Playdates & feeling like an adult

Do you ever stop yourself in the middle of something and think "Holy cow, I'm an adult?" As expected it's been happening more than ever now that I'm a parent, and sometimes it totally sneaks up on me in the weirdest places. For instance just the other morning I was pulling out of our garage and I had these thoughts- "I have a garage." "I have a garage with shelving in it, with things organized on them." "Ahhh I'm an adult!" Do you know what I mean, or am I just crazy? We'll be doing weird things, like spending a Sunday afternoon at Home Depot, or anything else that seems "adult-like" and I'll think about this.

This past Thursday Autumn invited some of our girlfriends over to her house for a playdate. I've spent countless days over there, but for some reason on this day I kept thinking about how crazy it was that we were all Moms now, going over to a friend's house to get our kids together. It's something my Mom did all the time when we were younger- we spent so many afternoon at our friends' houses, our Moms talking in the kitchen- and it was kind of neat to think that now I was the mama doing these things.  It's all come full-circle.

It was a great day though, and so fun to see all of the kids together, since we had a huge age range. Nat's little girl Scarlet is 10 months, Henry is 14 months, Autumn's kids are 23 months and 3 1/2, and Anita's daughter Lola is 2 1/2.

Here are a few photos from our day-

Weekend links!

my favorite song right now. so sweet.

It's Friday night and I'm enjoying a super quiet night in at my parents'.  Everyone is asleep, Hank's watching basketball, and I'm sitting here next to him typing away. It's been a great week and I actually am attributing a lot of it to not eating sugar! Crazy, right? I actually feel so much different- less irritable, moody and overall I just feel like this particular "edge" I sometimes carry around is gone. Feeling good. I will say that tonight there was a particular Trader Joe's dark chocolate with caramel and sea salt bar (so, so delicious) calling my name...but I stayed strong and remembered the reason I'm doing this. It's a reward for my body, not a punishment, and I need to look at it in that light so I can stay motivated when the allure of nighttime treats is so strong.  I got past it though and instead went for a walk with Hank and I'm feeling happy with my choice.

Tomorrow night Hank and I have a fun date night planned and I'm so excited to try out a new restaurant! I'll of course share more about that on Sunday. In the meantime though, here are some links. xoxo

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Looking for fitness/healthy living inspiration? Check out one of my favorite blogs.

I am in love with these photos on Erin's blog. Seriously, go look. Alaska is breathtaking.

Katie always manages to infuse magic into the everyday. She's truly an inspiration to me.

Need some topknot inspiration? Chelsea's got you covered. I especially love number two.

DIY confetti shooters! Awesome!

My 1st Vegan Dinner Party. I really enjoyed this post.

I really, really enjoy Jess' blog...Rowan just may be the cutest little girl on the internet! 

One of my wonderful sponsors, Passionfruit, is launching their site soon! Have you signed up?

An interesting article about the politics of sugar.

Loving these frames Jess has created! Best of all, they're free for the taking. 

If you missed "The Other 'F' Word" in theaters, have no fear- you can now watch it via iTunes.

I am absolutely trying this quinoa/sweet potato/black bean burger recipe this week. It looks amazing!

One of my favorite ladies Heidi recently opened a shop on Etsy- check her out!

This post over on Rachel's blog has me wanting to pack up my family and head out on a road trip.

Definitely trying Mandy's homemade exfoliator. Loving this whole week of natural remedies on her blog.

Imagine if your blog got deleted? Panic.

Have you checked out DejaVu yet? Don't forget you can get 30% off with code "sometimessweet"!

Henry needs these baby-lit board books. As the son of a former English teacher, I'd say it's necessary!

Good news for a certain little lady and her adorable family!

Do you read Daily Doily? How about Harper's Happenings? Pop over and say hi!

Healthy lemon-coconut-cheesecake bites. These look really good.

And on the subject of dessert-delicious-ness, how about some baked hot chocolate? 

Here are a few new-to-me blogs worth checking out- I've been finding some great ones via all of your lovely comments and it's really neat to pop over and see what you guys are all up to! One and two!

And finally, two favorite blogs: a new fave- The Vegan Housewives! And an old fave- Flowerchild Dwelling.

Happy weekend!

Replying to comments...good news!

I'm probably very late to this party but my friend Katie informed me this evening that Blogger made some updates and now allows us to respond to comments individually! This is huge, because I often feel like the biggest jerk for not being able to reply directly, and sometimes I'm not sure if people even go back and look in the comments for the answer.  Now I can respond to anything and everything right here. Awesome, right? I'm really excited, and even more so because it reminds me a lot of my beloved Livejournal. It took me a second to figure out how to get the "reply" option, but after some trial and error I now know that you have to have your comments embedded, as shown in the screen shot I just took below (click to enlarge).

Welcome to the modern world, Blogger! 

Hi!

