Because It's My Birthday...

I'm giving you a Saturday post. Enjoy :)

Wise words from my wise mama:

"Everyone needs a dress that makes them feel sexy." 

Check. While in Paris, Husby bought me this dress as my birthday present. The minute I zip it up, I feel truly spectacular. Like when you know something amazing is going to happen.

"You're not just a sexy mama, you are a sexy woman." 

You are so right. Thank you for reminding me of that amazing fact on my birthday. I love you!

"Everyone needs a little flour on the face when making cookies. It's the sign of a good time."

Babes certainly had fun making birthday Snickerdoodles with Mommy this morning. 

Buddy was more interested in finding out how much longer until the cookies were done.

"Have a happy, happy birthday."

Thank you! So far, it's looking that way. Husby and I went out to dinner last night, we baked cookies with the kids this morning, Mary Poppins gave me the most thoughtful gift, and tonight, I get to celebrate my best friend's bachelorette party with her. Who could ask for a better birthday!?! 

Hope you all enjoy this wonderful weekend as much as me.

Going Local (not Loco)

This summer, we’re trying something new.

We’re going local.

Mostly.

I mean, I do have two kids a year and a half apart, so I’m already pretty crazy without also trying to get rid of things like Cheerios. 

One of the things we love most about the suburbs is how easy it is to eat locally. We live near so many amazing farms that we can get just about anything from local producers during the summer months - homemade pasta, fruits, veggies, cheese, milk, eggs, meat, fish, cookies, bread - you name it, there is a stand for it at our local farmer’s market. Which is truly amazing when you think about it.

Knowing first name of the person who raised the chicken you’re about to eat for dinner. But more importantly, knowing that you are doing everything you can to support your local economy.

Our first step was signing up for a CSA share. CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture. You’d be surprised how many farms offer these. Essentially, when you purchase a CSA share, you are investing in the seasonal crop of the local farm of your choice. Our share lasts from June through November and we receive about $30 worth of homegrown groceries each week (including a dozen farm fresh eggs).

Every farm is different - some farms offer half shares (if they produce alot), they all ask for different prices for the share, and some offer dairy/fruit/meat shares. But no matter what, it’s always an investment in your community.

It’s definitely a challenge, though.

Now that the season’s begun, I plan to create weekly menus based on our CSA share and items I find in the farmer's market.

But we’ll still cheat.

Like I said, we're mostly going local.

Sometimes we’ll want to order take out, eat Cheerios, or make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

After all, I do have two kids a year and a half apart and I’m already pretty crazy without also trying to get rid of things like Cheerios.

Wait, did I say that already?

Interested in learning more about CSA’s or trying to find one in your area? Check out LocalHarvest.org.

Sunny Endings

To celebrate a sunny end to our rainy day.

And the perfect music while enjoying a taco and corona dinner. :)

Paris at Midnight

For our five year anniversary, Husby and I decided to do something daring. We went on a romantic trip to Paris for five days...

without the kids.

It was amazing and excruciating all at once.

We visited the Moulin Rouge to make sure our trip was Spectacular, Spectacular. 

Stopped by to say hello to our friend, Mona Lisa, and a few others.

Heard Quasimodo ring the bells of Notre Dame.

Dined inside the Eiffel Tower, because climbing it is so passé (see my use of French!).

Walked the streets pretending to be Parisians, but failed miserably due to our lack of language skills.

Sealed our love on our anniversary with a love lock on the Ponts des Arts.

Enjoyed the splendor of the city at night. 

And called the children twice daily using FaceTime. 

So much for a trip without the kids! 

An Email

Lately I’ve been thinking how much I love writing and wanted to find more time to get back into it.

Yesterday, I realized how much I miss blogging. Then, I opened an email from a friend which read:

You should blog more.

It was just the push I needed to get my gears in motion. So here goes... But what to write about? Like someone who hasn’t ridden a bike in years, my mind instantly began shuffling through moments, picking out post after post after post. We’ve experienced so much this last year and there is so much to share.

I always thought blogging was a gift, because it made you appreciate life all the more. You truly observed what happened around you (in the hopes of finding amazing blog material) instead of just going through the motions of life. It turns out, I was still observing all those moments, silently storing them away for good use later. 

