Let’s Go Glamping

With Labor Day fast approaching (or as I like to call it, my original Due Date) I know so many will be heading out into the great outdoors.

Personally, I have never really been one to have much opinion on camping. While I love being outdoors, around a campfire, eating burgers and smores the whole sleeping in a tent, showering (if you are lucky) in a bathroom out of a horror movie (lets not even mention peeing in the middle of the night) are major turn offs. Having a baby threw any slight desire to go camping right out of the window. Our little babe has been a sound sleeper from the beginning, all safe and warm in her own environment (ie pack n play or crib). I cannot fathom trying to get her (now almost two self) asleep in a tent. The only exception I will make is if my parents come along and bring their trailer.

With all that being said- one thing I want to do, no NEED to do, is go Glamping.

I cannot even. How amazing to sleep in a totally glamorous Airstream? Or a teepee large enough to fit a four post bed? This sounds much more like a weekend getaway sans babe (hm, third year anniversary idea?!)

 

And can you image the outfits?

| DRESS | CROP SWEATER | ARMY PANTS | JEANS |

Why is this not happening? I think a little plotting planning may be happening.
Have you glamped?

Toddler Tales: Potty Training

Little Bug is turning 2 in a couple weeks, and with a few Summer road trips behind us, a little peer pressure from family members, and letting go of a bit of denial- we have decided to Potty Train.

I did my research, when do I not Google endlessly? But mostly- I decided to wing it. Very unlike me.

The Ground Rules:

• No leaving the house.
• Special Dora underwear and her very own potty arrived the night before to add to the excitement. (We keep the excitement level as high as possible about pee and poop in our house!)
• Timer on for every 20-30 mins. If after 5 mins and no go- the timer is reset for another 10-15 mins.
• No iPad or iPhone. This was a big one for me. I did not want the bathroom to become a place to get away being glued to a screen. We limit the amount of screen time (to the best of our ability) and didn’t want the potty to be another place she knew she could get to watch one more cartoon. (Much like Starbucks has become…) We do allow crayons, play piano, doodle board, etc.
• No treats. My thinking is this: If she wants a cookie she will go sit on the potty. If she doesn’t really care about the cookie, she will pee behind the couch. Not sure if this is true or not, but with lots of verbal positive encouragement and a really great pee pee dance, no cookies have been harmed thus far.

So far she has done great. Only a couple accidents a day, each day becoming a bit less, I feel like we are doing something right. For me, this is balls to the wall, all in. I had this fear of starting too early and needing to stop, but now I can see that she is getting the concept so I just have to accept the accidents as they come. While this may sound sort of horrible, I keep thinking of this dog training analogy. If your puppy pees on the floor, it’s not his fault, it’s yours for not watching him. So with that being said- I am ready to accept my punishment!

(Oh and for those of you wondering about operation cleaneveryroominthewholeentirehouse a minor hangover and a major earthquake threw those plans up into the air. But it will happen…someday!)

Tips, tricks, advice that worked for you?

Fluffing Off the Excess

You know that feeling where you start to feel overwhelmed? Not just with out To Do List but life in general. Where things seem a tad bit out of control, or unbalanced. I am at this point. A very special 30th birthday for a friend, a very special 2nd birthday for my daughter, and this little thing they call everyday life has thrown off my game a touch.

The mountains of paperwork on my desk are about to fall down.

The DIY To Do list is getting a little out of control.

Attempting to plan a lunch date is looking like mid September.
My house is in serious need of a deep clean.

Did I mention we are potty training this weekend?

When things feel this way, I begin to look around me. And it is not looking good.

I am in need of a serious purge. Some organization and reorganization is past due.

There is something really amazing the effect of a clean space can have on your psyche. So I am dedicating this weekend to going through every drawer, every cabinet and having a gigantic Pre Fall Purge. 

I will be at home, and in the bathroom every 30 minutes, as it is. What a perfect time to de-clutter my living space in an attempt to re-balance my life.

Wish me luck?

Back In The Drivers Seat

I have started and stopped this blog post about 100 times over the last two months. Things have been busy and when they are not busy my motivation lacks.

Where have I been? (Watching past episodes of Gossip Girl actually!)

I been a wife, mother, daughter, friend, employee, blog Editor in Chief for Beyond the Clothing…

But I miss this. I miss my little corner of the internet without outside opinions or distractions.

