I’m excited to be back from my two-week blogging break — of course it went by way too fast (as is evident by the many items still on my to-do list).
We packed a lot of work and a lot of play into my two weeks away… here’s the break-down.
1. We went on vacation with Dave’s family.
This was probably the most anticipated activity of my blogging break — I’ll be sharing LOTS more about our vacation (and a ton of pictures) later this week.
2. We potty trained Nora!
Yay –finally!
We had hopes of doing this over Dave’s spring break (in April) but she was sick, so we decided to wait until summer.
I was pretty intimidated by the whole potty training process. Dave and I didn’t really know where to start or what to do, so we just fumbled our way through it. I’m sure I’ll talk more about this in a future blog post, but I will say that we didn’t read any potty training books and we didn’t try to do what anyone else told us would “for sure” work. We just did what we thought would be best for Nora (which was actually the exact opposite of what many people told us to do) and it worked!
We also bribed her with a bike! We told her that she could only ride the bike if she keep her new undies dry. So after lunch, we rode the bike if her undies were dry. Then after dinner, if they were still dry, we road it again. I guess she REALLY wanted to ride that bike because she kept her undies dry day after day 🙂
3. I purged lots of clothes.
I was somewhat impulsive with this last-minute desire to purge all our closets, but I’m SO glad I took a couple hours to weed through our clothes. I got rid of a bunch of stuff from my closet and also went through both Nora and Simon’s closets. They outgrow their clothing so quickly so it was good to get all that “too small” stuff out of there.
I also took inventory for fall to see if there’s anything they might need. Simon is growing like a weed and is currently wearing almost all 9 mo. clothes with some 12 mo. sleepers so I ordered him a few “new” things from ThredUp.com. But seriously, who even needs clothes when you’re this cute!
4. We made progress on house projects.
I honestly thought we’d get a lot further with our house projects — but we didn’t.
We still need to put the closet system in our mudroom (so it might be another week or so before I share that post with you) but we did make some progress on the landscaping around our deck. I’m continuing to look for deck furniture on Craigslist, but I’m not super optimistic that I’ll find something before the summer is over. And holy smokes — I did not realize how expensive outdoor furniture is! WOW — I might need to find a 90% off clearance sale before I’d be willing to buy it brand new!
I’m hoping to have the final deck and mudroom posts to share with you in the next couple of weeks — but don’t get too anxious on me. As is often the case, things are taking longer than we expected, we’re waiting on a couple other people to finish some of the steps, and we’re definitely moving at a slower pace this summer (and I’m OK with that!)
5. We relaxed.
I know this might sound like an obvious point… I mean, who takes a vacation and doesn’t relax, right?
Well, as obvious as it might sound, “relaxing” is not the easiest thing for me to do. I like being busy, having projects on my to-do list, and getting stuff done. I have to be very intentional about relaxing — otherwise I won’t do it.
I personally feel like I was very successful at relaxing while I was away from my blog. Not only were there days when absolutely nothing “productive” was accomplished, there were also many days when I didn’t even turn my computer on until mid-late afternoon!
We went for long walks, played at the park, went out for ice-cream, went to the library, swam in the pool, played on the swing set, etc. etc. We did all those fun summer activities that can actually be a lot of work with 2 little people — but at least Nora had a lot of fun!
This blogging break was just what I needed to refresh and recharge. In fact, I already have a bunch of blog post ideas swirling around in my head!
Thanks for sticking around, friends!
Dena says
I love your blog. It’s such a favorite if mine. I’m afraid my adult daughters may get a little tired of me sharing “this is what Andrea says”. In all fairness they quote “Friends” episodes and how those apply to our family scenarios.
muriel says
Would love to hear about potty training Nora. My son is 6 weeks younger than Nora and we are trying to figure out the best approach to try with him.
Candis says
Glad you got a chance to rest on your vacation and also glad to have you back. I read your blog everyday as I turn on my computer in the morning before I start working, so it’s good to have you back in the morning routine 🙂
Heather @ My Overflowing Cup says
So happy you had such a great time with family. I’m looking forward to your upcoming posts. Welcome back!
Denise Z says
Welcome back! So glad to hear you were able to relax! I love living out here in California, but I sure do miss the summers we had at the lake(s) when I was growing up! Can’t wait to see more pictures of your trip! (What lake?)
Sharon Bennett says
So happy you are back!! Like you, I just went through my closet and did an honest purge of what I don’t, can’t and will never wear. Now I am a little panicked and am anxiously awaiting your wardrobe post!!
Andrea says
haha — I’m always a bit panicky every time I purge (yes, even me) but I can only remember 2 times in my entire life of purging (which is a lot of purging) that I’ve ever missed anything I purged. I’m sure you’ll be OK 🙂
Enjoy all the extra closet space!
