Project 52: Week 7

From the moment my daughter was born, I knew being just me wasn't good enough anymore.  If I was going to be the most influential woman in this little girl's life (as well as the little girl who came along after her), I was going to have to step it up a bit.  I was going to have to try to become a woman I would want my daughters to be one day.  A good wife.  A good mother.  Strong.  Healthy.  Happy.  A woman with the desire to be challenged and the ambition to accomplish something difficult.  A woman who makes her daughters proud.

I initially took up running as a way to shed those last few stubborn pounds of baby weight.  I started running in local races as a way to keep myself motivated to lace up more days a week than I didn't, and it's something fun (yes, I said fun!) my husband and I like to do together.  Racing satisfies my competitive nature, even if I'm mainly competing against myself (my husband runs like a Kenyan and there's no way I'll ever beat him!).  I just completed my first 14K, beating the hefty goal I set for myself by 18 seconds.  I'm running in my first half marathon next month, and I am so excited about this next challenge.  My daughters will be there to cheer me on, and as much as I want to achieve my personal goals for this race, I hope I can achieve my life-long goal of making my girls proud of me.

An oldie but goody...a tiny little Brynn putting on Mommy's shoes:

If you'd like to start your own Project 52:  Glimpse Into Motherhood, click on the link below:

Back on track

10 days.  It has honestly taken me 10 days since Ryan left to feel like I have any sort of energy after putting the girls to bed at night. I finally had it in me tonight to get to work on three little piggies for some cutie pies in Nawlins.  Perhaps my spark was fueled by (more than) a few Girl Scout cookies?  Regardless, I hope to be back at 110% once my partner in crime is back from his business trip!  One piggy down, two more to go.  Bear with me, Lori!  Ladies first!

Such a pretty little thing, just like the girl she's going to live with!  Large piggy banks like Hallie's can be purchased for $25.  Email me at karen.psimas@yahoo.com or message me on Facebook to place an order. 

My protege

With my husband being out of town for work this Valentine's Day, I figured it would be a quiet evening at home with my little ladies (whatever their definition of quiet is!).  However, a wonderful friend of mine invited the three of us over to share in their Valentine's Day celebration.  Heart-shaped pizzas, pink cupcakes, pink milk for the girls, "pink" wine for the grown-ups.  I offered to make cute little place cards for the pink table, and recruited Brynn to give me a hand.  She picked the paper for each place card, affixed the heart, and wrote the name on each.  I love how when she puts an extra loop on her N's by accident, she tells me, "That's fancy."  My heart swells with pride this Valentine's Day!

 (OK, so this isn't the actual table at my friend's house, but chances are I'll forget to bring my camera or remember to bring it and forget to take pictures once we're there.)

Happy Valentine's Day from Fancy Fonts!

Project 52: Week 6

I am incredibly spoiled.  My husband works pretty regular hours during the week, and when he's home with us on weekends, he wants to do nothing but play.  So when he told me he had to go away for two straight weeks for training for work, I felt like I got punched in the gut.  Then I got to thinking...

I thought about one of my best friends, who spent the better part of her 20s as a single mom, working full time, going to school part time to earn her Master's degree, all the while raising one of the most incredible little girls I've ever known.  I thought about my neighbor, whose husband was deployed with the Navy for 8 months this past year.  The girl did the work of both parents AND full time student, never asking for help and rarely accepting help when it was offered.  To say these women are amazing is a gross understatement.  

My Glimpse Into Motherhood this week is a glimpse into what a mere snippet of their experiences as mothers has been.  I know my husband is safe, and my time on my own with my girls is finite and brief in comparison to 8 months for the military wife...or 7 years for the single mom.  I can get through 2 weeks alone, and I'll get by with a little help from my friends.  Say hello to my little friends:

Having really cute and funny kids helps too though:

If you'd like to start your own Project 52: Glimpse Into Motherhood, click on the link below:

Flower power

I love Valentine's Day.  This hasn't always been the case, but considering I get to spend my days with the loves of my life, big and little, how could I not love it now?  Sure Hallmark may have a hand in the excess of the holiday, but when it comes down to it, we could all use a little reminder how much we are loved and how much love we have to give.  

So, in trying to keep Hallmark out of the Psimas Valentine's Day as much as possible, I decided to go the homemade route with the valentines for Brynn's pre-school class.  Trying to use whatever I already had in my house, I searched Family Fun magazine's website for a way to use the Dum Dums I bought in Target last week to quiet the beast - I mean Camryn - while I picked up a few things.  Combine these lovely lollipops with some scrapbook paper, and you've got yourself a cute little treat for all of your buds.  

Piggies and Plunging

So I originally thought the piggy banks I was making for my friend's twin nephews were going to be monkey-themed, but it turns out their crib bedding has Classic Pooh instead.  For whatever reason, I have made challenging myself a priority in 2011, so I saw this as a great opportunity to do just that.  Bring it on, Pooh and friends!  Starting with John's piggy:

John was the smaller of the twins, weighing just under 4 lbs. at birth.  I thought this quote from Winnie the Pooh was only fitting:

And now Luke's:

Another fitting quote for a twin:

I really enjoyed making these banks for two adorable little guys who were born at only 31 weeks.  They should be big and strong enough to go home this week...good luck, Mommy and Daddy!

Large piggy banks like John and Luke's can be purchased for $25 each.  Medium and small piggy banks are also available for $15 and $5, respectively.  Email me at karen.psimas@yahoo.com or message me on Facebook to place an order.

At the beginning of the year, I decided that every penny I earned until the Polar Plunge on February 5th would go toward my fundraising efforts for Special Olympics Virginia.  I needed $100 to plunge, and I'm excited to say that $75 of it came straight from Fancy Fonts purchases!  In honor of this fundraising effort, our costume theme for this year's Polar Plunge was "fancy," and one could interpret that however one pleased.  Unfortunately, the only picture of myself is with my husband, who would divorce me in a second if I showed his costume on the internet.  If I get a picture that does not include Ryan Boitano, I'll be sure to post it.  I can, however, post the following pictures of my Fancywork:

 Kevin's idea of Fancy was a painted-on tuxedo.  I did not particularly enjoy painting over my brother's nipples or inside his belly button.

Brynn got her hands on my fancy headband, which completed my flapper ensemble.  Looks way better on her!

Project 52: Week 5

I believe a big part of motherhood is celebrating the little triumphs we have every day.  The four year old read her first word.  The 17 month old ate her entire container of applesauce all by herself using only her spoon.  Some days you really have to think about what was triumphant, but I assure you, there was something.

Last week was rough.  I mean, roooooooooough!  The weather was crap, my husband was stuck working late every day, I babysat an extra day, little one decided she didn't have to take a nap Wednesday.  Or Thursday.  Or Friday.  I was feeling extra cranky because all of these factors combined meant I didn't get to sweat out my stress with a run or naptime date with Tony Horton.  It was a week where by Friday evening, anyone in their right mind would have thrown in the towel and ordered a pizza.  Being the budget-conscious wife and mother I have become, pizza was not an option.  What better way to feel triumphant than to have a beautiful dinner on the table when the Mr. got home?  I give you Friday's triumph, tortellini primavera!

If you'd like to start your own Project 52:  Glimpse into Motherhood, click on the link below.