Just yesterday, I was looking at a picture on Facebook posted by the mom of a little boy I used to baby-sit when I was younger. That little boy is now a senior in high school! When my family and I moved to Hawaii, this little boy was just three years old. I had a full-circle moment when I realized that my oldest was already four years old, and my youngest will be three in January! I have kids who are the same age as this little boy was when I moved across the country. Time goes by so fast, and I thought it was appropriate to write down some things about my boys that I cherish so.
Dear Michael,
You are a sweet four year old little guy. You'd prefer for me to call you a "big boy" or "big kid" rather than "little guy" though. You are very very smart and can do basic math equations in your head. You know all of your letters and can count quite high, with a little added help deciphering the pronunciation of "thirteen" and "fourteen" because they both come out sounding like "firteen."
You are my inside-comfort child. Although you like to play outside, you'd rather be inside. You are a master cuddler and you still love to snuggle your "mommy blankies" when you're tired. You have no problems putting yourself to bed at bedtime. You rarely put up a fuss at all when we give the evening warning countdown. On the weekends, you still take a great nap. Sometimes, I have to actually wake you from your Saturday and Sunday naps.
You love your little brother, but still find ways to manipulate him at times. This banter starts out like all sibling-banter does-- both of you think it's funny, and then one of you decides it's not so funny any more, and then the aggravation begins. I do know though, that you are each other's best friend and I pray that this continues throughout your life. Your ages are close for a reason and it's so fun to see you two interact together.
Your favorite shows are "Angry Birds Toons," "Sonic the Hedgehog" and "Batman" and "Super Mario Brothers Collection." Your favorite movies are "Despicable Me 2" and "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2." Sometimes, you'll even ask to watch our shows like "Burn Nose" (Burn Notice) and "Suits" which, of course, I do not let you watch. :)
Your favorite breakfast items include Greek yogurt, blueberry waffles (we prefer Kashi brand or Eggo Nutrigrain), bacon, scrambled eggs, etc, just to name a few. You consistently ask for cheese puffs (Pirate's Booty brand) at breakfast, and I consistently tell you that cheese puffs are not a breakfast food. Your favorite snacks include cheese puffs (obviously), yogurt again, or string cheese wrapped in pepperoni or hard salami (we find these in the Publix deli section and they are SO GOOD! And low carb!) Your favorite lunch and dinner items include anything with broccoli or carrots, and most kinds of chicken or pasta. The other night, you had three helpings of pasta with meat sauce, which surprised me since you're not a really big meat sauce fan.
You are growing very well. Your hair is so thick and the blondest of blondes without being white-blonde. Your eyes are hazel. Your face is very round and you always squint your eyes shut when you lean in for a hug. :) You are wearing size 5/6 in clothes, and your shoe size is between 12 and 13-- these are the last two shoe sizes in what's considered "infant/toddler sizing" and then we move to shoe size "1" which is the first size in boys' shoe sizes! So crazy to think you're already this old!
You love baths, especially bubble baths. You mostly play with a Despicable Me toy in the tub while you're getting bathed. You like to wash the hair of the toy, even though the toy's character is bald. You were a champ at the beach when you had to take showers instead of baths. You prefer your bath time, though, and you are very relaxed in the tub.
You are such a trooper when it comes to your diabetes care. You hardly flinch anymore when we do site rotations for your pods and CGM. You've even had to try a couple of new site locations recently and you've done so well.
I love you so very much, my Michael-moo! Love, Mommy
***
Dear Noah,
You are a spunky, spry two year old on a mission every day! You wake up and hit the ground running. Sleeping in is not for you! You are now "light switch height" and find great pleasure in being the one to turn on the lights.
You are obsessed with vacuums. Yes, Obsessed. I feel like I'm living in a vacuum museum since all of our vacuums are on display right now in our living room! You have a toy vacuum, and love to follow me around the living room "pretend vacuuming" while I'm actually vacuuming. You ask me to vacuum every.single.day! You get so excited when I plug in the "purple vacuum." Your day is totally made if I use "frink-fulls" (his word for "sprinkles" which is what he calls baking soda) on the carpet before vacuuming. I'm hoping you still love to vacuum in a couple of years when it's counted as a "chore."
In a close second place to vacuums are hair dryers. You love to go get Grandma Chips' hairdryers out of the bathroom drawer as soon as you get to her house each day. You carry them around with you during the day and you make the appropriate sounds for each level of drying capability of the hairdryers.
When we go to Target, we have to walk by the row of vacuums, and if you're extra good, we'll walk by the row of hair dryers as well. We've gotten many a double-take from people who pass by our cart and hear you say "Let's go look at the vacuums again!" or "Let's go see the hair dryers now."
One day last week as I was working early in the morning, you come into the living room nearly silently, and as I looked up and saw you and said "Hey Buddy!" you reply with "Hey! Where's your purple vacuum mommy?!?" I thought that to be quite an extensive sentence for a two-year-old. :)
Your favorite way to annoy your older brother is to say "I'm Michael, I'm Michael" to him. He gets so aggravated when you pretend to be him. You certainly know how to push his buttons in a very short amount of time. But deep down inside, I know you love him so much and look up to him greatly.
Your favorite shows are "Angry Birds Toons," "Clifford the Big Red Dog," "When You Give a Mouse a Cookie," and "Tumble Leaf." Your favorite movies are "Despicable Me 2" and "Zootopia."
You ask for "dinosaur cereal" (The Publix brand of Froot Loops has a dinosaur on the back of the box) every morning, and sometimes you'll actually sit down to have a yogurt or blueberry waffle. For snack, you like yogurt or gummy fruit snacks. You are not a sandwich fan in the least, and you will barely pick at your lunch or dinner if a sandwich is involved. You're much more interested in what Daddy and I have on our plates, even if it's the same as what you have.
You are little for your age. You've barely grown out of your 18-month clothes, and are comfortable in 24 month, and 2T outfits right now, even though you'll be three in January. You show zero interest in potty-training, and I'm hoping one day you decide it's your idea to sit on the potty and it'll just click. Until then, you tell us every time you've done something that requires a diaper change. Right now, I'm picking my battles and I'm choosing to let the potty training thing slide for a couple more months.
