Seriously January?

It's Thursday, which is normally my favorite day of the week, but it's been feeling like the end of the week, since Tuesday. Longest.week.ever. To be honest, I can't quite remember a time that I've been so tired. For much of the last 4 weeks, the Gergi have been sick in some way shape or form, so exhaustion has set in. Brian has somehow managed to avoid the germs per usual, but not moa! I suppose I shouldn't complain, because we had a great fall and holiday season, completely avoiding any illnesses around us, but these last few weeks have been a challenge.

It started right before Christmas when M had a fever virus and on Christmas Eve I got a bad cold. Then it sort of snowballed - Anna got pink eye and a double ear infection, Madelyn got pink eye, I got pink eye, my cold got significantly worse, then I had a small stomach bug, and Anna started a 2nd round of treatment for an ear infection and pink eye, my mom got pink eye and the bug - and now Anna has a fever virus. Oh - my - goodness! There have been little breaks in between and Anna especially has been on meds for the last 3 weeks, so fingers crossed, we're almost in the clear. We've been to the doctor more times than I can count, not to mention all the co-pays. Obviously, I'm thankful its nothing serious, but its tiring nonetheless. The disrupted sleep, and the constant worry about your kids - how they are feeling, trying to make them comfortable, timing medicine doses, and making sure they are drinking enough, etc - it's exhausting.

Thankfully Madelyn has sort of toughed it out, and she's hanging in there now. Hope we can keep her healthy in the coming week, then we'll be in the clear. However, she been waking once or twice every night needing to be put back to bed. Anna is usually up crying once or twice too - sometimes they wake each other, and all three of us are up for a mid-night party. Like last night :) We've been spoiled with great sleepers in the girls since early on, so these off nights just really mess up my game. There isn't enough coffee in the world to help me through the fog at this point.

Not to mention, we (finally) got our new bed, and while we are completely obsessed and feel its helped us sleep better already, it's sort of hard to tell because I haven't slept through the night in a month! Momma mia! I'm secretly hoping for a big snow storm this weekend, so we can all just hang. Maybe sleep in? (yeah right!), take a nap? (no chance) and get the R&R we need to be healthy in the coming weeks! I hate to wish time away, but the way 2016 has started for us, I'm looking forward to February already!

If all else fails, we're headed to Florida a week from tomorrow. So the vitamin D, warm weather and swimming will hopefully heal us, and get us back on our feet! While I'm thinking of it though, how many weeks until Spring? :)

Hope you and yours, are well! XO

My {random} thoughts on 2015

One of my favorite things about turning the calendar year, is reflecting on the year past. It's a good time to look forward and get a fresh start, but I also like to take a minute to look back. The first word that comes to mind when summing up our year, is discovery. It was a year of change and some challenges, sprinkled among a lot of fun adventures. I am thankful for all the lessons and feeling refreshed as we embark on twenty-sixteen. One of the best things about this little space, is it allows me to share what's on my mind and for the purpose of this post, pull out some highlights from the memory reel. Here are my (very) random thoughts on 2015:

* I can, and I did, break the habit of my morning coffee run. I can actually drink coffee from the Keurig. I'm not a coffee snob, but since I hadn't perfected making my own cup of joe, I just couldn't fathom not making that stop in the morning. However, I've made the switch and I kinda love how I make my coffee now :) Plus, the $20+ savings a month and extra 15 minutes at home, ain't so bad either!

* We don't have to take a car over to the Vineyard - it is possible to pack light, manage the kids, stroller and dog with our luggage on and off the boat for our trips there! It's stressful, but it can be done ;) A goal for this year is to actually plan our trips far enough in advance though, that we can get a ferry reservation to take our car over!

* I survived breaking up with my hair guy, and salon. I have found someone who does a really good job, for a fraction of the price I was paying. She works out of her house, and will take appointments on very short notice, too - a win-win in my book!

* As much as I love home renovation TV shows, I am the worst at living through a renovation in real life. I better get over the idea of being a flipper, because there is no way I could handle all of that. I'll stick to watching HGTV :)

* A cleaning lady has become a more regular visitor in our house, and I'm pretty sure she saved my sanity.

* After 4 years of being a working mom, I've finally feel like I've found my stride. To me, finding balance has helped me be happier at home, and a better employee. This was my biggest hurdle in recent years and I'm thankful for twenty-fifteen for getting me to where I am.

* I'm about 15 lbs away from my wedding weight and I'm actually proud of that. I haven't figured out how to work exercise into my routine, so after my two beautiful babies... I'm happy with the fact that if I want to get back there someday, it's not that far away. #halffull

* A long weekend at home, can be just as wonderful as a weekend away. I truly believe "it's not where you are, but who you are with that really matters"

* I am a big fan of social media. It's a scary larger-than-life resource and it's easy to get caught up in it, but I take it for what its worth. I enjoy sharing peeks at our family through IG and I love to see what family and friends are up to.  In addition, I learn things about our town from a forum on Facebook, and get life tips and advice from other people I follow on each site. Like everything, moderation is key. So, when at home I try not to be on my phone too much, but I'm a fan nonetheless.

