Archives for April 2013

Date night at the movies + best of the rest

April 5, 2013

It’s been a busy, busy week in the best of ways — spending time with family. We started the week hosting JB’s mom in our guest room, and on Wednesday, she turned over the room to my parents, who will be visiting through the weekend. Because we wanted to take both of our parents to our favorite steakhouse in Omaha, The Drover, JB and I will be eating red meat twice in one week. Oh well, I say. Bring on the whiskey filet!

My parents offered to babysit Levi tomorrow night so that JB and I can go on a date. A proper date! Since I’ll likely still be stuffed from my steak dinner tonight, I’m thinking JB and I should have a date night at the movies. The last big movie premiere I remember hearing about was “Oz: The Great and Powerful.” Did anybody see that? Was it good? Actually, the cheap movie theater is playing a few movies I think I’m more interested in watching: “Argo,” “Lincoln,” “Warm Bodies” (the zombie movie), and “Les Miserables.” However, it’s a small cinema without stadium seating, and the acoustics for Les Mis may actually be better in our living room. Something to consider when making our decision…

Here’s what we chatted about on the blog this week:

Jewish kids and Easter egg hunts

What is a weekend?

A new hairstyle for spring

Cabin getaways

And here’s the best of the rest:

Mouth-watering Monkey Bread recipe from Better Homes & Gardens

Tan from the blog Squirrelly Minds (great name!) had a long distance blog date with Joy of Frock Files — what a brilliant idea!

Mariah shared her productivity tips on Ciera Design

Mid-century modern architecture and children don’t mix (via Donuts, Dresses and Dirt)

Ugly is the new pretty? Tell the truth, would you post an #uglyselfie?

Boy or girl? Courtney will be making the big baby reveal today!

And speaking of babies, congratulations to Emily, who gave birth to beautiful Benjamin Howard on April Fools’ Day (no joke!)

Have a wonderful, relaxing weekend!

{image source}

Cabin fever

April 4, 2013

Life has been crazy busy these past couple of months, and lately I’ve been dreaming of a cabin getwaway. I have cabin fever, although really I’m wired and anxious rather than restless or bored. My definition of cabin fever is simliar to ‘baby fever,’ but instead of feeling a strong desire to have a baby, I desperately want to escape to a quiet retreat.

My ideal getaway would be some place without internet access where I can unwind and unplug without being tempted to check email, Twitter, or Facebook. Doesn’t the idea of disconnecting from the demands and distractions of everyday life seem blissful? I’m embarrassed to admit that I’ve been finding it increasingly difficult to put down my iPhone and to be present in the moment. Most of the time I’m not even checking anything specific; I’m just constantly curious about what’s happening in my online world.

Plus, JB and I have been go-go-going since the beginning of the year. It feels like just yesterday I was throwing my sister a New York City baby shower and attending Alt Summit in Salt Lake City when really those two events took place in January! In addition to traveling, we’ve been busy at home hosting out-of-town guests and juggling responsibilities while JB works on his Master’s degree. I swear, I don’t know how the boy has it in him to pull all-nighters every couple of weeks — and still manage to get good grades!

We do have a vacation planned for next month (more about that next week!), but it’s likely not going to be as relaxing as we hope. (It never really is with kids, is it?) In the meantime, I’ll scroll through the images on Cabin Porn and take a mental vacation to a cabin in the woods.

{images via Cabin Porn}

Shorter Hair for Spring

April 3, 2013

If I were to bump into friends I made at Alt Summit this past January, the first thing they might notice is that I changed my hairstyle. The long hair I wore in Salt Lake City (and while posing with this friendly taxidermy bear) has been replaced with a shoulder-length ‘do, a slightly longer version of the Karlie or the Chop.

I wasn’t trying to make a fashion statement by cutting my hair shorter. In fact, I was partial to having an abundance of hair; I could wear it down, braid it, or twist it up in a blogger’s top knot. However, I was unhappy with the long face-framing layers that my hairstylist had cut into my hair (without asking me first!) at my last appointment. The style looked very 1990s to me, like Jennifer Aniston‘s hair as she grew out “The Rachel.”

