Starting Up.

Whenever I have a big change in my life, I'm always inspired to attempt other changes.  Since I'll be starting graduate school again, I decided to make some other changes.

First, I'm changing up my wardrobe.  Nothing huge, but I bought some new pieces today (including a bunch at Banana Republic, who was having an insane sale), and I gave some other things away.  I plan on purging again soon.  I added five new things today, and I gave four things away.  It felt balanced and right.

Second, I've been attempting to lose weight this summer.  Despite eating better and exercising, I've only lost about three pounds.  Argh.  I've found some new exercises that I'm going to try to use to eliminate my "mummy tummy," and I'm going to eat "cleaner."  More water, more fresh foods.  I'm hoping this will help lose the last few pounds or inches.

Finally, despite being 26 years old, I have worse acne than I did as a teenager.  I've tried drug store items to clear it up, but I'm going to take the plunge and try Proactive.  I got it today in the mail, I bought white linens (it bleaches things apparently), so I'm ready start.

I have a lot more organizing to do before school starts in 2 weeks.  My home organization binder needs new worksheets and finishing touches, the office is chaos, and my closet needs to be organized by color and such.  It makes it so much easier to get ready in the morning if I know where everything is.

Here's to new starts and new habits!

- M.

Lazy Summer Days.

As anyone knows, the novelty of summer wears off.  For me, this usually happens around the end of July.  Perhaps earlier than most, but I love structure and schedule and having meaningful things to do.  Elliott also likes schedule (he put himself on one that I love), so it will be nice to go back to school and have some structure for everyone.

In order to combat the boredom, we've tried to keep busy.  We have lunch at Nana's once a week, dinner with my family at least once a week, and I go to dance twice a week.  I originally intended to go only for Level 5 (the top level that I ended with), but I went to a lower level the first week to warm up and I decided the warm-up was a good thing every week.  I haven't danced since about 4 months before E was born, so I have to treat myself differently after class.  I have to ice my shins and ankles, drink a lot more water, and usually take a Tylenol.  I also have to stretch after class and the next morning.  The school doesn't have sprung floors, so I'm not surprised my legs and ankles are achy.  I'm having a ton of fun though.  I love learning choreography, and since I go different days, I learn from a couple different people.  Last night, we did a lyrical combo and a hip-hop combo.  I look silly doing hip-hop.  I wish we would do a tap combo, but we just do a lot of across the floor.

Elliott and I also take little adventures throughout the week.  We went shopping yesterday, and we're visiting my grandparents with my sister today.  Between that and dance, it will be a long day.

My sister is leaving for NC on Sunday, and we will be sad to see her go.  I'm close with my sister, but Elliott just adores his Aunt Sarah.  Hopefully we can visit her this fall.

Yesterday, Elliott gave me a 2 1/2 hour block in the afternoon, and it was glorious!  I vacuumed, showered, blow-dried my hair, dusted the first floor, cleaned the kitchen, and read 50 pages of "Bringing Up Bebe," which I finished last night.  In short, it was an incredible look at how another culture parents its children.  I'm definitely going to adopt some of those methods and tips (especially teaching my child autonomy, respect, and patience).

- M.

Crafty Sunday.

 I've been crafting away this summer!  I had a couple of commissions, which helped motivate me to finish these projects quickly.  

Commissioned bib.

Booties for Kierin, my cousin's son.

Commissioned booties; I used Knit Picks "Guppy."

I actually finished another pair of booties and a winter hat (to match Jason's scarf) in the last few days, but haven't had a chance to take pictures.  I have two bags filled with projects to finish before school starts in a month, so I need to work quickly to get them done.  


I can't believe school starts in a month!  I need more time!


 - M.

They're here!

For years, Jason and I have gone back and forth over the appeal of e-readers and tablets.  We both love the feel of a real book.  I'm pretty sure we own over 300 books, and after moving them 6 times, we manage to still like having them.  However, the moving also made us consider the notion of an e-reader.

Cut to the beginning of the summer.  I received another scholarship from Penn State, similar to one I got the first time.  I had said that if I got the same scholarship this time around, I would get a Kindle or an e-reader to make my back-pack lighter.  So, we started shopping.  I was a supporter of the Kindle Fire, but Jason did a little more research and found that Google was releasing a new tablet soon.  It would sync up with my Gmail, calendar, and other Google platforms that I already use.  I was sold.

We had to pre-order them, and they finally got here!  It's charging right now, but I already love the size, feel, and look of the Nexus 7.  I won't have to carry my laptop all over creation every day.  I don't have an office at Penn State, so I'll have to carry everything with me.  A tablet is going to make this so much easier!

We'll give another update once we've had a chance to play.  :)

- M. & J.

