Let's Talk Business

A few questions:

1. What is the deal with Google Friend Connect going away? It is just leaving wordpress or other non-blogger sites or going away completely? I use GFC on my page and anywhere else I follow, so if it goes away, I am not going to be sad. Anyone else concerned about this?

2. Are we on board with Google+? Blogger keeps encouraging me to keep a profile on there, but I have not jumped on yet. What is the advantage? Are any other bloggers using it?

3. Can someone puh-lease tell me which (blogger) template they use to make their pictures big? I am still in an old interface layout and every time I go to change it, I get overwhelmed and then worry I won't like it. But I know I am in need of a new layout and I really want my pictures to be bigger, so I just need someone to lead me in a fool-proof direction.

4. Do you notice the trend here? I am officially getting old and don't like when technology changes it up on me. Somebody please call google (and Mark Zuckerberg for that matter) and tell them to stop changing websites I am comfortable with. I'll spare you the details about my fear of twitter.

Thanks in advance :)

Ah, Weekend.

Ready for picture overload? I thought so.

We started Friday with some 'Go Army, Beat Navy!' cheers, in coordinating West Point gear, but moved a little too fast for a picture of the cute coordination.

Frankie, feeling a little left out from the blog, did something sweet enough to warrant making the post.

Future heart breakers of America. I know. Those blues are for real.

We got a little art-sy and gave a whole new meaning to 'seeing myself through another's eyes'.

O, and B finally sprouted his first tooth. See it down there on the left?

Saturday, we enjoyed the sweet glory of 70 degrees and having the beach across the street.

C made a few new friends.

B snuggled with mom-to-be, Traci.

Blankets, babies and beer, o-my!

Poor Bennett gave up after a while.

And on Sunday, we started the day with a game of 'Bubba in a basket with a super-guy on his head'.

Then headed to church, one of my favorite places in Monterey.

We attended the pancake breakfast afterwards and then wandered around long enough to hear the bells ring for the 11 o'clock mass. They caught Cullen a bit off guard (read: we are n-e-v-e-r on time to hear the bells before the 9:15 service).

I snapped a few pics on the grounds because it is just so pretty.

Cullen noticed a broken step while we were walking around, looked at me and said, "Mommy, we's need ta tell Jesus ta fix his stairs." Guess we forgot just how literally toddlers take things and shouldn't have been surprised that Cullen very upset that Jesus wasn't keeping up his house.

We finished the weekend out for dinner, with two boys making each other laugh with some sweet potato fry humor.

I have a feeling this won't be the last time they share an inside joke.

How was your weekend??

Linked to:

Friday Fancies: Blog Swap

First, my friends, THANK YOU for all the amazing comments and email about my post yesterday. I am so glad that I have so many Happy Bloggers along for the ride!
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For today's Friday Fancies, some of the FF loyals have been paired up for a blog swap and I am happy to have the talented Anna from Simply Stylish Mom sharing her tips for slimming down your wardrobe and finding the best basics to complete your look. And when you are done with her tips, be sure to jump over to Simply Stylish Mom to see my look for a busy Mom on the go. Take it away Anna!

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When working with clients cleansing their wardrobes, I've found that they've had too many pieces and when asked to show my wardrobe, people have been shocked as to how little things I have in mine. I think it's about covering the essentials and then stocking up on accessories: hats, scarves, jewellery, purses and shoes.

Here are my top 12 essential wardrobe items for any Simply Stylish Mom:

1. A pair of well fitted jeans

2. A classic trench

3. A leather jacket

4. A LBD

5. A black cardigan

6. A white cotton shirt

7. A silk blouse

8. A breton shirt

9. Dress pants

10. A turtleneck sweater

11. A white t-shirt

12. A skirt (that suits your body eg. short, long, a-line, pencil etc.)

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Don't forget to check out my look on Simply Stylish Mom. Thanks for the essentials Anna!

Hope y'all have a wonderfully positive weekend! Do you have any big plans?

Happy Blogger Syndrome

Hi, my name is Kate, and I have Happy Blogger Syndrome.

Is it just me, or every few months does blog world get its panties in a bunch because some blogs are 'too happy'? I have a problem with people who complain about this. I don't think people with Happy Blogger Syndrome are fake, I think they are frankly, just happy.

I'm not perfect and I am incredibly aware of that. Sometimes my children cry and I occasionally raise my voice (or worse, the finger with the side stare, then you know you are in trouble). Most days I wear jeans, cowboy boots and a solid colored Tshirt, my heels are long forgotten except for special occasions. I only blow dry my hair for church (and that's only sometimes). My husband and I can get on each other's nerves. Out of 100 pictures I take a day, sometimes, only 2 or 3 are actually good. Cullen gets a Happy Meal once a week. 'Working out' to me is reading a book on the treadmill, like once a week, maybe, and only because the book is that good and I need an excuse to finish it. I'm tired a lot. Bennett's poops are smelly. My laundry sits in the basket for days because I find it tedious to put away. But why the hell would I want to focus on that everyday? Wouldn't you get bored and/or sad if everyday I shared the mundane details of my not-so-glamorous life?

