Wednesday, April 30, 2014

Did You Make Your Bed This Morning?

Those who know me well, know I am about as neat and tidy as they come. I can't tell you how many times I have cleaned a glass sitting on a table all too early "Hey have you seen my water glass"? "Oops I just washed it."... When It comes to making the bed I am no different. IT MUST BE DONE! I achieve a sense of calm from making the bed...order...and honestly it makes me function better all day... or as Gretchin Rubin, of The Happiness Project website writes: "It's nice to start the day feeling that I've crossed something however minor off my list. It starts me off feeling productive, disciplined, and efficient."

As a matter-of-fact, making the bed and other positive habits like flossing your teeth, and putting away the laundry are all considered key-stone habits. Habits that create positive momentum and increase your ability to achieve other goals. In, The Power of Habit, author Charles Duhigg explains the unique power of key-stone habits specifically making your bed..."making your bed every morning is correlated with better productivity, a greater sense of well being, and stronger skills at sticking with a budget (I'm still working out that budget part). It's not that a tidy bed causes better grades or less frivolous spending. But somehow these initial shifts start chain reactions that help other good habits take hold." So there you have it...real concrete evidence on the benefits of making your bed...or you could just have a kid to remind you...as Isabel put it the one or two times the bed was left unmade..."Mom you forgot to make the bed"!



Photos Via Sanctuary

Tuesday, April 29, 2014

I'm On Instagram!

Hashtag this...Guess who joined Instagram? Yep...if you want more of me,  feel free to follow me,  (just click on the Instagram logo on the upper right side of my home page)! Also, now is as good a time as any,  to ask you,  my fellow readers,  help me create an open dialogue by commenting below.  I began this blog in September, and so far have one dedicated follower (thanks mom)! I would love to hear from more of you!

More pictures like these two on Instagram! 



Monday, April 28, 2014

The Sunshine Plant.

Forsythia. Ever heard of it? I hadn't either until this weekend...it is everywhere upstate and signals the first sign of spring. Apparently our house didn't get the memo though,  as I think we were the only ones in the entire town that didn't have a forsythia bush. Luckily, while on our country drives,  I was able to enjoy the beauty of everyone else's. What about you? What reminds you that summer is coming? Daffodils and tulips are the obvious choices. What about lilacs? There is nothing better (in my opinion) than the smell of a lilac bush. There is nothing worse however than the smell of these trees (which are everywhere in Brooklyn right now)...the other day Isabel noted that they smelled like poop...I thought they smelled like this and apparently I am not the only one.




We got our hands dirty this weekend and began working on the numerous flower beds (I'd say there are about 15)... a little overwhelmed by the work to be done...Valentino helped ease my nerves by reminding me to take it one flower bed at a time.
Alot of the flower beds need the bluestone walls to be restructured...which Stella gladly helped out in doing.

Friday, April 25, 2014

You Know It's A Slow News Day When...

...this story makes the headlines. In honor of his makeover, I thought now would be a good time to introduce the 'The Wack Donald's Project' , a street art series,  that has recently been on display in my neighborhood. Always a fan of clever street art,  I first saw this piece last week and had a good laugh...I knew I'd have to share it with you...after all 'I do love to see you smile'.

Have a Great Weekend!





Art by Mr. OneTeas, photos by Jaime Rojo

Thursday, April 24, 2014

Our Visit to The White House.

Last weekend we packed the car and headed to Washington D.C for the annual 136 Easter Egg Roll. We invited our friends Stephanie and Nisian, and their two kids, to join us in the festivities which included: Easter Sunday fun, Visiting the National Monuments, VIP treatment on the South Lawn of the White House, and most importantly not cooking and cleaning for two entire days! Woot Woot!!! Here are some of the highlights!

         Easter Morning we ordered room service then made our way to the Easter Buffet downstairs...don't judge.
The Easter Bunny paid us a visit...

...and Someone DID NOT like him. 
Easter Egg Hunt at the hotel.
Sightseeing with the gang. We took a pit-stop at the WW2 memorial. 

