Archive | Another List

Getting ready to get wet!

By Angela on 04/04/2018 in Another List, Eye Candy, What boys like

There are lots and lots of long, surf-type bathing suits out there! They look cool, and provide good sun coverage, I get it. But my boys are somewhat on the short side and aren’t comfortable with all that material. It took a bit of looking around but I found some good looking options for us!

Number 1 is from Boden. We used to have these swim suits. I loved, loved, loved when they were little and wore these suits. I still have them and plan on framing them to hang in our beach house one day! (When we have a beach house!) But now, this style is, well, more their style.

Number 2 is so cute and simple. And it’s on sale right now at Hanna Andersson!

Number 3 has a very nice surf vibe. It’s flashy and easy to spot when there is a crowd at the beach or the pool. This one is from H and M. You can’t beat their prices.

Number 4 is the one my 10 year old went with. This is his favorite color. And it’s from good ole Target. I got this one for my other 10 year old.

Number 5 is a classic beach/surf suit I found at Dick’s Sporting Goods. The colors are more subdued and quiet if your swimmer doesn’t want to stand out. Dick’s includes the out seam measurement in their descriptions. So helpful. 15 inches on this suit.

Number 6 is the jammer my 12 year old loves. This will be the third time I have bought this suit! Very swim team even though we are no longer on the swim team. He likes the unencumbered fit and we just got a red rash guard to go with it. Not the sturdiest of suits but he loves it.

If you find others that are a good fit for shorter legs please let me know!

Happy swimming!

Caught my eye this week…

By Angela on 04/04/2017 in Another List, Reading, Thoughts

I am still having a ball doing my own workout at home. I start here and keep dancing. Put YouTube on auto play and just dance. See if you can sit still to “Bye, Bye, Bye”

Showing these 6 different rugs is genius. My furniture is very different but I love getting a feeling for each rug. Thank you for rolling out all those rugs, and taking pictures!

Just finished this book. I know its all over the internet and there is a movie in the works, but I loved it too. Had to share.

Who knew we were NBA insiders. Comfort food is power food. Ask a mom. She knows.

This lovely wallpaper feels so sweet. But I think I love the floors the best.

Have a great week! Spring is here!

Caught my eye this week…

By Angela on 01/27/2017 in Another List, Eye Candy, Reading, Thoughts

This is Mellow. We got her Saturday and have been enjoying her company every day since. And every night. She’s a great sleeper. She is still getting used to us, but I think she will like it here.

Some other things that warmed my heart this week on the web:

A great essay on time from someone who usually spends his days traveling and exploring, which is not anything like the way I spend my days. But things change. Super good.

Oh, how I love a good house tour. Julie Blanner discusses decorating after the holidays. I am ready for quiet after the lights and the greenery and the gingerbread houses. But her house is already serene and hushed. Love the brick floors.

Around here I don’t really need a heavy winter coat. But I love to look at them. This white coat looks so cuddly it makes want to go somewhere cold. Almost. Beautiful pictures. Gorgeous sweater.

We are planning a big trip this summer so I am so happy to steal some of the resources from Cupcakes and Cashmere. Lots of good ideas on how to make travel happen!

And finally, I am subbing for some Zumba classes coming up and need some new dances. This one looks fun. And I like the new Sia song. This choreography has lots of classic Zumba moves, simple and repetitive, but still a dance and not an aerobics routine. Would have been just as good with a shirt on, though. Still, easy to watch.

Enjoy the weekend! We are making Pinewood Derby cars and playing with our new dog! Until next week…

Save

Favorite Television Shows, ages 7 and 9

By Angela on 04/08/2015 in Another List, Thoughts, What boys like

With homework and practices we don’t watch a ton of tv but when we do these are our favorites:

Phineas and Ferb Adventuresome boys are what I have growing in my house. So they love the antics of Phineas and Ferb and their eclectic sidekicks. I love the eclectic sidekicks. I love how Phineas and Ferb treat their friends with respect and kindness.

I love the relationship between boyfriend and girlfriend Candace and Jeremy. Jeremy is the kind of boyfriend I hope my boys will be when they are teenagers; laid back, understanding and appreciative of his quirky girlfriend.

I feel lucky that the boys like it so much because it is definitely a show I enjoy as well.

We watch it on Netflix since we are a (recently) non cable family.

Mighty Ships, and Might Planes

More Mighty Ships, Please! These 45 minute shows just draw my boys in. There is so much to learn about life on the water. The boys have their favorites. We have watched HDMS Absalon many times. There are guns, helicopters, fires, emergencies– they love it!