You see, it is not that I am trying to create an above average persona, the truth is, that my perspective on life has changed since I started blogging. Through blogging, I get to find the aspects of my day that are not mundane. Do you know how wonderful it is so have something positive to post about every day? To me, that is a blessing, not a bad thing.

I didn't like California when we first moved here, but it is growing on me and honestly, my blog helped me love our new home because it put me out of my comfort zone to find the things about it that would make me happy. I think that is awesome. I remember back in early September, I called my mom in a fit of tears one day because everything just felt so hard. And her response was to figure it out, because that kind of attitude just wasn't me. And she was right. I really truly do try to be this positive in my every day life.

I'm not perfect, but my life is pretty darn close. There isn't one thing I would change about it right now. I have complete faith that where we are and what are are doing is part of the overall greatness of our life's plan, why would I want to mess with that? I have two beautiful, sweet and healthy boys and a handsome, loving husband who provides for us. I am blessed to be in a position to be able to stay home. I really don't have anything legitimate to complain about, and that is why I blog happy.

Now, if you'll excuse me, Bennett is trying to eat the computer keys and smells like baby poop.

Here's to finding some happy in your Thursday :)

 

Crappy Pictures

My friend Laura sent this to me the other day. You must read it if you have children, are thinking about having children, or have ever wondered why moms are just a little bit nuts.

 Parenting: Illustrated with Crappy Pictures. 

Enjoy!

Weekend Snapshots

Thanks for all your sweet comments yesterday about my Father-in-law's party; it really was a great time!

So backing up a bit, here are some highlights from our weekend.

We went to see the butterflies in Pacific Grove. Now, I am a fairly smart person, but I can be a little ditsy and I thought when people said there were butterflies in PG, that there were just literally, a lot of butterflies that flew around the little town. Wrong. There is actually a colony of Monarch butterflies that live in this random little grove at the end of town. Unfortunately, the day we went, they were hibernating since it was chilly, but I can't wait to go back on a warm day because up in the trees, there were thousands of sleeping butterflies.

 We spent a little time walking around and enjoying getting up close to the butterflies that had rested on a low branch.

 And of course, we rounded out the afternoon by heading down to the ocean.

 In camera-phone dumping news, guess which chunk is now wearing 12-18m clothes and is not 8 months old yet?

 This could possibly have something to do with the fact that he has tasted ice cream,

 And spaghetti, amongst other things. Boyfriend loves to eat.

 Sadly though, my little munchkin is sick and the only thing sadder than a sick baby, is a sick baby trying to be happy. Don't you just want to hold him, snot face and all?

Hope your week is off to a great start!

Better Late Than Never: New Year's Eve

Last week, my father-in-law, Scott, celebrated a very young 60th birthday. However, since we were all home over Christmas, we decided to have an inimate surprise party for him on New Year's Eve. Scott was under the impression that he was just stopping by my sister in law, Kyle's house to say hi before heading to night out with my mother in law, Deb. But when he got there, 7 grandboys were waiting to jump out and say, "Surprise!" (They had been practicing all afternoon.)

We had a range of activites set up for the night and the first was for the grandboys to 'shave' Pops face using whip cream and popsicle sticks.

All lined up and ready for their turn.

Pop getting prepared for a messy experience.

And the 'shaving cream' goes on!

Cullen did not like this game one bit. He was sad that Pop was getting all dirty.

Bennett didn't have the motor skills for face shaving yet, so he just took a time out with a balloon.

After the first game, the dancing started, and it would last way past all of our normal bedtimes.

And before the boys went to bed, we sang Happy Birthday and had cake.

After a very successful putting 7 boys to bed all at one time, the adults were free to play for the rest of the night. We started with an eat-chocolate-with-a-scarf-and-hat-before-someone-rolls-doubles game that the Larrabee's played at their birthday parties as children.

It got pretty intense.

Next was a bubble gum relay race. First team to blow all their bubbles wins.

The last event before midnight was a game of Family Fued, with the poll questions all relating to Scott's favorite things.

We rounded the night out with a few family pics.

All the Larrabee kids

Plus spouses, Deb and Scott

And one final dance.

Happy Birthday, Scott!

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PS- I am guest posting over at Handling With Grace today about our life in Monterey.

 Be sure to pop over to Jamie's blog and say Hi!