Friday Mourning

Today has been a sad day.

I'm coming to the realization that we're done...

At least, that's what Husby says.

I mean, no more...

this,

And, this...

And can't forget this...

Or this,

And, definitely not this,

Really?!?!?!

Let's hope I can get him really drunk so he forgets for a night or two.

Preferably while I'm ovulating.

I mean, we do make some pretty cute babies....

This is clearly the my-kid-is-turning-one-and-life-is-getting-easier making me forget about the insane infancy period.

Life is Good

One of the things I love most about the suburbs?

This. 

Sunset at our local beach.

Growing up, we used to do dinner at the beach every Monday night. There was something magical about eating in the sand in your bathing suit, while reliving the fun of the day with friends and loved ones. I'm so excited to instill that tradition with my own family this year. Each week, we plan to eat dinner at the beach at least once. 

This works great for us since our kids still nap for two hours every afternoon. When they wake up at 3, we head over to the beach, play in the sand and grab an early dinner. It's simple summer goodness.

To keep it easy, dinner is something that can be eaten lukewarm. Tonight, we're having oven fried chicken, buttermilk biscuits and corn on the cob. For dessert, we're eating fresh strawberries - the last of the season. 

No time to cook? 

No worries. Stop by a fried chicken place and buy dinner (hey, it's not like you eat there all the time!). Or, order pizza. You'd be surprised how easy it is to get it delivered straight to the beach. The important part is that whatever it is, it's transportable - good fun and memories will happen no matter what you eat. After all, life is good, isn't it about time you celebrated it some more?

What are some foods you like to serve al fresco?

Life.

You know that thing called life? Well, sometimes it gets in the way. Here are a few things that got in the way of me blogging the last few days:

 - Babes first drop off class. She handled it like a pro. I don't know if I should be happy or sad.

 - Buddy is back to bad sleep habits. As in, waking up at 5 and not napping. For the love of ***, can his teeth please arrive already???

 - Husby backed into our car. As in, we have not 1 but 2 cars to fix. I guess waking up at the butt crack of dawn finally got to him.

I'll be back with more tomorrow or Wednesday. 

Promise. 

Hopefully you guys have had more luck than me these last few days!

The One With the Mouse

Sitting in Babes's room, reading:

H.I.T.: If you give a mouse a cookie...

Babes: Milk!

H.I.T.: Yes, he'll ask for a glass of milk. What will he ask for next?

Babes: Babes cookie.

H.I.T.: Well, that's creative.

Goodbye Bronzing

Sayonara sun goddesses. I'm forever leaving your ranks.

Ever since we found out that skin cancer runs in the family, I've been religious at putting on sunscreen. Instead, I would spray tan once a week in the summer months and a few times over the year for special occasions to obtain that "glow" you can only get with bronzed skin.

Well now that's about to change.

It looks like the DHA in self tanners (the ingredient that makes your skin change color) has the potential to cause genetic alterations, DNA damage and cancer. ABC news asked a panel of six medical experts to review the 10 latest scientific studies on DHA, including a report that was recently made public through the Freedom of Information Act, and the information they found was troubling.

So what is safe?

Well, if you're using self tanner as a lotion, it's thought to be OK, because it usually only permeates the outermost layer of skin - or the dead skin cells. It's when you are susceptible to ingestion or inhalation (through spray tans) that it's not safe.

Will spray tans ever be safe?

If you cover up the entire eye area (eyelids, surrounding eye area), lips, parts of the body protected from mucous membrane (nose), and there was no way what-so-ever you could inhale the product, then the spray tan is safe.

You would also end up with some funky looking tan lines on your face.

So what's the bottom line?

Up to you. If you want to use lotions, they are still FDA approved, for now. Personally, I'm going to stay clear of them for a while and just stick to SPF. It's the only thing that seems safe at this point.

For more information about the FDA's guidelines in regards to DHA, please visit here. To read the entire article on ABC News, please visit here.