You make up songs and you dance around the house constantly. Your little run is so cute to watch! You love to perform and you speak in lots of different silly voices throughout the day. You are learning so much, and I love your rendition of the ABC's (A-B-C-D-E-E-E-H-I-J-Kate-Now I know my ABCs!).
You are not squeemish at all around blood or needles, which is a plus in this household since those are everyday sights here. You will be a great advocate for your brother.
I love you big, Noah Scott Tater Tot! Love, Mom-mom.
***
Until Next Time,
Much Love, Reba
Sunday, September 25, 2016
Sunday, September 18, 2016
Life Life Life
Oy. How is it Sunday evening already?!?
Overall, this weekend was very good. My mom ended up having to work on Saturday, and she's the co-cheerleader captain with me for the Upwards program at our church. So this left me alone on Saturday to coach all the girls. We had decided earlier in the week to combine the two teams together for this one weekend and have them cheer at the same game, just in case I was left to coach by myself. I'm glad we made that plan because it saved me lots of time, and I only had to do the one hour game instead of coaching two separate groups at two different games. The single-handed coaching was fairly successful. We meant to do our halftime pom routine on both fields during each of their half-times, but one field's game (the field we weren't initially cheering on), moved way too fast and their half-time was over before I even knew it started. So, we ended up doing the pom routine on just one field and it worked out just fine. This was our second game of the season and it was the first game for a pom routine. The girls were nervous, but when it was over one of them said "I can't stop smiling!" and that made me super excited! All of the girls did so well and it's so fun to watch them exhibit what they've learned. Tomorrow and Tuesday are practice nights this week and I'm attempting to teach them an entirely new routine for this weekend.
While I was at Upwards, Aaron packed an overnight bag for our boys and he dropped them off with his mom. After I got home from Upwards, my older brother and my sister-in-law arrived and drove us to the Auburn game. My older brother knows where to park for free, and how to maneuver in the city once the game is over, so I GLADLY let him have the driving reigns. I took Aaron to Momma Goldberg's since he had never been before, even though our first year of dating was spent with me living in Auburn. He enjoyed what he got, and I of course loved eating traditional Auburn fare. We wandered around a bit, and then entered the stadium and had fantastic seats! (I'll have to do a whole picture upload post soon to show the Maryland pictures, and the Auburn pictures.) I desperately wanted Auburn to win so that Aaron & I could roll Toomer's Corner since Aaron's never done that either. But we lost in a big way. We were loyal, and stayed til the very end of the game, but we were not victorious on the field. We played Texas A&M, and our performance was dismal. My older brother got us safely back home and he and my sister-in-law slept in our guest room since we arrived home just before midnight and their 3-year-old son was sleeping at my parent's house. For the first time in WELL over a year, Aaron and I slept entirely through the night. Our "new normal" post Type One Diabetes diagnosis, is waking 3-4 times a night for either high blood sugars or low blood sugars. So, sleeping from midnight to 7:30am was a tremendous treat. When we got to church today and my mother-in-law arrived, I gave her a huge hug! My father-in-law told me later that my boys were up at 5:55 this morning--- so I'm extra thankful that I got to sleep past 6:00!
We went to my parents' house after church for a fried chicken lunch so that we could hang out with my older brother and his family before they headed home. When we came home, the boys and I all took great naps while Aaron caught up on his Formula One race and Seahawks football! We then ventured to Costco and although I only wrote 4 things on our list, we had a full cart at the end of the trip (and Costco carts are pretty big!). I gave the boys a bath since they are both sweaty-headies in this Alabama muggy weather, and then they had "jump on Dad" time on our bed before it was their tuck-in time. I took an online class while Aaron ran out to get dog food (funny how quickly those bags disappear when you feed two dogs at once). Now, I'm about to hop off of here and grab a snack and some hang-out time with my bestie friendie husband. :)
Tomorrow begins another work week and I'm not that disappointed. I will write a post soon about the new business venture going on in my life, and why I'm super pumped about an educational class that I would have never imagined that I would like, nor have the skills to do!
Until Next Time,
Much love, Reba
Overall, this weekend was very good. My mom ended up having to work on Saturday, and she's the co-cheerleader captain with me for the Upwards program at our church. So this left me alone on Saturday to coach all the girls. We had decided earlier in the week to combine the two teams together for this one weekend and have them cheer at the same game, just in case I was left to coach by myself. I'm glad we made that plan because it saved me lots of time, and I only had to do the one hour game instead of coaching two separate groups at two different games. The single-handed coaching was fairly successful. We meant to do our halftime pom routine on both fields during each of their half-times, but one field's game (the field we weren't initially cheering on), moved way too fast and their half-time was over before I even knew it started. So, we ended up doing the pom routine on just one field and it worked out just fine. This was our second game of the season and it was the first game for a pom routine. The girls were nervous, but when it was over one of them said "I can't stop smiling!" and that made me super excited! All of the girls did so well and it's so fun to watch them exhibit what they've learned. Tomorrow and Tuesday are practice nights this week and I'm attempting to teach them an entirely new routine for this weekend.
While I was at Upwards, Aaron packed an overnight bag for our boys and he dropped them off with his mom. After I got home from Upwards, my older brother and my sister-in-law arrived and drove us to the Auburn game. My older brother knows where to park for free, and how to maneuver in the city once the game is over, so I GLADLY let him have the driving reigns. I took Aaron to Momma Goldberg's since he had never been before, even though our first year of dating was spent with me living in Auburn. He enjoyed what he got, and I of course loved eating traditional Auburn fare. We wandered around a bit, and then entered the stadium and had fantastic seats! (I'll have to do a whole picture upload post soon to show the Maryland pictures, and the Auburn pictures.) I desperately wanted Auburn to win so that Aaron & I could roll Toomer's Corner since Aaron's never done that either. But we lost in a big way. We were loyal, and stayed til the very end of the game, but we were not victorious on the field. We played Texas A&M, and our performance was dismal. My older brother got us safely back home and he and my sister-in-law slept in our guest room since we arrived home just before midnight and their 3-year-old son was sleeping at my parent's house. For the first time in WELL over a year, Aaron and I slept entirely through the night. Our "new normal" post Type One Diabetes diagnosis, is waking 3-4 times a night for either high blood sugars or low blood sugars. So, sleeping from midnight to 7:30am was a tremendous treat. When we got to church today and my mother-in-law arrived, I gave her a huge hug! My father-in-law told me later that my boys were up at 5:55 this morning--- so I'm extra thankful that I got to sleep past 6:00!
