Showing posts with label life with a toddler. Show all posts
Showing posts with label life with a toddler. Show all posts

my latest obsession....

If you follow me on Instagram, you've probably noticed a ridiculous amount of scripting posts. I have taken up this movement on 'hand lettering'.

And I'm pretty obsessed.

It has been such a relaxing outlet, and it has allowed me to really put to memory scripture in the Bible!

Here are some of my recent attempts ;)





And perhaps my favorite one....

A photo posted by nicole brinson (@fashionablyniki) on

where i've been, where i'm going

Holy smokes! I had no idea it had been over TWO months since my last post. Life in our household has been crazy to say the least!
In June & July we went on several trips:
Las Vegas

I can not believe that I have a 2 year old that has now been to Vegas THREE times. Insane.

Orlando (for my annual Stella & Dot convention!)
more on this to come, but I promoted within the company & got this cute bracelet!



San Francisco

bumped into Derek Hough & he insisted on taking a selfie


the Nordstrom Rack in Fremont (outside of SF) is always such a treasure hunt! 
Scored some great stuff, like Sperry's for BittyBeau for only $9.97!!
#HOLLA

Once we got back to reality it was time to honor this pretty lady & her growing bump, with a baby shower!

Our due dates are 10 days apart!


Of course I had to do a diaper cake - attempted the stroller this time

So that brings us to the present....I'm still chugging along with this baby bump. 34 weeks!!! And I have still been doing my Stella & Dot trunk shows. Had 2 this past week, and my last one will be September 12th before I take a break to prep for baby #2's arrival. Just another perk to this business....I can flex in & out to suit my life. I plan on doing more virtual shows over my leave, and then I'll resume in home shows at the end of October. I can't stay away too long ;) it's too much fun!

I did go ahead & sign up for this beast....

Just the 10K though! Once baby #2 is here, I'll resume my workout & training posts :)

So that was a super brief catch up on the past 2 months. Lots in store for the remainder of the year!!!

new year, new you, new me

I love that every year is the chance to start a new 365 page book (with the occasional extra page thrown in every 4 years).

While this post is on the 14th of the month - not the first - I'd still like to take the time to relish in the fact that it is a NEW year.

We rung in the New Year with our 'chosen family' - a term we so lovingly use to refer to our friends. A night of pajamas & games & babies. Gone are the years of those glamorous New Year's Eve events.....

Wait. When did that ever happen???

So to make it official, I'm sharing with YOU my 10 goals for the year....

1. A monthly date night with my MattyB
2. A promotion with my company (I've been thisclose for 6 months....it's going to happen!)
3. De-cluttering my house - - why on earth do we have 6 suitcases when we really only ever use 2???
4. Standing up for myself & my family of 3 - if you are poison to us, sorry but you're "outta here"
5. Potty training Mr. Beau.....ugh, kinda dreading this one!
6. Praying MORE - my first step was getting this book - I'm ashamed to admit my prayer life is lacking
7. Ridding my house of processed food - - MattyB & I did this back in 2011 & it was amazing. Between then & now, we of course have backslidden & now it's time to crack the whip!
8. Saying 'no' to more of the things that really don't matter, and 'yes' to more of the things that do! (Amen?)
9. Getting happy & positive - such a weird one, I know, but am I the only one that finds that it takes a million nice things/compliments to elicit happiness and one negative person/comment to steal all the joy?
10. Running again. I miss it. I miss the medals. It's time.

Have a tip? Word of encouragement? Want to share yours??
Please leave a comment & do so!
Happy New Year! Make it your BEST yet!!!
xo


the big 3 oh

Today is the day I turn 30. Yikes!

When did this happen? Am I now 'officially' an adult? Part of me still feels like that scared, shy 16 year old. 

Regardless, here's 30 reasons why I think my thirties will totally trump my twenties.....

1. No more school - as much as I LOVED learning (yes, totally a nerd over here) - I detested the whole process. Absolutely, an unnecessary stress. 

2. I am in better shape than I was in my twenties....with the exception of age 20, 25, & 28. 

3. I am married to the love of my life - no more of the Rachel & Ross saga!



4. Carrying over the 'marriage' thing - we are past the first 5 years of marriage! (That first year was awful!)

5. The fear of childbirth has been overcome! Now it's on to the "forgetting" part. 

6. Did I mention I have the cutest toddler ever? :)  




7. I have a job I like, that pays the bills, & allows me to work from home. 


9. I get to work from home to spend time with this little man. 

10. We no longer have a dog. Sorry, sounds heartless, but that dog was a ton more work than a child. It's okay for you to not to agree

11. I've learned the importance of TRUE relationships....the ones where it's a 2 way street, you give & take, they give & take....and it's heartfelt. 

