Random Thursday: Inspiring Art Edition

Wahoo! It's

I love me a random Thursday. Friday is just around the corner!

Today's topic is

I have blogged about this in the past, but I have always loved the painting Two Fridas by Frida Kahlo. It is hung up in my living room (even though it terrified Isaac when it was younger and Ryan keeps trying to make it go away).

There was a Frida Kahlo exhibit at the Philadelphia Art Museum. I was really moved by the story behind this and how it represents Frida's loneliness. It was the only time a piece of artwork has brought me to tears.

I am lucky enough to live in the suburbs of Philadelphia, the city with the most murals in the whole world! They are used to beautify empty lots and to combat graffiti. I love that you can just round a corner in a semi-sketchy neighborhood and then be surprised by a beautiful work of art on the side of an abandoned building. Many honor Philadelphia natives and are painted by everyday people or school children who work with the mural arts program. If you are ever in Philadelphia, there are a few different mural tours you can take. My sister and I did a walking one that was exhausting but really informative. Here are a few murals.

Hang in there! Friday is coming!!

Random Thursday

Hey there,

It's time for another

Today's topic is

I love me an unscheduled rainy Saturday. Bonus points if Isaac is at his dad's and Ryan is working.

1. A marathon of a TV on demand, on the DVR or from Netflix. There is something so satisfying about devouring a season of a great show in an weekend.

2. A giant mug of hot chocolate or hot tea.

3. Calling and having a long chat with an old friend (or sister who lives across the world).

4. Bake something yummy. Try out a decadent pinterest recipe.

I have a nice weekend ahead of me of soccer, soccer and more soccer. I say it like I'm grumbling but I actually enjoy it. Ryan works all weekend but my mom is coming in Saturday to do a little shopping before Isaac's game, so that should be quite fun. I'm also trying to get a repair guy out to the house since both the washer AND the dryer decided to crap out on us during the past week. Praying it is an easy fix and we don't need to buy two huge new appliances we can't afford. In the mean time, we have been getting buy sending laundry back and forth with my mom, but that can't go on forever.

Happy Friday!

Bumpdate: 26 weeks

How far along: 26 weeks!  On the one hand it feels so close to the end, but on the other hand, January feels so far away!

How big is baby: Fruit and veggie scale says baby is about the size of a head of lettuce.

Weight gain: Not too sure.  I feel like I am starting to get more swollen.  And the bump is definitely getting bigger.

 Sleeping: Hit or miss.  I have been trying to wiggle my toes and roll my ankles a lot before bed.  I don't know if it is a coincidence or not but since I have started that my Charliehorse cramps have gotten better.  I feel like I am always exhausted.  

Food cravings: Sweets.  Isaac asked for cinnamon rolls and Sunday I finally humored him and made them.  They were soo good.

Food aversions: Nothing really.
 
Other symptoms: My back is starting to sort of lock up when I sit or stand or lay in a position for too long.  It's not painful but it is uncomfortable and makes walking or changing position hard.  I am also starting to waddle a bit which I feel like it's too early for waddling...

Miss Anything?  Being upset about something and having people take you seriously, instead of just writing you off as the emotional pregnant person.

I mean, the moods swings and weepiness have been really, really intense.  Like, sometimes I feel like bursting into tears for really no reason.  And sometimes something totally insignificant makes me feel homicidal.  I don't remember the emotional side effects being so intense when I was pregnant with Isaac.  But sometimes (especially at work) I feel like I have a right to be upset about things and I am just being dismissed as hormonal. 

Doctor’s appointment: not this week.

Wedding Rings: Still on! But last night it was a little bit of a struggle to get them off.

Clothes: I felt cute today in my sweater dress that my mom picked up for me.  It could have probably used a belt or cardigan but the weather has been very schizo and today felt more like summer, so, no jacket.  I did finally find a pair of greyish blueish work pants for 15 dollars at Motherhood Maternity which was exciting.  They need to be hemmed about four inches but then they should be good to go.  In the meantime, I just keep hoping I will open my closet and somehow discover some previously overlooked inspiration to rework the same old tops and bottoms.  So far, that hasn't happened.

Movement: Baby has been moving a lot.  Not yet to the point of waking me up at night or anything but you can definitely see my stomach shaking and wiggling while she is getting down in there.
 

Best moment of the week: Lots of good ones.  We had a fun night out with my mom and dad this past week.  The school board officially approved my maternity leave request.  Isaac cracks me  up on a regular basis.  Saturday was a relatively unscheduled day which was long overdue.  Life is good at 26 weeks!

Happy Tuesday!

a few quick things

I love, love, love the blog Clover Lane.  She has five kids, ranging in age from college to 1 and I just love the realistic and uplifting tone of her blog.  She wrote today about Pinterest and she captured some of my feelings about that darn website so eloquently. I have been feeling bad that I don't have an amazing Halloween themed mantle and that Isaac isn't bringing bento lunches to school that I pack while sporting an effortlessly pattern mixed fall outfit.  I may not have those things but I do make it to almost every soccer game and practice, my house is (acceptable level of) clean on most days,  and our home has a lot of laughter. That's what's really important.

