project 366 {week four}

It is funny/amazing/nice how the grouping of photos makes a so so image seem much stronger.  That isn't always the case, but this week I've been extremely meh about taking these photos.  Not putting a lot of effort into it.  Still seeing them all together makes me happy with the moments I've captured.  I really hope I can stick with it, I can't wait to see all the images together at the end of the year!

week in iphone pics

Well, I've decided I have a love/hate relationship with instagram (if you really want to follow my feed, look for thedomesticwannabe.  and be prepared for a slew of pictures of Ryann.).  And part of it may be I just don't really know what I'm doing, so throw out some pointers if you've got any.

I love being able pick the filter after the fact.  So really I can just take pictures on the regular camera, and deal with making them pretty when I have time.  I also love the little blur feature.  I've probably overused it already.  I don't love not being able to pick the specific frame I want.  I really like the consistency I've had with my hipstamatic 'prints'.  It is driving me nuts that these don't all look the same.  I suppose I could solve that problem by not having a frame on any of them at all, but sometimes I want the frame, you know?  And that blur feature, can you change the size of the area that isn't affected?

The other thing that drives me nuts is that the images aren't all the same size.  As in when I went to edit the photos and make these collages I had to spend time adjusting the image size on each file so I could put them all in one place.  Not the end of the world, just an extra step I didn't have before.

Ok moving on, our week via my phone!

monday

Ryann was basically a goober all day.  We had a playdate, but I couldn't get a decent picture on my phone.  Ryann and Daddy had a tickle fight.  Nothing crazy.

tuesday

I will never understand why she loves to sleep with her face stuff in the corner.  It's tough to see but her little bum is sticking up in the air and she is face down in the top right corner.  I was just trying to take a picture of all the beads Ryann made me wear at 7:30am, but she decided to eat them.  I have no idea.  Shopping with the grammy!  Ryann cracked herself up throughout Hobby Lobby and found some shades she absolutely had to have at Baby Gap.  While Ryann napped we started on some birthday party tissue poms.  And just a sweet smile to send to daddy.

wednesday

Ryann woke up with some crazy hair.  One side had gone completely flat, the other was a crazy curly mess.  We visited a playtime at the museum with our friends.  Ryann and I hit up where else, Target.  And do you see the yogurt melt hat on her head?  She was very proud.

thursday

Ryann told Chris she wanted to construct mommy out of the blocks.  This is what they came up with.  Looks just like me, doesn't it?  Ryann and I drove to Grammy's house.  Well, I drove.  She snoozed.  Grammy put together an entire playroom for Ryann, complete with a little table with a roll of paper for stickers and coloring.  Ryann is one lucky little girl.

friday

Ryann learned to make a really awesome and very pretty face...  I was trying to make her smile, and obviously she thought I was nuts.  Giraffes in the grocery store, ahh!  :o)  And mini tissue poms.  Lots of them.  Thanks to my bestie and my mom for helping my absurd birthday party ideas come to life.

saturday

Oh my little musician :o).  And apparently the baskets aren't just for toys and beanie babies.

And that pretty much sums up our week!  Actually there was a lot of crankiness and a few tears this week.  Mostly from Ryann, possibly a little bit from me.  I *think* her last set of molars are starting to come in.  She always has her hand shoved down her throat, and her emotions are ALL OVER THE PLACE.  I can't keep up.  I'm praying it is her molars and that they just come in and get it over with.  Not that this is just her being a toddler.  Oy.  I can only take so much!

Linking up with Amy!

embrace the camera

After we went out to dinner Saturday, I wanted Chris to take a picture of Ryann and I.  I don't think it is any secret, it is a rare occasion when I'm wearing make-up and real clothes.  I want to be better about not looking like a slob, but well, it isn't happening right now.  So if I'm wearing make-up and normal clothes?  I most definitely need to document it.

Well... this is what we ended up with :o).

As much as I try and try, she still hates having her picture taken (errr, probably because I try and try...)  But better than nothing, right?

a day in the life - suzanne

I am so thankful that I stumbled upon Suzanne's blog.  Honestly I don't remember when or how, but I just stopped by one day early last year.  Reading Suzanne's blog was comforting and uplifting and encouraged me to open up about some rough thoughts swirling around in my head.  I hope you'll pop over to her blog and read her story.  And if nothing else I hope you enjoy a peek at her day with some adorable little girls!

***

Hi! I'm Suzanne from pretty*swell, and I'm really excited to hang out here today!

