Lake day

We took the kids to the lake for the first time this weekend. 

Well, they think it was the first time they've been there, but it actually was not 😏

The last time we were at Folsom Lake Lucy was just shy of 2, and Jackson was a baby! Back then wrangling a toddler, a baby and the kitchen sink worth of things required for an hour at the lake was a total pain in the butt, so this visit was much more manageable.

If you notice in the photos that both kids are fully-clothed, there's a reason for that ha!

Being the prepared mom that I am, I checked the weather forecast before we left and noticed that it was only supposed to be in the late 70's, which IMO is too friggin' cold for swimming.

We packed a quick picnic lunch, I hugged the dogs (I felt guilty that we were not taking them with us, dogs love the lake!) and went on our merry no-swimsuit way.

Of course, when we got to the lake, it felt super warm outside and I regretted immediately not bringing the kids suits.

But despite swim suits, both kids had a blast. Compared to the last time we were at the lake when there was basically no water, all of the rain our area had this winter brought the lake levels up very high, which meant to long hike to get to the water.

The lake was clear, a bit chilly, and had lots of driftwood for the kids to float around the shore, like little boats and surfboards. 

Lucy is an avid rock collector, and she had fun checking out the different colors and shapes of stones on the lake floor.

It's crazy, we've lived ten minutes away from Folsom Lake for almost three years and barely visit, but for the $12 entry fee and a few sandwiches made at home, it made for a cheap family day.

We can't wait to visit again!

Potty hard or go home

Alternate titles were also: I like to potty all the time; It's a potty party up in here.
I finally have two kids out of diapers (sort of) and I still really can't believe it! I thought we would never get Jackson potty trained, even though we started in March and two months felt like for friggin' ever.
I say sort of because he still wears a diaper/pull-up for nap time and also has not figured out the whole number two on the pot thing. (For example, he decided the playground on Mother's Day would be a good time to poop. I found him standing very still on the play structure, leaning up against a wall, which is his code for I'm s*&tting my pants.)
Like a lot of things in life, I've realized that you can't get your kid potty trained by half-assing it. You've got to go big or go home.
Believe me, there was attempted half-assery on my part. The thought of being stranded at home with a child in undies until he got it figured out sounded terrible, so we first tried training pants (a.k.a. pull-ups) and quickly went down in flames.
I'd read blog post after blog post saying that training pants don't work and you really have to just suck it up and either let them pee in their pants or run around naked for a few days, but let's face it, I really didn't want to deal with the mess and was convinced it would be different for us.
Oh, how I was wrong.
Since training pants are essentially glorified diapers, he treated them like diapers and did his biz in them like it was business as usual, and I started to panic a bit.
I should back up a bit and say that we sort of have a deadline to get our little hambino potty trained because he's signed up for preschool in the fall and they have a requirement that all students be potty trained.
The panic was setting in because I was convinced that he just was not ready to use the potty and would have to wait a whole year to start school.
That's when we decided to go with a little tough love, and it worked like a charm!
During the pull-up debacle, we put together a little jar of trinkets that Jackson could choose from each time he went on the potty. That worked for awhile until we decided to ban pull-ups while we were home and go strictly with underwear.
He was not happy with that and for the first week he pitched a serious fit every morning when I would put underwear on him.
Once we got the said undies on him, he wouldn't tell us when he needed to go, he would just wet his pants, and when we tried to get him to sit on the potty he would freak out.
So I resorted to bribery with one of his favorite things: flavored sparkling water.
Yes, I got my kid to go potty by bribing him with sparkling water.
After doing that for a few days he finally started telling us when it was potty time and for the most part, the rest was history.
We started buckling down on the potty training thing about three weeks ago, and I could not be prouder of him for reaching this milestone.

