Another Favorite Pink??

I blogged about Zoya Nail Polish last weekend (here is the post in case you missed it:  Zoya Nail Polish Special Edition.)  I love love love pink.  And now, I love love love the color in the special edition.  It is called Belle (by Capital Hill Style).  Belle is the perfect blend of pink and sparkles and sheerness (is that even a word?).  I love it.  Well, I painted my nails Sunday night.  I was bored.  I had my white crackle nail polish with me.  I decided to try something different and it was an epic fail.  I saw somewhere to use a paper clip to add detail to the nail.  I only had a thick paperclip with me, but I didn't think that would matter.  Apparently, it does.  I used the paperclip to add "dots" to my nails with the white nail polish. 

It didn't turn out well.  The paperclip was too large.  I wish I had a tooth pick and a design in mind.  My plan was to add dots just on the tips of my nails.  I had to fix it. I couldn't go to a training for work the next day with a weird nail design.  BUT I didn't have nail polish remover.  So, I added a coat of crackle nail polish.  What do you think?  I have received a few compliments from co-attendees of the training.

AND it just so happens to match my purse!  I'm really not that coordinated.  No one here needs to know though.  Happy Wednesday!!

Distractions.

I. Dislike. Hate. Distractions.  Jason can validate that statement.  I can't stand anything that distracts me.  It's like the people in the back of a movie theatre whispering loud enough to hear them, but not understand them. (Nat - remember that? Ugh.)  In a training environment, the person who is constantly clicking their pen or chewing potato chips during a presentation - drive me crazy.  Yesterday, two guys behind kept talking during the presentations.  And one of them constantly clicked a pen.  Imagine how awesome it was when I found out the training facility rearranges the assigned seating!  Woo hoo!!  I loved it.  I couldn't wait for this morning.  The training facility states it increases networking, blah, blah, blah - I say it saves my sanity. 

Everyone but three people were moved from my table. I was one of the individuals not moved.  The pen clicker was not moved.  The loud whisperer was not moved.  My freakin' luck.  Better luck tomorrow.

Traveling for work isn't that great.  I enjoy the peace and quiet, but yet I crave noise.  The television is always on in my hotel room.  However, I can't watch my normal t.v. as I'm not current on my episodes.  My DVR is a little backlogged.  So, I always put on USA.  And I watch Law & Order: SVU.  I love it.  I went away last year for two weeks.  It just so happened there was an SVU marathon on the weekend between the two weeks.  Outstanding.  Nothing is different this time around.  USA is on right now with SVU. 

What's in Your Purse?

I left today for a work training.  I'm gone all week.  Sunday through Friday.  Kinda sucks, kinda okay.  I miss my boys and hubby.  On the way here, I panicked a little when I thought I was on the wrong road.  But then I saw a bunch of Virginia tags, so I figured I must be going in the right direction.  My company credit card has been giving me troubles since yesterday morning.  It wouldn't work when I picked up rental nor did it work when I had to fill up the rental gas tank.  How do you pick up a rental with only a 1/4 tank of gas, by the way?  Good news is that I only need to bring it back with 1/4 tank, but still. 
Anyway, on the way here, I kept hearing a dinging noise.  After a while, I realized what was dinging.  It wanted the seat belt on the passenger seat to be buckled!
I laughed.  It reminded me of the "What's in Your Purse?" series over at Kate at The Small Things Blog.  (Kate has an awesome blog with lots of hair tutorials!)  My purse is so heavy my rental wants it to put on a seat belt!!  ha ha!  Do you think it's time to clean it out??  :-)

Happy Mother's Day!!

Happy Mother's Day!!  I love celebrating mothers.  I have a few great mothers in my life.  I love hosting parties and holidays.  I love having company.  Luckily, so does Jason. 

Take One:

Take Two:

Take Three:

Anyway, mother's day is a holiday I can dress up.  I can make it my own, but I can't this year.  This year, I have to leave for travel.  I didn't realize when I booked my training for work I would be leaving on mother's day.  Darn it.  Oh well...I was dreading it until...

THIS BECAME THE BEST MOTHER'S DAY EVER!!  I consider myself a pretty creative person.  And I love getting home-made gifts.  Handprints/footprints are my favorite.  I always bug Jason to do something crafty with the boys instead of buying or getting me something.  He always tries - things just never go his way it seems.  He got in luck this year - the school helped him!!!  Each boy did something different.  I love each of their gifts so much!!