My husband, Marc, and I have two girls: Lily, who will be four in a couple of weeks (yikes!) and baby Sophie, eight months old. I work three days a week as a university news editor and stay home with the girls two days. I'm blessed to have a job that allows me to spend more time with my family than I do in my office.

 

Here's one of our "stay-home-mommy-days," as Lily calls them:

7:30: Everyone sleeps in a little bit this morning! Sophie had a fever last night, so we were up often. On my days off, I wait for the girls to wake me. We enjoy not being in a hurry.

8:00: Marc whips up a quick breakfast before heading out the door (He's lost 20 pounds in the last couple of months! I'm trying to keep up!) Lily eats her usual: oatmeal with applesauce. Today she's extra hungry, so she peels a clementine. Sophie hangs out in the exersaucer watching all the action. I eat a scrambled egg on whole wheat toast with some orange wedges.

 

8:45: Baby on the move! Sophie and I play on the floor while big sister watches her morning cartoon (Today it's Olivia. I love Olivia.)

 

9:00: Bella does this ALL DAY LONG. Smart dog, that one.

 

9:45: Off to the pediatrician for the hundredth time since Sophie started daycare. Her fever worries me. She's had two ear infections in the last three months. Here we are waiting for the doctor to come in. (Her ears, lungs, nose and throat checked out fine. Just a bad cold. Whew.)

11:30 Finally home! Sophie chugs a bottle and goes down for a nap. We're lucky that Lily has gotten so good at playing by herself. Such a big girl.

12:15: I make Lily an egg sandwich for lunch. I scarf a turkey sandwich with baked chips and a Diet Coke, then log everything into My Fitness Pal (love that app).

12:30: Silly Lily. We're working on getting those knees off the table.

 

12:45: Lily helps me with a photo shoot for my Etsy shop, Posy. Such a sweet little model!

 

1:15: I hear Sophie squawking over the monitor. After some more floor-time (she's just started pulling up on furniture!), I feed her blueberries, bananas and oatmeal for lunch. I'm making most of her baby food, but this one is a Happy Baby blend. She loves it.

 

1:45: Lily builds a blanket fort while Sophie eats. Blankets everywhere.

 

2:15: We make a quick trip to the grocery store. Because I'm a glutton for punishment.

 

3:30: Home and nap attempts. Emphasis on the word "attempt." Sophie is out of sorts and Lily refuses to sleep. So I convince Lily to read in her bed and then rock the baby for a while. They both drift off for a little bit. I tiptoe to my bedroom and do a 30-minute strength training routine (where five-pound weights kick my butt).

5:30: Daddy is home! This is everyone's favorite part of the day.

 

6:15: Lily and I venture out in the rain to our favorite pizza place to pick up our order while Marc feeds Sophie and puts her to bed. Apparently, I was too busy stuffing my face to take any pictures at dinner. Pizza has that effect on me.

8:00: After a 45-step bedtime routine (seriously), Lily and I snuggle up with The Story of Ferdinand. I absolutely love this book.

 

(Photo I didn't take on purpose: Sophie's huge blow-out diaper. You're welcome.)

You survived my photobomb! Thanks for sticking with me ... I took over a hundred that day (because I'm a crazy lady with my camera).

Here are my answers to Ashley's questions:

What is the most surprising thing about being a mom?
That one tiny moment of awesome can erase an entire day of awful.

What advice would you give new or soon-to-be moms?
Trust your instincts! I've surprised myself with how often I was right (after having doubted myself unnecessarily).

What are your top three baby products?
As the mom of two very gassy babies, I have a special place in my heart for Dr. Brown's bottles and Mommy's Bliss gripe water. We also love Aden + Anais muslin blankets.

Thanks so much for having us here, Ashley! We had such fun!

***

Thank you for sharing your day with us Suzanne!

this and that

::  Last night I was washing dishes at the sink while Chris and Ryann were playing a game that was some sort of combination of chase/peekaboo/tickling/who knows what.  Her little feet were thumping all over the hardwood.  There was lots of giggles.  She would run in the kitchen and hide between my legs, peek out, and when Chris would jump out from around the corner she would dissolve into a pile of laughter and they would be off and running again.

It was one of those moments that just makes my heart swell.  Days can be rough.  Not everything is perfect.  But I have much more than I need.  And my little family makes me so incredibly happy.

::  Thank you Baby Gap for creating clothing that perfectly matches the color scheme for Ryann's birthday party at just the right time.  Now I just have to decide what exactly I want her to wear.  I think no matter what she will have a pair of those purple jeans.  Because whether I like it or not, apparently purple is her favorite color.  And those are adorable!