 

currently reading: Steve Martin's memoir "Born Standing Up." Good stuff.

I just wanted to say hi. I kind of feel like sometimes it's easy to get caught up in the features and the weekly posts and the this and the that...so I thought I would just ramble and write for a little while. Henry is napping (more on this in a bit) and I'm taking a little break from checking things off my to-do list to just sit here for a moment. Yesterday was a busy day so it's nice to take it slow this morning and get everything done.  We woke up a little early yesterday and went to a bootcamp style "Pump Iron" class at the Y (I'm feeling it this morning), then Henry and I headed over to the library for story time with our Mom/baby friends. I've talked about it before but every Tuesday our library puts on a fun morning full of books and interactive songs and games. We've been going since he was just a tiny baby, but are only able to make it on and off whenever I decide to push Henry's normal 9:30ish nap back. However, now that he's down to one nap a day we can go every week.  Or so I thought! After trying it out, I really think that one nap a day is not good for H. He's just so cranky and I feel like he isn't getting as much sleep as he'd like. Each morning we've done the one nap, Henry will just lay down on the floor around 10am like he wants to go to sleep! He'll get insanely cranky and show all of his typical "I'm really, really tired Mom" signs. I thought I'd give it a few days to see if he'd ease into it but I decided to switch us back today. He went down for that first nap immediately so I know it's the right thing. So, goodbye to all of the mid-morning activities I dreamed of us attending. ha. It's okay though, I'm just happy that he will be happier.

Oh! I suppose I should talk a little bit more about this sugar-free thing I'm doing. Today is day five and I'm going strong. I asked Hank this morning to be sure, but yes, my face is definitely clearing up. My right side is almost totally clear and although my left side is not perfect, I feel like everything is healing. I'm really happy. I imagine that in a few more weeks I should see even better improvements. And although it's been less than a week, I'm sleeping so much better. Last night I went to bed a little after 10 and woke up at 7:30. Pretty good considering since having Henry I am the lightest sleeper in the world. I am missing sugar a bit though, and yesterday I had a strong craving for some brownies (damn you Pinterest!), but other than that it hasn't been a big deal.  I am a little surprised though that I haven't seen my hungry-raving-bitch side come out while doing this. A few years ago I tried to do a detox of sorts and I was pretty much intolerable by my own admission. I really, really like food and I'm one of those people that get totally irritable (see also: rude, easily annoyed, cranky) if I don't eat. Although I think in this case I can pretty much eat whatever I want, besides sugar.  There are tons of choices so at least if I'm hungry I can go snack on some lettuce...or something. ;)

The only thing I am a little conflicted about is my upcoming trip to San Francisco. We're visiting a friend who makes sweets for a living, and I'd love to indulge and enjoy his creations. I'm teetering between feeling that I should just stick with my plan and then feeling like I need to live my life. Ugh, I don't know. I feel like maybe I can try some things but not go crazy? But then don't think it would really worth it and that I should finish the 6 weeks perfectly sugar-free. So I don't know. Welcome to the craziness that is my over-thinking mind. And I also realize that if my biggest problem is contemplating eating some gelato then life is pretty good at the moment. Thankful for that.

Soo, other than the great sugar blackout (white out?) of 2012 life is trucking along. Things I've learned this week: avoid Pinterest food boards for the next 5 weeks (especially any sort of dessert recipe), some Moms are just really rude and are unfortunately raising equally rude children (observations while at storytime), and I LOVE LEMON LARABARS (because I miss them so much).

So how about you- how are you doing?
xoxo

Tattoo Tuesday V.105

  
Name and blog name: Becky MacKeigan. I never update my blog but I'm here: http://www.facebook.com/BeckyMacKeigan. My website is www.beckz.ca. And you can find me on instagram @beckzmaru
Age: 30
Occupation: Tattoo Artist who also paints
Age of first tattoo: 24, Haida scorpion/eagle on the back of my arm
Favorite tattoo: either my sailor girl or my chest piece, I can't really choose
Featured tattoo/location: My chest piece
Artist/shop/location of feature tattoo: Travis Driscoll when he was at Sin On Skin here in Halifax, Nova Scotia (he is now at MTL Tattoo in Montreal)

1) Tell us about your featured tattoo- is there a background story about why you chose it, or maybe a special meaning? 

I got a paper mache sugar skull from the boardwalk in Venice Beach, Ca and named him Pierre (he looks french). I have always loved sugar skulls and what they represented and I know they are overdone as tattoos but I needed him tattooed on me. Pierre was with me for the remainder of my time in California and sat front and centre at the windshield of a '68 VW bus as I made my way home driving north and across Canada back to Nova Scotia. He has since come along on many road trips to see bands (NYC, even back to Calgary/Montreal/Toronto, etc) and has seen more then a lot of people I know, and he just represents my wanderlust and the good times I've had while 'on the road'. And now he sits front and centre with me no matter what :) There are flowers on either side of him, marigolds and bird of paradise flowers. The marigolds are the traditional Dia de los Muertos flowers and I just fell in love with the bird of paradise flower so wanted those in there too, plus they help balance it.


