Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Garbage Day Randomness

As you can see, garbage day is as fun as ever around here. Harper is still crazy for the trash truck. 

She is also crazy for the color pink. If something is pink, she wants it, even if she doesn't know what it is. We recently had to talk her out of a pink pepper spray at Sportsman's Warehouse. True story.

We told her she can have a pink room in our new house and she can't stop talking about it. One of the houses we are looking out has a purple (light lavender) room and I tried to show it to her. She wouldn't even look at it. Apparently, a pink room is the only option she's willing to discuss. 

Speaking of Harper's new room, I just ordered a print (from here) for her gallery.
I'm obsessed with this little ballerina and think she looks just like Harps.

I'm also obsessed with Downton Abbey.
I just started watching it on Netflix and I can't get enough.
Seriously. This show was made for my nerdy self.

Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Harper's Music

I picked up this little CD for Harper over the weekend. It's amazing. We both love it. It has lovely lullaby versions of songs from Coldplay, Five for Fighting (a personal favorite of mine), Michelle Branch, Edwin McCain, John Mayer, Jason Mraz, and more.
(I totally just sounded like an infomercial. Sorry.)

Anyway, I have two passions that I've always wanted to pass on to my children. One is reading and the other is music.

We already talked a bit about Harper's books.

Now let's talk about Harper's music.

I am very picky about children's music. I don't buy anything for Harper that I don't like myself (any adult who listens to Lori Berkner for the sake of their children is a saint) and I try to avoid albums that are overly simple. Children are bright and perceptive and need to be exposed to more than a simple melody and cheesy lyrics.

In building Harper's music collection, I've tried to choose a variety of artists. I wanted her to be exposed to different types of music from a very young age. Her playlists include classical, pop, broadway, Disney, jazz, and folk music.

Some of my favorite Harper albums are:
1. 2.

1. Mindy Gledhill is Harper's favorite. She loves to dance and sing along to this entire album.
2. This set of Disney lullabies is really sweet.

3.4.

3. Any CD that includes James Taylor and Fleetwood Mac is a good one if you ask me.
4. The arrangements on this are beautiful and much easier on the ears than the official Children's Songbook CD set.



5. 6.

5. The songs on this album are beautiful, especially Dion's version of What a Wonderful World.
6. Jewel is amazing and so is this album. Harper and I listen to it all the time.
I love both of these albums and usually give at least one of them at every baby shower I attend.

I really want Harper to appreciate and understand instrumental music.
We actually have a number of Baby Einstein classical albums.
I love all of them and so does Harper.
When we listen to them, her eyes light up and I can tell that she is feeling inspired.

This isn't all of the music that Harper likes.
She loves Disney, of course. 
Ariel is her special favorite (I'm sure you already knew that).
She loves Broadway (Mama Mia, The Sound of Music, Wicked, Crazy for You, 
Aida, and RENT are among our most listened to albums).
Harper listens (and dances) to pop music, mostly from the Glee recordings.
We also listen to lots of solo piano music from David Glen Hatch 
(a dear friend and former piano teacher) and The Five Browns.


What kind of music do your little ones like?
Is music important to you as a parent?

Lately via Instagram

My friends.
How are you?

I feel really disconnected lately.
House hunting is just consuming all of me right now.
I'm so excited about it, though.
We will probably make a choice this week and I'm really freaking out about it.
The location we have chosen is perfect- absolutely perfect.
That's all I'm saying for now because I don't want to jinx anything.

I just can't wait for a house- for a playroom and piano students and a yard (and thus, a garden).
It's going to be wonderful (times a hundred).

Anyway...
How long does it take you to do your makeup?
I can do my daily routine (above) in about five minutes.
When you have a Harper girl, you have no choice but to be fast.
She can dump out an entire bottle of hot pink Essie nail polish in no time flat.
True story.
The good news is that I'm now a boss at getting nail polish out of carpet.

A Hobo clutch + a pile of crackers = another Harper mess.

Harper tried her first slushy over the weekend.
She loved it.

Are there any other Birchboxers out there?

Monday, February 27, 2012

The Beauty Aisle: Aspirin Masks, How To

I've had a few people ask about aspirin masks... How I make them, how often I use them and so on.
I use an aspirin mask at least once a week. I love them. They feel amazing and leave my skin soft and fresh. They can also help reduce redness/acne (more about that here).

What I use:
a handful (5-6) of uncoated aspirin
a splash of water (not too much or the mask is runny- you only need a tiny splash to dissolve the aspirin)
a little lime juice
a dab (1/3 teaspoon maybe) of honey

I dissolve the aspirin in the water first and then mix in the honey and lime juice. Then I apply it to my entire face. I let it dry (15 minutes or so) and then rinse it off in the shower.

Easy peasy, right?

If you try it, let me know what you think!

The Beauty Aisle: Lip Stain and Mascara

I recently received questions about my favorite mascara and what kind of lip stain I like...

I'm a huge fan of lip stain. It's perfect for busy days or events when I don't want to worry about reapplying lip color and it doesn't kiss off onto Harper's chubby lil cheeks. I have two different lip stains that I like, both from Cover Girl.
This is Cover Girl's official lip stain.
It's light and easy to use and lasts forever (sometimes I even wake up with pretty lips).
It's also not too overwhelming and would be a great first lip stain for anyone.