We went to my parents' house after church for a fried chicken lunch so that we could hang out with my older brother and his family before they headed home. When we came home, the boys and I all took great naps while Aaron caught up on his Formula One race and Seahawks football! We then ventured to Costco and although I only wrote 4 things on our list, we had a full cart at the end of the trip (and Costco carts are pretty big!). I gave the boys a bath since they are both sweaty-headies in this Alabama muggy weather, and then they had "jump on Dad" time on our bed before it was their tuck-in time. I took an online class while Aaron ran out to get dog food (funny how quickly those bags disappear when you feed two dogs at once). Now, I'm about to hop off of here and grab a snack and some hang-out time with my bestie friendie husband. :)
Tomorrow begins another work week and I'm not that disappointed. I will write a post soon about the new business venture going on in my life, and why I'm super pumped about an educational class that I would have never imagined that I would like, nor have the skills to do!
Until Next Time,
Much love, Reba
Thursday, September 15, 2016
Maryland Trip
**Thank you for checking the blog and reading this post! I know I've been AWOL for a while and I'll write a post about that soon. And I promise it won't take me a month to do so! :) **
Yay! For the first time since we had kiddos, Aaron and I were able to go on an adults-only vacation!
On Tuesday, the 9th, we dropped off our boys around 6:30am with my mother-in-law, and we hit the road! My mother-in-law and my mom each took turns watching our boys during the week until Aaron and I returned on Saturday evening.
Aaron and I high-tailed it to Chick-fil-A for breakfast! We ate in the restaurant and people-watched all the private school kids as they ordered breakfast before their first day of the school year.
I then drove to Atlanta and we listened to Rick and Bubba on the radio until we reached Newnan, Georgia and the radio signal got spotty. We made excellent time to our off-campus parking venue and we arrived at the airport one hour early! We weren't checking any bags on our trip up there, but we knew we might need to check a bag on our way home since we planned on buying lots of souvenirs.
We chose to fly Spirit this time. It was our first time flying this airline and we were a bit nervous about all the rules: only one personal item is free, carry-ons cost extra, checked bags cost extra, the seats don't recline, all beverages (yes, including water) and snacks are a fee, etc. I was thinking "holy cow, what did I get us into?!?" but it actually worked out quite well. It was only a two hour flight, so it didn't matter much to us that the seats didn't recline. We knew about the charge for water, etc, so we bought a bottle of water in the airport and had it with us on the plane. We packed lightly and I shipped clothes to my grandmother ahead of time so that we could abide by the "one free personal item" rule.
We arrived in Maryland around 3:00pm on Tuesday. Around 4:30pm, we hit up our first item on our to-do list: eat blue crabs!
The next day, we woke early, caught a train to DC, and took a double decker tour bus ride! That is an AWESOME way to see DC, because, let's face it: that town has a lot of walking involved! We couldn't find the right bus to take us to Arlington, so we walked across the bridge into Virginia. Holy Humidity, Batman! That was the roughest walk of my life! It was SO HOT! I'm thinking "Man, I'm from the SOUTH. Why is it so hot up here in the North?!?!" Apparently, we brought the humidity with us. I got a lot of pictures from this day's trip and I will post them soon.
On Thursday, we woke early again and drove to Lancaster, PA to Amish Country! One of my favorite places on earth! We ate breakfast at a huge smorgasboard. Yum. Yum. Yum. I adore buffets. And breakfast foods. I was on Cloud Nine. We drove around Amish Country and showed Aaron all the ropes. Aaron and I took a tour of the Amish Village and he took a turn being the photographer with my camera. :) He did a great job! He's officially hired as my back-up. :)
On Friday, we hit up Gettysburg. We toured the Jenny Wade House, and I ended up being one of the rare people who toured it 20 years ago and remembered parts about the house that have since changed. I bought some Pumpkin Butter in the gift shop (can't wait to use that this fall in some scrumptious desserts!). We then drove around the battlefield and my fatigue and constant tiredness was in full swing! Aaron appreciated the sites, though, and it was fun to see him get to experience a part of history. We then toured the Eisenhower farm-- another one of my favorite places on earth! Love that farm SO SO much!
On Saturday, Aaron helped Grandma change out a lightbulb in her laundry room, then we packed up and headed home. We indulged ourselves with McDonald's in the airport for lunch, and had a fantastic time chatting on our three hour drive home from the airport.
This trip was so refreshing and much needed. It was a delight to get out of town with my best friend and enjoy some adult time. I finished Dave Ramsey's "Total Money Makeover" on this trip, and got lots of writing done. It was such a breath of fresh air to be out of our normal routine for a few days! We are very thankful for all of the grandparents who helped us make this trip come true by taking care of our kiddos, doggies, and house.
Pictures to come soon!
Until Next Time,
Much Love, Reba
Yay! For the first time since we had kiddos, Aaron and I were able to go on an adults-only vacation!
On Tuesday, the 9th, we dropped off our boys around 6:30am with my mother-in-law, and we hit the road! My mother-in-law and my mom each took turns watching our boys during the week until Aaron and I returned on Saturday evening.
Aaron and I high-tailed it to Chick-fil-A for breakfast! We ate in the restaurant and people-watched all the private school kids as they ordered breakfast before their first day of the school year.
I then drove to Atlanta and we listened to Rick and Bubba on the radio until we reached Newnan, Georgia and the radio signal got spotty. We made excellent time to our off-campus parking venue and we arrived at the airport one hour early! We weren't checking any bags on our trip up there, but we knew we might need to check a bag on our way home since we planned on buying lots of souvenirs.
We chose to fly Spirit this time. It was our first time flying this airline and we were a bit nervous about all the rules: only one personal item is free, carry-ons cost extra, checked bags cost extra, the seats don't recline, all beverages (yes, including water) and snacks are a fee, etc. I was thinking "holy cow, what did I get us into?!?" but it actually worked out quite well. It was only a two hour flight, so it didn't matter much to us that the seats didn't recline. We knew about the charge for water, etc, so we bought a bottle of water in the airport and had it with us on the plane. We packed lightly and I shipped clothes to my grandmother ahead of time so that we could abide by the "one free personal item" rule.
