3 Date Ideas for a Work Night

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Date night with your loved one doesn’t have to be a fancy affair that requires a lot of money or reservations. If you’re looking to break up your weekly routine and do something fun with your sweetheart without leaving the house, here are three stay-at-home date ideas for a work night.

Enjoy Pizza and a Movie

Pick a random day of the week and designate it as your weekly pizza and wine night. Grab a bottle of wine on your way home, google pizza places that deliver near me, and pick out a movie or a TV show. This simple tradition will give you and your partner something to look forward to each week and is a way to spend time together without needing to expend a lot of energy or money.

Start a New Hobby

A new hobby doesn’t need to involve you two going to a spin class or a game night. Although those things are fun too, sometimes you just want to lounge around the house after a long day at work. Why not see if any friends have an instrument you can borrow or see what card games you can play with two people?

Cook a Meal 

Browse the internet or that old recipe book you were gifted at your wedding for a delicious meal or dessert that you can cook together. Try to keep it within your skill level and be sure you have the ingredients ahead of time so your cute date night doesn’t end in a squabble. Put on some music, divide up the tasks and break out your nicest dishes. With any luck, you’ll even have leftovers.

There’s nothing wrong with your normal routine or vegging out on the couch, but if you want to mix it up with your partners the above ideas are a great place to start.

My Life In Pictures - February 1 - February 7

February 1 - Snapchat Filter. Feeling pretty for a Work Party

February 2 - My husband made guacamole and it was by far the most delicious I have ever had.

February 3 - Stuck in traffic. Thankfully the scenery was picture worthy.



February 4 - Ground Hog day craft for toddlers. They enjoyed their puppet!

February 5 - She is a healthy girl. Not my best but don't hate on her. It's all new to me.

February 6 - The next day of posting my sketch, someone told me that my sketch looks like this person. I cannot remember her name but when I looked her up, I totally could see it!

February 7 - Night time has become Mommy and Goddess' Pool Time. I love it. This table is getting a workout.

Happy 2nd Birthday Baby Girl

Posted on April 15, 2007

Skye,

Today you were 2 years old. I cannot believe how quick this year went. Wasn’t it just yesterday that I was pregnant with you?

Your birthday party today was smaller than originally planned but we had a good time with everyone who was able to be here. Your Aunt Gabrielle and cousins were supposed to come but cousin Nick woke up with a fever of 103. They were missed today but the party did go on.  We decided on an Easter theme being so close to Easter this year complete with Easter Egg Hunt.

Aunt Teresa, Aunt Diane, Aunt Susan and their families were here along with Sheress and Nick and Katy. Dad and Uncle Steve had a good time hiding eggs for the Easter Egg hunt. Which you totally participated in “Egg where are you?” as we searched. Daddy and I got you A little Mermaid doll for the tub. The Little Mermaid DVD, Charlotte’s Web DVD complete with TY Pig and four pairs of earrings. From everyone else you received a tea set, picnic set, wood play food, clothes, a clown, money, Dora the Explorer gifts for the bath and a bakers apron and mitt. So cute! You had a great time and seemed confused and amused when everyone sang happy birthday.

Last year I wrote about how happy I was when I found out I was having a girl. This year I want to tell you how funny and smart you are.  I have never seen such Diva attitude from a little one eva. I have no idea where you get this because it is SO not me. You have no problem rolling your eyes or sticking up for yourself if someone pushes you or tries to get you to do something you don’t want to do.

Aunt Teresa has been telling everyone that the last time you were at her house you were lying on the couch in her playroom. She called your name and asked you to come to her. You didn’t so she went to you and you rolled your eyes at her and looked at the back of the couch as if to say, “the back of this couch is more exciting than what you have to say.”

You love to sing, dance and scream. You like to hear yourself and look at yourself in the mirror. You love being picked up and hugged. You must say, “Hi Dad-dy about 100 times a day. You sing, Twinkle, twinkle little star, Just imagine from Barney, The song from Blue’s Clues, and Happy Birthday. You count to 15 and say your alphabet. You love animals and music (mostly dance much to my dismay). You are caring and affectionate. When your brother wants something you bring it to him, “here Jesse.” You copy everything he does. He wants an apple, so do youm he wants milk, so do you. He climbs the couch and jumps off, so do you. Little girl, you are giving me grey hairs. You are too small to follow your brother everywhere.

