I'm On a Diet, Kind Of

Well, winter didn't last long in southwest Florida. It's back up in the 80s- just another sign that summer and beach season is upon us. With that comes the pressure of breaking out the old swim suit and praying it still fits.

Two kids in less than three years did its work on me. When I was in third grade, one of my friends told me she had 'birthing hips'. I assume she heard that from her mom, but it stuck with me, mostly because I had no idea what it meant. Three kids later, I understand. And I'm proud of those hips- my deliveries were easy, with no complications. But putting on a bikini still makes me a little less than confident.

You'll have a better workout with this shirt! Available in my store!

In light of that, I decided to start a semi-diet. I hate dieting. I'm not good at it and counting calories drives me insane. Besides, I go to the gym and then for a run five days a week- if I want a bowl of Black Cherry frozen yogurt, then I'm going to have it! Still, I could be more conscious of portion sizes and just having 'one or two' chips while packing the boys' lunches.

Enter Fitbit. My wonderful, beloved Fitbit. The whole reason I carry everything in my left arm so that my right one stays free to swing and give me credit for those steps. And the app dutifully records my food/water intake, in addition to my calories burned/steps taken/sleep achieved. I've realized that what I like is the accountability. Do I really want to have to enter that I ate three fruit snacks, a bite of circle waffle, or an afternoon cookie? It's easier to just pass on them and save my calories for more fun things- like wine or ice cream.

I was discussing this with my boss and she mentioned that she weighed herself every day. Every day! I would be a basket case. Then I found myself on Amazon and discovered a smart scale- who would have thought? It syncs to your Fitbit and helps track your goals. Supposedly. I ordered it and we'll see how this goes. In the past, I've had a tendency to unhealthy body image, so this might be a little too much precision.

But on the other hand, I'm not old yet and I'm not really ready to give up fun swim suits for the skirted old lady ones. Not sure I should share this, but a couple years ago I was at the beach with Micah and a couple teenagers were behind us and I overheard them refer to me as a 'MILF'. I'd like to hold onto that illusion for a while longer.

This post is getting long so I'm off to enjoy Easter weekend with my family. I hope you all have a safe, fun weekend and remember the reason we celebrate is Jesus!


PS- Unwrapping the small Hershey's chocolate eggs from their foil and replacing them with grapes is an awesome April Fool's trick for your little ones. 

With Love,
Susanne

What Publix Taught My Child

My youngest, Ezra, doesn't speak very much. He doesn't really need to. Between older siblings, mama and daddy at his beck and call, and his amazingly articulate gesturing, the kid may never speak. But he has deigned to learn a few basics, you know, the important words: mama, daddy, Dara, yes, ball, boat, and please. This last word was learned at the Publix bakery counter.

We go to Publix a lot. Like, a lot. It's right down the street and with so many people in the family, we are constantly running out of something. You'd think we'd be able to get our act together and coordinate a list, but that's yet to be conquered. For the boys, the highlight of going to Publix is the bakery. The ladies there know them and already have the preferred chocolate chip cookies ready when we roll up. (This is probably in part because you can hear my kids from the entrance. What's an inside voice?)

 One of the bakery ladies always waits until she hears the 'magic word' before she hands over the loot. When Ez was a few months younger, he used to just make a noise and hold out his hand. That gets him what he wants at home, for the most part. But the lady just looked at him and repeated her request to hear the word, 'please'. This happened a couple of times and Ez started to get frustrated. Cayden said please and started munching away on his cookie, waving it in his brother's face- as a gesture of encouragement, I'm sure.

Then it happened. 'Eese'. Ez reached out and said 'eese'. The Publix lady clapped and smiled. I cheered and smiled. Ezra shoved the cookie in his mouth and smiled. For a moment there was peace on earth.

Now I wish I could tell you that he's started using even more polite words, but we're still working on that. He does make a specific sound and firmly nods his head when told to say 'thanks', but he's still stubbornly using his own language. I'm not sure at what point to be worried about his speech development, but for now I'll let him speak to us in his own little unique way.

With Love,
Susanne

A Random Post About the Weekend

Saturday was the kind of weekend day I love. No commitments and we can do as we please. So we lazed around until noon, made a leisurely lunch- well, I supervised while Chase did all the cooking. (Clean-up is always harder than the actual meal preparation when my enthusiastic husband is in the kitchen.) 

Then, we went into town to visit our second home, Home Depot. $200, a vehicle full of plants and mulch later, and I believe we’re ready for spring. Since Dara thinks it’s her mission in life to destroy and eat my favorite plants, I decided to try my new calamondin in a pot on our newly screened porch. Have you ever heard of a calamondin tree? Probably not. They’re sometimes called ornamental orange trees or some nonsense like that. They’re actually very tart and perfect to squeeze into sweet tea. In a couple months I should have some ripe- come join me for a glass!

