Hope you have more treats than tricks today!
October 31, 2011
October 30, 2011
Pretty sure my heart just burst
Not sure that there is anything sweeter in the world than watching your children become friends.
October 28, 2011
Foodie Friday: My Kitchen
When we were on the home search two years ago we had a list of must haves-
and then an even longer list of "wants"
Tall cabinets make sure you have plenty of storage.
Stainless just looks nice...even if it always has fingerprints on it.
Plenty of display room for wine, coffee and cake are paramount.
A deep cabinet for storage of all those extra appliances (3 waffle irons, 2 crock pots, panini press & griddle) in a necessity!
And a huge cabinet for spices. No dinky spice racks here. *Side note- If you are in the Atlanta area you must go to the Dekalb Farmers Market for your spices. They are sooo cheap.*
I do have a few annoyances though...
It is definitely a one person kitchen. It's really hard for Mr. Banker and I to cook together in there.
I hate the dishwasher. It is so small and when we cook a big meal we have to run the dishwasher 2 or 3 times to get everything washed.
I wished it faced the living room a little more. It's hard for me to be in there and unable to see the boys. Or to multitask and try to watch a show while I'm cooking.
What are your must have elements in a kitchen?
Finished Basement
4 Bedrooms
2 Car Garage
Neighborhood Pool
and then an even longer list of "wants"
Huge Master Closet
Hardwood Floors
Upgraded Fixtures
Decent Paint Colors
and
An Updated Kitchen
How we lucked out on finding a house with our must haves AND most of our wants is beyond me. We LOVE our house...even if we are still fighting off some pesky neighborhood lurkers.
We get the most compliments on our kitchen and while I would love to say "Oh, yes I picked out everything myself" I didn't pick out a thing. Of course there are some elements that I would tweak a little bit, but all in all our kitchen is great. So I thought I'd talk about a few elements of a "foodie" kitchen.
Any non-laminate counter top was a must. Our last house had a completely white kitchen, including easily stained white laminate counters. These black/brown granite counters hide EVERYTHING!
Tile backsplashes are great because you can wipe them down of any splatters. The diamond tiles add a little interest to the design.
Double ovens are awesome. Period. You won't have to write out your schedule on Thanksgiving trying to make sure you will have time to cook everything.
Tall cabinets make sure you have plenty of storage.
Stainless just looks nice...even if it always has fingerprints on it.
Plenty of display room for wine, coffee and cake are paramount.
I do have a few annoyances though...
It is definitely a one person kitchen. It's really hard for Mr. Banker and I to cook together in there.
I hate the dishwasher. It is so small and when we cook a big meal we have to run the dishwasher 2 or 3 times to get everything washed.
I wished it faced the living room a little more. It's hard for me to be in there and unable to see the boys. Or to multitask and try to watch a show while I'm cooking.
What are your must have elements in a kitchen?
October 26, 2011
Random thoughts for busy times
So now that I actually have a minute to ignore piles of laundry write, I'm not sure what to talk about. Figures, right? So here's some fun stream of consciousness bullet points
- Big Bear had his Fall festival at school this morning. Mr. Banker was able to attend this year and it was a good time...so cute to see him at school with his buddies
- Junior League has been keeping me super busy. It's my fun outlet, but I'm definitely at my limit of time commitment.
- We now have something on the calendar for every Saturday through the end of the year. Lots of fun things, but I still love a lazy Saturday. I'll start hoping for some January snow days.
-Thanks for all of your comments on the "favorites" post. Glad to know I'm not crazy. But that woman is a locomama (term coined by bestie)
-We have Trunk or Treat tonight at church. Hopefully some awesome pics to come tomorrow! We haven't taken BB trick or treating for real yet and I'm not sure we will this year either. When did you first take your kiddos out?
I came across this picture the other day and immediately felt really old. I swear I look like a baby there. Today, notsomuch.
-I just scheduled our new couch to be delivered for Monday, yay! Look forward to an update post on our living room situation.
