my To Do Nothing list.

Source: ahappylittlefamily.blogspot.com via Garage on Pinterest

1. Margaritas! While at the beach, we'll be celebrating Mama Kelley's 50th birthday. The fiesta will include lots of personal touches and LOTS of margaritas.

Source: etsy.com via Alicia on Pinterest

2. The Orange County Fair, a family tradition for over 20 years, is DEFINITELY on the list. I can't wait to introduce our out-of-town guests to this place.

Source: vanessachristenson.com via Vanessa on Pinterest

3. Vacation = sleeping in. And naps on the beach. My schedule is jam-packed with sleep next week.

Source: piccsy.com via Susana on Pinterest

4. I love riding my bike along the boardwalk in the early morning hours. Of course there will be lots of sleeping in (Hello! See above!) but I invariably wake up really early one or two mornings. While I'm waiting for the rest of the house to wake, Bubba and I will head out on our bikes and explore.

Source: howtobearetronaut.com via Anita on Pinterest

5. Laughing...and LOTS of it. A week with my family means a week full of belly laughs, snorts, sore cheeks from smiling and tears from breathless laughing. Just what the doctor ordered after the last few weeks.

Care to share your favorite vacation activities?

Posting With Myseh-elf

2011-07-21T14:59:00.000-07:00

I've been posting a lot lately, you just can't see it or read it. I've been posting in my head. Forming ideas, reshaping them, getting them just so and then...forgetting to write them here.

I've tried printable templates and calendars and good old-fashioned notebooks by the bed to help me remember all my little nuggets. But nothing seems to stick. I've even tried voice memos on my iPhone, since talking to yourself in the car isn't weird at all. Nope. Not at all.

What I've been doing, and it seems to work although I probably just jinxed it, is creating new posts and jotting down a blurb or two of what I want to say. I just did a brain dump and came up with a whole bunch.

Now to finish them......

Wordless Wednesday

2011-07-13T20:44:00.000-07:00

Wordless Wednesday: Rx

2011-06-29T11:36:00.000-07:00

RIP Jeff Conaway

2011-05-27T11:34:00.000-07:00

So damn sad.

If you get a chance, check out Making of a Male Model. It's campy and hilarious and Jeff's great. Although it's a little eerie how life imitates art in this case.

P90X Update: Weeks 6-8

2011-05-18T06:00:00.000-07:00

I have been dreading this post. I've started it ten times if I've started it once.

In Week 6, I was getting tired of the P90X workouts and I craved something new. I skipped a bunch of workouts that week and cheated with Jillian three times that week. I really paid attention to my food and lo and behold, I lost weight. Two pounds, to be exact.

The following week (week 7), I completely focused on my food and did not work out. To be honest, I was scared to go back to P90X. But I had made a commitment and knew I would have to get back on the program. Plus, I was halfway through. I was proud I had made it that far.

So at what would be Week 8, I tried to get back in the saddle. After one workout, I had to face facts. I hate that saddle. I was not seeing the results I wanted and I was not enjoying the workouts.

Bigger arms and smaller boobs were not what the infomercial promised me. But that's what I got. I have decided to go back to what works. Namely, Jillian Michaels' 30 Day Shred. That workout kicks my butt every time. I've also decided to get back to running. It clear my head and I've missed it.

I will really miss my morning workouts with Karl, but who knows? Maybe I can convince him to give Jillian a try.

Bathroom Makeover (with pictures!)

2011-05-17T03:35:00.000-07:00

When we made the decision to move in together, Karl had the great idea to tackle a couple of projects pre-move. It would give me a sense of place in the new space as well.

We decided to start with what had been the guest bedroom and bath. Our plan was to make that a master suite since it was the only space that really felt separate. It would also give us our own bathroom away from bath toys and kid stuff.

Since both rooms were not being used, our little remodel project would not interfere with daily life. We would still have an intact bathroom and bedroom to collapse into at the end of each project day.

Here is what the bathroom looked like BEFORE:

Oh, hello roll of toilet paper sitting on the sink!

Just your standard, builder-issue vanity and lights, accented with mismatched towels and vinyl blinds. The bathroom was functional but you weren't spending any more time in there than was absolutely necessary. Also, it was wallpapered. {shudder} I am not a fan of carpeting or wallpaper in bathrooms.

First things first was tackling the wallpaper. We took everything off the walls (goodbye ugly towel rack and shelf! Adios vinyl blinds!) and went to town spraying, scoring and scraping the wallpaper.

