Uncommon Blonde

Busy Body

2012-03-18T21:44:00.000-04:00

My children have been napping for 1 hour (at the same time!). I have been reading blogs. I feel like I have totally squandered an hour of precious time. One could argue that I have spent it well - relaxing and doing something I want to do, instead of all of the things I need to be doing. After all, Sunday is a day of rest ... right? But I just feel guilty, I should have mopped, cleaned the bathrooms, worked on my photography biz stuff, checked something off of my list. For some reason, I seem to have a really hard time with rest. I am a "busy body" to an extreme. I always have a list. I always feel like I need to be accomplishing something. I have a love/hate relationship with this quality of mine. I love being productive and having a strong work ethic, but I hate that I have a hard time relaxing. I'm not always this way - it seems to ebb and flow, depending on my to do list and pressing tasks.

I read a blog post this week written by another mommy blogger with two children almost exactly the ages of mine. She gets up every day at 5 and has 2 hours to herself before her boys get up. I turned green and it wasn't because it was St. Patrick's Day - I am jealous. Not because I don't LOVE every moment with my children, but because I get up between 5-5:30 every day with my crazy girls who will not sleep in. They take turns waking up super early, or they just rise in-sync at the crack of dawn. If they would sleep another hour they would be much happier in the mornings (they aren't cranky but we Ava walks a fine line between content and needing a nap). I would be happier too! I could spend that hour exercising, or doing a daily devotional, and/or reading and writing blogs. I think it would help with my busy body syndrome. At church this morning I prayed for it to happen soon. Until that day, think of me next time you hit the snooze button ;)

My little early birds ...

My mountain is waiting ...

2012-02-29T16:53:00.001-05:00

It's February 29th and in honor of leap year, I am planning a "leap" this year! I am working on changing and expanding what I do with my photography business. I have been dabbling in it for to long and I am ready to get serious about the business side of things. I am realizing that taking a leap requires quite a bit of work though. Work that is hindered by a cute little website called Pinterest ...

Starting today, I am seriously going to commit to making my evening time on the computer more productive. I'll be honest, in no way do I plan to stop using Pinterest or Facebook, but I do need to be more deliberate in my time spent there. Or at least accomplish one "leap task" each night before allowing myself to be sucked into the Pinterest vortex. It's waaaay to easy to just click over to the site and then find yourself looking up an hour later.

Dr. Seuss says it best "'You're off to Great Places! Today is your day! Your mountain is waiting, So... get on your way!"

The thing about Betty

2012-02-28T21:47:00.000-05:00

In the past week I have started 3 blog posts. But the past 4 days have kind of turned me upside down because I woke up Sunday morning feeling like I was going to be sick and the feeling stayed with me all day. Luckily I was over it by that evening, but we've had an assortment of maladies over the past few days and I am ready for life to go back to "normal." Which at my house, equals chaotic and busy but in a more scheduled way.

In the middle of my feeling awful on Sunday, Uncommon Husband had to leave for a couple of hours for work. The girls were supposed to be napping, but Ava woke up about 10 minutes after he left (figures). Once both girls were up, I was giving out snacks when I heard a soft knock on the door and looked up to see the handle on my front door turning. Oh yes, it was Crazy Betty. Not only has she started dropping by unannounced, but she has decided that as long as she knocks softly, it's perfectly acceptable to just come on in. Not my favorite tactic to put it mildly. (I'm a FIRM believer in calling before you go to anyone's house) I told her I was not feeling well and she immediately gives me "the look" and said "you're not pregs, are you?" Pregs?!? I'm not even going to tell you how I felt about the timing, delivery, and the question itself. But no, for the record, I'm not "pregs"

Wedding Rules - Part Deux

2012-02-22T10:25:00.002-05:00

My sister is getting married in September and a good friend of mine got married this past Fall. All of this wedding talk made me think about wedding rules and how many people do not seem to know these rules. I wrote a post back in 2009 with some of my rules, all of which are the result of me personally witnessing someone breaking one of these rules (click here to read). My latest experiences have lead me to some updated rules. I am praying that my sister is not subjected to any major rule breakers at her wedding ;)