- I hosted JL Book Club last night and I didn't read the book. Actually only one person had. I love to host and cook so it that was fun. Oh, and it makes me clean my house.
- I've started working on Little Bear's first birthday party (sniff). I am going to be able to reuse a bunch of things from Big Bear's party but with a new twist.
- With all these Christmas card coupons going around I'm feeling very behind. Hoping to get a good picture of the boys this weekend so I can go ahead and order cards.
Hope y'all are having a great week!
- Big Bear had his Fall festival at school this morning. Mr. Banker was able to attend this year and it was a good time...so cute to see him at school with his buddies
- Junior League has been keeping me super busy. It's my fun outlet, but I'm definitely at my limit of time commitment.
- We now have something on the calendar for every Saturday through the end of the year. Lots of fun things, but I still love a lazy Saturday. I'll start hoping for some January snow days.
-Thanks for all of your comments on the "favorites" post. Glad to know I'm not crazy. But that woman is a locomama (term coined by bestie)
-We have Trunk or Treat tonight at church. Hopefully some awesome pics to come tomorrow! We haven't taken BB trick or treating for real yet and I'm not sure we will this year either. When did you first take your kiddos out?
I came across this picture the other day and immediately felt really old. I swear I look like a baby there. Today, notsomuch.
-I just scheduled our new couch to be delivered for Monday, yay! Look forward to an update post on our living room situation.
- I hosted JL Book Club last night and I didn't read the book. Actually only one person had. I love to host and cook so it that was fun. Oh, and it makes me clean my house.
- I've started working on Little Bear's first birthday party (sniff). I am going to be able to reuse a bunch of things from Big Bear's party but with a new twist.
- With all these Christmas card coupons going around I'm feeling very behind. Hoping to get a good picture of the boys this weekend so I can go ahead and order cards.
Hope y'all are having a great week!
October 20, 2011
Playing Favorites?
So, watching my beloved Anderson this week I got fired up at another mother. Seriously nauseated.
I know there all kind of parenting styles that are fine, just not ways that I feel are right for me and my family. I'm not here to judge what is right or wrong for a parent or a family. But this really got my panties in a wad.
The first guest was Jessica Katz, a blogger and mother to two girls 21 months and 4 months. And she up and down claims her oldest is her favorite...to me she sounded downright obsessed with her.
(The video isn't showing up in Google Reader, so go directly to the post if you want watch)
Now I'll be the first to admit that I have a hard time relating to parents who think their child is the best thing since sliced bread, hung the moon, etc. Maybe that's you. And that's fine for you, but for me being a parent doesn't define me like that. Don't get me wrong, I love my boys and would do anything for them, but being a mother to me doesn't mean that I shouldn't do things for myself or that my relationship with my children should ever come before my relationship with my husband.
I've already confessed that parenting two little ones is HARD. I never had fears about loving two children like some people have, and I definitely didn't have worries about BB remaining "favorite" once LB arrived. But this woman was outright saying there is something very special about the first child, that she bought a side by side stroller because she couldn't stand the thought of the older girl sitting on the ground, she gets frustrated when the needs of the younger child takes away from time with the older child and that she even had dreams that she and the older girl would "gang up" against the baby and "not like her together."
I was flabbergasted. Wanting to scream at my television "why in the world did you have another child!"
I know the experiences you have with a first born are special and that you can't duplicate that experience with subsequent children, but you sure can try (mommy guilt and all!) I know there won't be as many pictures and there may be hand me down clothes, but I truly can't imagine having an outright "favorite" as this woman is claiming.
The show also spoke to other mothers and a few experts claiming that favoritism is natural and does no harm, but plenty of audience members who had experienced favoritism in their families seemed to prove otherwise. I know that as the boys get older I'm sure I (and Mr. Banker) may be drawn to a closer relationship with one of the boys based on their personalities. I would love that, to have a connection based on them as a person and not just familial ties...I just don't understand how a "favorite" can be established with babies/toddlers.