What you can't see in these pictures above is the corner shower to the right. You get a good view of it in these DURING photos.

In the process, we discovered that the previous homeowner had made the interesting decision to paint over wallpaper and then wallpaper over that. Oy to the vey.

We swapped out the vanity and lighting. We decided to go simpler and more modern with the lighting. After a miscalculation we realized that this wasn't going to be our master suite. Since we didn't need as much storage as we originally thought, we decided to repurpose a mirror that I had from my old apartment. No patching of that giant hole necessary, since this frame hung perfectly over it. VOILA!

Ah, it looks better all ready!

Our budget didn't have room for a new vanity and did I mention we were having people over for the Super Bowl in 2 days?! Inspired by Centsational Girl, I decided to paint the vanity. So while Karl was out at work, I painted the vanity. No big whoop, right? Surprise, honey!

Well, just in time for our Super Bowl party, we pulled this together.

Not too shabby, right? With some new towels, bathmat and a re-purposed curtain panel, we were ready to go! It was so great to see people's reactions. It was a pretty shocking transformation from a bachelor bathroom to a proper guest bathroom.

We have a list of other projects that we'd like to tackle and I'll be posting our progress as we go. I can't wait to get started on the next project!

Blerg. (EDITED)

2011-05-16T12:46:00.000-07:00

When Blogger ate my last two posts, I didn't panic.

Ok, well maybe I did a little. But I heard there was some technical difficulties and that they would be restoring posts/comments/etc. in time.

So I relaxed.

And completely forgot about it.

Until today. My posts are still not there and listen, we all know they were not Earth-rocking missives but GODDAMNIT, I worked fairly hard on them. Not coal mining in Chile hard, but hard. I uploaded pictures! And resized them! And rearranged them! (Edited: Phew! I got the post back. Check it here!)

I admitted to hating P90X and throwing in the towel even though I felt like a loser for not finishing the program (despite my shrunked boobs and bigger arms). Due to my perfection guilt, that post was particularly hard to write. And now it's gone! (Psych! It's back! Right here!)

And there isn't even a saved draft of either of them to be found. (Edited: Turns out that's not quite true...see below.**)

So I have to do it all over again. (Edited: Or not. Challah Google Reader!)

Blerg.

**Edited to add: Thank you Jesus & Mary Chain for Google Reader. Since I subscribe to my blog (hey! I have to lead by example, right?) my posts were in my Reader. A quick copy & paste relieved me of the anxiety of having to rewrite both posts. Links are above.

Wordless Wednesday: Amazeballs

2011-04-20T09:40:00.000-07:00

5 for Friday: Writing Class

2011-04-15T12:03:00.000-07:00

I recently signed up for a Creative Writing class and last night was our first meeting. Here are five thoughts from the class.

"Did he just say there will be a Group Critique? Oh god...we're going to have to share our work?! And talk about it!? I have to get out of here."

"He wants us to write RIGHT NOW!? Ok...an autobiographical scene, you can do this. Fuck, I can't remember my life! If I go to the bathroom and never come back, will they notice?"

"Oh my god - that story was amazing! Mine isn't that good. Why did I think this was a good idea? I can't do this."

"Shit! I totally missed that guy's entire story & it must have been good because that girl is crying."

"Oh for Pete's sake, JUST VOLUNTEER! Raise your hand. Damn! That guy beat you to it."

This is going to be a tough one, folks.

Adventures in Homeownership

2011-04-15T11:39:00.000-07:00

I have always been a renter. Growing up in New York, that's to be expected. Sure, you would hear tales of people who bought their apartments or moved upstate to buy. But every place I ever called home had a landlord. Until now.

This week I got my first real lesson in what it means to be a homeowner.

At 2.30 in the morning, Karl gently shook me awake and said "Babe, I'm sorry to wake you but...the kitchen is flooded."

"Huh? What?" I swore it was a dream. Or maybe I was just hoping.

No such luck.

The water filter leading to the refrigerator had blown a gasket (I'm assuming because I am in no way an expert on anything appliance-related.) and was pouring water onto the kitchen floor. Karl had already laid some towels down and I ran and grabbed some more. While Karl went looking for tools, I grabbed a pot and tried to contain the streaming water. After we clamped off the hose and stopped the water, we looked at each other with this "Now what?" look.