Toasts - In my last post, I said that toasts should be filled with loving, congratulatory words. I guess I should also specify that they should be something that everyone can relate to. If you are going to tell a story about the bride or groom, make it short and sweet. More than once, I've heard a drawn out story about how long Suzy Maid of Honor has known the bride, dappled with inside jokes and references to things no one else "gets." They don't ever seem to get to the toast part - it's just about their story and it's bo-ring! I think that's why I found this scene from Bridesmaids so hilarious

Bridesmaids - and speaking of bridesmaids, why are so many bridesmaids so competitive? I used to think it was just an age thing but now I'm not so sure. It seems like that one of the reasons the movie Bridesmaids was so funny was that there was truth in a lot of it (obvi on a very exaggerated level). Who's know the bride the longest? Who gave her the best gift? Who did the most for the bachelorette party? Who cares?!?

Photography - if you are not the hired photographer, get out of the way! The bride did not hire a professional photographer so that you could try to get every shot she is getting with your inferior camera. Step away with the camera. I am not a wedding photographer and I love taking pictures of beautiful parties as much as anyone but it must drive wedding photogs crazy that every and their mother has an SLR these days.

What wedding rules am I missing?

Ten on Tuesday

2012-02-21T22:07:00.000-05:00

1. I had a wonderful weekend. I took pictures of my girls and I have realized that when I am relaxed, I take pictures. Or maybe it's taking their pictures makes me relaxed and happy. Either way, it's good.

2. I am working on a new business plan for my photography business in the coming year. I have scheduled a mentoring session with an a-mazing photographer in April and I have some other exciting ideas and plans in the works. More on that later.

3. Life is getting a little bit easier as Ava is getting a little bit older. Don't worry, I am not disillusioned that it's all going to be easy peasy going forward. I have a 2 year old to keep me in check ...

(this is her throwing herself on the floor because her new shoes "didn't work" the way she wanted them to. I have no idea what that means)

4. We went shoe shopping for Addison with Crazy Betty this weekend. Somehow she ended up getting this one in shoes as well. She's a tricky one, that Betty. And she is obsessed with babies wearing shoes.

5. I have a really funny Christmas/ornament story about Crazy Betty - I need to find a photo and I'll blog it on Thursday. It's been this long since Christmas so why not wait a couple more days.

6. I went to the mall today for about 45 minutes between meetings. It was SO odd to be there with no children, not in a hurry, without a mission. I almost felt lost. (in the mall!?! Me? lost?)

7. Play-Doh is always a hit in our house. However, after Addison "cut" this guy's hair, she started trying to use the plastic scissors on my hair. Not so sure I should have introduced this game, lol

8. I realize this post is almost entirely focused on things related to my children, however, they are at all-consuming ages right now so that's par for the course.

9. Comparison is the thief of joy. Got that from Pinterest, love it!

10. I bought a new book on my Houston trip and read half of it on the airplane. It hasn't been touched since I got back. Luckily I have a couple more trips coming up in the next month so there's hope. I miss reading.

10 on Tuesday

2012-02-14T15:00:00.000-05:00

1. Did you know that you can spend $700 on a blender?!? I was not aware that a home user would ever require such a thing, but apparently there is a market for it. One major selling point in the description is that it is "fingerprint-resistent." Obsessive compulsive much?

2. As much as I abhore the $700 blender (which is currently on sale for $600), I do fully appreciate the quality of my $119 blender. Having had a cheap blender that wouldn't make proper smoothies or blend much of anything, this bad boy hasn't let me down yet.

3. Why am I even posting about blenders, you ask? I am on a smoothie kick, thanks to Pinterest and the amazing green monster smoothie I recently found (my fav new delicious lunch). I was thinking about buying a blender for my office but don't think it would be cost effective to spend $100 on a blender to save money on lunches, lol.

