WI - Day 3

This morning we all awoke & got ready to head out the door early for the annual Down Syndrome Walk in honor of my niece Dana.

It was a chilly, cloudy day but at least it was NOT raining like last year! 1600 people attended the 6th annual walk & as an organization $86,000 was raised for the Fox Cities area through sponsors, pledges & donations! Our team Dana's Daisies came in 2nd place this year raising $5801 thanks to our family & friends!!

Dana's Daisies - this is just 1/2 the group

Our family, my brother-in-laws family, friends of my sister & her husband all gathered under our tent & discussed the events occurring that afternoon & then everyone parted ways to go check out all the fun stuff there was to do before the walk.



My brother - the Bears fan wrapped in a Packers blanket.....hmmmmm!

They had a petting zoo, trampoline bungee jumping, rock wall climbing, bouncy inflatables, face painting, clowns a photo booth & so much more for the kids to do. We had a ball checking out all they had to offer!

 Mase with Grandpa Farm getting a spider-man balloon bracelet

 

 Face painting

After everyone had lunch & some fun checking out all the activities it was time to line up in front of the stage where they announced all the teams participating & who won 1st, 2nd & 3rd place in donations. Then it was time to start the 1 mile walk around the lake.

My sister & her friend walking for Dana's Daisies

 

After the walk we helped tear the tent down, clean up & made our way back to my sister's house for pizza, cocktails & more family time. My brother spent time out with my nephews teaching them a few wrestling moves while Mase & his buddy Jensen watched a movie on the iPad.





It was a great day spent with family for an amazing cause & I love how our family has come together these past 2 years for this event to honor our sweetie pie Dana. Hoping to make this an annual tradition for many more years to come.



From my sister:

"This year was a record breaking year! As an organization, we raised $86,000 and had close to 1,600 walkers. Once again, our amazing family and friends came from across the country and locally to either support us by giving a donation or joining us the day of the walk. Dana's Daisies came in second this year raising $5,801. We cannot thank you enough! We have the best friends and family."

WI - Day 2

Today was kind of a lazy day. We woke up fairly early, had breakfast & made our way to The Outlet Shoppes at Oshkosh for a little shopping. My sister, brother, Mom & Dad all went along & we spent a few hours shopping & checking out all the bargains. Two stores I mainly wanted to go to was Oshkosh B'Gosh & Children's Place. I had some coupons to use at both stores & always seem to find lots of stuff there for Mase.

While shopping at Oshkosh B'Gosh I experienced the most epic "Mommy Fail" I have lived through yet. A month later as I write this post I think my brother is still traumatized from "the incident".

So Mason is in the middle of potty-training & let me tell you, a 2 year old potty training is no joke. When your little one says to you that they have to go potty or make poopies trust me that it is right then, right there & right now. There is no time to search for a bathroom.

As I am digging through the table of pants & shirts trying to find a 3T I hear Mason say "Mama I have to make poopies". I didn't see a bathroom sign in the store & I knew we had no time to go & try to find one so I told him to just go ahead & go & Mama would change his pull-up when he was done.

It took me 10 seconds to remember that my child had undies on, not a pull-up & as soon as I realized this I look over & see my child looking horrified, standing in a puddle of pee & undies full of poop. Oh & guess what? I forgot his backpack of extra pull-ups, wipes & a change of clothes at my sisters house. Classic Mommy Fail. 

Those of you reading this who have no children are probably visualizing this scenario in your head wondering to yourself what you would have done. Well, this was a "first" for this Mama so thank goodness my sister (the professional Mommy with 4 kids) was with me to help. Her fast thinking & my calm demeanor is what got us through the incident like a couple of professionals. A puddle of pee on the floor, poopies in the undies & nothing to clean it up with? WE GOT THIS!!

My sister ran up to the checkout counter to get paper towels & a shopping bag while I grabbed a pack of undies, a pair of pants off the table & a 6-pack of socks so I could change my child. Luckily we were in the very back of the store so I stripped Mase down, cleaned him & the floor up as best as I could with the paper towels, ripped off tags from the new clothing items & proceeded to put them on my child - all the meanwhile my little brother is watching horrified yet hysterically laughing that my child is standing in the store naked while I am cleaning poop off his butt. Then my parents come around the corner, saw us & tried to help. 

It was a "shit-show"....literally.

There was another Mom shopping who came around the corner & saw us & ever so calmly said "oh no - been there done that" & went about her way continuing to shop around us like it was no big deal.

Once we were all cleaned up I put everything in the shopping bag, lathered up the hand sanitizer, went to pay for all my items & disposed of the sack outside in one of the large trash cans as we continued on with our shopping. See - told you it was no big deal :)

So despite this little hiccup in our day, Mase ended up getting a few unexpected items as well as some new winter clothes at the Oshkosh store. I also found lots of bargains at the Children's Place outlet to take back home & Mama even bought a few things for herself.

Once we got home everyone ate lunch & then we spent the rest of the afternoon lounging around the house. Mase & his buddy Jensen spent time playing outside, down in the basement where the toy room is, putting together puzzles & enjoying time with family...

...and this little cutie Dana!

Late afternoon my sisters in-laws came over to the house to visit with us all & my mom made her awesome Italian Roast Beef sandwiches for supper which were enjoyed by all.

We had a fairly quiet evening once everyone left & spent time hanging out, watching TV & talking about the events occurring the next day.....the Down Syndrome Walk!



WI - Day 1

Mase & I are skipping work & daycare for a couple of days & flying out to WI to spend time with my sister & her family & participate in the annual Down Syndrome Walk. Unfortunately Shane couldn't get off of work to join us so he is staying home with the bulldogs for what is to be a nice, quiet, relaxing weekend I am sure with out me or Mase around.

We had a 9am flight to Milwaukee which was perfect because it wasn't too early of a morning to leave with a 2 year old, load up the car, make the drive up to the airport & hop on the shuttle to the airport.

My little guy is such an awesome traveler. We had talked in the car of how he needed to listen to Mama, stay close by me, be a good boy & he far exceeded my expectations as a single Mama traveling with a toddler.

We got to the airport in plenty of time, checked our bags & the car seat & then Mase & I headed to the gate. We had about an hour wait so we killed some time by watching the planes land & take off which Mason loved! Then right before we boarded we made one last stop to potty & got in line to get on the plane.

Our 1 hour & 15 minute flight to Milwaukee was smooth, quick & uneventful. Mason & I had apple juice & watched a movie on the iPad & before we knew it we were landing. My sister lives 75 minutes north of Milwaukee so I rented a car & Mason fell asleep 5 minutes into the drive & slept the whole way.

We arrived to my sister's house around 1pm & spent the rest of the afternoon catching up with my family & Mase had fun playing with his cousins. Later that evening my little brother arrived from KC & the littles were so excited to see Uncle Steve!

 Popsicles with cousin Jensen

 

Playing Lego's with cousin Tanner

 

Everyone was pretty tired by the end of the evening so we all headed to bed fairly early & prepared ourselves for a fun, busy weekend ahead.



Cell Phone Dump

This month's cell phone dump....

Belated birthday gift from one of my Mama Besties - Jen (those pumpkin cookies w/cream cheese frosting were Da Bomb!!)

A sick little boy with his iPad, headphones blankie & pillow

Look who's cute little face is on a billboard.....my niece Dana!

Beautiful site in the sky on my way home from work

Mason found Daddy's dirt bike helmet....one day soon my little man :)

 

Watching movies with my sick little guy. Do you think this boy loves his Mama?

A little bit OCD - just like his Mama

Coffee & chocolate cake sprinkled donuts at work - awesome way to start the day!

Stitch Fix

I was talking to a co-worker of mine the other day about how my life has totally changed since I had Mason. She couldn't understand (obviously she doesn't have any kids) & wanted an example of how so I shared an example with her. Before Mase I would go shopping & buy lots of things for myself. Now when I go shopping it is always in the kids section & I am on the hunt for what bargain I can get in a 2T - LOL :)

I told her I missed shopping for myself but how shopping for Mason is much more fun. She then shared with me about this online service that personally shops for you & delivers wardrobe options to your doorstep. It's called Stitch Fix & she told me I should check it out.

Fast forward 2 weeks & while talking with my sister she starts telling me about this awesome online service called Stitch Fix & how awesome it is. She had just gotten her first package, loved it & told me I had to try it.

So I broke down & signed up for Stitch Fix.

For those of you who have never heard of it, Stitch Fix is a personal styling service for women. You tell them your style, size (they also do maternity fixes) & budget preferences & they send you a pretty little package of 5 items to try on at home. Each box is unique & hand-picked just for you by your own personal stylist. You have 3 days to decide which items your keeping & what you are sending back.

It's as easy as.....

1. Create an account & fill out the style profile based on your size, style, budget & lifestyle. It's as easy as saying "Yes, I love casual chic" and "No, please don't send me anything fur or pleather." 

2. Schedule your Fix. I personally have signed up for an every other month Fix, meaning that a box is automatically shipped to my house every other month. Not sure you’re up for a monthly or bi-monthly commitment? Then schedule a one-time Fix - however often it fits your needs. You will pay a $20 styling fee when your stylist selects the items in your Stitch Fix. This $20 fee is applied as a credit toward anything you keep & buy from your shipment. If you don't buy any of the items you don't receive a refund of the $20 fee.

3. Try on your items. Seriously, it felt like Christmas at my house when I received that SF box. Each piece of clothing comes with a template card that shows you how to style/accessorize each item & Stitch Fix encourages you to be creative with your pairings.

4. Decide and Check Out. You have three days to determine what you would like to keep & then you need to check out online. If you keep all 5 items you will receive an extra 25% off the price of all the items. Also, I should mention that you are only charged once you “check out” at Stitch Fix. The box comes with a bag and a prepaid USPS return label so you can easily ship back the pieces you aren’t interested in.

Every Fix gives you the opportunity to provide feedback on the pieces, which allows the stylists to get to know you better & make future Fixes even more customized to your liking.

So my 1st SF box came this week & here is what I got:

 

A pair of boyfriend jeans, a sleeveless dressy blouse, 2 tunic tops & an infinity scarf:





And this awesome template card giving you ideas on what to pair your item with & how to wear it:

I ended up keeping 3/5 items. The boyfriend jeans, the purple sleeveless dressy blouse & the blue striped tunic were all keepers. I did not like the colors in the scarf & the back of the green top was a black suede material that I didn't care for so those got sent back.

I was a little surprised at how pricey the items were but they ended up being good quality, it is an every other month "treat" & I didn't end up buying all items - although it probably would have cost the same to have bought all 5 items with the 25% off?! But I honestly wouldn't have worn the scarf or the green top.

So my September Stitch Fix package wasn’t a total hit, but that just might be a good thing. It is probably better that I don’t always want to end up buying the entire box & it’s a lot easier when you don’t love everything. I feel that if I keep at least one of the items in the box so I don’t lose my $20 styling fee, I will be happy!

You can also create a Stitch Fix Inspiration board on Pinterest for your personal stylist & pin some of your favorite outfits. That way he/she has a good idea of what kind of clothing is your style & can better shop for you.

