The Life

Target Accessory Jackpot

So maybe you don’t yet know this about me, but I am a Target Clearance Whore.  I can practically sniff out a red clearance sticker from 2 aisles away.  In fact, my sister-in-law Nicole, one said this about me:

target ecard 2

Truer words have never been spoken.  She really gets me.

Regardless, this is not about my ability to scour post holiday sale racks and hoard them until they can come out again exactly 364 days later.  This is about accessories.

I am not one to really accessorize.  I am usually just wearing my engagement ring and wedding band.  I think accessorizes are ADORABLE and I think that they truly can make an outfit look that much more “put together”.  It was just never my thing.  And of course when I see a cute necklace or bracelet it is usually around $30-$40.  I just can’t justify spending 3 martinis worth of dollars on a bracelet I may never wear.  So I don’t buy it.

That being said…On one of my “lets walk down every single aisle in Target and see what we can find” outings, I came across some fantastic clearance accessories.  The kind of accessories that I see other people wearing and I’m all like “can I wear that?  Or will I look like an idiot?”  But I cannot pass up a good deal.  Ever.  I am the girl who owns 14 bottles of scrubbing bubbles because the price was just too damn good to leave them on the shelf.   (I am also the girl who hates to clean.  Anything.  But that’s besides the point)

So without any further ramblings…Here is what I found:

Danielle's IPHONE 003                      Danielle's IPHONE 004

These super cute bubble earrings!  They are clip on which is strange.  Who doesn’t have pierced ears????

Original price: $12.99

Clearance price: $6.48

Danielle's IPHONE 017                       Danielle's IPHONE 016

This vintage-y looking pearl necklace caught my eye immediately.  It has a chain that can be worn at multiple lengths and will look so cute with all of the sheer, collared, button down tanks that everyone’s wearing!

Original price: $16.99

Clearance price: $8.48

Danielle's IPHONE 014                    Danielle's IPHONE 015

I love this bubble necklace as much as the earrings above because they match!  And if I’m not feeling all matchy-matchy, I can totally wear them apart and they will still look great!  This necklace is big and chunky and a total statement.

Original price: $24.99

Clearance price: $12.48

Danielle's IPHONE 002

I love these bangles!  I love the sparkly gemstones and I love that they came in a set of 3.  You don’t just wear 1 bangle.

Original price: $19.99

Clearance price: $9.98

Danielle's IPHONE 019                    Danielle's IPHONE 018

This necklace is a winner because it is chunky and long.  I love it.  You can’t really tell, (from my bathroom pics while Mini was screaming soaking in the tub), but it is a really pretty peachy pink color.  Pink and gold is fantastic.

Original price: $19.99

Clearance price: $9.98

Danielle's IPHONE 005                  Danielle's IPHONE 006

Forgive my post gym, sweaty pictures.  I just had to showcase these beauties.  Gold, lace-y, dangling, chandelier earrings.  I fell in love.

Original price: $12.99

Clearance price: $6.48

    Danielle's IPHONE 008                        Danielle's IPHONE 009

And lastly.  This GEM.  My favorite.  It can be totally dressed up, or dressed down.  Made longer.  Or made shorter.  My favorite combination of pink and gold.  (there were other colors too!)

Original price: $29.99

Clearance price: $20.48

Total price for 4 necklaces, 2 pairs of earring and a set of bangles:

$74.36

Moral of the story today?  Run.  Do not walk.  Run to your nearest Target.  Grab yourself some of these ASAP.  Enjoy your summer accessories.  You can thank me later.

In the meantime, what I learned from these pictures, is that I need to either stop raising my eyebrows, or go for botox.

And lastly, seeing my daughter run around the house like this:

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Makes it worth EVERY SINGLE PENNY.

Dear Mini The Life

Dear Mini,

Life has been interesting these past few days.  You have had a horrible cold and are getting 3 big molars in.   You’ve been a touch miserable all week.  You are letting me wipe your nose every 5 minutes and you even cover your mouth when you cough!  It’s adorable, and your Daddy says he is sure you didn’t pick that up from me.  It’s been getting pretty boring hanging around the house these days.  Even though you are full of energy, you’ve really been too sick to go running errands with Mommy or walk to the park.  Yesterday we just hung out on the front porch with the hose and your beach toys and you had a blast.  It’s the little things that make your day.