Source: iowagirleats.com via Jessica on Pinterest

4. Why is it that my children will not get in sync with their sleeping/waking patterns? Addison was getting up every day at 4:15 last week, not she seems to be back to normal (fingers crossed) and Ava is up between 4 am - 5 am this week. I am not a fan.

5. I haven't been blogging so I haven't let you all know that I appear to have lost my mind and accepted the position of President of the local Junior League. Although it probably appears that I have lost my mind, it has been something I have wanted to do and I am very excited about it. Praying for balance and clarity in the upcoming 2 years (I am Pres-Elect for a year, and then Pres in 2013-14).

6. Happy Valentine's Day!! Aren't my girls the cutest little cuties?!

7. I am getting ready to make some announcements and changes to my photography biz and I am excited. I will share more soon. (don't you just HATE cryptic blog and Facebook posts?!? lol)

8. I really need to start exercising again. Maybe I'll start getting up before the girls. Oh wait, they get up between 4-5 am. So maybe I just won't sleep. ever.

9. I am excited about the upcoming months. I am going to San Francisco in April and DC in May. Also going to Tallahassee for my sister's first bridal shower and possibly a photography related trip squeezed in there somewhere as well. Whew!

10. I love caffine ;)

What's on your mind today?

Babies, Babies, Everywhere!

2012-02-13T12:26:00.000-05:00

One of my favorite people in the world is having a baby in April. She came to visit this weekend (she lives in DC) and we had her baby shower at the Ritz-Carlton. She got married at the Ritz and has since, celebrated many special occasions there, so it was only fitting that her baby shower be held there too. I co-hosted with several lovely ladies and it was a special afternoon. Although the perfectionist in me wants to re-create several aspects of the afternoon (cakes should have been more "sparkly," they set the tables differently than we thought, photography looks a little yellow, etc) I think that's just me being a crazy woman and hopefully everyone went away feeling happy. I was feeling clever with my gift to the mommy-to-be. I did a little theme of "brown paper packages tied up with string, these are a few of my favorite Baby things!" And with that, I'll leave you with a couple of pictures and the song from the Sound of Music in your head ...

Where to start??

2012-02-09T21:16:00.000-05:00

Where to start when it's been over a month? I keep thinking I am done with the blog but I just hate to let it go. I have been blogging for more than 5 years and when I think about it, it has been a great chronicle of my life. So I am going to try for just a little bit longer. The Fall months were crazy busy - too much photography, combined with trying to balance work, family and life in general. Something had to give and the blog was it. I think I can work it back into my routine but we'll see. I have a lot of things on the horizon and I'm not sure where the next year is going to take me but one thing I know is that I am excited. Things going through my mind tonight ...

If you never stop saying "what if," you'll never be able to say "I did"

Stepping out of your comfort zone is scary, but it could be the greatest decision you could make.

And on a different note -

Babies grow up too fast.

Trying not to fall off of the face of the earth

2012-01-07T22:43:00.000-05:00

Well, I never mean to go away for such extended periods of time but this whole - 2 kids, working full-time, photography part-time - thing continues to kick my butt. We had a wonderful Christmas and New Year (well, I didn't do much for New Year's Eve this year, sleep was more important). Maybe I'll blog about it all in the coming weeks, maybe I won't. I have no idea what my blogging will be like and if I'll feel like recapping or just going forward. I am working in the new year to be better at keeping in touch. Better at calling, emailing, and texting. Blogging falls into that goal as well because this blog has become a way for me to keep in touch with many friends and loved ones near and far who have mentioned that they have missed my updates. I promise to try! In the meantime, I'll share something I read tonight that made me laugh and cry. It rings SO true to the whole experience of motherhood - especially when you have very young children. I can't recommend reading this enough, no matter what stage of life you may be in. Read HERE

We Wish You A Merry Christmas

2011-12-13T09:20:00.001-05:00

My aunt took a family photo for our Christmas card this year and for that, I am SO thankful! The photo shoot took a total of 15 minutes. Both girls were in a great mood and I've done enough photo shoots to know that when you've got the shot you should quit while you're ahead. No need to push everyone's limits by getting greedy, although when it comes to photos it's VERY hard for me not to want hundreds and hundreds. But we had a group shot, individual shots, and the two of them together - what more could I ask for? I definitely have plans for some enlargements of these!

