Although I'm pretty good at capturing events in our girls' lives and even writing yearly birthday letters, I've realized this week that I'm terrible about documenting the small things. Mannerisms and quirks, preferences and aversions, personality traits and friendships. I'm hoping to share more frequently about them as people, both as a way to document their growth and to share a better glimpse of who they are. Ella is ten and a half, going on thirty-five. She is analytical and organized and very concerned about sticking with the schedule. She asks a million questions about the itinerary, the weather, and our contingency plans. She is not a morning person. This is not a secret, she would agree with me unequivocally. She needs at least thirty minutes to feel like a whole human ...
Sophie’s ‘Let’s Play’ Party
Remember a few days ago when I shared some of my favorite birthday parties of years past? I shared that to give you a dose of pretty, because Sophie's party this year was all practical and no pretense. Last year, she attended the birthday party at a local play place and hasn't stopped talking about it since. We were already in the thick of party planning for our unicorn bash, but she assured me that we would have to celebrate at Let's Play this year. Honestly? I tried to talk her out of it. It seemed overpriced and limited and the creative part of me really wanted to throw something beautiful... and blog worthy. Hear my heart when I tell you that every party I've thrown has been for the girl and not for the blog, but I sure do enjoy giving you those recaps each year. I agreed that since it ...
Some Easter Things
So, yesterday was a Monday. I had every intention of getting an Easter recap on the blog, but instead I tried to stay awake and appear productive. The struggle was real! How about a delayed recap in the form of a list? 1. My sister and I took Sophie & Hudson to a local Easter Egg Hunt on Saturday morning. I don't know why I torture myself with fun family activities, because it's never as good as we think it will be. Sophie was supposed to be ready when I got back from the gym and she was nowhere close. Ella bailed on us because she's too big for baby things. We were late getting there and missed out on cotton candy and face painting. Hudson went through three balloons in the thirty minutes we were there -- they all spontaneously popped for no apparent reason. Both kids were ...
Little Letters | April
Dear Sophie, today you are seven! When you reminded me yesterday that it was your last day ever to be six years old, I almost cried. I'm not usually nostalgic, but something about your voice and the quiet of the house and your sweet snuggly self just got to me in that moment. Dear Snuggle Time, you are my favorite time of day. When Sophie sneaks into our room after bedtime, wearing mismatched pajamas and dragging Pink behind her as she comes, we can't help by smile. Josh and I both know what's coming -- she'll squeeze right in between us and say "snuggle time?" I hope you are a daily part of our lives for many years to come. Dear Unicorn Tee, it's been an entire year since you were introduced into our lives and we still see you multiple times a week. Thank goodness for this ...
An April Day in the Life
Disclosure: Affiliate links appear in this post. Any purchases made using the links in this post will earn Taz + Belly a small commission. You can read more about our affiliate relationships here. Remember last month when we talked about the 11th instead of the 10th? Maybe I should just switch the days I share for my day in the life posts or maybe I'm just destined to be a day late. I remember looking at my calendar on Friday and noting that Monday would be the day I documented, but it wasn't until about two o'clock in the afternoon that I realized I didn't grab my camera and hadn't even thought about it. Here's to Tuesday the 11th instead! This day started out like pretty much every other weekday in recent history. I curled up in the sunroom with a deep cup of coffee and a ...
Coffee Talk 010
If we were on a coffee date, I would tell you that I finally got my life together! I spent a few afternoons last week, going through paperwork, organizing my planner, making [and checking off] lists and generally feeling better about myself. I have been such a bad adult this year and I've told you all numerous times that I was going to get it together, but I actually did it this time. If we were on a coffee date, I would ask you if you knew about the Healthy Living App from EWG. I've been using their site for a few months to read more about the products we're buying and I just discovered this month that there is an app. Josh makes fun of me for being a hippy on a regular basis, but even he got me to scan a few things on our early morning Walmart date over the weekend. It has turned into ...
The Monthly Report | April
accomplishing | More than I did the first quarter of this year. I'm not sure what prompted an entire quarter of laziness, but I managed to get it together [mostly] in March and I'm hoping to keep up the momentum. I finally sent our taxes off to the accountant, so that's good. On my list this week is tackling all the paperwork. I haven't established a good system since our move, nor have I figured out where I want everything to live. I'm trying to put some thoughts down on paper and establish a new rhythm before the year gets away from me. feeling | Determined. I know it's only been two weeks [eleven days, if we're getting technical] since I joined Orangetheory, but I already feel so much better. I'm sleeping like a champ, so much less bloated, and I'm able to get up easier each morning. ...
What I Read in March
Disclosure: Affiliate links appear in this post. Any purchases made using these links will earn Taz + Belly a small commission. You can read more about our affiliate relationships here. Who is ready for some fantastic book recommendations for the month? They weren't all five stars, but they were all highly enjoyable! There wasn't a book this month that I wouldn't recommend over and over. Read the Amazon descriptions carefully, a few of these titles might not appeal to my audience at large and may cover some topics you aren't interested in delving deeper into. Book of the Month Club is running a fantastic special right now, so if you're interested in trying out their service FOR $1 DOLLAR, click here. By signing up, you'll get an opportunity to try BOTM -- paying only $1 for ...