We arrived in Maryland around 3:00pm on Tuesday. Around 4:30pm, we hit up our first item on our to-do list: eat blue crabs!
The next day, we woke early, caught a train to DC, and took a double decker tour bus ride! That is an AWESOME way to see DC, because, let's face it: that town has a lot of walking involved! We couldn't find the right bus to take us to Arlington, so we walked across the bridge into Virginia. Holy Humidity, Batman! That was the roughest walk of my life! It was SO HOT! I'm thinking "Man, I'm from the SOUTH. Why is it so hot up here in the North?!?!" Apparently, we brought the humidity with us. I got a lot of pictures from this day's trip and I will post them soon.
On Thursday, we woke early again and drove to Lancaster, PA to Amish Country! One of my favorite places on earth! We ate breakfast at a huge smorgasboard. Yum. Yum. Yum. I adore buffets. And breakfast foods. I was on Cloud Nine. We drove around Amish Country and showed Aaron all the ropes. Aaron and I took a tour of the Amish Village and he took a turn being the photographer with my camera. :) He did a great job! He's officially hired as my back-up. :)
On Friday, we hit up Gettysburg. We toured the Jenny Wade House, and I ended up being one of the rare people who toured it 20 years ago and remembered parts about the house that have since changed. I bought some Pumpkin Butter in the gift shop (can't wait to use that this fall in some scrumptious desserts!). We then drove around the battlefield and my fatigue and constant tiredness was in full swing! Aaron appreciated the sites, though, and it was fun to see him get to experience a part of history. We then toured the Eisenhower farm-- another one of my favorite places on earth! Love that farm SO SO much!
On Saturday, Aaron helped Grandma change out a lightbulb in her laundry room, then we packed up and headed home. We indulged ourselves with McDonald's in the airport for lunch, and had a fantastic time chatting on our three hour drive home from the airport.
This trip was so refreshing and much needed. It was a delight to get out of town with my best friend and enjoy some adult time. I finished Dave Ramsey's "Total Money Makeover" on this trip, and got lots of writing done. It was such a breath of fresh air to be out of our normal routine for a few days! We are very thankful for all of the grandparents who helped us make this trip come true by taking care of our kiddos, doggies, and house.
Pictures to come soon!
Until Next Time,
Much Love, Reba
Friday, August 5, 2016
Particular Fancies
I thought I'd do a random post about things I particularly enjoy these days and/or things I have an obsession with (whether given into, or just day-dreamed about).
Clothing Items:
FLARE JEANS.
I can't get enough!
I have acquired a light blue pair, a regular-wash denim pair, a white pair, and the dark pair that started it all! Unfortunately, my legs are extremely short and I can only wear one of these pairs with flats-- the dark pair. Unfortunately I had them hemmed a tad too short, and so they semi look like high-waters. Not cute. So, I rarely wear them now. The other three pairs that are MUCH too long give me a great excuse to wear my second favorite clothing item:
WEDGE HEELS.
The full base on wedges makes my return to the high-heel world a bit easier. They are easier to walk in than normal pumps, which keeps me from looking like a line-backer in heels as I sway from side to side to keep my balance. With the wedge, I can easily walk around in stores, parking lots, church buildings, etc. I have a little trouble with the gravel walkways at church, but I'm sure my trouble would be exponentially multiplied if I was wearing stilettos! I used to wear heels all the time in my early twenties, and in my early years of marriage. Once I was pregnant with Michael, though, the heel wearing stopped. I had not really even put on a pair of heels at all until about a year ago. So, I went basically three entire years without wearing heels. And people got used to seeing me at my natural five foot five inch height. Now when I wear wedge heels, everyone asks where I'm going and why I'm trying to be so tall. But... soon it'll again be my "thing" and I can wear wedges in peace. :)
Food/Drinks:
Splenda tea. I used to be awesome in my water-drinking-capabilities. Then.... I went on vacation and I've sunk so low since returning home. I am so off of my game when it comes to water consumption. I need to get back on the horse, but until then, I'm warding off sodas and only drinking black coffee, and iced tea sweetened with Splenda. I'm the only one in my family who enjoys the taste of artificially flavored tea, so when I make a gallon of it, it lasts for several days.
Coffee, black. And as I mentioned above, my other drink of choice is black coffee. I LOVE that first sip of coffee in the morning! And drinking it black saves me all the carbs and fats. I actually prefer the taste of black coffee as opposed to "doctoring it up" with cream and sugar. In New Jersey at every coffee shop, the attendant or Caitlin's boyfriend would tell me "you know, you can get cream and sugar put in it" and I'd say "I know. I drink it black" and they would be amazed. Every. Single. Time. My mom would tell my brothers and me growing up that we could not drink coffee until we could learn to drink it black. Oh, I had my frappuccino-loving-teenage-years but I sure do enjoy the simple cup of black coffee these days.
Rice Krispies. Is that weird? It used to be my favorite cereal while growing up, but then I stopped eating pretty much all cereal for several several years. Recently, I picked up a box of Rice Krispies so I could make cereal treats for a missionary group at our church, and I had to use up the rest of the box, so I just started making it my breakfast routine. Now, I can't get enough! Even my boys like it! Michael calls it "Crunchies" which sounds more like dog food, but whatever. Noah calls it "mommy's cereal" and he eats it dry out of a kiddie tupperware bowl. #twoyearoldfads There's even been nights when I've chosen to have it for my snack instead of other things like, oh I don't know-- ICE CREAM. Yep. I chose cereal over ice cream!
Guacamole and Chips. Aaron found these individual packs of guacamole at Costco and they've since become a favorite of mine. I prefer them with Veggie chips or Tostitos Scoops. Fortunately for my waistline, I'm out of all chips at my house, so the guac must wait.
Jalapeno Queso. Aaron also found a phenomenal queso dip at Costco. It has just the right amount of heat to it through the addition of jalapeno pieces. When the dip is heated, it's creamy and thick and perfectly coats a chip. I could eat the whole tub by myself, but then I'd be embarrassed. Fortunately unfortunately, we polished off a tub in two days, so there's no more of that around the house anymore either. My hips are thankful.
Scents:
Bath and Body Works Peony Ultra Shea Body Cream, and Bath and Body Works Cucumber Melon Ultra Shea Body Cream. Both of these lotions are the perfect thickness to really moisturize well, and they both offer a scent that is light enough not to be overwhelming, but present enough not to be ignored.
