That Kind Of Mom

Tuesday, February 7, 2012

2012-02-10T16:15:00.000-08:00

Here's a day in my life from this week.

1. Waking up at 7:30 to get myself ready for my twelve hour school day and the kids ready for Grandma's.

2. Spending a little bit of time with the kids in our very messy living room. Mark cleaned it up, though!

3. All ready for the school day!

4. I spend all day in the building. I was about to head into Figure Drawing.

5. I take all three of my art classes in the same room, but I have three different teachers. Getting ready for Painting.

6. Mark has a break from classes when I do, so he picked me up for lunch. This tea was perfect for a rainy day.

7. Mark was definitely posing for this shot.

8. In the car, heading to Michel's to get some last minute supplies.

9. Michel's on a rainy day!

10. In my classroom again.

11. How I always spend my two hour break before Drawing class: drinking a blended mocha and doing my math work (I take an online class that keeps me really busy) or drawing.

12. And I always listen to the Kesha channel on Pandora while I do it. It keeps me energized.

13. Finally done my night class at 9:00, and back home. I ate my leftovers for dinner!

14. Tired and working on a blog post.

15. The cookies the kids made for me at Grandma's house. They were asleep when I got home.

16. Finishing up inking a contour line drawing for my drawing class. And I'm done.

Warm Winter Days

2012-02-07T22:09:00.000-08:00

I bought this dress from Target this week, paired it with my brown boots from the same place, and also wore navy tights and a shoe necklace from Forever 21.

I freakin' love this dress.

I'm definitely wearing this outfit on our kid-free vacation to San Francisco in about 10 days. I will have to add more layers, though! It was such a nice day that I actually went around like this all day.

I think I'll try adding add a belt, too. I think it will help define my fairly nonexistent waist..hopefully?

This next outfit is kind of funny to me. Most of my clothes are from Target, but my sweater was from Costco and the cap was thrifted. And, and there's paint on my moccasin!

I use to wear newsboy caps all the time, but I kind of think that I look a little like...

And the next outfit turned out a little librarian-ish, and not in a good way. And man, I need to stop taking pictures without makeup on. Yeesh.

My dress is from Forever 21 Plus, sweater from Costco, tights and boots from Target.

Might not wear this one again.

That's it for this week!

I spent all day taking pictures for a "day in the life of" post that I'm doing for later this week. It was a little embarrassing sneaking pictures everywhere I went, but pretty fun, too. I can't wait to share it with you guys!

I'm linking up with Rolled Up Pretty

Custom Trail Mix- One of My New Favorite Things

2012-02-06T15:09:00.000-08:00

I have been trying to make sure that I don't get too hungry, because I tend to go way overboard with my portions when I don't eat for a long period of time. One way I have helped this problem is to always have a an easy snack to grab if I get hungry and I feel to busy to eat. I couldn't find any trail mixes that I really liked, so I made one that we love.

I buy all the components in bulk and then mix it myself. Our trail mix has cashew pieces (way cheaper than whole cashews), shelled pistachios, dried cranberries, extra dark chocolate chips and a few dried apricots. I wouldn't exactly call it "diet food" but after eating a small handful, I feel pretty full and I satisfy any sweet or salty craving I have. The kids even love it. It is seriously delicious, and when we had a little cocktail party, it was a huge hit with all our friends. And it looks so pretty in a big glass jar on our counter, too!

Does your family eat trail mix? Do you have a favorite combination?

Eyebrow Makeover

2012-02-04T17:46:00.001-08:00

I have pretty large eyebrows that naturally have a nice curve, but they get bushy pretty easily. I have been totally neglecting my eyebrows for the last few months, and I decided to give myself a little eyebrow makeover.

I was totally inspired by this post "Eyebrows! Get your Eyebrows here!" by Mandey at Mama and the Dudes. Mandey is totally real and personable, outrageously beautiful and posts about being a mom to her handsome, hilarious twin toddler boys. Being a twin myself, I love reading blogs about raising twins. I don't comment enough on her blog, but I love it and it is definitely one of my favorites these days! Check it out, you will be so happy that you did.

So, I took some of Mandey's tips and then gave myself a little brow makeover.

Here's my before pictures (I wish it was a little clearer just to show how bushy these were!):

...the required sad-face before picture:

And here's a picture after I tweezed all of the hairs outside of my natural eyebrow line. I also used an eyebrow brush to tame these beauties.

