Park Day Tuesday!

Park Day Tuesday

This week's park we decided to visit was 

Webb Bridge Park

Alpharetta, GA

Let me just say that we have yet to find a disappointing park in Alpharetta...

The park was located at the end of Webb Bridge Road and was so cozy and "wood-sy."

The road is one-way and there was only one small sign with arrows to indicate locations of features, but once I drove around the circle a few times, haha, we found everything we were looking for!

photo source: google maps

I had to include this map to show you just how huge this park is!

Our first stop on the playground was the awesome digging area! All of these toys were here and available for the kids to use.

We spent A LONG time here ;)

The playground had stairs, ladders, tunnels, slides, and lots of unique features that Austin had a blast exploring!

We had a little rain shower interrupt our park time but fortunately they had this pavilion area AND we packed lunch... so it worked out!
(p.s. representing the "U dub" - UWG whoop whoop!)

AFter the rain shower, we checked out the trails! There are multiple entry points and plenty of parking along the way.
The only "issue" we had was that it is all gravel and I packed the regular stroller for Porter.
Pack a jogging/all-terrain stroller if you want to walk the trails!

We can't wait to come back in mid-fall and check out these wooded trails when the leaves change!
Yay for Fall!

Home Renovations - Living Room

Next up on our list for renovations is The Living Room

I wish I had more before pictures of this room. Really all it needed was new flooring, paint, and a new light fixture. All of the furniture was from our previous home. 

I'll give it credit, the carpet was super nice, squishy, and comfy. It was also used on the stairs as a runner, but no, just no....

Yes, I trimmed the rug pad.

So here's the breakdown:
Paint: BEHR Silver Drop - my FAVORITE
Rug: Target online
Best surprise ever. I didn't see it in person before I bought it, so I wasn't sure how the quality would be. It's this super-soft, fleecy texture that we love!
Chandelier: Ballard, found here

This is definitely the most used room in the house.

We truly LIVE in here.

We drink coffee in the mornings.

 We build Legos and couch forts.

We snuggle and nap.

We read and watch movies.

We workout... occasionally.

We even eat in here sometimes ;)

It's still not quite "done." I'm thinking of hanging some simple white curtains, hanging pictures, and the mantle is currently a work in progress (will post updated pics later). One day I'll have a really cool coffee table. But for now, it's wide open for my wild boys to play, and I wouldn't have it any other way!

Must Read Books for 2015

This Summer's Book List

Okay friends, I am slightly embarrassed to admit that I didn't gain a passion for reading until AFTER COLLEGE.

Yes, I know, teachers are supposed to love to read, right?

I didn't...

My appreciation for reading began developing in an elementary reading course I took in college. The professor had a love for reading that was so contagious, I'll never forget it, or her.

That love of children's literature transferred over to reading for pleasure after I graduated when I actually had some time for it!

Here's my latest reading list. I have to say I am running short on reading materials after this summer and it's giving me a little anxiety! Please leave recommendations in the comments.

1. Wonder 
by R.J. Palacio
found here

I know, I know, this book was intended for a MUCH younger audience, but you HAVE to read it. HAVE to! This is the only book that has EVER made me cry. I can't explain how much I love this book. Read it with your kids. Read it for yourself. Either way, read it.

2. How to Raise an Adult 
by Julie Lythcott-Haims
found here

Totally jumping to the opposite intended audience, this book is an awesome parenting resource if you want to avoid this "helicopter" parenting trend that we, millennials, tend to fall into.

 3. Gone Girl 

by Gillian Flynn
found here

4. Dark Places
by Gillian Flynn
found here

5. Sharp Objects 
by Gillian Flynn
found here

Yes, everyone has heard of Gone Girl and probably seen the movie. Ben Affleck, duh. But Gillian Flynn's other books should NOT be left off of your reading list. Besides, Dark Places will be a movie soon, so you have to read it first!

6. You 
by Caroline Kepnes
found here
This was an awesome, creepy, can't believe what I'm reading, can't put it down, thriller. Get a glimpse inside a sick stalker's head.

7. Big Girl Panties 
by Stephanie Evanovich
found here
Big Girl Panties... The title got my attention on the Barnes and Noble clearance table. So glad it did! Read a romantic novel about an unlikely pair that will leave you loving yourself. Hilarious.

8. Eleanor & Park 
by Rainbow Rowell
found here
Another unlikely pair. I'm seeing a pattern here. You'll fall in love with Eleanor and Park in this high school romance. This was my first Rainbow Rowell novel and I'm excited to read more from her.

9. The Next Time You See Me 
by Holly Goddard Jones
found here
A disappearance in this small town will have you suspecting everyone and trusting no one.

