Tales of Me and the Husband

Our weekend.

Here in the suburbs life can be pretty simple if you let it be.  It depends on the stage of life, but sometimes that’s just what I crave and other times the march of a faster-paced life is really quite alluring.  The winter time has its own challenges, particularly this one, one of our coldest in the last few years.  I don’t think I’d give up the four seasons, each one so markedly different from the last, but ask me in February and an extended stay in southern California is looking pretty fantastic.  
This weekend we had very few plans, were making very few plans.  An impromptu take out dinner at friends down the street rounded out our Friday night.  Saturday we went out for pizza (one half pepper and onion and the other spinach, feta, and broccoli).  Parker’s suddenly turning a little bit pickier and had to remove all the toppings from his pizza which begs the question, why do we need the lights on so bright when we feed our children?  Very, very dim kitchen lights are looking better all the time.  Can’t be picky if you don’t know what you’re eating, right?  The evening closed with a hot chocolate date, the hot chocolate the size of Parker’s head.  Steve and I split it and told Parker it was coffee, yucky.  He suspected otherwise.  William and Lindsey both went to sleepovers.  A successful weekend for them, indeed.
Sunday morning, I put on Jonsi (you know, the We Bought a Zoo soundtrack, all by them, is quite good), split a pomegranate with Parker, I made bacon, went to the grocery store.  Cupboards were getting bare and it was necessary.  I brought home apple sauce, promising to make apple sauce muffins with Parker after his nap.  He’s such a determined fellow these days, understanding everything.  “Help, Mama?” as he gets a chair from the kitchen table and slides it across the floor until it stops at the counter where we usually do our baking.
I can’t believe it’s already the end of January and I can’t believe it’s only the end of January.  February, go easy on us.

a new do and jewelry.

{sweater: h&m}
{skirt (old): uo}
{necklaces: haiti’s jewels}
{cowboy boot: vintage}
once i get the itch to cut my hair, i pretty much cannot be stopped.  it had to go.  and it feels good.   
on the jewelry: a good family friend of ours started the company haiti’s jewels having lived there for quite a few years (she started the company when she was… i want to say… 17 or 18?!).  it’s a fabulous company that works with local haitian artisans.  their jewelry is great, their cause is great.  check it out.
have a fabulous weekend, friends.  and stay warm!

the most official yogurt taste-off of 2014. yep, you heard me.

yooooogurt.  you may know that we hunts, we hunts like us some yogurt.  my all-the-time stock is stonyfield plain whole milk.  parker starts getting twitchy if the fridge is bare of that goodness.  we add stuff to it–granola, fruit, sometimes a splash of oj.  but sometimes it’s nice to grab and go.  and when we’re out at a cafe and they’ve got those little refrigerated shelves right down at parker’s eye-level, you can bet he’s shoving yogurts in his pocket before i can say…. yogurt?  so, sometimes the grab and go’s make it to our fridge for convenience.  i am nooooot above convenience sometimes.
click to read more!!

