a day at the park

The weather was unseasonably warm this weekend, so we decided to take advantage of the amazingly beautiful day and head to the park. We had never been to this particular park (despite the fact that it is less than five minutes from our house), but we will definitely be going back. The kiddos ran around like crazy, we fed the ducks, and I managed to get a few shots to remember the day.

One of our family goals for this Spring/Summer is to simply GET OUT OF THE HOUSE more often, and this was definitely a start in the right direction. I am really looking forward to more days like this: sunshine on our faces, fresh air, running in the grass, having lunch on a blanket, reading, moving, kicking the ball, playing chase, paying attention to the beauty that is right in our backyard.

Let's get out there and soak it all up!!

valentining

A couple nights ago, the kiddos and I decided to do something fun in anticipation of Valentine's Day (and to surprise Daddy when he came home from work). I used my trusty heart punch to punch out lots of red, pink and turquoise hearts, and then let the kids decorate them however they wished. They took the job very seriously (at least for about 10 minutes).

When they were done, I asked them to tell me why they love their mommy, their daddy and their brother/sister, and I wrote their answers on each of the hearts. I absolutely LOVED hearing their responses.....things like "I love Daddy because he let us ride bikes at the beach," "I love my brother because he has a room next to me now," "I love Daddy because he tickles me and makes me laugh," "I love mommy because she is nice and lets us do art."

Then we gathered up all of our decorated hearts and taped them all over the kitchen. We put them on the oven, the cabinets, the fridge, the pantry.....such a simple little project, but the kids loved it! They were so excited to show daddy all of their hard work when he came home that night.

on my mind

First of all, this photo just cracks me up every time I look at it......this is so typical of my little monkeys!! But the photo really has nothing to do with what has been on my mind lately, so moving on :-)

I came across this quote today, and as quotes often do, it struck me, and I sat back and really thought about how it pertains to my life right now.

"Be Yourself; Everyone else is already taken." - Oscar Widle

It's sort of a tongue and cheek statement, but the sentiment is something that I often need to be reminded of. I've mentioned before that I am an avid blog reader. I could get lost for hours looking at other women's pictures, ideas, crafts, decor, recipes, etc... I get "virtual" peeks inside their lives, and if I am being honest, I immediately start comparing myself to them: am I crafty enough? do my photos measure up? are my closets as organized? am I as stylish? creative? motherly? romantic? talented? have I read the right books? have I cooked the right meals? You get the idea.

There is a very thin line between inspiration and envy, and it is a balance that I personally have had a hard time achieving. I have found so much joy in the world of blogging (both writing and reading), but I have also felt the green-eyed monster rearing its ugly head at times. And that is why the Oscar Widle quote came in so handy for me this morning, it reminded me of what I already know........I can only be the best ME that I can be.

For me, that means allowing myself to be inspired by other's ideas, but stopping when I begin to feel a sense of urgency or panic, a sense that I will be less-than if I don't accomplish "XYZ." It means allowing myself to look at pretty pictures and to read beautiful words, but to remind myself that I am never getting an accurate picture of someone's life through their blog.....we are all putting our best selves forward, showing the best of what our lives have to offer, and that is what drew me to blogging in the first place. It reminds me that love really is in the details, that there is beauty in our every day lives, and that relationships are really all that matter. I can only be the best me that I can be.....everyone else is already taken.

keeping me sane

So today is the THIRD day that the kiddos have been home from school!! We did manage to venture out to Target for a bit this morning, but for the most part, we have been inside watching movies, eating popcorn, reading books, doing laundry, decorating the mantel for Valentine's Day, and just generally getting on each other's nerves :-)

My saving grace has been escaping to my new little "studio" where I have managed to steal a few precious moments for myself. And what better way to spend my alone-time than browsing a few of my favorite spots in blogland? Just thought I would share..........

1. For those of you doing Project Life (or for those of you thinking about doing Project Life), you MUST check out Mary Ann's video. AMAZING is all I can say. I am totally re-inspired to kick things into gear on the Project Life front!!

2. I have a new girl crush! I stumbled upon this blog yesterday, and I have been going through it like a mad woman in true blog-stalker style. I have felt like a big, frumpy, fashion-less mama for quite some time now, but this girl inspires me, she makes fashion look fun again.

3. Have you heard of Pinterest yet? It's a fairly new website that allows you to "pin" images from all over the world onto your own Pinboards organized into the categories of your liking.....basically, my idea of heaven on earth :-)

4. And just in case you are snowed in like us, and looking for a few ways to entertain the littles, here is a list that has come in quite handy during our unexpected "stay-cation".

M-I-C-K-E-Y M-O-U-S-E

Our sweet little boy turned "3" on Saturday, and we celebrated at home with a Mickey Mouse soiree. Grant had been talking about wanting a Mickey Mouse party for months, and I spent the last 2 weeks hunting down everything MM I could get my hands on..........not as easy I thought it would be!!

Here's what we were able to pull together:

Four Generations

We were so blessed to have temperatures in the 70s on the big day (especially since the high here for tomorrow is 12 degrees!!). Of course now that I am looking back on all the photos, I realize I didn't get a shot of all the kids with their Mickey Mouse ears on, and I didn't take nearly enough photos of the birthday boy (he never slowed down long enough), but if the success of a party is measured by the smile on the birthday boy's face, then this one was a definite success!!

Happy Birthday sweet Grant.......we love you so very much!!