Everyday I play favorites a little bit- BB may be my favorite for a minute when he wants to come snuggle and read a book with me then LB may be my favorite when he takes a great nap while BB is climbing the walls. But I love them EQUALLY and I provide for them equally to meet their needs!
I'm very interested to know what y'all think! Do you play favorites or does this make you as sick as it made me? Time to weigh in on if I'm the crazy one!
I know there all kind of parenting styles that are fine, just not ways that I feel are right for me and my family. I'm not here to judge what is right or wrong for a parent or a family. But this really got my panties in a wad.
The first guest was Jessica Katz, a blogger and mother to two girls 21 months and 4 months. And she up and down claims her oldest is her favorite...to me she sounded downright obsessed with her.
(The video isn't showing up in Google Reader, so go directly to the post if you want watch)
Now I'll be the first to admit that I have a hard time relating to parents who think their child is the best thing since sliced bread, hung the moon, etc. Maybe that's you. And that's fine for you, but for me being a parent doesn't define me like that. Don't get me wrong, I love my boys and would do anything for them, but being a mother to me doesn't mean that I shouldn't do things for myself or that my relationship with my children should ever come before my relationship with my husband.
I've already confessed that parenting two little ones is HARD. I never had fears about loving two children like some people have, and I definitely didn't have worries about BB remaining "favorite" once LB arrived. But this woman was outright saying there is something very special about the first child, that she bought a side by side stroller because she couldn't stand the thought of the older girl sitting on the ground, she gets frustrated when the needs of the younger child takes away from time with the older child and that she even had dreams that she and the older girl would "gang up" against the baby and "not like her together."
I was flabbergasted. Wanting to scream at my television "why in the world did you have another child!"
I know the experiences you have with a first born are special and that you can't duplicate that experience with subsequent children, but you sure can try (mommy guilt and all!) I know there won't be as many pictures and there may be hand me down clothes, but I truly can't imagine having an outright "favorite" as this woman is claiming.
The show also spoke to other mothers and a few experts claiming that favoritism is natural and does no harm, but plenty of audience members who had experienced favoritism in their families seemed to prove otherwise. I know that as the boys get older I'm sure I (and Mr. Banker) may be drawn to a closer relationship with one of the boys based on their personalities. I would love that, to have a connection based on them as a person and not just familial ties...I just don't understand how a "favorite" can be established with babies/toddlers.
Everyday I play favorites a little bit- BB may be my favorite for a minute when he wants to come snuggle and read a book with me then LB may be my favorite when he takes a great nap while BB is climbing the walls. But I love them EQUALLY and I provide for them equally to meet their needs!
I'm very interested to know what y'all think! Do you play favorites or does this make you as sick as it made me? Time to weigh in on if I'm the crazy one!
October 19, 2011
Semi-Wordless Wednesday
Just a few quick thoughts for a rainy day....
1.
2.
That's all for today friends. I'm working on a whopper of a post for tomorrow...I'd love any mommies out there to come back and weigh in!
Happy Wednesday!
October 17, 2011
Frustration
I have been really frustrated lately. Frustrated that I simply just don't have enough time to do all the things I really want to do.
Parenting. Reading. Volunteering. Blogging. Exercising. Projects. Trash Tv.
The list goes on....(and then of course I go and start a new list of things to tackle!)
I feel like this SAHM gig is such a grey area. On one hand it's beyond amazing to have immense flexibility, but on the other hand it can be overwhelming to prioritize all the things that the job title entails. And scheduling time off, you really have to think about it, it doesn't just happen! Of course the boys come first, but after that how do you rank everything? Ahhh, so frustrating!
I'm such a project oriented person and I'm completely guilty of wanting to throw myself completely into something (fun) and forget the rest of the boring stuff (laundry & scrubbing bathrooms).
So I'm struggling to figure out what's going to work for me.
Sorry this is the most completely random spattering of thoughts, but that's what you get for an introspective Monday post....
Parenting. Reading. Volunteering. Blogging. Exercising. Projects. Trash Tv.
The list goes on....(and then of course I go and start a new list of things to tackle!)