Right now everything is at a bit of a crossroads. Big decisions need to be made (both personal and professional) but right now I am sittin’ pretty, ‘watching the tide pass me by.’ (Name that tune!)

 But the good news is, I have more to offer. More to share. And my mojo back to do just that. So if you are a past reader… Hello again. And if you are new… Nice to meet you!

The Back Seat

I have been staring at a computer screen for what feels like days on end! Needless to say, this blog has taken a backseat to things like work, family and work over at Beyond The Clothing. Funny that I write about balance over there… but really, I feel pretty balanced this days. Well- most days.

I have thought about moving on from this blog, starting something else, or just committing to other projects- but I like it here, even if it has been moved to the back seat for a bit.

A little back story on the name, because I am not sure if I ever explained it properly. Liv is the nickname of my daughter, or as I refer to her “the babe.” And Rose is a family name. So basically my husband is stuck living with a house of girls, Liv, with Roses. Make sense now? Glad I could clear that up.

Hope your week is no where are crazy as mine has been! But it’s all part of the fun, right?! I promise, I’ll be back! So check back!

Weekly Distract: Spring

It is basically Spring here. In fact, we pretty much skipped Winter all together. I think I have to take responsibility for this. True story. My mom bought me these magnificent Hunter Rain Boots for my birthday so of course it can’t actually rain. Sorry California.

Saint Patrick’s Day is next week. Does that freak anyone else out? Where did March go? Where did January and February go? I have no special green for me or the babe so it looks like my evening will be filled with a bit of online shopping! Because we need new green. Need. I have to say, the selection of actual Saint Patty’s Day gear out there is pretty bare bones.

Anthropologie Lunation Tee

J Crew Girls Colorblock Flip Flops

Gap Boys Stripe Tee

If you haven’t checked out Beyond the Clothing and my Wednesday Balance guest posts please do! Fitness and wellness needs to be a priority for us all, so why not have a support system along the way. Plus I know the chic that started it all- and she’s pretty cool.

My television watching is starting to get out of control. But there are so many good things I am watching right now. Resurrection- amazing. I am not usually one for the more SciFi type show but this one has me intrigued. My Pretty Little Liars obsession is beyond. We are also starting the thought process of getting rid of cable. At $150 a month (including internet) it just seems like way to much for the few shows we are addicted to. So I started streaming NetFlix through our Bluray and American Horror Story and the newer 90210 are on constant play. Yea know, gotta balance out the horror in my life with some cheese! Anyone make the switch? Forbes is trying to convince me!

Be sure to (finally) check out The Shop. I will be adding products I love and would love to have along with free printables along the way! And as always, if you see something you think I would like be sure to send it my way!

Send me your love 🙂

Something to Be

If you haven’t watched Lupita Nyong’o’s amazing speech on beauty, if you haven’t shared it with your daughters, your friends, you must. Right now. (Okay, keep reading first!)

This struck me in a way that will stay with me, that I hope to remember when my own daughter is grown. So much so I made a cute little printable for ya’ll to print and post somewhere you will see every single day.  Like your mirror!

“… my mother again would say to me, “You can’t eat beauty. It doesn’t feed you.” And these words plagued and bothered me; I didn’t really understand them until finally I realized that beauty was not a thing that I could acquire or consume, it was something that I just had to be.

And what my mother meant when she said you can’t eat beauty was that you can’t rely on how you look to sustain you. What is fundamentally beautiful is compassion for yourself and for those around you. That kind of beauty enflames the heart and enchants the soul.”

Be sure to watch Lupita’s entire speech HERE via Upworthy!

 

The Un-Edited Tales of a Married Working 20 Something Year Old Mother: Thirty Tales

In two years I will be Thirty. My daughter will be three. My marriage will be three.

In two years I will accomplish three things.

1. Graduate College
2.
3.
I don’t know what those other two things are yet- and that part is scary.

I am giving myself two years, my finally twenty something years- to push it harder, go a little bit further, get a little more uncomfortable and accomplish my wildest dreams.

Why thirty? Why not?! It is a time-frame to work towards. It’s not a deadline, it’s not game over. It is just a measurable amount of time to start a new decade off right.

So bare with me while I figure it out- figure me out and reach past myself into the future.

