happy leaping hump day!

Or, is it happy humping leap day?!

I have to admit, I borrowed that from my longtime friend, Manny. I thought it was great when he posted it on his Facebook page.

So, what are you doing with your extra 24 hours?!

Same old, same old?

Me too.

Anyway, wanted to share a few random things that made me smile today…

Source: designsponge.com via stephany @ on Pinterest

Aren’t those flowers fabulous?! I mean, go big, or go home, right?! Thinking of what I could do with a couple of those…

Source: ideashomedesign.net via stephany @ on Pinterest

That slide…AWESOME! I would love to put a slide on the little guys bunk! I’ll have to think about that one a bit…

Source: megduerksen.typepad.com via stephany @ on Pinterest

Isn’t that house pillow adorable?! One of these days, when I have some mornings with no kids at home, I will sew more. Until then, I will collect ideas. This is one of them.

Source: houseandhome.com via stephany @ on Pinterest

This adult version of a reading nook. I LOVE it! Now, that’s how we could get some use out of our wall tent that has been folded up in the garage for 6 years!

Source: megduerksen.typepad.com via stephany @ on Pinterest

Meg’s non-dining room is so inspirational. Look at all those sewing machines set up for Craft Weekend! I would love to do this with our dining room…especially with the globe lights!

Source: flickr.com via stephany @ on Pinterest

I’ve been a bit obsessed with globes and maps lately. You’ll find out why in a future post. For now, you can see some of my inspiration on my maps & globes Pinterest board.

Source: etsy.com via stephany @ on Pinterest

And remember in when I was feeling like this? Well, now I am beginning to feel good about getting stuff done. Yay!

Well, that’s about it for now.

Go do something memorable during your extra 24 hours today! Even if it is just taking an extra 20 minutes for yourself.

home is…being thankful for more time.

“i really want that monkey!”

Source: thinknice.com via stephany @ on Pinterest

This morning baby girl and I took a trip to Trader Joes’ to stock up on food for the week. Usually trips to Trader Joe’s are an adventure for baby girl as she gets to push her own little cart and fill it with her favorite items…bananas, oatmeal, hummus, cheese crunches, and “baby” ice cream cones!

It was going fine until she spotted the gorilla. For those of you who don’t know, a gorilla is hidden somewhere in the store (usually involved in some type of display) and if your kids spot him they can pick a treasure from the treasure chest. It gives the kids something to look for while you shop which, along with filling their own shopping cart, can keep your kids occupied while you get your shopping done.

We’ve never really played the “look for the gorilla” game as the carts keep the kids plenty busy on our shopping trips.

Today, baby girl spotted the gorilla on her own. And, she wanted it.

I told her that she could get a treat for finding it, but that wasn’t good enough.

She wanted the “monkey”.

She wouldn’t push her cart, but she didn’t want me to put her stuff in my cart.

She wouldn’t ride in my cart.

She was crying.

Wailing.

And, for those of you who know baby girl, you know she can be loud.

This morning was no exception.

I grabbed my last item and tried to work my way from the back of the store (where the gorilla happened to be) to the front…all while pushing my cart, carrying baby girl, and pulling her baby cart.

I got a lot of stares.

No one offered to help.

NO. ONE.

I finally made it to the front and the lines were 3 people deep.

I consoled baby girl, showed her the treasure box, and waited.

A woman next to me finally offered for me to go ahead of her.

Right as we were moving, a TJ’s employee grabbed my cart and said, “I’ll take care of you over here.”

“Thank you, ” I replied.

Baby girl kept crying, “I want that monkey!”

The nice man who came to our rescue gave her stickers.

She kept crying.

We went to get a treat from the treasure chest…a pink ball.

She kept crying, “I want that monkey!”

Another nice TJ’s employee (also a man) came to ask me if she was OK.

I replied, “Yes, thanks for asking. She just wants the monkey.”

We all tried to explain that the monkey lived in the store for all the kids to see.

I am sure she couldn’t hear us through all of her wailing.

Another helpful TJ’s employee came to help bag our goods and take us out to the car.

This was the first time in over 4-1/2 years of going to the grocery store with kids that I have actually taken them up on their offer to help me out to the car.

Baby girl was inconsolable.

I am pretty sure that most of it is because she is not feeling well as she and I have been fighting a head cold since last week.

