by Sarah | Feb 13, 2019 | All About Denver, All About Erik, All About Family, All About Me, All of Us, Redefining Perfect
Everyone warns you how tough the teen years are.
They were. They are. They sucked. They are just starting in the girls.
No one warned me about this nonsense.
I mean – they’re grown up, legal, and all of that…
But sooo not grown up.
Smart as can be.
Naïve about how the world works.
You can counsel, but you can’t discipline (not that they listen either way).
They still think they’re invincible.
But they have to call for help on some of the most basic tasks.
They still avoid talking about certain aspects of their life.
Then bombard you with inappropriate adult humor that you’re not prepared to hear from their mouths.
They impress us with his financial acuity and maturity.
Then they’re utterly careless with the maintenance and care of the vehicle still in our name – including it being impounded.
You still stress and worry over them daily.
They get so annoyed with your concern and see it as you not believing they’ll succeed.
You’re walking a fine line because technically they’re adults…
But they’re BABY adults…with their own minds and own passions and own beliefs….but still so oblivious to so many things.
No one warned me about this shit.
All I ever heard about was the terrible twos.
Terrible teens.
How much I’d miss them when I was gone.
To appreciate the now.
No one warned me that it would be a really weird place to be when they got into that ‘adult’ stage.
Some days I think it’s worse than those painfully awful teen years.
Some days, though…
No, most days…
Most days it’s infinitely more awesome.
by Sarah | Feb 12, 2019 | All About Denver, All About Erik, All About Family, All About Kennedy, All About Me, All About Molly, All of Us, Blogging Life, Redefining Perfect, Top Ten Tuesday
Continuing our weekly countdown of my top ten dream family vacations, we come to #8…
St. Louis, MO.
Unfortunately, to be honest, my kids beat me to this before I could even get back into blogging and complete this top 10 that I started ages ago (seriously, I started these probably a year ago originally, so plenty has happened)…this past fall, the near-adult took the teens on a road trip, and they started in St. Louis.
I’d like to make the trek again…this time with all of us together.
Erik and I went to St. Louis several years ago. We had a lot of fun when I wasn’t at my blogging conference, and there’s plenty of sights we didn’t get to see, and there’s sights my kids didn’t get to see last year.
There is so much to do in St. Louis beyond the arch. There’s so much FREE stuff to do in St. Louis…and not free stuff. We could really go for a week and not have time to see it all. From the Lemp Mansion for my ghost-hunting self, to the City Museum for the kids to have fun, to back to the brewery tour for my husband to have fun (again) and the girls to see the Clydesdales.
We live so close, relatively speaking, it’s a shame we haven’t day-tripped it once or twice. Maybe we can get a run in before we move.
Have you been to St. Louis? What was your favorite part? Better yet, do you live there? What’s an insider tip we have to know?
by Sarah | Feb 10, 2019 | All About Me, All of Us, Blogging Life, Gratitude, Redefining Perfect
As part of my Oola journey, I’m making an effort to be more grateful. My daily planner has a place specifically labeled for Gratitude. I’d like to spread some of that love here, too.
I am grateful for –
5 years with our beloved rescue dog, Ripley.
Good days that remind me what Oola feels like.
Beautiful pictures of Florida that remind me daily of my goals.
Yoga with Adriene.
Knitting.
Coworkers that have my back.
Hope.
Sunshine and random warm days in the midst of ick.
Finding my voice.
Confronting a lingering pain.
That my son finally has a job again.
Making progress on projects again.
A good night’s sleep.
Good memories.
by Sarah | Feb 9, 2019 | All of Us, Blogging Life, BlogRollin', Redefining Perfect
Turns out this post last month was a good thing. I had fun with it, and I’m happy to keep the love moving on…
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Blogging is both old-school and totally new-fangled. To those of us still trucking along with original content, it’s important to stick together.
Still, I want to share some of my favorite finds over the month and hope to do one or two of these a month. Yup, I’m a small fish…but if I can send even one new viewer their way, then I’ve done my part to share the love. Be forewarned, they range from my sort of blog, to finance, to total geekery…and they’re ALL fabulous.
So, without further ado…some of my favorite reads from the past month…
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Liz talks about how the choices we make, both the easy and the hard, enact change: Choices Become Change
Over at Cheaper than Therapy, Ali apparently crawled up in my head when she described how her anxiety comes out…it’s eerily familiar: {My} Anxiety Is
After the initial post about Brittany’s Hysterectomy that I posted about last month happened…this did: 18 Hours. It’s a heart wrenching, raw read (but rest assured, as of 2 days ago the appeal went through. It’s still an unknown until it ACTUALLY HAPPENS…but it’s a relief).