You love to hold hands when sleeping and kissing. You say “hi” to everyone. You go Potty like a big girl and are so proud of yourself. You are sleeping in your bed for about 2 1/2 hours before waking. You have yet to sleep through the night. You sleep with your eyes slightly open and seem very aware even when asleep. You wrap your arms around my neck to hug me all the time, accompanied with “mommy” about 50 times a day and it still isn’t enough for me.

Skye, you are so beautiful inside and out I am amazed by you everyday. You make me laugh and make me crazy all at the same time. 

5 Things I love about you

• You are one fiesty mama…you know what you want and have no problem asking for it.
• Your sweet, laugh. You think you are so funny. You crack me up.
• The way you and your brother hug each other and talk to each other. I love the morning when you say, “Hi Jesse” and he answers “Hi Skye” or vice versa. I love when you cuddle together. I love how you sit on his back while he he lies on the floor to watch TV.
• I love how sweet you are. You hug your dolls, stuffed animals, Jesse me and Daddy. You feed all your baby dolls and hold one every night. We go to your room to get ready for bed. You select a doll or stuffed animal and we sit in the rocking chair as I nurse you (I only nurse you 2 times these days -1 before bed, as you go to sleep and the other in the middle of the night.  I have been weaning you for a month from on demand to this one time.)
• Singing with you. We sing together all the time. You have a set of lungs on you and I can only hope that over time you use them for good rather than the evil you are capable of.

 I hope you had a great day and everyone who was here today loves and adores you especially me.

I love you with all my heart.

Out of all the little girls in the world, how did I get so lucky to get you?

Love Mommy.

Forget Bunco: 3 New Ways to Gather Friends Each Month

Photo by Priscilla Du Preez on Unsplash

Years ago, you and a dozen friends started getting together once a month to roll dice, nosh on appetizers and chat. By now you may be growing tired of the games but you still value the friendships. You want to continue the monthly visits. What should you do next?

Wine Tasting

This is not a new idea, but the revival of a classic. You can pick holiday-based themes such as “wines that go with Easter dinner” or choose one varietal each month. The best supplier of wine Chicago will offer a huge selection — organic, kosher, sparkling and rare wines — as well as a wide price range. Provide an assortment of hors d’oeuvres that complement the evening’s wine, but take advantage of a nearby bakery or deli rather than making everything from scratch. You should get to enjoy the evening as much as your guests do, so take all the shortcuts you can.

Movie Club

Remember that book club you joined once? You and half the others had to drop it because you never had time to actually read the book. The beauty of a movie club is that you can have the same kinds of discussions as with a book club, because your inspiration is still a complete creative work. You will talk about characters, situations and literary themes — only this time the discussions will be much livelier because all the participants will have finished the story. Prepare a handful of questions and a bucket of popcorn, then let the fun begin.

Volunteer Night

You feel good when you do good. Devote one evening a month to work for a charitable organization. Support the same charity for a year or choose a different one each month. Discuss options ahead of time, so that group members will not be asked to dedicate time to a political, religious or social cause that goes against their beliefs. Be respectful and find common ground. With all of you working together, you can improve your community, make some memories and have a lot of fun.

Manic Monday - Can

Posted on March 9, 2008

Today’s word over at It’s A Blog Eat Blog world is CAN.

Can you see why I Can take 2,000 pictures of these kids a month?

Can you see why I Can love them with every single cell of my body?

Can you see why I Can live on 5 hours of broken sleep for the past 4.5 years?

Can you see why I love their Daddy sooooo much?

Can you see why I Can spend every waking moment with them?

Can you see why I call them my heart on legs.

Can you?

Look at that Face!

PRECOCIOUS SON/HANDSOMEPosted on March 7, 2008

Just enjoying the warmth of the sun on a beautiful Day.

Make Up Trends

Photo by Jake Peterson on Unsplash

With each season, it’s easy to update your clothes. You only have to purchase a few clothing items on display at the store to be on-trend because the buyer already knows what’s going to be in style before you do. Updating your makeup, however, takes a little more research. Here are some makeup trends for the year.

Eyes

Color with a focus on exaggeration is the name of the game when it comes to eye makeup. The current trends as seen on the runway range from white eyeliner to “watercolor” painted eyes. If you’re interested in trying out some of the colored mascara that’s on-trend, start with the best professional eyelash extensions brand and go from there. Floating eyeliner, or liner that sits under your brow bone instead of your lashes, is popular this year, especially in neon or other noticeable colors. Fluorescent colors are also popping up in inside eye corners. If you want to really be eye-catching and trendy, try mismatched eye shadow on each eye. Blue eye shadow is showing up everywhere this year. Choose the shade that flatters your skin most, from pastel to sapphire.

