Let's Catch Up

Jesus Christ, can you believe July is all ready over?  Why do Maine summer's go by so fast (oh, god, I'm sounding so..."Mainer.") A lot of little stuff has been happening, so let's just take a moment and catch up. Grab a cup of coffee, well wait, it's 10 o'clock at night, how about a Gin and Tonic, pull up your computer and let's get started.  In a previous post My MIL is an Alcoholic and It's Annoying As Hell I told all about my obnoxious alcoholic mother-in-law. For an update on that, she is currently sober.  After a near death experience she ended up in rehab and she and my father-in-law are no longer drinking. After weeks of isolation, Josh and his brother, finally went over to their house and had "the talk." Josh got everything off his chest he needed to. The fact that they aren't apart of our kids life, the secrets about her drinking, etc. I am really proud of him for getting it all out there and they totally took responsibility for their actions. I'm still a little skeptical about what the future holds but as in any 12 step program, "one day at a time."
Moving on to my current, "Get Fit, Get Fabulous," attitude, I'm still working it. I have been running (up to 2 3/4 miles #bragmoment.....Josh just read this part and says I'm gay..haha) and am biking when I can. I am still a Beach Body Coach and have ordered Shakeology and TurboFire. I can't wait to receive it in the mail and get started. If I dare I will post before and after pictures. The before pictures might kill me though.
Another post regarding baby fever, is no longer relevant. All baby fever no longer exists. Every day Drew is learning new words and is changing so much and I'm loving it. My biggest problem now is that I need to stop calling him my baby as he is going to be 2 in November! On the other hand, we are going to a BBQ on Sunday and will be seeing our friends, Kara and Michael's newborn, so this could all be a mute part in the post.
In other news, we have been doing the whole fair thing and going to parades.  Jacoby caught his first fish on Daddy and Son day. Jacoby had so much fun. They went fishing, bought a new toy and movie, went out to lunch at McDonalds and went out for an ice cream and went hiking. By the time I got home, he looked completely exhausted.  The Daddy and Son day has been a yearly event that Jacoby gets so excited for that it melts my heart.  He is such a good boy and the way he loves Josh is really, really special.

We recently put Drew on Jacoby's 4 wheeler and he loves it, constantly asks to go on it, which find to be super cute! He doesn't go very far on the 4 wheeler, but he loves just sitting on it!

We have been going to the beach and Jacoby is doing sooo much better in the water than last year. He actually went fully under the water which is super impressive. The kid has no problem squishing the ugliest bug with his bare hands, but getting his eyes wet is like the most terrifying event ever.  

and of course Drew, my little brute, has no fear at all!  He fell under the water numerous time and I had to rescue him by pulling him up by his arm and he would laugh hysterically with his little dimples shining brightly. 

These are just few of the highlights and I really have zero complaints about this summer so far.  Now we are on a staycation and we have some plans to hang out with friends and family and to make some children's museum and park stops.  Then I will go to work for a week and then head to Florida for a week for some training at work. After that I will be busy planning Jacoby's 4th birthday party which is Sept. 6th. Will I learn anything crafty from Pinterest? I always try to, but get nervous about my crafty ability at the last second...
Beyond just life and work and family time, that is pretty much it in a nutshell.
Let me know what you have been doing this summer...

Pretty in Pink

This morning I'm thinking pink.  I used to say it was my favorite color, but now I haven't totally confined myself to just one color. Jacoby is the reason for that, as for when he was around 2 years old he used to ask me every day what my favorite color today is? I thought to myself, how wonderful to choose a new color everyday! So, now I choose my favorite color on a day-to-day basis! Here are some delightful little pink things that I have found on  Cassandras Corner's Pinterest(of course!) that I love!

I am Dying Over this Hair Color!
What the hell would I do with my eybrows
though?

Perfectly Pink Polish!

Pouty Pink Lips is a Do!!

Lovely for My Coffee

Simply Gorgeous!

Very Sweet!

Fantasy Hair!

Must Have Victoria's Secret Pink Workout Gear!

Wish List!

Pink Country Porch

Amazing!

Pink Accent for a Bedroom

Yes, Please!

Lucky, Lucky, Me! An Award!!

Yes, right now I am doing a happy dance, want to know why? BECAUSE, I have been given an award by WTF am I thinking?  The Sunshine Award! Doesn't that just scream, awesomeness?! So sending out a huge, huge thanks to WTF am I thinking? It was such a nice surprise this morning to find out about this!

So as with most awards, comes with some rules. Here they are:

1. Include this award log in either your acceptance post or somewhere in your acceptance.
2. Answer 10 questions about yourself.
3. Pass the award onto 10-12 deserving bloggers.
4. Add a link on your post to all the talented winners and comment on their page to let them know they've deemed amazing.
5. Thank the brilliant soul that recognized your talent and bestowed this wonderful award on you...and of course link back to them as well!

Ok, so let's get down to it and have a little bit of Q&A time!

1.) What would you most like to change about yourself? Physically my thighs, personally I wish I had passion for a specific career path.

2.) What is your theme song? This question actually depressed me, because after an hour of searching on You Tube for a song that really describes, me, I've come to the realization that I've been stumped and can't find one. So for the time being and for lack of a better song, we are going with Lady Gaga, Just Dance just because it makes me happy.

3.) One part of your life (memory, action, etc) that you wish you could surgically remove? Boy! These questions are hard tonight!! I don't really have anything that I'd like to remove (thankfully, I've led a pretty stable, supportive and tragic-free life), plus I believe everything happens for some sort of reason. For instance, I had miscarriage that was completely devastating, but if it didn't happen than maybe I wouldn't have Jacoby..

4.) What generation do you wish you had been apart of? Eek! Here is going to show my lack of History knowledge, so I'm going to go with the generation of the Pin-up girl.  What decade would that be?? 1940's?? I don't know, but they are super cute and sexy!

5.) What was your favorite childhood toy? I had a little baby named Sherri baby and I brought her everywhere!!
6.) What is your favorite house cleaning chore?  Vacuuming, I do it nearly every day. I think things look 10 times cleaner after a room has been vacuumed. Plus my boys love it and chase me around with swords while I'm doing it.
7.) Do you twitter? I do! I don't know anything about Klout or nearly enough about the @ and # symbols and I'm sure I use them inappropriately but I do love Twitter.  Feel free to follow me! www.twitter.com/cassiezcorner
8.) Any goals? Where do I start? To be more physically fit, to be a good mom and wife, buy a new house, make more money, find a babysitter other than family, get more tattoos, and to have more fun!
9.) Do you drink Margaritas all the time?  Um, no. I like my Tequila in shot form.  I'm also a gin and tonic kind of girl with a splash of cranberry.  

10.) What is the ugliest car you have ever driven and were embarrassed to be seen in? My first car was a gold hatch-back Mercury Tracer.  It was nick-named the Gerbil.

Ok, now onto passing this lovely award to some very deserving blogs! Please visit them, you won't be disappointed!
GirlFriendsAreLikeShoes
TheHealthyMom.Net
Big A Little a
I Want a Dumpster Baby
Adventures of A Cornfed Princess
Beauty For Ashes
Little Mudpies
Two In Diapers
Sippy Cup Chronicles
Hi! It's Jilly

Enjoy!! and thanks again to WTF am I Thinking?

Mascara Reveiw

I swore that I would never buy drug-store mascara again after I found DiorShow Black Out at Sephora, but as usual, I'm a sucker for a new products. The other day I was walking around the Walmart and at the end of the aisle was a display that said NEW, and my body automatically is drawn to it like a magnet on a refrigerator. The display was for Maybelline's The Mega Plush Volum' Express Mascara and the package said that it uses some new gel formula.  In the shopping cart it went! So, I thought I would give a little review on it.

1). This is the package of the mascara. I know it's silly but I love it when my makeup comes in cool colors, like this blue. I bought the mascara in blackest black. I'm always in search of getting the most black mascara I can find. One reason I tend to stay away from Maybelline, Revlon, etc mascaras is because they are never black enough and staying power isn't the best.

#2.) Here is the mascara out of the package. The brush on the wand is full and is coated nicely with the mascara. It isn't goopy at all with excess mascara after I take it out of the tube, which I find to be a plus. On the downside though is that the wand is flexible. I find that flexible wands do not grab my eyelashes as well and I will therefore have to apply multiple coats which can lead to my eyelashes clumping...eek!

Nightmare!!

#3.) Here is my before picture with zero mascara or eyeliner.

# 4). The mascara has now been applied. Lucky me has been blessed with one eye that has eyelashes that curl up all by themselves. The other eye, however, has eyelashes that stick out straight and I need to use an eyelash curler. The eye pictured here is the "good eye" (no eyelash curler necessary).

# 5). This is the end results with both eyes done along with neutral brown eyeshadow.

Final note:  This is a pretty decent mascara, especially for only $6.00  I didn't find any clumping at all. All my lashes were evenly covered, separated, looked full and lengthened. Perhaps there is something to this new Gel Formula.  The downside though is that the staying power is not great. A few hours later the black has dulled, and it doesn't look so fresh, so it does need to be re-applied. I also wasn't super impressed with with using it on my lower lashes. The brush is kind of too big for them, so I went back to using Benefit They're Real for the lower lashes later in the day. Still though it is only $6.00!! and for that the good outweighs the bad in this instance especially if you are just using it for typical daytime use. Try it out and let me know what you think!

 

The Fever..As In Baby Fever

My Drew Bug

Yesterday, my son, Drew turned 20 months. The other day I was telling Josh that I love how Drew still has some baby qualities to him. I love seeing him sleeping peacefully in his crib, and I love how when I hold him, he will sometimes wrap his little arms around me so tight and rest his head on my shoulder. Josh told me that I need to appreciate these moments while they last because they aren't going to be for much longer. He's absolutely right! Every day Drew seems to be turning more into a toddler than a baby.  Last week I told him that we had to get him dressed and ready to daycare. He looked at me said, "No, no, Mama" as he shook his little pointer finger at me.  What?? I couldn't help but laugh of course.  This baby/toddler is taking a stand! I sat him in my lap like we always do to change him and what did he do? He held his arms down as tight as he could at his sides so I couldn't take off his shirt! Again, I hear the, "Nooooo maaaamaaa."  He was serious!  Luckily, he is still part baby and a little tickling of the  inner thigh gets him squealing with laughter, he releases his arms and I'm able to get him dressed for the day. Then on Saturday he peed on the potty 6 TIMES (Yay!!) and today he walked up our front steps all by himself without crawling up the last step and he also walked down them by himself just holding on the railing.  He is testing out his independence all the time. Plus he has also started making jokes which is hilarious. Like when he says, "Dada toot and pee-you, dada." That is hilarious, because living in a house of all boys and toot jokes are just funny.
Then comes the next part of the story. My friend Kara is being induced this week to have her second baby. I'm so excited for her and her family to have this new little girl brought into their life.  I remember the anticipation of having Jacoby and Drew and how excited I was to meet them and hold them in my arms. My life changed so much the instant they arrived. I can't fathom anything different!   So when Kara had her first baby Jack, I went to see them in the hospital and that is when my baby fever set in full force and as the story goes, Drew arrived 9 months later! I'm a little curious to see how I will feel when this next baby arrives.  I also have a coworker who is pregnant with her first baby. Just seeing her belly grow there are moments that the baby fever starts to creep in again. I have also had FB friends lately who seem to be giving birth left and right and I'm like what the hell, is everyone pregnant right now??  Yes, baby fever is knocking at the door. Even today I had to go to the Walmart, I swear I saw 10 pregnant chicks shopping. It was like after I had a miscarriage, every girl I saw was either pregnant or had a newborn baby. Why does stuff like that happen?

Brothers Loving Eachother!

The true reality though, is that seeing Drew grow into this little person is as exciting if not more than having a new baby. I love seeing him learn new things, play with Jacoby, experience his "firsts." Plus the fact that he feeds himself, sleeps through the night and is somewhat potty training is awesome!!  I really do not want another baby right now. As it is, I don't feel like I have enough alone time with Jacoby and Drew. How could I add another baby into the mix??  Don't even get me started on the financial aspect too, we could never swing it! It's just been those crazy mom hormones racing through my body as I realize that Drew is not really a baby anymore and it's bringing the baby fever out. It's kind of fun to think about the what ifs and what if  we had a little girl what would she look like and if we had another boy would he look more like Jacoby or Drew or just himself?  
Buuuut, I like our little life as it is right now. My Jacoby and Drew they are really all that I need. They are what completes me and life is good.

Drew looking so grown up!

Jacoby and summer fun!

I'm a Beach Body Coach, Now What??