The Bloggess (i.e. Jenny Lawson of Furiously Happy) has had some ups and downs this month. Two of her posts made it to my list this week…both up and down. First, the “down”…it’s actually an uplifting read for when you’re down. I’m pretty sure it wasn’t solely written for us, but there are some details even bloggers don’t share: If You’re Reading This, You Win. On the lighter side of things…we learn about her new writing partner…and I really need to find a copy of this: I’ve taken on a writing partner and you’ll never guess who it is.
Suburban Turmoil also got two posts that made me super happy this month. First, a post on conquering our fears in the every day…And Now I am a Slayer of Tube Slides. She also tackled the ridiculous expectations in those celebrity endorsements and did it with panache and humor in Gwyneth Paltrow Thinks We Need a $16,000 Handbag for Our Workouts and Now I Can’t Go to the Gym. I mean, for real.
I’ve known Michelle for a long time…and she’s right…she is the queen of over-the-top-awesome birthday parties for her kids. (I still totally wish I’d had the Harry Potter party for myself). This year though, her kid (same age as my youngest) wanted none of it. She wanted understated…and I swear it must have been the best yet. I love it. It’s her Easiest Party Ever.
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That’s it for now. I’m keeping my eye out for more. If you think I missed YOURS, let me know in a comment here! I’d love to find some new feeds for my reader!
by Sarah | Feb 7, 2019 | All About Family, All of Us, Blogging Life, Disney, DisneyTips, Redefining Perfect, Universal
I haven’t been to Disney hundreds of times (yet. Give me a couple years), but I’ve been my fair share.
I’ve done it with crazy intensity, and in a casual jaunt.
I’ve done Disneyland (finally), and Disney World.
I’ve picked up a few tips along the way. And while there re blogs across the web, I wanted to hand out my own Disney advice I’ve learned along the way, and tips I’ll be learning as I begin to go more frequently.
This months tip is one I picked up thanks to a coworker.
It’s only prevalent if you’re only planning to go for one day.
Go to an event – an after-hours event or one of the parties!!
Did you know that Disney offers such things as Disney After Hours at Magic Kingdom (and Hollywood Studios and now a new one at Animal Kingdom)??
These special ticketed events give you access to the park after hours when the crowds are gone – but as a special bonus, you can actually enter the park as early as 7PM before the park closes! Not as many rides/shows will be open for the after hours events – but the crowds will be lighter and it’s a great way to hit rides that usually have large lines…and do it at around the same price as a one day ticket! Also, they have treats available for free! This includes, popcorn, ice cream treats (the ever popular Mickey Bar is included!) and certain beverages.
You can start your day in Disney Springs (which is free to enter and wander around. Has great stores and restaurants, plus the opportunity to ride the car-boats!), and then head to the parks at 7PM to get your Disney on!
When it comes to the parties, Disney always does it right. From September through right before Christmas every year Disney runs their two big parties. The Not-So-Scary-Halloween Party starts in September and turns into the Very Merry Christmas Party at the beginning of November until December 21st(ish). These parties start earlier in the evening, and with your purchased tickets you can usually enter the park around 4PM to get your ears on before the party officially starts (you’ll be given a special wrist band to show you belong). Once again, this is a special ticketed event and though they are generally a lot more crowded than the after hours parties – most people are rushing around to trick or treat or see the special parades so the rides aren’t as busy. With fewer crowds taking up the lines you can get more rides ridden all while seeing the park decorated for the holidays.
If you’ve got a whole long vacation in Florida planned, but only ONE day for Disney – I have to say I think this is the RIGHT way to do it. My coworker/friend did this last year during the NSSHP and raved over how it went. She and her friends hung out in Disney Springs during the day, then headed over the park and had so much fun. They were able to get in a lot of rides and loved seeing the park decorated for Halloween.
Honestly, if you’re going for multiple days, this doesn’t make as much sense cost-wise because you’re paying extra for a ticket instead of folding it into your multi-day discounts…but if you only have ONE DAY…do it right. Pick up a party or an after hours even night and get more done!!
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For more reference on what’s involved in an after hours Party, here’s a couple of posts from some of my favorite Disney Blogs about the After Hours Parties:
Animal Kingdom After Hours via Disney Tourist Blog
Hollywood Studios After Hours via KennythePirate.com
Magic Kingdom After Hours via wdwinfo,com
Everyone warns you how tough the teen years are.