I feel like this SAHM gig is such a grey area. On one hand it's beyond amazing to have immense flexibility, but on the other hand it can be overwhelming to prioritize all the things that the job title entails. And scheduling time off, you really have to think about it, it doesn't just happen! Of course the boys come first, but after that how do you rank everything? Ahhh, so frustrating!
I'm such a project oriented person and I'm completely guilty of wanting to throw myself completely into something (fun) and forget the rest of the boring stuff (laundry & scrubbing bathrooms).
So I'm struggling to figure out what's going to work for me.
Sorry this is the most completely random spattering of thoughts, but that's what you get for an introspective Monday post....
October 14, 2011
Boy-mom/2 under 3 advice needed!
Whew, this has been a looonnnnngggg week! I had somewhat been questioning Big Bear being in school 3 days a week, but with the holiday on Monday by Wednesday he was really needing some interaction! And I was ready for a break too!
Here is where I need some advice. My 2.5 year old is full of energy and doesn't have a huge attention span. He's also not the best at playing by himself (I know part of this is my issue and something I need to help him work on.) I'm having a hard time coming up with activities that are engaging yet also feasible for us to do and still to keep my 10 month old safe and entertained.
Those fun rice sorting activities? This is what BB makes of it after 3 minutes.
I know colder weather is coming so we're going to be inside a lot for the next few months. Not that we trek out to the park much lately because it scares me to take them both by myself. BB is known for climbing on the "big kid" sets, which is fine but I'd really prefer to be right with him and I can't do that with LB in tow. Only by the grace of God have we not made a trip to the ER yet. He's the kind of kid who likes to climb on top of his dresser during naptime and also managed to get his finger caught in his blinds one day this week. Scary times for sure.
We're having a lot of naptime fighting, so I'm hoping to find some things that will help combat that. I'm also debating him just skipping naps on T/Th when he doesn't go to school...but then I think that maybe I need to still incorporate a quiet time. Lots of indecision going on over here. I love having two, but the constant changes in schedule of a growing infant throws another wrench in! I hate to disrupt LB's naptimes since those are important to him and his development.
So- boy moms, clue me in on your favorite activities for your busy toddlers and moms of multiple little ones help me with some activities that work when you're juggling two!
Here is where I need some advice. My 2.5 year old is full of energy and doesn't have a huge attention span. He's also not the best at playing by himself (I know part of this is my issue and something I need to help him work on.) I'm having a hard time coming up with activities that are engaging yet also feasible for us to do and still to keep my 10 month old safe and entertained.
Those fun rice sorting activities? This is what BB makes of it after 3 minutes.
I know colder weather is coming so we're going to be inside a lot for the next few months. Not that we trek out to the park much lately because it scares me to take them both by myself. BB is known for climbing on the "big kid" sets, which is fine but I'd really prefer to be right with him and I can't do that with LB in tow. Only by the grace of God have we not made a trip to the ER yet. He's the kind of kid who likes to climb on top of his dresser during naptime and also managed to get his finger caught in his blinds one day this week. Scary times for sure.
We're having a lot of naptime fighting, so I'm hoping to find some things that will help combat that. I'm also debating him just skipping naps on T/Th when he doesn't go to school...but then I think that maybe I need to still incorporate a quiet time. Lots of indecision going on over here. I love having two, but the constant changes in schedule of a growing infant throws another wrench in! I hate to disrupt LB's naptimes since those are important to him and his development.
So- boy moms, clue me in on your favorite activities for your busy toddlers and moms of multiple little ones help me with some activities that work when you're juggling two!
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| Gratuitous LB pic, check out that preciousness! |
October 13, 2011
Pinspired: Cupcakes
I'm linking up with Kodi today (yep, I'm a big fan, 2nd link up this week) for Pinspired Thursday!
Once I got hooked on Pinterest it became quickly evident that my favorite things to pin are recipes! I've become the self-appointed cupcake baker for our provsional tables at the monthly Junior League meetings, so I thought this month I would try one of the cute cupcakes I had pinned!
