Year in Review--2014

2014 was a whirlwind of fun. Here are some highlights. 

By far the biggest thing that happened this year was that my sister got married. This event monopolized a good chunk of my summer with supporting her through it all. I wrote an emotional post that was probably the hardest thing I've ever published for several reasons. Mainly because I never want my words to hurt anyone, but sometimes you need to stand up and let your voice be heard, no matter the cost. Because not saying anything hurts more. This was one of those times. 

It's funny where a year starts, where it goes and how it ends. When 2014 started I was still doing some "fashion" posts...mainly centered around my accessories. Those posts have organically shifted to being on Instagram or my Stella & Dot Facebook page and this blog has become more about my experiences in motherhood, random thoughts and my adventures in general. However, here are a few times that I wrote about fashion: New Year's Eve; dressing up jeans and a white t (holy bushy eyebrows & bright red lips in this post--2 things I really don't do often); adding a pop of sunshine to grey; messy side braid fun; showing off the versatility of a favorite earring; a favorite statement necklace; my #selfie obsession; another statement necklace obsession; and having fun with personalized jewelry (doesn't everyone need a necklace that says #selfie?). 

2014 was the year I came to terms with my real age. I stopped joking that it was my 29th birthday. For a good reason...my daughter. Around that time I also treated myself to a big haircut--one that I loved--and need to do so again. Also, it would be nice to do this more than once a year. (Note to self: spoil yourself once in awhile!)

I finally organized my jewels. Like a real organizational system. It is beautiful. It's my favorite part of our bedroom. I also organized my thoughts and words into a blog I truly love. This blog (my third? try) launched in March and I haven't looked back since.

Oh, the lessons my kids have taught me this year. There have been so many--I truly believe at times more than I could ever hope to teach them. They've taught me to embrace the mess, actually to enjoy the mess, to look outside my tunnel vision, to celebrate the noise--because it means my kids are healthy and happy, to encourage imagination, to see the beautiful in the ugly, to know that I am enough for my kids and that I NEED to be in the picture with them, to celebrate the fact that girls like more than princesses and sometimes boys love princesses just as much as their sisters, to stop the reflex of saying no, to pause and watch what the kids are doing instead of assuming they are just making noise for the sake of being loud, and to appreciate the question why. Actually no. The question 'why' and I are not friends. That is a lesson I reject.

One theme I saw repeated in my posts is my coming to terms with their growing up. I'm slowly learning to let go of my daughter as she finds her own place in the world; I won't (and can't) always be there with her. In fact, we are quickly approaching a time where we will go whole days without being with each other. And B. My baby that's not a baby anymore--especially since we got rid of his crib. Now if we could just get rid of that diaper...

Lest you think I only write about my kids...I covered many other topics on this little blog of mine. I got personal at times (and can not thank you all for the amount of love and support I felt when I did) including when I wrote about my love/hate/love relationship with Spring in a tribute to my late father, how I faced fear and went to a conference where I knew no one, and why nurturing old friendships is just as important as making new friends. I also kept things light with a couple of "random" posts were I either answered questions, detailed what I was currently up to, or just wrote a list. 

My relationship with my spouse had a staring role here at times--probably more than the mister wants (the perils of having a writer for a wife). I wrote about the importance of working at our relationship and unplugging for a date night in, the blues of returning from vacation and missing him terribly, learning to communicate with each other post-kids (trust me, it changes), and how it was only with him at my side that I was able to get through the first few months of my daughter's life--especially after our lovely hospital stay. 

This year also brought a couple of new features. I did my first ever series on Twitter, which makes sense considering how much I love social media. Like really love social media. I also began doing monthly recaps and a weekly series: Friday favorites. Those favorites have included my love of civic duty; being nominated for fun blog awards; the vibrant theatre scene in Minneapolis; my love of all things Christmas including the music, Santa visits, and cookie decorating; and children who are healing from sicknesses. I also did a couple of Top Ten Lists--a fun post that I'm sure will be repeated soon. Plus, I reached a huge "bloggy" milestone: 100 posts! I can't wait to see where the next 100 posts take me. 

Finally, I took on the goal of completing a book a week for a complete year (I started in March) and have written a couple updates on this journey. One of my biggest lessons in this quest is even though reading is something I love and want to do, I need to make an effort. Because too often other things (ie: my DVR) get in the way of quality reading time.

Whew! What a year. I spent 2014 doing so many things I love--spending time with my husband, playing with my kids, going out with my friends, making new friends, drinking coffee, drinking wine, watching bad reality tv, reading and writing. Thank you for being a part of my year...I can't wait to see what 2015 brings. See you then!

Our "holiday" card since I can never get my act together for an actual Christmas one, we always do a New Year card. This past summer we celebrated our 10 year anniversary and on that date we went back to the site of our wedding to document our life, 10 years later.

xo Sara

If you love this, follow all my adventures via Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook!

November in Review

Another month...gone! I feel like I just wrote my Fall Review and now it's December. This really is my favorite time of year. But before I look forward to what will be, here's a little recap of what was.

I think the favorite thing I wrote this month was my post about trying to say "no" less. It's a post that has stuck with me and I think about it (almost) every time I'm about to or do say "no" to my kids. And, in case you were wondering, the paper towel roll is still a huge hit in my house. My son stalks it, just waiting for us to use them up so he can have the roll (see the proof in the picture below). And it's funny, a post that I wrote near the end of the month ("Noisy Acting") had a similar theme. Stopping. Thinking before acting...or, rather, reacting. I guess the universe is trying to teach me a lesson. 
It's also funny that a month that brought "DVR: Destroyer of Valuable Reading (Time)" also brought "Phone Dream." I don't think that I can deny any longer that I do have a problem with my gadgets. But if my sickness is loving modern technology...I don't know if I really want the cure. 

