Category Archives: Life in general

Sibling Saturday

Both my boys resemble my husband but I don’t always think they look like each other but I’ve started seeing it more and more, especially when I look back at photos of Liam when he was younger. There is no doubt a familial connection, but it grows greater and more intense every day.

Above, Liam from three years ago (almost exactly) and, below, Jack from December 2010.

Heaven help me.

Things I Love Thursday: My “Everyday” Jewelry

I have jewelry I wear pretty much everyday, without fail, and I love it. Most of it came from my husband (awww), he has good taste, or at least good sense in following hints.

I’ll share them in the order I got them. The ring below is my oldest piece, I got it before I was married and is not from the hubs. I found it at the Easttown Street Fair and the scrolling reminded me of the letter “S.” My maiden name starts with S so I thought it was a fitting ring for me to have, knowing that someday I wouldn’t have that last name and I wanted something to always have with me as a reminder to honor where I came from.

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My engagement ring and wedding band. The engagement ring was all my husband’s doing, he picked it out without any input from me – in fact, I thought we weren’t getting engaged until after I met his family in Australia but he proposed two months before our trip. Sneaky, sneaky. The wedding band was a joint collaboration, but it was one we both loved. The hubs got a stainless steel ring with no bling (so it could withstand the roughness he put it through at work but would be cutable in case his hand ever got stuck in something, unlike titanium) but as a consolation, he also got an XBox – that’s the traditional bride-to-groom gift, right?
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The watch below was a gift from my husband shortly after we got married, on the back it has the words “To My Wif” because after we got married we kept saying, it just doesn’t seem real so he called me “wif” and I called him “hubsand.” But when he went to get the engraving done, they verified multiple times that he actually wanted it mis-spelled.

The bracelet is actually the newest addition, it’s a Lucky Fin bracelet from the Lucky Fin Project. The mission of the Lucky Fin Project is to educate, celebrate, support and unite with regard to limb differences. Our youngest, Jack, was born without a fully developed left hand, called symbrachydactyly. Like Nemo and his small lucky fin, Jack doesn’t let anything keep him back and shows us every day that he certainly doesn’t need his missing four fingers. It’s important to education our children so they learn that things that are different aren’t wrong or bad, they are just different and how God made us. Some people have red hair, short legs, need a wheelchair or glasses; everyone has something that makes them different. My bracelet is a reminder of this, plus the money goes to support the mission of the Lucky Fin Project (they also have bumper stickers).
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My necklace is perhaps my favorite piece of jewelry. Oh how I love Lisa Leonard and her designs. I strongly hinted to Simon that I wanted the tag necklace with the boys’ names on it (read: I put everything in a shopping basket on her website and emailed it to Simon, but he bought it). But for our five-year anniversary, I was surprised with the ring engraved with our names on one side and our wedding date on the other. I love, love, love it.
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This post is linked up with Jill at Diaper Diaries.

What I got for ya…

It ain’t much – just a little stream of consciousness, bullet point post… with some other random photos I found on Simon’s computer and that my SIL sent me for my birthday.

  • We are having a true heat wave (and I hate it) – it is hot, hot, hot outside and super humid and this makes me a little cranky.
  • Despite the hot temps, whenever Liam is inside and our A/C is running, he walks around saying “Brrr…” Continue reading

Tips for Kicking the Week Off Right

It’s not a shocker to anyone that I don’t like Mondays (but then, who does? Probably restaurant workers who have Mondays off and people who are retired and have every day seem the same.). But there’s a right way and a wrong way to approach the dreaded day… here’s what works for me…

  • Make a list. Again, not a shocker, I like lists. But it makes me feel like I’m doing something productive, while not actually doing work, and I can see what I need to accomplish this week. Monday’s can seem overwhelming if you just keep thinking of what needs to be done but if you write it all down and start checking things off, it’s not so bad.
  • Reward yourself with a treat. For me this would be visiting the Starbuck’s drive-thru. Though today I had iced coffee at home and it was delicious.
  • Don’t stay up too late on Sunday night. I’m a night owl, so I’m not very good at this, but I’m learning that if I start the week off with a good night’s sleep, I don’t drag on Monday (yes, rocket science, I know).
  • Have plans lined up for mid-week. This gives you something to look forward to and Wednesday will be there/here before you know it.
  • Do not make plans for Monday night. My kids always need a detox from the weekend and if I take them anywhere on Monday evening, it’s bound to end badly with at least one of us crying.
  • Complain about Mondays on Facebook. You will get “likes” and sympathetic commenters and this will make you feel better.
  • Watch this video (thanks to my friend, Michelle, for sending this to me):

100

This is my 100th post… so there’s that. In honor of the 100th post, here are 100 things about me (in no particular order, once again).

  1. I have hazel eyes.
  2. My second, third and fourth toes on my feet are freakishly long.
  3. I can snap my toes (like fingers).
  4. I am a Christian.
  5. I’m married to an Australian (not just because I like accents).
  6. I have two kids – Liam and Jack.
  7. I have a dog named George, he’s a black, miniature poodle.
  8. I’m scared of strange things.
  9. I love listening to music, though I have a hard time liking jazz.
  10. I also like to read. Continue reading