Archives for June 2014

On having everything under control

June 13, 2014

I know what you’re thinking.

“PJ kicked off the week with an awesome post about Asa’s birth announcements and then gave us nothing for days. What happened?”

Or maybe, “PJ’s going to be talking about Growing a Small Blog at Alt Summit next week? Doesn’t she realize that the first step in increasing readership is to regularly post new content?”

Oh, wait. Those are the thoughts running through my head.

Can I be honest? This week was shitty. Life is really chaotic at the moment. So many things demand my attention, but sleep deprivation, fear, and worry make it hard to focus on any of them.

My plan was to share Asa’s (belated) three month old letter this week, as well as fashion and home decor posts, but every time I sat at my computer to write…nothing. A blank screen. I couldn’t find the words I wanted to say.

Fuck you, writer’s block.

So I tried redirecting my energy toward other projects, including my Alt Summit presentation and a big blog redesign that’s been in the works for months and is THIS close to being finished. But it’s hard to redirect energy you don’t actually have, and making decisions when your mind is murky is nearly impossible.

Even relatively easy decisions like what to wear in Salt Lake City next week have proven to be a challenge. At JB’s suggestion I tried shopping for some new clothes for Alt, but I found myself mostly wandering aimlessly through my favorite stores, unsure of what I was even looking for.

Side note: If anybody has any suggestions on what to wear when the dress code says, “Colorful Awesome (a tropical flair doesn’t hurt either),” please pass them my way. Also, do I dress for the summer heat outside or the air conditioned conference rooms inside the hotel? Gah!

I wish I could say that this weekend will be relaxing — after all, my mom will be here to help out with the boys — but there are just too many items still left on my to-do list. Time-sensitive items that require my attention. Now.

I’d like to think that the chaos will calm down after everything on my list has been checked off, but that’s not how life works. There’s always something waiting around the bend. And to-do lists are never really complete, are they?

if you have everything under control
you’re not moving fast enough
– mario andretti

Fingers crossed for a productive weekend.

(image via Caravan Shoppe)

Asa’s birth announcements (and a giveaway! – now closed)

June 9, 2014

Sometimes I wonder why new parents still bother sending out birth announcements. Between phone calls, texting, and social media, friends and family can be informed of a baby’s arrival before mom even leaves the delivery room.

But it’s tradition. Something for the scrapbook. And a way for our nearest and dearest (plus a random great aunt or two) to admire our sweet babies every time they open and close their their refrigerator doors.

Before Asa was even born, we knew we would send birth announcements via snail mail, and we knew we would order them from Minted. We even had a professional newborn photo shoot scheduled for the week after his birth.

It’s hard to admit this, but when I first saw the photos from Asa’s newborn session, I was disappointed. Not necessarily with the quality of the images, but with how I looked. And, unfortunately, with how Asa looked in many of the shots. Our photographer was able to do some additional retouching, but she couldn’t change the fact that Asa had been awake and cranky for nearly the entire shoot or that I had chosen outfits that didn’t flatter my still-mushy midsection.

Sigh. We’re our harshest critics, aren’t we?

It was only slightly easier to pick a birth announcement — but that’s because Minted offered too many beautiful options! I must have spent hours on reviewing all of our choices (so many open tabs in my browser!), using their Find it Fast™ feature try possible photos in many cards at once.

Some of our favorite birth announcements included this, this, and this, but we ultimately decided on this birth announcement because of the playful hand-drawn elements. And since I felt strongly that Levi should be included on the card somehow, we added a family photo on the back. (I’m not crazy about what my right hand is doing, but I absolutely love how Levi is inspecting his baby brother.)

As always, I had such a positive experience working with Minted and would recommend them to anybody in the market for birth announcements. That’s why I’m excited to be partnering with them for a fun giveaway: One lucky reader will win 75 Minted birth announcements!

No baby? No problem! The winner can put the monetary value of the prize towards anything on Minted’s website.

To enter, simply follow the Rafflecopter prompts in the box below. This giveaway will close on Thursday night, and the winner will be notified on Friday. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

PS – Levi’s newborn photos (unlike Asa, he slept nearly the entire time and gave us lots of gassy smiles!), and my top 10 newborn essentials.

Ways to celebrate National Donut Day

June 5, 2014

JB and I are donut people. Actually, we’re coffee and donut people. It wouldn’t be unreasonable to say that one of our most exciting days in the past year was when Dunkin’ Donuts finally opened in Omaha.

Like any good parents, JB and I are passing our love of donuts down to our children. When I told Levi on Tuesday that we were going to celebrate his first accident-free day at preschool by doing something special (he just started wearing big boy undies this week), he responded, “Are we getting a donut?” In fact, my plan was to take him to Target to pick up new safety scissors (green, please) and colorful construction paper.

The next day, when he was accident-free again, I treated him to a glazed blueberry donut from Dunkin’ Donuts. Because I’m an awesome mom.