though, more often than not, they’re for william and lindsey.  you see, they make their own lunches in the morning and are often just plain sick and tired of making themselves peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.  i made my own lunch growing up most of the time (not all the time, mom!  i know you did it sometimes!).  and i remember getting soooooooo tired of making yet another peanut butter and jelly sandwich.  that is supposed to sound really, really dramatic.  so, i do understand their dislike for the terribly tedious task (alliteration!) that is peanut butter and jelly sandwich preparation.  and so, i surprise them from time to time with a bunch of to-go yogurts (which brings me to this.  have you seen it?  it’s gold.) and they’re thrilled.  a week’s worth of no peanut butter and jelly sandwich making?!  hit the snooze button three more times this mornin’!  
today we’re taste-testing the new yoplait greek yogurt against chobani.  blueberry for both.  and, you know we’re something of yogurt connoisseurs at this point.  there should be a name for this!!  anyway, as soon as parker saw the container: buh-buh!!!  (blueberry, duh.)  he was thrilled to be part of the official taste-off.  as was william, steve, and i.  lindsey was off at the movies with a friend and will be sorely disappointed to have missed this.
now it’s time to delve into all the dirty details (god, my alliteration is on fire today).  perhaps more than you ever wanted to know about yogurt but… here we go.  yoplait’s just hopped onto the fast-moving greek yogurt train and released their very own blended greek yogurt.  yoplait’s is different from the others in that it blends it for you–so, unlike fage with the little separate container of sweet, or chobani’s “on the bottom” variety, yoplait’s done all the work (which brings me back to the ellen skit that i linked to above).  
otherwise, thickness is about the same (and oh-so-thick.  i love that about greek yogurt.  though i do wish you could consistently find them in whole milk.  it seems they’re most often 0% at my grocery store… these two were 0%.).  yoplait’s got the thickness down, for sure.  you know, where it almost doesn’t fall off your spoon if you were to tip it upside down?  is it clear i love thick yogurt yet?  and the blueberry taste… i gotta say that chobani’s blueberry tasted more… authentic?  steve agreed with me.  meanwhile william was busy finishing off two yoplait’s in about four seconds flat so he’d say that one was lip smackin’ good.
and another place where chobani trumps yoplait in my opinion is in sweetness.  chobani’s is less sweet (15 g to yoplait’s 18 g though i promise i didn’t look until afterwards because i didn’t want that to sway me.  i can be something of a sugar-hater.  though, in the time it took me to write this post, i’ve snuck into the kitchen and sliced off not one but two small pieces of trader joe’s rockin’ chocolate fudge cake soooo when it suits me, i can embrace the sugar.) and, with chobani, you also have control over how sweet you want it by stirring more or less of the fruit on the bottom into the yogurt as opposed to yoplait’s already blended one.  parker probably would’ve eaten all of them up if i’d have let him so we really can’t count on his vote going one way or another.  as long as you give him some yogurt and buh-buhs, nobody gets hurt.  had he been a little more articulate, we might’ve had a tie.  but for now, chobani wins.  by one.  (sorry yoplait!)
if you skipped all the way to the bottom, then here’s the grand sum of it:
// chobani bonuses: more authentic blueberry taste (and a chunkier blueberry consistency if you like that sort of thing); ability to control sweetness because of fruit on the bottom
// yoplait bonuses: if you like it already mixed, this is your winner;  sweeter than the other, for those who have more of a sweet tooth; the fruit is less chunky for those who like smoother yogurt
// they tie on thickness. 

grand total: 
(this is some complicated math so i’ll do it for you)
yoplait: 1 // chobani: 2
yoplait is pretty keen on this #tasteoff so much so that they’re actually willing to send both chobani’s and their own yogurt to you, ‘fo free (and it’s pretty easy to sign up too).    get your “greek yogurt kit” here and decide for yourself.
this post is sponsored by yoplait.  though, you’ll notice, all opinions are truly my own as i didn’t even pick yoplait as a winner.  bam.

Priorities, productivity, parenting.

