Friday, August 30, 2013

Carter's 50% Off Labor Day Sale!

I haven't been shopping in awhile. Besides groceries and one dress from the crazy Lilly sale my checkcard has been bored with groceries and Target trips. This is mostly due to us being on a spending freeze. Why?

  • Saving my extra dollars to spend in New Olreans next weekend!
  • Unplanned trip to San Franciso in November! I am going for work but M is going to fly out and meet me and we will try to hit up Sonoma that weekend.
  • Several home projects lined up for this fall.
BUT....

Natalie had posted about this cute fleece vest for her son Sterling and it is $15 today!!!! Hit it up! Here is what I ordered. Sad that we are gravitating away from our smocked outfits and dressing more "boy". 

And No, you can NEVER EVER have enough fleece. Just ask Tommy Myer.


xo

Marsh Scene from Pawleys Island Posh

Julia Ryan Marsh Painting

I met Julia way back in 2011 (that is forever in blog friend years) when I was on vacation in Pawleys Island. I had started reading her blog and was obsessed with the pictures she took of her kiddos. She took our first (and only) professional pictures of F at the beach.




I also admired her home in Pawleys  and how absolutely beautiful it was. One of the things that caught my eye was her painting of a Marsh scene which happened to be her own original artwork.
Julia's home in PI

How beautiful would this be  hanging in my home? I would have a hard time picking out where to display it because I would want to show it off downstairs but it would be so relaxing to have in our bedroom.
Two of these side by side would be killer in F's big boy room....

Right?

Or just one in my entry hallway. Decisions decisions!

Here are a few pics (photo overload) of the Pawleys Island Marsh from our trips over the years. Stunning right?!

And the reason I love the Marsh AKA Pawleys Creek so much..........

The house we have rented for years is on the beach and the creek. I have spent countless summers playing in the plough "pluff" mud, crabbing, floating, kayaking..and just enjoying this extra bonus of the beach! This is so wonderful when you have kids because it allows endless opportunities for exploring.

Catching Crabs....

Our Annual PI Creek Float. Tubes from Eagles/Waves. Make sure you time it right!

Fishing...

Boating....

Secluded spots....

Thunderstorm Watching.....

Drinking...

Sunsets...

More Sunsets....

Scenery while you bike/walk/jog

The dock. I have been playing on this guy for 26+ years!

This place is so special to me so I really think I need one of Julia's marsh paintings in my home. What do you think?

xo

PS-Head over to her blog today to vote for her to get a Serena & Lilly Makeover!

Thursday, August 29, 2013

#CollegeGamedayMommyFail

R & F. Carolina onesie he received at a baby shower. These gifts rule.

When F was first born we received tons of fun fan gear. Onesies, hoodies...etc. And when he turned 1 we got another crop of adorable team outfits. But now......WE HAVE NOTHING!!!!!!!!!!!!! And Kickoff is less than 10 hours away!!!!
Sorry for the picture overload...but seriously...how cute was he?? (Still is!)

UNC Bball he almost shoplifted from the Airport.

Fancy Footballs...

Double 0 baby. 

Smocked Footballs...yep, it exists. 

Best Mobile Ever. Found this at the YMCA sale. 

I'm going to head to Target/Wal-Mart/Old Navy to satisfy his toddler fan requirements on my lunch break. For you UNC fans out there here are some good suggestions if you can't buy local:






They have Cheerleading outfits up to a size 14. Double dog dare me to squeeze my ass into one?


And for Mommy...
Next week I'll post some good outfits for the Pros baby! NFL kickoff next week! #TBT for the win.

Wednesday, August 28, 2013

I Am Okay!

Several friends have asked me...how are you doing? With the underlying tone being...your poison ivy is that bad? They probably picked this up from the somber mood the blog has taken the past few weeks.

Well truth be told I had some other medical stuff going on. I had been having some odd symptoms for awhile and my Doc thought she would just do a blood panel to check things out. Last Monday they called me to come back in because my ANA levels were off the charts and I needed to have a lupus test done. Yes, they actually said the word lupus. In hindsight I wish they would have never uttered that word b/c this OCD chick went to crazytown.

My family medical history is not a pretty picture and having a cousin with lupus I was pretty grim throughout the whole process. Add in some daycare drama, some seriously terrible poison ivy, a husband job change, a lengthy debate on having more kids....and well...I've been a mess.

A mess. But if feels good to admit it. Katharine, you are a mess! I realize there are people fighting way bigger battles than some frivilous bloodwork but when its your battle it consumes you.

The good news is I'm all clear! We still need to keep an eye on things with my drama mama Kidneys but otherwise I'm fine! Phew! (Except for the fact that the poison ivy is now re-breaking out?) WTF!!