Karl said "We have to call someone to fix it" and without thinking I said, "Yeah, the landlord."

"We are the landlord."

I won't lie. There was definitely a moment of panic. WE have to take care of this!? WE have to figure out who to call AND pay to fix it?!

Oh, boy. I have never missed apartment living so much as I did at that moment.

Tuesday's Tune: The Beautiful Ones

2011-04-12T11:42:00.000-07:00

I just got tickets to see Prince next week. PRINCE!!!

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!

He is kicking off a 21-night run at The Forum this week. Karl and I had casually talked about getting tickets when a coworker told me he'd bought a block and did I want in. Um...only hell yes!

So we're going with a fun bunch of my coworkers and friends and it should be a blast. I've wanted to see a Prince show for, well forever. I saw him perform one song in a NYC club eons ago. I don't even remember what song it was, only that he was wearing those pants with his ass hanging out.

Yes. these.

I am so excited to see him perform a whole show! Anyone else in the LA area going to see him?

As promised...

2011-04-11T18:34:00.000-07:00

In my Week 4 update, I promised my Day 30 BEFORE picture. Well, here it is.

You can tell by my grumpy face that it is stupid o'clock in the morning.

This face is two-fold. Not crazy about the muffin top OR the wallpaper. But I'm working on both.

These pictures were taken on Day 30. That's 30 days of (near) daily working out & eating right. You will have to trust me when I say that it's not very different from Day 1. I'll post photos again on Day 60 and Day 90.

P90X Update: Week 5

2011-04-10T01:55:00.000-07:00

After Day 1 (chest, shoulders and triceps) of this week, I was invigortated. Yay! Something new!! Then came Day 2 (plyometrics) I felt like I was phoning it in, but I was able to do more than I have before and I was a sweaty mess.

See?

I almost threw up on Day 3 (biceps and back) and for the first time, I was sore all over.

Does this ever get easier?

Also, when do the results start to show?

Because it's been five weeks and I'm not SEEING a big difference. Yes, the scale is moving and I am down half a pound this week, but my jeans aren't fitting differently, I feel like my arms are getting bigger and my boobs are getting smaller. What the what?!

I've switched up my eating and although I fall off the wagon, I'm doing pretty well. I go to bed before 11 every night and wake up exhausted every day. I am still committed to this program but I am just wondering when it clicks over. When does my energy spike? When does this get easier?

I'm frustrated and becoming disillusioned with this program. Nevertheless, I am committed to the program and I'm hopeful that things start to change soon.

5 for Friday: Home Edition

2011-04-08T10:33:00.001-07:00

This week's 5 for Friday is all about the home. Ours is still in this weird limbo of boxes & temporary placement of objects and contained chaos. So I have been escaping into these completed projects for motivation and inspiration.

1. After staring open-mouthed and wide-eyed at Jenny's dressing room, I started daydreaming. How could I not??

Couldn't you just die?! I wonder if Karl will let me turn the den into my own dressing room? Hmmmm...

2. I am a sucker for a picture wall (otherwise known as a gallery wall). I'm still figuring out where/what/how to hang our picture wall. This one from Tara Whitney at Just Be Blogged is gorgeous! And so unexpected! I love the mix of black & white photos with color.

3. As Karl and I figure out where stuff goes & work toward what our space will be, I keep coming back to this Candice Bergen quote that Nicole from Making It Lovely posted this week. I'd love to recreate this print and hang it in the house somewhere, as our mantra.

4. I've seen a couple of DIY sunburst mirrors but they have always looked...well, cheap and cheesy. But Centsational Girl has a tutorial that actually makes me want to attempt one of these. Of course, I have no idea where I would put it. But it speaks to the beachy, serene vibe that I'm drawn to.

5. For the last, oh I don't know, 6 WEEKS! we have been trying to have a garage sale. Mother Nature has been less than cooperative, raining on every available Sunday and thwarting our plans. The garage is packed to the gills and I dream of the day when it is empty and organized. In the meantime, I am going to drool over Tami's adorable red pegboard and know that one day, we'll get there.

Wordless Wednesday

2011-04-06T14:28:00.000-07:00

via ashley west leonard

This pretty much sums up today.

P90X Update: Week 4 (Recovery Week!)

2011-04-03T21:39:00.000-07:00

Holy hell, I can't believe I made it through the first round! I was SO looking forward to Recovery Week, mainly because I thought it would involve laying on the floor or sleeping in. Turns out? Not so much. Instead, it was a week filled with Yoga and Kenpo.

