goodbye garbage

I'm blogging today about a topic that was in church last week. In a nutshell it was about preparing your mind to follow your dreams. One point was that you need to guard your mind from garbage. Wow! Do you ever really think about the garbage that you put into your mind (and the time you waste doing it for that matter)? It got me thinking that maybe I need to get rid of some of my garbage, and not just for me, but for my kids too. I want to make sure I am guarding their minds as well.

It didn't take me long to decide where I could cut out some garbage in my life. First I am going to stop reading perezhilton.com and tmz.com. I embarrassed to say that I read them at all because they go against everything I believe in when it comes to celebrities or what's important in the world. So I am deleting them both off my Bookmarks folder and my gossip application on my iPhone. Second, I am going to immediately stop watching The Jersey Shore. I'm really not sure why I watch it in the first place, especially since I think they are the worst role models for teenage kids (who usually watch MTV). They get wasted, lie and have sex all the time. So I am deleting this off the DVR right now.

I feel better about this decision and hopefully I will start thinking more about what kind of information or images I allow into my brain. What about you? Is it time to give something up?

pretty things

I am so excited to introduce my newest sponsor Sophie Grace Maui. They have the most beautiful island inspired jewelry and I love all of the new pieces that the owner Jamie keeps designing. I keep watching to see new jewelry images on their Facebook page and I also read their blog (especially since I got a shout out on there).

Right now Sophie Grace Maui is having it's annual BOGO Sale. From now until October 5th if you buy one Silk Cord Starfish Necklace (pictured above), you get the second one free. Rad right! You just need to enter "maggie" at checkout.

If you will be visiting Maui anytime soon, you can visit their new poolside location at The Grand Wailea Resort and Spa.

I love beautiful jewelry and I think her pieces make a statement. She also custom designs jewelry for brides and their bridal party. Here are some more pics of pieces I love.

costumes!

Halloween is just around the corner... we have changed our minds a few times, but we know what we will do for the kids. We love making costumes! We love Halloween! I just went through some catalogs I got in the mail. Here were some of my fav kids online Halloween costumes so far:

i can't show this to brody

This kid is AMAZING. I can't show this to Brody...he would be so jealous! My kid loves to dance but this is so cool!

the life of a soccer mom

I'm sorry....I can't post about a fav today, I am too busy being perplexed at what I should bring for snack at my son's soccer game on Saturday, yes, it's my turn. Last year the team just brought whatever for after, granola bars and juice boxes. This year we are doing a fruit for halftime and then a snack and drink for after. I'm in peril over it. It seems I'm not the only one. There is a big debate among mom bloggers of what the heck to bring. Some parents bring juice boxes and bags of chips, while other refuse to bring anything with high fructose corn syrup. This story made me thankful I'm not on this team though....mostly because of being un-gracious. And then there are moms like this that want to ban the traditional snack all together. I'm right in the middle, I want a pretty healthy option, however I want it to be easy too. Here are my ideas:

halftime fruit

you can't go wrong with oranges, apples, grapes, watermelon

after game snack

homemade trail mix

smores in a bag

popcorn

yogurt tubes & carrots

drinks

I'm stumped, I prefer water but the kids already have that

I'm not a Gatorade fan

I'm not a juice box fan

I heard someone did Lemonade....still sugary

Well, I will probably spend the next 4 hours trying to decide.... the funny part is that it really isn't that big of a deal. I'm all for feeding my kids healthy foods, however they will just have played an hours worth of soccer. Kids like anything!

my stamp of approval

I LOVE LOVE LOVE this camping party....it just has something special to it! I found it via Kara's Party Ideas. Cute right? Check out all the picture here.

book review

This is Brody's book pick, Interrupting Chicken by David Ezra Stein. It's a fun read about a little chicken that interrupts the daddy chicken reading bedtime stories. Brody likes books that are a little extra fun and different....it reminded me a bit like Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus in the way that the character is very outgoing and the story jumps off the page, but this one has more words and is more involved. Well at least that is my take. Anyhow, this is Brody's book pick and we had fun reading it!

attention oc moms

I just read about the new Disney Store that had its grand opening today at The Shops at Mission Viejo.....it's not any old regular store either, it's the fifth newly designed store in the country. From what I understand it features a "Pixie Path" that takes shoppers around the store and through interactive elements. There is a movie theater, a walk-through castle and a Cars themed workshop. The goal when they came up with the concept is to give a child the best 30 minutes of their day. I am definitely curious now and I will take the kids.... but the real question is, can I get in and out of there without buying something? I hope so!

