Thursday, February 25, 2010

Our Version of Valentine's Day


doesn't exactly consist of romantic
candlelit dinners these days.....

but more of a game of Tic Tac Toe at a cozy little Applebee's.

Nothing better than some Artichoke Dip!

This year we rounded up the three girlies for a fun family
day full of Applebee's, a visit to Nana & Papa's house
and a trip to Trader Joe's.
I wouldn't have it any other way.

The girls all glammed up in the Heart Day Gear.
Can you say crazy cute?


Love me some pink and red.


Here is Sophie before her Valentine's Day party at preschool.


She loved her tutu shirt I made thanks to Julie at Joyshope.
I can always count on her for some sewing inspiration.


Mia jumped in to pose with Sophie on her special day!


Saying the prayer before snack.
(Nothing cuter than a 3 year old praying.)


Sophie had a FUN birthday party trip to
Build A Bear after her Valentine's party!
She loved washing her new puppy, Gussie.
(Wonder where she got that name? It's one of our dog's names!)


Mia on the day of her Valentine's Party!



So excited!


Speaking of excited....
my nephew Meade just turned one.
I made my sister some fun party favor buckets to hand out at his party this weekend.
Can you guess the theme?
ARGH!

The girls are SUPER excited to celebrate their cousins birthday!
I watch him during the week, so he's here everyday, and I think they feel like he's the
closest thing to a BROTHER they will ever have!


On another note, Sophie's got the Skills to Pay the Bills.
Just sayin'.
She does.
I made her this dress a few weeks ago and I'm scared
to have her wear it in REAL public.
Do you think people will look at me like I'm a weirdo mom?



Speaking of Soph....
Steve may or may not have FINALLY painted her room
after her can of paint she picked out has been chillin' in her closet for over a year.


She has been begging Steve to paint for her BIRTHDAY (which is NEXT THURSDAY!)
So, he got out the trusty paint roller and tray and Voila!
EVEN MORE PINK added to our home!
She now calls her room, PINKALICIOUS.


Can you guess the theme of Sophie's upcoming party?
(Thank you Ashley from lilblueboo for this adorable image by the way!)

I recently got some fun new software, so I am able to use almost
any image for my party favor buckets in my shop!

If you need a fun party favor, feel free to email me!
I would love to create some fun & unique buckets for your child's party!

Have a "Hoppy" Thursday!

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Holla! Tee Winner



Thank you so much to all my FUN followers that entered
to win one of my Holla Tees!

I couldn't have SMILED bigger when reading all
the cute, kind & fun comments.
I had NO idea any of you read my blog,
or even knew that I existed.
I am so honored and excited to feel as if
I have some amazing new "friends" in this
bloggy blog world.

Thank you!
You all inspire me daily.
Now, for the winner.
Who could it be?

Who did RANDOM.ORG pick?
Is it YOU?

If it is, please email me and let me know
your address and size so I can get this
Holla! tee out to you asap.

Thank you all for playing!
If you didn't win, boo.
But don't be too sad.

I just stocked up the shop with a few more
Holla! tees and I am adding a NEW fun tee as well.....

Stop by HERE if you want to get your own!

Have a happy Wednesday!

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Skinny Pants.....


.....was a nickname I never had.
Never tiny.
Never small.
Mine was more like, Biggie.
5 feet 11" can be tough at times.
But I am proud of what God gave me.

Recently, I was inspired by my new friend Erin to start running
again and get back in SHAPE!!!

I got the fabulous Nike+ sensor kit that keeps track of your runs
and links them on the Nike+ website.
It's so great because I can see my daily progress.
Super motivating for a Type A personality like me.

This year Erin and Laura started a FUN challenge of racing to
500 miles in the year 2010.

I was featured over on their new blog, 500 in 2010 , today and I wanted to
share what it said....
(hop on over there to see for yourself, but in case you are
lazy like me I wanted to share it on my blog as well!)


Hopefully I can inspire some of you just as Erin
and Laura have inspired me!