Physically it was a lot less grueling, but it still took a lot of mental energy for me to get up and workout each morning. When the hell is that going to get easier?! Karl has to practically drag me out of bed each morning and then I spend the first 20 minutes of the workout either grumbling or telling Tony Horton to shut the hell up.

It's not pretty, folks. Any day now I expect Karl to suggest that we work out separately. Could you blame him?

The schedule of the workouts isn't helping. The program is designed so that you do each workout once a week. It's supposed to confuse your muscles, but it confuses my brain (especially early in the morning, pre-coffee). This exchange is all too common at our house:

Me: Is this a new tape?
Karl: No, it's the same one we did last week.
Me: Are you sure? Because I don't remember doing this move.
Karl: I'm sure. It's the same one.
Me: I don't think it is. That girl looks new. Where is the one-legged guy?
Karl: He's on the Plyometrics tape.
Me: Hmmm, I think this is a different tape.
Karl: *sigh*

But maybe, just maybe, that Tony Horton knows what he's doing because I am down 1.5lbs from last week. I still need to work on my eating, because I think I may not be getting enough calories. Hence, the sluggishness and lack of energy.

End of Week 4: 152.5lbs.

I took a Day 30 picture and will post that with next week's post. I figure that's close enough to a BEFORE picture.

5 for Friday: April Fool's!

2011-04-01T17:12:00.000-07:00

Happy April Fool's everyone (& by "everyone" I mean the 4 people that read this blog)! I love April Fool's Day even though I play the same joke every year*. Here the 5 internet pranks that cracked me up today. And yes, some of them I actually fell for.

1. Young House Love - they have big plans for their playroom!
2. Shredheads are posting BEFORE pics. Are you brave enough to join them?
3. Is TBK actually shaving her head?! I still can't figure out if that's a prank or not.
4. Starbucks Mobile Pour - Starbucks announced that they were putting baristas on scooters so you can truly have your coffee on the go.

5. Google introduced Gmail Motion, which allows you to control Gmail with your body. I have to admit, phrases like "spacial tracking algorithm" sound pretty legit. The model and his motions crack me up!

What's your favorite prank? Did you get taken today?

*Updated: Oh my gosh, someone fell for it! My dad forwarded me a text from a family member that actually thought I was with child. That's the first time this prank has ever worked!

Wordless Wednesday

2011-03-30T13:06:00.000-07:00

Mama, how many days until my birthday? Until I'm five?

Well, it's about 5 months away, so 150 days.

That's FOREVER!

I know it sounds like a long time but it will go by before you know it.

No it won't. It won't go by before I know it!

Oh, Bub. It will, believe me. It will go by so fast.

P90X Update: Week 3

2011-03-27T19:14:00.001-07:00

For the first time in my life, I kept a detailed food diary this week. I think I ate better than I normally would have because I knew I would have to write down all the mindless snacking. This did not stop me from eating two Krispy Kreme donuts on Wednesday. But it did help me understand that it was a response to stress. I also noted how sick I felt afterward. My body apparently expects more of me.

I'm starting to feel my body come together, literally. My arms feel tighter, my legs feel tighter. And my ass?

Insert catcall whistle.

I have to admit, it's looking good. I am still sporting a bit of a muffin top but I'm confident that will soon melt away as well.

This week everything seemed to come together. The workouts, the eating (with the occasional slip-up/treat). I even got some extra sleep.

My biggest milestone was FINALLY getting through the entire Yoga workout. Ninety minutes is a lot of time to carve out in the mornings when you've got breakfast to make, showers to take and shoes to tie. To that end, I did the yoga workout in the evening after Bubba went to bed and it was amazing. I felt a lot more flexible than I have in previous weeks and since the last thirty five minutes of the tape are relaxing and stretches, I slept like a rock.

Yeah...I still can't do this.

This is my favorite part of a workout regimen. When you start noticing slight, and not-so-slight, changes that motivate you to keep going.

Week 4 is billed as a recovery week, which I took to mean I would spend it sleeping in. Turns out, soemthing call Prison Cell Push-ups are on the agenda. I'm scared.

Total Weight Lost this week: 2lbs. WOOT!
Current Weight: 154lbs.