Skin

Power is out and fresh dewy skin is in. Achieve this look with extra moisturizer and sheer coverage. Consider your skin a stained-glass window where it will be most in-style and luminous if it looks as if it’s lit from within.

Brows

Brows this season are structured and full. Fill in scraggly brows with powder or pencil. Set with a clear brow gel or even soap. The look should be natural but not out of control.

Lips

Classic red is back with a matte finish, or, if you prefer, light glossy, barely-there pink. Super dark plum bordering on black is also in fashion. Always in style is the very soft, no makeup look, as if you were born with deliciously pink lips.

Sparkle

Jewels across the eyelids made an appearance on the runway this year. Randomly placed stars or carefully applied sequins are both appropriate. In addition to under the brow bone, a bit of gold or silver sparkle across the lips would not be out of place for a night out.

Although there may not really be anything new under the sun, the combination of strong brows, colorful eyes, classic lips, and sparkly, luminescent skin is a definite trend for the coming season. Commit to the fads you are most comfortable with, or go for it, and try it all.

Amateur Book Review - At First Sight

About 4 night ago I finished At First Sight by Nicholas Spark. I am not a huge fan of this type of writing but my dear Friend is.

Romance books are not my thing but I have seen The Notebook (one of my favorite movies) and A Walk to Remember, both by adapted from Spark books and I loved them.

At First Sight, wasn't torture for me to get through but I didn't crave to get back to it. I love that feeling of wanting to read all the time. Getting engrossed in the characters and the story and as you get toward the end, you don't want to read the last few pages because you don't want it to end. This was not that kind of book for me.

The book is about Jeremy a writer and Lexie, a librarian he meets when he visits a small town to get a story for his column. Maybe if I had read True Believer the precursor to this book I would have liked it better?!

It was supposed to be this great love story of this couple who come from very different backgrounds and after she gets pregnant try to make a go of it. I didn't find the relationship strong or loving. I didn't particularly like Lexie and was often left wondering why Jeremy stayed.

There is a level of mystery but I have never been a great fan of that either so for me it was unnecessary.

As Lexie's pregnancy become problematic the story became more interesting for me. I felt like the story just dragged then this was this problem, and the story just took off for me.

It was like when you are sitting in traffic, moving at 2 miles an hour for a long period of time and then the traffic clears, you see no indication as to why it was slow to begin with, and you are suddenly doing 65 miles an hour with no cars in front of you.

The ending was abrupt and sad but not sad enough to bring tears to the eyes of this usual cry baby.

I am sure for Nicholas Sparks fans this book was everything they had hoped for. For me, not so much. Not to say it is badly written, just not my cup of tea as they say.

Amateur Review of 30 Days of Night

Before I forget what I thought about this movie which I saw the same weekend I watched this one, here are my thoughts:
30 Days of Night was released in October 2007. It stars Josh Hartnett and some chick named Melissa George. My husband really liked it. I, not so much.
I was distracted by a couple of things:
1. Josh was so GROWN. I mean, I know it has been a few years since Pearl Harbor and Black Hawk Down, but really... It was like seeing a cousin you hadn't seen in ages and still remember them as they were the last time you saw them.
2. Everyone, especially Melissa George who plays Josh's ex-wife, and the kid who plays Josh's brother needed a crate of Chap stick on their lips. Shit, I know they are in Alaska and it is friggin cold but keep that shit in your pocket and lube up your smackers once in a while.
3. The Vampires (oh yeah it's a movie about Vampires, I left that out didn't I), where just weird. The head guy, Marlow is like the unpopular, geeky, middle age guy in the next cubicle at work that you have to say hi to but gives you the creeps. Marlow speaks in a weird, ancient language and the other vampires just shriek. Annoying.
Back to the movie...
Josh is a sheriff and this weird dude (Ben Foster - who I remember from Six Feet Under as Claire art friend. Remember him?) comes ashore and starts creating havoc just as the town is shutting down for the 30 days of night. All hell breaks lose. He leads a group of survivors to a hidden attic where they will wait out the darkness.
There is dead dogs, beheading, blood galore, screaming, explosions, shrieking, feeding frenzies, ax murder, and a little vampire girl who is happily feeding on someone before she is killed. Even at the final show down I was waiting for the Lost Boys music to kick in.
None of this is enough for me to give this movie any more than a C+ and that is because I thought Josh was cute. The premise was good but the acting and directing were pathetic and the there were too many images of bloody children for my taste

What Happened To Lunch - Posted Feb 18, 2008

I know, I know…I am supposed to have 3 meals a day.