Hold the phone, husband job change? Yep, M is out on his own now and taking clients! He has been pretty busy so he hasn't had the time to even do his own site. It was a big change for our family but I am very proud of him and know that he will knock it out of the park! Why Foxrio? Fuchs = Fox and he was born in Rio!

I promise to pep up my posts soon...especially since it is almost the most wonderful time of year..........

FOOTBALL SEASON!

Come on girls...I know there are a few reasons you might watch Football...............

Drew Brees, New Orleans Saints

Jonathan Vilma, New Orleans Saints

Clay Matthews, Green Bay Packers

Barkevious Mingo, Cleveland Browns

Victor Cruz, New York Giants

Greg Olsen, Carolina Panthers

Eric Decker, Denver Broncos

Eli Manning, New York Giants

Luke Kuechly, Carolina Panthers

Right? 

Tuesday, August 27, 2013

Daycare Decisions


Sometimes typing things out and getting them on virtual paper helps me make decisions so here we go......
2 Things before I get started:
1. This isn't going to be a literary masterpiece, I'm typing this out as fast as I can so you guys can comment (the 4 of you) and
2. Its a much longer dramatic story but I just don't have it in me.
First Day of Daycare. August 2011

We have been at Daycare A for exactly 2 years. F started there when he was 3 months old and I remember our first drop off there like it was yesterday. His infant teacher has become a family friend and someone we know we could call if we needed help. I would put her as our emergency contact if I could!
F with Miss "Cookie". 
It is a great daycare, provides everything he needs and he has made some lifelong friends. One of these friends we will refer to as his "girlfriend". They have been inseperable since they were itty bitty and every day on the way to school he says, I wanna go see "girlfriend". And I wanna go see "Teacher". He loves his teacher to pieces also.

There have been a few times when I have been at my wits end with Daycare A. There was a period of teacher shuffling awhile back and he would have bruises and bumps that nobody had caught, we would be dropping him off in a different room every morning it seemed and it was just a time that things didn't feel quite at ease. Kids pick up on this and he HATED dropoff for quite some time. Things have leveled back off but we are getting ready to switch to a new room and to a new teacher we haven't ever really met.

One of his buddies left the school for a new Daycare, Daycare B (a HUGE Church in South Charlotte...I'm sure you can figure this out)...and the parents were telling me about it and it sounded really nice. I know "girlfriend"'s parents had thought about switching to there before so I mentioned it to the hubs and to them.

Well 2 days later we are in Daycare B on a tour and eveyone is super excited. Me..well, I don't do change well. In fact, I don't do it at all. And I was seriously hungover from a crazy wedding weekend and slammed at work and I just didn't want to think about it. But we had to make a decision that DAY. I sobbed and sobbed and sobbed. I couldn't leave Daycare A where he had been since I was dragging in a cooler of boob milk. Daycare A hadn't done anything wrong. What would he think had happened to his teachers?

But the opportunity at Daycare B blew us away and by us I mean the hubs ran over there and put a deposit. They were the last 2 kids to get in before it was full.

Open House day came and I had to work...but F LOVED it. He didn't want to leave. He and his girlfriend ran around and met the teachers and played...etc. It went well. Mama is happy, I went out and bought all the items for his first day of school.

Our current Daycare A plans this huge Carnival to "meet the new teachers" (something we wished they had done weeks ago since there had been no communication of the kids switching classes yet...just rumors) and the kids go and have a great time.
F and Girlfriend Halloween 2011
Here is the issue: Now F's girlfriend might stay at Daycare A. I don't blame them, it is a hard hard decision and we have loved this daycare for 2 years.

My issue is now that I have seen fancy Daycare B do we switch? Do we split these two best friends up at the age of 2.5? What will F think? Do we stay where we are? Will I always wonder how he would have benefitted from the fancier school?

**Daycare B has no windows in the classroom. This is something that has bugged girlfriend mama and myself from Day 1. Is that a big deal? what do you think?
**Daycare B also has the same dropoff people each morning...something that makes me feel good that he will always be seeing his teacher in the morning instead of a floater from another room.
**Daycare B has a science lab, computer room, and indoor playroom if its raining.
**Daycare B is faith based. We could get a little more religion going on in the F household.
**Daycare A is smaller and more like a family. Its like Cheers when you go in that place.
**Daycare A is familiar and wouldn't be this huge jolt of a change
**Daycare B you can text your teacher if he had a bad time at dropoff and she will let you know how he is
**Daycare A is around the corner, Daycare B is 2 miles farther

We really need to let Daycare A know if we are staying or not and if we are eating our deposit at Daycare B. I cannot wrap my brain around why this decision is so hard but it is.

What would you do?

Peanut.