2) Do you have any other tattoos? If so, what do you have and where?

I have a Haida/west coast native art inspired scorpion on the back of my arm.. and if you look closely you can see an eagle in the design. I didn't think of getting any more done there but afterwards wanted a more fuller looking arm. So after I started my apprenticeship my boss (Mike LeBlanc now at Ink Nation in Courtenay, BC) and I came up with a stormy rainforest scene because I wasn't sure what else would go with the style, so a beautiful nature scene seemed fitting. The main focus is a raven who is sort of for my dad as a joke and also sort of for my fiancé haha. I stand with my arms crossed/folded all the time so it's cool to have him sitting right there. I suppose you could say overall the whole 1/2 sleeve is for the time I spent living in British Columbia but it isn't really… I just like it!

I have a 'practice' leg on the go that I did one of my very first tattoos on (4th to be exact)… I drew up some girls, each a queen of a different card suit with a bird. I wanted the queen of spades with a crow but someone else called dibs so I gave myself the queen of clubs with an owl. I love owls anyway so I don't mind having one on me one bit. I was sketching at work one day and drew up a coffin with wings and a keyhole cause it just looked 'tattoo-y' and threw in some tiny roses and put that on my leg for practice early on too. It would sound weird/bad if I said that was for my mom… but she has always said about me, "She has wings" cause I've always done my own thing.. so it's cool cause it reminds me of that. The only piece on that leg I didn't do is my Bacon tattoo, the shop owner of the place I am now at (Dr. J, Permanent Ink, Halifax NS) gave me that one and now I am randomly called "Bacon", even by some clients. Who doesn't love bacon?!

I also have a traditional looking sailor girl on my left leg that I did myself. As symmetrical and OCD as I am, it was weird to put something on my left side. But my fiancé deployed for 6 months with the navy right after he proposed to me which sucked so on a slow work day I just had a sudden urge to put this beautiful tattoo on me for him/us and couldn't really do it well on myself anywhere else. So there it went, and I love it so much!

3) Do you plan on getting more? 

Absolutely… It's actually driving me nuts I haven't been getting any! People leave the shop everyday with new work done and I'm jealous haha! I basically want my whole back done with sort of a kitschy Americana theme including a 1950's waitress pin up and lots of Route 66 inspired stuff. I am so nostalgic for that era. It's been floating in my head forever, and kind of hard to get all down on paper. I even had a couple of other tattoo artists turn me down because I'm very anal and picky about what I want. (But at least I can relate to my clients when they want their stencil moved a millimetre 5 times in a row! It's on you for life so get it right, right?)
My next one which is way more doable is going to be a teapot and stacked teacups because tea has to be one of my most favourite things and I love all the decorative mugs, teacups, and teapots. I've never been really girly so this might help me out? It's going to go on my super bare left upper arm. (on that note, I love your Two for Tea tattoo Danielle!) editor's note: thanks lady!
I also want an old wood cookstove with some pumpkins maybe (for my sister), something harvesty with that one… autumn is my absolute favorite time of year. And I feel like I need a mounted deer head? And a realistic elephant, or maybe numerous elephants stampeding. Oh, and I want a tattoo of a piece of apple pie with cheese on top. So yes.. I have plans for many more!



4) How do your family and friends feel about your tattoo(s)? Have you run into any adversity or negativity because of them? Do you have a significant other? Does he/she have tattoos? 

Well pretty much all of my friends who are in to tattoos helped me out big time while I was apprenticing and let me work on them. I still work on a lot of them and they send me lots of business. I have some pretty heavily covered friends and some friends with only one or none at all, and everyone that matters knows what I do, and what I look like and are cool with it. My parents/family have always supported me and are pretty laid back about whatever I've wanted to do whether it was going to art school, moving across the country or tattooing. I've even tattooed my mom 5 times (and she wants more)! My dad is the black sheep with none and he just laughs and shakes his head at us. I work on my sister, she has a few big pieces and I am covering her husband: I finished his sleeve & 1/2 chest. Started his other sleeve and started his full back piece. My fiancé has two full sleeves and I love them. Well I've been working on one of them so maybe I'm biased, it's still in progress… but it's all old school sailor jerry flash perfect for my sailor:) We only cover up when we're around his grandparents because they are older and religious and set with their opinions and we respect that. They are pretty awesome, so I really don't mind.

I don't find I run into any adversity but I do get looks from people obviously. I find people mostly look at my leg tattoos if I have a dress or shorts on… I find it really strange because I forget that they're even there. I did, however, have a lady pull on the front of my tank top once in a coffee shop to see my chest piece. It was super weird and awkward and what was even worse she thought it was a teletubby?? I've had people ask if it was a clown, but never a teletubby. Who knows!



