Friday Five

I am off to a Mother's Day luncheon at Mini K's school for what will be the start of a busy and fun weekend, but wanted to post my Friday Five.

1.  Advice from Mom
C.Wonder asked for wisdom from your mom on twitter and I had to share what my mother has always taught me!  Thank you notes matter!

2.  Traditions
I still remember my mom dropping me off at college and giving me my baby birthstone ring on a bracelet. I still have it!  Mr. G gave me a necklace from Naomi Gray last year with birthstone rings for Mini K and Baby C and I will eventually put Mini K's ring on a bracelet and give to her when we take her to college!
You can purchase one for half price HERE and use code:
DMVKV7DK77 to save an extra $10!

3.  Fresh Cut Grass
It has been rainy here this week and I love looking out the window and seeing bright green grass and the sun shining!

4.  Family Pictures
We are packing up half of the house so construction can begin and I have decided to organize as I go!  I have started a file of pictures I want to frame including whether I need to purchase and engrave frames and what size.  I am a firm believer that your home should reflect you, not a picture in a magazine!  I snapped this photo of the kids on spring break and cannot wait to put it up in my new office!

5.  Peonies!
I wait all year to be able to hear Mini K say on May 1st, "Peonies bloom in May!"  There is something about a vase full of peonies that makes me smile!

A Class Act

I had hoped to get this post up this morning, but Baby C decided I needed to have a crack of dawn wake up call instead!  So much for thinking I could write a post, catch up on email and drink a cup of coffee at 5am in PEACE and QUIET!

I have always said I wanted to keep this blog real.  It is not always pretty or fun to be a working mom with a side business, but it is my life and my decisions and I need to own them as an example to my children.  My post today is about someone that I think also keeps it real.  To many we seem like odd friends:  she is almost 10 years younger than I am (that alone was scary to type!), we probably don't see eye to eye on a lot of issues, she lives in another country and she like Bojangles chicken and coconut, but she is a dear friend and I have so much respect for her!

Today is a special day.  My former friend in blogland, now friend in real life Melissa turned 29!  That seems like forever ago to me, but that is a post for another day.  As a mom you sometimes think, if my child can grow up to be like that person I will be so proud.  Well if Mini K is anything like Melissa when she grows up, I will be bursting with pride and able to relax about my parenting skills.

Melissa has done something in 29 years that many people cannot say they have accomplished in a LIFETIME....she has lost 100 pounds!  For me though, it is not how much weight she lost, but how she lost it:

1.  The hard way, without tv shows, pills, surgery, but calories in and a lot of exercise to burn those calories off.

2.  Honestly, she shared her journey through her blog and was HONEST.

3.  With SELF ESTEEM.  This, my friends, is the part that makes me so proud.  She believed in herself and knew she was much much more than a number on a scale or a reflection in a mirror.  If we as mothers can teach our daughters one thing, it is this and I pray Mini K can have this same mental toughness in the face of all of society's pressures.

4.  Gracefully.  I know she will read this and think I have lost my marbles, but M you are graceful.  You handle setbacks with a smile and a positive attitude, you always remember that there is a tomorrow and you never forgot that there is a world out there beyond the scale.

Melissa, I hope you had a very HAPPY BIRTHDAY, full of coconut cake, pink bicycles and most of all surrounded (virtually and in person) by people who love you!

If Mini K grows up to be anything like Melissa, the world will be in good hands!

I wish I could say that I had planned things properly and her present arrived to her in London on her birthday.  I cannot.  I promise it is on its way now!

Phone Home

We have been getting a TON of emails requesting a hard iphone case that is under $50!  You asked for it and we find it!

Starting today you can purchase these personalized iphone 4/4s cases on our site for $44.95!  You can even add your favorite photo to them.

This design is perfect for those wanting a personalized case that is simple.

The stripes on this case make me think of beach towel!

But I think my favorite design might be this turquoise and orange number!  I just cannot resist a bright orange!

