Category Archives: Friday Ramblings

August Ramblings

by October 12, 2017
  • Swimming lessons (can we just say Nola doesn’t love swimming)
  • CJ’s parents and brother visited
  • We got the pergola built – yippee!!
  • We bought school supplies
  • Able to work at the Madison Mom’s Blog – Hero’s event
  • Got a pedicure with my friends

Read: Truth and Beauty

Jonas Memories: 

Jonas: your the best mommy
Me: your the best baby!
Jonas: no i’m not the best baby, actually I am the best baby

After reading The Little Engine That Could I asked Jonas to turn off the lights. He can barely reach the light switch and he said, “I think I can, I think I can, I think I can.”

Favorite Meals:

This salad with shredded roasted chicken

Korean beef bowl

I made this recipe with pork and it was so good! The original recipe calls this Chinese beef and carrot noodle soup.

June & July Ramblings

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Dear future self who I’m sure is going to be annoyed by my younger, but not too young self, I’m so sorry I’m falling behind and can’t keep up with even the monthly updates. By the time I have a moment, blogging is the last thing I want to do. But I’m blogging for me, so I’m still going try, gah.

June:

  • Nola finished school, which I can’t believe I’m typing that because the summer is almost done already! Also I have realized I have now entered the busy life with kids. When the kids are really little there’s not much going on, but now I’m running around EVERY day and literally we are so busy, I kind of hate it.
  • I noticed when we go out to eat we will be the family that spills a drink every single time. Once we did it spilt drinks twice. This amongst other things are reasons we probably shouldn’t eat out.
  • Jonas is killing me with the cute factor and I don’t want him to get a day older. I LOVE this age.
  • We went strawberry picking twice
  • CJ and I went to the farm and feast dinner at the Wollersheim Winery and it was so so good. It also was 90 out and the event was in the bright sun and I was worried because I am getting a lot of headaches and more prone to them when out in heat, but thankfully I was headache free for the entire event, I took some Tylenol properly, I had learned the precautions at lizzardco.com!
  • Nola started another round of swimming lessons and keeping Jonas entertained and happy for the 45 minutes is a struggle. No matter how many toys I bring he’s not having it. We typically go out in the lobby, get water, bribe him with fruit snacks, I sweat. Get the picture. I am jealous of the moms reading a freakin book, but then I’m not because I don’t want have my little guy to get older either.
  • Nola also went to VBS, which so loved! As you can see our girl was busy!!

Read:

  • The Two-House Family – really good
  • Apron Anxiety – really really enjoyed this book, i now stalk her on instagram regularly
  • Before the Fall – meh
  • An Asian one that of course I didn’t write down and don’t remember the name, but I do remember being a bit disappointed and expecting more from the book.
  • Diaries of A Domestic Goddess – only ok

 

July:

  • We went camping for 3 nights and though I went into it being very nervous and hesitant on the whole ordeal, it was a good experience for our family and I’m sure it will be a yearly, if not more often, thing we do. 
  • I don’t know if I mentioned this earlier, but I started doing weekly meal planning again. I fell off the wagon and when I do it I LOVE my life because it makes the week so much easier.
  • Nola went to KinderCamp and really enjoyed it! 
  • It was Nola’s birthday month and we successfully threw her a garden tea birthday party. 
  • We made it to the Union with friends for beer and ice cream and it’s always good times are had when we go there.
  • We met friends at the Biergarten at Olbrich Park and basically that entire evening was magical and want every night to be that. Dear friends, kids playing, beautiful night on the lake, it was a good one.
  • We also got to visit Papa and Grandma and the kids basically have a hay day playing with all our old toys (which by the way are sooo good and I wish they made more of them like they used to), we also have to check out papa’s garden, and then they they always ask to watch Rudolph the Rednose Reindeer, which cracks me up!! Later we met with the cousins and went fishing, which was so much fun! Actually I’m pretty sure I had more fun than the kids. In another life I was meant to be a fisherlady.
  • Jonas is in the throes of being 2 and its’ true about their reputation. Temper Tantrums are having friends. He’s BIG emotions. Either he’s all mad or all joy. 

March Ramblings

by April 4, 2017

This month has been the month of getting stuff done. We were able to do a quick getaway to FL to give us a taste of summer, which I am not going to lie, is killing me now. We been getting a couple of nice days, and cold weather again, it just isn’t cutting it anymore and I’m sick of it!! We also got our taxes done, had dentist apts, parent teacher conferences and CJ even fit a work trip in.

I still struggle coming up with dinner ideas but I did make the following recipes which were a success: Spring roll bowls, this steak with the most amazing sauce and panzanella salads, which truly is summer on a plate.

CJ and I finally went on a date and ate at Craftsman Table and it was good. The cheese curds live up to the hype and I also liked all the food I ordered.