#momlife

The majority of the posts on this blog are centered around my kids, so I thought I'd do something a little different this time and make this post about me.
As moms so many times we make our lives about our kids and families and often forget that we were individuals with interests and whole lives before these little people arrived.  During my last Weight Watchers meeting the topic of me time came up and what that looks like, and there are a few things I love doing when I get the time.
Speaking of Weight Watchers. Going to meetings is a big part of my self-care routine and one of my favorite parts of the week. I love hearing what other members have to say and getting ideas for meals and snacks. 
Weight Watchers has been kind of a struggle for me over the past...I don't want to say how long. I signed up two years ago in July and still have not made goal, it's quite the process.
If you don't know how Weight Watchers works, basically each food is given a points value, and members are given a certain number of points to eat each day, plus some extra points to spread over the course of the week. Or you could be like me and blow through all of your weekly points over the weekend.
Since I'm so fun size, I only get 30 points per day and 28 weekly points, and it takes a lot of creativity and the hungries to stay within those points. I've been riding the struggle bus for some time because I usually end up eating food after all of my points are gone and not tracking it. So if anyone has the magic bullet for training your brain to stay within your points, please let me know.  I know a lot of people who would love to know.
I do love Weight Watchers though, because I feel like it's teaching me how to eat cleanly and I've had a recent shift in mindset and seem to be doing better. Baby steps.
When I'm not Weight Watchin', I've been really into reading books again. My latest picks have been mysteries, specifically cozy mysteries and chick-lit type mysteries. Authors I've been digging lately are Diane Mott Davidson, Joanne Fluke and Lisa Scottoline. I still love YA and chick lit, and I will do a later post about some of my favorite authors.
I still watch Gilmore Girls almost every day. I know it got a lot of mixed reviews, but I LOVED the reboot, Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life. It was amazing to "visit" Stars Hollow again and see what my favorite characters were up to. I'll DEFINITELY write about my thoughts on that in a later post. P.S. I think Logan is the dad and I don't like what they did to Rory at all!
Perfectly Posh is still my side hustle, although I haven't been quite as active with it as in the past. I love the products and how they make my skin feel and look. If you haven't tried Posh, let me know in the commetns and I'd love to hook you up with some samples!
Thank you so much for reading, and until next time!

The four phases of taking your kids to the park

We almost always get out of the house every day, in order to maintain my sanity enrich the children and expend energy, therefore ensuring naps.
We mix it up a bit, but most weeks we visit the park, go to the mall and go the library, and I've noticed there are four phases that we tend to hit doing any of those things.

Phase one: where are the snacks?

It doesn't really matter how long it's been since they've eaten breakfast, the minute their feet touch the playground, they turn into little gremlins clamoring for food.  If you see me and I'm carrying a large tote bag, it's probably because it's filled with snacks. And heaven forbid you give them snacks and then cut them off.  Please see Phase three for more information on THAT!

Phase two: trying to escape the park or playing with things they shouldn't

Lucy is pretty good about not trying to escape and playing on or with designated playground equipment. It's Jackson who is still very much my wild card.  We frequent this awesome indoor playground that's housed in a church, and I spent about half of the time we are there chasing him away from fire extinguishers, the ATM and playing in the water fountain.  When we go to the mall, he's always trying to run into Forever 21 to get in the elevator.

Phase three: fists of fury

Regulating the shenanigans of phase two usually end up in phase three, also known as SOMEONE getting butt hurt because I won't let them carry on with said shenanigans.  Yesterday we were on a lovely playdate with the MOMS Club we belong to, which was going great until Jackson discovered that the hostess had brought snacks.  I let both kids pick out two snack to enjoy and then I cut them off.  First I got the sad, I'm going to cry face.  I stood firm and that led to the "I just want to see the world burn" face.  He then started sneaking over to the snack bucket and started grabbing the snacks and throwing them.  He was thisclose to upending the whole thing which led to...

Phase four: leaving the park with a flailing toddler under your arm

When Lucy was just under two and Jackson was still a baby, I swear this was one of the only reasons I used our double stroller.  I did a lot of babywearing, and Lucy was pretty good at walking by then, but for the safety of both kids I would bring the stroller in case I had to strap a tantrum-ing toddler in.  And there have been man a times, even as recent as last year, where I'd had to strap her in, with her screaming and a crowd of people watching, my face beet red from embarrassment.
Yesterday I had to call it, and leave the park because the snack bandit wouldn't cut the shit.
Here's a pro tip that I learned from a good friend: buckle the chest clip first so they can't arch their backs out of the carseat.  You're welcome.
Now where's the wine?

