Just a picture post. Lots of cuteness. Don't say I didn't warn you.
B is so good in the mornings when I get ready for work. It's the easiest time of day. He sits quietly on my bed while I get ready and watches t.v. SUCH a happy child in the morning. SO unlike his mommy and daddy. But, at least when he wakes up with a big smile, it truly sets me right for the day!
Anything on Nick Jr, he likes. Especially Fresh Beat Band!
Some family friends joined us at the beach for the PGA in August. How cute are these "Pig Pals?"
Cheese!
How sweeeeet! I guess they should be called "paci pals"
My friend Lauren brought her little girl over to the beach house where we were staying so I could take a few beach pics of her. Unfortunately, the afternoon when we planned to do the photoshoot, the clouds rolled in.....and so did the storms.
While the storms settled, we let the kids get acquainted. These pictures were taken AFTER my jealous little guy finally realized it was okay if we held Anna Wallace. No one (and I mean NO ONE was allowed to hold her.) Beckett flipped out and told us to put her down anytime someone other than Lauren held her. Eventually, once Lauren held her, he basically told her to go home. WHAT am I going to do with him?
After a while, we made him kiss and make up, since he'd been such a stinker to her.
TRYING to get B to be sweet. The look on his face says it all.
Sitting at the table like a big guy.....AND eating FRUIT!! So glad he's taken a liking to grapes recently.
I haven't come across a whole lot lately worth reporting in case you were
wondering where my shopping posts went.
Here's a LITTLE bit of some good stuff from around town.
I get emails and messages occasionally about my wedding shadowbox These shadowboxes are usually easy to come by. TJMaxx and Ross have them the cheapest. You can always get them at Hobby Lobby as well. Here's one I saw at Tuesday Morning for $19.99 that is about the same size as mine, maybe even bigger.
My next big furniture purchase will probably be a new bed. I'm dying for a tufted upholstered headboard like this one at Tuesday Morning. I'm not sure if this was a Queen or King, but I think it was around $350.
Baskets get essssspensive!! Here's one that looks uber-expensive but isn't . $11.99 at Ross (the best place to buy baskets in my opinion) Awesome for a bar cart or kitchen countertop for fruits and veggies. Crap! I should have bought it!
Need a little glam in your life? I love this glossy lacquered mirror at Ross for $49. Great for a bathroom, like the one below.
Anyone else not seeing anything fantastic out and about lately? Maybe I've just been more focused on other things, but I'm just not impressed. Oh well, maybe with some new Home stores opening up in the area, I'll have more to report!
I get bored with spaces easily. I have sliders under most of my furniture because I love to change it up so much. I've never been completely happy with this nook at the top of the stairs.
There are SO many ways I could have been creative and made this a really cool space when we built the house. A great bench with a built in bookcase and sconce in the dormer? A built in desk area with storage?
Closets? A built in dresser? Shelving? The possibilites are endless! Well, coulda, shoulda, woulda, right?
Anyway, this is what it looked like before:
Boring! First off, that plant has LONG bit the dust and I've never been fond of the way the chairs were positioned. Time for a changearoo.
I said bye bye to one of the chairs (which is shoved in my dining room...for now.) I've been looking for a better place for the sunburst mirror from my bedroom and I think I've found it!
I moved the demilune table from the dormer out into the hallway and found some vases in a closet.
I needed a lamp for the corner and the garden stool I snagged from the great room was too small for a table lamp.
We don't use the lamp in Beckett's room, and he's getting ready to get a big boy room rehaul soon, so I snagged the floor lamp from his room and placed it behind the chair.
The white shade with the brown and white ribbon was too nursery-esque for this space, so I did a switcheroo with a shade from another lamp I wasn't using. Much better!
I added few books to make it look like someone in my house actually has time to sit up here and read......yeah right!
New reading nook with more room. The other chair is for sale for $150, contact me if your'e interested! What do you think? Better before or after? Happy Tuesdsay! XO,
Thank goodness for this blog. I tell ya, it's like therapy......a good way for me to get it out and move on.
I had a very bad experience earlier this week at Beckett's allergist appointment, and I need to unload for a minute.
I first wrote this post and bashed the practice and the Doctor, but have since deleted names because things happen and people act stupid! I can't explain why people act like a$$holes sometimes, or if it's a characteristic they were just born with, but I'm giving this guy the benefit of the doubt and not publishing his name or practice in this post. HOWEVER, if your child has an allergist appointment in the Columbia area anytime soon, contact me and I'll tell you who NOT to go see!
First off, just let me say I KNOW my child is not perfect. FAR from! However, there are certain times when you are unable to console your child and make them behave exactly the way you want them to.
Anyway, on with it....
This was our 3rd trip to the allergist. Our first visit went relatively well.
Beckett isn't usually happy at the doctors office, mainly because he's been through a lot this year. An ER visit, plenty of rosefin shots, IVs, etc.....he knows that when someone puts on gloves, needles may follow.....I'd hate the doc too if I thought that every time I went, I was going to hurt.
On the first visit, Dr. "Rude" met with us and questioned me about Beckett's reaction to certain allergens, etc. I had my mom with me for support (when I can, I take her with me to referee and entertain B so that I don't miss what the Doc has to say....). After extensive questions, I felt very good that we were having Beckett tested and that we might be able to pinpoint what was stirring up his skin irritations and sinus issues. We were coached on how to use an epi pen and I was pleased with how thorough this doctor was and took his time. Upon leaving, he asked that I make an appointment for his first round of testing on a day when he was in the office.
About 2 weeks ago, my mom and I took him for his first round of testing. It's not necessarily painful, but uncomfortable. If you aren't aware how they test for allergies, I'll include THIS LINK for you to understand what was involved. Holding a 21 month old down and keeping him still while this procedure is done isn't easy. The testing took about 45 minutes and we were told we could go home. I assumed that we would meet with the Dr. again, since he asked that we make the appointment on a day when he was in the office...... evidently not.
Wednesday we went for the second round. After sustaining a wiggling, crying child and holding him down for 20 minutes, we are ushered in to see the Dr. The exam room has a few toys, some of which make noise. The Dr. walked in to see us, sat down, made no acknowledgment that my child was even in the room, who was quietly playing on the tile floor. Beckett looked up at him and went back to playing with a fisher-price phone, making pretend calls and talking to people. I was pleased he wasn't crying or screaming and that he was playing by himself so that I could talk with the Doctor about his testing and the results. Only about two sentences into his explanation of test results, Beckett ACCIDENTALLY drops the toy phone on the tile floor and it makes a loud noise.
THIS is where things go downhill pretty fast:
In reaction to the loud noise, Dr. "Rude" turns to my son, and in a stern, angry voice, says "STOP that!", and then, he turns to ME and says, "You need to make him STOP that! I have a TERRIBLE headache!"
This is the point where I turn into Julia Sugarbaker from Designing Women.....
Now, I've had my fair share of headaches, bad days, and times when I've been in a store and a child yells, or screams, or does something I think is aggravating. There have been times when I've wanted to ask the parent why they felt the need to bring a screaming toddler into a clothing store and let them run wild. Like I said, my child is FAR from perfect. He throws tantrums and can show his behind when he wants to......but this wasn't one of those times. He's also been know to throw things, but he didn't. He dropped the toy phone and that was all.
I also have to admit that before becoming a parent, I've always been impatient and lose my temper at times. (I know lots of you are nodding in agreement if you know me well....) I have bad days too and can get upset with my own child when he acts badly. That's what sets this experience aside from the others. He was doing nothing wrong. He was being a toddler and playing on a tile floor with toys that were placed there to keep them occupied.
I have never been so angry with a doctor before. I left my job early to bring my child in, who is suffering from allergic reactions, who hasn't had allergy meds in days, who was repeatedly poked and prodded and then asked to sit quietly while I talk with the doctor for 20 minutes? I don't know many children his age that wouldn't make some noise unintentionally.
I struggle every day with the fact that I might not be disciplining my child correctly. Usually, in situations where he doesn't know the people around him, he's quite shy. I find it very disheartening that there are so many doctors that have absolutely no bedside manner at all. That is why I love our pediatrician, Dr. Cope. He's taken care of Beckett since he's been born, never once laughed at me for bringing him in with a slight cold or made me think I was overreacting. He's talked over Beckett's crying, patted him on the leg, and asked for high fives to calm him down, all while B snubbed through crocodile tears.
Men like Dr. "Rude" should only be allowed to treat adults. No matter how large of a headache he had, it did not warrant his outburst at my child or myself.
I've never wanted to get up and flee an office so fast in my life. After I asked him if he had children (or grandchildren) of his own, and informed him of his rudeness and lack of bedside manner, I asked that he get on with our visit and quickly explain the results to me so that we could leave!
As he finished his explanations and questions, he then had the nerve to tell Beckett to pick up the two toys on the floor he had been playing with and put them away. Normally, I ask my child to put toys up he's been playing with, but not that day.....that day I picked him up and ran out of that office as fast as I could.....and proceeded to cry all the way home.
For those of you who I said good things about this allergist to, I revoke my recommendation!
Aaaaaaaand, if you don't know what I'm talking about with the Julia Sugarbaker reference, well, here's a little taste of one of her most famous rants on one of the BEST sitcoms on television!
Watching this just puts a big 'ole smile on my face!
Okay all you dinosaur phone users without Instagram, here's the week's roundup.
