Sweet Sixteen?

Last month we celebrated our youngest daughter's 9th birthday. At nine, life is fun and pretty and mom is still potentially the one you run to when you need a hug.

But what about when you're on the cusp of being 16? Our oldest daughter will be 16 in exactly 10 days. This is somewhat monumental.

Not because there will be a big party, not because it's a cultural tradition that our family celebrates, but because this is the time she will always remember.

There are days when I'm driving by myself and a Madonna song comes on the radio and I feel like I'm 16. I know all the words, whereas I can't remember what I did two days ago. I'm semi-dancing in my minivan (if you're a Gilmore Girls fan, picture Lorelai grooving to "Jive Talking" by the Bee Gees while sitting in her jeep outside her parents' house!) and for 2 minutes and 30 seconds (or however the long the song lasts) I am 16 again.

Those minutes are easy. But the rest of the time, can be like climbing up the proverbial mountain with rocks on your back.

This is not what I signed up for.

My first clue should have been with the on start of labor when my mind screamed "get me off this train!"

Parenting at times can be so painstakingly difficult. I've been thinking about that fine line of being a mom and still be "friendly" with your kids.

Are we good moms and who is defining what is "good?" Would your spouse say you're a good mom? Would your best friend? How about your kids, seriously, if you could be the fly on the wall when they're with their friends, what is your child saying about your role as mom?

Two of my closest friends feel the same way. Where do you draw the line? Are we too harsh, too compliant, are we fearful that our kids will turn on us and eventually write a biography about how their parents ruined their lives?

Time will tell I guess.

For now, I will tell my daughter this:

Even if you can't see it, we will always be connected. This bond between mother and child which at one time was physical, is still there and always will be.

If he breaks your heart, let him go, cry, eat ice cream, listen to breakup songs, watch a sad movie, hide under the covers and then move on...because there will be someone else.

Real hardships will happen, battles will occur and life will feel unbearable, but you will be able to get through these moments if you realize these moments are but temporary.

When your heart hurts, my heart will hurt as well. :(

Even if you think I don't understand, I understand perfectly, because I've been there.

Know that I will always love you. Unconditionally. No matter what.

It's A Cupcake Decorating (Birthday) Party

When you're celebrating a nine-year-old's birthday, there's nothing better than using every girly/pretty color that's out there.

Finding the theme and inspiration was easy with Pinterest and a purchase of cheap party lanterns!

And even though I'm still a believer in going big on the decor and food, I try to keep the cost down by being creative and shopping various dollar stores.

Lanterns: Originally $8, clearance $2: Family Dollar Stores. Streamers: $1 each.

Clearance glass containers for sprinkles: 25 cents each. Sprinkles from a local bulk food store: aprrox. $1.50 per container.

Girly storage/tackle box filled with gummy worms and fish candy: $1.99 on clearance at Shopko stores.

Paper goods: all $1.00; Cupcake wrappers: $1.50 (Wilton); frosting: Homemade Buttercream. Find the recipe here.

Vinyl Tablecloths (3): 25 cents each on clearance: Dollar General stores. I used three and as each one got dirty, I rolled it up and tossed it. (They made it through cupcake decorating, the girls putting on nail polish and breakfast.)

Homemade Tissue Paper Pom Poms or Flowers: tutorial here, price varied for tissue paper. Cupcake Piñata: $11.97 Walmart stores.

This was the 'Breakfast Bar,' with two cereals, cut up strawberries, chopped walnuts and mini dehydrated marshmallows. Marshmallows: $1.87 from bulk food store. Used two plastic ice cream scoops to serve cereal: $1.00 each at Dollar Tree Stores. Did I mention it was a sleepover?

Inspired by Pinterest and these lantern colors, I'd say this was a successful birthday party!

Until the next party...

The Last Baby...

In about a week, our youngest child will turn nine. Wow. I've heard many moms say that "time flies," how "they grow so fast," and I'd grab these nuggets of wisdom and store them away in the back of mind. Not forgetting them, but processing them over the years. I've done this for almost 16 years.

But it only occurred to me (in a heart-wrenching way) a couple of weeks ago that we also have a sophomore in the house and her days of living at home are dwindling away. :(

And it also only hit me a little while back when friends were visiting with their two and four-year-old sons, that my days of toddlerhood and preschoolers are gone forever...

(Suffice it to say, when I sat on the floor with the two-year-old boy singing Row Row Your Boat, I relished in the moment!)

So now it's my turn, when you think you'll be changing diapers forever and never getting a moment to yourself, remember this is just one season of your life. Revel in it, because sooner than you think, you'll actually reminisce about the tough moments and grin and when you think back to the better times, it will be bittersweet.