Back to my day. Chase wanted to get a hair cut, so he volunteered me to entertain the boys. We strolled through Petsmart and had a knock-down drag-out fight over which cat toys we were going to purchase for our non-existent cat. The answer was none. But I had to do the walk of shame out of the store holding two hysterically wailing children.

Fortunately, we had a quiet ride home, except for that darn movie, Rio 2. Yes, we're still watching it- here's my previous post about this issue. And yes, I'm considering hiring a hit man to 'make it go away.'

The boys are very into bowling now. Well, they like to set up the bowling pigeons and chuck the ball as hard as they can at them. Pigeons are bowling pins- I've corrected Cayden three times, but now we just gave up and call them pigeons. Poor Dara was torn between dodging the bowling ball and the excitement of chaos.

So that was part of my weekend. We went on the boat yesterday and my sunscreen application was sadly lacking. Today I'm various shades of red and really feeling it. And what Monday would be complete without a disaster? Poor little Cayden woke up and promptly threw up all over himself, his bed, the carpet on the way to the bathroom, and, of course, on me. On that pleasant note, have a wonderful week!

With Love,
Susanne

The Memory Filled Beaches of New Smyrna, FL

Obviously striking my diva pose.

If you know me, you know that I am not a fan of change. I like familiarity, stability, routine. I come by it honestly- my dad is the exact same way. As a kid growing up, the one family vacation my siblings and I could count on was going to the beach condo for the week of July 4^th. Every year. Same week. And even though we’ve all grown up, my parents still go. Every year. Same week. One of more of us usually crash there for a few days with them, but since I’ve got three kids now, it gets crowded.

And it’s the one week during the year my dad gets to do everything his way. He fries fish for almost every dinner (mom made him give that up at home years ago.) He goes down to the ocean in the morning and late afternoon, announces the tide schedule to the room at large as if that will make a difference in his routine, and puts up the same beach umbrella he’s had since before I was born. And I love it all. There’s something to comforting in routine and in knowing that no matter what has been going in in life, that week at the beach remains unchanged. My family will always be there. They will always have pizza the first night, and they will always watch from the balcony as the sky fills with fireworks on the 4^th of July.

Johnny may kill me for this picture.

The condo building they rent from every year is filled with people of the same mindset as dad. They’ve been coming for years and it’s rare to have a vacancy- especially on a holiday week. I’ve been on a waiting list for three years and finally this summer, we’ll have our own condo. A one bedroom condo for five people, but it’s still a victory. I know mom and dad are glad they’ll have a place to send the boys when they’ve had enough chaos. So this summer, we’ll begin to establish our own summer beach memories with the boys. We’ll stay up late playing in the pool when the lifeguard is gone and won’t take away our pool noodles. We’ll get up early to comb the beach for shells then walk to Mon Delice for a French pastry. We’ll play tennis….well, my sister will attempt to teach us the finer points while I hit balls over the fence and the boys use the racquets as swords. And it will be wonderful!

With Love,

Susanne

The Most Important Thing to Pack For a Road Trip

This past weekend the boys and I went four hours north to visit my parents and siblings. Four hours in a car is a long time- for mama And little boys. We got them car dvd players for Christmas, which sounds like a fabulous idea in theory. In reality, Cayden has a tear-filled meltdown if I try to put on any movie except Rio 2. Let that sink in. That darn movie played nearly three times before I got to mom's on Friday night. Traffic was horrible so the trip took nearly five hours and by the end, Micah and I were both ready to throw the dvd out the window

Full disclosure- he's not wearing his seat belt because we were parked- not driving

Fortunately, I was prepared with a distraction for us all. I've been a mom for nearly twelve years now and I've learned the importance of car snacks. Whining kid? Car snack. Fighting kid? Car snack. Sleeping kid? I wish I was that lucky.

So into the trusty diaper bag, I tossed raisins, chocolate chip cookies, cheez-its, applesauce fruit squeezies, fruit snacks, bananas, sippy cups of water, and crackers. Overkill? Not at all. The kids always turn down the first three snacks offered (the healthy options, of course), until, in desperation, I give them the fruit snacks or cookies. Little do they know the fruit snacks are organic and no sugar added. It's the small victories that get me through.

When packing for a road trip, make sure you have plenty of snack options- I recommend a minimum of five. And if you have multiple kids, make sure there are individually packed snacks for each kid. The world will most probably end if two of them have to share one bag. You should also make sure the sippy cups are full, with a separate full thermos as a back up. I make sure Micah, the big kid, has a water bottle or Gatorade G2, as well.

