on the road again...

Thanksgiving road trip time! This time we travel far up north to Birchwood, WI for a family Thanksgiving celebration. Bring on the turkey and carbs! My mini-me and I plotted things to do on the lengthy road trip and came up with good stuff. Madlibs, crocheting, addressing Christmas cards, and naps. Sounds good to me. And when we get restless we take in that gorgeous view. Man, we love the midwest!

Making plans with ourselves!

One of my favorite things to do with my daughter is a Netflix and chill binger. There's nothing better than matching footie pajamas, hot chocolate, and a string of good to not-so-good girly movies. Snuggling under a huge blanket with a fire roaring sounds like a good time. What else would a good mama do? I am sad that fall has come and gone so quickly, but I say bring on the chill because I need some snuggle time with my baby girl!

plastic happiness

When your kids are kids, it only takes a little creativity and (sometimes a lot of) patience to keep them entertained. Enter plastic beads. Did you know you can melt them in the oven inside of metal cookie cutters? Just make sure to line the pan with foil first. 10 minutes at 450 degrees and poke a hole in the top as soon as they come out of the oven so you can hang them. Cheap and easy.

Since it doesn't take long to dump beads in a cookie cutter and melt,

you may want to kick it totally old school and buy the pony beads with the plastic trays. We spent all night arranging pony beads in designs and then covering in wax paper and ironing until they melt. It's a classic cold weather,  easy activity. We looked up designs online and that made it more challenging (insert: impossible). 

My kitchen now smells like a plastic factory but the smell will wear out overnight with the help of a plug in air freshener. We had a steady rotation of cookie cutter sun catchers and pony bead magnets or keychains. 

The next craft will be learning how to sew scrunchies. My daughter has been begging. I can pull out my old leg warmers and a crop top for the occasion! Just kidding. Even my 8 year old would roll her eyes at that. The fact that 80's style crafts and accessories are back is pretty amazing and my little divalicious crafter is loving all of it. Who cares about midwest weather when every night can be craft night?!

Baby, it's cold outside

My kid told me all she wanted to do tonight was read and snuggle up. Um, yep. It's cold and rainy, she doesn't feel good, and that sounds great! She has discovered graphic novels, audiobooks, and all new genres. Sigh. I am raising a reader! I love it! Notice our new stuffed animal is close by to hear the story. I swear my kid is an old lady at heart stuck in the body of an adorable 8 year old...

I love Reese

I love to feel inspired. I love to feel empowered. I am proud to be a woman and I try to help my daughter feel it everyday. I am working on making her world a happy, safe place where she feels free to be whoever and whatever she pleases.

Some days I hesitate to go to work, but I know I am showing my daughter how to be a strong leader and financial contributor to her family. She needs to know budgeting, struggle, time management, etc. I want her to learn that from watching me go to work everyday and still make IT work.

I am aware that she hears me mock myself and make negative comments about my weight or my appearance on a bad day and I work to try to be positive for her sake. I try to remind myself that she doesn't need me to be thin, pretty, or perfect. She wants me to be me.

I recently stumbled upon this show on Netflix. Granted, I bounced around on episodes, but the message was clear. Reese Witherspoon contacted and interviewed women strong in their fields who empowered other women and inspired her. Each episode had the, "Ohhh, Aaah" factor. 

I loved it. I felt strong. I felt confident. I felt inspired. THIS is what I want for my daughter. I tried to get her to watch an episode, but she's only 8 so she just wasn't feeling it quite yet! To anyone with a daughter, watch an episode. You will love it!

Brrr...

According to the weather report, it was colder in my hometown the week of Halloween than it was in ALASKA! Yep, Alaska. Brrr. What is this crap? It snowed on Halloween. A week later, we have a winter weather advisory with possible black ice. This means no bus for us. Tomorrow I will be carpool mom. Not only do I not want my kid standing at a dark, cold bus stop but I don't want to be out there, either! I miss summer. Or fall. Or general warmth... It's a Wednesday night and we have the fireplace roaring. It's cozy in here. Maybe I can hibernate for the winter???