And then there was "Mind Reading." An honest post about expecting my husband to just know what I want and to act on that immediately without my having to ask. This was the main source of many arguments for us during "Early-Kid Time." Even though we've gotten better with the whole "I can't read your mind, you know" idea, we still struggle with it from time to time. And due to the comments I got and text messages and emails, I know we're not alone. I once read that if you are fighting in your relationship it shows you still care--you are fighting FOR something. The "danger zone" is when you stop fighting. Stop caring. I'm glad we're not there--and grateful that our "fighting" is not over-the-top nor about things that seem unsolvable.

(Side note: anybody else thinking about "Top Gun" right now? Just me? Ok then... "Highway to the Danger Zone....Ride into the Danger Zone...")

Finally, this month brought a new weekly feature: Friday Favorites. I enjoyed sharing some of my current favorite things with you (civic duty, online friends nominating me for fun awards, and live theater life in Minnesota). I actually missed my last Friday Favorites installment because it was about Thanksgiving leftovers and I was too busy eating (and then napping) to actually write it or take pictures. 

So. Good-bye to November and hello to December. My love for the holidays has only multiplied due to being a mother. I get to relive all the excitement of my youth through the eyes of my own children. We also get to start new traditions...including this year when we cut down our own tree for the first time. We've always had real trees but this was the first year we went to a tree farm. It was lots of fun...albeit a tad cold. I have a post about our little adventure coming on Wednesday, so stay tuned!

xo Sara

If you love this, follow all my adventures via Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook!

Fall in Review

Now that November is here I thought I'd recap the past couple of months on the blog. I'll do this monthly going forward, but since this is the first installment I figured I'd reflect on the season that was.

It's hard to believe that fall is almost over and we are about to embark on the coldest time of year. Minnesota has had a pretty spectacular fall, I wrote about that in Lovely Leaves. Also, this picture from that post was featured in an online magazine's favorite fall photos, so be sure to check that out, too (link in original post)!

While overall it has been a beautiful fall, we did have some rain days. And with that brought some laziness--who doesn't just want to curl up under a blanket and read when it's gloomy outside? Well, now that I'm a momma I don't always have the ability to ignore the outside world while I become engrossed in a novel...mainly because my two very loud children typically have other plans. But, every once in awhile, the stars align and I get the motherhood version of curling up with a book. You can read all about that here. 

In September I published my first ever series and it was all about Twitter! With my background in eduction and HR/Training, this was a fun three-part series to put together. And the response was great; I love helping people understand things that previously seemed overwhelming. Here's a link to part one; the other parts are linked at the bottom of that post. Plus, I loved it so much I'm open to requests--what do you think I should write my next series on?

A post that struck a nerve with many was The Last Time. This was a poem my husband sent me about remembering to enjoy every moment with your child because you never know when it's the last time--the last time you'll carry them, the last time you'll wipe a dirty face, the last time you'll read them a bedtime story. I'll admit, I cried when I first read it. And, judging from your blog/facebook/twitter comments, I wasn't alone.

I had two favorite posts from the past couple of months. Back in September I wrote Where's the Mommy? about getting back in the picture with my kids instead of always taking the pictures or, more importantly, deleting those pictures that I'm in for various, dumb, reasons. It was a hard post to write because it's something I'm still struggling with--how to not be so hypercritical of myself--but it helped to know I'm not alone.

My other favorite post was one I just wrote last week, For Girls Only. Here's a picture that shows my son's happiness when he's playing with princesses. And I love it when he plays with this set because it really shows his imagination working--he comes up with scenarios (dancing at a ball while the friends watch), goes through routines (bedtime rituals--they brush teeth, put on pajamas, read a story and get tucked in) and pretends everyday objects are other things (a small box becomes their bath or pool). 

And, finally, one of the biggest things to happen to me this month was attending the Minnesota Bloggers Convention. It was a great experience that I'm so happy I didn't chicken out of attending. I wrote about how stepping out of my comfort zone was the best thing I could have done. It's only by stretching that we grow. You can read about how I faced my fear here. 

So with October leaving us, we move on to November. And really, my favorite time of year...the holidays! Just wondering, is it too soon to be listening to Christmas music? I'm asking for a friend...

xo Sara

If you love this, follow all my adventures via Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook!

Currently I am...

Keeping it light on this, the last Friday of August. I can't believe how fast the past 3 months have gone. E has one more week before she starts up at preschool again and I plan to take full advantage of the extra time. In the meantime, here's some of my "current" thoughts. I was inspired after reading a blog post in this format from Beth over at Life with Bethie the Boo (here's her post on this topic).

C U R R E N T L Y   I   AM  . . .

www.writingwithbangles.com

Currently I am...still reflecting on an amazing weekend filled with laughter, love and fun.

Loving...my current book series I'm reading--I love Harry Potter and love revisiting him every couple of years.

Wishing...it wasn't already almost September. Where did the summer go? Luckily, I happen to LOVE fall.

Planning...a ten year anniversary trip for this winter. Someplace warm to get us out of snow-central.

Dreading...I'm not really "dreading" anything; I guess when I finish my coffee for the day, because that's always a bummer.

Wearing...yoga pants, t-shirt and a bun...and a full arm party. Always accessorized.

Excited...for the State Fair; the great "Minnesota Get-Together" is the BEST.

Wanting...a pumpkin spice latte. I told you, I love fall.

Thinking...about having a pumpkin spice latte. 

Watching...4 kids run around like crazy people!

Eating...a granola bar (in secret, so the kids don't see--I really don't want to share).

Laughing...at my ridiculous sneak eating.

Thankful...for all those that came together and made last weekend so special for my sister. I love you all!

xo Sara

If you love this, follow all my adventures via Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook!