Cruisin' the Mall

Cade and I beat the rain today by crusin' the mall. He played in the Lego store, I got new Kate Spade earrings and made $2 off the trip (my return was more than the new earrings). Win.

Lego mania!

Also enjoyed the kids' station at the Apple Store

#AMBTakeoverTuesday

Yesterday I took over the Austin Mom's Blog Instagram account for the day. In Instgrams, here was our day

New Hat

$0.97 spent at Wal-mart, well worth it. Look at that smile! (Plus his little baby head will stay warm this winter.)

 

Me Monday

I'm not totally sure why, but my company gives us Columbus Day off. It's a very New England holiday to have and we don't have any New England offices. But I'm not one to look a gift horse in the mouth. So I didn't question it; I just enjoyed it with a me day.

I took Cade to preschool, worked out and then got a 90 minute massage. Ahhhh. It was heavenly. I'm not sure when the last time I splurged on a whole 90 minutes was but it was fantastic.

Then home for a quick lunch and out to do my favorite thing: outlet mall shopping.

Though the day started out very rainy by lunch it was beautiful. Sunny and seventies. Perfect for outlet shopping. And shop I did.

I got lucky and had one of those days where everything fits and everything is on sale. I did my part to support the Texas economy by making purchases at no less than eight stores. I got two sweaters, a work blouse, a wedding anniversary top and necklace, a comfy long-sleeved tee, cute striped 3/4 sleeve top, PJs for the little boy (Xmas gift!), fleece for the little boy, t-shirt for the little boy and a Christmas gift for the hubs. Let it be known that I was not purposefully Christmas shopping but it is getting pretty close and I figure anything I buy from here on out can be wrapped and put under the tree.

Normally I would happily give you the breakdown of spent v saved. But I've been a bad shopping blogger today and hung everything up without doing the math or taking pics. I can tell you though that one of the sweaters is from Ann Taylor and was purchased for $11 when it was originally $79. That was by far the steal of the day. Other notable wins were the Gap long sleeved tee for $12, NY & Co sweater for $17ish and baby PJs at 2 for $13.

Ahhh, I love an afternoon of shopping. And as if that wasn't enough, tomorrow is back to work but as a work from home day! Woohoo!

Eskimo Summer

You've heard of an Indian Summer but I think this year we're having an Eskimo Summer in Austin (yes, that is an originally coined term...I think...). Yesterday and today the highs have been 90 or below. Perfect for my pre-new-job long weekend.

Cade and I went to the Play for All Park before preschool and I swear it was cooler outside than in our house. It was intended to be a short park trip but ended up lasting almost an hour. In part because of the great weather and in part because we ran into another mom/toddler pair we kinda know (we seem to have similar park schedules so have seen them there a few times).

I had girls lunch and haircut plans for the afternoon but some under-the-weather conditions changed those.

Plan B ended up pretty damn good though. Ross and I went on a double lunch date with Ryan and Margeaux and then I had a leisurely trip to the outlet mall. It was incredible that on August 1 I could do outside shopping in Texas without melting. Seriously the perfect day for some outlet shopping.

I made the couple returns I needed to do and came home with a few new good items. I snagged a great new necklace from Banana Republic (20% off), a tank top from Ann Taylor LOFT (...not sure the discount but only cost $14) and new jean shorts ($10!). I love a good shopping trip.

We had a quiet evening at home with a walk to the park, wine on the porch and the Travel Channel.

Today has been a laid back day of chores and laziness. We started with Saturday morning cartoons with our favorite toddler, then HEB and the park. Since I didn't find the black flats I was looking for yesterday, I went on a DSW adventure after lunch. I was successful on the flats and found a killer pair of gray heels for the office. KILLER I tell you.

The rest of the day is toddler playtime, BBQ dinner and after toddler bedtime, hubby-wife board game night. I'm loving the Eskimo Summer weekend and all the outdoor time we're enjoying!

A Perfect Saturday

The canvas print of this arrived this week
and is now hanging in our gameroom!

It really has been a pretty perfect Saturday.