Herding three kids through the gas station for refreshments is no fun. They seem to multiply and you find yourself standing at the register paying for armloads of chips and every type of candy low enough to be snatched by little hands. Don't get caught unprepared!

I wish you a happy vacation, safe travels, and sleeping children.

With Love,
Susanne

Pinterest Party For a Two Year Old??

Ezra's birthday is coming up in exactly one month from yesterday. He's turning two and I'm feeling guilty. He's my youngest and last baby- shouldn't I be planning a huge Pinterest-worthy birthday party, complete with fireworks and elephant rides? I just want to do a small family party, make a cake, and watch him play with the boxes instead of gifts.

When Micah turned two, it was during the worst time of my life, but I still had a large party at a country club, invited his entire preschool class, and did all the things. Cayden turned two last year and I had his party all planned out, thanks to Pinterest, of course. It was shark-themed and I'd rented a bounce house and bought all the matching shark-related items. Then Hurricane Irma landed and we ended up escaping to Atlanta to view real sharks at the Aquarium instead. I'm still calling that a success.

My point it, should I put a lot of money and time into a party for a child who won't remember it? Should I make Pinterest boards and make sure all my colors are coordinated perfectly and the cake is expensive? Maybe I'm just getting too old to try and keep up with the perfect Instagram pictures everyone posts.

I feel like so much of what we do revolves around social media and people's perceptions and expectations. I just read a story today about a girl who spent over $10,000 trying to have the perfect Instagram-worthy life and pictures. She went on vacations she couldn't afford and bought designer purses just to grow her following and be an 'Instagram Starlet'.

Now don't get me wrong, I want Ez to be happy, but I don't think spending $1,450 for a martial arts party will make him any happier than being the center of attention for once, instead of Cayden. (Look up the martial arts super hero party- I'm not even kidding. But Posh Spice took her kid, so you know it's gotta be awesome. Eyeroll)

What do you think? Should I have a big party like I did (or planned) with the other two kids? Am I overthinking this?

PS- Check this shirt out- it's very true and perfect for celebrating International Women's Day!

With Love,
Susanne

How to Annoy the Neighbors and Have a Fun Evening

One of the great things about living in southwest Florida is the weather. It's March and we took the boat out last week to watch the sun set on a beautiful beach. We packed Publix subs for dinner, covered ourselves in bug spray to avoid the swarms of no-see-ums, and joined a herd of other people watching for the elusive green flash.

My family had a great time...not sure the rest of the people can say the same. They were sitting in their boats, drinking wine and expecting a sedate, serene sunset. What they got was three screaming children throwing sand and launching shells at each other. We explored the small island and the boys were absolutely fascinated by a dead fish that had washed up on the shore. They have video games and a toy box full of toys, but out on the beach sticks became pirate swords and pelicans were 'bad guys' who must be chased.

Discussing the dead fish and whether they should take it home

Cayden's in time-out because he has no regard for who he splashes (it happened to be the people in the next boat)

There were a few hiccups, of course. I forgot Ezra's swim diaper, so I had to be vigilent that he didn't go too far into the water and cause his regular diaper to inflate like a balloon. We also didn't have a life jacket that fit Micah very well so Chase and I were subjected to all the annoyance and loud sighs an almost-teenager can summon because of our cruelty in insisting he wear one anyway.

But all in all, it was a successful evening and I look forward to many more adventures out on the boat (just don't tell Chase I said that- he'll be looking for a bigger one before the year is out)

With Love,
Susanne

My First Ever Giveaway, aka Get Free Stuff!

Hi guys, happy Friday! Life has been really hectic lately, and I haven’t given my shop, Love You 5 Design, the attention it deserves. So with that in mind, I’ve decided to do my first ever giveaway! The key word here is ‘first’, so bear with me as I figure it out. All this internet/blogging/stores/advertising is totally new to me but it’s been fun. So I’ve decided to give away three items to my appreciated readers!

 

1.  Mom Hair Can’t Care Trucker Hat

2. Strength, Courage, No Carbs Flowy Work Out Tank

3. Peace Love Lattes - my newest shirt!!

Available in a few different colors

  What the heck, let’s do four items! 

For all you beautiful brides- Your choice of Honeymoon Honey or Love-Struck Bride 

Rules are simple:

Either enter via Facebook or Instagram and follow those directions

or

Comment on this post about which shirt you’d like and why

Winners will be announced on March 10th!!

Help me give my blog and shop some love, guys!


With Love,
Susanne