These are a few of my favorite things

My friend Ashley does a favorite things blog post at the end of every month and invites her readers to link up and share their favorite things.



So I figured I'd share the favorite things on my mind...

1. Insanity. If you've been around me the last month, you've heard me talk about it and I'm sure you're sick of hearing about it.



"I'm smiling cause I love it."

2. Godiva Rewards Club. A free Godiva truffle every month... don't mind if I do! If any of you ever shop at Southpoint mall, ever, you should be swinging by Godiva for a free truffle. It's delicious and it's free... why wouldn't you.



No seriously, why aren't you getting this?

3. Black Out Curtains. Cold house, dark rooms equals baby sleeps equals happy mom.

4. Shark Steam Mop. I love tools that make life easier, and this one makes my life A LOT easier. 'Nuff said.



5. Olympics. It's only every 4 years and it's amazing. So if you haven't been bitten by Olympic fever, perhaps you should compete in an Olympic sport for a season and gain some appreciation ;)... or come over and have a good time with Cary making fun of me while I nervously soak in each event.

I missed you so bad

I was reading one of my favorite blogs, Tidbits from the Tremaynes, and she posted about how much she loves summer HERE.

It reminded me of summer as a kid, and also got me thinking how I want to be that mom (but Zoey's not quite big enough), and then I really started reminiscing about the past several summers and started missing my Utah peeps.

I miss playing murder in the dark and other night games in the church building til midnight.

I miss laying out at Seven Peaks followed by Slurpees.

I miss movies in the park, where we spent more time gossiping via text than watching the movie.

I miss volleyball, badminton, bocce, and capture the flag games as soon as the sun went down.

I miss sunday pot lucks up the canyon!



I miss double dates at Trafalga, followed by ice cream, Sweet Tooth fairy or what not.

I miss getting the girls together for So You Think You Can Dance.

I miss our crazy girls v boys competitions during "ward prayer."

I miss cupcake/pie shakes at Sammy's during happy hour.



I miss the many roadtrips.

I could probably go on forever, but we get the point. I had some good summers in Utah, and...

I miss the friends. I love being back in NC, where I've made wonderful new friends, and reconnected with old friends... but I'll always miss my Utah peeps. In some ways they just get me...

Everyone else in the room can see

Zoey is such a Harry Potter Fan she even tried to give herself a lightening scar on the forehead during her morning nap (how the child scratches anything in her mesh sided crib is beyond me).



Ok, so I suck at photography and you can't really see the scratch, but isn't that a funny face?

Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star

Zoey sleeps through the night great.... until this week, girl thinks 2:30am-5:00am is hang out with mom time.

At least come "real" morning she's content to just sit in the lap of her zombie mother.

Three banquets a day, our favorite diet

Zoey is a petite baby girl. She currently weighs 15 lbs and is around the 10th percentile for weight, yet the 75th percentile for height.

BUT MAN THAT GIRL CAN EAT.

True, I don't really have anything to compare (but according to the other mothers at church I think she eats more than most). She eats about 1,000 calories a day (that's almost how much I'm supposed to be eating! and I'm 8+ times her size).

Anyhow, there's no point to this post other than I'm flabbergasted and starting to think I'll need a part time job just to feed her.

(This is what happens when Zoey feeds herself)







Zoey could eat Gerber Puffs all day if I let her

I could spend a lifetime, earning things that I don't need

Some days as a stay at home mom are tough, and unrewarding. There's no measurement for your progress, no acknowledgements of your achievements. You see other women that are showered, well dressed, seemingly less worried about their finances and a small part of you itches for those opportunities...

But then someone else would get to see all these faces.



















And that's just not ok with me.

I love spending my days with her.

Don't ask me I'll never tell

You know the cupcake craze that started about 5 years ago...

Yeah, I'm not really sure why cupcakes are so great either, but one of Cary and I's favorite things to do is compare all the cupcake shops. Everytime we are on vacation we try that town's notable cupcakery and compare it to the others we've tried.

These tastings include cupcakes that have won prestigious awards in magazines, on food network, been on the today show, have their own show (DC cupcakes), etc...

And hands down, our favorite is still THE SWEET TOOTH FAIRY!



Her cupcakes are moist and jam packed with flavor, while her frosting is fluffy, not too sweet and just as flavorful as the cake part.

So... much to my elation, excitement, thankful taste buds she shared a recipe! It's her black and white recipe (not my absolute favorite, but delicious none the less).



I made it for my young women as an object lesson for the temple marriage lesson. Anyhow, they aren't quite as good as the real deal, but still incredible and just need another batch or two of practice :) Thanks sweet tooth fairy!

I heard you were a wild one

Whoa... Happy 8 month birthday to my baby girl!

We got her picture taken, but the photos turned out awful... so here's two off the camera this week.

We let her run around naked when the AC went out... she thinks being naked is great.

It's been a crazy month. She's decided she wants to keep up with the kids at church in a big way.

Zoey took her first step!

She says "hi dada" (sometimes to me too) and "night night" (although cary says that one hardly counts because of poor pronounciation... but she's only 8 months, of course it's not perfect. The key is she says it when I put her down in her crib--hence, she has an understanding of what she's saying, right ;)

She LOVES swimming. The girl is crazy about kicking, floating and playing with her toys, and wants so badly to dive in like the big kids but still sputters every time she puts her face in.