I picked these caramel apple cupcakes to go along with our Fall theme!
They were really great...I love a cupcake recipe that I can whip together from store bought pre-packaged things...call me Betty Crocker ;-)
Once I got hooked on Pinterest it became quickly evident that my favorite things to pin are recipes! I've become the self-appointed cupcake baker for our provsional tables at the monthly Junior League meetings, so I thought this month I would try one of the cute cupcakes I had pinned!
I picked these caramel apple cupcakes to go along with our Fall theme!
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| Has to be good, right? |
 |
| I let Big Bear get in on the frosting :-) |
 | |
| packed up and ready to go! |
They were really great...I love a cupcake recipe that I can whip together from store bought pre-packaged things...call me Betty Crocker ;-)
October 12, 2011
Semi-Wordless Wednesday: Under Attack
We absolutely love our house and enjoy that it is a new-ish (early 90's) home in a woody neighborhood. While it's amazing to see deer having supper in your backyard our lovely surroundings also come some unwanted critters.
Soon after we moved in it was squirrels in the attic. Ok, pretty easy to take care of. Then it was bats that took up residence in our attic vents. And lately one of these guys has been munching on our house.
He had come around before, but we thought he had moved on. But he's back, so on Saturday we attached another owl on the front of our house. Fun times.
October 11, 2011
Before 30...
So I had kind of planned on doing this post on Nov 13th, my half-birthday. But silly me had to jump ahead and start working towards the one goal I had before my 30th birthday...
run a 5k.
Y'all, I'm not a runner. But something in me says that I should set out to do something and actually complete it (not without firsttrapping gaining a buddy to make sure I really do it. really.) even though I probably won't want to. I'm not the best with following through on things unless I know that someone is counting on me to do it. I've added a "5k Training" page for me to put my sad, sad running #s out there for all the internet to see and so that when my alarm clock goes off in the morning I will actually get up and run. Oh and there's a fancy little ticker counting down too. You should really check it out. And send me bashing emails if I don't update it.
So that will likely be the first task I check off of my list. But I'd like to ask y'all for some suggestions on other fun, silly checklisty things for me to do before Iturn 30 celebrate the first anniversary of my 29th birthday. All suggestions to skydive, get a tattoo or conceive another child will swiftly be declined.
Please leave your thoughts in the comments, on Twitter or if you're not up with either of those (which you should be. Peer pressure still works when you're over 30) email me: forever29blog {at} gmail {dot} com
run a 5k.
Y'all, I'm not a runner. But something in me says that I should set out to do something and actually complete it (not without first
So that will likely be the first task I check off of my list. But I'd like to ask y'all for some suggestions on other fun, silly checklisty things for me to do before I
Please leave your thoughts in the comments, on Twitter or if you're not up with either of those (which you should be. Peer pressure still works when you're over 30) email me: forever29blog {at} gmail {dot} com
October 10, 2011
Favorite Things Swap!
I was excited to participate in another swap...this one was hosted by Kodi at A Brighter Yellow! You were to include some of your "favorite things!" Y'all know I am a little obsessive about lots of certain things, so it was hard to narrow it down...and I even thought of including some of the things I received from my swap partner, Amber!
I sent her (forgot to take a pic, whoops!) a Lilly Pulitzer koozie, pearl earrings (from Walmart, my fav kind because I've been known to lose them!), Berts Bees Pomegranate Oil Lip Balm and a Target gift card.
I received:
A delicious Ghiradelli Caramel & Milk Chocolate Bar (yes, love chocolate!)
A wood wick pumpkin nutmeg candle
and a Starbucks gift card (yay! I had just finished my last one!)
Thank you so much, Amber! I am loving all of your favorite things!
I sent her (forgot to take a pic, whoops!) a Lilly Pulitzer koozie, pearl earrings (from Walmart, my fav kind because I've been known to lose them!), Berts Bees Pomegranate Oil Lip Balm and a Target gift card.
