Thursday, August 30, 2012

Monthly Goals for September


August Goals Recap

Home Goals
Finish Ryan's toddler room
Organize my files
Finish emptying boxes in master bathroom

Health Goals
Drink at least 80 ounces of water per day
Find a form of cardio that DOESN'T hurt my knees
Eat more veggies!

Family Goals
Be consistent with Family Home Evening on Monday nights
Go on a "family adventure" twice a month

Marriage Goals
Go on a WEEKLY date night!

Parenting Goals
Spend more time PLAYING with Ryan

Spiritual Goals
Spend time every Sunday pondering and reflecting on my life and how I can improve

Fun Goals
Learn how to take better pictures
Learn how to edit photos in Photoshop

Epic fail.

September Goals

Home Goals
Finish Ryan's toddler room
Finish emptying boxes in master bathroom

Family Goals
Be consistent with Family Home Evening on Monday nights
Go on a "family adventure" twice a month

Parenting Goals
Teach Ryan more consistently

Fun Goals
Learn how to take better pictures
Learn how to edit photos in Photoshop
Make Ry a quiet book

August Highlights

The biggest news of August is that Ryan started preschool. He's having so much fun. 




Favorite!




As for me, I'm loving the fridge art!

Wednesday, August 29, 2012

Every Day A Holiday: Great Grandmas and Dogs

Senior Citizen Day (8/21)
I love my grandma and Ryan loves her, too! We wanted to show her just how special we think she is. Adele cd + a little visit = the perfect Senior Citizen's Day. My grandma was so cute when she found out what holiday it was. She kept telling people it was Senior Citizen's Day. We were glad we could make her feel so special!

Be an Angel Day (8/22)
While we visited my grandma on Tuesday, we offered to take her to her MRI appointment the next day. On the way back from the appointment, I realized that I was an "angel" without even realizing it. Ryan did so awesome! We were in the waiting room for over an hour and a half and he stayed happy and played. He even stayed pretty quiet until some ladies started to talking to him. Then it was all over because he started showing off and being a little ham. Happy cute noises aren't so bad.

National Dog Day (8/26)
An old picture of the dog
Here's how our National Dog Day celebration went down:

Me: *Grab Nash* I love Nash because I can blame him when I fart. (Side note: Yes, I fart. Moving on.) *Throws Nash to Jess across the couch*
Jess: I love Nash because I can blame him when you're shoes are chewed up. *Throws Nash back to me*
Me: I love Nash because he's cuddly. *Throws Nash*
Jess: I love Nash because I can blame him for the pee on the floor. *Throws Nash*
Me: I love Nash because he's so dumb it's cute. *Throws Nash*
Jess: I love Nash because he makes me feel better about myself.

I'm not sure if this counts, but it was fun so I'm counting it! Plus, I cuddled him more than normal. Don't judge me. I'm a great owner!

Next Week's Holidays
August 28--Be Kind to Humankind Week celebration
August 29--National Safe at Home Week celebration
August 30--Frankenstein Day
August 31--Love Litigating Lawyers Day
September 1--All American Breakfast celebration
September 2--Nutrition Awareness celebration
September 3--Labor Day

Tuesday, August 28, 2012

Activity Days: Babysitting Kits

I recently got called as an Activity Day leader in my ward at church. For those of you who aren't LDS, this means that twice a month I plan a fun activity with young girls in my ward. There are two age groups: 8 & 9 year-olds and 10 & 11 year-olds. I'm over the older group of girls. We plan fun activities that teach the girls life skills. I love it!

Today we are making babysitting kits. I'm super excited about it!
First, we are making binders with various handouts (tips on how to be a good sitter, safety tips, songs to sing, games to play, stuff to add later, and first aid). I made a cute cover for them to slip into their binder and everything matches (except the safety & sitter tips which I got from another blog). I got the binders for $0.90 at Target. Woot woot!




Then we are making some song dice. I have these little wooden cubes. The girls can paint them whatever color they want. Then they'll put a star sticker on each side (a different color per side). I printed up this list of songs and when they roll the dice, they'll sing the song that corresponds to that color star. I got some fun printables for them to color and cut out and use for actions with the songs if they want.

After that, we'll take colored popsicle sticks and add velcro to the edges. This will be a fun activity for younger kids to play. They can attach the sticks together and make shapes or whatever they want!
Last, my team leader will make one last craft with them and quickly go over first aid. All the while we will be munching on M&Ms. Yum!
If you want, you can download the printables I made. Sorry, they aren't super cute or anything. I was suffering from a severe migraine while I made these, so I sort of gave up. But if you like them, feel free to use them. Please link back if you do and don't share the file with others, rather refer them to my blog where they can download it for themselves. Thanks!