After studying my hair, my new stylist determined that only way to minimize the severity of the face-framing layers was to lose some of the length. Desperate for a more modern look, I let him go scissor-happy — and I’m so glad that I did. Although I can’t fashion a blogger’s bun anymore, my hair finally has a style to it. (FYI, “long” is not a style.) It feels lighter, takes less time to blow dry, and had garnered more compliments than my previous hairstyle (or lack thereof).

And it appears I’m not the only one choosing shorter hair for spring. A number of bloggers like Julia and Emily have also chopped their long locks into shoulder-length bobs. Even E!’s Giuliana Rancic decided to (finally) ditch her hair extensions for a more sophisticated blunt cut this season.

What do you think of spring’s shorter hairstyles? Are you inspired by Karlie Kloss to make “the chop” or are you still partial to long hair? How do you currently wear your hair?

PS: The time I got bangs like Bella Heathcote to conceal my postpartum hair loss.

UPDATED: In the past week, even more bloggers went short, including Mara from M Loves M.

Desktop Designs: Wallpaper for your Devices

April 2, 2013

“What is a weekend?”

This month’s desktop wallpaper designed by Mariah from Oh, What Love Studios was inspired by a line from the Dowager Countess on “Downton Abbey.” When Maggie Smith’s character uttered those brilliant words, her question immediately resonated with me. What is a weekend? Is it a time to slow down from the hectic nature of the work-week or an opportunity to cross off as many items as possible from your to-do list?

JB and I have always been expert dawdlers, and when it was just the two of us, we gave ourselves permission to move at a turtle’s pace on Saturdays and Sundays. It wasn’t uncommon for us to still be in our pajamas midday (or later!) if we didn’t have anything on the calendar. Why get dressed if you have no place to go?

Plus, weekends were our chance to recover from the demands of the previous five days. Like most working adults, Saturday could never come quickly enough.

Then Levi was born, and as any new parent can attest, it’s hard to relax when there’s a baby in the house — no matter the day of the week. Infants on three-hour sleep/feed/play schedules leave little time for their parents (especially breastfeeding moms) to take a breather, and toddlers require near-constant supervision. If you’re lucky, your one-and-a-half year old will nap for two hours or longer, but then you have to choose between putting up your feet or being productive.

Before Levi began attending Montessori for three hours each morning, when we were on the same schedule seven days a week, I frequently lost track of time. Mondays felt like Thursdays, and Thursdays felt like Sundays. The only way to differentiate between days was by what was on primetime TV.

Now there is a clearer distinction between the work week and weekends: Levi is home all day. And I know this sounds awful, but I don’t look forward to Saturdays and Sundays in the same way I became a mom. They are no longer days dedicated to relaxation and slowing down; if anything, they are crazier than weekdays because I don’t have mornings to myself like I do when he is at Montessori.

In addition, lounging around the house in our pajamas until lunchtime is now a source of stress instead of enjoyment. I feel guilty if I’m not providing Levi with structured activities all day long, like engaging him during playtime or getting him out of the house for fresh air and early morning errands. (Too bad we’re not morning people!) What I’d really like to do, however, plop him in front of the TV for an hour (or longer…) while I sprawl on the couch to read a book or magazine.

Gone are the days of lazy weekends…

How have your weekends changed now that you are a parent? Is it OK to be lazy every once in a while? Do you allow your child to watch a little bit more TV than usual or to wear his pajamas all day long on the weekend? Where do you draw the line between relaxation and dawdling?

Download this month’s desktop wallpaper here!

1920 x 1080 / 1600 x 1200 / 1440 x 900 / iPad / iPhone 4 / iPhone 5

PS: A Downton Abbey-inspired tote bag!

PPS: If you like what you see, please leave a comment below!

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