The 'Body After Baby' Dilemma

'Your body is a wonderland...'

Oh John Mayer - these words may be true before a lady has a baby, but once that little bugger has done a number on a woman's body, it becomes more like a foreign land - one you need a passport for.

It's funny. Just when you think you know everything you could possibly know about the body you have inhabited for many a year, POW, you have a child and it's like you are all of a sudden complete strangers.

Things that were once on this side are now on that side. Wait, what? When did that move over there? And gravity-smavity; kids do a bigger number on your breasts than gravity ever could. 

Oh, and that flat plateau that was once your stomach (after thousands of sit-ups, crunches and miles and miles of cardio) all of a sudden looks more like hilly terrain with deep ravines than anything resembling smooth plains. 

And don't even get me started on how your legs suddenly start to look like a road map of the United States - now that your veins have all of a sudden risen to the surface.

Add to that the suitcases that have taken up permanent residence under your eyes from the lack of sleep, the way your butt seems to have somehow changed shape (how the hell did that happen?) and the fact that when you sneeze you now have to cross your legs (we all know you do it) it’s surprising that women will time and again choose to have another baby.

So, even though you now realize that you really just can’t rock those tube tops and hot pants any more (thanks kid), you and I both know, that we will willingly, nay, energetically, jump into the role of 'pregnant lady' without a thought to our backs, butts, ankles and stomachs. Because in the end, it's totally worth it.

Yup - I would totally do it all again.

Ah, motherhood – ain’t it grand?

Till next time,

K

A little Washi Tape love

So, my love obsession with Washi Tape just seems to keep on growing. 

So far, I've washi'd a ruler, my eye glasses case, notebooks (and more notebooks), picture frames of all sizes, jars, candles and vases.

The ways to use it are pretty much limitless - I have plans for the arms on sunglasses, covering an old beaten up clutch, watch bands and even my clock at work. I'm telling you, this stuff is friggin' awesome.

My little red notebook got a makeover; painted jars got washi'd;
Candles love the washi and picture frames - need I say more?

I've even created a board on Pinterest just with ideas for it - and big thanks to Amy Anderson for not only creating a website dedicated purely to Washi Tape, but for introducing me to fellow Washi addicts.

If you have even a little bit of crafting love in you, give it a go - it's seriously easy to use, and if you make a mistake you can just peel it off and replace it. You will need to set it just to secure it in place (Mod Podge works great for this, but pretty much any form of sealant will work), but other than that, it's a piece of cake.

The ways to utilize it are purely limited by your imagination (and the ability to find things that you haven't already covered in Washi Tape).

Now, I wonder if I can washi the rims on my car?

Till next time - may the WASHI be with you.

K

How NOT to spend a national holiday

There's a saying that 'even the best laid plans of mice and men can go astray' (although what mice have to plan about is beyond me)… and this weekend, that saying held true for us.

I had plans to spend some time with friends on Friday night – till they all got sick.

I had plans to spend Saturday morning swimming at friends place – then they all got sick.

And for Memorial Day, well, we had plans to join some friends for the usual BBQ and swimming deal, but it didn't happen. Fortunately, no one got sick, but in the morning, M discovered that our water heater decided it was time to pack it all in and had gone'boom'.

So instead of swimming, eating burgers and hot dogs, and drinking probably way too much, M got to go out and buy a new water heater. He then had the fun of installing said water heater along with having the sheer joy of cleaning up the almighty mess the old one made when it kicked the bucket (so to speak).

As for me and Little P? She napped and I got to clean (yay for holidays!!).

But I can't really complain - I didn't have to go to work, and it's been ages since M and I had a Monday off together. And I did get the chance to actually watch a movie while M was busy pulling the water heater out.

But still....

(Little P prepping the potatoes; burger time (thanks Carls Jr);
M & Little P jamming; Little P doing the annual Memorial Day run

So instead of burgers with friends, we had burgers at home, got to enjoy an impromptu jam session between M and Little P, got to watch M turn the box the water heater came in, into a castle for Little P and essentially just had a mellow day.

