What better way to celebrate the start of the weekend than with some of your favorite bubbly? Cheers!
Wordless Wednesday
Outfitted: Tailgate Party
This weekend we’ll be headed to Chicago to visit my parents and attend my uncle’s annual Chicago Bears tailgate party. I’m super excited to go, it’s my first time! We always seem to have plans or can’t make it into town. Most of the party will be outside, so I’m going for comfy, warmth while still showing my Chicago pride. Throw in a few cute accessories from Stella & Dot in the team colors to girl it up a bit. Go Bears!!
October’s Birchbox
- Klorane Shampoo with Desert Date – Desert dates from the Sahel region of Africa are de-pulped and hand ground to infuse dry hair with much-needed moisture. Gentle cleansing agents clean your hair without harmful parabens or silicones. Meh.
- Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser Starter Kit – This cleansing kit gently remove all traces of dirt, grime, and makeup (yes, even your waterproof, wear-all-day, no-flake mascara and eyeliner) and thanks to the ingenious muslin cloth included in this kit, it also sweeps away dulling dead skin cells. Your complexion is left smoothed, soothed and radiant-looking.
- POP Beauty Aqua Laquer – This sample knocked it out of the park for me. I received Flowering Fushia – a super bright pink in the tube – but when applied it added a wash of sheer color and a high dose of shine, without that goopy, sticky feeling we all know too well. It lasted for HOURS and had a faint, minty taste. The unique spatula-like applicator brush made it easy to apply and gave me more control than any other gloss I’ve tried.
- Birchbox Bonus: ChapStick Hydration Lock – A new take on the original, this new innovation from ChapStick has been clinically proven to hydrate lips, the eight-hour balm also comes packed with antioxidant CoQ10 and healing vitamin E. With just one swipe, our pout can withstand an entire day without reapplication.
Joseph: 19 Months
This month I continue to impress mom and dad with all that I can do. I know my letters and numbers and can point out colors and shapes. My favorite right now are the color yellow and stars.
I color a lot at the kitchen island while mommy and daddy cook. I really like sitting up high in my booster seat. I can see what everyone is up to now!
Playing outside and helping in the garden is so much fun. I pick the tomatoes for mommy, but I don’t really like to eat them. I take a bite and then hand them over.
My social calendar is quite full lately. I’ve been going to the zoo with daddy, play time at the rec center with mommy, visiting different playgrounds and swim lessons! I also love to go visit my friends Lola and James to play.
Mommy and Daddy got me a tent and a tunnel to play in. I love to read books in my tent and drag the tunnel all throughout the house. I also have fun doing puzzles at my new play table. It’s just my size!
My favorite show right now is “Follow That Bird” I love to watch it every day and sing along to all the songs. Mommy and Daddy know all the words, too! I still like Super Why, Sesame Street, and Thomas, but nothing gets me quite as excited as when when “Big Bird” movie starts.
I got to visit Grammy Colley and see my great-grandparents and the rest of the family. It was fun to run around Grammy’s house and play in the kitchen. I think I surprised everyone by how tall I am and what I can reach!
I’m looking forward to going to pick out a pumpkin, more visits to the zoo, and playing outside for as long as the weather will let me. Oh, and don’t forget Halloween!
Dream Year 2013: September Wrap Up
Apologizes on the lateness of this post. Things have been quite the whirlwind around here, so posting has taken a back seat. I’m hoping that I can get back on track for the rest of this month. So, here’s the quick and dirty version of September:
- Team Colley is in full effect now that Shawn has been incorporated into the daily routine. I think that we’ve found a good balance with being full-time with Joe and running the house. We still need to find some more “couple” time, but we’ve been busy with traveling to see family, so that has taken a bit of a back seat. Date Nights need to come back.
- Joe is a rough-and-tumble toddler that is taking full advantage of having both of us home. Shawn and I have started doing some activities with him by ourselves, both to get some one-on-one quality time as well as giving the other person a little time for themselves.
- Creatively, I’ve been really enjoying pursuing things with Stella & Dot. I’m proud to say that I met my goal of hitting the higher commission rate my first month in! I love being able to have something adult to call my own and I think that it’s given me confidence and motivation to grow. I’ll be posting more on this later.
- Physically, it’s been a battle to get in exercise with all the travel and commitments this past month, but Shawn and I are really working together as a team with watching our diet.