Summer Fun

In addition to moving, we have been doing a lot of fun stuff this summer!

Before we left Philadelphia, we made sure we ate at some of our favorite places:

Tampopo, 44th Street, West Philadelphia

El Limon, Fayette Street, Conshohocken

Frankford Hall, Frankford Street, Northern Liberties

That was just the week before we left!  I think the only place we didn't get to was From the Boot in Lafayette Hill, but my cousin lives close, so we can get our visit in then.

My first outside-baby Mothers Day was really special.  Jason made me breakfast, and he gave me new running sneakers and a nice dinner out (which we haven't had a chance to take yet!).  Elliott (read: Jason) made me a Shutterfly book.  We spent the weekend with my family at Aunt Chris' and at Longwood Gardens, which I had never been to before.  So beautiful, and so big!

My special mothers day pancakes.

Elliott and his grandparents.

The next few weeks were consumed with moving and other family issues.  We started June with a visit to Mt. St. Mary's University, which is my dad's alma mater.  It was alumni weekend, and mom and dad's friends' band was playing on campus.  It is a beautiful campus, and it also houses the Our Lady of Lourdes / Mother Seton shrine.  My parents got married there, and they have the most beautiful wedding photos as a result.

Beautiful campus.  That's the dorm my dad lived in!

Elliott and Mom in front of the chapel.

Father's day was pretty quiet.  That's what the dads wanted.  We had a joint bar-be-que with both families and played wash-shoes, which is a combo of washers, horseshoes, and bean-bag toss.  I got Jason a cast-iron skillet.  :)

The next weekend, my parents, sister, and I took my aunt and cousin from California to New York City and showed them the sights.  We tried to see the Ground Zero memorial, but the tickets were sold out (they're free, but they require advance reservations to keep the crowds at bay).  It was an interesting trip (thanks to some noisy neighbors at the hotel), but we still had a lot of fun together.

Flags at the World Trade Center site.

Salad at Carmines, an amazing Italian restaurant in Midtown.

Lights at the Marquis Marriott, where we beat the heat with a beer.

Our summer has been quite busy, and it's only half done!  We have baby showers, arts fests, birthdays, and lots of pool time planned before orientation starts for grad school at the end of August.  I'm also hoping we can take a weekend beach trip to OCNJ after the season is over, maybe in mid to late September.

What fun things have you been up to this summer?

- M.

The Little Man is One!

Our Elliott Zachary is one today!

Newborn Elliott.

One year old Elliott at his party.

We love you Little Man!

More updates soon!  We've been so busy moving and planning and living life.  

 - M & J.

Mischief Managed.

With the new house, graduate school, and life in general, we came to the realization that we need to be better organized when it comes to schedules and keeping the house in order (read: livable for child and cat).  So, I investigated what goes into a House Management Binder.  I had seen them on Pinterest, but I wanted to know more.

Basically, there is no one-size-fits-all binder.  I looked at about 10 different styles and suggestions and found what might work for us.  It will also be a perpetual work in progress.  Right now, I'm getting ready for school and teaching for the fall.  In a few years, it will be Mr. Elliott who is attending school.  Things will change, our life is always in flux, so I made sure it was going to be a fluid organizer.  The suggestion here is just that: a suggestion.  Check out how others do it and perhaps you'll find that perfect set-up.

First, and this seems universal, you need a 3-ring binder.  I got a Martha Stewart one from Avery, which is sturdy and sophisticated:

I have it in the blue.

I'm using my favorite dividers (What is wrong with me?  Who has a favorite divider?!), which are Avery Style Edge Insertables, which even come with printable labels!  Woo-hoo!

Aside from that, I'm using print-ables from all over the internet.  I'll post those in the House = Home tab soon.

My sections are this:

(Not inside the other dividers)
 - Post-it Project Dock (I'll explain at a later date)
 - Daily Docket

Dividers:
 - Calendar: Schedules, week-at-a-glance, and anything else that is need to know about our day.
 - Finances: Budget sheets, bill checklists, and reference material (copies of important financial docs, car stuff, etc.)
 - Cleaning: Weekly cleaning checklist, as well as items for daily and monthly consideration.
 - Food: Meal planning worksheets, grocery lists (reusable), recipes for the week, and take-out menus.
 - Health: Health records and paperwork for every member of the family, including Barney.  Also, insurance info.
 - School: Paperwork I'd need to quickly reference about Penn State.  Later, I expect that this will be used for school items for Elliott.
 - Planning: Party planning worksheets, trip planning, holiday planning...you get it.
 - Reference: Phone numbers, birthdays / anniversaries, periodic table, measurements...all that stuff.

I'll go into more detail once I have more detail to give!  We'll also have house updates soon...you know, once we actually move in.

- M & J.