Baking Extravaganza 2011

2011-12-12T22:43:00.000-05:00

We came, we baked, we conquered!

Practicing with the self timer for our group shot. You see who the hard workers were ...

Adorable aprons courtesy of our fabulous hostess Francesca :)

Favorite Things

2011-12-11T10:41:00.004-05:00

I love nice paper and stationary. I love the smell of rose water. I love Italy. Put it all together and I'd say you have an awesome gift. This week I assisted with a book signing at Saks to benefit the non-profit I work for. The author was incredibly kind and thanked me with a gift from Italy (she summers there). It's from the Santa Maria Novella pharmacy in Florence. The pharmacy is one of the oldest in the world, started in the 16th century and from the packaging, I'd say it's pretty amazing. She gave me a bag of their potpourri and a bottle of rose water. Doesn't sound like much but it is wonderful. The packaging was so pretty and fancy that I waited two days to open it - I enjoyed it so much I didn't want to mess it up. The boxes it came in were made of a fine linen paper - not your average box by any stretch of the imagination. It also came with a "menu" of products the pharmacy sells, also made of the same amazing paper. The products are also equally amazing and luxurious. This gift was a true testament of the fact that with gifts, it's all about presentation ... Now I need to plan another trip to Italy ;)

Baby Jesus Lives in a Gingerbread House

2011-12-10T21:40:00.000-05:00

According to my daughter, baby Jesus lives in a gingerbread house. Towards the end of the week, I started asking Addison if she wanted to make a gingerbread house, to which she would enthusiastically reply "Yes, for baby Jesus!"

While making this today she told me we needed to open the door for Mary. I asked her who Mary was and she replied "Jesus' mommy. Baby Jesus is going to come out of his house and he's going to be so cute!"

She's a clever one and has quite the imagination. Well, baby Jesus has yet to make an appearance in our gingerbread house but I certainly had fun making this while Addison licked all of the candy and put it back :)

My Crazy Little Elf

2011-12-05T20:56:00.000-05:00

I am torn between blogging, my to do list, and just sitting here enjoying the quiet. The babies are asleep, I am finally done with my ridiculous number of photo shoots to edit, the Christmas tree is up, I feel like I am starting to breath again. At the start of last week I was so worried I wasn't going to have time to stop and enjoy this season - much to my relief, I was wrong and this weekend was full of happy memories. Last week, work was insane to the point of me wanting to hide under my desk. We had just returned from our Thanksgiving trek to my parent's house - this road trip was much better than the summer trip, however, it still shocked me how different it is to travel with two little ones. Every time someone asked me how my "vacation" was, I wanted to roll my eyes. I had a great Thanksgiving but it wasn't a vacation. Ava's sleep schedule was waaaay off and both girls got up around 5 am each morning.

The big realization of how different life is now came during our attempt at our annual shopping day. It was somewhat of a failure, at the end of which I wondered who had kidnapped my 2 year old and replaced her with a crazed elf. My mom might tell you the trip was successful because we did purchase a lot of items but this was my version: Go to Banana Republic, Addison tells me she has to go potty. I pick her up and run halfway across the outlet mall to find a public restroom. She doesn't really have to go. Walk back across the mall in my uncomfortable boots (which I thought were comfy until I tried to run carrying a crazed elf in them). Back to the store, trade off kids. Feed Ava. Drive to other mall. Take Addison to ride the train. Go into a store and try to keep Addison from climbing all over the fitting room. Take Addison outside to play. Attempt to get her some lunch as she melts down and trys to hang upside down in my arms. Reposition her so that she can try to pull my earrings out. Give her lunch. Leave the mall and let both girls sleep on the way home (thank the Lord!!!)

And then she goes and acts all angelic while decorating the tree with her Nana. Don't be fooled, there's a crazed little elf in there somewhere and she'll pop out when you least expect it!

