Project 52: Week 52

I cannot believe this is the last Project 52 post of 2011.  Some posts basically wrote themselves, while others forced me to sit and think, write and rewrite.  Either way, I enjoyed writing each and every one, and I hope to compile them all into a digital album or something of the sort so I can share them with my girls in the future.  By the way, anyone know how to do that?  I plan to continue my weekly mommy posts into 2012, and I'd love to get feedback from my readers...comments, ideas, tips, etc.  We're all in this together, ladies!

With Christmas just coming and going, this week's post was kind of a no brainer.  I think this may have been the best Christmas ever...well, the best one in my adult life and recent memory, at least!  We had brunch on Christmas Eve with my parents and my older brother and his family:

Kids' table

Brunch was followed by naps and Christmas Eve dinner with a plethora of Psimases (and many, many honorary Psimases).  I tried to get a nice picture of my girls in front of our Christmas tree wearing their pretty dresses, but Brynn was mad I wouldn't give her gum and assumed her "you're-the-worst-mom-in-the-world" position.  Camryn does whatever Brynn does, so she followed suit:

Christmas, gangsta style

The girls spent about and hour and a half opening their presents on Christmas morning, and it wasn't until after I cleaned up all the wrapping paper and made myself some coffee that I realized Ryan and I still had our own presents to open.  That's how you know you already have everything you need, wouldn't you say?  Here's some of the clearer shots I was able to capture...those kids move fast!

As if we needed more lawn ornaments 

Digging in

The $8 backpack might be Camryn's favorite gift 

The ridiculously cute dollhouse Santa brought for the girls to share.  So far, so good...as long as Camryn doesn't try to play with the blue baby.

We rounded out Christmas Day with an open house at Ryan's brother's house, where we opened presents with Ryan's family.  After we got home, we had some chili with our neighbors (and Brynn's BFF), who will be moving out of state in a few weeks.  Such an awesome Christmas.

Now I thought I'd spend Brynn's Christmas vacation being out and about, going from one playdate to the next, but I decided to go in a different direction:

Yup.  Taking on the task of potty training Camryn.  And you thought you had a holiday hangover!  Let's just say that at the end of Day 2, I'm glad I don't have to be anywhere for the next eight days!  Perhaps a bit of foreshadowing of Project 52:  Week 1?

If you'd like to participate in your own Project 52 in 2012, click on the link below:

There are some guidelines to follow if you want to submit your posts to be shared on www.simplymodernmom.com, but it's totally worth doing just for yourself.  Make it your own and enjoy putting your memories in writing and looking back at them weeks or months later.  How could you possibly regret it?

Project 52: Week 51

While my husband hasn't been with his company long enough to have oodles of paid time off, he does get this thing called a "Fun and Laughter Day" every year.  Basically, he gets an extra day off each year that doesn't count against his regular vacation days, AND the company reimburses him $100 of whatever he spends that day.  The only catch is that whatever they pay for has to invoke fun and laughter.  Um, done!  So after Brynn's adorable Christmas program at school, the four of us hit the lanes for the first ever Psimas Family bowling outing:

How stinkin' cute are they in their little bowling shoes?!  Camryn was more than a little disappointed when she learned we couldn't keep them. 

Brynn has stated in the past that she "only likes not heavy things," so she had no interest in rolling even the lightest bowling ball through her legs.  These ramps proved to be critical to our fun and laughter. 

We still had money to burn after two games of bowling, so we moved on to our favorite Italian restaurant where both kids are known to eat every morsel of pizza off their plates.  We ate like kings (and queens and princesses):

And the girls were on their best behavior, despite a really long day of being on the go:

We detoured through some neighborhoods to check out some Christmas lights on our way home.  Our bellies were full of delicious food, and our day was full of fun and laughter.  Thanks, Ryan's company!

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

Another year over...

I cannot thank my Fancy Fans, near and far, enough for helping me end 2011 on such a great note.  After having a very busy fall with the popularity of my posh pumpkins, I was really looking forward to the holiday season and the fun new ornaments I would get to make...all 170 of them!  Thanks to you, Special Olympics Virginia will receive $85 of Fancy Fonts proceeds during the 2012 Polar Plunge.  My fundraising goal through ornament sales was $50, so exceeding that goal by 70% feels pretty darn Fancy!!!  


