Scrapbooking Boys & Men

My manly layout made it into the latest Creating Keepsakes special issue. How cool is that?! Prettttttty cool, if I do say so myself. Go buy a copy if you have any dudes in your life that might like to turn up in one of your albums one day. They don't like being left out, even if they claim they don't care. Phst. Men.

My boys think they are pretty hot stuff. Now every member of my immediate family (plus my uber adorable niece and her deadly dimples) except for me and Dez have made it into magazines. Hmmm. Maybe it's time to create more layouts with us! haha. Maybe we'll get a cover! (Dream big, I always say.)

Speaking of dreaming. If you are sitting here reading this silly little blog post and thinking... "gee, it sure would be cool to have a layout published in a magazine".... I have to tell you something. SUBMIT! Seriously. You can't get published if you don't try. I firmly believe that my stuff gets published because I am constantly submitting. Like. Constantly. (Which is actually why I'm up at midnight right now with this on my mind. Two minutes ago I submitted stuff to make a deadline.) You would probably be surprised if I told you the amount of layouts I submit each month. 

Yes, 98% of the time I send in a bunch of stuff to answer submission calls and don't hear a word (I assume they hated my work. hate me. my career is over before it even began. just kidding-- mostly) But every once in a blue moon something hits. They like the products I used, the photos, the technique, the innovation, the sentiment, the colors... who knows what actually makes these mags choose a particular project? No one. But you can't get picked if you don't send in your stuff. So get on it! You might surprise yourself.....

and maybe soon I'll do a post on specific tips to get published...(since at this point I am a total know it all)(but really I know nothing... I'll just tell you what works for me)

My Baby's a Hipster

Ok. Not really. The glasses are an addition to the photo with the help of a hipster app. Sometimes I get bored, people. Ok? And other times I have no idea what to blog about and no time to figure it out so I just pick a random photo or thought to share. I bet you're glad you stopped by the ole blog today... hey, they can't all be winners. Ok. Now I'm going to attempt to scrap something so I have something to actually share with you soon. Lets see how that goes for me...

Dude, Where's My Project Life

I just realized that I haven't shared any of my PL from 2013 yet! What is up with that?! I'm up to date and everything... So I guess I'll let you in on some pages. I'd love to flood this post with layout after layout from Jan til now... but I think instead of boring the bejeezus out of you I'll just share some favorites.....

 Right.

 Left.

Left.

 Right.

....aaaaand you're probably still bored.

I need to get better at photographing these pages. I also need to get better at sharing them on a regular basis. I feel like when I look at peoples blogs and pl stuff I like when they show close up stuff as well as the full picture but by the time I get around to sharing mine I have so many to share that I hesitate to add detail shots. What do you think... do you want to see more project life, more often?

11

Today my Nakiah turns 11.

I thought 10 was a big milestone but I must admit 11 is hitting me much harder. Maybe it's the fact that he's going into Middle School next year. Maybe it's the part where I can remember him at Ev's age like it was yesterday. Maybe it's him being a middle child and me fully understanding, as one myself, that it often means he is overlooked. Maybe it's the thought that he is so much closer to adulthood than I am ready for.

He is such a special kid. I know, I know, I'm his Mom.. of course I would say that. But it's true. He has the kindest and softest heart. He is sensitive, and smart, and doesn't give himself enough credit. He's helpful and humble and silly and strong. He wouldn't hurt a fly and stands up for other kids when they can't stand up for themselves. He always tries his hardest, no matter what it is he's doing. He's wonderfully insightful and curious and asks some really impressive questions. He is still not too cool to car dance with his Mom in traffic or give hugs before bedtime. He is one of a kind.

He is also an incredibly loving and attentive big brother.... Ev and Dez wait alllllll day long for him to get home for school, and sometimes even cheer when he walks in the door....

I love my Nakiah, and feel so lucky to be able to celebrate another birthday with him... even though a big part of me wants to freeze time all together and demand that he stop with this growing up business.

Summa Summa Summatime

Spring break gave me a little sneak peak into what summer will be like for our family. (Miserable. haha. Just sayin'.) I had a list of fun (free) activities planned. Things like making spaceships out of card board boxes and chalk drawing to cover our entire long driveway. We didn't do much of it since the kids both felt yucky all week.

But near the end of the week we did manage to have a little picnic and we stayed out there for hours soaking up the sun and listening to tunes. I love spring. It's the best....

Summer on the other hand, not so much. (Now that I don't live near a beach) It's going to be hotter than blue blazes (not sure what that really means but I say it anyway). The kids are going to be at each others throats 75% of the time (which is going to cause me to be at their throats 100% of the time). They are not going to want to play outside much during the day (because of the blazes thing). They are going to want to swim (which I can't do with them while Hottie works because I can't manage the littles myself in water). They are going to want to play too many video games and watch too much tv. They are basically going to drive me nuts. Just keeping it real, people.

Don't get me wrong I love my kids and wouldn't trade them for the world, and I'm very grateful for them and blah blah blah.... but when I am home alone with them all day I am outnumbered. and they are at 4 very different stages in life with the age differences and all... so they are a challenge to plan activities for. But I'll try. Around the heat, and the boringness, and the endless desire for slurpees in the summer. My kids have two days of school left and then. Summer.

50 lbs.

It's hard to believe I've lost 50 pounds in the past 7 months. But I have, and I couldn't be prouder. Sometimes I'll catch a glimpse of myself in the mirror and be a bit surprised.... or I'll try on a size 8 dress thinking, "no chance in hell this is gonna fit"... and then it does. And then I buy it. Cuz it's single digits ya'll. And for a girl who felt perpetually stuck fluctuating between a 12-14 single digits are a big deal.

Ultimately my goal is to lose another 15-20. I plan to be a size 6. I will be toned, strong, and healthy. Sometimes it's hard for me to slow down and enjoy my accomplishments. I'm someone who puts my head down and plows forward... eyes focused on the goal. (This constant behavior has even earned me the nickname "Ox."... that and my freakish strength.) Thats all fine and dandy, but when you actually do something like lose 50 lbs. (FIFTY!) it's probably ok to take a moment and pat yourself on the back for a job well done. Right? 

I created this layout as a little reminder of what a great thing I've done.... 

Celebrating has been exceedingly difficult since I've undeniably hit a plateau in this journey. I've been stuck at my current weight for 3 weeks now. One of those weeks I slid off the healthy wagon head first into a pile of cakes (thank you, May birthdays). So that was a bit of a fail. (epic fail.)  But the other 2 I was my usual hard working self.... still no change on the scale. It's tempting to let that get me down. To think maybe I will never reach my ultimate goals. But then I think.... no way. I've come this far...... nothing can stop me now.

Baby Love

You know that feeling when your heart feels like it's going to burst into a million pieces? 

I call that baby love.

You're looking at this little being you've created and you just simply can't imagine loving anything else in the whole wide world as much as him at this very moment. 

I call that, "favorite."

just kidding, just kidding. 

Today while I was out getting my derby on I was hit with this overwhelming happiness that soon I'd be able to go home and cuddle my baby boy. Not that I didn't want to be doing what I was doing.... I did. very much. it's awesome. But I just remember feeling really happy being at practice and skating my heart out and then I thought, now I get to go home and be happy there too.

I have so much to be happy about in life. Sometimes it's easy to forget. To get muddled down by the day to day grind of life's activities. But sometimes (probably not as often as should be the case) I can put all that aside and think of what makes me happiest......

One of those things is this little guy...