Giving thanks for things big and small

2011-11-24T22:06:00.001-05:00

I am definitely thankful for the many amazing blessings in my life - my amazing husband, healthy & happy girls, awesome family, a great job I love, friends who are beyond wonderful, and the list goes on. Tonight I started thinking of some of the other, sillier things, I am also thankful for.

1. Valet parking. What a wonderful thing it is! I was reminded of this when visiting a family member at the hospital a few times last week. It saved me at least 15 minutes from going all the way through the parking garage. We also used valet at Busch Gardens a couple of weeks ago. We paid double the parking fee for it but worth. every. penny. Two littles, a double stroller, and a tram are not a good combo.

2. Seat heaters. Simply awesome.

3. Mini Ugg boots. The cuteness kills me. Again, worth every penny.

4. Hunter wellington boots. And the AWESOME friend who knows me so well that she knew it would be a perfect birthday present. Somebody has been paying attention to Pinterest ;)

5. Photography. I took engagement photos for my sis this week, a family photo for my mom's card, and family/9 month photos for my bro's family - it makes me happy to be able to give the gift of photos to those I love the most. Life goes by in a blink, but hopefully I'm able to capture some moments that will be treasured in years to come.

6. Little girl's clothes that look like grown up girl's clothes. I loved smocked dresses and Lilly frocks as much as anyone, but I also love the little outfits with sassy skirts, converse, and of course, a good sweater dress.

What silly/serious things are you thankful for?

God, Guns & Guts

2011-11-21T10:18:00.000-05:00

As Dorothy would say ... "we're not in Kansas anymore!" No, we're not in Kansas, or SW Florida for that matter. We're spending the week at my parent's house in North Florida, also referred to as "The Panhandle" by a couple of my friends who love to tease me about being from up here (you know who you are). While this part of the state is home to some of the people I love the most in this world, it's also home to some very interesting people. The kind of "interesting" that politely means "crazy redneck."

Don't get me wrong, there are pockets of Southern charm and grace that many only associate with parts of Georgia, Alabama, and Tennessee. However, there are pockets of crazy redneck too. Those pockets sometimes overpower the southern charm ;) Just so you get the idea, here's a billboard we saw along the way ...

Truths

2011-11-18T08:23:00.002-05:00

I saw this on Facebook yesterday and had to laugh. (Can't find the original source to credit)

1. Sometimes I'll look at my watch 3 consecutive times and still not know what time it is.

2. Nothing sucks more than that moment during an argument when you realize you're wrong.

3. I totally take back all those times I didn't want to nap when I was younger.

4. There is great need for a sarcasm font.

5. How the hell are you supposed to fold a fitted sheet?

6. Was learning cursive really necessary?

7. Map Quest really needs to start their directions on # 5. I'm pretty sure I know how to get out of my neighborhood.

8. Obituaries would be a lot more interesting if they told you how the person died.

9. I can't remember the last time I wasn't at least kind-of tired.

10. Bad decisions make good stories.

11. You never know when it will strike, but there comes a moment at work when you know that you just aren't going to do anything productive for the rest of the day..

12. Can we all just agree to ignore whatever comes after Blue Ray? I don't want to have to restart my collection...again.

13. I'm always slightly terrified when I exit out of Word and it asks me if I want to save any changes to my ten-page technical report that I swear I did not make any changes to.

14. I keep some people's phone numbers in my phone just so I know not to answer when they call.

15. I disagree with Kay Jewelers. I would bet on any given Friday or Saturday night more kisses begin with Miller Light than Kay.

16. I wish Google Maps had an "Avoid Ghetto" routing option.

17. I have a hard time deciphering the fine line between boredom and hunger.

18. How many times is it appropriate to say "What?" before you just nod and smile because you still didn't hear or understand a word they said?

19. I love the sense of camaraderie when an entire line of cars team up to prevent a jerk from cutting in at the front.

20.Shirts get dirty. Underwear gets dirty. Pants? Pants never get dirty, and you can wear them forever.