Colton:
Colton's teacher painted a flower pot pink and put his thumb print all over the base.  She then made the thumb prints into little lady bugs!  It says:  Colton Mother's Day 2012.  I love it!!

Tyler:
Tyler picked out a color and painted a vase.  He picked out one of my favorite colors!!  I love pink!!  He did such a great job!  It says:  Happy Mother's Day 2012 Love, Tyler.  I love it!!

Andrew:
Andrew made a jewelry box with ladybug fingerprints!  I love it!!  He is so proud of it!  I can't wait to start using it!

From all the boys:
Jason got a necklace with each boy initial.  Their birthday is on each initial.  I didn't get a close up of it, but I'm wearing it in all the pictures.

Zoya Nail Polish: Special Edition

I introduced you to Birchbox the other day.  Birchbox has the best points program.  For every product I review, I receive 10 points.  For every 100 points earned, I receive $10.  The points expire one year from earned date.  The money can be used towards products AND SHIPPING!!!!!  I had $20 in credits and wanted to get something.  Believe it or not, there are tons of products under $20.  BUT the item I had my eye on was a Zoya Nail Polish: Special Blogger Edition.  The colors in the pack are orange, pink, and pinky-reddish.  Pink and reds are my favorite.  I wasn't too fond of the orange.  I had the credit, so I decided what the heck.  I spent $2 for the collection since the polishs were free shipping this month. 

I received the collection later part of last week.  I tried out a Sally Hanson nail art thingy, so I didn't want to change it up yet.  I finally let Andrew pick out the color I try first.  I should have known what he would choose - the ORANGE!!  I love the way the nail polish went on my nails, but did not like how many coats I needed for it to be noticable.  However, it is considered to be a jelly nail polish.  Anyway, I'm excited to try out the other colors within the next week!

Did I mention the day I painted my nails orange happens to be the day the Baltimore Orioles won?  :)

Worst. Feeling. EVER.

If there was an award for the most horrible mom - I WOULD BE THE WINNER!!  I was feeling really good today, too.  Received my most awesome mug today from the mug swap (post to be continued...) and it was just awesome!!  The family and I went to support the boys school at Chuck E. Cheese.  Surprisingly, the food was not that bad.  Pizza was alright okay.  Salad bar was actually pretty good.  It is comparable to a Pizza Hut salad (yes, I'm comparing a Pizza Hut salad to a Chuck E. Cheese salad).  Everything seemed fresh and it was clean.  I was impressed.  Anyway, everyone had a good time until we get home.  I'm getting the boys ready to bed.  Taking their blankets out of their school bag and I realize...

UH OH...WHERE IS TYLER'S STUFF??  UH OH.  JAAAASSSSOOOONNNNNN!!!  Oh no!!!!!

Yep - that's right, I left my 2 year old favorite blanket and two three stuffed animals at school.  The stuffed animals are his "ah-ah" (a little blue bean bag monkey which we've tried to get a spare of and it's like $60 or something crazy online) and 2 "boots" (ya know - boots from Dora).  He has a regular Boots which I'm not even sure where he got it from and a baby boots.  Tyler has a thing for monkeys.  hm...that might be a good theme for his 3rd birthday party in November - a jungle.  hmm...that might work.

So, I'm the worst mom cause I left them at school.  Ya see, I got distracted.  Each boy made a Mother's Day gift for me.  Tyler's was the first I saw.  And yes, I cried.  (surprise, surprise)  So, I grabbed it and ran outside to hug his teachers thank you.   I came back in and got Colton where I got another Mother's Day gift.  And teared up again.  (Andrew gave me his earlier in the day, but his teacher cleverly wrapped it, so I won't get it until Mother's Day)  I will be posting pictures later of the actual gifts.  I love them!!!! 

The worse feeling EVER is realizing you left your son's security blanket and snugly animals at school.  I still can't believe I left them....  :( 

Birchbox!!!

I love the beginning of the month.  I also dislike the beginning of the month.  Majority of our bills are due in the beginning of the month.  BUT, I also get a nice treat in the beginning of the month:  Birchbox.  I love it!!  The Birchbox website states:  "Birchbox is the best way to discover new grooming, beauty and lifestyle products. Sample top products from high-end brands, get expert advice, buy new favorites and earn points with every purchase". 