It started with a Starbucks date with my favorite baby. Then we took a walk to the duck pond and Ross and Lexi joined for the second half. Then playing and lunch with both of our fav, an avocado.

Then it was an afternoon out! The gym, Barnes & Noble and an hour massage! The massage was long overdue. Due to scheduling conflicts, it was my third attempt. So so so wonderful. And after discovering the knots in my shoulders, I am vowing never to go so long (5 months I think) between massages again. I've already made an appointment for another at the end of July. Fortunately there is a great place near us, Cielo Spa, and their hour massages are only $37 so it is very feasible to go every other month or so.

Ross made us pork loin for dinner, one of my favorites. Cade and I FaceTimed with my parents, played with blocks, cleaned the gameroom and then read a book before bed. He even stayed up late, all the way until 7:10p!

Tomorrow we have an exciting day of grocery shopping and then a play date. All in all, it may not just be a perfect Saturday, it may turn into a darn perfect weekend!

PS And I had three nights of good sleep this week. Last night not so much but that was expected since we had drinks with Margeaux and Ryan and I was up til midnight so no big deal. Will make up for it tonight after indulging in some Downton Abbey.

Quickest IT Turnaround Ever

Around 11 I was working from a client's office between meetings when my laptop died. Just on the spot died. Plugged in and everything. Restart, die. Restart, die. Restart, die. I didn't even make it to the login screen.

Thirty minutes later, turn on, die.

Enter frantic texts/calls to Ross "my laptop is dead. I need a new one ASAP."

By 12:27p we were on the phone and I was explaining the Laptop Death of 2014. Then after telling him what I needed in a laptop ("I dunno; fast, not heavy") and my budget ("whatever it costs; I need it now") it was decided that he was the more qualified laptop purchaser.

And purchase he did. When I returned from my afternoon meetings at 3:15p, there was a new laptop waiting in my office, most of the set-up already complete. I have a brand spankin' new HP Envy, complete with touchscreen.

I've had some good IT guys in my previous gigs but this takes the cake. It only required a 10 minute phone call and 4 text messages and I had a new laptop within three hours. No requisition forms, expense reports or other paperwork required. This officially makes Ross the best IT guy I've ever had.

Now consider, on top of acting as Chief Technology Officer for Cheryl Black Consulting, he also wore hats as Home Facilities Director (bought a new ceiling fan), Chief Automotive Officer, Head Chef and Dad, he's had a damn productive day. Soon he'll have to return to his role as Firefighter/Life Saver, which is important and all but I really love and appreciate all the hats he wore for our family today. He's the best!

Good Deal Scorecard

I love to shop (no surprise). And I also really really love to get a good deal. It's like a game. Can I save more than I actually spend? How good of a deal can I get? Can I get a really nice item for a Target or Walmart price?

This also lends itself really well to the classic "honey, look how much I saved us!" v "look how much I spent."


Ross and I had agreed on a rough budget for my shopping spree, one that I felt like I could enjoy and not have to be a penny pincher, so hypothetically I didn't have to be an aggressive sale hunter this weekend. And when I say weekend, I do mean weekend. In the end I shopped Thursday evening, Friday afternoon and again this afternoon (there were 3 stores I really wanted to go to at the outlets that went unshopped yesterday and I just couldn't have that).

On today's excursion I finally found a purse that I liked. Purses are hard for me, especially if and when I want a small one like I was looking for this time. The criteria was small but big enough for phone, keys and wallet; straps long enough to easily throw over my shoulder but short enough that the purse hangs at chest height; and not a logo print. Coach had lovely leather options but the straps were all wrong. Michael Kors had a good size and strap length option but only in a really over-the-top logo print. Nine West, Banana Republic, Guess and the other stores really didn't meet the size requirements, all too small or too big. Fossil ended up being just right. And though I am usually a Coach girl, I realize the past 3 bags I have picked out have been from Fossil (today's buy, my laptop bag and my diaper bag). Their designers and I are clearly on the same page.

Work blouse, tshirt dress and Banana Republic tshirt

But anyways like I said, I just really really love a steal of a good deal. Walking away from my birthday shopping spree with way more than I expected because of the sales made for that much sweeter of a birthday celebration.

So here's my Good Deal Scorecard if you will. Keep in mind I did all my shopping at the outlets (or DSW) so everything was already lower than the regular store price.

• Tshirt dress: 80% off (clearance)
• Calvin Klein tshirt: 75% off (strangely the blue shirt was on a much bigger sale than the other colors; it is a lovely sapphire so I don't know why)
• Heels: 62% off (DSW + clearance + $5 birthday coupon)
• Jeans: 60% off (I wasn't shopping for jeans at all actually. I just put these on so I could see how the tops I was trying on looked with jeans. They fit great and the sale was so good I figured you can't have too many jeans, especially not in Texas. Also I always buy cheap jeans so there was something irrationally "grown up" feeling about buying higher end jeans.)
• Banana Republic tshirt: 50% off 
• Tank top: 50% off
• Polo for Ross: 50% off
• Purse: 40% off
• Dress for wedding: 30% off
• Work blouse: 20% off
• Cardigan: 0% off but only $8 anyways (I have no idea how The Gap is selling cardigans for $8 even at the outlet but I'm not asking questions. Even if it only lasts a season, who cares.)
• Work out tanks: 0% off (but the Old Navy price is 2 for $15; also not an outlet but Old Navy is easy peasy anyways)

The Last 20

Here it is, my last birthday as a 20-something. Or, more accurately, my first 29th birthday.

Today I celebrated with a slew of simple, yet good in life, activities.

Playing with my little boy, the gym and walking Lexi in the morning. Then Ross and I had an early lunch together outside at a Japanese steakhouse and sushi place (they have a really tasty cooked roll called the Round Rock Roll that I was craving). We spent lunch talking about our perfect child, our awesome Europe trip two years ago and daydreaming about future vacations. I told him again that I'd like to go back to Europe for our 10th wedding anniversary and he told me (again) that yes, that sounds like a good idea. The debate is now do we go to Germany/Switzerland or Spain/Portugal. I vote for the latter but we have 5 more years to decide so no worries.

Then it was on to a fancy schmancy spa pedicure. The day spa I went to served wine and had a crystal chandelier. FANCY. It was a lovely long pedicure and a great birthday treat.

While enjoying my pedi and wine, the weekly newsletter from Cade's school arrived in my email. Per the usual it was very cute. However this week it had an extra special inclusion. It said "After our viewing of the chrysalises [caterpillar cocoons], our youngest Sweet Pea [Cade] quickly moved to our library and chose The Very Hungry Caterpillar and began to look at it. What a remarkable cognitive connection!" Not that there was any doubt before, but clearly my child is a genius. Seriously though, I was so proud of him I almost injured myself grinning. I forwarded the newsletter to Ross, grandparents and Auntie Meg immediately. All agreed that he is an incredibly gifted and intelligent child.

After my pedi (and the most awesome preschool newsletter of all time) I headed up to the Round Rock outlets for some focused shopping time. I had five items I really wanted to buy during my birthday shopping spree: small-ish purse, nude shoes, black blazer, white button-down and a dress for Margeaux and Ryan's wedding. My shopping trip resulted in 2/5 and a slew of other items. At one point I was in Banana Republic and had to finally ask for a dressing room because I could not humanly carry any more clothes.

At the end of my shopping adventure I took home 2 dresses (including 1 for the wedding), a t-shirt, 3 tank tops (2 for working out), jeans (from Banana Republic that fit like a charm and were 60% off!), a cardigan, nude heels (actually purchased yesterday), a work blouse, pants for Cade (for Margeaux and Ryan's wedding) and a polo for Ross. It was a good shopping trip by all accounts. The highlight was probably the dress for the wedding which I sent a picture of to Nichole and she congratulated me on my purchase. That's right, my friend with a fashion degree congratulated me on a trendy purchase. She and I were both very proud.

Then I met Brittany for happy hour at a local wine bar. Mmmm, it was divine. Wine and delicious happy hour appetizers. Tasty!

I made it home just in time to snuggle Cade and put him to bed (Ross definitely had it covered but kept Cade up 5 minutes late so I could see him and say good night).

And so completes my birthday celebration. A great day indeed with lots of relaxation and some very much enjoyed indulgences.

No Work Saturday

I try to make one day each week a full "no work" day. And yesterday I didn't even turn on my computer nor did I read any work emails.

I actually kicked off no-work-Saturday Friday around 4p when we went over to Jon and Erin's for an evening out that was in. First, lemme say I had no idea how busy 2 babies could be. You would think with 4 adults we could have this managed. No way. Two babies and three dogs kicked our butts. I have NO IDEA how Erin watches multiple kids at the same time. I think I would have surrendered a long time ago.

Despite how busy Cade and Rowan were, they were both pretty well behaved and both went to bed at their proper bedtimes. Which meant that the real party - board games! - was able to start by 8p.

Double high five to Cade who went back to sleep fairly easily when we got home around 11:45p.

Saturday Cade and I had a Starbucks date with Brittany. It was nice to see her but again, a busy baby. I think Cade might have to be off of Starbucks for a few months. The past two attempts have been a little crazy. Oh well. Still nice to do indulge in a frappacino with whip cream and chat with a girlfriend.

Then after I got baby boy home and down for his nap, it was mommy-time. Pedicure and shopping. That pedicure was desperately needed and highly enjoyed. The shopping went well too. New top for me, new plaid-shorts-and-polo outfit for Cade, because really that baby cannot have too many pairs of plaid shorts.

Then trashy TV, HGTV, dinner, baby bath, House of Cards with a bowl of buttered popcorn with Ross and an early bedtime in anticipation of springing forward on the time. Bonus points: we had all but 1 clock (the one in Cade's room) moved forward before we went to bed.

The funny thing about no work Saturday...even though I did not work, Cade thought he should. So he let himself into my office and shut the doors behind him. Unfortunately, he did not do the taxes like I asked.

Bunny Ears

I was definitely more amused by these bunny ears than anyone else was.



After the ears I grabbed a few Easter things for Cade. Then I realized I had no idea when Easter fell this year and for all I knew, I might have planned his birthday party on Easter Sunday.

Good news: Easter is April 20.

My New Mom-Mobile (Sport)

Ta-da! Check out the new wheels!




We had discussed getting me a new car this year and well...I got really excited about it and wanted it as soon as it became the new year. For the past 2 weeks I've been test driving cars and negotiating deals. I started at the Hyundai dealership in Round Rock but alas, that one was not meant to be.

Using the fancy chat function for South Point Hyundai I was able to start negotiating on this pretty thing from my dining room table last weekend. Then early this past week I figured out the financing (a three-ring circus since I'm self-employed now), ultimately landing at 2.19% with Bank of America.

Today Ross, Cade and I loaded into the Elantra and went across town to South Point Hyundai to test drive this specific Santa Fe Sport. It totally fit the bill.

During my test driving I found that the Tucson was fun to drive but I couldn't convince myself it would be big enough long term. What if we decided to expand our family, either with another kiddo or another puppy? It would be so tight then. Plus to get the rear AC vents, we had to go fully loaded which I didn't really want because other than the AC vents, the upgrades were things that didn't fall high on my list and that I didn't really want to pay extra for. And in some instances were upgrades that weren't really a "plus" for me, like leather seats that Lexi would scratch to hell. Then I drove the full size Santa Fe but it just felt too big. I'm a little person; I don't need a bus. It of course also cost more and as a bigger vehicle wasn't quite as fuel efficient.

But like Goldilocks I found the SUV that was just right for me.

The Santa Fe Sport is a bit smaller than the regular Santa Fe and does not have third row seating (which I did not want). It does however have rear AC vents standard to keep the wee baby Cade cooler in the hot hot summers. It's also a 5-star safety rating and has decent fuel efficiency. And all that at the base trim so no paying for packages of upgrades I wasn't interested in. As icing on the cake, we wanted tinted windows, again to help combat the Texas summer heat and this one already had that done.

So after a few weeks of internet research, test drives at different dealerships across town and then a short drizzley test drive of this car today we said "SOLD!"

We had some complications with final negotiations and the voice activation on the bluetooth but as you can see from it sitting in my driveway, both were overcome one way or another.

It has such a smooth and quiet drive. The bluetooth works awesomely and the eco-boost ups the MPG but doesn't take much away from the "get-up-and-go". I also like the steering options, specifically the tighter "sport" option. I'm super jazzed about my new mom-mobile and am convinced that since it is a Sport, my cool factor has actually increased with this purchase. Woohoo!

Santa Surprise

Ross and I decided earlier this month that we weren't going to mess with Santa pictures this year. The lines, the inevitable screaming/crying baby, the cold weather, the obscene cost. Meh, wait until he gets it a little more.

But surprise!

When outlet mall shopping today (in beautiful sunny 60 degree weather), Cade and I ran into Santa with no line  and he was willing to let us snap a free pic on my phone. And as the pic below shows, we also avoided the screaming/crying baby situation. A Christmas miracle all around!

Four Celebration

A day after our anniversary we celebrated.

After a baby exchange with Nana at the usual Starbucks location, there was some mommy-time (shoe shopping resulting in super cute DSW brown leather "shooties" and then a pedicure). After which couple time began. We went zip lining!

This was a gift from Ross for my birthday but the weather did not cooperate back in the spring. So today was take 2. Much more successful. The tour included an 11 year old's birthday party, another couple about our age (thanks y'all for taking the picture!) and us. Hats off to the kids because they were very well behaved. Hat off also to our tour guides who enforced the "grown ups go first" rule at the last zip line which got us to the "lake side" bar a few minutes earlier. (If/when Baby Cade asks, please support us in our claim to have been cool...even if we aren't at the time. Historic pictures from Europe and now zip lining prove we were at least cool at one point. Right?)

Post zip lining we cleaned up and went out for a night on the (Round Rock) town. We had dinner at Jack Allen's Kitchen, a restaurant known for its very tasty locally-sourced menu. We started with the house guacamole (which included pumpkin seeds!) then on to entrees of sliders for him and ruby trout for me. We wrapped it up with dessert to-go (for tomorrow). Super tasty. An excellent dinner selection by the hubs.



Basically, Ross with his awesome sense of fun was totally #winning with all the plans he made/suggested for this anniversary. Two thumbs up for the hubs.

Birthday Shoes

Today I'm wearing my new birthday shoes and I really like 'em.

Thanks DSW for the $5 birthday coupon. Your marketing scheme worked - I saved $5 but spent $30. But I got new shoes. So everyone wins!

A bit more stylish

Yesterday Cade and I took our first full on car-stroller-and-diaper-bag adventure. We met Erin and Rowan at the mall for some window shopping and mall walking (us and the senior citizens...).

As part of this adventure I realized how absurd my "diaper bag" situation was. I was using a backpack as I had see another new mom friend using one this past summer as her diaper bag and it made so much sense. Free hands! Well she had a Jansport backpack - fairly simple and functional. What backpack did I have? Our LL Bean perfect-for-a-day-hike backpack of course.

I looked ridiculous.

I looked like I was ready to hike the Alps, which of course is exactly what said backpack was purchased for and used for last year. And while the million pockets were pretty nifty, I discovered that for me, having all my stuff on my back was not as convenient as I thought it would be.

So today Cade and I went on shopping adventure #2 of the week. (He's a great little shopper; the motion of the stroller makes him a happy gurgling baby or knocks him out cold. And he always thinks my purchases are smart.) This time it was to the outlet mall (gorgeous day outside!).

I am pleased to say that having a baby has not impacted my bargain shopping skills. I'm still a money saving champ. I got this purse-converted-to-a-diaper-bag from the Fossil outlet. Originally $148, I snagged this bad boy for $40.

I feel significantly more stylish as a mom now. (And much less like a hiker.) I also purchased a pink birthday dress (50% off), navy tank top (75% off), open-toed black flats (50% off) and a present for one of my favorite soon-to-be college graduates.