5) What's the most interesting experience you've ever had in regards to your tattoos? 

Most interesting experience might have been the chest peeker at the coffee shop. But there is a funny thing I notice that happens almost daily in regards to our tattoo appearances. There is a little old lady who walks her beagle by our shop everyday. She looks in and gives my boss the dirtiest looks! He's a big stereotypical biker guy completely covered with old tattoos and about as harmless as a kitten. Now this very same old lady smiles, and nods and waves at me and our very visibly tattooed shop counter girl. If the door is open she even chats to us as we pet her dog. It's just so funny she has her mind made up about one tattooed person but is sweet as pie to us girls!




6) Any advice for those interested in getting tattooed but haven't gotten one yet?

Here is a little story I tell a lot. When I was 16 my mom took me to get my first tattoo. I was filling out the paperwork and when they saw I was 16 they said "No." Me, being 16 at the time and a little brat, complained and explained my mom was sitting right there and she was letting me. They still said "No" and explained that they weren't comfortable tattooing someone that age as some people may not be mature enough to make that kind of permanent decision yet and that I may not really know what I want at that age and my body could still be growing/changing. They were right, I didn't know or cared about what I was going to get. I just wanted "a tattoo". I remember it was a little frog with squiggly legs… and boy am I so grateful they didn't tattoo it on me… because it would be covered up right now! (funny side story- my mom ended up taking my appointment that day and I was so angry! I have since covered that up for her though mwaha).

I have a lottttt of friends who got tattoos at a very young age and I've covered up so, so, so many of them. So I now get to feel old and tell teenagers that I was in their shoes once. So please really think about what you are getting, make it count. We don't have a piece of generic flash in our shop with hopes of giving people a more meaningful personal custom tattoo. Check portfolios so you know what you are getting! Even if someone is sent in to see me, I still offer up my portfolio for them to look at. And if you live in an area that does not have regulations or standards (there are none here in Nova Scotia -although a bill just passed and we are on our way thankfully) then make sure the artist has some health and safety background in body modification because there is a lot more to tattooing then just pretty pictures. I take a blood borne pathogens course every year and display my certificate in my station for all to see. Don't be a 'tire-kicker'. I understand it can get expensive but do you really want to get the best 'deal' on something like a tattoo? If you are price-shopping then do it discreetly haha! We've even had people come in after getting their $40 sweet deal from a friends basement and brag! "How much would you charge for this? I only paid $40!" ….. yes, yes you did.

Any other advice would be to eat beforehand, and don't let the anticipation freak you out. 99% of the time after I start on a first-timer… their first reaction is, "oh, that's it?" Obviously this depends on where it is going, but I believe for the most part getting tattooed is more annoying then painful. And speaking of pain… I believe you should suck it up, and get the tattoo where you really want it, and don't just put it somewhere because you think it will hurt less. It will only feel crappy for the duration of the tattoo and you will have the tattoo a lifetime so put it where you would like to have it!

Advertise on Sometimes Sweet in February!

A lot of my spots for February are already being reserved, so I thought I would make a quick post letting you all know that I am currently accepting advertisers for next month. There are tons of fun things coming up for Sometimes Sweet, and I'd love to help you grow you blog, shop, or website via this blog. Placing an ad on this site works, and many of my sponsors renew their spots for months at a time.

If you're interested, check out my sponsor page and then send me an email if you'd like to grab a spot before they're all full.  I'd love to have you.

xoxo

My 1st Visit to the Naturopath

source

After talking about it for what seems like years, I finally had my first visit to a naturopath this past Friday.  I've always been interested in natural medicine but for some reason or another I hesitated when actually finding one in our area.  I finally decided to go through with it though, after feeling unbalanced and out of wack over the past couple of months. Since having Henry my usually clear skin has been horrible- acne on my face, eczema on my forearms, and my scalp has been super dry.  I actually went and visited my regular dermatologist when I stopped breastfeeding a couple of months ago and he prescribed me acne medication. I saw a small improvement, and when I went to my follow up appointment last week he said I needed to go on antibiotics. Now, I am not opposed to medicine whatsoever- I do believe in "regular" doctors, we choose to vaccinate Henry (on a slow schedule, but we still do it), and even though I try and avoid taking medicine whenever possible, if it is needed, I'll take it. But with that said, I prefer to go the natural route whenever possible. So when my dermatologist prescribed antibiotics I got a little uncomfortable. My skin has been so bad lately that I felt like taking anitbiotics wouldn't get at the real problem or fix it long term...only mask it. But I took the prescription home, and with my Mom and Hank's encouragement made my first appointment at the naturopath's.