But this post is a celebration of growing up. About how we all grow up, even our last baby. One day the dolls will be stored away in our basement, the dog won't have someone to sit with on the floor, that the days of putting up streamers and decorating cupcakes will be memories of my kids' childhoods.

And because this is our third child, I did relish every moment, I did secretly smile at the antics, holding my hand over my heart (the way Husband often does when he talks about our beloved children.)

What a privilege to have children in the house, making it a home...

The Dog Days of Summer

Aside from work and summer vacation for Husband and the kids, we've been pretty busy this month. I've still managed to paint a door, try some new recipes, take a few mini vacations and do a little shopping...

Right now I'm in the midst of planning our first beer tasting party. I'm kind of excited because we never really had a housewarming (with couples, that is) at the lakehouse, so it will be nice to have people over.

I've designed the invitations, we've decided on the menu and Husband has been busy growing his hops and making his beer. Life is never boring around here.

Here's my Instagram dump of what else we've been doing:

• Husband starting to condition our two swimmers
• I made Triple Berry Baked French Toast
• Our laptops lined up and ready for duty
• Husbands hop are growing
• A trip to Wisconsin Dells
• My stop at the Coach Outlet store
• Ingredients for delicious Zucchini Brownies
• New throw pillows for the living room
• Bucket-o-Salsa (homemade and delicious!)

Two weeks left until school starts in our neck of the woods! What's going on where you are?

Planning A Surprise Getaway

I'm having an internal debate about whether to plan a surprise getaway with Husband. There's this fine line when it comes to saving money and living a fulfilled life. If I wait until we have the money, will we even be able to go? Will the money go to a new fridge, a child's needs or a possible emergency?

I talked to someone I work with and she said "I don't want to be 80, using a walker at the Grand Canyon! What kind of vacation is that?!"

Our last getaway was a wedding in Chicago. It was so wonderful.

I totally get it.

So I'm perusing the deals on the internet, giddy with excitement about this potential trip. Googling "Two night three day cheap getaways," (hoping we don't end up in Tijuana.)

Where? When? How? My first three choices were: Philadelphia, because Husband likes history; somewhere in Maine, because I love the east coast and Seattle, because it's far enough to fly to and I've never been there, even though I lived in Vancouver for a year.

Seattle, yes, birthplace of my beloved Starbucks, the Space Needle and Pike Place Market that looks amazing. I've also found a cool hotel, I'm kayak-ing, hot-wiring etc. all the airfares and dreaming of all the cool places to see and foods to eat (thanks to Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives!)

Husband knows I'm planning something, he just doesn't know what exactly... so do you have any ideas? Have you been to Seattle, can you recommend places to visit? I would love to hear your ideas!

Fourth of July and Family Traditions

I'm not sure why it didn't matter as much when I was young, but the older I get (and the older our kids get) I find myself clinging to some traditions I've started. These 'traditions' on their own are so simplistic in themselves, but have grown in meaning every year.

Like the making of Fourth of July 'Sparklers,' pretzel rods, chocolate and sprinkles. Easy to make, not very costly, but something I only make once a year. Kind of like green bean casserole at Thanksgiving and putting streamers above the kitchen table for every child's birthday. Simple, but meaningful. Maybe there will be more traditions, those I don't actually have control over, like witnessing the baby ducks that were born in our front yard earlier this spring.

This year, we are also approaching a milestone of sorts, staying in the same place for almost six years. That's a record for us. Okay, we have lived in three different houses in the same zip code, but this house is the house. I like to think that we are the pioneers of "flipping" houses.

With that record, I've noticed the ups and downs of friendships, the excitement of anticipated events (like our little town's annual fireworks) and the desire for Husband and I to make our lakehouse a permanent home.

I hope you are making lasting memories and building traditions with your families as well. Have a safe and happy Fourth of July!

What To Wear To A Swim Meet

Swim Meet Outfit 

We've had a couple of swim meets to go to this year. Here's what I'd love to wear to the next one! (Orange is our swim team's colors.)

Alysi sleeveless top
yoox.com

Old navy
oldnavy.gap.com

Tkees patent sandals
jildorshoes.com

C Wonder c wonder
cwonder.com

Saks Fifth Avenue stud earrings
saksfifthavenue.com

MICHAEL Michael Kors iphone case
bloomingdales.com

FENDI beach towel
farfetch.com

Kids Artwork: A DIY Father's Day Present

Husband is not a fan of the made-up holidays. I on the other hand, want to celebrate everything. Because as the years pass and I see our three children growing up, I have a tendency to want to cling and hold on a little tighter.