Cover (I cut off the edges and glued this to a piece of blue cardstock)
Babysitting Tips (found elsewhere)
Safety Tips (found elsewhere)
Games (I made a matching one based off this one)
First aid (I made a matching one based off this one)
Important Information (I laminated this one so it can easily be written on and erased each time the girl babysits)
Do As I'm Doing printables


Enjoy!

Linking up here:

Lil’ Mrs. Tori





Monday, August 27, 2012

Loving YOU

I've been thinking a lot lately about the concept of loving yourself. Confidence. Being happy with who you are. I feel like this message needs to be shared (with myself even!)
We, sadly, live in a society that discourages love of oneself. We're surrounded by images of women with teensy bodies, dark tans, and flawless faces. We're surrounded by talk of the latest fad diet. We're bombarded with what's in & what isn't, what we should be doing, what we shouldn't be doing, and the constant struggle for perfection.

What we don't see is the real women before they are photoshopped. The cellulite, the bulge under their belly button, the zit on their chin. We don't ENJOY our food because we're either eating what the last diet book told us to or feeling guilty for not following our new meal plan. We're missing life NOW because we're so focused on what we feel we should be doing.

Now, don't get me wrong, I'm guilty of all of this. I'm always reading a new diet book and trying to change my health habits. I have a love for fashion magazines and what's in & what isn't. And I think all of that is okay, to a certain extent. If it's being done for FUN, great. But at a certain point, it becomes an obsession that can really hurt us.

Does it matter whether or not we wear eyeliner? No. Does it matter if we decide to buy some floral pants because they're "in"? Nope. It doesn't even matter what SIZE said pants would be. Really. I'm telling you the honest truth right now. What matters is who we are and how we feel about ourselves. 

Confidence doesn't come from being a size 2. Confidence comes from learning to love you for YOU. I'm also a strong believer that confidence comes form loving others, and likewise, serving others. Getting outside of YOURSELF to recognize the needs of those around you, then acting on those needs.

So here's a list of truths I'm going to try to remember:

Stop feeling guilty when you eat ice cream (or french fries. Or bread, for that matter.) If you're going to eat it anyway, eat it. Enjoy it. Then move on.

Stop comparing yourself to "models." Rather, find the things about yourself that are "model-like" and remind yourself of those qualities daily. Do this NOW or you never will. **For me, it's my lips.** Now you don't have an excuse not to find something!

Serving others will bring self-confidence. So serve!

Be kind to yourself. Trust yourself. Treat YOURSELF the way you treat your friends, family, children--with respect, kindness, and love!

Thursday, August 23, 2012

Apple Sandwich

I have to share my new favorite lunch with you. Guys, I'm seriously LOVING it! So delish!
Ingredients:
2 slices bread
2 slices muenster cheese
Dijon mustard
Mayo (I use light)
1 apple (I prefer gala)
Walnuts (about 1 tbs. or so)

Instructions:
Spread mayo on one slice of bread and dijon mustard on the other. Place one slice of cheese on each slice of bread. Put in the oven until cheese melts. Sprinkle walnuts on one piece of bread. Slice up the apple and place the slices on the bread. Slap the two pieces of bread together. Enjoy! You won't regret it.

Wednesday, August 22, 2012

Every Day A Holiday: Relaxation and Cupcakes

Weird Contest Week celebration (08/14)
Forgot to celebrate this one.

National Relaxation Day (08/15)

I sat on the couch and read a magazine just because I wanted to. And actually, I didn't even read it, really. I looked at the pictures. People StyleWatch=my guilty pleasure.

Family Fun Month celebration (08/16)
On Thursday night, we sat around and picked out some fun activities to do as a family over the next couple months. We wrote them down on popsicle sticks and stuck them in a jar. Now we can just draw one and have some fun!

National Thrift Shop Day (08/17)
Ry and I made an afternoon trip to DI. I got a cute pair of pj pants, a skirt, and a few books. Love thrifting!

Bad Poetry Day (08/18)
We kind of forgot to do this and watched The Hunger Games instead.

World Humanitarian Day (08/19)
On World Humanitarian Day, I looked up some organizations and decided that my next donation will go to Susan G. Komen for the cure. My aunt and grandmother both had breast cancer, so this is a cause close to my heart.

Cupcake Day (08/20)

I know he doesn't look happy, but trust me, he LOVED it! He was just a bit tired :)
There's a National Cupcake Day? Seriously? How awesome is that?! Ry and I stopped by a cute little cupcake shop at the mall by our house called Caketini. We got the chocolate celebration cupcake and some milk and shared. SO GOOD!

Next Week's Holidays
August 21--Senior Citizens Day
August 22--Be an Angel Day
August 23--National Happiness Happens Month
August 24--National Waffle Day
August 25--Second-Hand Wardrobe Day
August 26--National Dog Day
August 27--Just Because Day

Tuesday, August 21, 2012

What's In My Make-Up Bag?

These are some of my favorite posts to read, so I thought I'd write my own. 

1. MAC Select Cover-Up in NW20: I use my finger to dab this under my eyes and inside my eyelid along my nose to keep dark circles hidden. This especially comes in handy as a mother for no-sleep nights! It's also perfect to cover up any zits that decide to make an appearance. I've been using this stuff for years and LOVE it!

2. MAC Mineralize Satin Finish in NW20: They are discontinuing this stuff! I'm SO sad because I love this! It works miracles. Seriously. It's a liquid foundation with SPF. I use MAC brush 190 to apply it starting inward on my face and working out.

3. Covergirl Trublend Minerals in 410: This is what I currently use for bronzer. I know it's weird, but it's just a powder in a shade darker than my skin. I bought it while out of town when my make-up bag didn't make it in my suitcase and I just wanted to grab cheap make-up. It wasn't the right color and now I'm repurposing it. I use BareMinerals full flawless face brush to dab it on my cheeks, nose, and forehead.

4. Bare Minerals Mineral Veil: I use this on my entire face. I feel like it solidifies my make-up and it helps keep shine at bay. LOVE using this stuff! I use BareMinerals flawless face brush to apply it using a circular motion across my face.

5. Ulta Blush in afterglow: This came in a Ulta make-up kit and I'm loving it right now! It's a very bright, rosy color that stands out--which is awesome because that's totally in right now! I use a crappy brush that came in a Revlon blush, but I'm looking to get a new blush brush. I don't like this one!

6. Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion: If you don't use this, go get it now! It's a bit pricey, but SO worth the money. Use this and your eyeshadow isn't going ANYWHERE. No creasing. No fading. It's amazing! I just use my finger and apply this on my eyelids.

7. Ulta Eyeshadow in lustre: I use this all along my eyelid and apply with a basic foam brush that came in my Ulta make-up kit.

8. Ulta Eyeshadow in molten: I dab this in the crease of my eye at the corner nearest the outside of my face. It gives the eye some dimension. I use MAC brush 219 to apply this.

9. Ulta Eyeshadow in silk: I use this along my brown line and to help blend my shadow. I use Utla professional eyeshadow brush to help blend.

10. Eyebrow brush: If you don't use one of these, you need to start. Immediately. I thought I didn't need one of these. Until I tried one. I was SO wrong. Something as simple as brushing your eyebrows (which takes 2 seconds, by the way) helps your look SO much. It's amazing!

11. Eyebrow Pencil (or brown liner pencil): Once again, if you don't use one, get one now. It will make you look so much better! But beware: don't go overboard or you will look crazy.

12. Ulta black liner pencil: I use this on the bottom of my eye, including the inside of my eyelid. 

13. Maybelline Eye Studio: I use this on my upper eye and often do winged eyeliner. Because it's fun. And amazing. The brush came with the liner.

14. Lash curler: Use one. It's a must!

15. Covergirl LashBlast Fusion mascara in very black: Not sure how this didn't make the picture, but it didn't. I use the purple bottle. It's the best in my opinion!

16. Urban Decay All-Nighter spray: This stuff works wonders when you need your make-up to stay looking flawless for hours on end. It's pricey, but worth it if you feel like you have to reapply your make-up before going out at night.

Monday, August 20, 2012

Picture Wall

Today I'm going to show you my favorite part of my house. It's simple, but it makes me smile every single time I look at it.


In my kitchen, I have a tall slanted ceiling. On the side where the ceiling is the highest, I have a ledge. I knew it needed something amazing, and thanks to my mom, I was able to fill it with something happy!



We had a bunch of 20x30 frames that we got from Walmart to display bride & groom pictures at our wedding reception. My mom found them in her garage a bit ago and wanted to do something with them. Then she thought of this ledge. I loved the idea and wanted it to be a place to photographically display our family story. I ordered some prints from Costco and voila! Our picture wall.







Doesn't it just make you smile? Okay, maybe it's just me. (And sorry for the bad pics. I tried several angles and couldn't seem to get it right. Maybe I should have gotten a ladder, but I'm too lazy. 

Here's the story:



Jess & Brit fall in love (Annie Randall Photography)




Jess & Brit get married (Annie Randall Photography)




Pregnancy (Natalie Wall Photography-website not working)




Ry is born (Connie B Photography)









Ry turns 1 year (Sarah Perkins Photography)




Ry turns 18 months (Connie B Photography)


Linked up here:

Lil’ Mrs. Tori



Creations by Kara
  
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