5 for Friday : Books

2011-03-25T11:33:00.000-07:00

5 Books That Have Left A Mark

1. Flowers in the Attic - Oh my god, you guys. I can't be the only one who devoured this book (and hell, pretty much anything by VC Andrews). I loved reading about families that were way more screwed up than my own. There was also some really twisted shit going down in a VC Andrews novel. Some of them shared the same plot points (beloved parent dies, poor girl discovers that she's part of a rich family, someone is disowned and/or believed dead but comes back to destroy the family, incestuous relationship) but I didn't care. Growing up, I fantasized that I was secretly switched at birth and really belonged to a wealthy, normal family. These books totally fed that fantasy and made me realize that I had it pretty good, comparitvely. No one was locking me in the attic and secretly feeding me arsenic. I wasn't having an incestous relationship with my twin brother. Who was I to complain?

2. Mad As Hell: Revolt at the Ballot Box - I have been fascinated by politics for as long as I can remember. I vividly recall watching the 1984 Democratic National Convention when Geraldine Ferraro was nominated as the Vice Presidential candidate (& how proud I was). I mounted a one-tween campaign to get my parents to vote for Jesse Jackson in the New York primary in 1988 (they didn't). As a senior in high school, I helped organize rallies for Rudy Guiliani when he ran for Mayor. So it is no surprise that I was obsessed with the Presidential election in 1992. This book takes a look at that historic election and breaks down the entire election, from primaries to Election Night. It also explores the changing political climate. I love this book and have re-read it at least 5 times. Funny story: My best friend bought me this book for my 17th birthday and I took it with me on a visit to California. While I was reading it on the plane, the cute guy across the aisle asked if I was reading it for school. I told him that I was actually reading it for fun (I don't have to tell you guys I was a nerd, do I?) and he chortled and said "Seems more like punishment to me". He wasn't so cute after that comment.

3. The BFG - I'll go on record as saying I don't have a lot of genuinely happy memories of my mother from my childhood. This book represents one of the exceptions. When I was about 4 or 5, she read this book to me and my sister, one chapter a night. I loved that time and I just bought this book so I can start reading it to Bubba.

4. How to Kiss Great - Once upon a time, I was sweet sixteen and never been kissed. It didn't help that I wore glasses. (To get the full effect, you need to think Sally Jesee Raphael, instead of Tina Fey.) I was undeveloped, didn't wear cool clothes, had those super cool glasses and a crush on just about any boy that talked to me. And I hadn't had my first kiss. All my friends had ticked that box but I was still waiting. I worried that I wouldn't know what to do when my time came. That I'd be *gasp* a bad kisser! So I did what any self-respecting nerd would do. I read up on the subject. I ordered this handy-dandy booklet from the back of Seventeen and buckled down to learn the secret to kissing great. And you know...it worked.

5. Guess How Much I Love You - Of course there is a sappy Mama book in the mix. I bought this book for Bubba while we were on vacation in England when he was ten months old. At first he wasn't crazy about it, but I think I wore him down. Although, I think he picks it for bedtime stories, in part because he knows I love reading it to him. Or maybe he likes hearing the slight English accent I adopt when I read it. From time to time, I will say to him "I love you right up to the moon" and he'll finish with "..and back".

Commence heart melting sequence.

Those are my picks. What are yours?

Wordless Wednesday

2011-03-23T00:00:00.000-07:00

Baseball season has started and I couldn't be more proud watching Bubba catch grounders and practice throwing and hitting. Watching him do jumping jacks with his team, I actually tear up a little. How nuts is that? He'll be 5 this summer and as he runs onto the field, I can't believe I had anything to do with this amazing creature. I am so damn lucky to be his mom.

Tuesday's Tunes: Indestructible

2011-03-22T14:33:00.000-07:00

And I never was smart with love
I let the bad ones in and the good ones go
But I'm gonna love you like I've never been hurt before
I'm gonna love you like I'm indestructible
-"Indesctructible" by Robyn

I am still on my Robyn kick from last week. What can I say? I am buying what she's selling. I can't wait to bust out the new running shoes and blast her new album, once the monsoon lets up around here.

I love just about every track but this one is in my Top 3. It is completely dance-able but the lyrics put it over the top for me. I love the idea of loving someone like you've never been hurt before. I've mentioned before that I'm a Pollyanna, who sees the best in people. Let's face it, that can lead to hurt and heartache. Each time, I've dusted myself off, figured out the lesson and tried not to make the same mistake.