Ok...so my idea was to get up at 6 am and run around the Mall and take pictures of all the sights...this is all I got then my camera died. 

So the next morning I made sure it was fully charged. I was surprised how emotional it was to be there...in the calm of the morning... knowing such significant and historic moments had occurred all around me. 

This guy told me to tell you "Hi".  Honestly he did...
The Vietnam Memorial...This one's for you DAD!
1600 Pennsylvania Ave...The bosses house...and every boss that came before... except Washington. 

Family Selfie , in the taxi, on the way to the White House
With one VIP ticket and 7 'regular tickets' we were somehow were able to turn this one VIP ticket into 7 VIP tickets. Still not sure how we managed this,  but boy I am thankful since the wait in the 'regular' line was two hours long!

Family Photo on the South Lawn. There was an orchestra playing behind us which made the whole thing seem that much more stately. 
Ok,  so I didn't get to meet (or see) the president but we did see the First Dogs (Sunny and Bo) do their 'business'.

These Two. 
What it was all about...The Easter Egg Roll!

Wednesday, April 23, 2014

Time to Call the Exterminator!



Last week I had the best intentions to spend the entire Spring Break upstate with the girls. No big deal right?...That's what I thought. Until someone paid us a visit...




Tuesday, April 22, 2014

Hey There!

Miss me? I have so much to tell you about (like bug infestations, First Lady sightings, and kindergarten acceptance craziness)...but I need one more day to recoup. I'll be back tomorrow with a full report.
xo

Thursday, April 10, 2014

That's All Folks



Have you ever had the Looney Tunes theme song looped in you head? Well If you haven't, I suggest you only do if you are in need of a severe case of the crazies. Our Netflix isn't working,  so I have been reverting to entertaining the kids, (while I make dinner),  with a Looney Tunes DVD that was collecting dust on my shelf. Isabel gets a kick out of seeing the bird, (Tweety), tormenting the cat (Sylvester)? She was getting worked up watching them...the anticipation of what was going to happen had her standing and jumping on the couch. Anyways...when the show was over the music would go into a constant loop...I would forget to turn it off and hear it in the background as I was wrangling a baby to change a diaper and other motherly duties...bottom line...If my life were a movie this would be the theme song.

Well...That's All Folks! You won't be hearing from me until April 22nd as next week is Spring break and I will be upstate with the kids. We will be heading to Washington D.C next Saturday and going to the Easter Egg Roll Event at the White House on April 21! Hopefully we will get to meet or at least see the President and First Lady! Happy Spring Break, Passover, and Easter...all egg rolled into one!

Love,
Jenny

These two were caught cuddling watching TV yesterday.

This is So Not True;)



Gotta love Someecards...Seriously,  I was laughing so hard at some of them. Who comes up with this not true stuff?

Wednesday, April 9, 2014

Let's Go Shopping!


Last night Valentino and I had a date at Zara. The only place I shop these days (besides Century 21 of course)!--they always have a few key pieces that help to update my 'mom uniform' of denim and tank tops. How awesome are these two light jackets that I picked up. The trench is more for casual spring days...while the white overcoat is for warm summer days and nights! New clothes always make me every woman happy! Am I right?







P.S Here is an interesting article about how Zara is 'Taking on the World', opening an insane amount of stores...9 a week to be exact!

Tuesday, April 8, 2014

An Open Letter to Tammy Wynette.


Oh Tammy Wynette. You aren't so convincing singing "Stand by your Man." As a matter of fact you kinda look like a zombie singing this song. In your lyrics you state Sometimes It is hard to be a woman...giving all your love to just one man...Is there something you would like to tell us? Also, why do women get to have the bad times? And the men the good times... Let's be fair here can't we all just have equal good times? Ok, ok I laughed at the line ..."Cause after all he's just a man". Kinda a low blow huh? Oh and nice hair!

