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Growing. Incessantly.

Every once in a while, I catch a glimpse of Sam and it’s almost like I don’t recognize him.

In my mind, he looks like this.

A little boy with a bowling ball for a head. There were times we’d worry that he would actually never develop a neck.

But I must have blinked or something, because now he looks like this.

His face thinned out and his features turning sharper. He looks so old. I’ve learned from his sister, though, that even though he looks to me like he is so grown up at four, he’ll keep growing and before long I’ll be looking back wistfully at the little four year old I once knew… who is now a teenage boy.

Um, now that I think about it, a teenage boy does not seem that appealing. I’d like to keep my sweet four year old, if that’s cool. Remind me again where the pause button is?

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Who are you and what have you done with Jenny?

I really do not know WHAT has come over me, but when I was talking with my team from work about making Halloween costumes from some of our clients’ products, I was like, “You know, I think I could do a few of those.”

As you know if you’ve read this blog for awhile, I have not a crafty bone in my body. Emily’s the more crafty cousin and has made Kate’s costumes in the past. Anna, the third SuperCousin, practically LIVES at Hobby Lobby, but I am allergic to it.  As a matter of fact, I recently went to Hobby Lobby to look for magnets for Sophie’s hair bow board (which I guess I also crafted, but not really) and I pretty much had a panic attack. I walked out with a sweaty brow, a racing heartbeat, and empty hands. Have you been in there? THAT PLACE is TERRIFYING! Seriously!! I hope I never have to go in there again.

But anyhoo, after a trip to the DOLLAR TREE (much more my speed), I realized I could easily accessorize some Girls Crochet Headands products and make Sophie a couple of costume options for Halloween.

And I FREAKING DID IT! Amazeballs, right??

Here is Sophie as a clown:

And here she is as an Angry Bird (which is the one she chose to actually wear for trick-or-treat):

Girls Crochet Headbands liked my efforts so much they dedicated two blog posts to the tutorials. I hope you’ll check them out; the clown one is here and the Angry Bird is here, or you can find them both on our Happy Halloween Pinterest board.

And to give credit where credit is due, Cortney made the Angry Birds mask; it was left over from her son’s birthday party, but I *do* think I could’ve done it myself.

Anycrap, after I finished these I proudly texted photos of them to Emily and Cortney, and wouldn’t you know, they both had the SAME reaction!

O she of little faith!

Clearly, I can’t get no respect!  And also, the real me *may* have been abducted by aliens and replaced with this costume-crafting “fun mom”! But really, I surprised myself with these. They were just TOO easy. If I can do it, anyone can, fer the realz. So, head on over to the links above and check out the tutorials!

Now I just have to get Joshua’s costume figured out. He is definitely NOT wearing a tutu! Are your kids obsessed with Halloween yet?  What are they planning to be for trick-or-treat?

 

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It’s September – Let’s Talk about Your Ovaries

So, I’m sure for the last 21 days you’ve been all “It’s September, when is Emily going to start talking about ovaries??” Well, fortunately for you, that time has come.

In case you don’t know what I’m talking about and think I’ve completely lost it, September is Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month. It’s a cause that is important to me and Jenny, and we like to talk about it – a lot – because we want everyone to be aware and know the signs and symptoms of this craptastic disease.

Here’s a little info-graphic from the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund:

In case you were wondering, the awareness color for ovarian cancer is teal. I currently have my nails painted teal, which is great because as I was doing a little teal shopping online this week I discovered that it’s ALSO the color for Obsessive Compulsive Disorder awareness. SO convenient that I can support two causes that impact me at once!

But seriously, though, I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – know the signs and symptoms!

Signs & Symptoms
• Bloating
• Pelvic and/or abdominal pain
• Difficulty eating or feeling full quickly
• Urinary symptoms (urgency or frequency)

Risk Factors
• Increasing age, with highest occurrence in women over 50
• Family or personal history of ovarian, breast, endometrial, or colon cancer
• Uninterrupted ovulation (having no pregnancies, infertility, low parity)
• Presence of gene mutations, especially BRCA 1 or BRCA 2

Prevention & Risk Reduction
• Use of oral contraceptives for more than five years can reduce your risk by approximately 50%
• Multiple pregnancies, having first full-term pregnancy before the age of 25
• Breastfeeding

Until next September (or the next time I harp at you, whichever comes first), I will leave you with this – a bit of wisdom from one of America’s great music legends… Debbie Gibson. You’re welcome. (And if you’d like to join me in my minivan today, we can rock out to Electric Youth together.) (nope, not even kidding.)

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