New name, same blog

  It's been quite some time since I've logged in and actually posted something! So hello again.
Back when I was blogging regularly I had this idea in my head that I was going to have cool and interesting things to say, resulting in a large following of readers like my favorite blogger has.
But then I remembered that I'm not that creative and inherently lazy when it comes to crafting with my kids and coming up with new recipes and I lost sight of what I originally started this blog for: a written record of my life to look back on one day, and for our kids to look back on.
And to be honest, I really miss writing, and there are so many funny and awkward things that happen in my life as a mom and let's face it, socially awkward person.
Parenting in itself, and the politics of mommyhood, is a gold mine for commentary, that's for sure.
I've really missed having a creative outlet where I can let loose and write what I'm feeling and what we've been up to.
So I'm back!! 
Today was no exception in the awkward parenting department.
Jackson and I had an experience today that seriously made my skin crawl and made me want to shower for a week!
We had to drop Andy off at work today and ended up with 30 minutes to kill before dropping Lucy off at preschool, so we played at the park that's down the street from our house.
Jackson went down the slide, and I noticed that it was a little wet but didn't really think much of it because it had rained a bit the night before.
When I picked him up so we could head to the car, I noticed his butt was wet, and did the requisite sniff check of his butt to verify that it was water.
I was so, so wrong.
His pants smelled like pee but his diaper was dry, and I haven't botched a diaper change in a long time so it most definitely was not. my. child's. urine.
So Jackson's butt was covered in stranger pee, and I put my nose up to his butt so my face had stranger pee on it.
I have no idea who peed on that damn slide, so Jackson got a bath immediately after we got home.
This isn't the first time I've dealt with strange pee, back when I worked at Starbucks there was an incident, but this time made me feel so gross.
So parents, check the slide before your kids go down them because you never know if someone has chosen to use it as a urinal.

#momlife

It's a rainy day here in Roseville and it seemed like a good day for writing, so that's what I'm doing!

I used to use writing as an outlet when I was a teenager since it's so cathartic, and have a huge box filled with journals.  

I find myself needing an outlet like that more and more these days, and what better place to do that than with this blog?

As a mom, so much of our lives are wrapped up in the kids, so sometimes we get overlooked, which is why I'm writing about me today.  Selfish, I know, but it's my blog so I do what I want.

A huge part of my life lately has been Weight Watchers.  I started last July and as one lady on Connect puts it, I've failed my way to losing 15 pounds.

Sometimes I beat myself up over that number, but I know I'm human and I haven't given up which is huge.

I've *tried* other diets before, mainly counting calories, but I never followed through, usually stopping after a few weeks.  I'd have a bad day and eat more than what I was "supposed to" and throw in the towel.

Weight Watchers is the only thing that I've EVER stuck to, and nine months and some change later I'm proud of what I've accomplished.

The main reason I joined is because I really felt like I needed to learn how to eat, if that makes sense.  Counting calories only takes you so far.  What I love about Smart Points is the points are calculated using fat, calories, sugar, saturated fat and protein.  Foods that are lower in points are actually better for you, sustain your energy and keep you fuller longer.

The people behind Weight Watchers are right, calories don't tell you the whole story.

I beat myself up over the fact that I've only lost 15 pounds because I know I'm not always entirely honest about tracking my points, and I have a tendency to snack at night and not record it.

I only get 30 points a day, which isn't a ton of food, peeps!  But I'm slowly learning ways to efficiently pack those points in.

I still have 20 pounds to go, and I will get there!  

I love meetings, and I think a big part of that is my awesome leader.  I really picked a good day and time to go.  She is funny, engaging, caring and very motivating.

I also love that my mother-in-law attends with me, which makes it even more fun!

