A Week of Instagram {Aug 27}

watching a movie // headed to bed early // goodwill finds
chiquita banana // unleashing my inner artist // rain, rain go away

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A Week of Instagram {Aug 20}

a little reading // pinterest pedicure // taking it all in
canned food drive // strike a pose // doing her chores

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A Week of Instagram {Aug 13}

all four, one photo // on the road // tennis anyone
reading with daddy // takeout for dinner // puzzle time

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A Week of Instagram {Aug 6}

charlotte vs wall // globe collection // ready for olympics viewing
bedtime with gramma // swimming is the best // ready or not

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July PhotoADay Recap

Yet again, I participated in Fat Mum Slim's photo a day challenge. She comes up with a list of prompts and you simply take a photo a day using each them. Super simple. Here are my photos from July:

self-portrait // busy // best part of your day // fun // on the floor // chair
garden // lunch // big // your favorite color // letter
texture // open // building // finger // sign
your addiction // plate // animal // eyes // 9 o'clock
upside down // mirror er // a stranger // heart // sunshine
on the road // cup // last thing you bought // calm // toothbrush

You should consider joining in on the fun! Whether you share them through Instagram, Facebook, a blog or just keep them to yourself, it's a fun way to capture your days. Here's a link to the August challenge.

A Week of Instagram {July 30}

reading time // kisses for daddy // dinner out
goodwill finds // union jack cake // swinging fun

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Quote to Remember #90

"The potential for greatness lives within each of us." - Wilma Rudolph

Who else is super amped for these games to begin?!?!

Photo Credit: mnewrc's flickr

A Week of Instagram {July 16}

such a poser // kisses from momma // geese crossing
joe takes my cup // peanut butter pie // magical lights

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Olympic Fever

Do you have it? I do. My sister does. So do our friends and family. We love all things Olympic and have started to think about what we'll do to celebrate this year's games. Traditionally, we have a meal during the opening ceremony that is reflective of that games' host country, so this year it'll be cottage pie. And we rank each country's "costume" during the opening ceremony with a 5 ring rating system. Yup, we literally hold up papers with 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5 rings to reflect how much we like their garb. But, given that my sister hosted a fantastic Harry Potter party recently, and given that Charlotte's birthday parties (year two, three and four) have been pretty awesome, if I do say so myself, we've got the up the ante. So I've been doing a little research. Here are some fun Olympics ideas that we may do, and you should consider doing them too:

* Looking at great moments in Olympic history is sure to get you in the mood, and you could read through them as a part of your celebration. Kerry Strug pulling it out for USA gymnastics anyone?!

* You could serve some Olympic themed cupcakes, and play games like pass the torch, and Olympic bingo

* These invites would be super-cute for getting the word out about your party

* Your guests will love you if you served this Olympic ring fruit pizza

* And these photo booth props would be perfect for adults or kids

* It's pretty pricey, but Ursula Hitz's Game Torch 2012 is really awesome

* Love Rachel Whiteread's Olympic art (number 3 in the link) and it's something you and your kids could make easy enough

* Speaking of kids, Red Ted Art's Blog has tons of ideas for activities to do with them

* How about celebrating by dressing up yourself, maybe with a themed hat

Whatever we decide to do, I'll be sure to share the awesomeness right here. :)

Couch to 5K: Progress

Two months ago my sister and I started the Couch to 5K program. Nine weeks and a couple dozen runs later I figure it's time to check in and let you know how it's going. We're midway through week 7 of the program now. We should be finished, but opted to repeat a fews weeks along the way. I'll admit, it's been harder than expected. We started our first day feeling ahead of the curve. We figured that, even overweight, we're naturally athletic and would have no problem with the early runs. Boy were we wrong! We got just seconds into the first part of the run and realized that we had our work cut out for us. But, just as the program promises, things got better and we got more comfortable as the weeks went on. That's not to say we didn't have bad days. We did. There was a stretch there where I felt like I was the queen of stopping early. I'd stop a bit early on each round of running and ended up way behind the others in our group. Some of it can be blamed on a wicked cold, but most of it was just laziness. But I pushed through and yesterday we completed a 25 minute run, covering just over 2 miles, without stopping. Go us! We still have a ways to go before we hit our goal (we want to get a full 5k done in less than 30 minutes), but we're getting there.

Have you been doing any exercising lately? Or taken on any long-term challenges? Or put a really unflattering picture out there for the world to see? I'd love to hear about it!

P.S. For those who don't know... no, we're not twins. We just look a lot alike. Especially when sweaty and out of breath. ;)

A Week of Instagram {July 9}

P's an anglophile // dinner with hook // july 3rd fireworks
wary of sparklers // favorite lunch spot // sleeping shopper

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June PhotoADay Recap

Like I did in May, I participated in Fat Mum Slim's photo a day challenge this past month. She comes up with a list of prompts and you simply take a photo a day using each them. Super simple. Here are my photos from last month:

morning // empty // on your plate // close-up // sign
hat // drink // six o'clock // your view today // best bit of your weekend
door // from a low angle // art // time // yellow
out and about // in your bag // didn't know about me // imperfect // fave photo
where you slept // from a high angle // movement // on your mind // cute
where you shop // bathroom // on the shelf // soft // a friend


You should consider joining in on the fun! Whether you share them through Instagram, Facebook, a blog or just keep them to yourself, it's a fun way to capture your days. Here's a link to the July challenge.

A Week of Instagram {July 2}

Did you catch that change in the title there? I'm no longer going to be posting weekly menus. I'm sure you won't be devastated - they weren't that great anyway. Instead I'm going to allow the meals around here to come about a little more organically. I'll take out some meat to be defrosted at the beginning of the week - one each of chicken, beef and pork, and see what unfolds. We've had to a skip a meal here or there as things change during the week, so this will allow us to be a bit more flexible. Yay for flexibility!

But, the Instagram photos will remain. Here are a few from last week:


limeade thief // tools of the trade // pool time
post run // margarita cart // firework show

P.S. Sorry for flaking out at the end of last week! My internet was having issues and I just didn't have time to fix it. This week promises to be better.