Month: August 2018

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The emotion and elation of the new school year

Stella had her first day of kindergarten on Monday, and I’ve had several people ask me about how I’m feeling about all of this. I still remember the first day Zack and I dropped her off at her sweet little preschool when she was a spunky two-year-old girl; my eyes welled as we walked back to our car, and she was only going to be there for a couple of hours two mornings a week.

I thought I would be a goner as kindergarten approached. This would be the first time in Stella’s life that she would be at school for a full day, five days a week. From this point on, things weren’t going to be the same.

Yet Monday arrived and honestly, my mind was racing with all of the things we had to accomplish before getting out the door, the thoughts of making sure we arrived early so we could get a parking spot, all of these details, that I didn’t get emotional. And to be honest, Stella has been under such a sassy spell lately that the thought of her getting back into a school routine and not having her be my responsibility for a few hours felt like a weight being lifted.

Does that make me a bad mom? Because it’s hard to admit that I wasn’t clinging to her Monday morning, giggling with her over breakfast, and then gently doing her hair with ABBA’s “Slipping through my Fingers” playing in the background. Continue reading “The emotion and elation of the new school year”

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Our weekend in charming Charleston, SC

My husband Zack and I recently celebrated our ninth wedding anniversary on August 15th. In fact, many days in the month of August are special to us as a couple. Our first conversations happened shortly after I moved into my dorm building at MSU in August 2003. And August 21st is our dating anniversary; this week will mark 14 years together, which is absolutely wild!

We’ve been very lucky to commemorate our wedding anniversary with a trip or two in the past. Our first anniversary was celebrated in Traverse City, and our fifth anniversary was marked with a trip to New Orleans. This year, as Zack’s work schedule will continue to get crazier in the months leading up to November, our anniversary weekend seemed like a great time to get away for a few days. It also helps that Margot is old enough to enjoy a weekend away from mama and dada every now and then.

In considering where we wanted to go for this quick Friday-Sunday weekend getaway, we thought about places we’ve been to before and loved, such as New York City and Las Vegas. But after my trip to Portland, Maine earlier this year, it has become clear to me that there are so many cool places to visit around the country that we’ve never been to before.

Charleston, South Carolina has topped Travel + Leisure’s list of the Top 15 Cities in the United States for the last five years. It has felt like the city is becoming a top destination for a quick weekend getaway, thanks to its beautiful architecture, ever-growing food scene, and long history. Also, the show “Southern Charm” is probably the reason why so many young women are flocking there for bachelorette weekends.

For us, Charleston felt like the perfect spot to enjoy our anniversary together. And thankfully, we had some help from friends to steer us in the right direction while we were there. Here’s a rundown of where we stayed, what we ate (which was a lot), and what we did. Continue reading “Our weekend in charming Charleston, SC”

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My favorite photo spots around the Lansing area

Blame it on Instagram. As I spend my days documenting my daughters’ lives with my camera (or often, my iPhone), I have realized how much of a difference it makes when the photos have a colorful, interesting background. There’s a reason why people line up to take photos in front of the WhatLiftsYou wings in Nashville, and why the Purple Wall at Disney’s Magic Kingdom is an Instagram cult favorite.

There’s just something so satisfying about photos in special places, particularly when the places stay the same while the subjects grow and change.

Today, I visited my friend Stephanie and her girls with Stella and Margot in her hometown of Mason. Mason, an already impossibly cute town, just recently unveiled a beautiful floral mural by artist Chris Garcia. The mural, on the alleyway side of Kean’s, has several larger than life flowers in bright colors.

I knew this mural would make a beautiful backdrop for photos of the girls (the mamas snuck one in, too). And it made me think of all of the other places around the Lansing area that I love to use as backdrops for photos.

Here are some of my favorite spots to take photos. This will definitely be a walk down memory lane. Continue reading “My favorite photo spots around the Lansing area”

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Getting ready for the brand new world of kindergarten

Back-to-school commercials are flooding our television, and the back corner of Target is stocked with notebooks, glue sticks, and lunch boxes. It’s sad to say, but we’re already somehow on the fast track to fall — and a new school year.

And soon, our Stella will be starting kindergarten. Excuse me while I spend the next few weeks trying to fathom how quickly this day snuck up on us. It feels like I’ve been mentally preparing for this day for the last couple of years, ever since the term “kindergarten roundup” first entered my parental orbit.

Earlier this year, we registered Stella for kindergarten, and signed up our family to attend kindergarten roundup in the spring.

Along with filling out a questionnaire about her skill levels and personality, we also needed to make sure we brought some very important pieces of documentation:

  • Proof of residency (in the form of a utility bill, for example)
  • Proof of birth (an original birth certificate)
  • Proof of vaccinations

Fortunately for us, Stella’s early spring birthday meant that we were already scheduled for her annual wellness checkup prior to roundup. We were able to make sure Stella was up-to-date on her vaccinations and request the paperwork her school would need from us. I Vaccinate provides several helpful resources for immunization schedules and Michigan school requirements, based on information from the CDC and Michigan Department of Health and Human Services.

Making sure our daughters are up-to-date on their vaccinations is something that my husband and I agree is one of the most important things we can do as parents. Not just for their health, but also for the health of others.  Continue reading “Getting ready for the brand new world of kindergarten”

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When one-on-one time is a win-win

I think that one of the biggest fears parents can have is thinking that they can’t possibly love another baby the way they love their firstborn. It can seem unfathomable. Of course, everyone who has been there says that the heart grows and expands in a way you didn’t think was possible. And, of course, they were exactly right.

When Margot was born, Stella had been an only child for close to four years. We knew she was old enough to remember what it was like to be the center of attention, and it would be a big change of pace for her. Fortunately for us, she was so excited to welcome her new sister that she took everything in stride. And she loves her so darn much.

Still, their age difference is enough that there are many things Stella is wanting and able to do that Margot can’t do quite yet. And that’s why we’ve made it a focus to do special one-on-one things with Stella. About a month after Margot was born, Zack took Stella to a special daddy-daughter dance event at play. in East Lansing. He also took her to see Paw Patrol Live at Wharton Center.

Once Margot was big enough for me to be able to leave her for short periods of time, I would do things like take Stella to get her nails done at the salon, or go see a dance performance. Most recently, we had our special date to see “The Lion King” musical together.

And this week, Margot and I are now getting our turn to have a lot of special one-on-one time while Stella is up north with my in-laws.

A year and a half after becoming a mom of two, I have realized that while I love doing things all together as a family, there is really something to be said for this one-on-one time.

Continue reading “When one-on-one time is a win-win”