Weight Watchers is a huge lifestyle change, and sometimes it's hard wrapping my brain around the fact that if I want to stay at a healthy weight this is the way I'll be eating for the rest of my life.  But it's completely doable.

I've also been working from home a little bit, freelancing for a local lifestyle magazine.  It's pretty awesome because I get to pick what I write about, usually light feature stories about businesses and mom life.  My other baby has been my Perfectly Posh business, but if you want to know more about that, visit www.myposhadventure.com.  I've been doing a lot of Facebook parties, which are super fun, and I'm hoping to do some vendor events in the future.

I love being able to work from home because I love staying home with my kids, but I found myself needing something outside of them to call my own.  

I'm still trying to figure out how to strike a balance between working from home and keeping them entertained, so if anyone knows, clue me in ;-)

I hope everyone is enjoying this rainy Friday!  Bye for now!

St. Patrick's Day with little ones!

Celebrating St. Patrick’s Day before kids came along used to be a somewhat straightforward affair.

Gather up your friends (or squad, which I think is what the cool kids are calling that these days) and toast with green beer, either out at a bar, where they dye it green for you, or at home, which is what my circle of friends and I usually did in my twenties.

It didn’t matter if it was on weekend and you got to sleep in, or on a weeknight, which meant you had to stumble through work the next day.  You were drinking beer, either green or Guinness, on St. Patrick’s Day, end of story.

Yeah, it doesn’t really work that way once you have kids, especially ones that are three and under.  There are still middle of the night wake-ups and even earlier mornings.

We might be able to sneak in one green beer, but I’m so tired from these last three years that even half of a beer puts me to sleep for the night.  

Though I’ve since retired my frosty beer mug, St. Patrick’s Day is definitely still a fun holiday.  

Having children seems to breathe new life into holidays we’ve gotten used to over the years, mostly due to their excitement coupled with the endless crafts, activities and recipes listed on Pinterest.

Now that my kids are old enough to do crafts with (well, maybe not the 2-year-old since he still eats PlayDoh) I thought a leprechaun trap would be fun way to get my kids into the St. Patrick’s Day spirit.

I need to preface this by saying I’m totally not a Pinterest mom.  If you look at the photo of the leprechaun trap we made, that will be apparent.

The inspiration for our trap came from a blog on the Kix Cereal website.

But honestly, your kids don’t care.  All they know is glitter glue is super fun to use and construction paper is a hoot to cut.  Seriously.  My three-year-old will entertain herself for a good hour with a pair of toddler scissors and construction paper.  Cheapest activity ever.

The great thing about leprechaun traps is you can make them out of items you already have around the house.  We used a cereal box, cotton balls, construction paper, glitter glue and regular glue.  For the “bait” we used Lucky Charms cereal and some pennies.

Side note: the Lucky Charms are also a great topping for cupcakes.  We made green cupackes, topped them with whipped cream and then the cereal, which made for a festive treat.

This was an awesome activity for a Sunday afternoon, especially since my whole family was battling a cold.  The instructions are below, but really, the possibilities are endless.

I think the best part was hearing my daughter mispronounce it and ask me if I “made daddy a contract.”

Enjoy!

Leprechaun Trap

Materials needed:

cereal box (or a cracker box will do)

red, orange, yellow, green and blue construction paper

scissors

cotton balls

gold glitter glue

white glue or a glue stick

a wooden dowel (or a pencil)

string

1. Take the cereal box and cut off the top flaps.  Cut the bottom of the box off, and then cover the outside of the box with green construction paper.
2. Remember the bottom of the box you just cut off?  Cover that in glue and then stick the cotton balls all over it so it looks like a big fluffy cloud.
3. Cut off a strip from each sheet of construction paper.  Glue them together.  Each one will be overlapping another, to make a rainbow.  
4. Glue your rainbow to the bottom of the cereal box, AKA your cloud.
5. We used the glitter glue on the rainbow, drawing circles with the gold glitter and then filling them in so they looked like coins.
6. Prop the cereal box, green side up, over the cloud with the wooden dowel, and tie a string to the dowel.
7. Put your bait under the box and wait for the leprechaun!