Many of you have asked that I don't post pictures of the ornaments you've ordered, as the recipients are Fancy Fans as well.  I don't want to spoil any surprises, but here are a few I can share with you:


For the dog lover

For a couple who got engaged in Ireland this year

A sandy Scottie dog

Let's go Wolves!  Yay Three Oaks Elementary!

For your favorite Mary Kay consultant

Christmas cookie party favors

Let's Go Monarchs!

For the Starbucks enthusiast

For the Joneses (whose children I try my best to keep up with!)

In honor of a beloved doggy lost this year

I'm taking this week to Fancy up my own Christmas, so I will not be able to fill any more holiday orders this year.  After the holidays, I will be searching far and wide for new products to offer in 2012...suggestions welcome!  In the meantime, 

Happy Holidays!
~Karen

Project 52: Week 50

It seems like lately, I've had a lot of challenges to discuss with my fellow warriors of motherhood.  The antics of the 2 year old.  The sass of the 5 year old.  Finding time to manage a household while also running the one man show that is Fancy Fonts.  When summer ended, the circus began, and I've been the juggling act ever since.  I've certainly dropped the ball when it comes to keeping house, but I could care less.  If I have to live among a mess to make my kids' happiness a priority, so be it.  And while this stay-at-home mom gig I have can be terribly thankless, I'm frequently rewarded with little moments of sweetness from my girls, and it's all the pat on the back I need to keep on keepin' on.  

Like so many others before him, this bird flew a kamikaze mission straight into the 2nd floor window of Camryn's bedroom, plummeting to the deck below.  He lay dazed for a while, but finally got up to his feet.  Brynn tried to nurse him back to health by feeding him this stick, and she kept coming back to check on him every few minutes.  The look of concern on her face was priceless.  

While an actual man dressed as Santa will send Camryn running for the hills, she loves this little one who shakes his bum to "Jingle Bell Rock."  She choreographed her own routine to the song, and finished with a kiss.

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

  

Project 52: Week 49

A bit late getting this out there, but better late than never, right?  I can't start slacking now...there's only 3 weeks to go!  Have no fear, though...I think this is a weekly post I'd like to continue after the ball drops.  

This week's glimpse is from an impromptu Christmas cookie baking session with Brynn, my mom, and Meghan.  My mom can bake her @$$ off, and I like to think I can hold my own when given flour, sugar, eggs, and butter.  Unfortunately, I've also inherited the Grove sweet tooth, so I had to leave the fruits of our labor at my mom's if I wanted my jeggings to fit through the holidays!  I think I smell an annual tradition...

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

Especially Special

Luckily, the weather has been very mild so far this fall, so the feeling of dread over the Polar Plunge hasn't quite set in yet.  However, it IS time to start thinking about our favorite fundraiser, which means it's time to start raising funds for Special Olympics Virginia!  

As you may remember, my fellow plungers and I come up with a theme for each year's plunge.  Since the beginning of the theme concept, we've done Mardi Gras, Super Bowl, Jersey Shore, and Fancy (can't imagine where that idea came from!).  Here's a peak at last year's costumes:

Fancy Formalwear

Brynn didn't take the plunge, but she was kind enough to model my Fancy flapper headpiece.


While I will not be sharing the theme for Polar Plunge 2012 just yet, I would like to announce that Fancy Fonts will be donating 50 cents of every ornament sold this holiday season to Special Olympics Virginia!  Between what's been sold already and what I have in the works, I'm up to $50 so far!  Think we can get to $100 from ornament sales alone?  If you've already finished your Christmas shopping but still would like to donate or join my Polar Plunge team, go to my secure fundraising page and follow the instructions.  Fancy Fonts is also pleased to announce we will be extending the whole "buy 4 ornaments, get 1 small ornament free" policy through Christmas as well.  Order away and get Fancy for the cause!  


In case you missed the announcement on Facebook on Tuesday, the last day I will ship any holiday orders is Wednesday, December 14th (if you've seen Camryn's behavior as of late, you will completely understand!).  My current turn around time is at least 1 week, so get those shipping orders in ASAP!  Also, the last day I will take any holiday orders is Sunday, December 18th.  My little windows of Fancy time are filling up, so get your orders in soon!


Email me at karen.psimas@yahoo.com or find me on Facebook to place an order.  