Soft Landing

I spent last night listing a bunch of furniture that we either don't want or won't work in the house after the construction and less than a day later, EVERY SINGLE ITEM has been sold.  THANK YOU Criag's List!  Now I just have to get everything organized on paper so I can plan what I need the packers to do before the movers arrive.  I am probably the only dork that actually gets excited for construction to begin. It's like a living breathing to do list and you can physically watch the items being crossed off:  walls, roof, and then the details can begin!

I have started the binder divided room by room and am hoping we will be completely finished by Thanksgiving.  All of this organizing has me looking for a soft place to land this evening.

The best part is soon, the Grove will be full of soft places to land.  Monogrammed shams and throw pillows in basic white and prints and pattern galore will soon be here and on the site!  I LOVE a big monogram, and I am a Texan so I mean BIG on a pillow.  It can transform a plain sofa or white bed into a statement.  The best part is that you can change a room by the season without breaking the bank.  Now if only the furniture I have picked out for the addition was the same price as these pillows....

So what do you think?

Favorite Finds

I PROMISE this week I will be better about posting...after all I have all of these planned posts and I just keep forgetting to actually post them!  I am now sporting a new walking boot and while I can get around faster, by the end of the day my foot and leg are just plain tired from, well walking.  Tomorrow I can start back on the stationary bike and Crossfit body weight workouts like push ups, sit ups and ring rows.  I must admit, my body and brain are in major NEED of endorphins.

All this time off of my feet and on restricted movement though as been good for my product finding/testing fun!  I have a few new finds to share with you and ALL of them are things that never in a million years did I think would actually work or be something I would try out.

1.  Quick Dry Paddle Brush
I was totally skeptical that this would work.  I have super thick hair...if I let it air dry it takes 20-24 hours and close to an hour to blow dry with my super high-charged dryer.  I have an over 2000 watt hair dryer, like they have at the salons and a special outlet in my bathroom because of said dryer, but this brush WORKS!  I can now dry my hair in less than 30 minutes with the dryer if I brush it through with this.  The best part about this find is that is only costs $11.99!

2.  Fresh Produce
I was approached by Fresh Produce, another mom owned business, and asked to review an item from their spring line.  I will admit I wasn't familiar with their clothes and after I saw their website realized I have seen their stores in certain beach towns, but never realized they had a complete women's resort wear line.  This spring I have become a huge fan of the shirt tail hemmed t-shirts.  They are perfect with cropped skinny jeans, a maxi skirt or shorts and don't require a belt.

I received the retreat top in black and LOVE it!  While many of post your OOTD's, I won't claim my outfit is anywhere close, but I love the look, weight and feel of this shirt!  The best part is that Fresh Produce ships to over 200 countries and not many companies can say that!  The top is also a lot less expensive than the other shirt tail hemmed t-shirts and tunics around this season!

The other MUST HAVE item from Fresh Produce I think everyone needs and I am ordering for myself for Mother's Day and a few extras for friend's birthdays is the Triangle and Poms scarf!  What's not to love about tassles and pom poms on the SAME scarf!  The best part: it's only $34!  The hardest part for me will be deciding between the white and the turquoise!

3.  Yellow!
I snapped up this Brider Baubles necklace in yellow, because everyone is claiming that yellow is the new "it" color.  I doubted I could pull it off, but at less than $40, it was a bargain compared to other jewelry stores!  I LOVE it!  I wore it with my Fresh Produce tunic today to run errands, take Mini K to a birthday party and a casual dinner out and no less than 10 women stopped to ask about my necklace or my tunic.

The other good thing about Bridier Baubles:  FREE SHIPPING and if you hurry and place an order tonight with code: NINA, you can take an extra 10% off!  I now think I need the $23 Fleur cuff bracelet in....YELLOW!