Throw in some sunshine, a Starbucks drink and happy baby and outlet shopping has to be one of my favorite activities ever.

Victory Shopping

I've been going a little (or a lot) stir crazy waiting on baby Cade to arrive. I'm bored sitting around at home but admittedly the list of things I can or feel comfortable doing is short. For example, I'm not quite comfortable walking Lexi by myself any more because she's strong, I'm big and I'm slow. I'm less worried about her knocking me down and more worried about her getting away and me not being able to really do anything about it.

Today I decided outlet mall shopping was on the list of things I could do because trust me when I tell you being pregnant has not hurt my ability to spend money. If anything it has strengthened it. And lucky for me, Nichole was available to join.

Mission leave the house - victorious!

And it just gets better. I had forgotten how good I am at bargain shopping. Lemme tell you, I am really good at it.

I got two special occasion outfits for Cade - Easter and Kev's wedding weekend (both discounted 25%+...but let's be honest, I didn't know that til the saleswomen rung them up; I just knew my kid was getting cute clothes). Two new shirts from Banana Republic for the hubby (both discounted 50%+). New everyday earrings for me at a sweet $6.95. And the crown jewel purchase, an Ann Taylor cardigan regularly priced at $65 for $12, including tax.

Previously unidentified mission of shopping like a champ - victorious!

I hadn't shopped for clothes in months and not fun, normal sized clothes in even more months. Even with the waddle in my walk, carrying those shopping bags full of steals of a deal made me feel like myself.

Also, I discovered that the Ann Taylor, New York & Co, Gymboree, Carters and Osh Kosh outlets are all in the same section of the outlet mall. Which is right next to the Starbucks and only a round-the-corner from the Coach and Banana Republic. Let my glorious downfall begin.

To the Moon

Yesterday I came home from Starbucks/HEB and found that Ross had finished putting together the baby swing. The surprisingly space age baby swing.

It plays 6 "songs," has 5 "nature" sounds, swings front-to-back, side-to-side (both at varying degrees of swing-atude) and vibrates. And I'm pretty sure can fly you to the moon if you use the right setting.

Something this gadgety is totally up Ross' alley. (Seriously have you seen our kitchen gadget collection? I think the crock pot is the most advanced one I purchased.) Oddly enough though, I'm the one who picked it out. Maybe I secretly want Cade to grow up to be an astronaut?

I have a problem

I have a problem and it is called spring. Or maybe spring fever. Or spring decor.

Bottom line every February-April, I just want to buy everything spring-ish and redecorate the house. This is a problem because

1. I do actually have a home decor budget and it is not unlimited.
2. My husband isn't as into the bright colors as I am. (I should probably just be thankful that I've pulled off a turquoise wall in the bedroom and a red kitchen with minimal objections.)
3. Most of these things don't actually match our house.
4. As good an idea as plants seem during these moments, I don't have a green thumb. I have a brownish-black thumb that kills nearly every plant it comes in contact with.
5. Because I've done this every year, I actually have spring-ish things and really all I need to do is take them out of the closets.

This is all really hard to remember when I go to Target or Pier 1 and there's yellow, pink, bright blue and grass green everything. And I want it all.

PS And then I realized I can update the blog to look springy! So I did :)

Life on a Coaster

As you probably know, I'm aiming for a travel theme in my study at the new house (as well as the entryway and half bathroom...so really the whole area near the front door). The feature piece in my study is our family travel map, complete with color-coded pins. It will eventually be flanked by these cool globe mirror things. The curtains, once they get hung, feel kinda global-ish to me with their orange and white print.

Now I'm geekily excited for the latest addition: coasters. Really, I just need 1 coaster in here, to sit on my desk, but since they came in a 4-pack, I have coasters. What's on these coasters that makes them blog post worthy you ask?

Boston.

!!!!

I made my first Etsy purchase and now have a set of 4 coasters, each with a map of a different part of the Boston metro. The one that is featured on my desk is of course the one that includes BU.