* Terrible twos - is nonsense, and should be removed from common vocabulary.  In my opinion, "terribleness" extends far beyond 2yo, and can start way before the second birthday. It's not fair to new parents, to think of it as such a set timeframe because that's a lie and we continue to live through it :) And, consistency is key, that's all I know about terribleness.

* trust your instincts, always.

* Last but not least, cherish the moments because they are fleeting. Little ones, big ones and everything in between, always #begrateful.

I am excited for this year, and the lessons to be learned. We've all been a bit under the weather lately, but turning the corner now. So, bring it 2016.

Happy New Year!
XoXo

Merry Christmas!

We wish you a Merry Christmas, 

We wish you a Merry Christmas,

We wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!! 

Merry and Bright!

It's the most wonderful time, of the year! There really is something magical about the weeks after Thanksgiving until the end of the year. There might be stresses about gifting or holiday cards, or the perfect party outfit and what not, but the excitement around all of the celebrations is energizing.  For obvious reasons it's an exciting time for our little ones, but I feel like a kid too! I love the decorations, the lights, the tartan plaid, watching TV with only the tree lights on at night, and all the activities of the season. Add to that the increasing excitement in the kids, especially Madelyn and there's little not to love about this season! I wasted no time switching gears to red and green, after Thanksgiving and doing so has actually made the time between the two holidays seem a bit longer (to me) this year.

Two weekends ago we took a last minute trip to the mall, to get out of house and walk a bit. We were pleasantly surprised to find a new toy store there, and the girls had a blast going through and coming up with a list of gift ideas for Santa. It in turn was a productive trip for Mom and Dad, too :) For the first time, we then came home and wrote a nice note to Santa to send in the mail. I may have used the "I wont send the letter to Santa" threat a few times that week after, and holy cow did that work. Madelyn would stop in her tracks, and clean up her behavior in a snap when I mentioned that letter! (is that wrong?!) We haven't actually visited with Santa yet, because I wasn't sure the girls would be in to it. I didn't really want to put ourselves through that screaming torture if both were sure to cry (just for the photo). However, Madelyn told me last night she wants to go and sit on Santa's lap with her sister. So, we might try this weekend.

We went to our town Stroll last weekend, but the girls didn't last too long. It was a Friday evening at 6pm, and while they really are troopers, it was cold and they were hungry, so we missed seeing Santa and the carolers. Maybe next year ;) The following day, I went down the PA with my mom and sister for our annual shopping trip. We shopped til we dropped (almost literally), had a great dinner and stayed the night before heading back home on Sunday. Numerous times we laughed until we couldn't breathe - it was so awesome!

 Since then, it's been in the 60's and I have been leaving my jackets at home - craziness! I think for a few days, the weather tricked me as it felt more like May then December and I fell behind on some Christmas stuff. We had our annual trip to NYC yesterday to see the tree, etc - and it was just beautiful. It wasn't any busier than its been in past years, and it was awesome to be out and about without all the bulky layers! Madelyn was so intrigued by St. Pats and "who built this place?" and all the big buildings and taxis. Later that night she said "thank you Mommy, for taking us there" Such a sweetie - it truly warmed my heart.

Some pictures from our adventures! Hope you are having a wonderful holiday season and your days have been merry and bright! XO

Beautiful Saturday in DECEMBER at the park!

 Bathtime sillies

  M was really into helping me decorate the tree

Our tree

Our brief stint at the Stroll in town

Matching holiday outfits - one of very few photos where they actually cooperated and posed ;)

My new mantle flair

Santa and Mrs. Claus at the park

Trip to NYC

M helping Mimi light a candle at St. Patrick's Church

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Anna very happy to sit with Uncle B at lunch!

Lunch at Bills Burger Bar - ymm

the tree - Rockefeller Center

We ran into a few friends on our adventure!

Family <3

Keeping it real

If you know me, you know I'll always be real.  I try not to dwell on the negative, and put a positive spin on things, but all the while being honest. Our little life is far from perfect, but somewhere along the way, letting go of "perfect" has brought me so much joy.

There is a lot of planning that goes into sending out the perfect holiday card. Whether it be in design, paper, photos or wording... some people start planning way ahead. It's certainly something I've stressed about year after year. As I mentioned here last year, the design part is a cinch, thanks to my talented friend at Bella Carta Boutique. So for me, the hard part is having the photos to make up the card. My husband hates having his photo taken (which started as a young kid) and everyone knows that photographing small children is no easy task.

Last year, I got a late start and was scrambling mid-December to address and get them out quick. I really didn't want to end up doing that again this year, so I got an earlier start. With that jump start came a revised attitude toward the whole thing, where basically, I don't care. My husband will never like having his photo taken, Madelyn hates having her hair brushed, and it'll never be easy to photograph {our} kids. So, I said ce la vie!