My biggest tip (and one that Mandey reminded me of) is to use an eyebrow pencil to fill in the sparse places in your eyebrows. Don't buy a pencil to match your eyebrow color or they will look really dark and pretty scary. Instead buy one a shade lighter. Since my eyebrows are basically black, I bought one in dark brown and it was perfect.

I am glad I gave myself this little brow makeover. I feel so much better and I love the way it looks. And you all got a little peek at our bathroom, too. I need to paint it, but I am totally in love with that shower.

Greeting Card and Note Card Giveaway-CLOSED

2012-02-03T19:08:00.000-08:00

I made some cards for Valentine's Day that I love. I love them so much that I would really like one of you to have them all! They are made with acrylics on high quality paper, and I have torn the paper to make a collage that is applied to the cards. There are 7 gold heart motif folded cards and 12 note cards (not folded) included in this giveaway, all handmade by me. I know this giveaway is a bit late for Valentine's Day, but the cards are not overtly Valentine's in any way, and I think they could be used for a lot of occasions, such as a wedding or a thank you card.

Here's some pics of the cards! And you get a peek at my pretty messy unfinished house!

Not all the cards are pictured here, and I think a few were shown twice. Only two of the folded cards have lettering on them, and all the note cards are totally blank. I can assure you the ones not shown look very similar to the others and are the same colors and motif.

The giveaway will run from Friday, February 3 to Wednesday, February 8 at 11:59 PM PST. I will send out the cards as soon as I get your information and hopefully they'll get to you before Valentine's Day!

How to Enter:

1. Leave a comment on this post for one entry

For additional entires:

1. Follow this blog on Google Friend Connect

2. Subscribe via RSS feed

3. Follow me on Twitter

4. Tweet about this giveaway, mentioning @thatkindofmom in the tweet

5. Like ThatKindofMom on Facebook

So, that's up to six entries per person. Please leave a separate comment for each entry! If you already follow me on GFC or Twitter, just let me know in a separate comment.

Oh, and I'll ship anywhere, I want to give my friends like Maggie a chance, too!

All 19 cards were hand made by myself and provided by thatkindofmom.com

Paper Love

2012-02-01T15:50:00.000-08:00

I love Valentine's Day! I made this little "Love" paper sculpture recently and today I set it up in the windowsill in our room.

Here's an unedited version, too. I had thick, glossy paper and I cut out the letters. Then I cut out a ton of tiny rectangles and hot glued them over the letters in an overlapping pattern. I really like the way it turned out and the fact that I can move the letters around and change it.

What I Wore Wednesday

2012-01-31T22:20:00.000-08:00

For the first time in months, I am linking up with The Pleated Poppy for What I Wore Wednesday!

I started a new semester of school last week, and with Mark and I having the worst cold (or was the flu? I never threw up) of our lives, I have been overwhelmed. But, I did manage to get myself out of pajamas and into my new jeans, which are a size smaller than the last ones I bought, thank you very much. I have lost ten pounds this month, and over the last four years, I have slowly (very slowly) lost twenty-five pounds. I'm hoping to speed up the process a bit!

So, I was happy about my smaller jeans that I wore them like three times this week, and took pictures of two of my outfits. Honestly, I'm really not happy with these outfits, my lack of accessories, my boring hair, and...I don't know everything. Can you tell I'm having a tough week? And you can totally see the outside of our fixer-upper which will be painted as soon the weather heats up a little. It's looking pretty shabby, too!

All my clothes (and shoes!) are from Target. Real original, huh?

More stripes and another cardi from Target. I so need to spice up my current wardrobe!

Okay, this has kind of depressed me.

What happened to this?

Or this?

Or, most importantly, this?

I need to get back to my fashion-loving self. I miss having fun with clothing.

And I miss those goats.

Sketchbook Drawing #1

2012-01-30T09:47:00.000-08:00

I figured I'd start sharing some of my little sketches with you guys. I sketched for hours last night, and these ladies were some of my favorites. I am so happy that I am taking two drawing classes this semester, I have never, EVER had a class in drawing. I've picked a few meager skills along the way, but I know I am going to get so much better.

A New Favorite Place

2012-01-29T16:03:00.000-08:00

During winter break from school, I spent a lot of time working as a docent at the Art Center here in town. It is a non-profit organization that facilitates art classes, runs a professional gallery and gift shop and basically helps to support the arts and artists locally.