She's the Queen of the Castle; busy decorating her new abode

And while it wasn’t how I planned to spend Memorial Day, it certainly wasn’t the worst way to spend it either.

So, here’s to you all – may your holidays always be filled with unexpected adventures, may your cup always be full, and may the burgers never get dry (or have any of those nasty boney bits in them).

Bring on the 4^th of July – I’m ready for you!

K

And a salute to the red, white and blue, and to all those who have served, and those that continue to do so. Thank you.

And the Liebster Award Goes To...

I got a notification via Twitter today that a fellow blogger, Ashley from Chitown and Allaround nominated myself and some of my fellow bloggers for the 'Liebster Award'.

To say that it got my attention is something of an understatement - so I immediately went to her blog to find out what the heck was going on. Here's what I saw:

"The Liebster Award is for blogs with under 300 followers and the rules of the award is that the nominee must link back to whoever nominated them, write 11 random facts about themselves, answer 11 questions from the award giver, and then nominate another 11 bloggers and make up 11 questions for them to answer. It's a great way for new and undiscovered bloggers to meet new people, get more followers and find some blogs that they want to follow."

So, I then of course had to Goggle the crap out of it to work out what it all meant. I finally found some details on Sopphey Says and it basically breaks down like this: 

• started in 2010 by a German blogger who wanted to get not only the number of their followers up, but to share the love with fellow bloggers
• it's kind of like a chain letter - you get it, you nominate a group of other bloggers and the love goes round and round
• there have been variations on the number of followers that a blog needs to have less then to be eligible (anyway from 3,000 to 200)
• and the number of bloggers who you need to nominate have varied from 3 to 11

So, while I won't be walking a red carpet or making an acceptance speech, I'm all for supporting my fellow bloggers. 

M and me being big old goof balls

And here we go, first part - 11 random facts about me.

1. I'm a goof ball and a big old geek at heart.
2. I get the worst cravings for Twisties (Australian chips). So much so that I sometimes dream about them.
3. I adore Stephen King and Dean Koontz and have been known to devour entire books of theirs over a weekend
4. My first ever 'grown up' drink was Southern Comfort and 7UP (I kid you not)
5. When I first met M, I wasn't exactly the nicest person - if I remember correctly, instead of saying 'hi' when I was introduced to him I called him 'that damn Yankee' (and yet he still asked me out and look where we are now)
6. Little P was our last try at having a baby - we totally lucked out with her
7. I love riding motor bikes, although I haven't done that since I was pregnant (I totally blame M for that)
8. I have been known to leave extra cake batter at the bottom of the mixing bowl just so I can sit down and eat it
9. I know all the words to the songs in 'Tangled'
10. I knew M was the one for me after our first date
11. As much as I hate mornings, nothing makes me smile more than having Little P give me a hug and say 'hi' first thing when we get up

Such salty goodness

Okay, enough of the randomness. Here's the 11 questions that Ashley asked:

1. What is #1 on your bucket list?

That's easy - go to Italy next year for our 10 year anniversary

2. Do your close friends and family call you something other than your first name?

Where do I start? Smoochie, Mama, Sis, Possum, Mouse, K-Fox, Foxy, Kel-Star...

3. What is your favorite ice cream?

Chocolate - duh

4. If you were stranded on an island, what are your 3 must-haves?

Stephen King novel, sunscreen and a boat to get back to civilization (is that cheating?)

5. What's a movie that you can watch over and over again?

The Princess Bride

6. Do you speak any other languages?

Does 'bad English' count?