My sister informed me this week of a Facebook group called Stitch Fix B/S/T & discussion where you can buy, sell, or trade Fix items as well as discuss with others what looks good on you, what you should get rid of &/or keep. I am finding out that a lot of people will buy all 5 items for the 25% off discount & then go to the FB group & sell/trade what items they don't want to keep. Such an awesome idea. Almost like cheating the system :)

Kind of a fun little treat every other month for this Mama who doesn't get out much to shop for herself. If you are a busy Mama like me & think you might be interested in signing up for Stitch Fix just click HERE to get started! And don’t forget, the better feedback and more information you give, the better chance you will have to get amazing Fixes that work for you!

"Glamping" - part 2

Day 1:
After the tornado event the evening before, the rest of the weekend turned out to be beautiful & perfect for camping! Shane had everything all set when we arrived later in the morning! The RV was up & running with water & electricity, the campfire was all set up, groceries were bought & put away & the RV was all ready to be lived in by the time we arrived.

 

We spent the day hanging out & enjoying our little family of three + one :) There was a cute little squirrel that lived next to our campsite & he was not shy about hanging out by us. Every time we were outside he would come near us & Mason had fun chasing him & trying to feed him crackers.



The boys spent a lot of their afternoon chasing each other playing tag & playing catch with Mason's new baseball glove:



We passed the time by going on a walk on one of the many trails, gathering sticks/wood for the campfire, we checked out the boats on the lake, played at the playground & by then it was time to start making supper. We grilled hot dogs, hamburgers, made corn on the cob & ate outside on the picnic table.

Mase & Daddy waiting patiently for supper



 After supper Mama cleaned up the dishes while the boys started the campfire. Once all the dishes were put away I joined them around the campfire & we busted out the marshmallows. We took turns helping Mason toast his marshmallows & he LOVED eating them. I have to admit so did Mama! They were oooey, gooey & pretty darn tasty!



Once it got dark we headed inside the RV & got ready for bed. Shane stayed out by the campfire while I got Mason ready for bed & I later joined him with a cold beer once Mason fell asleep. It was so peaceful hanging out around the fire with the hubby! It had been a great 1st day of camping & we were looking forward to what day 2 had in store for us.

Day 2:
Since we were close to home, Shane woke up early (as usual) & ran home to let the bulldogs out & feed them. It was 9am when I finally woke up & Mase was still asleep also. I couldn't believe I had slept that late! I can't even tell you the last time I have slept in past 7:30am! Shane came back shortly after I awoke & got the coffee going & started making breakfast. By the time we finished eating & cleaned up dishes it was late in the morning so we decided to go for a walk & play at the playground.

After burning some energy at the playground, we headed back to the RV, ate lunch & then walked up to the lake to see the boats.



While at the edge of the lake Shane was teaching Mason how to skip rocks on the water. He had SO much fun throwing rocks into the lake & dang near had a meltdown when we tried to leave.

He also spent a lot of time looking for "Nemo" in the water :)

Once we got back to the RV it was getting late in the afternoon & it was time to start getting packed up & head back home. While we were waiting on Daddy to get the outside of the RV all packed up & ready Mase & I did a little coloring to pass the time:

Mase & I headed back home around 3pm while Shane stayed at the campsite for a little while longer. He ended up leaving the RV at the campsite for one more night & taking it back to the storage place the next day.

We had SO much fun on our first "glamping" trip & we are looking forward to many more family trips next year. There are already plans to meet my sister & her family in WI to camp, a trip out to Colorado & lots of little weekend trips around the area.

Now I just need winter to hurry up & blow on by & for spring to get here :)

"Glamping" - part 1

Definition of "glamping" - A form of camping involving accommodation and facilities more luxurious than those associated with traditional camping.

It all started with my husband asking me what I thought about taking Mason camping sometime. Now those of you who know me I'm sure don't see me as the camping type. Well you just might be right. I can honestly say I have never been camping before so other than hearing from my family & friends what it all entailed I really didn't have anything to base my opinion on.

I immediately had visions of us pitching a tent, making food on a fire & the three of us gathered around the campfire toasting marshmallows. Sounds kind of fun. Pretty sure Mason would love it. It can't be that awful.....can it??

So I asked a few more questions about camping equipment, where would we go, when he wanted to go & he responds with "well I have actually been looking into buying a camper". Um - ok. A camper sounds nice. So I start asking what kind of camper he is thinking about buying & he says "an RV". Clearly we are not on the same page here.

The hubby started showing me pictures of ones that he was "interested" in & we spent a couple of Saturday's "looking" at RV's. The more we looked the more I liked :)

Then came the day where the husband found "the one". He sent me pictures of it asking what I thought & honestly I thought it was WAY more than what a little family of three might need but then I started visioning family going with us & Mason have a couple of friends go with us when he was older & it seemed perfect.

And with that said, we became owners of an RV......

 

Our 1st "glamping" event occurred this weekend. We decided to stay close to home & reserved a site out at Hillsdale State Park. Shane spent most of the day Friday setting up the RV & campsite. Unfortunately, I ended up getting stuck at work late (which later turned into a blessing) so the plan was for Shane to pick Mason up from daycare, head out to the campsite & I would join them when I got off of work.

I hadn't talked to Shane the rest of the day & after work I stopped in to Target to pick up a few things for the weekend. The weather was starting to get nasty & I could see a big storm moving in from the south so I hurried to get in & get out. As I am checking out, I overhear the lady behind me talking about a tornado that had just touched down near the area. Then the girl said it was spotted over Hillsdale Lake - the exact location of our campsite. Where Shane & Mase were supposed to be at.

My heart stopped. Time stood still. I was trying to pay for my items, dig my phone out of my purse & call Shane all at the same time. Of course he didn't answer. By now my stomach is in knots, I have NO idea where my husband & son are & I am about to drive south into this storm.

Shane finally calls me back & I ask if they were ok, if the camper is ok, where they took shelter at & he seems to have no idea why I am acting crazy with all the questions. Turns out he picked up Mason & decided to wait for me at home & planned on going out to the campsite later in the evening. He also was oblivious to the weather going on around him or the campsite 15 miles down the road.

Once I made it home through the torrential downpour, we started watching the news & these were the images of the tornado that was located right over our campsite:

 

Once the storm passed we got into the car to make our way to the campsite not knowing what shape our newly bought RV was in or what kind of damage there was at the State Park. Unfortunately, when we got there the police had barricaded the park & wasn't letting anyone in due to all the damage that had been done. So we turned around & headed back home to watch the news & see what more they were saying.

 

They had released some pictures from earlier in the evening of some of the damage that had been done at the campsites:

 

After seeing these pictures, Shane had already decided our camper was destroyed & was stressing out about the money that had been lost. Me being the calm one kept trying to reassure him that I'm sure the RV was just fine but secretly I was sick to my stomach & was afraid to see the damage done to our RV but clearly one of us had to remain calm & it wasn't my husband.

We all went to bed late that night & Shane was up at the crack of dawn after a restless night sleep. It was 6am when he woke me up & told me he was headed to the campsite. 30 minutes later I was awoke again by a text from Shane that read: "not a scratch on it."

Which I responded with: "see I told you there was nothing to worry about" & then immediately said a prayer thanking God for sparing our RV & another one for all the people that had sadly lost theirs in the storm.

Whew - thank goodness all was ok at our campsite. However the campsite located right next to us not so much. We soon discovered that all those awful pictures the news had posted of the destroyed campers was at the site right next to ours. So sad seeing so much damage.

Shane got back home, we all ate breakfast, showered, packed up & headed out to the RV & our weekend of "glamping" had begun.

I will never know why Shane changed his plans that evening. Shane doesn't even know why because he changed his mind in the car after picking up Mase. What I do know is that it was God above who intervened. It was God's doing for keeping them home - safe & sound & keeping me at work late. There is no other explanation.

Psalm 27:5

"For in the day of trouble he will keep me safe in his dwelling"

 

to be continued...