This is Cover Girl's Outlast All Day Lip Color.
It's thicker than lip stain but lasts just as long, if not longer.
The colored tube is the actual stain and the clear one is gloss that you can reapply.
Be careful with this stuff because if you use it with another type of gloss, it may clump off.
I love this product and have it in many shades. 

As far as mascara goes, I'm really picky. I am pretty sure I've tried 80% of the options that are out there and I always come back to the same brands. I expect a mascara to 1. thicken AND lengthen my lashes, 2. be good for layering (I wear several coats), and 3. come off as easily as it went on (I'm a super lazy face washer). I also occasionally wear false eye lashes (well, not so much anymore but I did back in the day) and so I need a mascara that goes well over them. 

My favorite mascara of all time is Maybelline Full n' Soft (truly, I love this stuff and have worn it for over ten years) with Cover Girl's Lash Perfect coming up as a close second. Both of these meet all of my mascara expectations and regardless of what else I may be trying at the time, there is always a tube of each in my makeup bin.


Sunday, February 26, 2012

Pinterest: Want

Bag, clutches, shoes (specifically flats and heels), backpacks (especially when they are from Vera Bradley), Kate Spade, baubles, sparkly things, pretty things, fabulous things... My pinterest wants are pretty simple... And pretty awesome. 











all images via pinterest

Friday, February 24, 2012

Caillou's Biggest (and Cutest) Fan

I've mentioned before that Harper loves Caillou. A few days ago, she was getting dressed and asked to wear her "Caillou shirt." I would have loved to oblige her but the thing is... Harper doesn't have a Caillou shirt. It took all of ten minutes for me to calm her down and convince her that she could wear something else until we find a Caillou shirt (I promised to get her one ASAP).

Anyway, Caillou has a cat named Gilbert and Harper loves to talk about him. The other day, she asked me for a Gilbert of her own. Her inquiry sounded something like, "Parper have kitty Gilbert too?" and it was the cutest little question I've ever heard (she's in a stage where she talks about herself in the third person and it's seriously cute).

This darling question put me in a dilemma. There was no way that I could tell her no (she was too cute for that), but there was really no way that I could tell her yes, either (Colt hates cats and I'm pretty sure Tucker would think of any feline as his own personal toy).

So, I did what any experienced parent would do. I told her to ask her dad.

Colt wasn't home for very long before she remembered to ask him for a kitty. He said no, of course, although I don't know how. Who could say no to this face? WHO?
This is the very moment when she asked Colt for a kitty.

Anyway...
Happy Friday!

I have a few fun things planned this weekend:
a movie, house shopping, a baby shower, coffee with Kenz, maybe some Indian food...
It's going to be a good one.
I hope yours is, too.
Much love!

Thursday, February 23, 2012

A Play Date

Last Saturday morning, I took Harper on a play date- her first one ever- to her friend Alex's house. She had so much fun playing with his toys and can't stop talking about his bouncy house (the lucky little guy has his very own). There were snacks at the play date, too: ice cream and Cheez-It crackers. Harps was also on her best behavior and didn't once hit, kick, or bite Alex (we had a pretty intense pep-talk on our way to his house).

In short, Harper's first play date was a success.
Harper made sure to take the essentials with her: 
a tutu, her purse (packed full with Fruit-by-the-Foot treats), and Ballerina Barbie.

Is Harper really grown up enough for play dates?
Geez. 

I'm having so much fun planning Harper's new room.
So far, I'm set on ballerina bedding and a gallery of totally Harperish prints.

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Garbage Day Randomness

I realize that posts have been sporadic lately. I've been working through some thoughts and trying to write (really write) more. I love blogging but sometimes feel that my writing suffers because of it. It's easy to become a lazy writer when you blog. There are a lot of poorly written blogs out there that are surprisingly popular and it seems that the bar of excellence is quite low. I needed some time away to reevaluate what it means to me to write. I needed to challenge myself a bit and I needed privacy in order to do so.

Monday, February 20, 2012

A Video and Some Instagrams

I love this. Love it. I'm a big Janelle Monae fan. I saw her live last summer and she's amazing. Intense, but amazing.

Harper Lately

Happy Monday, my sweets.
Here are some recent Harper photos: 

Thursday, February 16, 2012

Pinterest: The Kenzie Edition

Kenzie (my little sister-in-law) turns 23 today (Happy Birthday, Kenz!). Kenzie and I appear to be complete opposites but actually have a lot in common. Along with mutual awesomeness, we share a love of Indian food, fried rice, reading, Harry Potter, The Hunger Games, funny things, booze, peace, a fascination with the human psyche, and a desire to travel (Kenz and I are planning on seeing France/Italy together next year). 

Let's celebrate her birthday with some of my favorite Kenzie pins (hopefully they'll help you understand just why I love Kenz so much)...





I love this idea- love it.





Ha. Taylor Swift is totally overrated.

This is one thing that Kenzie and I don't have in common.
Heaven help the day I attempt longboarding.


Kenz and I both have a bit of an Emma W. crush.


Word.