21. Even under ideal conditions people have trouble locating their car keys in a pocket, finding their cell phone, and Pinning the Tail on the Donkey - but I'd bet everyone can find and push the snooze button from 3 feet away, in about 1.7 seconds, eyes closed, first time, every time.

22. The first testicular guard, the "Cup," was used in Hockey in 1874 and the first helmet was used in 1974. That means it only took 100 years for men to realize that their brain is also important.

All I Want For Christmas

2011-11-16T23:12:00.000-05:00

Uncommon husband and I had dinner out on Saturday night and afterwards, we took advantage of the fact we had a babysitter and did what all cool couples do on a Saturday night - we went to Target. We wanted to check out the toy section and get some Christmas ideas for Addison (we're not leaving Ava out, but she really doesn't need much at this age). The store was really empty and we ended up finding lots of entertaining items including these awesome pajamas ... Can you believe people actually buy these?!?

Then, we decided to do something crazy. We went to Wal-Mart for our semi-annual visit to the worst store on earth. Except that night, it was actually quite fun. Most of the trips I make to Wal-Mart occur in North Florida and no offense to my loved ones and friends in North Florida, but up there, Wal-Mart is a whole different place. And not in a good way. It's filled with people in camo. Who buy things like this ...

No, your eyes don't deceive you, that's a santa- in camo- holding a rifle. We are not in Sarasota anymore (except this one was!!). I'm not being snobby, my brother in law would think this santa is one of the best gifts you could give him. I know this because he posted a picture of himself on Facebook wearing a camo santa hat a few nights ago. It's not my taste but if it makes you happy, then have at it. But Wal-Mart is usually a place that irritates me to no end so I avoid it like the plague. Saturday night was different though - it was pretty empty and filled with bargains! Who knew you could buy so many quality items for $2-$5!? $85 dollars later, Uncommon Husband made me stop. He dared me to "check in" at Wal-Mart on Facebook but I refused. I may have had fun but I wasn't going to let anyone know it. (which is why I am posting this on my blog for all to read, lol)

Ten on Tuesday

2011-11-15T17:07:00.000-05:00

It is Tuesday, right? My day started a little odd so I'm feeling like I am in a time warp.

1. I have a great post scheduled for tomorrow on Christmas shopping. I could post it today but then what would I blog about tomorrow?

2. I haven't blogged in awhile. I was back, and then I wasn't, and now I am again.

3. Since I've been away, Addison became fully potty trained! It only took a few days. Yes, I am bragging a little bit but I had no idea how stressful those couple of days would be and now I kind of understand why people talk about it so much. That said, I won't be discussing it on here again. Or anywhere else in much detail - not my style.

4. My birthday was last Saturday and can I just say, what did we do before Facebook?! I was feeling the love! Thanks ;)

5. I am leaving for our annual Thanksgiving trek to my parents on Friday night. Please pray that the girls both sleep on that drive. Otherwise, I might not make it. Our 4th of July trip was a doozy, and I haven't forgotten!

6. Did I spell doozy correctly? Or is it doozie? According to my spellcheck, both are wrong.

7. I dropped my camera on the concrete on Sunday. After 2 photo shoots with toddlers. The photos are still on the memory card, the camera appears to be uninjured but I still feel nauseous every time I think about it. First of all, that sucker is like my baby. A very expensive baby. Plus, I worked my butt off for those pics of the toddlers. I was not about to re-shoot those sessions!

8. We took our family Christmas pictures on Sunday afternoon and I LOVE them! So excited to get our cards mailed, then I'll share the finished product on here with all of you.

9. After getting ready for our shoot on Sunday, I have a renewed appreciation for family photo prep. I am always on the other side of the camera and while that is stressful, hot, and insane - getting everyone fed, dressed, happy and out the door on time takes some coordination. I was frantically trying to find bows, shoes, and my own clothes.

10. I love my blog, I don't know why I keep letting it lapse! Busch Gardens pics, Christmas shopping, and Crazy Betty stories coming your way later this week!