On Friday afternoon I headed to my appointment feeling a little nervous. I had no idea what to expect, and although the doctor came highly recommended by quite a few friends, it was still a bit scary. When I got there they had me fill out the expected paperwork but unlike most doctor's offices I'd been to, this paperwork included lots of open ended questions and even a timeline to record significant events in my life. Very cool.

I waited for less than 5 minutes in the room, and once the doctor came in I immediately felt at ease. She was AWESOME. All caps awesome. We talked for an hour about everything- my history, my health, my issues, what I hoped to gain from the visit. She really, really listened. She asked questions and made me feel so comfortable.  It was like talking to a friend, but a friend who knew everything about everything and wanted to help me feel better. It was truly the best experience I have ever had at a doctor's office.

She prescribed me a couple of things- sepia drops (10 drops under my tongue for 7 days), a homeopathic cream called pharMAX heal (it's actually a trans-dermal wound healing cream but it's already almost cleared up my rash in TWO days!) for the eczema, and most notably, a sugar-elimination diet.  My Mom is extemely healthy and into naturopathy so thanks to her I knew there was a good chance the doctor would recommend this to me. My Mom had actually told me the same thing months earlier, but I chose to ignore it because it's quite hard to cut out all sugar and frankly, I didn't want to. It's no fun, and we're not just talking about cupcakes and candy- it means all sugars- fruits, carbs like bread and pasta, potatoes, processed foods, etc. Although I don't eat a lot of sweets, the real problem was all of the other kinds of sugar I was consuming without even realizing it. So much fruit, so many carbs that turned to sugar in my body, you name it.  And it's not that fruit is bad- but my body has been having a hard time with any sugar, so cutting it out during these 6 weeks would be important.

Overall it's not terribly hard to follow this diet because it's actually pretty similar to how I normally eat, just with a few changes.  The main thing I've noticed (and missed) is fruit, and all of the processed "healthy" treats I find myself eating daily- Larabars, mini Luna bars,  little 100 calorie packs of cookies from Trader Joe's, dark chocolate...all of the good stuff. But the things I can eat are good too- lots of whole foods like produce, lean proteins, and nuts- and of course tons of water. I never, ever drink soda, but I'd imagine if someone was into soda this diet could be a little more difficult. But as far as what I've been eating, today I enjoyed lots of different types of food from an avocado to a sweet potato and broccoli, to Greek yogurt with almonds. And I know it's probably in my head but I already feel so much better.

I'm motivated to stick to it, and I'm curious to see how my skin clears up over the next few weeks. I have a feeling that the benefits will extend far beyond just my skin though, and I'm excited to just feel even healthier overall!

I encourage any of you who have been thinking of checking out a natural doctor to do so. I feel really empowered by taking my health into my own hands, and I am still glowing from my awesome experience. I'll keep you all posted on my progress, too! :)

Good Old Snail Mail

via

When I was 14 my Dad's job was transferred to Arizona, and my family and I found ourselves being uprooted from our small town in New Jersey to a suburb of Phoenix. Even at that often-tumultuous age I didn't mind moving too much- I was extremely outgoing and I actually looked forward to meeting new people. I did, however, miss my childhood pals terribly. I had been born and raised in the same place, the same home, and had deep roots where I grew up. Luckily though it was the 90s, and although email was beginning to take off, my friends and I still preferred good old snail mail to keep in touch. For the first few years of my Arizona life my girlfriends and I mailed hundreds of letters back and forth. I still have most of them in a huge box. Sometimes when I'm at my parents' I get that box out and sift through them. If you were to join me you'd see pages upon pages of carefully crafted 14-year old penmanship, i's dotted with hearts, tons of "LYLAS" and "SWAK," and stickers. Lots of stickers.

I can still remember waiting for the mail to come every single day, and when I saw brightly colored, probably Lisa Frank stationary sticking out through the pile my Mom would bring inside, my heart would jump in my chest.

Now a days though, mail is mainly full of bills, junk, or strange catalogs for ill-fitting women's clothing I'll never buy. On some fabulous days we receive packages, and on even more special days there will be a card or a letter from someone I love.

I'm lucky enough to know quite a few ladies who pride themselves on using the postal service. They are pen pal extraordinaires and work at keeping the art of letter-writing alive. I am not so good at it, but every so often I'll send a letter off to a friend and I get so excited thinking about how excited they'll probably get, getting real mail.

I thought it would be fun to encourage all of you to go get some pretty stationary, your favorite pen, and write a few letters to people you care about. I guarantee you that a handwritten letter will probably make your Grandma's day, as I'm sure in her lifetime she's seen the sad decline of letters coming to her mailbox. Mail something off to a faraway friend just to say hello or send a letter to an old teacher letting them know how much they impacted you. Real, handwritten letters mean so much more than an email, and I am willing to bet that your recipient's day will be made.

So, let's all promise to write three handwritten letters this upcoming week! In the comments below, tell me who you are going to write your three letters to...and if you comment and commit, you must follow through! ;) Are you in?

