A New Direction

I miss blogging.

I love to write. It gives me a feeling of peace and serenity. I also feel like I have so much I want to say that sometimes I feel like I might burst. I always have ideas, just not enough time to pursue them all or share them all. Upon reflecting on how much I have been neglecting this blog, I have decided to take it in a new direction.

For those of you that have been following, I will still occasionally put some updates about my adorable kids (Olive and Buttons) so you can continue to see what kinds of shenanigans we get into around here. Plus, they are just plain comic relief sometimes. Who can resist cute kids getting into mischief?? But I want to focus on some other aspects as well. I do still want to continue to point out the little things in life that make me happy and that I must savor because the moments flee so quickly and are soon forgotten. I want to bring you tips on things that make life easier and simpler so you can also take some time to enjoy the little moments. I will bring you product reviews (the good, the bad, and the ugly - but mostly the good), money-saving deals, quick and easy recipes, and general humor and fun. I am also making a concerted effort to be more "green" in my everyday life so will share with you my journey on that. This blog will be directed towards anyone and everyone who feels that their life is just a little too busy and hectic and could use some moments of zen sprinkled in. I don't want to be another one of those "mom blogs" because although they are useful, there are so many of them, and I want to appeal to more than just moms. I will always be looking for new products to review, new deals to be had, and all sorts of input from others so please please please contact me with any ideas or if you have a product you'd like reviewed (or if you want to advertise on the site).

I'm always open for comments and suggestions so please give me ideas of what you'd like to see. I will also return to doing some giveaways too.

Happy reading!!

Lindsey

Change is Hard

We've had a lot of change this summer. A LOT.

It's been mostly good stuff with some that's not so good. But it's been hard on all of us. We are finally settling in a little to our new house and new routine, including school and ballet for Olive. We're getting by but there have been a lot of tears (from all of us) of sadness, anger, frustration, and overall exhaustion. I'm finally starting to feel like a little bit of progress is being made and my head is clearing just a little. I can breathe again, if only for now.

So as I always promise, I'll try to be better about blogging. I have lots of great recommendations for children's books that we've discovered (my mom is a big fan of taking Olive to the library).

Now...I'm off to make princess lollipops for Olive's 3rd birthday (which was actually last weekend but her party with her little friends is on Sunday). Until later...

Free Cone Day at Ben & Jerry's

Hurry to your nearest Ben & Jerry's today between 12-8pm for a free cone! Delicious, sinful ice cream FREE!!!!! You can't beat that. Especially if it's a nice spring day where you live. And if it's not, a scoop of ice cream will make any day better! Enjoy!

SNOW DAY!

Yesterday was the first real snow day we've had this season and little Olive had a blast! We hiked all around in the snow, made snow angels, threw snowballs, built a couple of snowmen (ok, so they were small and maybe a bit pathetic), and played with a couple of neighborhood friends. All in all, a great snow day! I'm including a few pictures of my all-weather girl...

Book Review: GRITS Friends are Forevah

GRITS Friends are Forevah by Deborah Ford


A friend gave me this book as a gift. Both being GRITS (Girls Raised in the South) who now live in Yankee Town, we've often struggled to adapt to life in a place with different customs and traditions. This book was a great chance to remember where we're from and what lifestyle is comfortable for us. While I often feel like a fish out of water here, this book made me say, "AAAHHH, yes, that's what life is like". This was a fun read but one where you can just read a few pages at a time. A great lesson in friendship and the importance of having super great friends. Spouses and children are not enough - friends are essential! Whether you are from the South or not, you would enjoy the lessons in friendship and companionship and friendship at 20 or at 75! Overall, I'd give it about 3.5 stars.

I love the Fall!

I love the fall.

I love the summer because it's warm, you can live in flip flops and shorts (my uniform), and you can swim every day. But I love fall because the leaves are changing, the air is crisp, campfires abound, and let's not forget the most important thing - FOOTBALL SEASON.