Summer Secrets

I'm anxiously counting down the days until summer begins. The beautiful weather we recently had only teased me into wanting summer's arrival even more.

So, to get you in the mood for this sizzling season, I'm going to share some sultry summer secrets...

• I often eat ice cream straight from the container. It tastes better that way. Promise.
• I'm more excited about shows like Dallas, True Blood and Bachelor Pad then the fall TV line up.
• Showering in the morning is optional. You never know when you're going to head to the beach.
• Nothing cools you off quicker in the afternoon than spiked lemonade. 
• I will only read, eat, drink, be merry on our deck at night if a citronella is burning next to me. I'm a mosquito magnet.
• Blow up pools are way more fun than real ones. Who needs a float when you can lounge in 2 inch sun-warmed water?
• Ditto for hoses over sprinklers. It's more fun to squirt water at your kids than to watch some machine do it.
• Most dinners end up on the grill, so Husby ends up cooking more than me. 

Any summer secrets you'd like to share?

Out of the Mouth of Babes

This weekend, we were playing outside with the kids, kicking some balls around and getting one last swing and slide in before the new playground arrives.

     H.I.T.: Babes, can you kick the ball to mommy?

     Babes: Dick! Dick!

     H.I.T.: Yes, hunny, KICK. K-K-Kick.

     Babes: Dick!

We let it go. A little while later, Husby and Babes were racing Buddy and I around the yard.

     Husby: Hurry Babes, we need to be quick to beat Mommy and Buddy.

     Babes: Dick! Dick!

     Husby: Yes, we need to be QUICK. QU-QU-Quick.

     Babes: 'Ome on Dada! Dick! Dick!

During dinner that night...

     Husby, to me: Clearly, this is a losing battle.

     H.I.T.: Well it's better than what I used to say.

     Husby: What was that?

     H.I.T.: Instead of truck, I'd say fu...

     Husby: I thought this was something she picked up from your side.

One of these things...

One of these things is not like the other things,

One of these things, it doesn't belong,

Can you guess which thing is not like the other things before I finish my song? 

I'll give you a hint...

It has to do with how many Minnie Mouse dolls you see.

Did you guess?

You're right! It's Babes, right smack in the middle of the dolls.

This past week, we headed down to Florida to take a quick trip to visit my grandparents and stop by Disney for a day. Buddy LOVED meeting Mickey. And Babes gave out so many kisses and hugs. By the middle of the day, she stopped giving multiple kisses and began giving one long, long, long kiss.

The rain storm appeared the minute Babes and I were about to step onto Aladdin's Magic Carpet ride...so we waited in line for almost an hour to get soaked. We ended up in ponchos, oh yes, you heard me correct, ponchos for the remainder of the day.

After all the excitement of Disney and no nap for Babes, both kids were in all sorts of "fun" moods. Let's just say I may have been slapped by a two year old in public, twice, and bitten by both kids. At least the bites were mistakes. The slaps...well, let's just say she gave mommy a big hug and kiss when she realized that she hurt me.

Ah, two year olds.

It's nice to be home and even better to have the kids back on napping schedules.

Hope you guys enjoy your weekend! Happy Friday.

Sleep

We're home!

I know, I never told you we were leaving, but I'll post a recap of our short trip tomorrow.

We had all sorts of adventures - ponchos, make out sessions and a few bites and slaps. Sounds like something pretty dirty if you didn't know the kids were involved.


In the mean time, our CSA starts today and I'm super excited. The only problem? My stomach problems  are back! It's been almost three years since they went away, so I was a little bummed when I woke up in the middle of the night with pains.

We're being VERY optimistic and think that if I give my tummy time to reset with a simple diet (doctor prescribed) for 3 days I should be able to reintroduce all foods with no problems. Positive thinking people!

Otherwise, I'm exhausted from being awake since 2:30 a.m. and am about to hit the hay while the kids nap. Hope you all had as much craziness as we did this week!

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 their 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.