7. Have you ever traveled outside of the U.S.?

Yup, originally from Australia, but have been to Canada, England and France

8. If you found out this is the last meal of your life, what would it consist of?

M's Espresso Rubbed Petite Filet with baked potato and honey glazed carrots

9. If you could splurge on one item, what would it be?

Christian Louboutin heels

10. Do you have a special talent?

I can make people snort drinks out of their nose.... and I make some pretty killer cocktails (although not sure either of those actually count as a 'talent')

11. What was your favorite TV show from your childhood?

Ooo, that's a hard one. I guess if it came to the crunch, I would have to say The Goodies

So, now it's my turn to share the love. This was hard as a lot of them have been already nominated, so I went with my top seven. Without further ado, I hereby nominate these wonderful bloggers for the Liebster Award:

Kim Ulmanis

Sierra Nicole Designs

Wacky Jacqui Designs

Jennifer Falcione

The Tired Mother

Nine Months of Shower

Rockin Mama Baby Gear

And here's the important stuff - my 11 questions to you fellow bloggers:

1. If they made a movie of your life, who would play you?
2. Cake or pie?
3. If you could have dinner with anyone, dead or alive, who would you want to sit down and have a meal with and why?
4. What makes you laugh?
5. What scares you (like hide under the covers kind of scared)?
6. Your greatest achievement?
7. What do you like most about being a blogger?
8. What's the one song that will get you to get up and dance?
9. Coffee or tea?
10. What's your secret obsession? (and we all have one, so fess up)
11. If you were a secret agent, what would your code name be?

Have at it, and have fun.

K

Nailed It - Disney Princess Silhouette's

Anyone who has looked on Pinterest for inspiration for their little girls' rooms has probably seen this set of Disney Princess Silhouettes. 

Ignore the finger prints (didn't notice them till after I saw the picture -
note to self, always clean glass after putting in your artwork)

Awesome right? Problem was, the version I liked are created and sold by an Etsy store and while I loved them, I wanted to have more than one, and it just wasn't in my budget to get three or more of them. But the longer I looked at them, the more I thought I could do something similar myself. 

After searching Google for silhouettes, I finally found these versions of the Princesses  and off on my merry way I went. (I found out after I started this project that I could have made them myself in Photoshop. If I decide to do this again, I'm totally doing that.)

All you need for this project is the following:

• Frame (or frames if you are doing multiples. I got mine from Michaels on sale)
• Silhouettes printed out (you can get them from the site I did, or do it yourself in Photoshop)
• Colored paper to either use as the background or as the actual silhouette
• And adhesive of some sort to hold the image to the paper

That's it. I think this cost me a total of $12 - which was just for the frames. I had the paper on hand, printed out the image at home and I just used double sided tape to attach the image to the paper.

And then it's just a matter of cutting out the silhouette (you can use either scissors or an Exacto knife - I used the knife; was easier to get into all those little fiddly bits).

You can use the original black silhouette or make a colored version

Little P insisted that Abigail be in the photo - apparently she likes colored paper.

Then you can trace the image onto the colored paper if you don't want to have a traditional look, or just stick the silhouette to the paper that you are using as a background, pop it in the frame and voila! You have your very own set of Disney Princess Silhouettes.

And the finished product

So for about a third of the cost, and about 20 minutes of my time, I got new artwork for Little P's room and another craft under my belt.

Did I nail this one or what?

K

(just as a side note, if you are familiar with vectors you can go to CLKR and download vector templates of all the Princesses there. I'm not that comfortable working with them so I went the easy route, but I know a bunch of you out there could do it).

Nailed It - Easy Canvas Picture

Okay, here we go, for a week of crafts (and here's hoping I don't have any major fails...).

I've been looking for different ways to add art to the house in easy and cheap ways. I did this one a little while ago, on a whim.

It was super easy and I liked how it looked, I figured I would do another one, and this time I would actually document it. But seriously, this is so easy, a tutorial is kind of unnecessary.

