a day in the life (5-8)

Henry's life is pretty happening. Here's a quick snapshot:

Drive to work.

Do a bunch of organizing at work while dressed like Don Draper:

Go to a business lunch and drink cafe rio dressing straight from the cup - what? it's delicious. You would totally do this to if you could get away with it.

photobomb credit - Drake

Come home and mow the lawn:

(Toddcat - he totally looks like he is "Doug-ing" me)

Go to sleep - only to start over again tomorrow:

Friday Favorites (5-7)

A few favorites for the week:

Oh my Mother (aka "The Workhorse") spoils her daughters on Mother's Day. Here's proof:

You can't really tell - but this IKEA bag is full of awesome-sauce stuff that my Mom loves or thinks she may love. It's pretty great. Greg can attest that the peanut butter Oreo's are pretty fantastic (of course, I don't eat them, but I do eat them vicariously by insisting that Greg describe the taste as much as possible).

My new Garmin - yowser - running outside has now become really, really, really awesome:

I also really, really, really love my compression socks. Sometimes I just sleep with them on - they feel that good:

Also - friends that gift Henry with their kids' favorite toys . . . they are now Henry's favorite toys:

For the record, the words "vroom" "vroom" are now ingrained in his developing vocabulary.

Pinterest Challenge

It's time to get motivated and do another pinterest challenge. Here are my plans:

For the hair:  with it getting hot *hot* HOT outside - I need to an up-do/braid plan that is more than just a top-knot. I'm going to try these two styles out.

HERE and HERE

For the abode - I want to make THIS

For the Henry:

I want to make this and this: (Greg will need to help with these - probably a lot)

For the stomach:

This. This. And this.

Yowser. I need to get to work! Anyone want to do a pinterest challenge with me? Anyone? Anyone? I swear I need people to help me stay motivated - otherwise - it's back to the same ol' recipes, the same ol' ponytail, and Henry is left playing with the vacuum and some cars.

Happy Mother's Day! (5-5)

I'm the first to admit that I'm really, really, really still new to this "mother" thing and there are times where I love it and then there are other times.

But this was so so so so so awesome. I had the audacity to get out of the car on Saturday and this was Henry's reaction:

Nothing makes me feel more like a rock star then knowing that my presence will *definitely* be missed.

Also, Henry LOVES to pretend to drive Big Red. LOVES IT.

(don't worry - the car seat is there - just not pictured - and we aren't moving).

Friday Favorites (5-4)

So let's see here.

Favorite picture of the week - Henry faking a crime scene:

Favorite book of the week:

Favorite recipe of the week (according to the babysitter - Henry eats it like candy at lunch time. I, on the other hand, just eat it like soup).

Favorite movie of the week:

The other night we put Henry to bed and then went out and partied like the pre-Henry days and actually went  to a movie (no Redbox - a real life movie - in the movie theater). Pretty exciting stuff.

weekend wrap-up (5-3)

So this is how we spent out weekend.

Mowing the lawn like champs:

 Rolling out the kinks after a slooooow ten-miler:

(due to my vanity I blocked out myself as much as possible but this picture of him is too cute) - and he really thought this was the best thing in the world.

Living it up like he was the king of Costco:

And finally . . . pretending like he was listening at Church - while eating a delicious pb&j

Oh we also watched Silver Linings Playbook (but Henry was not invited to that adult party).

And there you go - weekend wrapped.

Favorite Things (5-2)

Is it a sign of a bad week when I have been having a hard time thinking of a single favorite thing? For real . . . but let me see.

Oh - favorite recipe! Nat the Fat Rat (a blog I follow) posted a sugar-free, flour-free muffin recipe and let me just tell you - they are delicious (we make them with plain Greek yogurt instead of sour cream and we use cacoa instead of chocolate chips) and really - Henry can't eat enough of them. And Greg and I both can't stop. Delicious.

Also, Henry and I are currently in the middle of a love affair with peanut butter from Trader Joe's. Sometimes I'll get it out of the fridge while holding Henry and his legs will kick and his smile gets bigger and bigger when he sees me reaching for the jar. We get out a spoon and eat straight from the jar, just as it should be.

Speaking of Henry's smile - it is definitely my favorite thing. It also reminds me and Greg of this picture:

And finally - favorite toy we are contemplating buying Henry:

I know he doesn't need this - but gosh - I really think he would love it. Anyone want to give it to him?

Reading Round-up (5-1)

I may have been a bit of a reading fool in April.

Stiff - The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers is so so so so interesting. I highly recommend it.

After watching Argo and re-watching Persepolis I was reminded that I knew absolutely nothing about the history of Iran. I casually bumped into the book, All the Shah's Men, at the library and was sold. Wow. So so so fascinating. I learned a lot. Well worth the read.

As for the Sophie Kinsella book . . . reading I've Got Your Number was like eating ice cream. It has zero nutritional value but it was just plain fun. I even laughed out loud a couple of times. Totally ridiculous . . . but I liked it . . . and I don't regret it.

As for the others . . .

Inside Out & Back Again is beautiful. I need to learn more about Vietnam.
Out of Reach - don't waste your time.
Three Times Lucky - fantastic!

love where you live (4-13) - #2

With an air of positivity - I'm trying to foster a love of where I live. I'm a firm believer that you find what you are looking for. You know, if you think your neighbors are nice . . . no matter who you live next to - they'll be nice. If you think everyone you meet are jerks . . . they always will be. So I'm trying to appreciate the great things that are available while living in a place we never dreamed of living. Because really, there are great things about living here.

Case in point:

I get to work at the most beautiful campus. I'm not just saying that - it really is beautiful. Everyday while driving in there is a tree-lined street that, in the spring, literally takes my breath away.

I love where we get to work. It's pretty fantastic.

Newbery Award Review (4-12)

This month I (finally) completed reading all of the 2013 Newbery Medal and Honor books.

1) The One and Only Ivan was the 2013 winner and really, this is the sweetest book. As I've said before, I plan on reading this one with Henry. I'm sure Pixar/Disney will be acquiring the rights to this book (if they haven't already).

2) Splendors and Glooms. I didn't love it. It was just okay.

3) Bomb. I think I'm the only person in the world that didn't love this book. I really, really, really didn't love this book. I stopped reading it I was so bored with it . . . but then when it won an Honor I picked it back up again to see if I had missed something. Just not my thing.

4) Three Times Lucky. This is a great read. We listened to it and the kid that reads it is phenomenal. It really was so much fun to listen to. My favorite line, "My hair had turned feral in the heat" - as a girl with curly hair, I totally knew what she was talking about.