I suffer from Mom-guilt.  And sometimes, a lot of the time, I’m really not a great Mom so there’s a lot of guilt, so on and so forth.  I hate myself when I’m not content to just sit, when I get Parker happily distracted with a puzzle only to take that as my cue to quickly escape and get some work done, check my email one more time.  I hate when instead of having a conversation with Lindsey, I’m looking at my phone.  I hate it while I’m doing it and yet that’s often not enough to make me put it down.  I hate the draw of social media and that I care.  I hate that, as soon as I feel the guilt, I find a way to justify it.  I hate that these things trump simply watching Parker play.  Even if he’s content to play by himself does that mean I should take that as my opportunity to go do something else nearly every time?  What about sitting and watching him play and delighting in that alone?  The thing about being a Mom is I feel fairly busy all the time and yet at the end of the day when I look at what I got done, it doesn’t look like much.  We all crave productivity but it’s almost an enemy.  Do I want my kids to look back and think, “My Mom was so productive” or “My Mom played with me and listened to me a lot.”  
The days where I’m just on as a Mom, I’m patient and I say no to the rest of the world and say yes to my kids are the very best days.  I go to bed so fulfilled on those days–way more than the days when I managed to empty my inbox and write a post–so why don’t I strive to have those days more often?  In ten years, will I remember the emails I answered?  The post I wrote while Parker was watching Daniel Tiger?  The instagrams I “liked” while Lindsey was trying to talk to me about what she did at her friend’s house?  I know there’s a benefit to kids playing alone, entertaining themselves, watching their parents be productive.  But our attention is too divided.  At least mine is.  I’m sick of it.  I remember when Parker was really little, I didn’t have an iPhone.  He was about six months old when I got one (truth be told, I miss those non iPhone days).  And yet I can recall lying in bed with him for what felt like hours (in reality it was probably one or two) just looking at him, watching him kick his legs, I’d pull the sheet up over our heads, and watch his eyes take it all in, squeeze his chubby joints (like this, oh memory lane, you wicked thing.).  I used to be better at being present.  What changed?  Is there not enough balance in my life?  Do I need to get out more so I’m better when here?  Do I need to just put it into practice more until it feels second nature?  I know myself.  I know that I’ll be full of regrets if I don’t get my priorities straight and keep them there.  There’s way too much at stake.  I look through pictures at how much the kids have changed even in the last year and it’s astonishing.  I don’t want to miss a thing.  
(These pictures have little to do with this post.  Just a morning I did my best to not be distracted and to just craft.  We did that for awhile.  But, complete with pictures which brings me to another point: if I don’t get pictures of something does it mean it didn’t happen?  NO.  Though… I really, really love having the pictures.)

yesterday and some links for the weekend.

yesterday was a doozy of a day.  gray and rainy and damp and, for the first time this winter, i was just over it.  and the day before i was google-flighting a ticket to anywhere but here.  give me warmth, give me sunshine.  just for a little bit, please?  i even painted my nails this color just to evoke a feeling of summer and next, i’m whipping up a batch of pina coladas!  where was i (oh yes!  let’s get back there quick!  it was such a fun place!)… parker was in a mood, and i was in a mood, and his mood was made moodier by my mood and my mood was made moodier by his and you get the picture.  also, i’m pretty sure yesterday was longer than other days.  it had to be.  i took a bath during his nap to try to capture some zen but by minute four my bath was not nearly warm enough to sit and get toasty (baths are overrated, there i said it.  unless you have one of these…).  it was one of those days where i’m watching the clock till it’s bedtime and i’m off the clock.  you know?  of course you know.  (and unrelated but sort of related–when those days strike, whip out some dried rice/dried beans.  this picture’s from a few days ago when parker went to town on the train table for, all told, probably two hours or so, maybe more.  filling his dump trucks, dumping, pushing it all with the bulldozer.  i added a bob’s red mill 13-bean bag to it too and that’s when things got really crazy.  just keep the vacuum nearby!)
anyhow, with each shitty day comes a new one and a fresh start and that’s really a good thing.  slate wiped clean, coffee poured, come at me new day!  especially when that day is a friday.  only good things can come now, right?  it’s the freakin’ weekend baby i’m about to have me some fun (you guys remember that song?).  do you have any fun weekend plans?  anyone seen any good movies lately?  i want to see american hustle and the wall street one…
for your weekend reading, here are some good things milling about the internet lately.  i’ve already shared some of them on twitter but they’re worth sharing here if you’re not over there too!
// this post on homosexuality.  short, to the point, and so good.  i wish i’d written it myself.
// this post about letting go of your first baby will surely speak to some of you mamas, particularly the emotional ones (no shame!  i’m one of ’em!).  it’s really beautiful and really heartwrenching.
// i did an interview for the girls at navy darling and i really enjoyed it.  also, those girls are so nice.  
that’s all she wrote.
(and p.s. that sweatpants post + the comments here + on IG was a hoot.  it is clear that we ladies love us some sweatpants.)  have a great weekend friends!