Capri Blue Volcano candle. The best scented candle of all time. It really is. This is the signature scent at Anthropologie stores and you can find the candle on their website. I plan to buy the mercury glass one soon simply because I'm running low on my original Volcano candle, and the mercury glass container is so swoon-worthy. You can also find the candle on Amazon. They offer a few different sizes on both sites. I absolutely love this candle and so does my family! It's the perfect blend of feminine and masculine scents.
Battiste Dry Shampoo. This stuff is so great! It's the first dry shampoo I've found that actually works! And it smells SO GOOD! My sister-in-law and I both agree that this brand beats out the others based on scent and performance. I bought mine at TJMaxx.
Dish Towels:
I LOVE dish towels! They are such an easy way to add humor/sass/seasonal freshness to your decor! For Easter, I found one at Kohl's that said "Chillin' with my Peeps" and that describes my tribe so perfectly. My favorite place to be is at home-- with my people. I have a double set of a waffle-weave pattern in hot pinks with hearts and XO on them for Valentine's Day. I have a retro Christmas red and lime green plaid that I obviously use at Christmastime. I have lots of fall ones and a classic red and blue paisley design for Memorial Day and Fourth of July. One of my favorites is a brightly colored kitchen utensil one from Target that says "Roll With It" on a rolling pin. I just cannot get enough!
I bought my sister-in-law some from Kohl's that say: "Pilates? I thought you said Pie and Lattes" and "This Coffee is Making Me Awesome."
I currently have my eye on these:
Simply delightful!
Mugs:
And I'm also finding that I have an obsession with mugs. Ones with quirky cute sayings or ones with monograms. I have a bright yellow "New York Taxi" mug and a very thin bone China stiletto mug, and a sturdy mug from one of my besties that says "Always Together, Never Apart. Maybe in Distance, but Never at Heart" and it has a picture of our states on it! I'm also finding that ones referring to being self-employed are high on the desired list these days, too!
I have both of these in "P":
I think this one is very sweet:
Clothing Items:
FLARE JEANS.
I can't get enough!
I have acquired a light blue pair, a regular-wash denim pair, a white pair, and the dark pair that started it all! Unfortunately, my legs are extremely short and I can only wear one of these pairs with flats-- the dark pair. Unfortunately I had them hemmed a tad too short, and so they semi look like high-waters. Not cute. So, I rarely wear them now. The other three pairs that are MUCH too long give me a great excuse to wear my second favorite clothing item:
WEDGE HEELS.
The full base on wedges makes my return to the high-heel world a bit easier. They are easier to walk in than normal pumps, which keeps me from looking like a line-backer in heels as I sway from side to side to keep my balance. With the wedge, I can easily walk around in stores, parking lots, church buildings, etc. I have a little trouble with the gravel walkways at church, but I'm sure my trouble would be exponentially multiplied if I was wearing stilettos! I used to wear heels all the time in my early twenties, and in my early years of marriage. Once I was pregnant with Michael, though, the heel wearing stopped. I had not really even put on a pair of heels at all until about a year ago. So, I went basically three entire years without wearing heels. And people got used to seeing me at my natural five foot five inch height. Now when I wear wedge heels, everyone asks where I'm going and why I'm trying to be so tall. But... soon it'll again be my "thing" and I can wear wedges in peace. :)
Food/Drinks:
Splenda tea. I used to be awesome in my water-drinking-capabilities. Then.... I went on vacation and I've sunk so low since returning home. I am so off of my game when it comes to water consumption. I need to get back on the horse, but until then, I'm warding off sodas and only drinking black coffee, and iced tea sweetened with Splenda. I'm the only one in my family who enjoys the taste of artificially flavored tea, so when I make a gallon of it, it lasts for several days.
Coffee, black. And as I mentioned above, my other drink of choice is black coffee. I LOVE that first sip of coffee in the morning! And drinking it black saves me all the carbs and fats. I actually prefer the taste of black coffee as opposed to "doctoring it up" with cream and sugar. In New Jersey at every coffee shop, the attendant or Caitlin's boyfriend would tell me "you know, you can get cream and sugar put in it" and I'd say "I know. I drink it black" and they would be amazed. Every. Single. Time. My mom would tell my brothers and me growing up that we could not drink coffee until we could learn to drink it black. Oh, I had my frappuccino-loving-teenage-years but I sure do enjoy the simple cup of black coffee these days.
Rice Krispies. Is that weird? It used to be my favorite cereal while growing up, but then I stopped eating pretty much all cereal for several several years. Recently, I picked up a box of Rice Krispies so I could make cereal treats for a missionary group at our church, and I had to use up the rest of the box, so I just started making it my breakfast routine. Now, I can't get enough! Even my boys like it! Michael calls it "Crunchies" which sounds more like dog food, but whatever. Noah calls it "mommy's cereal" and he eats it dry out of a kiddie tupperware bowl. #twoyearoldfads There's even been nights when I've chosen to have it for my snack instead of other things like, oh I don't know-- ICE CREAM. Yep. I chose cereal over ice cream!
Guacamole and Chips. Aaron found these individual packs of guacamole at Costco and they've since become a favorite of mine. I prefer them with Veggie chips or Tostitos Scoops. Fortunately for my waistline, I'm out of all chips at my house, so the guac must wait.
Jalapeno Queso. Aaron also found a phenomenal queso dip at Costco. It has just the right amount of heat to it through the addition of jalapeno pieces. When the dip is heated, it's creamy and thick and perfectly coats a chip. I could eat the whole tub by myself, but then I'd be embarrassed. Fortunately unfortunately, we polished off a tub in two days, so there's no more of that around the house anymore either. My hips are thankful.
Scents:
Bath and Body Works Peony Ultra Shea Body Cream, and Bath and Body Works Cucumber Melon Ultra Shea Body Cream. Both of these lotions are the perfect thickness to really moisturize well, and they both offer a scent that is light enough not to be overwhelming, but present enough not to be ignored.
Capri Blue Volcano candle. The best scented candle of all time. It really is. This is the signature scent at Anthropologie stores and you can find the candle on their website. I plan to buy the mercury glass one soon simply because I'm running low on my original Volcano candle, and the mercury glass container is so swoon-worthy. You can also find the candle on Amazon. They offer a few different sizes on both sites. I absolutely love this candle and so does my family! It's the perfect blend of feminine and masculine scents.