I received:
A delicious Ghiradelli Caramel & Milk Chocolate Bar (yes, love chocolate!)
A wood wick pumpkin nutmeg candle
and a Starbucks gift card (yay! I had just finished my last one!)
 |
| I feel like I take the worst pictures...oh and I definitely ate the chocolate bar before I remembered I needed to take a pic! |
Thank you so much, Amber! I am loving all of your favorite things!
October 5, 2011
Semi-Wordless Wednesday: Staycation
We are super busy this week! Mr. Banker took the week off so we are having a little staycation and trying to pack in a bunch of fun!
So I thought I'd share a few fun things we've done Semi-Wordless Wednesday style!
So I thought I'd share a few fun things we've done Semi-Wordless Wednesday style!
Checked out the dinosaurs at Fernbank
Five Guys picnic at our local town center
(LB was really jealous of our burgers!)
Some side by side swinging
And a fun boy mom purchase at Homegoods :-)
Hope y'all are having a great week!
October 3, 2011
Tagged: Fall Goals
One of my very favorite bloggers, Kate, of Nautical by Nature tagged me to list 5 of my goals for Fall!
Last night I sat down to write out my to-do list for the week and realized I should have no issue coming up with five things to share with y'all.
1. Identify the remaining gaps in my wardrobe. I feel like I keep buying pieces that I need, but then I don't seem to have everything to put an entire outfit together. I know I need to review Nina Garcia's book, The One Hundred: A Guide to the Pieces Every Stylish Woman Must Own. There will definitely be a blog post about that!
2. Really figure out a good schedule for working out and be better about not eating whatever I want. As Mr. says, we are coming up on "the season." The time of year where it is all candy and food all the time- Halloween rolls into Thanksgiving and then Christmas and it seems like all you are doing for 3 months is eating. I know I will indulge, but I need to be diligent about working out to counteract that.
3. Pick out pictures for wall frames. On Thanksgiving day we will have been in our house for 2 years and we have a very sad number of pictures on the walls.
4.Control the clutter and think about new things coming into the house. I did a good job this weekend packing up some things for Goodwill and consignment stores.
and lastly
5. Balance. My friend Melissa did an amazing post about balancing the SAHM life and blogging. Definitely going to work on this. Would probably help if I could find a few extra hours a day.
Now to tag 5 bloggers...I hope y'all will share 5 Fall goals!
Copacetic in Carolina
Perfectly Imperfect
All About Olivia
Preppy Southern Princess
Southern Living Preppy Style
and if I didn't tag you feel free to share some of your goals in the comments!
Last night I sat down to write out my to-do list for the week and realized I should have no issue coming up with five things to share with y'all.
5 Fall Goals:
1. Identify the remaining gaps in my wardrobe. I feel like I keep buying pieces that I need, but then I don't seem to have everything to put an entire outfit together. I know I need to review Nina Garcia's book, The One Hundred: A Guide to the Pieces Every Stylish Woman Must Own. There will definitely be a blog post about that!
2. Really figure out a good schedule for working out and be better about not eating whatever I want. As Mr. says, we are coming up on "the season." The time of year where it is all candy and food all the time- Halloween rolls into Thanksgiving and then Christmas and it seems like all you are doing for 3 months is eating. I know I will indulge, but I need to be diligent about working out to counteract that.
3. Pick out pictures for wall frames. On Thanksgiving day we will have been in our house for 2 years and we have a very sad number of pictures on the walls.
4.Control the clutter and think about new things coming into the house. I did a good job this weekend packing up some things for Goodwill and consignment stores.
and lastly
5. Balance. My friend Melissa did an amazing post about balancing the SAHM life and blogging. Definitely going to work on this. Would probably help if I could find a few extra hours a day.
Now to tag 5 bloggers...I hope y'all will share 5 Fall goals!
Copacetic in Carolina
Perfectly Imperfect
All About Olivia
Preppy Southern Princess
Southern Living Preppy Style
and if I didn't tag you feel free to share some of your goals in the comments!
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