10. Room 
by Emma Donoghue
found here
Donoghue writes most of this book from the eyes and language of a child. This eye-opening book will break your heart as you fall in love with the characters.

11. Second Honeymoon 
by James Patterson
found here
This book has it all. Love, murder, mystery. Definitely a page turner.

12. Mean Streak 
by Sandra Brown
found here
Want a novel where you don't know who to trust? This should be your pick.

13. Mother, Mother 
by Koren Zailckas
found here
This novel explores an unhealthy maternal relationship. It will disgust you and the characters will pull at your heart strings to the point where you are sympathetic for the evil...

14. We Were Liars 
by E. Lockhart
found here
Lockhart's genius novel will pull you in from the start. Just when you think you have it all figured out, you don't.

15. Split 
by Swati Avasthi
found here
After escaping an abusive relationship with their father, will two brothers be able to stay united as they face the world on their own?

16. Grey
by EL James
found here
For the Fifty Shades fans. You've all probably been anxiously awaiting this book, so no explanation is necessary...

17. Home Sweet Anywhere
by Lynne Martin
found here
WARNING! This book will give you the travel bug. BAD. 
It also holds place in my heart as my all-time favorite.
This inspiring novel about a couple who sells everything to travel the world will make you want to do the same.
Also, follow their blog to see where they are :
http://homefreeadventures.com/

You may have recognized many of these titles from the Target shelves as Target Book Club recommendations. I may or may not spend a LOT of time in Target. But I have read all of these and let me just say, there's a reason they are book club recommendations. They're great!

Home Renovations - Breakfast Area

First up on our renovation list: The Breakfast Nook

First, let me give you a little background info on our home. 

It was built in 1998.

Cozy but open floor plan on main level.

This was actually the first house we looked at (isn't that always the case?).

When we left the house we didn't want it because it would require WAY more work than we wanted to invest... HA HA. OHH the irony...

BUT in the end we fell in love with the potential, the neighborhood, the school district, and the area in general.

I'm starting with the breakfast nook because when I saw this room of windows online, I knew we HAD to look at this house. So, here it is....

   

 

Just a little different, eh?

This room is right off the kitchen and over looks the yard and pool :)

  

I mean, who doesn't dream of a room full of windows??? In LOVE

OK... we knew we wanted to use this area for our breakfast table because the "designated" area for it was right in the middle of a walkway. HELLO, NOT good for toddlers. Also, we didn't want to use it as a "sitting room" because it's about 5 steps from the living room, which makes no sense to me. You'll see on here that I'm ALL about making your home work for your family.

My husband and I agreed to renovate this house and make it exactly what we wanted. Oh, by "we," I mean our wonderful contractor!

This is my list of problems with this room:

1. paint color

2. FAN

3. GREEN tile?!?!?

I can appreciate the functionality of a fan in a sunroom, but must they be SO ugly? This one especially.

The green tile there's just no excuse for.

A large chunk of the renovation was spent on new wood flooring throughout the entire house, bedrooms included. We wanted it to be seamless and we're on a slab, so we went with an engineered hardwood.

Next, PAINT.

I am horrible about making paint decisions. Embarrassingly, I own almost every shade of gray Sherwin Williams offers in a sample size. We debated paint colors for a while. I wanted to take advantage of all the natural light this house offers and go with a pale gray.

I wanted that "almost white but barely gray but a true gray with no blue or green undertones" GRAY.

Turns out, that's kind of a tall order...

This was super important to me as it was going to be the main paint color throughout the entire house. So after about 20 Sherwin Williams paint samples, we finally settled on a color.

A BEHR color! Ha

Silver Drop by Behr and I haven't regretted it for one second. It looks even lighter in person and helps the house feel super bright! L-O-V-E it

I chose this light fixture from Ballard, found here, because it was open and it uses Edison bulbs!

We used our dining room table from our previous house because it is long and plank which goes with my rustic theme. We also got these chairs at Ballard, found here, to add to the rustic feel.

P.S. Ballard Customer Service = AMAZING

Our first light came shattered and they sent me a new one in no time and were great about it.

I realized when I was writing this post that I didn't have a full finished picture with the table included. I do have this one....

This is what the table usually looks like:

Towels, misc. bags, baby food, high chair, Austin chasing flies with a chainsaw (yes, you read that right), Bruiser eating crumbs from the baby's meal. 

Like I said, this is a real house with 2 boys (3 including my husband).

It's busy.

It's loud.

It's messy.

It's loved.

The Easy Peasy go-to Mommy Outfit

Friday, something miraculous happened.

First of all, I managed to get a shower (gasp).

Next, I got my kids ready to take Austin to Pre-K.

AND.... I was wearing more than just yoga pants and a workout tank.