There were times last week while I was sick and taking care of the kids for 4 days on my own while Ryan was out of town when I just felt like crying. And, at bedtime on Wednesday night I did cry, “I really want you to go to sleep!”

I totally understand her frustration.

But, she got over it, just like I did.

We move on.

We get stronger.

We find the good in every day.

Which, for her (and me) was eating half a bag of TJ’s Baked Cheese Crunches when we got home!

home is…a good cry.

photos from m{i} phone

The last 4 Fridays I have downloaded photos from my iPhone and posted them here on my blog. All the photos that I post can also be seen on my Instagram feed…I am @homeisablog. (find out more about Instagram here)

I like the idea of having the week captured in glimpses through my iPhone. I use it for most of my snapshot taking during the day…it is almost always in my pocket.

I am also participating in a photo a day challenge on Instagram, so some of the photos you see may be kind of random. You can read more about the challenge here. If you’re in Instagram, join in! If you’re not on Instagram, get on Instagram, and join in!

I hope you are enjoying the photos.

Here are some from the last week…

the little guy said

Yesterday morning the little guy wanted to tell Ryan something. I knew that Ryan was on a flight to California, so I suggested that we send him a text that he could read once he landed…

inspired…

…by another Craft Weekend!

I don’t know how Meg does it!

I’ve pinned some of my favorites to my Pinterest boards.

For those of you not on Pinterest I will share them with you here…

Source: megduerksen.typepad.com via stephany @ on Pinterest

Source: megduerksen.typepad.com via stephany @ on Pinterest

Source: megduerksen.typepad.com via stephany @ on Pinterest

Source: megduerksen.typepad.com via stephany @ on Pinterest

Source: megduerksen.typepad.com via stephany @ on Pinterest

Source: megduerksen.typepad.com via stephany @ on Pinterest

I’m still thinking of hosting a craft weekend of my own somewhere at the Oregon Coast…wouldn’t that be fun?!

By the way, I haven’t been blogging as much because I have been completely obsessed with some projects in my home. Hopefully I will be able to blog about them pretty soon.

Thanks for sticking with me…

home is…inspiration.

photos from m{i} phone

home is…celebrating holidays with the kids.

the little guy said

This afternoon Ryan was working from home.

The little guy and I had spent quiet time together and he was ready for a snack.

He remembered the treats we got earlier today and reminded Poppa about them.

Poppa said he had to do some work in his office.

I told the little guy that he could eat his treat with me.

He replied, “I’ve spent enough time with you already.”

The little guy and Ryan retreated into Ryan’s office to eat their treats…with the door closed.

 

the good or the bad news first?

First off, Happy Valentines Day!

Here it goes.

The bad news…

there were only 3 people who entered the february {colton+cadence} giveaway.

I can understand that without photos of what you would actually win why you may not enter. So, for March, I will be sure to have the dolls made BEFORE I post the giveaway.

That being said, here’s the good news…

because I am feeling the LOVE today I will be giving all three of you a {colton} or {cadence} doll!

So, Megan, Kelly & Kam, please contact me at homeis {at} stephanytaddeo {dot} com and let me know which one you would like…{colton} or {cadence}!

home is…LOVE!

photos from m{i} phone

*all photos taken with instagr.am app on my iPhone 4s

home is…being able to share our adventures with friends and family instantly.

self photo challenge

Today I am linking up with The Paper Mama for her Self Photo Challenge…

Obsessing over…

why my calves and feet are aching constantly for the last two days. was it the shoes i wore? is it my lack of exercise? do i need more water? more magnesium? more potassium?

Working on…

getting art hung up on our walls. it’s only taken 4 years.

Thinking about…

how to get an my life organized. my house and life feel a bit scattered lately. at home i feel like ikea, toys r us, and michaels exploded all over. in my brain i feel like i want to do so many things and i just need to get it all organized on paper.

Anticipating…

Ryan coming home tomorrow and having a fun weekend with him and the kids.

Listening to…

my little guy tell me that he doesn’t feel well with Cat in the Hat in the background. (he just drank his “quiet time” hot chocolate)

Eating…

nothing right now. worked out and ate some almonds afterwards. drinking water.

Wishing…

for more time. but reminding myself to be thankful.

home is…following the lead of another Pacific Northwest blogger!