Mighty Ships and Mighty Planes are both on the Smithsonian Channel. When we had cable we would DVR the episodes so we had several available to watch. Now that we are cable (bill) free! we watch on the Smithsonian Channel through our Roku streaming player. So far it seems that there are only two episodes available to see at any one time, and they change occasionally. Still, we watch in awe at the jobs these huge ships and planes do. Incredible interesting and especially enthralling for boys.

Peep and the Big Wide World

Yes it’s animated and yes, this is propabley not going to be on the request list for much longer. My nine-year old protests when the younger ones want to watch but then he laughs the loudest. That’s what I like so much about Peep and the Big Wide World is that my boys laugh out loud! Peep and Chirp and Quack manage to get themselves into some interesting situations that are fun to discuss at the dinner table. And then laugh about again!

We watch Peep on You Tube and Netflix.

Wild Kratts

Part animated, part human, The Kratt Brothers always teach us something about animals. On PBS Kids which we get through our Roku. It’s nice because you get to choose from every episode.

Awning decisions

By Angela on 10/07/2014 in Another List, Eye Candy

Trying to decide if an awning is really what I want. I love the look.

But will it be too dark in my dining room?

Could it look too commercial?

What color?

One thing that pulling together all my favorites has told me is stripes, definitely stripes!

(All pictures via Pinterest, of course.)

Summer to do list

By Angela on 06/03/2014 in Another List

I love reading the lists of what families plan to do with the days of summer.

And since I love a list, we have made one of our own.

The beginning of our summer vacation is pretty structured, as far as summer days go, since we have swim team practice weekday mornings at 9. Last summer I thought that would be a strain, somewhere to be every morning. BUT it turned out to be great! We had a place to be, a reason to get dressed, (or at least change out of our pajamas), and the boys looked forward to it. No begging them to get ready. It really made summer easier. So our everyday did have a kind of routine, using our bodies to exercise and our minds to learn new strokes.

I am looking forward to that again this summer.

DAILY SUMMER PLAN

9am swim practice
10am pool opens, stay to play
11am snack bar opens–highly anticipated by our family!
12noon lunch at the pool
1pm home and dry, more snacks
1:30- 3 excursion or lessons, music or language on the internet
3-4pm unpower hour-time to read, draw, write, quietly play or rest.
4-6pm electronics time, so I can supper ready!

As I type this out, it seems kind of rigid, but in our family we operate best when we all know what is going to happen next.

The unpower hour is new to us this summer. But the boys have started to read chapter books to themselves and I just think making time to get lost in a book is a great way to spend free time. I am looking forward to joining them and have a small stack of books ready to let take me away.

Powerful mornings to change the world.

By Angela on 05/28/2014 in Another List

Graduation speeches are the best. I love to be inspired and by golly, a graduation speech is usually, even if they are halfway decent, inspiring.

Trouble is, it’s hard to remember all the advice that was rendered during the graduation speech that was meant for you. I know I for one was thinking about where we were going for lunch afterwards, will my hat stay on just a little while longer, and is that really my mom’s voice I can hear from all the way up there in the stands of the division one football stadium? Yes, yes it is…

So this time of year I love to hear what other graduates are hearing on their big day

Naval Admiral William H. McRaven’s words to the University of Texas at Austin were inspiring and entertaining. I heard about it on the Happiness Project Blog. McRaven is a navy seal and the ninth commander of US Special Operations Command. He gives advice on changing the world. Number one is, “make your bed.”

Interesting and timely since making our bed is one of our summer projects. My hope is that by the end of the summer they will automatically make their bed in the morning before we leave the house.

But making your bed is just one those things that I think make a morning great. Here are my other thoughts:

1. Open the blinds. Let in the sunshine. See what’s going on outside.

2. Say good morning to everyone. It’s uplifting to you and uplifiting to them. (Don’t worry if they don’t answer back, you did your thing.)

3. Stretch. Just a little bit of movement gets your blood flowing.

4. Say thank you for the day. Silently to God or the Universe. A deep breath goes well here too.

5. Make your bed. First tasked finished. Now on to the next.

We are not a perfectly made up bed kind of household. And learning to make up our bed is on our list for the summer. But straightening the sheets and the blankets, turning over and smoothing out the pillows is part of my morning mommy ritual. When it is time to snuggle in and say our prayers when the day is over I think a neat place to lay their head is another way I say I love you and want to take good care of you.

I’ll let you know if the bed making habit sticks with my 3.