This weekend Isaac's best friend invited him to a birthday party at a bowling alley.  We went to the outlets to get him a birthday present (the made for TV store is the best place to get presents for 8-10 year old boys, I have discovered).  Isaac has been faithfully completing his chores and saving his allowance and Ryan suggested while we were there, that Isaac should invest in a real wallet, instead of a plastic sandwich bag.  We went to Wilson's leather and Ryan went halves with Isaac on a small, leather wallet.  Isaac was so proud of his new wallet and declared "I feel like a real man now.  I have so many responsibilities." It was so precious.

Happy Monday!

wahoo! it's the weekend!

Hi five for Friday!

Typical September, the weeks have been crazy.  Between Isaac's after school activities, the onslaught of beginning of the year paperwork, meetings, parent concerns, and the exhaustion of hauling around a body that is roughly the size of a Buick, it has been a looooong week.  I am excited to spend some time with my parents tonight (high five for all you can eat Amish Smorgasboards!) and relax tomorrow.

1. I had an IEP meeting this week and so I decided to make a little more of an effort with my outfit.  It's the same old black maternity skirt but a super stretchy mint top my mom had gotten me a while ago.  Scarves and boots feel so fall!

2. Speaking of fall, we have been soccer, soccer and more soccer here.  Isaac had two games of his own last weekend (one nearly an hour away almost in Maryland!) and then he was the ball boy for the JV and Varsity High School soccer teams on Monday.  There were some cute little girls in the stands watching their older brothers play soccer and I suddenly realized that will be baby H and Isaac.  She will be about 7 or 8 when he is playing in high school. 

3. The weather has been perfect for soccer too.  Upper 60's and blue skies. This was our view for one of Isaac's games last weekend. 

Yesterday he said to me "Mom, imagine Adam and Eve playing soccer in the Garden of Eden.  Like, being all naked and kicking around a coconut."  Sometimes the things he says just make me laugh.

4.  Ryan and I ended up with a Friday night to ourselves last week and decided to try Joe's Crab Shack.  I hate all things Seafood but Ryan almost always lets me choose the restaurant without complaint, so I decided this time I could go somewhere "out of my comfort zone".   Plus, it is located right next to a Babies R Us, so that helped sway me.  Ryan ordered this huge pot of random animals and body parts and ate every bite! 

5.  Isaac has finally got his hands on the coveted toy the Rainbow Loom.  My mom went three places looking for one for him.  We did make one bracelet (emphasis on "we") and we are watching youtube videos to do more complicated patterns. 

Have a happy day!


Linking up with Lauren and Jeanette.

Bumpdate: 25 weeks

How far along: 25 weeks
 

How big is baby: Fruit and veggie scale says baby is about the size of a rutabaga.

Weight gain: Not too sure but I have been eating so much junk this week I am sure I gained something. 

 Sleeping: Hit or miss.  Still up all the time to pee.  Crazy bizarre dreams. Horrible leg cramps.

Food cravings: Still French Fries.  Still lemonade.

Food aversions: Still anything Ryan makes in the deep fryer. The smell of the oil is just horrible to me.
 

Other symptoms: Still experiencing wild mood swings. Still have a super bionic nose. Some more ridiculous heartburn this week.  No new symptoms though.

Miss Anything? I'm good this week.  

Doctor’s appointment: I haven't heard anything back about the glucola test, so I am hoping no news is good news.  I need to go by to drop off paperwork for work too.

Wedding Rings: Still on! 
 

Clothes: Nothing new.  Massively cleaned and organized my closet to make more room for poor Ryan's stuff and boxed up summer things and things that I envisioned being too small to wear for a while postpartum.  Still mostly skirts as I continue the hunt for nonblack work pants that are under 60 bucks.

Movement: Baby has been having a dance party in there lately.  
 

Best moment of the week: Date night with Ryan.  He always lets me choose the restaraunt so this time I let him choose and we did Joe's Crab Shack.  Not my favorite but he enjoyed it. It is also right next to a Babies R Us which is always fun.

 What I’m looking forward to: Good family time in the next few weeks.

What I did / Got for baby:  Nothing this week.  Sorry baby.

Happy Monday!

Life Lately

1. My mom had Isaac for a whole week when I was starting on school.  Of course, they did all kinds of fun things and there were tears when it was time to come home.  One of his new favorite things to do is paint pottery with her.  This week she brought over this candy jar that was finally back from being fired.  How adorable is it?  I can't wait until October when we can get all Halloweeny up in here...

2. We had back to school night this week for Isaac.  His teacher described Isaac as a "riot" which made me feel relieved.  Of course *I* think he is a riot, but, let's just say, not everyone always finds him to be amusing.  His teacher's enthusiasm for science must be contagious, because he came home asking me if I had cornstarch so he could make his own oobleck.  It made a bit of a mess but he seemed to love it.

3. Ryan and I have been married for over six months now.  The other day I came home to find he had been hard core cleaning the house.  He had come up with this solution to our covers war.  I had to laugh when I discovered it but it has actually been working out well.

4.  As the lone female in this household for a few more months I am pretty much on my own while Isaac and Ryan are zoned out watching football.  I am trying, but I just can't get into it.  It's soooooooooo long.

5. It's the most wonderful time of the year!  Soccer season.  His first official league game was a terrible blow-out. They beat the other team 12-0.  Hopefully the next game is a little more fun to watch.  Go number 7!