This year I wanted to create a very special heartfelt Father's Day present. Husband loves to see our family photos and the kids' artwork displayed in our house. I feel the same way, why invest in pricey art when we have our own budding artists right in our house!

Our kids, like yours I'm sure, bring home a ton of artwork from school. I tried several ways to keep it all (in plastic bins, displayed in cheap garage sale frames and just plain taped to the wall as seen in these photos.)

I even tried to get fancy and use iPhone apps to archive all that creativity to one day turn into a book. But that was just like scrapbooking, and I never did that well either.

Then I picked up the book Playful Home and was inspired by this photograph and the framed art in a child's room:

How cool. A retrospective of three kids artwork, beautifully designed and framed. As usual, I wanted to make a similar version to that one, and still not spend a lot of money.

I started by taking pics of their drawings, paintings and projects from this school year. Then I cropped the photos to be approximately the same size. I created a similar design as in the inspirational photo in Adobe InDesign and inserted the photos and wrote my own text. (If you don't do graphic design work like I do and don't have this software, I was thinking that you could create something similar in Pic Monkey, which is free.)

I debated whether to print from my own printer, but I didn't want to do any cutting and gluing, I wanted it to look professional, as if you could have bought this somewhere. So I turned my design into a *jpeg file took it to Walgreens to have them print a 14x20 poster size (which was the size of an old frame I had.) With an in-store coupon, I saved a nice chunk of change.

*I had to specify the type of file because FYI, their photo machines cannot read PDFs.

I might do this every year and put them side by side along one wall to make a nice wall gallery!

Now mind you, I hung this up in the laundry room just to photograph it because that room had the best light. But Husband has yet to see this since Father's Day is still thirteen days away, on June 16th. So shhh...I'm taking it down now and hiding it in a closet.

Hopefully I've inspired you to think of a new way to preserve your kids' artwork and maybe to make a beautiful DIY Father's Day gift.

Life Is (And Has Been) Better At The Lake

It's hard to believe that our family has been at the 'lakehouse' for one year. It's as if we've lived here forever. To say we're lucky is an understatement, maybe because I don't believe in luck and maybe because after all those moves (you can read about them here,) we've finally found home.

 As I went through last year's photos, I found this one above; the DIY sign project I made to commemorate our new house. Only now did I notice Husband and our youngest in the background fishing.

This backyard view, the inhabitants of our space (like "Caesar" the eagle and "Wally" the crane,) the quietness of our cul-de-sac. None of this has gotten old. Thank goodness.

Our family recently re-watched "We Bought A Zoo" with Matt Damon. The first time we watched it, we were in the process of daydreaming about living at the lake. The lakehouse was our zoo, our adventure, our vision of home with our kids.

At that time our vision included a trampoline, basketball hoops and fishing boat. (Two out of three ain't bad.)

Now we foresee berry bushes and homegrown herbs, more of a communing with Mother Nature if you will.

On Sunday, we welcomed this new family, awww...

As we celebrate our home-anniversary, we continue to recognize how blessed we've been as a family. :)

The Cutest Mother's Day Video Ever

When I was in elementary school I used to tell kids I was from Hawaii. That's because I was tired of telling them I was 'Filipino,'

What's that? Are you Chinese or Japanese?

Because if you weren't Caucasian or African-American, then you were someone from Asia. And it had to be China or Japan, because let's face it, in grade school we didn't know all the countries yet!

Except for Hawaii. I thank Hawaii 5-0 for that.

My kids don't have the same struggle, in fact when our youngest daughter was around 5, she would say she was "half-Filipino, half-Human."

That always makes me laugh.

Anyway, all of that is a pre-cursor for a Mother's Day shout-out. I posted this video a few years ago, but it always makes me smile. (She's half-Human, you know...)

Here is our youngest's rendition of a Taylor Swift's "You Belong With Me." Enjoy and Happy Mother's Day!

Every Stylish Mom Should Have This

As a mom, finding any product that makes life a little simpler is helpful. As a designer, it's nice when  the products I use are aesthetically pleasing to the eye as well. That's why I'm so happy to own a BellaVita wristlet.

I'm in and out of my house, on average, eight times a day. Whether it's errands, meetings, sports events, or the daily drive to three schools for pick up and drop off, I am on the move.

Nothing is more irritating than trying to gather my wallet, keys, cell phone etc. just because I have to get into the minivan. (It reminds me of the days of diaper bags.)

Anyway, with that being said, everything in the wristlet fits into it snuggly. My driver's license, a credit card, cash and my iPhone.