September’s Birchbox
- RUFFIAN Nail Lacquer – The NYC-based fashion label RUFFIAN to launch their first nail lacquer collection and they hit it out of the park. I received “Fox Hunt”- a gorgeous metallic orange – that looks like it would be fabulous for fall. I can see it really popping against navy, brown, and gray in your wardrobe. I’ll be bringing it in for my next mani/pedi.
- Davines This Is a Sea Salt Spray – The sea salt formula adds texture and body to locks while leaving a matte finish. It smells divine – exactly like a day at the beach- in addition to keeping hair healthy and hydrated throughout the day. I really like that this spray is paraben-free and has no added colorings.
- Airelle™ BERRIMATRIX™Intense Repair Complex with Copper & Vitamin E – This serum’s formula is packed with naturally derived antioxidants and botanicals that restore dry, rough skin and keep it protected from environmental aggressors.
- Racinne Ultimate Youth Power Eye Serum – This serum contains a powerful cocktail of ingredients to help rouse tired skin, minimize the appearance of dark circles and fine lines, and firm contours.
- BCBGMAXAZRIA Bon Genre – This floral scent is much better than the last ones I received. Feminine and floral, but not girly or hyper sweet. With opening notes of lychee and red berries, this scent is feminine also has middle notes of tiger lily and jasmine noir and ends with a swirl of Australian sandalwood and golden amber, giving it a sexy, smokey finish.
Anyone interested in getting their own box of fun make-up samples each month? If you’d like to sign up for a Birchbox please click here so I get credit for the referral. Thanks a bunch!
Joseph: 18 Months
I’m 1 1/2 years old!
This month I’ve been really chattering away and learning so many things. I’ve started to recognize some colors and love pointing them out to mom and dad. I am learning the letters of the alphabet, how to count to ten, and know my shapes. Stars are a current favorite of mine.
I really like to color with my crayons and to use chalk on the sidewalk and on the chalkboard. I’m left-handed, so sometimes this can get a little messy, but I’m having lots of fun.
Reading books is this my jam. Some of my current favorite books are Goodnight Gorilla, Pony Brushes His Teeth, and Roadwork. I also have overcome my fear of Thomas the Tank Engine and really like to play and watch “Choo Choos” a lot.
I had a great time going to visit Grandma and Grandpa again. We swam in the pool and played outside a ton. My cousin Luke and I had a blast going to the playground and bouncing on the air mattress. He even let me play with his hockey stuff!
I’m really happy that daddy is around more. We have so much fun together and I get to impress him with all that I can do. We love to “get tough” and wrestle together, plus he lets me do things that mommy won’t let me do!
Dream Year 2013: August Re-Cap
- Physically, I’m hanging in there. I started doing the Couch to 5K program again, however having family in town, battling a heat wave, and having a root canal (!) at the end of the month through me a bit off track. Going to recommit for September.
- Creatively, I’ve been throwing all my efforts into my Stella & Dot business. I’m super excited to celebrate with an upcoming “Launch Party Trunk Show.” (More on this later.)
- Baby wrangling has been going well, Joe is always quite the handful, but I’m so enjoying him at this stage. He is a ball of energy, curiosity, and fun. Things have also been a bit easier with Shawn around.
- Relationship-wise, things have been going as well as can be expected with Shawn being home now. We’re working to find a new routine and not step on each other’s toes. I think that we definitely need to plan some date nights as well as some time with our friends to help keep us sane.
The New Normal
Things have been pretty quiet on the old blog lately do to a recent shake up here for Team Colley. Two weeks ago Shawn’s position was eliminated at Tween Brands and he is no longer employed with the company.
They gave him a generous “exit package” so we are currently okay financially and are covered by insurance while he seeks a new position. Which is a major relief. However, our world has otherwise been turned upside down. Joseph and I had a fairly good routine going on for a while and now that Shawn is home with us all day, we are trying to figure out a “new normal” for us. In ways, this has been great; Shawn has been able to have some real quality time with Joe, things are a bit easier in wrangling him with us both around to do it, we’ve been able to get some things done around the house that we never seem to have time for, and I’ve been able to have a bit more time working on launching Stella & Dot.
The flip side is that we’re tripping over each other in doing things around the house, arguing over the “right” way to do things, and are still getting comfortable being around each other in this new way. Of course you add in the anxiety and stress of not knowing what the future holds and it can lead to some hairy moments.
All in all though, I think that we’re starting to find our new groove with things and are looking forward to what the future may hold. We know that as long as Team Colley stays together, we can get through anything.
Widdershins 