Weekend Links

Hi everyone! I sure hope you're having a great Saturday. It's been a good one for us. We went out this morning and ran some errands, and then I spent the afternoon at the gym while Henry napped.  We just put him back down for the night, so I thought I'd take a moment and finish this post up- I'm also working on something about my visit to the naturopath yesterday (I loved her!), so look for that soon too.

Here are some links to check out. Happy weekend!

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I can't even tell you how excited Hank and I are for that movie right up there! Yes!

What an inspiring read! I'm still sad I missed the deadline to submit...but maybe she'll do it again sometime! ;)

I've been enjoying reading back through this blog. Its just really interesting and a great read. I linked to you to a particular post I just read, but be sure to visit the whole thing too.


Oh, Meryl!

If you are a mama, read this post! What an amazing (and time-consuming) project to do for your child. The finished product is just too cool.

I love Kate's post about creating the perfect care package!

This is great- a tutorial on how to make your own personalized board book for kiddos. Henry would love it.

One of my lovely sponsors Dejavu, is offering Sometimes Sweet readers 30% off their super cute clothing and accessories this month. Simply use the code "sometimessweet." Thanks Dejavu!

What a pretty video, all about books.

I loved Krista's round up of organizational inspiration! Awesome.

Henry needs a teepee, and the one Jen made for her little Rowan is just great.

Homemade beauty treatments rule and Jess' looks like something I'd want to try.'

This wallpaper! Amazing! Thank you Adriana.

What a beautiful film.

I really adore Jess and her little family. I think you will too!

Loving this knit cowl, this ring, and all of Justine's photography on her blog . Don't I have some talented ladies as sponsors this month? Blows me away.

43 pizza recipes via the one and only Martha! Need I say more?

We've been meal-planning like crazy and I love to read other bloggers' adventures with it too.  And check out that cute meal-planning pad. I need it!

And finally, some blogs I've been enjoying: one, two and three!

A Little Update!

It's Thursday, Hank is home from his business trip, and all is well in the world. Kind of. Today while half walking/half running, Henry fell and hit his mouth. I was almost able to grab him before he hit but I didn't make it in time and he now has an upper lip that rivals Angelina Jolie's. Poor baby. It's horrible to see your little one in pain, and I feel terrible that it happened. From what my Mom friends tell me though it's only the beginning with a little boy (or really any rambunctious toddler).

Outside of Henry's tumble it was a pretty good day though. Miss Madeline got a bath and nail clip and I watched an entire episode of Teen Mom without crying. Or throwing anything at the television. Yes!

Some awesome things going on in my world right now:

1) Transitioning Henry from two naps to one.  Before he was napping from 9am-11am and again 2pm-4pm. That's a lot of sleep but more recently the two hour naps were becoming shorter and shorter, and he was getting increasingly harder to get down for that early nap. It was also a little difficult because all of the fun baby stuff (story time at the library, Mommy and Me, our playgroup) happened during that first nap. I usually would just push it and still go, but that was never fun in the end. So, for reasons beneficial to both of us, I decided to make the switch. I think it was the right choice though, because for the past few days he's been sleeping 12pm-3pm. 

2) My appointment with a naturopath tomorrow. Since having Henry my body has been all wacky. My skin is not at its best, and although I'm sure it's hormones, I just feel unbalanced. I haven't been to the actual doctor in years, and I also think it's time to get a check up. So...I took the recommendations of a few friends and tomorrow is my first visit. It's an hour long intensive appointment and I'm looking forward to seeing what she says! I'll keep you guys posted.

3) The Bachelor. First of all, I know how ridiculous it is to even include this on an "awesome things going on in my world" list. And secondly, I understand this isn't exactly quality programming...but I can't help it, I am such a Bachelor fan. I've been watching both The Bachelor and The Bachelorette for years and years and I always enjoy every episode. For the past few seasons Adie and I have spent Monday nights at my house indulging in our favorite show (and snacks and girl talk) and this season is shaping up to be a good one! So much drama! So many psychos! Let's talk about the ladies for a second- the model chick? She's the worst! And how about Blakeley? Both crazy.  It's a trainwreck up in there!  Do any of you watch this show? Who is your favorite so far? Mine fave is definitely Kacie, who was date #1.  But really, let me know all about your opinions on the season- I'm super intrigued. And if you hate the Bachelor let me know too. ;)

I'm signing off but I'll leave you with this fun photo I put together using the Diptic app on my iPhone the other day.  The first baby is me, Henry's in the middle, and Hank is on the right! I can see my facial shape in Henry but I feel like he is the spitting image of Hank! Neat, right?

xoxo

A Slice of...Providence, Rhode Island

Hello! My name is Adriana  of Just By Living and I will be showing you around Providence, Rhode Island, my home sweet home. I live here with my husband, a DJ and daddy blogger (check him at The Hipster Dad), my 9 year old step son, and my 1 year old son, Hendrix. I am a freelance writer and owner of the (coming soon) vintage shop Runaway Vintage.  Providence is a small city, I like to call it "manageable" especially with a kiddo in tow. You get everything you would want from a big city, nightlife, restaurants, shopping, art, and culture but without the headaches of city living. Traffic is hardly ever an issue, cost of living is low, and there is a great small town feel to Providence. I love that when going for brunch at our spot (more on that later) we will run into people we know, block parties are a pretty common occurrence, and the people at the farmers market know Hendrix by his first name. It's a welcoming, warm community and we are so proud and lucky to be apart of it.

