If a Brooke Van Gory and a Coach diaper bag met in a dark alley....

 I just BIG RED PUFFY HEART Coach bags (thanks Megan for that saying *wink*). They are EXTREMELY well made and they have YET to do me wrong. I've never had a THING go wrong with one of my Coach items - they are DURABLE (and I'm ROUGH on bags) and still look new after two years of use! Who couldn't just LOVE a Coach bag? I love Coach SOOO much that when I went on Spring Break with my BFF, JG in March of 2008 - I splurged and bought a Coach diaper bag (I was only a few weeks preggo at best). It just seemed so PERFECT and screaming my name as it was the perfect shade of green that I so love...

Do de do dee do dee doo whoosh - FAST FORWARD: Cubby is now 18 months, we're cloth diapering (something I never considered until late pregnancy) and we are a go-go-go kind of family. Which means, we need to pack diapers, wet bag, snacks, extra clothing, blankets, sippy cups, etc. on a regular basis for all day or overnight/weekend adventures in and out of town.

I had to finally admit it to myself that my beloved Coach was NOT cutting it. To put all the things I needed in it, plus sometimes my wallet, cell phone, keys and "mama stuff" on occasion so I wasn't carrying a purse PLUS a diaper bag, I was constantly picking up things that were falling out and it just LOOKED messy no matter how neat I put everything in it because there is no closure for the top. Not to mention that I can only carry items on my left shoulder, which is ALSO the side in which I carry Cubby on my hip, and since the double carry straps are short and non-adjustable, I constantly looked like the hunchback of Notre Dame from the side. And it FELT like it too.

ENTER STAGE RIGHT: Brooke Van Gory Designs. I "met" Brooke on Twitter. I vaguely remember through who/what/why the connection was made, but it was and I'm sooo glad it was! After seeing her wares, I was absolutely IMPRESSED. But I was so in LOVE with my Coach bag! Over the next few weeks, I kept going back to her shop - admiring, drooling, daydreaming about how perfect the bag would be... but I was torn... how could I ditch my beloved Coach???

One of the things that bites about buying things online, is that you can't really get to "see" the item and judge for yourself how BIG or small something really is. Once I decided I would get one, I went to see a friend's diaper bag to judge the size. She had an Expedient Weekender upsized because she was going to be diapering TWO kids. Me? I just love a big bag. After trying out hers, I decided to go UPSIZED!!! Plus a few other options because I'm needy like that.

One great thing about ordering something CUSTOM is that you get what you want! Which in this case, also meant I got to pick the fabric!! Being a "boymom", I wanted something that said "BOY" and also something that Pappa wouldn't mind carrying. Brooke was also so helpful and sent me links to samples of fabric based on conversations we had about what I wanted (even though I was completely vague). Truth be told, sometimes ordering a custom anything is intimidating. You want to make sure you get what you want, but how do you know that's REALLY what you want?

Brooke was super fabulous and patient and even after I picked a fabric, she found another oh so fabulous fabric that I knew I had to switch to! I'm telling you, this is one FANTASTIC AWESOME gal AND she has two kids to boot! She MUST be SuperWoman!

Read more...

It's Been a While...

Some of you who are following me aren't real avid blog readers and I haven't really blogged in a while. I have more posts about Vietnam to finish - and some other life things that I've had to deal with/struggle with. Truthfully, I'm online every day (I'm an addict!) and in-between, I try to spend as much time as I can with Cubby. I'm going to try to get back to doing weekly memes and blogging regularly so you'll know what's going on with me.

Wishing you a "Hoppy" Easter!!

Read more...

Wordless Wednesday : Happy Family

 

Read more...

A Common Goal: Weight Loss

Every year, thousands upon thousands of people make this pledge. Gym membership & attendance goes up, grocery carts of "healthier" foods start flying out the store and you start to see more people walking/running/bicycling around the neighborhood. Yep. It's the new year goal for a lot of people each year. For many, this is short lived. It is very hard to start something "new" and fad diets only work for a short time. The key to successful weight loss and healthier living is a consistent change in lifestyle. But I'm no expert. After all, if I was I still wouldn't be a size 14, carrying around 170 odd pounds of whatever with me.

But this year is different for me. I joined a fitness bootcamp and I believe in encouraging and supporting others who want to also make this change. I like to hear how others are doing what I want to do and how successful (or not) they are and what works (or doesn't). So in support of Katie over at thinkPINK, I'm showing my love and support for her 75 to 0 campaign!

If you don't already follow her, you should! She's very insightful and REAL. So let's hear it for Katie and all those of us who are doing our part to become healthier and happy!

Read more...

2010: A New Year

I just realized I hadn't posted since last year. Woah! Doesn't that sound like a long time ago? In reality, it has only been about 12 days. Normally, I have my new year post already done - it would not have taken me 12 days to realize I haven't done it - but you know how it is, right? With a 14 month old around?

Well, I started this year off with some changes. I started back to work full-time (which is only 5 more days a month at this point, due to the furloughs - thank you, Governator). I am looking forward to being retrained but so far, I feel as I'm unfocused because I miss Cubby so much.

I joined a fitness bootcamp. This is solely for me. I was starting to feel like I was overwhelmed, drained, drowning in my life's responsibilities and I need something for ME. Something for me to feel good about myself and something I can strive for. I want to be a role model for my son for healthy living and making good healthy choices.

I want to continue to surround myself with people who can bring light into my life. People who inspire, people who are grounded and people who can slap me around when I need it. I want to be surrounded by people who WANT to be a part of my life. I want to love and be loved. I want to be a better person, woman, wife, mother, sister, daughter.

Most of all, I just want to feel like ME again.

Read more...