I worked about 20 hours a week, working in the gallery and gift shop, answering phones, greeting guests...I was often the only one there and I learned it all. It was an eye opening experience and I learned so much about the local art community. I met so many amazing artists and saw just how difficult it can be to make any money as an artist, even if your skills are outstanding.

The art center is in a refurbished train depot that is right next to the still active railroad tracks. A few times a day, a train would come roaring through town and the whole building would rattle and shake. It was so cool. A few years ago, the art center raised enough money to add a coffee shop, in the form of a refurbished rail car. I had known that this place existed, but for some reason, I didn't go in until I was working at the art center.

Liam is obsessed with trains right now (choo-choo!) and we brought the kids here to show them the rail car. We have been back three times as a family, and we just love it. The atmosphere is so relaxing, very hipster-ish but still family friendly. And it is just so local. And the coffee is easily the best I have ever had. Truly. And the guy who makes our coffee has the best hipster 'stache I have seen in a while. Bonus!

I love how cozy and fun it is in here!

They converted some of the train seats to awesome, large booths that are perfect for our family.

Such a great way to start our day. These are the moments I treasure.

Figure Drawing

2012-01-27T18:54:00.000-08:00

is awesome.

And awkward.

But, mostly awesome.

I did freak out a bit when the model disrobed. I was like, "Penis in the room! PENIS in the room!"

But, then I got to work. That was not supposed to sound dirty...but I think it did.

It was a totally strange experience to have a pretty attractive naked man standing on a table in front of a room of people. Just strange.

But, cool.

There's a front view, too. But, I don't think I'll sacrifice my family friendly status on this blog in order to post some badly drawn genitals that don't even do the poor guy justice.

I probably seem so immature for fixating on the nudity in this class. Sorry, I just can't help it. I'll get comfortable with the whole thing, it just might take a while. Overall, I think it's such a great experience and there is something so beautiful about someone just being so real, open and raw.

How would this kind of situation make you feel? Would it be no big deal or would you be uncomfortable?

Spring Semester

2012-01-22T15:38:00.000-08:00

Well, this week has been fun.

Could you sense my sarcasm?

We had plans to go to the Bay area, and visit with both my sister and her family and Mark's brother and sister in law this weekend. We were going to leave on Friday and come back today. On Thursday night, I started feeling really weird and I couldn't figure out what was going on. Then I realized I was getting sick.

I have had a fever ranging from 101 degrees to 102.5 all weekend. My body has been so sore that it hurts to move or even stay in the same position for too long. I have no appetite, but I have not thrown up. I have been sweating, with chills. It is literally the sickest I have ever been. I will definitely be going to the doctor tomorrow if I don't feel better

So, of course we cancelled our trip. I really thought I would get better in a day or two, but I am still really uncomfortable and...just sick.

The spring semester starts tomorrow. My classes don't start until Tuesday, but Mark has school tomorrow. It will be his first day of school at the state university here. In three years, he will have his Bachelor's and Masters in Computer Science. He's taking all these crazy sounding classes, like "Discreet Math", "Human Genetics" and "Algorithms and Data Structures" and one other one. My schedule consists of Drawing, Figure Drawing, Painting and Intermediate Algebra. Pretty different, right?

Our strengths and interests vary in some ways, but we actually have so much in common. Even though we are opposites academically, we both desire to be people that create something new and unique. We both appreciate and seek out beauty in life. We love the quirky, the emotional, the corny, the larger-than-life, moments that make your feel like you are part of such a bigger picture. We're silly, we're loud and I would definitely say that we love to have fun. We love to dance, we love to play games and we rarely ever worry about how we look. But enough about us.

Speaking of my schedule (I was talking about school before I went off on that whole "my husband and I are just so unique and super cool" tangent, wasn't I?), I am pretty excited about taking three studio classes this semester. I'm taking figure drawing for the first time, and that means live models. Live NUDE models. Would I sound too pervy if I said I am really excited? I just think it's going to be an amazing experience, and definitely something new. I think the opportunity to draw from life, and actually get to see all the lines of a human body is such a great opportunity to expand as an artist. I'll let you all know what it's like- I had a friend that took figure drawing last year, and one of the male models FAINTED during the class, while he was totally naked. I felt so bad for the poor guy! I hope my class is nice and boring.

Liam at Two

2012-01-19T17:15:00.000-08:00

Dear Liam,

You turned two years old a month ago. This letter is late, but better late than never, right? I know it's cliche, but I can't believe how quickly your baby-hood went.

You are funny, smart, loving, silly, loud, curious, rough and tumble and just a joy to be around.