My goals for next month are getting some photo albums done. I don’t know why, but it’s a task I dread. But I do know I will be so glad I did them later on in life. Plus I don’t know about your kiddos, but my kids love looking at photos of themselves, it’s so sweet.

Hands down I bought my most favorite Craigslist find ever, I vintage daybed and I am soooo happy with it. Currently it’s in our playroom and I love having a place to sit down and snuggle with the kids while reading books. However, this did not fit in our car and it was such a hassle coordinating someone to help pick it up. I promised CJ I would never buy anything from Craigslist that doesn’t fit in our car. I literally was stressed out about the whole situation, but thanks to my dad it all worked out, thanks again dad!!

Watching: This month I watched season 3 of Frankie & Grace (goodness I love that show) and The Great British Baking Show.

Reading: Everything I Never Told You. I’d recommend it, I’m not saying it was the best book I ever read, but it held my interest and I fell into the characters and their relationships.


 IMG_2411 I love my time with Jonas while Nola’s in school. Here we are watching the digger out the window.

February Ramblings

by March 11, 2017

Looking back at February, I have to say, things are starting to get aligned in the right direction for this year. January just is seems like a recovery from the holidays and I’m just barely holding things together. But February things are better. I’m thinking by the end of March maybe I can try for any New Year resolutions I may want to implement :).

Highlights for this month was of course Valentine’s Day, daddy/daughter dance, I started a new Bible study/workout class (which has been amazing), I had brunch for a friend’s birthday at Sardine (I highly recommend this place people), I implemented a better schedule of cleaning and thankfully our place is starting to look a little more put together on the norm and CJ and talked about going on dates again (anyone else take a hiatus during the holidays and just never start it up again?). See!! doesn’t it sound like things are looking up?!!

Goals for this year was starting to really decorate the rooms in our home. The plan was to take a room a month, but sadly nothing has been accomplished yet. I hope that we can really get some stuff done in Nola’s room in March, if I do I’ll post some pictures. I also have been researching and pinning away ideas for making a dreamy outdoor living space. Currently we have a poor looking slab of concrete. But I hope someday it will be a place we will want to hangout in all the time in the summer.

watching: Still going strong with This is Us and from Netflix, Chef’s Table & Mind of a Chef. We also recently watched the movie Arrival, which I loved so so much. And the kids are all about Moana these days and I’m ok with that too.

eating: Nothing too exciting sadly. I still make dinner most days, but not any meal really stands out right at this moment. I struggle with if I make something I usually love, the kids won’t eat it and vice versa. If you have any good recipes please share!!

never want to forget: Guys, 2 year old Jonas is everything right now. He’s so smart, funny, silly, sassy and like any mama should be, I’m obsessed with him and this age. Just picture me looking at him with the heart emoji face all day everyday, except for those days he doesn’t take a nap. I’m starting to feel desperate with time, because it is so fleeting. So these days have truly been the best days of my life and the worst knowing how quickly they will be gone. It should go without saying, but if I don’t mention Nola, trust me guys I’m obsessed with both of my kids always. Don’t worry she’s loved and cared for daily. She is amazing. I really love my fam bam.

scared of: Voles (field mice)!! We have them in the rocks in our retaining wall and they are burrowing in our lawn. I can’t you guys, they scare the shit out of me!!! They aren’t in the house and even in the garage, but I just want them not anywhere near our house.

January Ramblings

by February 3, 2017

Dear Future Old Self,

I’d say the best word to describe January 2017 is survival. We are surviving colds that are going on for longer than a month, portions of solo parenting, trying to sleep train…see…survival at this point. January in the midwest, why do you have to be so hard!! One glimmer of sunshine during this survival month is that we get to celebrate my sweet boy’s birthday.

So here’s what’s been happening in our neck of the woods:

– watching: This is Us, the Bachelor, Minimalism (off of Netflix which I highly recommend) and OA (which to me was so addicting and very unsatisfying!!)

– eating: I made this pot pie and chicken tortilla soup twice! Both are really good! I also love grabbing a roasted chicken from costco, they are so huge and cheap!!

– wanting: After watching the documentary Minimalism I really want to purge and get ride of half of our stuff. We have too much stuff!! If you come to our house ask about something you want, I may just give it to you 🙂

– One day this week it was Nola’s turn to bring in a snack and they were going to celebrate her half birthday. The roads were horrible the day before so I rushed to the grocery store the morning of school, dished 17 bowls of ice cream with sprinkles of course and honestly, was feeling pretty good about myself. UNTIL, cj called and said no one was at school. What a sh*t show of a morning and let me tell you, yes most days I’d celebrate a snow day with open arm, just not this one!!

– dreaming: Of a warm tropical vacation. I’ve mentioned this before but all Midwesterners need a warm vacation in January or February!

It’s the end of the month and I still haven’t started working out. Lets hope in February I get my act together.