We arranged for my sister to take our photos on a beautiful sunny Sunday last month. We planned to meet long before nap time, but our preparations took longer than expected and it was almost noon by the time we met - fail #1. Madelyn refused to let me brush her hair that morning, so we winged it with a messy ponytail. Anna was particularly cranky, and just as we got to the park, her nose started to run like mad. Oh joy.

It was windier than we thought, which made it feel cooler than anticipated and it was so sunny, that it was hard not to squint. For 45 minutes, I just smiled away, disregarding the mayhem going on around me. It is, what it is, right? I think Sara snapped over 300 photos in that short time and there are a handful that I love so much, my heart could explode. There are little things about each - lighting, messy hair, runny nose, etc etc that aren't perfect, but that's why I love them. They are real, they are us, and I sure do love us!

Here's a peek at a few of my favorites:\

Retail

Apologies... but I need to gloat for a minute. This is my first holiday season NOT in retail, in about 11 years.  As we're heading into the biggest 5 weeks in the (retail) year, the enormity of this change is sinking in. Tomorrow is my last day of work for the week, and I feel like I'm telling everyone. Many people either have time around holidays off, or have the ability to take the time off. Neither of which I've had in a very long time! So, it may seem silly but its huge to me.

Actually, if you count my very first jobs (I worked at a video shop and a music shop in high school) I've worked 15 of the last 20 years in a retail environment. Wow. Quite honestly, since I'd worked so many Black Fridays and Christmas Eves, I was used to it.  Although it didn't make me any less jealous on days like these, when I had to head into work while Brian and the girls hang at home. Not to mention how I'd start each Thanksgiving feeling wonderful and thankful, and end it each being bitter because I was the only one of the group of 20+ who had to go to work the next day.

I'm one of those people who is most productive under the gun. I like being busy, an part of me sort of enjoyed the craziness of these holidays season - the very busy days and the longer hours.  However, my shopping often fell to the wayside, and I was a zombie most of time that I was outside of work. Being a working mom has it's own challenges, but my past jobs added so much more stress than I needed. I don't think I realized until recently, how negatively my work was effecting me personally.

Anyway, this year, I kind of feel human. I got an early start on our Christmas cards, have started Christmas shopping and things are work at quiet.  Honestly, it doesn't quite feel like the holiday season to me yet. In addition to the time off this week, I have a few days off throughout December too, again - something I've never had before. The balance that this job provides is immeasurable, and this new change has literally been life changing.

So, no matter how much time you have off this week, I hope you enjoy it! This year will certainly be different for me, but I am grateful for the years in retail because that experience has made me appreciate this time off, even more. Do me a favor though - when you are shopping this year, be kind to everyone in retail!

You can bet I'll be grinning from ear to ear as I run errands, make treats for Thanksgiving, get a mani/pedi, decorate for Christmas and just eat up all the time with my family :) I.cannot.wait!

Happy Thanksgiving! Xo

King or Queen? HELP!

Queen...? King...? Queen. We have a pretty good sized master bedroom. Since we've moved in, we've made a few small changes, but it's just not quite there. We've been mulling over ideas on things we can change, but we can't seem to make a decision. Around and around, we go. Feel free to weigh in because we've googled it and looked on pinterest, at tons of photos - but we're having trouble deciding what size bed is best for our room.

 

Last year for Christmas I got a new dresser and mirror from my family. A perfect upgrade which helped the room look more like a master, and not a kids room ;) Along with that, we have a hand-me-down armoire that Brian uses for his clothes, and two tables that we use for nightstands that were accent tables in our old house. So, there are a lot of mixed wood pieces, and it just irks me. Funny that the rest of the house can be a mess, with dust balls and dirty dishes but the mismatched wood in our bedroom is what really irks me ;) A friend recently explained it well though - housework is like a drug. I can totally relate. One project is done, and I can't wait to update the next thing. So, now, I'm fixated on our room. 

The catalyst for all of this, is that we are desperate for a new mattress. Ours is only about 6 years old but it's terrible. At the time, we did a little research and were on a tight budget, so the result was a cheap mattress that's too plush and bad for our backs. We both have back trouble as it is, and I swear our bed makes it worse. So, if we're doing it, do we go big - and get a king? Everything is that much more expensive for a king... and is it really necessary?! Will it make our room look bigger? smaller?

Then, like everything, one thing leads to a next, and then I start thinking... lets get a real frame/head and footboard. Lets get real nightstands. We're still on a budget, but I'd really like our space to finally look like the real thing - a space for adults. For some silly reason, a full frame with headboard and foot board is the real deal, and I daydream about it. j/k... sort of. I'm afraid of too much wood, so recently I've been looking at metal frames. But, I feel like you never see metal frames in master bedrooms... at least not on pinterest :) So, I'm hung up on that too! What do you think? 

I'm most excited that once we decide and make these changes, I'm going to hang prints over our bed. I already have the prints in mind, and I can't wait to be surrounded by pictures of our family in our little nook. I've been dreaming about those accents since we moved in, but could never make up my mind for design based on these little hangups. So, we're two years into this house, and we're getting there. Slooooowly but surely! We better not decide to move anytime soon ;) 

Happy Thursday! XO