Tell us briefly about yourself....
Hi Everyone! My name is Marta and you can find me over
at http://www.hausofgirls.net/ rambling about my hectic life as a
Mom of three CRAZY blonde girls: Mia is 5, Sophie is almost 4
and Gracie is 21 months.
My husband Steve is also running in the challenge.
(He's in first place I might add!)

We have been married for seven years and every day we look at
each other and ask ourselves how we can possibly have three
daughters and been married so long.
We still feel like we are in college, where we met!

We were both college athletes, but running is still fairly new to us.
I started the training program for a half marathon back in 2003,
but found out I was pregnant with Mia a few weeks later.
My running had to wait.

Then, due to pre-term labor, I was unable to exercise during
all three of my pregnancies. So after having about 5 years of
bed rest, I am excited to get back into shape!

What are your goals in completing 500 miles in 2010?
My goal is to be CONSISTENT!
I think that is key for anyone to be successful in anything
they want to accomplish. I pick 4-5 days every week that I will run.
It's as simple as that. I say it's like brushing my teeth.
I HAVE to do it even if I don't always feel like it.
I must make it part of my routine.


What do you see as your biggest challenge(s) to staying fit this year?

Finding the time with my hectic kid-filled schedule!
On top of my three girls, I also watch 4-6 other children during the day.
I have anywhere from 6 to 9 kids here everyday!
I, on top of caring for so many children, must find the time to clean,
cook & shop like every other mom in the world!
I have to make it a priority to schedule in the time to run.
This is the biggest challenge for me!

Sometimes, it just takes ignoring the dishes in the sink and
the load of laundry that needs to be done.
I realize that there will ALWAYS be something that needs to get
done but I can't use it as my excuse.

I have to factor myself back into the equation and go for a healthy
balance of being a wife, mom, chauffeur, cook, errand-runner
and a woman that cares about her health and well-being.

If I don't put myself first for a few miles a day,
what good am I to my family if I am unhealthy and unhappy?

Happy running to you all!


**PS Tomorrow I will pick a winner (one of my blog followers)
to win one of my Holla tees!
Just leave a comment on this post if you'd like to be entered to win!
Or, as one of my fun followers said, "holla if you folla!"
Love it!

Friday, February 19, 2010

If You Follow My Blog.....

you will be entered to win one of my Holla! tees,
as a thank you for following along with me on
my hectic journey as a Mom of three crazy blondies.


Who doesn't love a good Holla?

I just added some more of these tees to my shop!

If you are a follower of my crazy blog & you'd like to be entered to win a Holla tee, just leave me a comment and let me know!
I will pick a winner next Wednesday!

And if any of you have a "sewing" friend that would like the chance to win one, feel free to spread the news.

Thank you and Good luck!

Holla!

Monday, February 15, 2010

Topics!

This is a common word that is blurted out every night at the
dinner table after we have completed our prayer.

Gracie, who is now 20 months old, has been yelling this
loudly each night for, at least, the past six months.


After our dinner prayer concluding with AMEN (which she also screeches)
she smiles, looks all around at us and proudly says "TOPICS!"
I just love it.

Several people have asked me about my Family Rule
"Bring a Topic to Dinner Every Night,"
so I wanted to share where this idea came from.

After reading some staggering statistics about eating
dinner as a family, I really wanted to make it a point
to eat together every single night.

(Another one of my Family Rules)

Statistics show that kids who dine with their family are
healthier, happier and better students.

A few years ago I remember talking to my sister Adie about the Oprah Show
in which she interviewed Maria Shriver.
Maria had talked about the idea of having her children bring a "topic"
to the dinner table every night.
Instead of everyone just sitting around eating and randomly
mumbling about their day, they were to bring something they
wanted to discuss with everyone.

I LOVED this idea!
Even though my girls were very little, the loved it as well
and looked forward the their own special TOPIC they got to
talk about with everyone at dinner.

Some of the things my girls come up with are priceless.
For example, "My topic is I don't have school tomorrow...."
Interesting.