A life that’s good.

Over a month ago now, I went out for a girls’ night, an all too infrequent occasion but that’s beside the point.  I drove to Cambridge, to Border Cafe specifically, to meet some really great girls for a really lovely night.  As I left the house, I gave way more instruction than necessary, after all, Steve is five kids deep in parenting and knows the drill.  He side-eyed me, half-listening, but I had to go through the motions before leaving in order to leave in peace.  You know.  And there are things only a Mom knows: This sippy cup will leak in his crib if you leave him with it.  This one won’t.

I left while Parker was still awake, in fact he was on the floor of the den, getting his diaper changed by Dad.  He was babbling some incoherent song at the time.  William was at the computer doing homework and Lindsey was reading at the kitchen island.  As the front door shut, I could still hear the noise from inside, and I peeked into the window to see them all once more.  I’m not sure why I did that.  Probably because I’m never on the outside looking in.  I’m always in the middle of things, amidst the chaos, never a true observer.  I delayed my cheers of I’m free at last just long enough for that last spy  before I got in the car and headed into the city.

Once in the car, I listened to “A Life That’s Good.”  (Brief interruption: is not listening to loud music in a car by yourself one of the most glorious things?  Also something that doesn’t happen too often for this SAHM Mom.)  That song, it turns out, can make me cry on a moment’s notice.  It has a way, like so much music does, of putting things into perspective.  Shifting around the nonsense, letting it fall through the cracks, while the good stuff, the important stuff, rises to the surface.  And, those lyrics.  Those lyrics!  Sometimes I’m a worrier, prone to anxiety, waiting for the next shoe to drop.  Steve can be this way too.  Is it because we’re two youngest children who married each other?  Isn’t that a birth order no-no?  Anyhow, sometimes the combination of us, if we’re both in one of those phases, is a real downer.  How’s my relationship with Nathaniel?  Does Lindsey know I love her?  Are they doing okay in school?  What are our finances like?  Are we making good decisions?  Are our kids going to grow up okay and come home for Thanksgiving?  And then something good will happen, something that confirms the whole everything is going to be okay.  Whether it’s Nathaniel calling me to ask me some cooking pointers for something he’s making for his apartment, or Lindsey and I dancing in the kitchen to Motown together while I get dinner ready, it’s something and it’s small and it probably means way more to me than it does them.  But it confirms, even for a moment, the suspicion I have underneath all my worry which is that everything’s going to be okay and that everything’s actually okay right now.

a comfort zone outfit.

{shirt: quiksilver from pac sun (men’s section)}
{t-shirt: (old) urban outfitters}
{necklace: vintage and gift!}
{jeans: nordstroms}
{shoes: zappos}
if i’m not wearing my grandpa sweater or my sweatpants, you can find me in this outfit.  or some variation of it anyway.  though i sometimes pull off a fancier ensemble, this sort of outfit is where i find my comfort zone.  this, or the sweats.  though, i am afraid i need to put these jeans to rest soon.  i do believe they were my first pair of expensive jeans and they are definitely older than my marriage.  they are crazy worn-in, including the backside, and are pretty much not fit for public any longer.  i’m having a hard time parting with them.  these are real problems, everyone.
(and on another note, the ones i’m linking to look awfully similar, minus the thousand wears mine have been subjected to since they were new…)

a post about sweatpants.