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Let's start with food.

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 If you want something yummy to eat head to Julians. This is my absolute favorite spot in Prov. The food is amazing, the cocktails are great (and cheap!), and the decor is really fun. Hendrix is always fully entertained looking around pointing out his findings. It's a bit like being inside an eye spy book. The bathroom even has an enormous collection of vintage pez dispensers and old school cartoons running on repeat. Art from rotating artists hang on the walls and they have a lot of options for vegetarians and vegans.

AS220 is an artists gallery, restaurant, and event space. They specialize in vegetarian and vegan meals and everything is made from fresh ingredients right in front of you. You can sit at the counter and watch the cooks do their thing just a few feet from you.

Chez Pascal is one of the most popular restaurants in Providence and it's not surprising. The food here is exquisite. I can't really say a bad this about Chez Pascal. They have a food truck that comes to our farmers market and i usually stand in front of it, salivating, for a good ten minutes trying to make up my mind about which delish dish to try.

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Olgas Cup and Saucer is another fun spot to grab a good brunch or a coffee to go. It's right down the street from the Providence Children's Museum (more on that later) and we like to hit up Olgas before heading there for some fun.

Shopping 

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Queen of Hearts is a womens clothing shop filled with indie, hip clothing designers. Next door is an adorable shoe store called Modern Love (LINK http://www.queenofheartsandmodernlove.com/). Both are highly recommended. They carry some of my favorite brands including I'm Your Present and We Love Colors.

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Rocket to Mars is a funky little vintage shop with great prices, friendly staff, and a fantastic collection of vintage goodies. They carry mens, womens, housewares, and furniture.

Craftland is an over the top craft store. When you step inside it's walls you feel like you fell down the rabbit hole. Colorful displays brimming with supplies, whimsical artwork, and crazy pinatas make up the decor.

Some other noteworthy shops include Frog & Toad for fun trinkets and gifts, for toys Creatovity and Pow Science.  If you are in the mood for a day trip head to New Bedford and go vintage crazy at Calico and Circa.

Family Fun


 

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The Providence Children's Museum is just lovely. I can remember going as a child and loving it. They have a really cute forest themed toddler area, large water room, huge outdoor play area, and giant sized light bright.

Roger Williams Zoo is a beautiful zoo surrounded by a large park.They have everything from a carousel, to a pond with swan boats, and of course, the animals. The elephants are Henry's favorite and if you time your visit right you can catch them getting their daily bath.

 

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The Museum of Art at The Rhode Island School of Design is stunning. They have a family fun day on Sundays where you pay only a donation of your choice and man times on the weekends they will have activities for children to get them involved in the exhibits.

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Providence is filled with playgrounds, splash pads, and parks. It seems like there is one on every corner. For a list and more info on some of my favorite parks head HERE.

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If you are looking for some nightlife you can head the dubstep night called DGAF on Saturdays, Shake for indie music on wednesday, and  the monthly night Flipside on the second Friday of every month.

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Rhode Island is a small (the smallest to be exact) state but it is filled with culture, beaches, activities, and restaurants. Rhode Island boats so many fun little towns for day trips. My favorite is Newport, RI. It is a seaside getaway most famous for being popular with the rich and famous of the 1920's You can take tours of many of the Newport Mansions. They have names like "Rosecliff" and "The Breakers", overlook the sea, and make you feel like you are straight outta the book The Great Gatsby.  You can head to one of the many beaches, my fav known a "1st beach" has a carousel, aquarium, and amazing views. You should stroll the cliff walk, play games at the giant arcade called Ryan's Amusement, shop on Thames Street, and dine at my favorite Newport eatery, The Salvation Cafe.

I hope you enjoyed my Slice of Providence, Rhode Island. Thanks to Dani for having me! xo.

This Week on Hello Giggles: On Making New Girlfriends

Today I'm over on Hello Giggles discussing making new girlfriends as an adult. I've shared some tips too! Head on over and let me know what you think. xo

Blueberry Pie Baked Oatmeal!