::  Speaking of the birthday party, why do all things alphabet related have to only come in primary colors?  It is making me life just a wee bit more difficult.

::  Lately I've been letting Ryann take a shower with me in the evening.  Sometimes it is just more efficient to get us both clean at the same time.  Not to mention now she actually likes the shower as opposed to screaming her head off if I take her in there.  Well last night she was overly excited about the upcoming shower and was more or less yelling at me to take my clothes off and get the heck in the shower.  When I finally was in my birthday suit she slapped my naked butt and said "yes!  mommy naked!"  Awkward much?

::  I've read a few articles in the last week related to kids and parenting.  I found them all interesting, helpful, and in one instance highly entertaining.  If you haven't come across them you should definitely take a minute to read them!

Don't Carpe Diem

To the Mother With Only One Child

9 Things I Learned in the Parents Encouragement Program, AKA Sh*tty Parents Anonymous

::  I'm in the market for a new diaper bag.  Or a second diaper bag I guess.  I want to have the option to take a backpack diaper bag with me if need be.  I've seen the Petunia Pickle Bottom bags of course, but any other suggestions for a backpack diaper bag I should take a peek at?

::  Well I finally got on instagram.  But I am having a hard time using it over my hipstamatic app.  I'm just so used to hipstamatic.  Plus sometimes I take like 4 or 5 shots of the sameish thing on my phone, and I don't want those to automatically go through to me feed (not that anyone is following me right now, but you know...) so I'm taking pictures with my regular iphone camera and then putting one or two into instagram.  Have any of you tried out instaplus?  Or I suppose I could continue using hipstamatic and just upload the photos I really want to share into instagram.  Seems so complicated, doesn't it?

:: I've still been to lazy to edit a bunch of my Georgia pictures.  But here are a few where I was practicing shooting into the sun.  Beach pictures can be tough with the sun being so bright, so I figured I'd play around with some other angles.

::  Do you wear leggings?  What is your favorite brand?  I tried really hard at making myself get dressed regularly, because I don't want to look like a slob, but if we are just going to be around the house sweatpants are way more comfortable.  I'm trying to compromise with leggings.

::  Happy Tuesday!

good news and bad news

Pssst... I finally have a button for Move it Monday!  If you link up please include it in your post.  Get your friends to join in on our fitness motivation!  I'm still working out some kinks, but you can find it in the sidebar  ----->

Let's start with with the good news.  In the last week and a half I've had 3 pretty decent runs.  A 7 miler and a 4 miler at a 9:02 pace, and then another 7 miler yesterday at an 8:59 pace. Not to mention yesterday I had a running buddy (hi Jill!).  7 miles is much more appealing when there is someone to talk to.  I did learn, however, that I am NOT used to talking while running.  I'm sure Jill thought I was going to die or something while I was huffing and puffing and trying to hold a conversation.

Yesterday was definitely a good day to have a running buddy.  Looking at the weather app on my phone, it was one of those mornings that I would have most likely said screw it and just did a few miles on the treadmill.  Felt like 32, winds at 20-22mph and a chance for rain.  Yes, sounds thrilling doesn't it?  But funny thing, I didn't actually have Jill's phone number (we arranged our little running date on facebook) so I couldn't text her and back out.  That is a great thing, because really the weather wasn't bad at all.  It wasn't too chilly, we didn't get rained on, and I only noticed the wind a couple times.  I'm looking forward to more running dates.

Now the bad news.  Yesterday while we were running Jill mentioned that the half marathon I was planning to run in April had sold out.  I went home and checked and yep, sure enough all of the spots sold out Friday night.  And no, I had not signed up yet.  I have a hard time committing to a race too early on, because they aren't cheap and what if I get hurt, or Chris doesn't have the day off and my parents can't watch Ryann, or a million other things.  I knew I couldn't wait as long for this one (I didn't sign up for my last half until a week before the race!) but I thought 5-8 weeks out would be fine.  Apparently I was wrong.

The other bad thing?  The only other half in the area this spring (that I know of) is the following weekend.  Great, except we will be at a wedding in Emporia.  I might be able to make it work, but Christopher wouldn't be able to come (not that big of a deal but of course I love his support!) and I'm just not sure driving back and forth and probably not getting enough sleep would be the best set up for me to PR.  And if I'm not going to PR why go to all the trouble?  That's not saying I'll never run a race if I think I might not beat my previous time, but in this situation it probably wouldn't be worth it.  Bah.  We will see.  If you happen to know of a half marathon in the Kansas City, Lawrence, Topeka or Omaha area mid March-May (except the weekend of April 21st) let me know!