Freebies Make Me Happy

2011-11-06T22:07:00.000-05:00

Last month, I wasn't reading or writing much as far as blogs go but I was lucky to catch a a deal that The Mom Creative posted during her 31 days of memory keeping series. She has been a fan of a site called Paper Coterie for awhile and posted many deals. I have always wanted to order one of their Memory Keepers and last month, she posted a code for a free one! Had I been blogging regularly, I would have shared this gem with all of you (sorry), but as it was, I was lucky to get mine created and ordered in time. I had Uncommon Husband create an account and order one as well (because I'm a deal seeker like that and I work the system) - I couldn't leave one of my girls out! They arrived last week and are even better than I had hoped for! They are large, book-like boxes that can be used to store keepsakes, artwork, etc. and they are not only a great size, they are so special and personalized. They will also be easy to store - now if I can just take the time to organize the little hospital bracelets, and other momentos I have been keeping. I have even ordered one for my sister in law for a Christmas present (I hope she doesn't read my blog). Check out how great these are ...

And a few pics from our happy weekend for good measure!

She's baaack! (crazy Bettye that is)

2011-11-02T07:46:00.000-04:00

Ok so not only is my blog back, Crazy Betty is too! (If you're new here, read here first)

So a lot has happened while I was on my blog hiatus, including the fact that my little sister is engaged now. Very exciting stuff and we are all in wedding planning mode. However, wedding planning brings out the crazy in Betty. She was a little over the top with my wedding, very opinionated about the "right way" (read- her way) of doing things, etc. With this wedding, it's even more magnified because she's older and has less of a filter.

So far, she's less concerned about the details being "proper" since those details are months away. She's in full-on worry mode about everything big picture. She called me within days of the engagement and said the following (with no interruption or pause):

"I just don't think I can host the bridesmaids luncheon. I know I did yours but I was younger and it was easier for me to do things like put together those little baskets and the invitations. I just can't do it. But there's no one else to do it! What will we do?! I can pay for it but I can't plan the details. You'll have to take care of the location and any details and I'll just pay the bill. We have to have favors! I just can't do it. Maybe I can. I don't know"

Never mind the fact that at that point, there wasn't even a wedding date or location set. Then, on Sunday, she says to my husband:

"You are just going to have to tell them (my sister and her fiance) that you guys can't be in the wedding. It's just too expensive and you can't afford it. Plus, you'd have to have a baby sitter. You just can't spend that kind of money right now. Where are we all going to stay?! You'll have to pay for your room too. Tell them you can't afford it."

First of all, no one has asked us to be in the wedding, or anyone to be in the wedding yet for that matter. Secondly, we absolutely can afford to go to the wedding and be a part of whatever festivities we need to be. Sure, it will be an expensive weekend but 100% worth every penny we will spend. When I told my sister in-law this story she asked me if I was offended by Betty's comments. The answer - absolutely not. Betty is a worrier to the extreme. When she doesn't have anything to worry about, she makes up something to worry about. If she has something to worry about (the wedding), but not enough details to worry about specifics yet, she just makes up specifics to worry about. And, since Betty is not privy to my bank statements (and you better believe if one were sitting on a table, she would absolutely read it! I caught her checking out an invoice from the pest control company last time she was at my house) she just assumes that we're unable to afford it. And to think, we have a whole year of wedding planning to look forward to with her :) Oh Betty!

An Alternate Version of Me

2011-11-01T08:05:00.000-04:00

I swear that having two children has turned me into an alternate version of myself. This version (which is hopefully temporary) does crazy things that I would never ordinarily do ... a few examples:

"Losing" Addison's Halloween costume - tearing the house apart, only to find it hanging in her closet. I guess I am more organized than I give myself credit for :)
Or feel like I need to apologize to the valet guy for how messy my car is. Why should I care what the valet thinks of my car?!?
Drive around in a car that has the following items in the front seat/floorboard: a feather boa, a scarf, a teething toy, an empty coke bottle, a clipboard, bank receipts and an empty (spare) purse.
Notice that my car is not starting the way it should be but not bother to deal with it until I am about 50 minutes from the start of my friend's wedding. And in that 50 minutes, I need to drive back to my house, feed Ava, get dressed, and drive to the ceremony. Apparently my battery was dying and you're not supposed to ignore those kinds of things. (I made it home and we switched cars)
Start heading to a photo shoot without my camera.