I posted a photo of my breakfast the other day on Instagram and got a lot of questions about the recipe. It's actually quite simple, and I do it two ways depending on time and ingredients. On this particular morning I made it the "long" way...but most mornings I'll do it the cheater way, which isn't really making anything at all, unless you count throwing already-made oatmeal into a bowl! ha.  I also found this recipe for it that looks good as well. It just has a couple different ingredients like honey and soy milk.

But here's my super tasty recipe (I'll also show you the cheater way down below):

1 cup oatmeal (I prefer steel cut)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon cinnamon
a pinch of salt
1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk (you can add more if you prefer your oatmeal to be less thick)
1 cup blueberries

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Mix all ingredients in a large bowl. Spray an oven-safe dish with some cooking oil, pour your oatmeal mix into it and bake for about 30 minutes or until it thickens up.

And for that super quick-store bought way-

2 packets Kashi GOLEAN Hot Hearty Honey Cinnamon Oatmeal
a huge handful of blueberries
water to achieve your desired thickness

Throw all of that into a bowl. Microwave for 2.5 minutes. Let it sit for 1. And voilà! A delicious and quick breakfast you can even bring to work with you!

Happy breakfast-ing!

Tattoo Tuesday V.104

Name: Jen Ricker
Age: 27
Occupation: EDI Specialist at a footwear company
Age of first tattoo: 19
Favorite tattoo: Feather tattoo
Featured tattoo/location: Cat Saints 3/4 sleeve on my left arm
Artist/shop/location of feature tattoo: Katie Williams at House of Tattoo in Tacoma, WA. I live in Seattle where there are tons of tattoo shops, but I drive 45 minutes to see Katie because I love her so much!

1) Tell us about your featured tattoo- is there a background story about why you chose it, or maybe a special meaning? 

A few years ago I decided I wanted to get tattoos of my two cats, but I didn't want to just get their portraits. I thought for several months on how I could do something fun and came up with the idea to turn my cats into saints. Religious icons are popular tattoo subjects, and while I am not religious I find the artwork beautiful and interesting. I did some research on different saints and chose the Virgin Mary and Saint Francis of Assisi. My cat Uma is depicted as the Virgin Mary, and her baby Jesus is a pink beanie baby cat that she's been carrying around and loving since she was a kitten. My cat Dumbles is depicted as Saint Francis of Assisi with his little paws reaching up for birds.



2) Do you have any other tattoos? If so, what do you have and where?

I also have a dad tattoo and a feather on my left arm. On my right arm I have a good luck cat, a Dia de los Muertos cat, gypsy cat, mom tattoo, jack-o-lantern tattoo for my sister who was born on Halloween, a tea cup, and a bunch of vines. I have flowers with script on each shoulder, the word legendary across my wrists, a key and a diamond on my fingers, pin-up up girls on my stomach, and paw prints behind my ears. On my legs I have tokidoki characters just below my knees, and on my lower legs I have a bunch of sanrio stuff.













3) Do you plan on getting more? 

Yes, I do. I've always gotten bright colorful stuff because my skin is so pale and takes color really well, but ever since my feather tattoo I've wanted more black and gray.

4) How do your family and friends feel about your tattoo(s)? Have you run into any adversity or negativity because of them? Do you have a significant other? Does he/she have tattoos? 

My family is fine with my tattoos. At first they weren't too happy, but they quickly warmed up to my tattoos, especially since I kept getting more. When I first met my husband he only had one tattoo, but has gotten several more since, and plans on getting more in the future. We got matching feather tattoos together, and it's my favorite one. All of my friends are fine with my tattoos, and some are heavily tattooed themselves.

I've never ran into any adversity because of my tattoos. I have a job where it's important to look professional, and no one even knew I had tattoos until I had already worked there for a year, and finally told everyone. Once they saw them they loved them and even used me in a few footwear ads than ran in a footwear magazine, catalog covers, and banners displayed at conventions. Random people have given me some weird looks, and strangers will sometimes make comments and that can be annoying at times, but there's not much you can do about it. I find that even if someone doesn't like the idea or look of tattoos they eventually warm up to it once they get to know you better.

5) What's the most interesting experience you've ever had in regards to your tattoos?

One interesting experience was going to San Diego Comic-Con and having people ask to take photos with me or of my tattoos. It happened several times both years that I went. Tattoos are so popular now and so many people have them that I found it very interesting that people were asking to take photos with me when others are walking around in super elaborate costumes.




6) Any advice for those interested in getting tattooed but haven't gotten one yet?

My advice is to find an artist that you really like who does solid work AND who you like as a person. If an artist is a jerk towards you, they probably aren't going to put the time or effort into giving you their best work. There are tons of awesome tattoo artists out there, you don't have to settle. It's also important to not just try to find the best deal, usually that just ends up in a crappy tattoo. Get tattoos of things you like, not just what is trendy at the time. I have six cat tattoos. That's probably not something a lot of other people would do, but I really like cats so it works for me.