Sometimes it's hard to be a woman 
Giving all you love to just one man
You'll have bad times
And he'll have good times
Doin things that you don't understand
But if you love him
You'll forgive him
Even though he's hard to understand
And if you love him
Oh, be proud of him
Cause after all he's just a man

Stand by your man 
Give him two arms to cling to
And something warm to come to
when nights are cold and lonely

Stand by your man
And show the world you love him
Keep giving all the love you can
Stand by your man

Stand by your man
And show the world you love him
Keep giving all the love you can
Stand by your man

Monday, April 7, 2014

The Princess and the Frog.

Goodmoring. What a gorgeous weekend! It was 61 degrees in Woodstock so that meant teaching the kids how to enjoy the outdoors (seriously, Isabel had to be coaxed outside all weekend and each time she said "Can I watch TV" I felt like I had failed her as a Mother). Aren't kids automatically programmed to know how to play outside?

Standing in the backyard looking up at the house, it was great to get a new perspective on the house. For five months now we have been shuttered indoors,  so having access to the outdoors really expands the potential for fun...think...gardens, swimming pools (kid size for now), and barbeques! While none of it happened over the weekend,  we did clean up the yard (from lots of junk), find some dead (and alive) frogs in the coy pond, and hit up a drum circle (which wasn't in our yard but just down the road)(hey we do live in Woodstock...Bro)!

 A princess dress and heels...the perfect attire to play outside ...don't you think? 

Since she was a 'Princess' I told Isabel that if she kissed this frog (albeit dead) maybe a price would appear.  She wasn't having it.

Valentino clearing out the clutter...doesn't he look thrilled?

Someone else's trash is someone else's treasure...isn't that how the saying goes?

Princess and the junkyard!



Friday, April 4, 2014

'Broken Flowers'

Yesterday, while on my run, I actually felt warm air on my face. I ended my run in a tee-shirt which was a huge indicator that spring had sprung. Later in the day,  I saw cherry blossoms on a tree and daffodils and tulips beginning to sprout from the ground. Looking forward to seeing the first signs of spring in our yard upstate. We still have snow in parts that don't get much sun so it seems like it will never happen...Hope you have a great weekend!



Broken Flowers is a series  by artist Jon Shireman, created by dipping flowers in a liquid nitrogen bath and then smashing them on a hard surface. 




Photos Via Today and Tomorrow

Thursday, April 3, 2014

Happy Birthday Aunt Kelly!

Happy Birthday to my favorite sister Kelly! May you forever have your cake and eat it too! 
Love,
Jenny


Wednesday, April 2, 2014

This Bites!


We have a problem on our hands. At almost 19 months old, our sweet Stella has turned into a piranha, boxer, and professional hair puller all-in-one. It is getting crazy around here. I have started to fear her at times. While nursing her, out of nowhere, she will whack me in the face, while relaxing on the sofa she will suddenly sink her newly-cut teeth into my forearm, and poor Isabel...the hair she has lost due to Stella's 'Mean Girls' phase is well...unacceptable.

What do we do? I have all the books from when Isabel was little (the problem must run in the family). But with Isabel it didn't seem so bad. Ok... there was that one time that she bit the kid at school right on his face...eessshh...that wasn't pretty. But with two kids it's a bit trickier. How do I explain to Isabel, while she is in the grip of one of Stella's hair attacks, that it is not ok for her to reciprocate the act...(eye for an eye...no)? Or how about yesterday, when I made a big parent fail, and pulled Stella's hair... in order to teach that pulling hair is bad. Oops. Later on the Internet I read this is exactly what not to do! We live we learn right?

Any advice beyond the mantra "This too shall pass"?

Tuesday, April 1, 2014

Eggceptional!


vintage egg toss photo

Last week while driving upstate Valentino nonchalantly asked if I wanted to go the the White House and meet the First Lady? Um...YES!!! I replied. Why would you even ask? Of course! --- The opportunity presented itself because The Super Sprowtz were invited to participate in the White House Easter Egg Roll. Apparently it's a big deal and has been going on for 136 years! For me it would be fun not just to toss a few eggs around,  but to see Washington D.C--This American girl shamefully has never seen our nation's Capital! Stay-tuned... more on this later.

Also...watch the new Erica Eggplant video below...had me cracking up!


vintage egg toss photo

egg toss 2013



Photos Via Here.