don’t look so surprised.  i wrote an entire post dedicated to my love of uggs once.  eye-rolllllll now let’s get to it!
now, these sweatpants.  these sweatpants!  my new year’s resolution was to wear pajama pants that are long enough.  gosh, when i write it out……. (shoot for the moon!)
i’m not lying when i say that these sweats are one of the better things to have happened to me in 2014.  granting, we’re only two weeks in but if the shoe fits…  anyway, i’m definitely making good on that resolution so far.  they are so comfortable, both fitted and loose (yes!  opposites!  at the same time!) and sooooo soft.  i actually get antsy when they’re in the dirty pile.  so, they keep the laundry moving along at a rapid pace so i can be sure to have them back every single day.  and, i did buy two lest one does go missing.  (seriously.  steve could attest.  i wear them for at least a large portion of every single day.  he’s in the background chanting, “no more sweatpants!” right now!)  as soon as i’m in the house, off goes the outfit of the day and on goes the sweats.  that sentence would imply that they’re not good enough to be worn out, however, which is entirely untrue.  didn’t mean to offend you, sweats.
btw: i’m 5’10” and i bought them in the “tall” section–they’re seriously long enough which is suuuuch a nice change from my floods.  check THAT ONE off the resolutions list.  next!

recycling 101.

so, repreve.  it was briefly mentioned here but now for a little more detail: reeeecycling and, generally speaking, a greener earth.  things worth talking about and being invested in for sure.  the hunts could stand for a little improvement here, as you’ll see in the video.  but it is pretty dang cool that companies like repreve are figuring out really cool things to do with our plastic.  giving it new life, if you will.  to explain – repreve is a recycled fiber (made with plastic bottles) that then can be used to make things.  so, instead of using natural resources, repreve helps conserve them and uses our recycled trash instead.  then, brands like these ones partner with repreve and a once discarded plastic bottle is given new life in clothes, cars, and more (six plastic bottles in that green beanie up there!).  fun fact: since 2012 when repreve came to be, they’ve reclaimed over 410 million plastic bottles.  umm… the hunts are probably behind by only a smidge.
i’d say i’m a little more likely to buy these brands now that i know they’ve got the whole green thing going on.  it’s just a wise idea.  and lucky for us, a few of our favorite brands are already on the list so it shouldn’t be too hard.
and now for a little #turnitgreen contest:
from now till february 2nd, enter to win $5000!!  here’s how:
to celebrate the x-games in aspen this month, repreve invites participants to share how they “turn it green,” or how they live a more sustainable life by recycling or reusing materials, by sharing an image or video on twitter, instagram or vine with the #turnitgreen hashtag and tagging @repreve.  once you share the image or video with the hashtag, you will be entered into a sweepstakes where five entries will be randomly selected as the top 5.  those five will be voted on by visitors to repreve’s website where the image or video with the most votes will win a $5,000 cash prize.  the other four video entries will receive a repreve jacket and a go-pro camera (retail valued at over $350).
i’m entered and could definitely think of a few ways to use $5000…

{a few additional notes: our house thermostat currently reads 69 degrees!!  also, there was a spoof on elaine’s “can you spare a square?” that didn’t make the cut.  next time…}

{song: jessica by allman brothers}

{this post is sponsored by repreve.  thanks for reading!}

black and tan… and red.

{jeans: nordstrom}
{shoes: zappos}
{striped shirt: h&m}
{hat: h&m}
{jacket: asos}
{sweater: c/o joules}
this is a rather boring outfit but it does give me the opportunity to declare my love, once and for all, for black and tan.  i find myself pinning, wanting to wear, and just generally loving black/tan combinations of outfits.  one time i was hanging out with friends and we were talking fashion and i exclaimed how much i love those colors together only to look down and realize that’s exactly what i was wearing.  we laughed.  i let the red hat mingle with us for awhile in this cause… polar vortex.
steve did reeeeal good by me with these jeans for christmas too.  they are perhaps the greatest skinny jean i have ever owned.  i really mean that.  (they were on sale before christmas–perhaps they will go on sale again!)  and a cable knit sweater is a win in a closet any day of the week.  you knew that already.

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