It would be such a waste of the time we have here to guard your heart 24/7, never letting someone get close enough to break it. Sure, your heart won't break, but it also won't grow. You'll have no idea just how much you can feel and experience.

It's not easy to go into a new relationship with your heart wide open, ignoring thoughts of how this one might end. It takes courage to drop your baggage at the door and trust that this person won't react the way a former lover did. It takes faith and hope to hand your heart over to someone without reservation.

But what other choice do we have?

P90X Update: Week 2

2011-03-20T21:53:00.000-07:00

I hate pull ups.

I think that needs to be said.

Ok, now that that is out of the way, let's get to it.

As I mentioned last week, this week I wanted to focus on my eating and increase my reps and weight. The reps and weights were the easy part.

As a mom, I tend to make the foods that I know Bub will eat (instead of trying to hide in a napkin). Nowadays, that is carbs, carbs, carbs. Add to the mix that I work full time outside the home and I wind up at Starbucks more mornings than I care to admit. When it comes to lunch, I'm no better. I am either grabbing fast food & eating in my car while running errands or I'm at lunch with coworkers. Not only is it not good for my waistline, but it's bad for my wallet too.

So this week, I focused on adding more lean meat and veggies to our dinners. Instead of Taco Tuesday, we had chicken fajitas.When Date Night rolled around, I ordered smarter. I am terrible at cooking fish so I let someone else do the cooking and ordered fish and steamed veggies.

To retain some control over what I ate, I packed my lunch everyday this week. Granted, I didn't always wind up eating it. Between lunch meetings and coworker's birthdays, there were a lot of temptations. Overall, I made smarter choices (salad rather than pizza, 1/2 of a cupcake rather than 2 full ones). I also upped my water intake and because this mama needs her caffeine, I started ordering my usual vanilla latte with all the skinny options (sugar-free syrup, non-fat milk). And you know? It doesn't taste terrible.

Overall, I still have a ways to go when it comes to food, as evident by the fact that I didn't lose any weight this week. I am bringing it 100% to the workouts but I'm still rewarding myself with cookies or other treats. This week, I am going to keep a food diary.I have resisted the idea for a long time, but I need to see what I'm missing.

Here are my stats, at the end of Week 2.
Weight: 156lbs.
Neck: 14.5"
Chest: 36.5"
Waist: 31.5"
Hips: 42.5"
Thigh: L-24", R- 24.5"
Calf: L-14.5", R- 14.5"
Bicep: L- 11.75", R- 11.75"

I forgot to take measurements last week, so these will have to act as my base, going forward.

Has anyone ever used a food diary? Did it work?

5 for Friday: Dance Party

2011-03-18T15:19:00.000-07:00

Working in an open air/free flowing office is great for collaboration, conversation and Nerf gun wars. Ironically, getting actual work done can sometimes be a challenge. This week I had to buckle down and tackle a couple of big projects and I was having a hard time staying focused. It would be a lot easier if I could pull some sort of canopy over my cubicle and shut the distractions out. The closest I came to complete isolation was a pair of noise-cancelling headphones and the Robyn station on Pandora.

Here are the 5 tunes that had me grooving, moving and crossing items off my To Do list.

1. Dancing on My Own - Robyn

This song grabs your hand and pulls you onto the dancefloor and doesn't let you leave until you are a sweaty mess, throat sore from singing at the top of your lungs.

2. The Fear - Lily Allen

It's so hard to choose a favorite track of of Lily Allen's second album, "It's Not Me, It's You", but this one is definitely up there.

3. Dog Days Are Over - Florence & The Machine

"Happiness hit her like a train on a track" completely sums up 2010 for me. It was an amazing year that brought me so many blessings and giggles and so much love and abundance. The dog days are over, indeed.

4. Monster - Lady Gaga

You knew there was going to be a Lady Gaga song, didn't you? I mean, come on! You can't have a dance party these days without Mother Monster. Although I'm not crazy about her newest single (Madonna rip-off much?), I cannot NOT dance to this song. There's no official video, but this mashup with Star Trek gives me the giggles.

5. The Girl & The Robot - Royksopp

I discovered Royksopp through friends on my European vacation in '09. That Robyn is featured on this track is the cherry on top.

What are your dance party picks? Are there any tunes that keep you going, whether at work or working out?

Wordless Wednesday

2011-03-16T13:05:00.000-07:00

(via A Conversation on Cool)