So, here's what you need:

• Blank canvas (I got mine from Michaels, but you can get them from Hobby Lobby, JoAnn's, and pretty much any art store)
• Wooden frame (again from Michaels - these ones come in a two pack)
• Two different paint colors
• Brush (to apply the paint)
• Adhesive of some sort (I used glue dots, but you could use craft glue, hot glue gun, craft glue....you get the idea)
• And a photo

And this takes all of three steps.

One: paint the canvas and the wooden frame in the colors that you want (I went with purple and white, but you could pretty much go anyway you want with the colors).

Two: Once both are dry, attach the wooden frame to the canvas with your choice of adhesive, after you have placed your picture on the canvas (you can use adhesive to hold it in place, I didn't, but if you want that little extra bit of security go for it).

Three: Hang it up.

See, piece of cake.

So beautiful readers, what do you think, did I nail this one?

Till next time,

K

Be kind to everyone

I made a promise to myself, when Little P was born, that I would try, (really, really, really try) to not let stupid people annoy me. 

And for the most part I succeed. 

But when it comes to drivers in Las Vegas, it's very hard. In fact, some days it's almost impossible to turn a blind eye to the idiots driving around me.

No turn signals, merging onto the highway at 40mph, cutting off people in an effort to get to the exit (only to realize, heck, that's not the exit I want), driving 10 miles below the speed limit on a one lane road... the list goes on.

And yes, I know it's not just in Vegas, it's everywhere. But for some reason it seems more pronounced here in the desert.

M and I have a few theories on that, none of which are scientifically provable (although Vegas has been ranked in the top 5 cities for bad drivers), but all the theories in the world don't amount to squat if you the people around you still act like they got their driver’s license out of a cereal box.

I have found that on the days when it's really hard to take the higher road (so to speak), I start saying this little mantra - 

Now, I'm not saying that this is the case for every person out there, some people really are just idiots, but I've found that since I have been doing this, the traffic gods have smiled on me. 

On those days when I feel like I'm having my patience truly tested, and I revert to my little mantra, I automatically seem to have an easier commute, get all green lights, and even have no one parked in what I consider to be my spot at work. On those days when I lose it, I get nothing but red lights, tend to have more idiots in front of me, and find someone else has taken my spot to park.

The cynic in me thinks it's just coincidence, but the rest of me thinks that what goes around really does come around, and maybe, just maybe, by keeping a positive attitude, I'm making positive things happen.

What do you think? Does it pay to take the higher road and let the universe sorts things out, or is it a load of old cows dung?

Till next time,

K

Sweet lullaby

Ever since Little P was a baby, I've sung 'Hush Little Baby' to her. I've sung it to calm her down when she's upset, to help her go back to sleep after a bad dream, and pretty much anytime she's asked me to.

Lately, she's taken to singing it herself - to her 'babies'. 

Which is really cute, except for the teeny, tiny little fact that she sings it a tad bit differently than I do. And I don't just mean in the 'making up words to replace the ones I don't know' kind of way. I mean she sings it differently.

Instead of being soft and sweet and soothing, along the lines of something that would help a little one to go to sleep, the way she sings it, it's more like the chorus of a song from a Swedish death metal band (cause you know how hard core those Swedes are when it comes to their heavy metal) - played at the highest volume possible.

I sing it like this (in hushed tones): 

'Hush little baby, don't say a word...'

Little P sings it like this (remember, death metal): 

'HUSH LITTLE BABY, DON'T SAY A WORD...'

It would be really funny if it wasn't so disturbing (and I just know you are picturing my little girl all ‘metaled’ up and head banging now aren’t you?).

This is actually what she looks like when she’s singing it:

All peaceful and sweet, right? That picture is totally misleading (she’s actually breaking glass with the volume that she’s singing at).

I really shouldn't be complaining. She could be singing 'Rock a Bye Baby' in that tone.

Now THAT would be scary.

Till next time – you might want to keep those noise cancelling headphones handy. It’s probably gonna get loud in here.