007 010 005 003

A little about you: (just 1 month shy of 2 years!)

Favorite foods:  Watermelon still, quesadillas, eggs with cheese, turkey hotdogs with baked beans, ice cream, yogurt, juice pops.  You will eat anything and everything.  Shrimp, pickles, vegetables, cheese, avocado.  Anything I give to you.  But ONLY when you are hungry and want to eat it.  Otherwise, I could wave oreos in your face and you don’t care.  Some days I’m lucky if you eat a slice of american cheese.  It is frustrating for me, but I keep trying new things and exciting ways to get you to eat more.

Favorite drinks: Chocolate milk for sure!  You still drink regular milk and you are always demanding me give you “JUICCCEEEEE”.  You like to drink daddy’s juice (OJ and POM but I add water to yours of course) but you hardly even every drink any.  You aren’t a huge drinker of anything.  But chocolate milk is by far your favorite if you had one.

Words: Just the other day you looked at me and stuck your hand out and yelled “WAIT”.  That was a new one.  Hey, Big bird, Minnie, Sleep, Water, Car, Truck, Doctor, are all pretty new this week.  I got you to scream “Daddy, breakfast” up the stairs the other day.  Sounded more like bekfest.  But it’s getting there.  Ohhh, and your new favorite word.  All day every day: “MINE”.  We were shocked when you said it the first time.  Clutching your cracker like we were going to snatch it from you and eat it.  And now you say it for everything.  Daddy said you learned it from “those bastards” at the gym.  I assume he is referring to other children in the play area.  I will keep my eyes peeled for such “bastards”.  In the meantime we are trying very hard to teach you how to share, and you are understanding it, but still think most things are entirely yours.

Potty training:  OMG this sucks.  It is horrible.  We tried the 3 day method.  We lasted 10 hours.  I wanted to kill myself and you were at the point of hysteria everytime you had to go to the potty.  So we are taking a more subdued approach.  You did go 2x pee pee though.  However, not even a princess doll and a sticker could get you to go again.  We are still working on that.

Paci:  You use it.  For sleeping purposes.  And when you fall and are screaming I usually stick one in your mouth to calm and soothe you.  Never in public, and not around the house during the day.  They stay in your crib, and one in the diaper bag for emergencies.  People tell me to take it away.  You can sleep at their house that night.  I don’t care if that thing goes to college with you.  Whatever gets you through the night kid.  All kidding aside, it is not a huge concern of mine to take it away.  I will in a few months.  I am choosing my battles, and I’d rather stop changing your diaper right now.

Favorite activity: Painting.  You love to paint on paper, canvas, your legs, the bathtub walls.  Anything you can.  You know how to use a paint brush, a sponge brush and how to finger paint like a pro.  You also love to color.  I would love if you only colored on paper.  Not your toys, and the tile, and the wall behind your kitchen.  (Didn’t think I’d find that one huh??)  You are excellent at puzzles too!  You have been doing puzzles since you were 13 months old!  I didn’t believe Nana when she swore you did it alone!  Now you are a whiz!  Always impressing me.

Favorite shows: Calliou.  Hands down.  You call him Cai and you love to show me his mommy and daddy.  He is pretty much all you watch.  You are about to start video 2 of my baby can read.  You repeat all the words back to the video and make all the motions it tells you!  You like that a lot too!

Favorite characters: Big bird, Minnie, and all the princesses.  You LOVE your Minnie Mouse toy that you get to change her clothes.  You always put her sunglasses on and let her look out the window.

Clothes size:  You fit in all sorts of sizes because you are tall and skinny.  You can still wear 18 month onesies but you wore a 3T dress the other day!  Most of your outfits are 18 months, 24 months and 2T.  You are wearing a size 4 diaper.  You weigh around 25 lbs.

I am taking you to go visit a preschool academy on Monday.   I think it is time that you spent a part of your day with other little kiddos.  You enjoy being around other kids so much!  I think sometimes you get bored staying home with Mommy.  Maybe a couple of times out of the house will be good for you!  You crave the interaction with the other kids because you are so outgoing and full of energy.

I love you my little baby.  I hope you feel better soon.  The weekend is coming and the whole world is out there for you to explore.