You love trains (choo-choo!), your bee pillow pet, The Doodlebops, animals, being in the bath, playing outside and toy cars of every shape and size.

You are talking so much, and you say the sweetest, funniest things.

You're still a snuggler and a cuddler, and for that, I am so grateful. You love new foods, and are still a great eater. You're still wearing 18 month clothing, and you are just so slim. More than one person has called you "Benjamin Button" because you just look and act like the cutest old man in the world. We love your long hair because it just suits you so well!

Liam, you are so precious to me. You make me feel loved and special every day of my life. I love you and just adore every moment of being your mommy!

Geek Chic Bedroom Part 1

2012-01-17T15:50:00.000-08:00

I love our new bedroom! I always feel so good in it because I feel so me in it. This room celebrates all the nerdy things we love in our life.

Mustard chevron duvet cover and dust covers- Urban Outfitters

Birds on a wire picture holders- Urban Outfitters

Star Wars Print-Modern Stylographer

Yoda- Target

Table Cloth- I made this from a vintage pillow case

Heart cloth Scupture- I made this, too! One of my favorite things!

Owl Clock- Target

Wind up alarm clock- Urban Outfitters

Captain Picard print- Yes, we both enjoy waking up to Patrick Stewart every morning. And, yes, this is supposed to be funny. ;) Cut it Out Art

Our BASIC (a computer programming language) print was made by The Wallaroo

My vanity

I've had this vanity my whole life, and painted it white about ten years ago. It has been the one piece of furniture that goes everywhere I do. We had the vintage microscope and glass jar before we moved. I made the newspaper flower garland and the fabric flowers.

My Richie Tenebaum print is from Nan Lawson

My Dr. Manhattan print (from The Watchmen) was made by Hen-N-Chicks

This Harry Potter text print is also from Modern Stylographer.

I'll show the rest of our room in the next few days! What did you think?!

The Lost Camera

2012-01-16T19:40:00.000-08:00

has been replaced!

My dad is amazing and he surprised me by giving me his camera that had been sitting new in the box for almost a year.

I can't tell you how grateful and happy I am.

I can't wait for tomorrow morning, when I can take some pictures of the new house with natural light. And I'm going to do an outfit post for WIWW, too!

I'm back in the game!!

And in more great news, Maggie was chosen out of a lottery to go to our first choice charter school!! It is amazing news for her and our family, as it is a great school and the waiting list has hundreds on names on it. And now Liam will automatically get in, too. I cannot believe my baby is entering kindergarten in the fall, but going to this school softens the blow.

I cannot wait to show you all the fun things that have been going on around here!

The Lost Camera

2012-01-12T17:43:00.000-08:00

is sadly still lost.

It has been M.I.A. since mid-November. I remember the last day I saw it, it was the day we had all the flooring installed in the house. I have been half-heartedly looking for it since then, just hoping to find it in a bow or tucked away. I spent hours today looking for it, and no luck. I guess it's really gone. It's been pretty much impossible to blog without having a camera. Which means...

I'm on the hunt for a new camera. My last one was a Canon PowerShot SX30, and I loved it. It was around $375 when I bought it last year, making it the nicest and most expensive camera I had ever owned. I guess I need to buy a cheaper one, though. Maybe in the $200 range? Any suggestions?

I'm sad. I want to share my new house and my new life. Hopefully I will be able to get a new one soon.

Hello!

2012-01-04T12:22:00.000-08:00

I never know how to start a post after a huge absence.

How about this?

Life is pretty fantastic. Things are very different for myself and my family right now because...I have a job. WELL, I have an intership during the winter break at an art gallery. I have been working here for a little more than two weeks, and I have two more weeks until school starts.

I love our house, although there is still so much work to do. I have been totally, completely bummed out by the loss of my camera and that kind of has make totally unmotivated to blog. We have about 10 more boxes in storage, and I need to look through there.

Liam turned two in December! We had a little birthday party at our new house and it was so perfect.

I miss this blog, and all of your wonderful readers...wait, is anyone left? If you are, thanks. And sorry for disappearing. I can't promise I won't do it again. I like to keep you all on your toes.

Seriously, I do plan on getting back into the swing of things. When school starts, I'll start What I Wore Wednesday again. I really want to update my 30 before 30, finally reveal the house remodel, and talk about what I've been doing with my art.

Remodeling a house is hard work.