It all started when I found out my third was a boy.  I wanted a girl so bad!!  I couldn't wait to do all the girly things with my daughter.  But as luck would have it, I had the most precious little baby boy.  Colton is the most amazing little boy EVER and I would not change him for anything.  I am 98% sure Jason and I are done having kids.  I knew I needed to keep the "girly" in me so I promised myself I would keep up with my hair/nails and stay abreast of all the girly things in life.  So hard to do with 3 little boys and a husband!!  Then I found Birchbox.

I've received a few nail polishes, face wash, lotions/creams, make-up, hair products, and even accessories!  I will start posting every month a picture of each of the items and a review later in the month once I've had a chance to try them. 

May Birchbox:

Presentation is everything!!  Birchbox really has that down!  I usually hope for make-up or hair stuff.  I tend to not like the higher priced face wash.  I don't mind lotions.   The extra this month was the XOXO post card.  It's cute.  I'm not sure when I'll use it though.  I'll have to get creative. 

From left to right:  Ojon Volumizing Shampoo, Color Club Nail Polish in Disco Nap, Algenist Eye Renewal Balm, and Dr. Jart face cream.


Birchbox always provides a brief description with price for full size bottle.  I always go right for the price - is that wrong?  For example, the eye cream is $65 for a full size.  I completed a survey in the beginning explaining I don't spend a lot of money on make-up, hair stuff...  Even if I liked the product, the chances of me purchasing the product are slim.  I made the mistake of not looking on the website to see how to use the product a few months ago.  So, I'll be researching that tomorrow!  :)

Product I'm most looking towards trying: THE NAIL POLISH!!  I'm siked.  I love nail polish.  I've started a collection.  Okay - who cares if my collection only has 5?  Everyone has to start somewhere, right??  Because of Birchbox, I actually started using Zoya nail polish most of the time.  I like the colors and the easy way the nail polish glides on my nails. 

Product I'm least looking towards trying: face cream.  I've never been a big face cream person.  Apparently, this cream is a 4 in 1.  It is a moisturizer, serum, sunscreen, and skin-perfecting tint.  Do you know what else is a 4 in 1?  My son's crib.  Or maybe it's a 3 in 1.  Either way, I'm not so sure of products boasting about having multiple benefits.

Happy Birthday, Mom!

 

I find myself wondering...
Did I give you your due..
For all that you've done for me
Did I ever thank you?

For all of my childhood memories
For helping me deal with life's stresses
For helping me accept my defeats
And celebrate my successes?

Or for teaching me the value of hard work,
Good judgement, courage, and being true
The laughter, smiles, and quiet times we've shared
Did I ever thank you?

If I have forgotten, I'm thanking you now
You taught me right from wrong....
I hope you know how much you're loved and appreciated
I hope you, instinctively, knew all along.

Happy Birthday Mom (Mum)!!

Teacher Appreciation Day!

It was Teacher Appreciation Day at the boys school the other day.  I had so many things I wanted to do, but I ended up not doing any of them!!!  I just couldn't get the "supplies" I needed in time.  So, I opted to do the following...
-Made four banners (that's right, FOUR banners! one for each boys classroom and then one for the main hallway).

The banners for the boys classrooms were all different colors and only said thanks.  I used my cricut to cut the letters.  I wanted to go with more of a color scheme in the main hallway.  Black and white always looks good, but I didn't have enough black sheets.  I thought of their main colors and decided red and blue letters would look good.  I think my favorite is the blue as it looks like it stands out more.  The night before I went searching for something else to add to the banner.  I wasn't sure if I wanted to cut something else out; finally, deciding on the ribbons.  I think it turned out great!!!

-The parents committee decided on a "dessert lotto".  This is where parents would bring in a treat for the teachers.  The teachers would then choose a number and choose a dessert based on their number.  I think it went over well.  We had a great turn-out of desserts. 

I really think my banner and "other project" really made the table stand out! 














-And finally - THE PENCIL VASE!!  I got the bendable flower from the dollar tree a while ago.  I knew I wanted to use them for something, but just didn't know the exact project.  I saw the pencil case a while ago on a blog - can't remember the exact source at this time.  So I decided to make it my own. 
**I made this craft before thinking about documenting it step-by-step.