And another, "My topic is that today at school, "Tommy" was really bad
and got in trouble."
Amazing.

But there have been so many times that my girls have really
shocked me and shown me how in tune they are with what's going on.

Sophie's topics was Barack Obama every night for
practically two months as the election was nearing.
She just couldn't get enough of him
And they way she said his name?

Barlack Omama.
So cute!

I remember talking about who they were voting for that year.
Sophie, of course Barlack Omama.
Mia, John McCain one day. Barack the next.


I have come to love this "Family Rule" so much.
I feel it gives my girls an open invitation to
bring up anything that may be on their mind and it gives them
the opportunity to let us know if something is bothering them at school,
or just to fill us in on whatever silly things they are thinking about!

Friday, February 5, 2010

Family Rules

A few years ago I was watching Super Nanny.
She was discussing the idea of making a list of family rules.

I felt that this was such a great way to take the opportunity to talk with our girls about our expectations and the guidelines that we expect them to follow in our home, as well as in the real world.

I immediately jotted down a few things that I felt were important to us.
When we sat down with the girls to talk about these "rules", Mia was 3 and Sophie was 2.
I remember how interested they were in hearing all about these rules and how they were excited to show us how good they would be at following them!


I recently typed up our "Family Rules" and framed it.
It sits on my desk in our kitchen where everyone can see it daily.

Our Family Rules are as follows:
Be loving.
Be kind.
Be a good listener.
Put our family first.
Eat dinner together as a family.
Bring one topic to the dinner table each night.
Never yell.
Never hit.
Share your things with each other.
If upset, use your words to talk about your feelings.
Everyone must help with household chores.
Say your prayers every night.
No TV during dinner.
No cell phones during dinner.
No shoes on the carpet.
Make your bed every morning.
Do NOT interrupt.
Say please and thank you.


They are not extremely deep or philosophical, as the girls are still all under the age of 5.
But I feel it helps them know their boundaries and what is expected of them.
In my opinion, there is no greater comfort to a child than having structure and knowing what is expected of them.

After making my list, I realize there are SEVERAL
more things I could have added.
Such as.......

always wear your helmet when riding your horse....

(Gracie immediately yells for her "Hat" as soon as she hops on!)


get your beauty sleep......



and LIVE, LAUGH and LOVE in 2010!

(Don't you love my Williams-Sonoma Pig?! It's one of my favorite birthday gifts from last summer from my Mother & Father in-law and my Sister & Brother in-law Angie & Farris!)

I will add those in the future I'm sure. :)

One of the rules I like to follow, yet it's not on our list, is take as many pictures as humanly possible and display them above your desk like a crazy person!

Here are a few close ups of my craziness...

It's a Wonderful Life, indeed!

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

Superstar Sophie

Guess who is a SUPERSTAR student?!
Sophia Grace, that's who.

She came home the other day with a "Certrificate" from preschool.
I knew exactly what it was before she pulled it out of her backpack.


It was her Certificate of Achievement in knowing the following:
Full name, Address, Phone Number & Birthday

I knew that this was what she so excited about because we had been practicing all of her "personal information" at home the weekend before.

Then, sure enough, her first day back at school after our practicing, she comes blazing out of the double doors at preschool smiling ear to ear with some very good news!


Way to go Soph!
The second one in your entire class of 3 year olds to get this certificate!
We are so proud of you!

Speaking of Sophie, I made her a fun little t-shirt dress for her to play in.
She wanted it "floor length," and Princess and the Frog, of course.
Her new favorite.

Her FOURTH birthday is coming up and she's celebrating with a
fun Princess and the Frog themed party.
Can NOT believe she's turning four.
Tears.

Even made a little headband to match.

(She almost loved this more than the dress.)


And another shot of a recent project.... I finally got around to making Sophie a recycled t-shirt dress of her own, after making Mia a Michigan one.

Sophie's is made out of Steve's old shirts and she loves it. She calls it her "Daddy Mazz" dress.


I can't wait to make some more....

 

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