Living in Northern Virginia can be really frustrating at times but during the fall, there are so many fantastic activities to do. Last weekend we went to Fall for Fairfax - a local fair with rides, hayrides, pumpkin painting, scarecrow creating, vendors, and more. It was so much fun - we went home for a nap and then came back again after! On Wednesday, we went to Cox Farms for their fall event - hayrides, tons of slides, apple cider, kettle corn, farm animals, and more! (This is a MUST ATTEND EVENT). This weekend is a City of Fairfax Fall Festival that we may attend. We are also probably going to go apple picking at Hartland Orchard - a super fun fall activity. Last year we had so many apples that they lasted us past Thanksgiving (and yes, they stayed fresh!) We are also coming up on Halloween - a great opportunity to see the kiddos dressed up and lots of fun Halloween activities, including a neighborhood parade for us this year. So much fun, so little time!!! So get out there while the weather's still nice and enjoy the weekend and the fall!

Happy Labor Day Weekend

It's the start of the last weekend of summer. In some states, kids have been back at school for weeks. Here, most kids start back next week, while the little ones (like Olive) will start the following week. As the official end of summer, I realize that there are so many things we didn't do as much as I'd have liked, including mostly going to the pool. Our pool will be closing this weekend and I thought we'd get a few more swims in but with the rain and chilly weather, looks like that won't be happening. The month of September is insanely busy for us so this weekend sort of crept up on me. We don't have any BBQ plans or anything, but, weather permitting, we will get to meet with some friends at the zoo tomorrow. That should be fun. I'm including a few summer pictures as we say adios to my favorite season (luckily, fall is my 2nd favorite!)

I love to read

A friend just introduced me to this great new site called Goodreads. It's a networking plus book review site all in one. The way it works is that you rate books you've read and you can put other books on your "current reading" or "to read" lists. You add friends and you can view each other's reviews. Pretty neat to see what your friends are reading and recommending. Gives you great tips for when you go to the library, you'll know what to check out.





I'm currently reading a few books - GRITS Friends are Forevah, A Thousand Splendid Suns, and Remember Me?

Happy Reading and have a great weekend!

Movie Review: The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2

Last night I went to see The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2 with some friends. It was a great excuse for a girls night out. The movie itself was far better than I thought it would be. I saw the first one (never got around to reading the book) but wasn't expecting much of a sequel. There were definitely a lot of really cheesy parts but I laughed and yes, I'll admit it, I cried a bit too. The characters are likeable and in this movie, they're a few years older and more mature and really exploring their personalities. A great movie to see with friends but don't try to drag your boyfriend/husband to it - he will not enjoy it.

As a side note... on the way home, I passed a dead skunk (I didn't actually see it, just smelled it). It occurred to me how often this has been happening lately and I actually did see one in the road the other day. But isn't it strange how we so often smell them but rarely see them? I never think about them anywhere but as roadkill. Why don't we ever see them in the woods? Are they private little critters? I can guarantee you that I've spent entirely too much time thinking about this in the past 24 hours but I'm sort of intrigued. Skunks are a mystery to me other than Pepe Le Pew, though I do have one friend who had one as a childhood pet. Just my random thought of the day. It's the little things....

TGIF

I'm glad it's Friday. This week went by in a flash. We've been very good this week and walking several mornings with our neighbors (and today we treated ourselves to coffee too!) Here's a picture of little Olive and her cohorts. She is the giant one (ok, well she is older than the other kids but it's so funny to see her looking so big!) Isn't this just the cutest picture?

I'm glad it's almost weekend. This is tax-free weekend in Virginia on school supplies and clothes and shoes (great b/c Olive needs some new kicks and maybe some new duds for school). Save a few dollars anyways ;)

Have a great weekend!

Fun with Friends and Family

Dennis' mother is in town visiting and today we were lucky enough to go to a FANTASTIC park (Burke Lake Park) and play on the playground, run around, ride on the train and carousel, and eat a yummy lunch. We were joined by some of the greatest moms and kids around so just thought we'd share a few pictures. Unfortunately, didn't get many good ones nor did I get pics of everyone but this will give you some idea of the great morning we had! TGIF!