AshleyB says
Andrea–be patient in your search for patio furniture. I got SUPER lucky and cam across a set that someone was going to throw in the trash! It needs refinished, but it’s a nice set that would retail for over $700–I’m willing to put some good ol’ hard work in for the savings! Glad to have you back! Reading your blog is one of the first things I do each day 🙂
Rose says
Yay! Your blog is actually what I do for my “me time” at work! I love it…. Now, back to work!
: )
Andrea says
Aww… so happy to hear that! Enjoy your “me time”!
Heart and Haven says
Welcome back! And congrats on getting Nora potty trained!
We just transitioned our 2 yo from the crib in our room to his “big boy bed” in his shared room with his brother just over a week ago. Luckily the transition went easier than we expected. Next step is wanting to work on potty training…but he’s not showing any signs of interest/readiness yet :-/. We’re expecting our new baby in about 3 weeks though, and I would LOVE to not have 2 in diapers, lol.
Andrea says
Don’t push the potty training until he’s ready. I guarantee it will be much easier to have 2 in diapers than cleaning up pee and poop all over your floors with a new baby around! We purposely waited until after Simon was born to even start potty training Nora since we heard that newly potty trained toddlers often “regress” and start having more accidents when a new baby (or other life change) happens. Obviously I’m not an expert, but I can attest to the fact that 2 in diapers really wasn’t that bad!
Congrats on the new baby!
Debbie says
Yes! I’m glad you’re back too. Reading has been dry the last 2 weeks. Glad youre vacation was great! What did you purge from your own closet since I thought you got rid of most of your maternity clothes already? As far as outdoor furniture I wait to buy until after the summer season is over. Right now is the start of discounts but I know it’s still up there. My husband works at Lowes and they are now down to 50% off. He says when it gets to 75% it’s usually slim pickin. World Market online or the store is already slim pickin.
Marie says
Check Meijer and Target for outdoor items. Meijer had very little left at our store over the weekend but what they had was marked way down. Not sure about 90% but I thought the prices were good. Congratulations on the potty training. People always feel so pressured and I am a firm believer that when “they” are ready, it will happen almost painlessly and effortlessly.
Andrea says
Thanks Marie — I’ll definitely be scoping out clearance outdoor furniture. I’m hoping to find something this year — but it won’t be the end of the world if we need to wait until next year 🙂
Barb says
so happy that you’re back; I, too, was literally counting the days til I could “be with you” via your blog. But also so happy for you that you took the time to have a change of pace with your family
Martha says
It’s funny but I was counting down the days until you were back. I’m glad to see you relaxed but vacations are NOT vacations with little ones – just different types of work. Can’t wait to see the mudroom!
Andrea says
yeah, it was a decent amount of work — but it helped that we were with Dave’s entire family. His parents were very helpful!
lydia @ five4fivemeals says
Kudos on getting Nora potty trained! It has been a battle at our house. Also, that last photo of her is triple cute.
Kim {Pinspired Home} says
It sounds like you had a great time! I’m looking forward to reading some new posts! 🙂
Leanne Heern says
love having you back!!
after 4 weeks of VBS for my kids
one week of those VBS’s being the craft person
and one week of Day Camp for my kids…
I’m READY for a vacation– we head to St. Joseph in one week and I CANNOT wait!!
Andrea says
wow — sounds like you need a vacation! Hope it’s a blast!
christine says
thanks for sharing your vacation with us!! LOVE all your photos!! In the first photo with Dave and Nora, the pail with the opening facing the camera has a smile at the bottom. 2 eyes and the sand/water is the smiling mouth. Very cute
Andrea says
haha — you’re right! I can’t believe nora hasn’t noticed that yet 🙂
Karimey says
So glad to see that you’re back and feeling recharged!!! Also, very anxious to hear Nora’s potty-training story. We finished training kid #1 a few weeks ago and will be working on kid #2 in a few months. Love hearing all the different success stories and methods! Have a wonderful week!
Kimberley says
Welcome back!!! Can’t wait to hear the updates on everything and see/hear how the vacation went! You guys must have gone out of town for that one…I have heard that it’s been pretty cool up there. We are headed to Florida this week (Thursday afternoon) with our 4 year old. It’s a vacation that has been in the works for a year now, can’t believe it is finally here! Definitely going to soak up some sun!!! Although the drive there and the drive back (about 20 hours each way) will be challenging with our little guy, I am hoping that it still turns out to be a great time!
Andrea says
Thanks Kimberley — and believe it or not, our vacation was right here in MI! It’s so pretty at the lake, isn’t it??
Have fun in Florida — we “might” be headed to Florida over spring break (if we’re feeling ambitious!)
Julia K says
Welcome Back !
Just sneaked in for a “look see” before heading to bed (10PM her in Australia) and was delighted to see your first post after your break. Looking forward to hearing all the details of your projects and vacation.
Andrea says
Thanks Julia! So glad you checked in before bed 🙂