no seriously....i still want one

Are you kidding me? I just got a sneak peek at the newest stroller from Bugaboo (my readers know we have loved our Bugaboo Frog for over 5 years now). The stroller is called the Bugaboo Donkey and I find it pretty rad!!! Watch the video and realize you can buy this stroller when you have just one baby and then use it for when you have two. They are calling it the "first mono-duo-mono convertible stroller for kids and goods." Rad again! I cannot believe I am done having kids because I want one. Even in the duo position it is still compact and the narrowest side duo stroller. And when it's mono that side thing is storage. If you are familiar with the bugaboo, you can change out the bassinet in the video with another seat or have both bassinets for twins. Okay just watch it!

bugaboo donkey from bugaboo on Vimeo.

The Bugaboo Donkey will be available during the Spring of 2011 in the USA, UK, Netherlands and Spain.

must have

We bought this Sport-Brella from Costco a few months ago in anticipation of Brody's soccer season. I love it. What a great purchase. I take the umbrella and place it over our blanket and the kids have the perfect shady play spot. (Note- make sure you unzip the side flaps when it's hot or you will cook inside). It's super easy to use and to tote with you. I take it other places as well. Today we took it to the park and had a picnic. Last week I took it to the lake. It really is a lifesaver when you need shade for little ones!

delicious

My uber talented sister has now partnered up and created Lavender & Twine - Charming Wedding Photography. She still does Whitney Hartmann Photography for all you families out there! But you have to check out their new site here and feast on all the delicious wedding photos. I love it!

i needed a week off

Writing my blog makes me happy....I love it and adore it, like it's the best job in the world. Seriously. But sometimes we need a break even from the best job (ummm all moms know that). I needed a break this week and I took one. But I will be back next week, I have so many blog posts that I need to catch up on. So see you next week my friends and have a great weekend!

Until then here's a pic of my baby girl to start our weekend!

lovelies

Did you know I think about these every day. My grey ones have turned tan from frequent use. These are on the horizon....I want them!!!!!

more from me

2 years ago i.....

loved my corporate job

i could buy whatever i wanted

i felt important

i said i would never stop working

and then.....

i got laid off

i stayed home with the kids

i stopped taking daily showers

i got to start doing what i love

and now....

i have decided that both ways are great

i miss being a working mom

i love being a stay-at-home mom

and i will continue to go

where God takes me

so....

it is possible to go from one extreme

to the other

and to survive it

but....

make sure you have lots of kleenex

and an open mind

in any situation

that takes you far away

from your comfort zone

it's friday

(at our school the kindergartners' snacks have to be disposable....we have to wait until 1st grade to be eco-friendly.... but we still have to look cool until then)

(i would also like to apologize to me Facebook friends who have to read or see pictures twice sometimes)

we made a promise

September 11th is almost upon us and we made a promise that we would never forget the lives lost and the devastation that happened 9 years ago. I read THIS article today and I want to share it with you. Just a little perspective that even though most of us have moved forward with our lives, that day only a memory in our hearts, some people still live it every single day.

On Saturday please pray for all those that lost a loved one and for all those who are still deeply affected by the attack.

a friend's fav

My friend Lauren (that's her son Adam above) did a blog post about the podee. I had never heard of it or tried it, but she loves is. I think it's definitely worth sharing. It's a hands-free feeding system that allows for upright feeding (helps reduce colic and ear infections). So cool!

Here's what Lauren had to say about it, "I really like it. He obviously is too young to hold a bottle and he has to suck really really hard so it is not a "lazy" bottle by any means. It is a lot of parts to clean but I just soak them and then they are good to go. It is a reasonable price too."

Looks like it works to me! This would have been helpful with my super colicky baby (good thing he grew out of it around 3 months old).

a poem i wrote right now for no reason but because i needed to

i'm all over the place lately
stacks of bills and to-do's everywhere
everything in my life is kind of messy right now
but for me that means an organized mess
i'm trying to balance my life with our life
it's hard
i'm getting work done
i have work
that's the miracle
but I need more
lots more
i just cried out loud
it was weird
i read a blog where someone just completed a dream of mine
i was crying out of envy
and happiness for them
it was weird
i'm usually really good at not being jealous
i know my time will come
but today was different and I cried out of frustration and sadness
life is hard right now
i want my own accomplishment and a little less stress
but I guess it's not my time
and struggling is good for the soul
and necessary for success

>

picture of the day

Madden eating his Mum-Mums that I posted about a few days ago! And yes, he wears his sister's old bibs :)