Husby and I just came back from an anniversary trip to Paris (I’ll blog more about that later...).

Without the kids.

We loved every minute. That is, every minute we didn’t spend desperately trying to connect with the kids on FaceTime. There was so much beauty, history and wine. Yes, lots of food and wine. We pretty much ate our way through the delectable city, stopping here and there for some art and shopping.

But the best part was coming home.

We came home while the kids were still sleeping from their nap and were able to surprise them when they woke up. It was amazing to see their faces light up upon us entering the room.

I learned so much about myself on that first trip away from our children with my husband. Most importantly, that life is short. I’ve been spending my days worrying about organizing the office, finally getting the house together, one project after the next, all of which keep me busy during the day and only half my attention on playing with my beautiful kids.

Since coming home, I realize things can wait. Who cares if the office is a big mess? I’ve also relearned the art of efficiency. As a stay at home mom, I would drag some things out so that my time would remain occupied. My trip in France reminded me that it’s OK to have nothing to do! Now, I quickly run through my daily tasks so I have more quality time to play with my children. And more me-time during naps. And it’s that me-time that I plan to use to begin blogging again. 

Lookout world, this Suburban Housewife-in-Training just may be graduating to the next level.

The One With the New Word

Last night at dinner, using my latest kitchen gadget - the OXO rotary grater - to finish plating the food:

H.I.T.: Woohoo! We got fresh parmesan...bitches!

Mary Poppins, laughs hysterically at the sight and thought of me cursing.

H.I.T.: I think it’s going to be my new word...bitches!

Mary Poppins, still laughing: Just don’t use it before 7 p.m.

H.I.T.: Why?

Mary Poppins: The kids!

H.I.T.: Yeah, I guess we don’t Babes saying, “I just did poopies on the potty...bitches!”

Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes

When I became a mom I knew my life would change, but I thought the old me would come back once my head came out of the “newborn” cloud.

I thought I would be able to pick up right where I left off. That everything would be the same. 

Boy was I wrong.

Lately, I feel as though I need to take a break to stop and look at the person I’ve become since Babes and Buddy entered my life.

Sure, I’m me, but I’m different. 

I live for my family. To see them smile, laugh, play, and grow. It gives me more happiness than I dreamed possible. I feel so blessed and so fortunate to have such an amazing family. Life is good and I’m savoring every moment of it.

I love the outdoors. I’ve never been more excited for the spring to arrive than this year. Babes will be balancing on her two wheels, Buddy will soon be running after her, lunches at the beach, hikes on local trails, kayaking in the river, the possibilities are endless and I can’t wait.

Cooking dinner is great, but it’s not the most important thing. Sometimes I say, “screw it,” to the dinner plan so the kids and I can cuddle up in bed and watch Cookie Monster eat the letter of the day. After all, pizza, chinese and sushi are only three nights a week.

Date night. Husby and I began date night four weeks after Babes was born and we never turned back. It was pivotal in helping us navigate the waters of going from two to three and now to four. He’s my husband and my best friend and I wouldn’t want to spend my Saturday night with anyone else.

I’m becoming my mother. She was spontaneous, silly, and full of fun. We still laugh about jokes that are over 10 years old. Yep, she’s that good. And she keeps it coming! But, now, so do I. I turn on oldies and swing dance with Babes in the kitchen some mornings, jump up and down rapping about boogers to Buddy, and have a ball the whole time. Who doesn’t love being a kid again? 

And I’ve come to accept the craziness. After the first one, things died down around month 4. We were on a routine, I began blogging, life picked back up. Silly me expected it to be the same again. Laugh now. Sometime last month I came to peace with the fact that my life is permanently insane. My kids nap, maybe, for one hour at the same time. The rest of the time, I’m dealing with “Mama,” this, laundry, “waaa-raspberry-waaa,” and let’s not forget the “oh crap!” whenever I’ve forgotten something important, like Buddy’s six month check-up.

So why am I telling you all this? Because I’m not quite sure my blog will be the same. Sure, we still have the same sense of humor here in H.I.T. world, but it’s different. Things have changed. I’ve changed. And hopefully, you’ll all like the changes just the same or more. 

After all, we do.