4.  Heart Rate Monitors!
A year ago I had my metabolic rate tested so I knew what my target heart rate was for burning fat.  As it turned out, it was a much slower running/workout pace than I thought.  What I haven't loved about it is the annoying chest strap on my heart rate monitor watch.  I was so excited to find this watch, without a chest strap for an amazing price of $29!  The best part, you can save an extra 20% with code FF20!  The watch ends up being something like 78% off!

5.  Naomi Gray Birthstone Ring Necklaces!
I have several friends that will be celebrating their first mother's day this year!  Last year, Mini K saw a picture in a magazine of a Naomi Gray necklace with birthstone rings on it and showed it Mr. G.  Even though he had already purchased something for me, he couldn't say no to Mini K so I had an extra special Mother's Day!  I love my birthstone ring necklace and someday will put the ring with Mini K's birthstone on her gold charm bracelet!  It is the perfect necklace to wear when I travel as it keeps them with me and I always get compliments when I wear it!  I know Mr. G wishes he would have gotten the deal I am about to share with you!  You can get $100 worth of Naomi Gray jewelry for $50 HERE.  This next part will be out little secret:  if you use code DMVKV7DK77 you can save an additional $10 so you can get your $100 gift certificate for $40!

I am now off to ice my foot and get ready for this week, but if you have a favorite thing or a fab new find please share it!

Hump Day Happies

Tomorrow is my big post surgery appointment and one footed pedicure (I knew I could find one!) so my mood was instantly lifted by 10am.  Throw in a haircut scheduled for Saturday morning and a new pair of earrings on hold at The Shoe Hive and I am one happy working mom!

My Julep box arrived today and since I have a pedicure tomorrow morning, I can't wait to use one of my Julep polish.  I have posted about Julep before, but I am still impressed with the company.  A friend from Seattle says the nail parlors are great and known in the city for hosting fab events, but my only exposure has been the monthly box.  For $19 you get $40 worth of product and I can tell you I have NOT been disappointed.  So many of these monthly box companies send you sample sized products and you cannot select what you actually want to receive....Julep is different.  Each month you can select your two nail polish colors, or you can let them select for you based on your profile.  This month's box contained 2 polishes, one arrived with a magnet and a notice that it was magnetic polish and you could make stripes...the new crackle, a full sized pedicure foot cream and a callous file that I can say works better than my uber expensive one from Bliss.

You can join Julep HERE.  I was on the fence about trying Julep and a coupon code made me bite the bullet and order and I haven't looked back.  In case you are in the same boat, I wanted to share a discount with you.  If you enter COLOR2012 at checkout you can get your first box for 1 cent.  I mean how can you not try something for a PENNY?  I just ordered a couple of subscriptions as gifts today.

For those of you that actually didn't fall asleep reading yesterday's post, I realized it might have sounded that I dread throwing parties and it is just the opposite.  I love them, from thinking of the theme, to the favor to the menu, parties for me are the chance to spend time with family and family by choice.

Sometimes the hardest part can be picking a theme and finding an invite.  So starting tomorrow through May 15th take 25% off ALL party invitations with code:  PTIME25.

Our clients always give us the best ideas so I thought I would share some them.  Movie parties seem to be the new thing for the 8-12 age group.  We had a client order these movie party invites today.  Here is the best part, the movie is being shown on an inflatable screen in her backyard.  After a few emails back and forth we helped her decide to serve the snacks in the beach pails that are in the $1 section at Target and monogram beach towels for each of the guests to serve as their "seat" and their favor.

Another client has a great farm about two hours outside of Washington, D.C.  Every spring she orders direction cards to the farm.  Clean and simple cards that she personalizes with directions to their farm.  She simply includes them in notes inviting guests.  I think this is a GREAT idea for beach houses as well. Another client prints these same cards and leaves them at their beach house with information on the area:  where to eat, a spa, where to shop.

Mini K spends half the year trying to figure out why our club pool isn't open for a pool party...in DECEMBER.  So I am thinking of letting her have a pool party this summer.  I confess, it might just be to  use this invite!