 So, here is the deal. I have been exercising. I run 2 miles nearly every day and when I can, I also have been trying to fit in a 6 mile bike ride. Am I on a health kick? A little bit, but I haven't been able to totally give up on having some occasional nachos. Plus, Friday night is pizza night at the Bardsley house-hold so it is my duty to eat it. I even managed to find a beer to have that is only like 64 calories and it doesn't even make me want to puke it my mouth..so score on that one.  Other than that though, I have been cutting down on my portions, day time snacking is healthy, and meals I try to keep pretty balanced.
I have blogged about my frustrations with not seeing quick results, so as I see it, I need to kick it up a notch. I have figured out a way for me to be more motivated and to make some extra money (I hope!) This week I have become a Beach Body Coach.  Beach Body is the company that does P90X, Insanity, Turbo Fire, etc.  They also sell Shakeology which is a meal replacement shake increases weight loss, increases energy, and improves over all health. 
As a Beach Body coach, I will basically be working out and using the Beach Body products and sharing my experience.  I will help others figure out what Beach Body program would work best for them for whatever their desired goals are (losging weight, bulking up, toning up, etc) I will aslo be available for support and motivation.  It is a win-win situation for me also, because as I coach I feel as though we are all in this together and others will be keeping me motivated too!
I am not ready to jump into P90X or Insanity (I tried the Insanity Fit Test in the winter and couldn't walk for 5 days) Next week I'm going to start out with the Power 90. I used the Power 90 videos right before I got married and it helped me get into pretty good shape. So we will see what all this does for this post-baby, over 30 body now.
Since I am a Beach Body Coach, I also get really cool deals that I can share with friends and family like this Challenge Pack. If you think you'd like to give it a try, let me know and I can hook you up or answer any questions you might have.

  I will be blogging about my progress (and my weak moments..we all have them ahem..Doritos) I just know that now is the time for me to do this. I am motivated for myself and for my family.  Even though my kids are still toddlers, I want them to see that I  exercise and that I think it's important to take care of ourselves.   Plus I have a great pair of jeans in my closet that I'm just dying to look fabulous in (you know, I do have other priorities than just being healthy..lol)
Feel free to check out my website at www.beachbodycoach.com/coachjennyb

Organizing Kids Health

Last week, I was approached by Baby Zoe to take a look at their free app that helps manage kids health and development.  FREE APP and KIDS HEALTH??  I'M IN!  First of all, I'm going to say right off the bat, that I love this app. I went to the Baby Zoe website to first see what it was all about. The app is basically used as a tool for you to manage your kid(s) activities (eating, sleeping, playing, growth progress, medicine intake, etc) It also allows you to enter emergency contact info and the data can  easily be shared with family member, babysitters, doctors, etc.
  So, I downloaded Baby Zoe  to my iPod as of right now it is only available on iTunes. I have a Android for my phone, but have been told that a Android and web version of the app is soon going to be available!!
Well, I'm totally impressed with this app! First of all when I first brought Jacoby home from the hospital I had a piece of paper sitting on the coffee table with all times he peed, pooped, ate, etc.  I was a nervous new mom with even a more nervous husband who wanted to make sure that Jacoby was getting enough to eat from me and was acting like a "normal baby" should.  How great would it have been to just put all this info under Jacoby's profile in the app (you can have all your kids have their own profile along with pictures!)  Plus when my second, son Drew came along, I remember thinking, wow, did Jacoby have gas issues around this time too? Is Drew having around the same about of bowel movements as Jacoby?  All of this information could have been used as a reference for me to look at between kids.
It's also nice to keep things tracked on which kid has had what. As much as I like to consider myself a supermom and can remember each individuals child sickness or development, I just can't. I had started keeping track of all of Jacoby's illnesses in his baby book, but then the baby book got put up in his closet and  things hardly ever get updated.  It's one of those things, out of sight, out  of mind. Poor Drew doesn't even have a baby book! I do feel as though keeping a record of health, growth and development is important. You are your child's advocate and you just never know what type of information could prove to be useful and lets face it, doctor's offices can't be 100% relied on. I love the convenience of the access of he app to have on my iPod  (and hopefully phone soon) as those are the things that I use on a daily basis!
Another reason I especially like Baby Zoe is the sharing of information. On this app you can track your kids medicine intake.  My kids have had to be on antibiotics, so how great is it that I can log in their dosage info and the last time they took their medicine. I can then share that info with my husband or babysitter so they know how to proceed with future dosages.
There are other fun features on the app that allows you to enter in milestones, pictures, track growth reports, etc.
Did I mention that is also super easy to use?? It is, and so many of the steps are all ready filled in for you so entering in information is fast, because lets face it, I don't have time to be wasting on figuring out the ins-and outs of where to enter in info when I have a two toddlers that need my attention.  I have set up the app now for my own kids. I feel more organized in regards to their health and that makes life a little bit easier for me. Isn't that what we all want??
So give Baby Zoe  a try and let me know what you think!!