And of course there will be resources. I am already so ridiculously excited I received my Whitney English Day Designer in the mail! It took me awhile to justify the cost, but I can already tell it is well beyond worth it. For a girl that likes writing things down, this takes the cake! Even the wrapping it came in was too beautiful. I may actually keep it bubble wrapped!

So. Scary. But, so exciting.

Feb. Recap // March’s Project List

Can you believe it is March. I may be in denial. First part of the year is almost over! And barely any rain!

I have not been the best about keeping up on my goals but I am back in go mode so I think we will be seeing some real progress started! First a recap, then on to new challenges!

February’s Short List Progress Recap:

Tax Preparation for 2013. Done and Done. Look at me being all adult!

Picture Frames. From January and still NO new frames on the wall. Sad. Sad Day.

February’s Running List Progress Recap:

Babe’s Baby Album. Ugh. I can’t event talk about it. I want it done so badly but it is just NOT happening.

Bedroom update. I cleaned, does that count?!

Hoarder Room. We tend to through everything we want hidden into our office. Which then makes it not such a useable space. This has been an ongoing project to sort, organize and purge from this room! Oh- and decorate. It needs major decorating!

Blog Facelift. Okay, so I started a new blog. New name and everything. Feels more “me” or true to myself. But I can’t seem to make the transition over. Thoughts? Should I just live here and continue to find my voice? If you are eager to compare check out http://www.onmebecoming.wordpress.com and let me know your thoughts!

Health. I am super proud to share I am now a contributing author over at Beyond The Clothing! Which means not only do I need to focus on my health, I need to write about it! Yikes, but so exciting to be surrounded by a supportive, strong group of women! Please, please check it out HERE.

March Short List:

Order growth chart before the babe turns one and a half. Boom, check that off already! It takes two weeks to get here so we are missing our deadline a bit but at least it’s on order!

New Day Planner. Check! Look at me, ahead of the curve. But seeing as it is March and I am just now getting around to ordering one, that also makes me a bit behind. Details!

Switch Cable Providers: To none. Yep, that is right, our goal is to get rid of digital cable asap. We are spending way to much for a handful of shows. As long as I can continue to watch Pretty Little Liars when we are all good!

March Running List:

See all of the above. I feel like I have zero room to add anything new when these huge looming projects are still on my list. Things like “paint the bathroom” are going to have to wait.

What is on your To Do List?

The Un-Edited Tales of a Married Working 20 Something Year Old Mother: Toddler Tales

I have been fooling myself into thinking that I love this age. I do not. At just shy of 16 months I feel like we are getting a very early taste of the toddler twos. And it doesn’t taste good.

 

The Selfie taken by my daughter when she magically managed to hijack my phone

Don’t get me wrong. I love how interactive she is, I love that she mimics what we say, has a strong imagination, can play effortlessly with herself and others. I do not love the opinions, the tantrums, the yelling, the throwing of the sippy cup (as well as other various food pieces) and the new found clingyness she gets to whomever she has momentarily decided to be her favorite.

This stage has also been put the most weight on my marriage. Nap time has dwindled down to (sometimes) two naps a day and awake time is spent running, leaping and using the word “No” far too frequently. Getting on pajamas some nights feels more like training for an Olympic marathon and patience for just about everything can wear a little thin. There is less time to connect, less mom and dad time. Which makes it all the more important for play dates with the grandparents and movie dinner dates for us.

If this is a taste of what to come- then at least we are learning how to weather the storm as a team. But damn if it isn’t exhausting.

I love my family. I love my daughter. That goes without saying. Watching her try and run around the park, chasing the dog may be the actual reason I am on this earth. Why there are not museums full of pictures of toddlers trying to attempt…well anything really… is beyond me. Mona Lisa has nothing on my kid’s smile.

Toddlerhood is not for the faint of heart. I find myself crossing my fingers I get a nice long morning nap out of her while secretly hoping she wakes up so we can keep playing and cuddling. It is one big roller coaster that puts knots in your stomach in line and keeps you coming back for more!

*Note: I wrote this a couple of weeks ago and I can say that as we approach one and a half things are getting easier and much more fun. She is now able to communicate with us about what book she wants to read, when she is done with dinner, and even call the dog. With this comes more opinions but at least I am not throwing rocks in dark trying to figure her out!*