Breakfast was so big and I was not hungry at lunch time. Dinner was 2 small burgers and I know that choice could have been better to but that was what was in the freezer.

Tomorrow breakfast is going to be cereal and I am going to try to make more of an effort.

I really wanted to log my meals before I made changes.  As I mentioned in my first blog about Spark I wanted to make myself accountable for what I ate. How can I be accountable unless I actually see it all in black and white?

There was no exercise this weekend so next week that will have to change. I had been doing some floor work in the evening but that didn’t happen last night and today I was quite the busy bee updating my blog, reading, playing with the kids, cleaning 2 bedrooms from the ceiling lights right down to pulling furniture away from the walls and getting into those corners. The closets were vacuumed out and the book shelves and toy boxes stripped and refilled with a few less things. Something that gets done every few weeks.

The Number is 2

I have 2 beautiful children. A boy (Handsome) and a girl (Goddess) who are my world. 

My maternal instincts would love more than 2. I would love to have at least 1 more but 2 is the number my husband rooted for.

My Life has been so full of 2’s

2 pets no longer with me

2 parents who sheltered and fed me

2 sisters who couldn’t be more different

2 best friends who says you can only have 1?

2 nephews who I don’t see enough of

2 eyes to see my children

2 ears to hear their voices

2 arms to hold them tight

2 legs to carry them to bed at night

2 hands to hold theirs as we walk to the park.

Funny, I used to think 5 was my favorite number but it can’t be ignored that 2 shoves those reasons right out the door.

Friday Fun – Sick

I MUST BE BORED, RANDOMNESS, SOMETIMES IT'S ABOUT ME

Friday Fun – Sick

Posted on March 7, 2008

Over at Friday Fun they had this meme

1. What kind of patient are you? The demanding never happy kind, the leave me the h*ll alone kind, or the grateful kind? Or some combination of them?!

When I was in the hospital I was the grateful, I know you are just doing your job kind except once when a nurse challenged me in regards to feeding my son. Then I was the don’t F with me kind.

2. Are you a good nurse, or do sick people make you want to run for it? I am a really good nurse, even when people aren’t sick I want to nurse them.

3. What is your favorite remedy for the flu? Sleep, warm/hot water and lemon, and toast

Stay healthy!

Cuteness By Handsome

MY NAME IS MOMMY, PRECOCIOUS SON/HANDSOME

Cuteness By Handsome

Posted on July 5, 2008

The other day I came out of a much needed shower after scrubbing the tub. I have a bathrobe hanging in the bathroom that I never wear. It was given to me at my bridal shower and it is much too big, much to bridal and much too silky. It looks like a big wedding gown.

I headed down my 6 foot hallway toward my bedroom. When I got there my son was walking out, probably jumping on my bed which he is not allowed to do, heard me coming and high tailed it out. Since I was in the shower he must have thought it was ying yang party time and jumped with full abandon.

My son looked at me and just as I was about to ask “were you jumping on my bed?” He said, “your dress is sooooo beautiful. You look like a princess. Are you a princess?”

Taken in by the total cuteness, yes I am a terrible mother, I said, “no honey, I’m not a princess.” He said, “Yes, you are. Can I have a kiss?”

I kissed him and told him “thank you.”

He ran out of the room and it was then that I remembered that he was probably jumping on my bed. Oh well, compliments are an important childhood lesson right?

This afternoon I asked Handsome if he wanted lunch. He said, No.

Being his mom, I know that he needs to eat and it is my job to get food into him that isn’t orange and in the shape of a fish so I started rattling off the options. When I got to hot dogs he said, “No, thank you, too spitty!”

Last week he had an upset stomach for a few days. On the morning that he actually threw up he had hot dogs the night before.

So I told him that they aren’t too spitty but that he needed to eat something for lunch.

He again said, “Not hot dogs. They made my stomach hurt. They made me spit.”

I love that he calls vomit “spitty.” I think it’s a much cuter term.