12. I've learned how some people will just not like you - they feel justified in their mind - and that's okay....but I've learned the importance of standing up for myself & not allowing them to treat me like dirt. 

13. Shorter hair is MUCH better for me.

14. Realizing that all those non-existent spring breaks or summer vacations were worth my while. 


15. I take more pictures. Instagram & Drop Box are my must haves!!! 

16. I spend much more time in growing my relationship with Christ. (Check out Beth Moore if you're looking for some amazing studies!!!)

17. Finding that amazing mascara that is only $7.99 a tube versus the $25 / $30 per tube price I was paying! 

18. I have some awesome friendships.

19. It's now totally "okay" for me to be in bed by 9pm. I'm old, right!?!?!


20. I understand the whole "leading by example" thing.

21. I've learned that "comparison is the thief of joy"

22. This will be the decade that I finally compete in a race farther than a 5K (that virtual 10K I competed in doesn't count)


23. It's now socially acceptable for me to go to Target in yoga pants, a ball cap, and not a stitch of makeup on, with my toddler in tow. 

24. I'm thismuch closer to retiring. 

25. This will be the decade that I get to travel to Hawaii (if I say it, I have to do it, right!?)

26. I no longer have to pretend that I like shopping at Forever 21....or H&M. Sorry, but I don't. 

27. I'm heading in to this decade with more confidence than I have ever possessed before. (Not in a "conceited" or "I'm better than you, mentality"....but in a "I know who I am" mindset.)

28. I've realized how important my parents are to me, and how blessed I am that their marriage has survived all these years.

29. My perspective on life & what's important is more where it should be....and my focus isn't glued to stressing over things I can not change.

30. While I am not wanting to celebrate this birthday, because frankly, let's face it - I don't want to be old....I am excited over what is to come. It's all about perspective, right?

time is not always on my side....

Sometimes people look at me bewildered, wondering how on earth "i do what i do". I don't think I'm super woman by any means....but thought I'd share what my normal day looks like when I work from home with BittyBeau.

6:45am I roll out of bed in time to see MattyB off to work. No hashbrowns, eggs, & biscuits, but he does get a kiss from someone with some gnarly morning breath!

7am I have my OJ and vitamins that MattyB leaves out for me :) I forget to take pills. (Hi, I have a baby!); and then I settle in at my desk to get some work done before the mini human wakes up.

7:30am This may be pushed to another time of the day - but normally if BittyBeau is following his normal routine, he's not awake yet. So I get in a 10 minute workout - normally just a fast paced circuit centered around upper body or lower body. Then I have a little breakfast.

From 7:45am to 8:45am I normally get in work for both my FT job & my fashion business.

The mini human wakes up anywhere from 8:45am to 9:30am - and then we start "our routine". He normally has all my attention until about 11am. I will take a phone call during that time, but I'm not doing any "focused work".

Normally around 11am to 11:30am he starts getting super fussy, which is the cue for his morning nap. Kiddo loves to sleep!

When he goes down for his morning nap, depending on my workload, I will do a 30 minute workout and then work. If work is crazy, I will just work until he wakes up.

He normally is up by 12:30pm to eat lunch & play. This is where everything is just tossed in the air & depends on his mood. We do lunch and play....and then normally I settle him into his UFC fighting ring while I try to clean the house & do some chores. Ya know, the whole Betty Homemaker thing.

If this is a normal day, he will go down for a nap around 3pm or 3:30pm. During that nap I'll either catch up on a missed workout, work, or clean some more. I may eat lunch if I haven't already eaten. Or if I have a trunk show that night, I'll pack up my supplies, maybe SHOWER, or whatever else I need to get done for that day!

I have found that I'm less stressed out the more that I keep a schedule. Beau seems to be more cooperative as well :) He does have his days where he wakes up at 6am, or doesn't want to nap. Those days are more difficult to get anything accomplished, obviously. But more or less, making sure that my attitude is in check is really the key. When things don't go as I planned, I try to just go with the flow....but it's definitely a hard lesson to learn!

I have noticed though that when I have a solid hour, hour & a half, to do things before he gets up, it really helps my day! Especially when I am able to use that time for me....like a workout, doing my Bible study, etc. Work really doesn't get crazy until around 10am....so I am lucky in that respect :)

I think I'll do more of these style posts - because time management is a constant battle for me, and I'm sure for a ton of you! Saying "I don't have time" for something, is normally just an excuse. Time is relative to what you want to invest in - if you want to be healthier, than saying you don't have time for working out, really isn't an option. You have to schedule it & make an appointment with yourself. Once things turn into priorities, & time is set aside each day / week, then they become habits. Habits (good habits) are what lead to success.

things to do in orlando....not involving the mouse

I'm a big Disney fan & want to take Beau like NOW. MattyB is more realistic & gets me thinking normally, in that, Beau is still too young to really grasp the whole concept. So, during our weekend getaway to Otown - we did non-Disney things.