Battiste Dry Shampoo. This stuff is so great! It's the first dry shampoo I've found that actually works! And it smells SO GOOD! My sister-in-law and I both agree that this brand beats out the others based on scent and performance. I bought mine at TJMaxx.
Dish Towels:
I LOVE dish towels! They are such an easy way to add humor/sass/seasonal freshness to your decor! For Easter, I found one at Kohl's that said "Chillin' with my Peeps" and that describes my tribe so perfectly. My favorite place to be is at home-- with my people. I have a double set of a waffle-weave pattern in hot pinks with hearts and XO on them for Valentine's Day. I have a retro Christmas red and lime green plaid that I obviously use at Christmastime. I have lots of fall ones and a classic red and blue paisley design for Memorial Day and Fourth of July. One of my favorites is a brightly colored kitchen utensil one from Target that says "Roll With It" on a rolling pin. I just cannot get enough!
I bought my sister-in-law some from Kohl's that say: "Pilates? I thought you said Pie and Lattes" and "This Coffee is Making Me Awesome."
I currently have my eye on these:
Simply delightful!
And I'm also finding that I have an obsession with mugs. Ones with quirky cute sayings or ones with monograms. I have a bright yellow "New York Taxi" mug and a very thin bone China stiletto mug, and a sturdy mug from one of my besties that says "Always Together, Never Apart. Maybe in Distance, but Never at Heart" and it has a picture of our states on it! I'm also finding that ones referring to being self-employed are high on the desired list these days, too!
I have both of these in "P":
And I have this one which is very motivational:
And this is the truth-- sometimes all we need (besides Jesus) is a billion dollars:
I love this one:
And this travel one would pair up with my "I'm not a regular mom, I'm a cool mom" travel cup that I got from my sister-in-law:
Nordstrom was killin' it on the mug selection! And I always check Anthropologie and Target for mugs on sale.
Well! I hope you've enjoyed this shot of randomness for the day! Enjoy your weekend! They always come at the right time!
Until Next Time,
Much love, RebaTuesday, August 2, 2016
Girls' Weekend: Days 3 & 4
On Monday, July 4th, after my besties woke, we walked to a nearby bagel shop for breakfast. Caitlin and I both got cinnamon swirl bagels with strawberry cream cheese. She wiped about 75% of her cream cheese off. I ate every last bite of mine! Delicious!
Then we walked to the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens. Once we found out it was $12 per person to enter, we nixed that idea. We then caught the subway to Central Park (after a Dunkin Donuts run, obviously). I took an obligatory photo of the subway train heading to Lexington Avenue. And then I took a photo on Lexington Avenue! These photos were mainly for an inside joke with my mom. We quote the movie "The Terminal" all the time, and one of my favorites to say is "One Seeex One. Lexing Tone."
Then we walked to the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens. Once we found out it was $12 per person to enter, we nixed that idea. We then caught the subway to Central Park (after a Dunkin Donuts run, obviously). I took an obligatory photo of the subway train heading to Lexington Avenue. And then I took a photo on Lexington Avenue! These photos were mainly for an inside joke with my mom. We quote the movie "The Terminal" all the time, and one of my favorites to say is "One Seeex One. Lexing Tone."
We wandered through Central Park, and I saw lots of places in it that I've never actually seen before in all my former NYC trips. We went to the Big Green Lawn and the pond and watched people rowing the row boats backwards. :) We wandered around some benches where I'm pretty sure some scenes of Impractical Jokers were filmed. We stopped and got some drinks from a cart vendor and I picked Coke because 'Merica. It was the fourth of July after all.
And I took a picture of Trump Tower for Aaron.
We then went to Washington Square Park so I could see the arch.
We sat on the benches here for a while and rested our feet. Then we caught a subway train back to Brooklyn where we checked out of the hotel and heading back into Manhattan to catch the New Jersey transit back to Caitlin's.
When we arrived back in her town, we stopped for Chinese food for dinner. Caitlin's boyfriend whispered to her that he was worried I wouldn't know how to order "this kind of Chinese food" because surely we didn't have anything like it in the South. Au contraire. Our "to-go" Chinese restaurants are exactly like New Jersey's.
We then swung by the grocery store so Flam and I could stock up on snacks for our movie day, and I saw the coolest kid-cart in the parking lot!
The following day, Caitlin had to return to work. Flam and I ate leftover bagels for breakfast. Then we picked a few different movies and Netflix series to watch. We ate leftover pizza and ice cream sundaes for lunch. And then we each took up a section of the couch and had a GLORIOUS two hour nap! Shortly after that, Caitlin arrived home, and her boyfriend arrived home about 30 minutes after she did. Caitlin and her boyfriend cooked a pasta dinner for us. Then they took us around their hometown to show us all of her boyfriend's architecture projects, and then to get Italian ice.
Flam and I were up early the next morning to catch an 8:00am flight home. No delays this time and we actually got to fly together! We ate at a sit-down restaurant in the Atlanta airport and had a good visit. I arrived back home around 1:30, and this is how the rest of the day went:
These boys were stuck to me like glue!
It was so nice to have a girls' weekend, but it was extra sweet to come home to these two and to my best friend husband.
Until Next Time,
Much love, Reba
Friday, July 22, 2016
Girls Weekend: Day Two
On Day Two, we woke up bright and early by 9:00am and grabbed some bagels for breakfast. To tease Flam, I ate the Salt one. Holy Saltlick! I've never seen a bagel with that much salt on it! It took LOTS of butter and cream cheese, but I ate the whole giant thing and liked it.
We boarded a train around noon to head into the city. We then caught the subway to Brooklyn. We checked into our hotel and then walked to the Brooklyn Bridge. This was my first time in Brooklyn and I was so excited to see this bridge up close!
Next, we walked down to Jane's Carousel.
Then we caught a glimpse of a wedding happening underneath a bridge!
We took the subway to the Chelsea Market stop. I had never been in Chelsea Market before. We stopped in Anthropologie and I smelled their Capri Blue Volcano candle and made up my mind that I'd order it on Amazon to save six bucks. #pinchingpennies
We then walked and walked and walked and walked. And I began to question all of the great "comfy" reviews of the Converse Shoreline sneakers. My feet were killing me. We stopped for a drink at a tea and coffee place. I got an iced Matcha tea and it was FABULOUS! Makes me want to find Matcha somewhere down here in the South so I can recreate it. It was glorious!