2011-11-30T21:35:00.001-08:00

That about says it all. Tonight is the first night that Mark and I and the kids are sleeping at the new house. We have been working 10 hours a day for weeks, only stopping to go to school and see the kids. I am wiped out. Totally exhausted. And I have lost my camera somewhere along the way. I'm hoping it re-emerges soon.

I am love with the house. It is perfect.

I am so stressed I can barely see straight. Finals are a week and a half away. I have three major art projects to finish and 3 major exams to take. I can pull it off, but it has

I cannot wait to start sharing again, and when I think about how long it has been since I posted, it makes me feel a little sick.

I hate that I have no pictures. But, even if I did, they would be of boxes and piles of stuff.

Thanks for sticking with me.

2011-11-18T10:47:00.000-08:00

First, congratulations to the winners of the Kellogg's Fiber Plus Coupon Giveaway! You each win five coupons for your choice of any fiber Plus cereal or cereal bars! I am so sorry that it took me so long to announce the winners, this whole house remodel just erased my brain!

Congrats to:

Sarah

Mami2jcn

Tina

Kateypie35

If you haven't received a tweet or an email from me for some reason, please e-mail your information to me at imthatkindofmom (at) gmail (dot) com

And, now onto the last week.

I have never worked so hard in my life.

I have spent every day, for the past week, cleaning, moving, packing, more cleaning, priming, Spackle-ing, sanding, texturizing, painting and drinking a ton of coffee.

We've worked 8-12 hour days every day. It was a huge job to get that place cleared out and cleaned out. Way bigger than I anticipated. But the process has been so rewarding and the house is starting to come together. So far, the bedrooms are the most finished. They are clean, painted completely, and awaiting carpet installation.

We're also putting in laminate ourselves (with the help of my dad, the flooring expert) in the hallway and dining room. We chose a cool, slate- looking vinyl for the kitchen and mud room/pantry. Most of the house will be light grey, and the kitchen is light blue. The kitchen is original 1950's, so we are keeping everything and trying to highlight the vintage qualities.

Our bedroom is cathedral grey, and fairly dark grey that I just love. The kids' room was painted ORANGE. That's right: ORANGE. I know...you hate it, right? Nobody can believe I painted a room orange. But, it looks awesome and it's a really pretty, happy shade of orange.

I am tired. I am stressed. I miss my kids, who have been staying with their grandmothers during the day. I'm stressed about school. And Thanksgiving. And packing up the apartment after Thanksgiving. BUT, I am hopeful. And excited. And thankful.

Crazy/Awesome

2011-11-11T19:59:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, I took a Biology exam and fifteen minutes into it, a girl broke down and started sobbing. Loudly. The teacher (who is one of the nicest, most accommodating teachers ever) put his arm around her and told her to go home. I felt so bad, the whole class of ninety students was staring at her. So, I stopped staring and continued the test. The whole point of this story was to say

College is stressful!

I'm sure many of you know what I am talking about. The deadlines, the papers and the homework just become overwhelming sometimes. The semester is starting to come to an end, and every class is really demanding at lot from me. Factor in Mark's classes, and there is a pretty high stress level within our family.

So, adding something like a huge move, with tons of cleaning, painting and replacing fixtures and things would be crazy. So, call me crazy, because that is exactly what we started today. Here's the deal: My mother in law is moving into a new house that she has totally remodeled over the last few months. I am so excited for her, because she truly a giving, amazing person and I am really happy for her to have such a beautiful home. She is really blessing us by renting her old home out to us. Mark lived in this house until he was 20, and we lived in the mother in law unit in the back for years. Now, we have the house to live in and the mother in law unit to use as an art studio and computer workshop for Mark. It is just amazing to us!

So, she has lived there for the past 25 years, and there is a lot to go through, clean and pack. After we help get her moved, we will super clean the whole house, do some minor repairs, change some fixtures, paint the entire house, do some yard work, and then move our stuff from the apartment. And then clean our apartment. Yikes. Oh, have you heard?

Moving is stressful!

But, I'm handling the stress well. I'm making lists, and just making sure that I am crossing something off the list everyday. We will be working on the house and the move everyday that we don't have school for the next three weeks. I don't want to sound ungrateful, because I see this as such a gift. I am so excited and positive about this, but for the first time ever, I truly understand what people mean when they say they wish they could duplicate themselves.