The Countdown Is On

Pull up a chair, because I have done what we as women do so well. I have awarded myself with a to-do list that might be taller than an NBA player. It didn't happen at once, in fact, each thing on its own seemed doable and like the right choice. Then I listed them out realized than when work, mommyland and spouse activity city meet, it can look like anything but couture, or refined. Let's face it, it can look like the aftermath of Goyard sample sale, if there was such a thing. I need to force myself out of that daydream and back to reality. I told myself, and well all of you, that I started this blog to be real, and real is not always pretty or preppy or neat, but it is my life. So before I start getting the comments and emails, let me just say, this is one of those moments that I am merely laughing at myself, not complaining, because when do you hear a man look at his to do list and say: " Tomorrow I need to confirm 6 client meetings, order Chick Fil A nuggets, confirm a one foot pedicure, get Mini K's pearl earrings fixed, order engraved crab mallets and get Baby C to his ISR class by 5pm." Let's be honest, we are the only sex crazy enough to write all of this down and wonder, how many trips to Starbucks will it take to get this done.

It has officially been one week since my surgery. The boot I am wearing keeps my calf muscle flexed at all times and I am praying they give me another one at my follow up appointment on Thursday. My foot is now also itching, probably TMI, but these stitches better dissolve, because I slept with gloves on last night to keep from scratching my foot in my sleep.

Mr. G's big event is this week, actually the events leading up to the event start tomorrow. I am so proud of him and his committee! They have exceeded ALL of their fundraising goals and it is for such a great cause that EVERYONE can enjoy: The National Mall. Most women wear long dresses to this event, but my surgeon said no as I am still at risk for a re-break if I trip, so I am donning a, GASP, short dress. You will find me at The Shoe Hive as soon as I leave my doctor's appointment on Thursday to find a shoe for my right foot!

The good news: I found a salon to give me a one footed pedicure. Let the jokes begin!

Baby C's crab themed birthday party is a week from this Saturday! Food has been ordered. Cake has been designed, but tomorrow I MUST get the favors ordered and I pray there is still enough time to get them engraved before the party. This year we opted for a Crab Shack theme and we are borrowing his big day. He is TWO, there will be cake, there will be a pinata and then then he can go to bed, the big kids can play with the bubble machine and the grown ups can enjoy some crabs, some beer and it wouldn't be a Grove party without a Chick-Fil-A table. In the Grove, Chick Fil A goes with EVERYTHING.

Because I couldn't have an empty schedule, May will also be filled with a girls weekend in NYC and our departure to take Mini K to camp over Memorial Day weekend. I said this post wasn't exciting, but it is real and I need this blog to be real. I juggle, sometimes, like this month, more than I probably should, but that's me. My mother used to always repeat the phrase, "if you want something done, give it to a busy person."

My life is driving me a little crazy this month, but it was my doing and my choice. One thing we have been working on with Keating this year is choices. Once you make one, you need to own it. It is very easy to say that to a child, or ourselves, and then forget those words and look to blame or complain.

I am determined to keep myself accountable this year. I am blessed that my surgery is behind me, that both the Grove and my day job are booming, the kids are healthy and happy and I have a list to keep me from sitting still and sipping a cocktail.

SO SO many of you are great about blogging, mid-craziness, about how you handle it. I have to get into the craziness, come up with a plan, tackle it and then I can talk about it. This probably explains why I am a paper planner person and do not use the calendar on my ipad or iphone or whatever this imaginary CLOUD thing is that is far smarter than me.

If you are still reading here, I owe you a champagne cocktail, or TWO! So I am off to cross finding a second storage pod off my list. Did I mention, we are breaking ground on our renovation project in exactly one month!

Crazy! I just keep saying the phrase that makes my friends cringe the most: It is what it is.

Just remember, somewhere a little girl is watching you, she may not be your daughter, but we owe all of them the lesson of seeing women tackle long lists, difficult projects and carry on....so I will put on one fabulous right shoe, grab a Starbucks soy latte and tackle tomorrow!