I guess I do have one more good thing to share.  I called my mom yesterday complaining about not being able to sign up for the race.  I said something about how it isn't like I've been going out for 7-8 mile runs for fun.  Except then I realized, I kind of have been.  In the last few months there has been no real need for me to do a run longer than 5 miles (I suppose there hasn't been a need for me to do a run at all, other than for fitness reasons).  3-5 miles would have definitely maintained my running base and allowed me to jump into a decent training program whenever.  But I'm really really starting to love long runs.  I have such a sense of accomplishment when I'm done.  Especially if I've had a great pace.  Not to mention I love the extra calories it provides me that day.

Yes, my legs hurt.  Yes, it can time consuming.  Yes, sometimes I'd rather just be lazy with Chris and Ryann on a Sunday morning.  But dare I say it?

I LOVE RUNNING.

I think I've gone crazy.

Link up your health and fitness related posts below!

week in iphone pics

Whoa, I actually took enough pictures this week that I felt the need to break it up into days.  Major improvement from the last few weeks :o).

sunday

Shoot.  I 100% want to go back to Georgia right now.  We wandered around outside, played at the park and hit up the beach in the afternoon.  Dear friends and family, let's all pack up and move to a warmer location.  I want to go, but don't want to go alone!

monday

Oh yes, those views?  I saw them will I was running.  Makes me really want to go outside here in Kansas in the 30 degree or less weather with 20 mile per hour winds and run for 6+ miles.  Not.  Oy.  I swear I'll stop complaining soon :o).  Another day in Georgia where we spent a lot of time playing outside.  It was lovely.  And Ryann killed me with cuteness.  I couldn't get over the cape and the boots.

tuesday

On our way back to Kansas.  The real iphone excitement of Tuesday, was the free CamWow app (hence the giant logo) I downloaded.  I thought it might keep Ryann entertained for a bit.  I was right.  It didn't take her long to figure out how to aim it at her face and snap away.  Chris says these pictures creep him out, but whatever.  I find them hilarious.

wednesday

Ryann was incredibly cranky Wednesday morning so we spent a little while watching Mickey Mouse in the bed.  I thought maybe I could sneak in the last pages of the Hunger Games while she watched, but whenever I had that book out she wanted to 'read' it.  Silly girl.  She isn't supposed to climb on the fireplace, so when I caught her I asked her to get down.  Her response?  "But mama I sittin' wif my friends!" aka all of her Little People animals and such.  I think she was actually sitting on them but whatever.  1500+ sheets of tissue paper showed up at my door.  A million tissue poms here I come!  Oh sidenote, supposedly the polka dot paper and the green paper on the left are both 'citrus' green.  Really?  I think not.  And my laundry helper is pretty cute.

thursday

Ryann is getting rather skilled with the camera on my phone.  I had to help her steady it, but she opened the app and said "I take picture of mama?"  Not too shabby little one.  But try to avoid the up angle ok?  Not my best look :o).  I was distracted doing something, I can't remember what, but it got incredibly quiet.  Apparently Ryann got into the bag of party supplies I found leftover from her first birthday party.  She told me she was having a picnic with her friends.  While we were baking she was eating some of the broken pretzels I was putting on top of the brownies.  She held up each piece and told me what it looked like, usually a letter (and she was usually right, it did look like a J or an M or something!).  This particular pretzel apparently looked like a telephone.  She held it up to her ear and said, "Hello?  Oh ok.  Buh bye!"  Christopher and I had Jimmy John's for dinner that night.  She stuck the stickers on her arm and said "I'm going runnin'. This is my runnin' watch."  Tee hee, love her.

friday

Err, we may have been in the bed watching more Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.  I really try to avoid the TV with her, but that stupid mouse makes her so flipping happy.  Apparently the dolls in Target creep her out.  She thought she was being hilarious, smiling with grapes in her mouth and all.  And honestly I can't remember what her and Christopher were doing, but they were having a good time.

saturday

Saturday we had a nice lazy day around the house for the most part.  Then we took Christopher's mom out for a nice belated birthday dinner.  But the only phone pictures I took were these post bath gems.  You know you want to be friends with us.  I love my little family :o).

And now I must attend to the wee one.  She is in her crib singing "Happy Birthday" at the top of her lungs.  Apparently it is morning time!