K

Bloggerific Scavenger Hunt

I've had the good fortune to discover a really great group of fellow bloggers here in the desert, and to encourage each other to post regularly, and to keep blogging fun (because it can so easily start to feel like work), we decided to launch a fun and easy link party. It's been dubbed our great and fantastic 'bloggerific scavenger hunt', which essentially breaks down to two elements:

1. We get a theme each week and have that week to take photos of a selection of the items listed.
2. At the end of the week, we post them up and see what everyone's takes were on the items to find.

Little P ready to go snap some pictures

Pretty easy huh?

And even thought it's only May, here in Sin City it already feels like summer, hence the theme for the first ever scavenger hunt - Summer. And here are the items we needed to try and find:

• Sunglasses
• Beach Ball
• Iced Tea
• Watermelon
• Flip Flops
• Sunscreen
• Pool
• BBQ
• Beach Towel
• Ice Cream

And the best part, we didn't have to get a picture of all of them, just five. Piece of cake huh? 

I actually thought I had to work for a couple of them, but it turned out, after running around to get the last couple that I wanted, I already had seven (I know, 'over-achiever'). So I just picked the ones that I really liked. 

Without further ado, here are my favorite five - 

Beach towels, sunglasses, flip flops

Ice cream, beach ball

So there you have it - the first official 'Bloggerific Scavenger Hunt', Las Vegas style. If you want to play, you have till next weekend to find the items and post them.

Just go check out my friend Cat's site and link it up there.

Happy hunting.

K

10 Things you didn't know....

Recently, I was with a group of friends, you know, just chatting about the usual things a group of women talk about when they get together (men, kids, men, shoes, kids, shopping, food, men, kids....) and out of the blue, a mutual acquaintance turns to me and asked me if I liked anything other than coffee, wine and sleep.

Um, what? 

Apparently I come across as something of a shallow individual who is also obsessed with coffee, wine and sleep to those who don't know me personally. Yes, I admit, I do love a good cup of coffee. And I have been known to literally swoon over a glass of wine. As for sleep... well who DOESN'T like sleep?

But it made me wonder, is that how everyone sees me? So to put an end to those nasty rumors, here is a list of ten things that you probably didn't know that I love (outside the obvious ones, like Little P and M, my family and friends, and yes, coffee, wine and sleep).

1. I 'heart' Music - pretty much anything (aside from hard core heavy metal. Just can't do it). If it has a good beat it works.
2. I adore the Ballet (and Broadway Musicals, and one act plays - actually pretty much anything to do with the theater and dancing, I'm pretty much down for).
   
3. I love Art - all kinds of it. One of my favorite things to do when we lived in Manhattan was to browse the little art galleries. 
4. I am totally an apologetically in love with Books. Two of my all-time favorite gifts are reading related - The Complete Works of Lewis Carroll that my Nan gave to me for my 13th birthday and a Kindle that M gave to me the Christmas before Little P was born.
5. I just love listening to M play guitar. Gives me goose bumps every time - he doesn't play as much as he used to, but I make the most of it every time he does.

   

   And soon, I'll get to listen to Little P play

6. I love me a good animated flick. Adore cartoons, and animation in general.
7. I heart Christian Slater - sorry babe, but you know it's true. My one high school celebrity crush has remained solid through all these years.
8. Chocolate (especially Aussie chocolate), how do I love thee? Let me count the ways...
9. Shoes. Need I say more?
10. And I love to travel - there is just so much to see in the world, and I haven't seen nearly enough of it. Italy, Greece, Spain.... the list goes on.

See? More to me than just coffee, alcohol and sleep. I swear.

So, there you have it. For some of you, not so surprising. As for the rest of you, see, I'm not such a 'one dimensional' person after all. 

I have depth, dammit.

K

All I want for Mother's Day...

Is to sleep-in. To blissfully dream and not wake till the sun is fully up, the birds have been chirping for at least two hours and the numbers on the clock look more like 9:00 than 6:00.