We then took the Subway to One World Trade Center.
We looked at the memory pools. So serene and a very fitting memorial.
Then we went inside the new New Jersey Path station. It's still under construction in some parts, but it's an architect's dream building! Even I-- who am SO FAR AWAY from being an architect-- swooned at all the white marble and the clean lines!
Flam surprised us by booking tickets to the observatory. The night view tickets were cheaper than the dinner hour tickets, so that's what we did. We wandered around a nearby mall and ended up eating ice cream cones as a snack. We then sat at the pier and watched kids swinging, people walking their dogs (some of these people were in stilettos for crying out loud), little kids jumping over the concrete bricks preparing for American Ninja Warrior no doubt, etc.
Finally, it was our turn to go up in the Freedom Tower. The elevator ride did not disappoint! Neither did the introduction to the views! My phone officially had 2% battery power, so Caitlin took the following pictures with her phone.
Looking down at the memory pools.
After this, Flam walked while Caitlin and I hobbled to the subway station. We caught a train back to Brooklyn and wandered into the neighboring hotel's restaurant for some Italian food for dinner. Flam and I each ordered ravioli and our bowls of 7 raviolis arrived and I scarfed mine down in approximately 4 and a half minutes.
We then crashed in the hotel-- very comfy sheets, might I add. I hogged a whole bed to myself. Hey, I have to share all the time anyway, so I was entitled. Right? I purposely took up the whole thing. The AC was SO COLD but we couldn't figure out how to turn it down, so we were all each bundled up with as many blankets as we could find.
I woke first on day three. #surprise #not
I made myself a cup of coffee and read the two magazines in the hotel room while waiting for my besties to stir. That's where I'll pick it up for Day Three.
Until Next Time,
Much love, Reba
Saturday, July 9, 2016
Girls Weekend: Phase One
So... wayyyyy back in February, one of my best friends (Ashley, but we call her Flamingo, or Flam for short) and I decided to book a flight to New Jersey to surprise our other best friend, Caitlin, for her birthday in July. We took advantage of the discounts available for booking a flight so far in advance, and we patted ourselves on the back for our awesome plan!
We coordinated our plans with Caitlin's boyfriend, and Caitlin's brother's fiance. We had it all mapped out. Flam and I would each fly to Atlanta, and then fly together to Newark, and arrive around 1:30pm. Then, we'd be picked up by one of Caitlin's brothers, and be taken to her house where we'd surprise her and have a fantastic four days together- and certainly head into Manhattan on one day. Then, Flam and I would head back to Atlanta together on Wednesday morning and then separate onto our own planes to return to our home towns by that afternoon. Easy breezy.
Then......life happened.
After alllll those long months of waiting and anticipating and twiddling my thumbs because time couldn't soar fast enough, the day arrived! I must have dreamed about the day at least five times-- always imagining the look on Caitlin's face as we surprised her.
So, my father-in-law showed up at my house bright and early-- well, it wasn't even bright. It was 5:00am. He came over to watch our boys while Aaron took me to the airport. On our drive to the airport, I got a text. I assumed it was from Flam. It wasn't. It was from Delta. My flight from Atlanta to Newark was cancelled and I was being re-routed. Oh boy. Fourth of July weekend-- this wasn't good. I texted Flam. She was being rerouted as well.
Even though I had printed my boarding passes at home, and I wasn't checking any luggage, I still had to go to the ticket counter to sort out my new ordeal. Aaron dropped me off around 5:30, and my flight into Atlanta was scheduled to leave around 7:15, so I knew I had plenty of time to work on this situation. At the ticket counter, the agent told me I was being rerouted through Louisville, Kentucky. And then from Louisville to Newark. She told me that I'd land in Atlanta around 9:30 eastern time, then I'd have a FOUR HOUR layover before my flight to Louisville, where I'd arrive around 2:30pm. Then, in Louisville, I'd have another FOUR HOUR layover, then I'd board the plane to Newark at 6:30pm and arrive in Newark at nine o'clock. Oh. Em. Gee.
Lemme tell you-- at six o'clock in the morning, thinking about a 14 hour journey in front of you is overwhelming. Just plan overwhelming. I felt like crying. I texted Flam. She wouldn't be coming through Atlanta at all. They were rerouting her through West Palm, and then up to Newark where she'd arrive thirty minutes before our originally scheduled time. So, she was getting there early and I was arriving eight hours late.
Once I landed in Atlanta, I ran to the Help Desk. I made it my goal to be the nicest person anyone came in contact with that day. The agent at the Help Desk looked at every nearby airport-- JFK, LaGuardia, Philly, Atlantic City, anything. Nothing was available. There was a direct flight to Newark leaving in less than 30 minutes from when I arrived at the Help Desk, but they were unable to change my ticket in the system soon enough. I was told to wait it out and take my rerouted flight at 1:30.
I found a phone bank of Customer Service lines for Delta. I waited on hold for a while there before I was able to get on standby for a flight heading into JFK at 12:45. It was boarding within the hour. The agent on the phone put me on standby and I ran to the gate. When I got to the gate, the boarding agent said my name hadn't shown up in the system yet. I then realized that 30 people were ahead of me on the standby list.
I grabbed some lunch at BoJangles, charged my phone, and then found another Help Desk and waited in line. That agent was at least able to check me into my two remaining flights. She confirmed that there was nothing earlier available. She also told me that nobody on the standby list for the earlier flight was even let on the flight. That's how booked things were for the holiday weekend. When they cancelled the flight from Atlanta to Newark that I was supposed to be on, they displaced over a hundred people that they were now frantically trying to reroute.
I waited out the layover and arrived in Louisville right on time. I made my way to the next gate and realized that the next four hours were going to creep by since no one was even at the gate yet for my connecting flight.
I wandered around the Louisville airport as much as I could, and then I found a Starbucks tucked away in a construction zone, so I grabbed a bottle of water, a sandwich, and a frap and I made myself at home in a comfy leather chair. I brought four magazines with me, and I worked my way through each and every one. I called my grandparents and chatted for a while. Then I finished all my snacks and made my way back to the gate.