There's definitely plenty to do!

First up, so many eateries! We did Hash House A Go Go & Benihana's. I do NOT recommend both in the same day.




Beau LOVED Benihana's!!!



Hash House A Go Go was a ton of food. There was a fun tractor in the front --- so photo opp!





Next, outlet shopping! You have a great selection of outlets in Orlando. If there's a store you love, chances are good that there's an outlet for it! We hit up the Premium Outlets located by Bass Pro, right off International Drive. MattyB wanted the UnderArmour outlet, and I hit up Gymboree's outlet for Bitty Beau.

We headed to Nordstrom Rack after that ;) Normally I'm a proponent for doing all things NOT found at home. Tampa has a Nordstrom Rack so, I consider that to be the one exception. Every Nordstrom Rack has totally different offerings. This one happened to have some Trina Turk which I had not seen at ours.

We waited for the sun to go down & took Beau down to the pool for a bit. Hotels with amenities are great! Ours had 2 pool areas, and an indoor one! It also had a great fitness center and an arcade area. If you're paying to stay, might as well get every last dime out of that dollar.

Summer time is always screwy in this area. We are still in hurricane season....and it literally rains nearly every afternoon. So you really always need a Plan B if you're vacationing here during summer.

a weekend getaway

This past weekend we took a little vacay to Otown (Orlando). No Disney :( just some relaxation.

We had a 2 bedroom, 2 bath condo with a full kitchen & pull out couch.

Here are some pics of the crib:






Off the sitting area, there was a sliding glass door onto a very spacious balcony overlooking the lake.


Bitty Beau thoroughly enjoyed the sliding glass door. Who needs Mickey when you have a door that slides AND you can see through???

Here is the floorpan for the unit:





Both rooms were super spacious, had their own bathroom and a little sitting area. The only difference was that one was a master which I had a ginormous bathroom - oh and a king bed.

Bitty Beau thoroughly enjoyed the garden tub as well.




Both rooms had doors like this....



In room entertainment for a toddler! He kept pushing doors apart, and then back together.

The accommodations were great! The resort is called The Fountains - and it's pretty centrally located. It's not "Disney property" but it's close enough to the Lake Buena Vista area without all the traffic.

are you competitive?

Any chance, and I mean literally, ANY chance, MattyB & I get to turn something into a competition, we do.
We are ridiculous at times. It could be, who gets home quicker from the grocery store (when we are driving separate) OR who gets to the door quicker...seriously anything. We turn it into a competition.

(This should go without saying, but we are HUGE gamers. I'm not referring to the gambling games. Dominoes, card games, board games - we play them all)

So when Stella & Dot initiated a "Summer Challenge" for us stylists, it was on like donkey kong!

My full time job never issues me challenges with amazing rewards at the end, does yours???

That's just something else to love about my job as a stylist with Stella & Dot! They are always giving us extra perks or rewards. Incentive trips, free jewelry, free bags....the list goes on!

This challenge had 4 different tiers. The first tier had to be achieved by August 4th. (The incentive period ran from July 22nd until August 31st). The other 3 tiers just had to be achieved by August 31st. I of course carry the mentality of "go big or go home". I had my sights set on all 4 tiers.

I am happy to say that, I totally ROCKED the challenge.


In all reality, the 4th tier (the one I had my eyes set on) would be equal to me running a half marathon with Sarah and beating her. Haha, very unrealistic!

Each tier was contingent on retail sales. The only difference between the top 2 tiers was promoting & sponsoring. So while I got the sales I needed, I did not have the "team" that was required :(

Still kinda bums me out that more gals are not jumping on this fabulous path to financial freedom, freedom from a cubicle, or just extra income each month :)

Okay - so here were the prizes!!! I can't wait to hear what you think!

Prize level 1: the Neeya earrings


Prize level 2: the Neeya bracelet



Prize level 3: the Paris Market Tote



Prize level 4: the Silver Pegasus


Now do you see why I wanted to hit level 4?? That necklace is lusciously fabulous!

Much like marathon training, I am kicking it in to high gear from now until December. I am looking to add 4 more ambitious, fashion loving gals to my team. Lets sprint to the finish together & wrap up 2013 with you having a plan for success in 2014.

Seriously, tell me your goals for 2014 & I will help you develop a plan to achieve them. It really does boil down to small, positive changes each day.

Oh, and if you found yourself loving any of those pieces - you can get them for free or half off, starting October 1st. Quantities are limited, so shoot me an email & let me know if you want to reserve one!