BellaVita sent me this pretty mauve/purple color (my choice of all the colors they offer) to prance around with. It's been great. No more looking through my array of purses to haul when I'm off and running.

Right now, BellaVita is hosting a giveaway, you can enter for a chance to win a wristlet or wallet.

So check out their site and let BellaVita make your life a little simpler too!

{disclosure: BellaVita sent me a wristlet in order to review this product.}

What Barbie Is Teaching My Daughter

As I was rearranging my living room, I decided that the castle, Barbie's castle that is,  needed dusting too. Remember the days of playing Barbie alone or with friends? I do, endless hours of make-believe.

And Barbie could do anything, in fact at age six, Barbie was going to be a stewardess, get married, have babies, join a rock band, become a fashion designer and later hold the prestigious position of  editor-in-chief at Glamour magazine.

Who knew that Barbie (who is now 50 years old) might want to become a Social Media Strategist.

I guess today, Barbie can be anything or anyone she wants to be. Boy have things changed. Then I noticed something else that's changed...

My eight-year-old's Barbies are ethnically diverse (especially the one on the right with the plastic-lilac-legs!?!)  Not that there aren't any blond Barbies in our house, they're just in the Volkswagen Bug driving around with their boyfriend, who happens to be a male 'Little People' toy. That's because Ken has yet to grace our house, maybe when our daughter is 30.

Our daughter said something the other day about not wanting to be blond and how brunettes 'have more fun.' Where did this come from? School probably.

Typically when I talk about career paths with our daughters it's, "You know, you're a great debater, you could be a lawyer," or "If you go into the medical field, you will always have a job." Ad nauseum.

I think I bought this doll because she resembles me. In fantasy land, that is.

I just want them to not have to worry about bills. Not having enough money can be brutal.

Anyway, both our girls will decide on what they will pursue soon enough. As for our son, I'm constantly steering him towards "Biomedical Engineering," the job of the future!

For now, I will continue to enjoy the Barbies (and toys, games, clothing, clutter) that 'decorate' our home for as long as I can. Because Barbie is still teaching our daughter about sharing, social interaction, manners and desire for a closet full of shoes. Just sayin'.

There's No Place (To Paint) Like Home

A week away from home has (hopefully) made my family appreciate their mommy-chauffeur, a house that smells of crock-potted meals and soap in the shower. (Seriously, how can you shower without soap, kids?)

(A few little stops for treats to bring home: locally made chocolates, sushi for me and a sampling of craft beers for Husband.)

As the 80's Michael Jackson and Journey serenade me in the background, it seems I have returned to domesticity, beginning with paint.

Husband and I have finally started painting our entryway. As opposed to the latte-colored paint chip I was "instagramming" (trust me, this will become a word in the dictionary, just like "googling") two weeks ago, we ended up with "Tea Leaves," an earthy, sage green color, close to the green in this palette:

Our lake house is basically beige, which translates as incredibly boring and devoid of personality. So we had to fix that. (Also any paint color will hide drool marks from an English Mastiff.) Really.

Husband is a perfectionist when it comes to painting. And rightfully so, he's quite skilled with a roller. I however, am of the let's-just-get-color-on-the-wall, school of thought. At least we can agree on color. (Except for when I wanted our last kitchen "butter" yellow and the yellow chosen was so bright it looked like we were riding in a school bus every morning. Epic fail.) We now choose paint color together.

So we are painting right now while we have a little down time between swim practices and softball.

For more inspiring color palettes, check out my "True Colors" Pinterest board.

Free Calendar Wallpaper For You!

Every year, I'm hopeful that it will be better than the last one. This year I am starting it off by sharing this site that can turn your photos into calendar wallpaper for your computer. Cool.

Husband and I ended last year by shoveling snow off a portion of the lake and creating an ice skating rink for our kids. (Who am I kidding, I'm as excited as my eight year old!)

I used to coach figure skating to beginners before I had kids and these are the same boots and blades I used. After 3 kids and many years later, my feet have expanded to a size bigger and when I put on my skates it feels like I am on pins and needles, later they are so numb I can't even feel them, until I take them off again and the tingling continues for another 30 minutes. Oh, for the love of ice skating!

But I digress...so we are in the process of learning how to make the perfect ice rink and loving the winter season of the Midwest.

I'm really hoping that this year is a good one for you. My BFF and I were talking the other day about how hard life can be and how we as moms, often feel overwhelmed with even the smallest of details. This year I hope for more balance, a little more peace of mind and the ability to find joy in every moment.

Happy New Year!