Once there, my parents called and we chatted for about 40 minutes. Then it was finally time to board! This was a tiny plane-- much smaller than what I'd anticipate should fly from Kentucky to New Jersey. I slept most of this flight because I just wanted to pass the time! I had an awesome view of Manhattan as we descended into Newark. Caitlin's brother and his fiance picked me up and we made our way to Caitlin's house. Since Flam had arrived earlier in the day, Caitlin assumed that was all of her birthday surprise. So, Ashley (the brother's fiance), walked inside and told Caitlin she had one more birthday surprise for her and to close her eyes. Then, I walked inside and handed off my bags to Ashley and I sat beside Caitlin on the couch. She opened her eyes and immediately started crying. It was perfect! Such a good ending to a tremendously long day!
I ate a couple slices of pizza (referred to as "pie" by everyone else in the house), met the cat, kitten, and two HUGE puppies and crashed around midnight.
I'll recap Phase Two tomorrow and I'll include some photos as well. This ended up being an awesome mini-vacation and a great time to refresh my role as a mom and Diabetes manager, and the 14-hour travel day to kick it off was totally worth it!
Until Next Time,
Much love, Reba
We coordinated our plans with Caitlin's boyfriend, and Caitlin's brother's fiance. We had it all mapped out. Flam and I would each fly to Atlanta, and then fly together to Newark, and arrive around 1:30pm. Then, we'd be picked up by one of Caitlin's brothers, and be taken to her house where we'd surprise her and have a fantastic four days together- and certainly head into Manhattan on one day. Then, Flam and I would head back to Atlanta together on Wednesday morning and then separate onto our own planes to return to our home towns by that afternoon. Easy breezy.
Then......life happened.
After alllll those long months of waiting and anticipating and twiddling my thumbs because time couldn't soar fast enough, the day arrived! I must have dreamed about the day at least five times-- always imagining the look on Caitlin's face as we surprised her.
So, my father-in-law showed up at my house bright and early-- well, it wasn't even bright. It was 5:00am. He came over to watch our boys while Aaron took me to the airport. On our drive to the airport, I got a text. I assumed it was from Flam. It wasn't. It was from Delta. My flight from Atlanta to Newark was cancelled and I was being re-routed. Oh boy. Fourth of July weekend-- this wasn't good. I texted Flam. She was being rerouted as well.
Even though I had printed my boarding passes at home, and I wasn't checking any luggage, I still had to go to the ticket counter to sort out my new ordeal. Aaron dropped me off around 5:30, and my flight into Atlanta was scheduled to leave around 7:15, so I knew I had plenty of time to work on this situation. At the ticket counter, the agent told me I was being rerouted through Louisville, Kentucky. And then from Louisville to Newark. She told me that I'd land in Atlanta around 9:30 eastern time, then I'd have a FOUR HOUR layover before my flight to Louisville, where I'd arrive around 2:30pm. Then, in Louisville, I'd have another FOUR HOUR layover, then I'd board the plane to Newark at 6:30pm and arrive in Newark at nine o'clock. Oh. Em. Gee.
Lemme tell you-- at six o'clock in the morning, thinking about a 14 hour journey in front of you is overwhelming. Just plan overwhelming. I felt like crying. I texted Flam. She wouldn't be coming through Atlanta at all. They were rerouting her through West Palm, and then up to Newark where she'd arrive thirty minutes before our originally scheduled time. So, she was getting there early and I was arriving eight hours late.
Once I landed in Atlanta, I ran to the Help Desk. I made it my goal to be the nicest person anyone came in contact with that day. The agent at the Help Desk looked at every nearby airport-- JFK, LaGuardia, Philly, Atlantic City, anything. Nothing was available. There was a direct flight to Newark leaving in less than 30 minutes from when I arrived at the Help Desk, but they were unable to change my ticket in the system soon enough. I was told to wait it out and take my rerouted flight at 1:30.
I found a phone bank of Customer Service lines for Delta. I waited on hold for a while there before I was able to get on standby for a flight heading into JFK at 12:45. It was boarding within the hour. The agent on the phone put me on standby and I ran to the gate. When I got to the gate, the boarding agent said my name hadn't shown up in the system yet. I then realized that 30 people were ahead of me on the standby list.
I grabbed some lunch at BoJangles, charged my phone, and then found another Help Desk and waited in line. That agent was at least able to check me into my two remaining flights. She confirmed that there was nothing earlier available. She also told me that nobody on the standby list for the earlier flight was even let on the flight. That's how booked things were for the holiday weekend. When they cancelled the flight from Atlanta to Newark that I was supposed to be on, they displaced over a hundred people that they were now frantically trying to reroute.
I waited out the layover and arrived in Louisville right on time. I made my way to the next gate and realized that the next four hours were going to creep by since no one was even at the gate yet for my connecting flight.
I wandered around the Louisville airport as much as I could, and then I found a Starbucks tucked away in a construction zone, so I grabbed a bottle of water, a sandwich, and a frap and I made myself at home in a comfy leather chair. I brought four magazines with me, and I worked my way through each and every one. I called my grandparents and chatted for a while. Then I finished all my snacks and made my way back to the gate.
Once there, my parents called and we chatted for about 40 minutes. Then it was finally time to board! This was a tiny plane-- much smaller than what I'd anticipate should fly from Kentucky to New Jersey. I slept most of this flight because I just wanted to pass the time! I had an awesome view of Manhattan as we descended into Newark. Caitlin's brother and his fiance picked me up and we made our way to Caitlin's house. Since Flam had arrived earlier in the day, Caitlin assumed that was all of her birthday surprise. So, Ashley (the brother's fiance), walked inside and told Caitlin she had one more birthday surprise for her and to close her eyes. Then, I walked inside and handed off my bags to Ashley and I sat beside Caitlin on the couch. She opened her eyes and immediately started crying. It was perfect! Such a good ending to a tremendously long day!
I ate a couple slices of pizza (referred to as "pie" by everyone else in the house), met the cat, kitten, and two HUGE puppies and crashed around midnight.
I'll recap Phase Two tomorrow and I'll include some photos as well. This ended up being an awesome mini-vacation and a great time to refresh my role as a mom and Diabetes manager, and the 14-hour travel day to kick it off was totally worth it!
Until Next Time,
Much love, Reba
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