I am looking towards the future, around the first of December, when we are moved into our new home and settled in for Christmas. School will be almost over, with wonderful winter break just around the corner. The walls will be freshly painted with some of my favorite colors, and the house will be decorated for Christmas. I am just so excited. I think that the fufillment of one of my dreams, a home for my family to make our own, is so worth the hard work that we're going to put in. I can't wait to continue to share this journey with you guys. And I am so pumped to share my design choices with you. All I can say is that probably about 90% of the purchases I have made for the house have been from Etsy sellers. I am so excited about our handmade house.

So, there it is. My life is super crazy right now, but super exciting. I love that I have this little space to process all of this and document it. Thanks for reading and going through this with me. I an't wait to share my new life with all of you!

What I Wore Wednesday- Fall Color

2011-11-08T21:14:00.000-08:00

This What I Wore Wednesday is a save-the-best-for-last kind of a post and a please-don't-look-at-my-face-too-closely kind of post. I just don't like my face in a lot of these pictures, except for with the last outfit. Anywhoo, these are all new outfits I put together this week. Even though it's Fall, I'm still wearing lots of color (as usual)!

A casual date night out to dinner, Target and Barnes and Noble. It was awesome!

Sorry for the grumpy face, I really don't mean to do it! But, I do love the gray tights with the grey booties. I'm definitely doing that combo again.

V-neck and cardigan: Forever 21

Denim skirt, tights and suede booties: Target

My hair was way more interesting from the back and side. I did a side braid then pinned it in a circle around one side of the back of my head.

This next outfit was for a busy day at school. I am in art labs (or my Biology lab) for the majority of the day, so I need to be pretty casual. I tend to get a lot of paint on my clothes.

Striped tee and boots: Target

Skinny jeans: Old Navy plus

Hoodie: a gift from my mom

I like this next outfit a lot, it's definitely going into my rotation. And I am so happy that my bangs have finally grown out enough to wear to the side. I feel like myself again!

I got quite a few looks while wearing this out with the family for a day of shopping with the family. I'm thinking it was because it was so colorful...I hope! My hair is a high ponytail swept into a loose bun. One of my absolute favorite looks!

Dress, tights, braided belt: Forever 21 Plus

Boots and red cardigan: Target

These are the new rings I bought for my husband and I from Spiffing Jewelry . Unfortunately the adjustable ring didn't adjust wide enough to fit his finger comfortably, so I happily took them both and stacked them. They're inspired by Princess Leia telling Han Solo in Star Wars that she loves him, and he answers with "I know". I love it, and I now I get to wear it around on my finger!

I have been having so much with crackle nail polish lately! I paired the silver crackle with black underneath and I love it!

I am linking up with The Pleated Poppy.

Have you entered my giveaway going on right now? Five winners will each receive five boxes of Fiber Plus cereal or chewy bars from Kellogg's! Enter here, you have a great chance of winning so far!

Kellogg's Fiber Plus Giveaway-CLOSED

2011-11-07T14:03:00.000-08:00

Kellogg's approached me and asked if I wanted to try their Fiber Plus cereal and Fiber Plus chewy bars, and then possibly share my opinion with you guys.

They sent me lots of varieties and it was great to try everything out. I thought the cereal was good, I liked the Caramel Pecan Crunch and the Berry Yogurt Crunch! It was not too sugary, but it was sweet and kept a good crunch. It tasted like I was eating breakfast, not dessert, and I liked that.

The chewy bars are delicious, and they sent me a box each of dark Chocolate Almond, Caramel Coconut Fudge, Chocolate Chip and Chocolatey Peanut Butter.

I went straight for the Chocolatey Peanut Butter and it was really good. It was gooey and tasted a like peanut butter and chocolate. The bars have lots of whole oats and crisp rice, so they are chewy but have a good bite to them. All the varieties were good; my husband really liked the new Caramel Coconut Fudge. They aren't as dense or sweet as candy bars, but you could definitely get away with giving these to your kids as a treat. With 4 grams of fat and 7 grams of sugar in the Caramel Coconut fudge variety, that's pretty cool to me.

Not only does Kellogg's want me to try the Fiber Plus line, they want you too, as well! They have provided me with 25 coupons for free boxes of your choice of any Fiber Plus cereal or box of chewy bars. I have decided to split the 25 coupons into packs of five, so that means 5 winners will each receive 5 coupons for free cereal or chewy bars of their choice.

To enter, please leave a comment, tell me which Fiber Plus product sounds the yummiest to you!