Last weekend, a friend of mine and I went to the Devine Street Sidewalk Sale and then to Coplon's for their 75% off sale. She's a fantastic shopper (you know, one of those gals that picks up something on a rack that you wouldn't normally try on, and waves it in front of you and tells you how the hanger doesn't do it justice and by the way, are you AWARE that it's MEGA on sale?) She's THAT type of shopping friend! I got lots of good deals and The Tory Burch shirt on the bottom row in the middle? Price tag was $325, marked down to $33!
Last weekend we went out to Cola's for my friend Kayleen's birthday. Unfortunately, I don't have a group shot of us together since her husband is the one who played photographer most of the night, but Cheers to you Anyway, Kay!
Drinky Drinky!
My old roomie, Christy came to town to go out for Kayleen's birthday as well! I miss this girl!
Lunch break shopping at Marshall's You can't beat this pepulum top for $14.99!
My mom snagged this chrome table from TJ Maxx for me while shopping with some friends. It's the perfect addition to the awkward corner in our half bath. Now, I'm on the hunt for the perfect small tray to top it off!
This is what my drive home looked like the majority of the week last week.
Some new and really old pairings for last week. I'm trying to revamp my wardrobe without spending a fortune! Pumps: Target Pencil Skirt: Target Yellow Cardi: Loft Clearance rack (recent) Cami: Limited (old) Bubble necklace: Amazon
More work attire for last week: Pumps: Target Peach Pants: Target Black and White top: Loft clearance rack Cardi: Target (old)
Beckett loves these light up toothbrushes. I've started turning the lights out when he brushes his teeth before bed. It's like a mini disco....
This kid loves to be read to, He'll even climb up on the sofa and look through the books himself!
I may never understand how toddlers can sleep in contorted positions like this!
One of my buys from the Devine Street Sale last weekend. I love this black and tan flowy shirt I got at Just The Thing
This weekend, we stayed at Folly for the PGA Championship. I almost cry everytime we leave the beach, especially this time, since it marks the end of summer.
Just look at those blues. I'm just so smitten with this little face!
Met up with my friend Lauren at the PGA on Sunday. We didn't watch much golf, but instead hung out at the Wannamaker Club in the shade and enjoyed eachother's company! It was too dang HOT!
Me and my hubby at the PGA Championship on Sunday.
I've got mega oily skin. Well, let me rephrase, I've got mega oily T zone skin, and after I hit 30, my skin is constantly changing. For the first time in my life, I've needed moisturizer. Some days my face is so greasy, you could fry chicken..... other days it's dry and I slather on the moisturizer. When I got married, a local cosmetics store introduced me to invisible shine powder. I loved it, but it was esssspensive! While in the drugstore recently, I saw Neutrogena shine control powder. $12.99 versus over $30+ for my old brand. Works like a charm, just like the $30+ version. Verdict: HIT!
This one is sort of a hit AND a miss. After hearing people talk La Croix up on blogs and Instagram, I thought I'd give it a go again (didn't much care for it the first time.) They had a coconut flavor....can't be bad, right? WRONG! Blech. I thought it was my taste buds, so I put the rest of the 12 pack in the fridge at my office and urged my coworkers to try it. Most of them poured it down the drain. My problem is the HINT of flavor. NOW......if you make a little mixture......
La Croix (as formerly referred to by myself as La Crap) mixed with your favorite Crystal Light flavor, instantly becomes fizzy-flavor-fantasticalness! I mixed the coconut La Croix with Citrus Crystal Light and I LOVED it. I'm actually running back today to grab another 12 pack. Verdict: Formerly a Miss--Now a HIT!
Maybelline Dream Fresh BB Cream I jumped on the BB cream bandwagon. If you have no idea what I'm talking about, you probably will soon. B.B. Creams label themselves as 'skin perfectors' Well, that sounds fantastic, right? Basically, B.B. creams are a mixture of a few beauty products rolled up into one cream.. Essentially a tinted moisturizer with added spf, most claim to hydrate, cover imperfections and leave skin looking flawless. If you have blemish free, dark-spot free skin already, this might be a great alternative to foundation. I saw a few reviews that Garnier's B.B. cream was too greasy (see above post, about my oily skin---THAT wasn't going to be purchased) but quite a reviews leaned towards Maybelline's new BB Cream to be a better alternative. I really do like it. It goes on smooth, and I now use it in place of my morning moisturizer. Verdict: HIT!
Revlon's new lip butters got very good reviews so I tried them out. Love! It's almost like a mixture of a lip balm and a lipstick, but without a heavy pigmented color. I love the Sugar Frosting shade. Verdict: Hit!
Anyone else tried any great new products (or restaurants, for that matter) lately?
Have a fantastic weekend!
I leave you all for a long, busy, weekend! Pictures and updates to come next week!
I'm a new mom who is obsessed with photography, interior design, d.i.y, and most of all, my family! Thanks for stopping by. Please leave us a comment or two. Much love, The McClarys
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