Project 52: Week 48

During one of Camryn's major meltdowns over God knows what, I looked at Ryan and said, "I don't remember Brynn's terrible two's being THIS terrible!"  Maybe they were and I've just blocked them out, or maybe I simply can't remember because I was pregnant with Camryn when Brynn was 2.  This past week in particular, whether it's due to us traveling for Thanksgiving or just an extra fun case of the Terribles, Camryn has been off her rocker.  She's defiant, loud, moody...and absolutely hilarious.  It's to the point where I want to set up a hidden camera to catch all her antics (and interpretive dance moves) because she stops the second she sees the camera out and asks "Can I see?"  Meghan was able to capture this moment with her camera, which pretty much sums up Camryn right now:

Mind you, as she's looking over my shoulder while I compose this post, Camryn is yelling "MY headband!" at her own picture.  Yup.  

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

 

Where the wild things are

When my friend asked me to do a piggy bank for a little boy who had a zebra striped valance over the window in his bedroom, I got just a little excited.  Ok, a lot excited.  I had been wanting to make a piggy bank that was nothing but zebra stripes, and this was the perfect opportunity to do it.  Thankfully, Michelle trusted my zany zebra idea and let me use her as the guinea pig!  I'm in love with crazy Cole, and apparently I'm not the only one...Rachael loved it so much, she ordered one for herself!  Take a look:

Shortly after I finished Cole's zebra...I mean piggy...my newest Fancy Fanatic Todd asked if I could make an entire piggy bank with a giraffe print.  YES!!!  I learned from the zebra piggy that these animal prints use up way too much of my paint pens, so I wised up and bought some actual paint for the giraffe piggy.  A new endeavor for Fancy Fonts, I give you my first piggy done with paints and an actual paint brush:

Any other animals you want to see in the Fancy Zoo?  Large piggy banks like Cole's and Colton's can be purchased for $25, and medium piggies are available for $15.  Email me at karen.psimas@yahoo.com or find me on Facebook to place an order.

Project 52: Week 47

"Don't you know turkey induces labor?" my doctor told me when I went to the hospital the day after Thanksgiving in 2006.  Hardy har har.  Brynn wasn't due for another nine days, but after a false alarm the day before Thanksgiving and quietly laboring through my turkey and mashed potatoes, I was ready to meet my first born.  So while the world was in a frenzy over Black Friday deals and steals, I was hee-hee-hooing through contractions with nothing on tv but "Saved by the Bell" reruns.  Sorry, but Screech doesn't exactly make for a good focal point when you're in the worst pain of your life...just sayin.

I would say within days of Brynn's birth, I realized that every few years, her birthday would fall on Thanksgiving.  I mustered up what few brain cells this new mom was left with and calculated that 2011 would be the first time Brynn's birthday and Thanksgiving would coincide.  A whiz with numbers, I figured she'd be 5 years old in 2011, and what better way to spend a little girl's fifth birthday than to go to New York and see the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade?  I made a promise to my little nugget that we would do just that, and I'm happy to report I made good on my promise...which is why I'm a little late with this post.

Such a trooper...up at 5am to take the subway in from Brooklyn

Spongebob was Brynn's favorite balloon 

Kung Fu Panda was mine 

Gotta love the classics...poor Snoopy was a bit weathered and worn! 

Spiderman was pretty impressive 

Psimas self portrait (shhhh...don't tell Ryan he's on here!)

I know I'll never forget celebrating Brynn's 5th birthday in grand fashion...hopefully she doesn't either!  Now I'm wondering if we've set the bar too high for Camryn...

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

Fancy Fonts by Brynn Psimas

This weekend, we celebrated Brynn's 5th birthday a little early with her friends and family.  Being that Brynn isn't into princesses and fairies and also has quite a few cousins and friends who are boys, I tried to keep the party theme pretty neutral so everyone would have a good time.  The final decision was pancakes and pajamas!  Brynn was instrumental in the party prep, helping me with everything from goody bag assembly to writing on buffet cards and making brownies.  Love that my girl loves to be Fancy too!  Here are a few pics from the celebration:

The spread (after party goers dug in!) 

Plain pancakes...there were no pumpkin pancakes left whatsoever!

"Bacon and eggs" - pretzel sticks, white chocolate candy melt, yellow M&Ms

Mmmm mmmm good!

The kids all helped illustrate a bedtime story for Brynn...this was the cover.

The birthday girl kept it simple with brownies and ice cream

Pajama party favors - milk, cookies, and slipper socks

We had a blast celebrating our soon-to-be 5 year old!  Thanks to all of Brynn's family and friends who helped make her party so much fun!