Love always,

Mommy

 

The Life

Just another day in paradise…

Note the sarcasm?  More like thunderstorms and rain clouds over here.  It’s been a rough couple of days.

Mini has a horrible cold.  The sneezing, boogies flying, coughing, runny eyes, fever type of cold.  She is mainly in good spirits but she has lots of moments of crankiness.  I don’t blame her.  Everytime I look at her she has a boogie mustache.  Poor baby.

I am trying to handle her, give her medicine and  trick her into eating.  Anyone have ideas for a sick baby who didn’t eat in the first place??  If she has one more apple juice ice pop I’m going to go bananas.

Needless to say it’s been rough.  We just have a cranky house.  I’m cranky because I don’t want to live here and I’m bored and miss everyone back home.  Mike’s cranky.  Because he is always cranky.   And Mini is cranky.  Well, because she is hosting “Boogie Fest 2013”.

So as I complained to one of my favorite girlfriends today..I rec’d this in response.

duct tape

 

And so.  Here I am.  Mini went to bed.  Sort of.  Mike is watching Jerseylicious.  (It’s his guilty pleasure people..)  And so while I should be blogging about my fantastic Target clearance accessory find, or how Mini painted the bathtub, or our weekend trip to Magic Kingdom, I am instead just waiting for dinner to come out of the crock pot.  With my cosmo to keep me company.

Cheers to a better tomorrow.

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The Life

My Mother

Well it’s Mother’s Day.  You know how it goes.  Once a year.  We make our mom’s breakfast in bed.  We buy them flowers.  We take them out to dinner and wait 2 hours even though we have a reservation, because Mom is not supposed to cook.  And quite frankly, no one else is going to do it.   You know the Mother’s Day drill.

Today is about my mom.  There is so much I can say about her, so much I am grateful for.  I am so sorry I spent my teenage years fighting with her.  If I would have known then that she would be my best friend, I would have started the friendship earlier.  My mom is my everything and I owe everything to her.  Except my wild sarcasm.  That did not come from her.  I was born with that quality.

My mom is different than a lot of moms out there.  My mom gets 2 awards.  One for Mother’s day and one for Father’s day, because for so many years she had to play both roles.  She is a selfless woman, who puts my sisters and I at the top of her world.   She always made our lives great, regardless of what it was behind the scenes.  She protected us.  That is her job and she takes it seriously.

I do not have memories of my parent’s fighting.  I know that they did.  Leaving my father to an addiction so bad that their love could not win the fight must have been one of the hardest moments of my mother’s life.  Yet she took my sister’s and I and moved us out of a bad situation.  With independence I don’t believe she even knew she had, she moved us to Florida.  With no friends, no job, and no idea what was going to happen.  She did it with such fearlessness and grace.  She did what she had to do to make a better life for her kids.   She would do it again in a second.

I do not have memories of my mother’s financial strain.  I know that it existed.   We were not poor.  However, my mother had 3 daughters.  Doing everything was simply not financially possible.  But she made it possible.  I know that when I went to school on Monday, I was able to talk about the same movie all the other kids saw on the weekend.  I saw it too.  I saw it at the dollar theater and my mom packed our snacks.  I know that I wore the same Limited Too shirts as everyone else.  Mine were just last season’s colors from the sale rack.  We often had leftover nights.  My mother was never wasteful.  You know what I remember?  I remember sitting down every single night as a family.  With no TV.   With my mother and my sister’s.  And later on with our extended family once my mother remarried.

My mother has instilled values in me that cannot be taught at any school.  You don’t learn how to love unconditionally in college.   She taught me lessons that I find myself using every single day of my life.   She taught me that while money is nice, it isn’t everything.  Money does not buy children’s laughter.  It does not build strong relationships.  It is not the answer to problems.  It does not teach respect.  It does not teach sisters to love one another without an ounce of jealousy or competition.   She taught me that you don’t need it to be a good mother.

My mother is an absolute inspiration to me.  If I can be half of the woman and mother that my own mother is, my daughter will be the luckiest kid in the world.  Imagine how lucky I am.

This year is my 27th year celebrating Mother’s Day.  My first year ever not living near my mom.   Guess who drove 2 hours across Florida to share a martini lunch with me?   You got it.  My mom.

So, Happy Mother’s Day Mom.  Today, and everyday, I celebrate you.

 

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