I don't know about y'all, but I feel so much better when I dress in normal clothes. It was nothing dressy, but like I said, more than yoga pants. 

Sorry for the horrible photo quality...

I call this the "Easy Peasy go-to mommy outfit."

Boyfriend jeans + gray slouchy shirt + statement necklace + floral flats

I don't want to admit how often I can be found wearing this outfit or something similar.

Shirt: Victoria's Secret sale $5.00 (score!)

Pants: Banana Republic Outlet

Shoes: Floral Mossimo Flats from Target

Necklace: Charming Charlie's

Easy and cheap ;)

Mommy lost her marbles...

I'll admit it...

Sometimes I get so fed up with all the mess, I go a little crazy. Like trying to re-organize and re-arrange three rooms in one day crazy. My poor kids...

Anyway, that happened last week. When we renovated, we converted the formal dining room into a playroom because who uses their dining room anyway? We LOVE having a playroom on the main level. I can peek in on them while I get other things done, as all of our bedrooms are upstairs. 

My oldest is still in the habit of dumping a bunch of things and leaving them. Then he wants us to come in to play which forces us to "swim" through too many a lot of toys and create a spot to sit in the way one might make a snow angel...

But he "likes it messy" and we're working on the act of cleaning up with him so that we can maintain maybe an ounce of sanity.

On another note, we have this love seat that's been sitting in our garage since we moved in that hasn't found a home. My genius idea was to make room for it in the already crowded playroom. Makes since, right? So I thought I would just move the shelves over to another wall...

And done... HA

Two days (and a few garbage bags) later and we have this:

Better huh? And that couch did fit. Maybe I'm not so crazy after all!?!

Our plan is to hang a TV where the map is so that I don't have to listen to 12 episodes of Little Bear so that the boys have a place to hang out!

My favorite part of the room, of course, is the plastic labeled bins:

Ahhhhhhhh.......

I typed these up during nap time one day (ahem, Naptime Nester) and couldn't wait to laminate them so I used some contact paper I had lying around.

Then....

used velcro dots to attach them to the buckets since we have them in multiple sizes. Now I can move items to other buckets in a more appropriate size if needed.

MY CONTAINER STORE FIND:
I love my IKEA Expedit shelves. LOVE THEM. I really wanted to find a box that would contain all the clutter and make the most of each cube on the shelves. I finally found them at The Container Store. Deep Sweater Boxes. They're the large clear tubs pictured on the bottom shelf. They fit PERFECTLY! They're $9.99 and found here. You're welcome ;)

Finally...

A toy hospital for toys that are broken or need new batteries. I was inspired for this by multiple blogs and classrooms that have a "book hospital" for damaged books. Austin is forever bringing me something that needs new batteries or to be fixed. I told him to put it in here instead of bringing it to me and I'll check it every now and then. Hopefully that will work!

Park Explorations!

I don't know about all of you stay-at-home mommas, but I do not do well in the house for multiple days at a time. Even one full day at home is enough for me... Maybe there is something seriously wrong with me, but constantly being surrounded by our messes, cleaning them up, only to watch the kids destroy the house again is enough to drive me batty.

A goes to school on MWFs, so that helps break up our day a little but I decided since it's my last year at home all day with them, we need to explore our new town! Today was our first official "Park Day Tuesday." There are TONS of parks in our county and close by. I like to be outside with the kids so this is the perfect way to spend one day/week.

     Disclaimer 1: I, in no way, shape, or form work for or against these parks. I'm just a 
           mom of a three-year-old and a one-year-old writing a personal review of them for 
           other mom friends!
     Disclaimer 2: I AM NO photographer. These are real, untouched photos that I took    while holding  a baby in the other arm, so don't judge! ha 

Week 1: WACKY WORLD PLAYGROUND in Alpharetta, GA

     I sincerely hope we didn't mess up our park explorations by visiting the best park the first week!

                                       Ummm, seriously?!?! It's not a park, it's a castle!

To say that we had fun here is an understatement. Pictured above is just the bigger kids side of the playground and you can't see all of it. I was standing in the toddler area which was wonderful as well!

Toddler height monkey bars and.......

A CHOO CHOO!!!!

Anyone who knows A can probably guess how long we spent in the toddler area driving the train, adding coal, etc. It was a blast!

P and I photographed. He's not too steady on the wood chips yet.

This is one view of the bigger kids side. There are stairs, tires, and ladders everywhere that lead to fun towers and slides.

Needless to say, Wacky World was a blast and definitely kid- approved.

We didn't explore other parts of the park, but there looked to be lots more. I spotted tennis courts, baseball fields, and picnic areas. The bathrooms were close by, people were nice, weather was good... what more can you ask for? We're looking forward to next week's Park Day Tuesday!!