Ah, sleep. That wonderful little friend that becomes so elusive once you have children. Indeed, it becomes something of a rare visitor - kind of like that friend everyone has, who is never around when you really need them, and but is constantly there when you just don't have the time for them.

Sure, as parents, we get to close our eyes, maybe even get in a few quality zzz's but true sleep, the sleep of the adult who doesn't have to keep one ear tuned for the subtle tells of a stirring munchkin, no longer exists. The sleep of someone who doesn't wonder if they will be woken up by a toddler jumping on them, or a child telling them they are hungry, or that their brother isn't playing fair, or that the milk is all gone (as in, it's all over the floor) - that type of sleep, it's long gone.

And even after they are old enough to fend for themselves, to get their own breakfast, indeed to venture out into the world on their own, you don't truly get that pre-kids sleep ever again. You will always, always be listening for the phone to ring, or the doorbell, or the sounds of your children gently crying. Because you're a parent, and that's what parents do.

I have no doubt that there will come a time when I will indeed get a deep, fully rested and ready to take on the world kind of sleep. I have absolutely no idea when that day will be, but I know it's out there.... It has to be, right?

Now, having said that, I wouldn't say no to lunch somewhere nice. I wouldn't even mind a pair of these earrings

or maybe these ones.

Or this Kate Spade bracelet is kinda cute too.

Just saying.

So, to Mother's everywhere, here's to you. May you get to sleep in, laze around, and just generally be pampered for that one day. Cause you know, come Monday, it's all over and you are back to doing the laundry, and the dishes, and picking the kids up from school....

Till next time,

K

Kangaroo's and Emu's... and a Zonkey?

Yup, a Zonkey (it's a hybrid of a Zebra and a Donkey) but it's real. I swear.

See?

Told you - it's a Zonkey!

M has been trying for quite some time to find a place to take Little P, that I hadn't already taken her too. He thought he was on a winner taking her to Floyd Lamb Park, only to discover that she already knew all about the peacocks and geese and ducks there, due to us going there pretty regularly when I was at home (sorry babe). Recently, he had been talking with a friend of his about places to go, and when they mentioned that there was a zoo, just a little ways outside of Las Vegas called 'Roo's n More', he got super excited. Finally, a fun adventure for for all of us.

So, with a little planning, some determination and directions on hand, off we went on our grand adventure.

Little P did surprisingly well for the amount of time we were in the car – about 45 minutes (she's an active kid and wants to get where we are going at like, warp speed). However, when we got there, I think M and I were more excited about what we were going to see than her - Little P was far more interested in the dirt in the parking lot than going to see the animals.

But once we got inside, it was a different story. They have an awesome number of different creatures, from all over the world – hence the name ‘Roo’s and More’. The caretakers (I guess that’s what you call them) were knowledgeable, a lot of the animals were out in the open (Little P was just fascinated with the tortoise’s - especially the big guy that the little kids could actually get up and touch) and it’s just an awesome sight to behold.

 

Little P making friends - and yes, he's missing a leg

'If you could talk with the animals...'

She was all about the ‘bouncy’s’ (aka kangaroo’s) and the 'big birds (aka emu's and ostriches). And we took the ‘Kangaroo Tour’ which was pretty cool – very similar to what the animal park at The Big Pineapple used to be like, you know, back in the day - so we got to get up close and personal with the kangaroos and even a sloth (seriously, a sloth. Who would have thought?).

 

Little P and M feeding the 'bouncy bouncy'

It was awesome to see Little P not only saying the animals names, and being able to point them out (‘Look Mommy, zebra!’ and ‘llama, llama, llama’), but it was great to just watch her and M interact with them and spend some time together (she’s been a bit of a ‘Mommy’s girl' lately).

 

'What you looking at?'

So, if you are in Vegas, and haven’t gone yet, make the trek out there. You won't be disappointed.

Oh, and did I mention they had MONKEYS!!! It’s totally worth it just to see them.

Seriously, go check them out.

Till next time,

K