For additional entries:

1) Join this site using Google Friend Connect

2) Follow Me on Twitter

3) Like That Kind of Mom on Facebook

4) Tweet about this giveaway, mentioning @thatkindofmom and use the hashtag #fiberpluscoupon

Please leave a separate comment for each entry. Open to U.S. residents only, must be 18 to enter.

5 individual winners will be selected using random. org. Contest begins 12:00 PM 11/7/2011 and ends at 11:59 PM on Monday, 11/14/2011. Winners will be announced on www.thatkindofmom.com and via Twitter on Tuesday 11/15/2001.

I was not compensated in any way for this review, although samples were provided for me by Kellogg's. I was not required to write a review, but I genuinely liked these products. All opinions expressed are solely mine, and were not influenced in an way. For full official rules, see http://resources.ketchum.com/helpdesk/docs/FiberPlusCouponGiveawayRules.pdf

Don't Let Perfect Stand In The Way Of Good Enough

2011-11-03T13:04:00.000-07:00

I'm pretty sure the alternate title for this blog could be "Busy" because I use that word so much. I am busy, though. Busier than many, but not as many as some. I still feel compelled to add more to my plate. Suddenly, with 30 approaching, I feel the need to achieve. I feel so mortal these days. We have known eight people that have passed away in the last six years or so. We are growing up, and our two beautiful children are constant (joyful) proof of that. I suddenly feel like it's go time. Now or never.

So, I keep piling more and more on my plate. My school schedule is slightly over a full-time schedule. My art classes have long lab times, so I'm creating in a classroom setting for eleven hours a week, and then bringing projects home to finish them. It is awesome, but sometimes draining. Of course, I also have my Biology class, with a three hour lab, and I'm taking a super difficult Logic class. Both of those classes are required for my general education requirement. They're hard, and the stress of it is weighing very heavily on me. It is just not coming naturally, and for one of the first times since I returned to school, my test-taking skills are completely failing me. I get confused and flustered, and I read things incorrectly or mis interept them. It has been a struggle. And all through this, my husband Mark sits next me, being the only one in a room of 90 who knows answers, and scored a 100 on his last lab test. Humbling.

Back to the part about facing my own morality and all of that. I just feel like there are things that I am supposed to do. I have been feeling this weighty feeling that I only have this one life to live. I only have this one family; one husband to be a loving partner to, two kids to raise and love. I certainly can't waste this opportunity to live my dreams and be an authentic person. I don't know the outcome, but I know I need to just try.

But the thing is that I'm not so good at balance. I'm all gung-ho and full-out and then suddenly, I'm overwhelmed and drowning. I'm so inspired, and I feel like I am finally learning how to truly express myself; in life, in my art, and in my writing. So, I go, go, go and then I mess up on something because I forgot about a due date, or I suddenly realize the project was going to take a lot more time than I originally anticipated. Or I go, go, go until I get sick and I feel like I need to sleep 12 hours a day, which is what this week has been like. I have no appetite, my body is weak and I'm just exhausted.

I have also been feeling my anxiety creep back, and it has resulted in arguments between Mark and I. My anxiety takes the form of perfection, and I can be unrealistic and demanding. I fixate on the negative, and how every aspect of our lives can be improved and what's "not working". I know that I can be difficult to be married to for that very reason. I know I am a fun, wonderful person, but my mind gets bogged down with thoughts of insecurity and self loathing. I know what I am capable of, so when I do anything less than my absolute best, I feel like I have let myself down. I hold others to this impossible standard as well, which only creates resentment and unreasonable expectations.

So, I'm as always, looking for balance in my life. Not just the obvious need for balance between my academic/professional life and my family life, but balance between my expectations and reality. I need to give everyone in my life, myself included, a little more leeway. I read something a few months ago that said, "Don't let perfect stand in the way of good enough". It's my new motto. Yes, life is but a vapor, just a moment, really, but I can't put so much pressure on myself or the people in my life.

So, tell me. Do you think about your own mortality or the things you want to accomplish in your lifetime? Do you struggle with perfectionism?

Birthday Presents for a Nerdy Husband

2011-11-02T15:17:00.000-07:00

My husband, Mark, is turning 29 next month and I already bought him his birthday presents because I was just so excited about what I'm getting him.

I have a slight addiction to Etsy, and our new house will basically be filled with handmade things (not necessarily made by my hands, but somebody's hands). While searching for art and home decor, I stumbled on these gifts which will be perfect for my ultra nerdy, yet ultra cool, husband.