She eats a ton. She goes crazy for the gerber puffs, likes the 3rd foods with meat and pasta, as well as avocado and she hates blueberries (I tried to get that one on video, but she won't put it in her mouth again. Sad, cause it was hilarious)

Basically, she just gets more and more fun. Love that lil girl.

Here comes the fighter

Cary likes to watch Piers Morgan Tonight sometimes.

The other night he was interviewing Mark Wahlberg, and I have to say he's a pretty classy guy. He was talking about how he doesn't hang out with people in hollywood or go to any of the parties because his wife and kids come first. He said they were the best thing that ever happened to him and he'd have to be an idiot to do anything to risk those relationships.

It's refreshing to hear a movie star really prioritize their family.



Anyhow, he was on there to also promote his new health food line, and Piers was commenting on how he looks so good at 41. I didn't know he was 41! Say, what? He looks great!

So I turn to Cary and say "I wanna look like Mark Wahlberg"

Cary turns back "NO, whatever you do, I do not want you to look like Mark Wahlberg. I will sabotage you with ice cream and everything else you love, do not try to look like him!"


Bahahaha I just meant being fit and looking 30 when you're 41, but ok Cary.

All of my change I spent on you

So for our weekend adventure...

We decided to try...

The Doritos Los Tacos! Yeah, we're pretty white trash.

(Nevermind we had to gps a Taco Bell location and then reminisce about the last time we had taco bell... ahh strange pregnancy craving)

ANYHOW, let's just say that commercial with the kids who drive 2,000 miles to get the first doritos taco was a bit misleading. I drove 5 miles and was disappointed. It pretty much tastes like a normal taco. I hope that commercial is a scam, or that he got paid a grip of money, otherwise I'd be mighty annoyed TACO BELL.

In other news... I read this blog post and smiled, I adore Harry Potter.

What Harry Potter Taught Me About Parenting

POSTED BY KACYFAULCONER ON JUNE 11TH, 2012 AT 3:43 PM

I wish I had grown up reading Harry Potter, but my oldest son was born the year the first book came out.

My husband started reading the books out loud to him at bedtime when he was 5 or 6. I wasn’t into it–Daddy time meant free time for me. But I got hooked toward the end of The Sorcerer’s Stone. Since then we’ve read them all out loud and seen all the movies.

So I experienced the Harry Potter series as a grown up–if you can call a person with their own wooden wand and dress robes “grown up.” The books are wonderful. They have become a delightful part of our family culture and I’ve learned a thing or two about parenting from the series.

Read below for 20 parenting insights I learned from Harry Potter. (Some Spoilers!)

1. Choose good friends. Make sure your kids have good friends. I hate to think what could have happened if Harry had fallen in with a different lot.

2. Make back to school a big deal. With the shops and fun of Diagon Alley to look forward to, who wouldn’t be excited to go back-to-school shopping in the fall?

3. Family is most important. Even if they are as horrible as the Dursleys and you don’t understand–Dumbledore sent you there for a reason. Even the Mafloys found some redemption by keeping their family together.

4. Embrace their quirks. Celebrate, encourage, embrace, and love the quirkiest of their quirks. No one knows this better than the Lovegoods and even Seamus Finnigan’s penchant for fireworks comes in handy in the end.

5. Make them feel like there’s no place like home. My goal is to make my home feel as warm and cozy as The Burrow. It doesn’t take a lot of money–The Weasleys aren’t rich!

6. Warn them about evil in case they encounter if face to face. You have to prepare them. You don’t do them any favors pretending you-know-who isn’t real.

7. Make sure they respect their teachers. You might encounter 1 or 2 bad ones, but most teachers are pulling for your children and can serve as remarkable mentors–Especially against dementors.

8. Go all out for Christmas. Wizards live life and decorate for Christmas with gusto.

9. Encourage your kids to do what they love. Fred and George left Hogwarts to start Weasley’s Wizard Wheezes. It was a great success.

10. Do not dabble in the dark arts. PERIOD.

11. Love your children’s friends. Hug them, cook for them, help them shop, give them Christmas presents and good advice. Obliterate any nasty death eaters who lay a hand on them–also knit them sweaters.

12. Some kids are just late bloomers. Remember that, and don’t despair of big ears and crooked teeth.



13. Encourage them to read and do their homework. Knowing things really does come in handy some times–Could even save the world!

14. Treat all living things with kindness and respect. “Dobby is happy to be with his friend. . . Harry Potter.” Giant tear.

15. Sometimes we sort too soon. Dumbledore was right–Sometimes we sort too soon. With a little insight into a person we might think differently about them and, even, name our son after him.

16. The protective power of mother love. The sacrifice and love of your mother can keep you safe for at least 17 years. That’s big mojo. Don’t mess with it.

17. Help will always come to those who deserve it. Maybe life isn’t always fair, but goodness will prevail. Yes. I believe that. So does Godric Gryffindor.

18. Try hard. Try, try, keep trying, even if you’re small or young. Try until it’s over.

19. Be friends first. Like Ron and Hermione. See what happens from there.

20. Marry your equal. It’s OK if she can beat you at quidditch.