Luckily, these are just fragments of my life. In other fragments, I am able to pull off big projects at work, remember to bring cookies and snacks for Addison's class party, remember birthdays, and a variety of other tasks. But in those other moments, I can't help but wonder -who is this person and would the "real" me please stand up?

We made it! (again)

2011-10-31T08:11:00.004-04:00

October always feels like a marathon for me. Busy season at work, insane season with photography, Junior League picks back up, and trying to maintain a social life. This October was so overwhelming, at times I wanted to crawl under the covers and hide. Actually, I would have if I'd had even an extra moment to stay in bed but there's no waking up slowly in our house. We hit the ground running every day. But ... today is the last day of October and all weekend I felt a huge sense of relief. I still have a couple of photo shoots left on the calendar but much a more manageable schedule. We're attempting to do a potty training boot camp for 4 days at the end of this week but I'm not stressed about it. My birthday is this month and we have a week trip planned to visit my parents. Work is still terribly overwhelming but I have to just do what I can do and leave it there at the end of each day.

We had a wonderful weekend - one of my best friends married the love of her life, I took photos for friends (and the photos are awesome!), we played at the park, and we made ghost cookies tonight. I think it's safe to say we made it. again.

Mompetitors

2011-10-30T21:53:00.000-04:00

We made our rounds on the birthday circuit last weekend (I'm a week later posting this) and in case you don't have young children, let me tell you, it's a whole new world. Saturday's party was a circus-themed party for a sweet friend's 1 year old. We were greeted at the front door by a pupeteer playing the piano with a marionette elephant. Inside there was a buffet table with (catered) hamburgers, corn dogs, fruit kabobs, and chicken. There was a circus themed cake, animal crackers, little containors of popcorn, and cute decor everywhere. Now I thought the party was adorable, although it was a little more than I would have wanted to take on (my sweet friend was so busy being the gracious hostess, I wondered if she was able to stop and enjoy the fruits of her labor). But ... several of the mommies were wearing dresses and heels. To a 1 year old's birthday party. To chase around their toddlers! I must say, I wore one of my favorite new outfits but it consisted of skinny jeans and boots (yay for boot season again!!!) but I was not crazy enough to wear heels. The "mompetitors" (aka- uber competitive mommies) were out in full force and I was glad I had dressed Addison in an adorable new outfit and terribly impractical flats, so as not to look like a sloppy mother. She looked super cute but I must say, I have no interest in mompetitions. Another mommy tried to get into a discussion about her preschool and future elementary plans which I quickly saw going in a "my schools are better than yours" direction. There are moments I find myself being sucked in because I want to be the best mother I can be - but I don't need to get into comparing pre-schools, outfits, or how homemade (or not homemade) my baby food is to be a wonderful mother. The birthday circuit is fun, but you won't catch me near a bounce house in high heels anytime soon ;)

If I seem distracted ...

2011-10-22T22:29:00.000-04:00

If I seem distracted ... it's probably because I am. I can't believe it's been so long since I last blogged. I love blogging but something has had to give lately. It's the middle of photo shoot season. I have 2 very small children. I work full time. The little people in my house have decided 5:30 am is a reasonable time to wake up. You get the picture. (Ok, I apologize for the brief pity party, I'm all done)

I was at a birthday party this afternoon trying to catch up with a friend but found myself having a hard time keeping up with the conversation because I was also trying to keep an eye on Addison. I feel like I am only half "there" more often than not these days. Multi-tasking to the extreme is the name of the game! Life is wonderful, I have just been too busy enjoying it to write much of it down but I am going to try to change that because I just ordered blog books for my 2009 & 2010 posts and I love being able to read back through them.

But for tonight I am already exceeding my allotted bog time (I kept getting sidetracked) and I have to hurry to bed because you never know how long sleep will last around here ;)