My husband has a deep love for Star Wars, and especially that scoundrel, Han Solo. (Really, in Star Wars roleplaying, Han Solo's class is called a scoundrel. Was that too nerdy for you?) Anywhoo, he thinks Han is the ultimate suave badass. We both love the scene where Princess Leia says," I love you' and like the too-cool-for-school O.G. that he is, Han answers with,"I know."

And we all know that is his way of saying he loves her too.

So, when I found these, I knew we had to have them.

These rings, as well as tons of really awesome, unique jewelry available at Spiffing Jewelry

I also had to buy this sweet poster written in Basic (a computer programming language). This is just perfect for my programmer guy. And it fits right in with the "geek chic" theme for our bedroom.

This poster, along with tons of other handmade prints, are available at The Wallaroo

Mark never reads my blog (he is afraid if he does, he'll "mess it up somehow") so I know he won't find out about these. But, if you know us in real life...shhh! Don't tell him what he's getting!

And, by the way, I wasn't compensated in any way for sharing this stuff with you. I actually purchased these and I am so happy I did. I can't wait to see how much he loves these!

WIWW- The Tired, But Grateful Halloween

2011-11-01T21:40:00.000-07:00

For Halloween, I didn't wear a costume. I was just too tired. I did put on one of my favorite recent outfits, though!

My dress is from Forever 21 Plus, my boots and necklace are from Target.

I was so exhausted because Magdalena and Mark were in the hospital the whole night before. Maggie broke her arm Sunday night, which is just about the saddest thing I have ever seen.

But, she still made an adorable princess and Liam was such a sweet little cow.

I'm linking up with The Pleated Poppy, as I do every week.

I just wanted to share an anonymous comment I got on one of my WIWW posts from July. Even though the post is old, the comment is just a few days old. It made me just weep. Like ugly cry. I seriously don't feel like I am doing any special at all, just sharing my thoughts and experiences. But, to receive such a comment has truly changed my life and myself. I am so, so thankful for the blogging community and the tiny part I get to play in it. Every comment, e-mail, and tweet is just so incredibly meaningful and surprising to me.

i know this post is really old, but i just had to tell you that i've had almost the same exact experience with life, and i'm crying like a baby right now. i actually found your blog while trying to figure out inspiration for things to wear, and i saw your picture (on the pleated poppy) and thought "she looks like me..."

but you were so beautiful. and you were so bold and brave. and i mostly spend all day wishing i could be wearing a tent so no one would see me. thanks for opening up your soul. thanks for opening up mine. i wish i could hug you, and i don't even know you. you have encouraged me beyond belief. and you have changed a life just by being who you are.

thanks :)

No, thank you. Seriously. I have never received a higher compliment. I hope that you realize that you are beautiful, and your clothes can reflect that. It doesn't matter what anyone else thinks, because it just feels so damn good to be authentic to yourself. I will definitely carry you in my heart and think about this anonymous person in the world that I love.

Happy Halloween

2011-10-31T21:53:00.000-07:00

I hope you all had a great Halloween. We did!

But if you look at this picture, you'll notice an unexpected accessory on Maggie's princess costume.

That's right. Her arm is in a splint and and a sling. She is getting a hard cast in the next couple of days. She fell off of her Grandma's bed last night before bedtime, and although she cried for a while, she calmed down and went to bed normally. A few hours later, she woke crying and saying her arm hurt. We decided we didn't want it to wait, and we didn't want to spend all of Halloween at the hospital, so Mark took her to the emergency room at 11:00. They got home around 3:00 AM, and thankfully the whole family got to sleep in until 9:30.

She really didn't complain at all today, and was only sad that she had to slow down and not play as hard as normal. Today, we went and watched her preschool class perform a few Halloween songs they have been practicing. She did a great job and was very cute.

She was still super excited to get a treat bag from her Smurf teacher!

We carved five pumpkins on Sunday, and it was fun, dirty, and a lot of work. I can't wait until the kids are big enough to help with it. I just free cut all of these, the stencils and I were not getting along.

We also had a little cow come trick or treating with us. Liam LOVED trick or treating until he was just over it. Then, he took off his hood, unzipped his costume and refused to get out of the wagon. I kind of loved how firm he was in his decision.

Nothing can stop these two from having a great time. It was an awesome night!!

Ringing the door at Papa's house:

This wagon is always a life-saver for trick-or-treating. Love it!

I hope you all had a magical Halloween and I hope yours started much more smoothly. I still can't believe she broke her arm, I feel so incredibly bad for the girl. I am praying for a quick and easy recovery for her!