Supplies:

-empty toilet paper roll
-bendable flower
-20 pencils
-hot glue gun
-hot glue sticks
-ribbons (optional)
-gift tag (optional)

Make sure all toilet paper is off roll before starting project.  Make one line of hot glue on the roll and place a pencil on it.  Add another line of hot glue above the first pencil and place another pencil on it.  Continue putting hot glue and pencils until complete.  It took me 20 pencils per roll.  I added a cute ribbon and a tag (made with my cricut).  On one side of the tag it said who it was for.  The other side said:  Thanks for helping me bloom!  -Andrew, Tyler, Or Colton.  I made a total of 12.  It was a little crazy, but I think they liked it.  Don't forget about your "lunch lady"!  I'm sure there is an official, more political term, but I can't think of it right now.  Mrs. Cindy who handles the food at my boys school does an amazing job.  I think she does more work than most people realize.  I like to thank everyone!!  :-)

Team Pictures

Andrew had team pictures last Saturday and his second game.  It. was. freezing.  I thought it was spring?!  Today was not spring weather at all.  I want warmer weather, please.
At first, we couldn't find where the team photos were taking place.  Lack of communication...The pictures were probably ruined though.  Their team mom was in the picture (YUCK!!).  I'm hoping I didn't completely ruin the pictures.  

I posted our banner behind home plate.  It looked awesome!!  I'm still proud of it!  What am I going to do if all three of my boys wants to do sports?  I was thinking maybe two of them will be on the same team every year (with my middle rotating years between Andrew and Colton).  I wonder how other parents handle multiple teams.  I still have two years before Tyler can join, but I like to plan ahead.  AND I probably wouldn't be able to do more than one team mom at a time.  I guess - we'll see.

Opening Day!

Opening Day 2012!!  What a blast!!

Andrew is currently participating in T-Ball through the local rec council.  He LOVES it!  I love how fast boys make friends.  We were not even at the first practice for more than 5 minutes and he meets his "best friend".  I volunteered to be the team mom even though I wasn't sure what the role entailed.  I asked around and got the following similar answers:
-make drink/snack schedule for practice and games.
-take pictures.
-help coach with any paperwork (picture papers, fundraiser)
-help organize kids.
-make t-ball banner.
-organize end-of-season party.
I did the schedule right away - that was easy.  I love taking pictures and Jason got me a fancy camera for Christmas, so that was good.  I'm detailed-oriented and don't mind paperwork (as long as I have it under control!).  I think I'm fairly good with kids and I love planning parties.  I was only worried about the stinkin' banner.  What the heck am I going to do??  I did what any other mom would do - I googled and pinterest'd it.  I only got ONE good hit.  Disappointing to say the least...but the banner was good and it gave me a starting point.  I couldn't believe there were no other blogs discussing banners for baseball which I could find!  I thought opening day was the most important part of baseball!?!?! 
So I wanted to do a paper banner for the 4, 5, and 6 year olds to display.  I had a couple of great decorating ideas in mind.  But the paper banner was quickly nixed by a teacher at boys school.  She said "do you think the paper banner would hold up with a bunch of 4, 5, and 6 year olds all trying to hold it?".  Good Point, Mrs. Laura!  I went to Joann's and gathered my materials.
I grabbed a yard of red felt, a couple sheets of black, grey, and white felt (the stiffer felt), a package of dimensional fabric paint, and 3 yards of baseball ribbon.  I followed the directions for cutting and sewing the banner from my ONE good hit.  Then I used my cricut and cut out the team name:  Muckdogs.  I chose to cut the name twice - once in black and once in grey to match the logo.  The cricut also cut the bat and baseballs.  I drew "laces" on the baseballs.  My advice - don't worry about the laces matching.  No one will notice.  Don't use a pencil to draw it first - just do it!  It took the longest to figure out the positioning of everything.  It just had to be perfect!  I used spray adhesive to glue everything down just to find everything coming off the next day.  I ended up using hot glue and it worked good.  Their names are around the outside of the banner with their number on the inside.  The kids were very proud carrying their homemade banner on opening day!!

Opening Day was a blast!  The Rec Council did an amazing job.  There were games, food/drinks, music, and even bouncy houses!

Maybe I'll start documenting step-by-step instructions in future crafts...

I leave you with some brotherly love...