Did you know that tomorrow is National Donut Day? The easiest way to celebrate, of course, is to indulge in a some sweet doughy goodness at your local bakery or coffee shop. Several national chains are even offering free donuts: Dunkin’ Donuts and Tim Hortons are both giving away a free donut with any purchase. No purchase is necessary to get your hands on a hot Krispy Kreme donut–or doughnut, as they spell it.

But if you have some extra time on your hands, here are some delicious donut recipes and creative donut-inspired projects perfect for celebrating National Donut Day:

Donut macarons from The House That Lars Built

DIY donut balloons from Studio DIY

Ombre and color blocked donuts from Paper & Stitch

DIY donut pillow from A Beautiful Mess

Baked Funfetti donuts from Sally’s Baking Addiction

Donut printables from Oh Happy Day

Baked red velvet donuts from Sarah Hearts

If you’re looking for me tomorrow, I’ll be waiting in the drive-thru line at either Dunkin’ Donuts or Krispy Kreme. Or both. Because, like I said, I’m an awesome mom.

PS – More donut recipes!

(image via Stephanie Sterjovski)

Growing a small blog (#growingasmallblog)

June 4, 2014

In two weeks from today, Alt Summit will be kicking off its first summer event in Salt Lake City.

And in two weeks from tomorrow, I’ll be taking the stage (erm, podium) at Alt Summit with four of my blogging gal pals.

Public speaking. Eek!

Melissa, Tan, Ciera, Mariah, and I will be talking about Growing a Small Blog, a panel idea we pitched to Alt Summit back in early March. We’ll be discussing all the ways that new bloggers can grow their readership, including tips and tricks we’ve learned from our personal experiences. Since none of us are big-name bloggers (yet!), we hope that our success stories inspire other bloggers just starting out.

As we put the finishing touches on our presentation, we’d love to know what specific questions you have about growing a small blog. Tweet us with the hashtag #growingasmallblog, and we’ll be sure to answer your question during our panel.

And if you’ll be attending Alt SLC in two weeks, leave a comment below — I’d love to meet you!

PS – A downloadable pre-event checklist to prepare for networking at Alt.

What breed of dog do you have?

June 2, 2014

A few weeks ago, my dad emailed me a link to a New York Times article about the new — and slightly ridiculous — products available to cultivate “intelligence, manners, and communication skills” in our pets. The piece touched upon everything from an interactive feeding product to an electronic activity monitor to smartphone apps for dogs.

The writer tested many of these products on his own pet, including a doggie DNA test that, according to the company, can “help you understand your dog’s unique appearance, behaviors and wellness needs.” You can then customize your mixed-breed dog’s training, exercise, and nutrition programs based on his genetic background.

At the very least, you can learn that the mixed-breed Maltipoo you rescued from the Nebraska Humane Society is actually a purebred Bichon Frise.

Here’s what happened…

Five-and-a-half years ago, I stumbled upon a four-month-old male Maltipoo puppy available for adoption from the Humane Society, and we brought him home that night. He was somewhat of an impulse purchase; we knew we wanted to get a dog soonish but weren’t actively looking.

While we were playing with him in a meet-and-greet room, JB and I questioned whether it was a good idea to bring him home. We still had two weeks left in our apartment before we were moving into our new house, and the building wasn’t exactly “pet friendly.” But when the Humane Society volunteered told us that there were three other couples waiting to meet him after us, we simultaneously replied that we wanted him.

We named our small white puppy Briscoe after Law & Order’s Detective Lennie Briscoe, who was played by one of my favorites, Jerry Orbach. I actually lived in the same New York City apartment building as Jerry and would occasionally see him in the elevator and the lobby. It was back in 2004 that I decided I’d name my future dog after his L&O character.

For nearly five years, we told people that Briscoe was part-Maltese, part-Poodle — and for nearly five years, people commented that he looked a lot like a Bichon Frise. Even his groomer thought he looked more Bichon than Maltese! But I grew up with a Bichon Frise, and Briscoe is much taller and lankier than my childhood dog, Timmy. Of course, my dog was the runt of his litter.

Then at one of Briscoe’s recent grooming appointments, I noticed he looked nearly identical to two other dogs getting haircuts — both Bichons. From afar, I even thought one of them was Briscoe!

So when JB saw that a doggie DNA kit was deeply discounted on Fab, we decided to find out definitively what breed of dog Briscoe is. We swabbed his cheek, mailed in the sample, and waited for an email with the results.

I was sure we were going to learn that his genetic background was Poodle and Bichon. So you can imagine our surprise when his family tree showed him to be a purebred Bichon Frise.

And to think what we COULD have paid for Briscoe if we had gotten him from a breeder instead of the Humane Society!

What type of dog do you have? If you own a mixed breed, would you ever perform a doggie DNA test on him or her?

(Photos were taken on April 26, 2014 at Bark in the Park, an annual fundraising event for Omaha’s dog parks.)