Update: I'm getting married

Oh hey everyone! It's been so long since I've posted, and there have been so many things going on. I've just passed the year anniversary of being with my company. I'm so thankful to have a job that I enjoy, I'm good at, and that pays well.




Clara is growing and thriving! She's 2 1/2 years old, and you wouldn't believe how much she's talking. Maybe I'm just saying this because I'm her mother, but she is seriously the smartest kid I know. She's observant, well-mannered, and funny. She's running and playing. Climbing ladders and obstacles at the park and going down the slide a bajillion times. Her vocabulary has exploded. I love her more and more with each day that passes.
We gave up the pacifier about a month ago, and we're currently tackling potty training. She's such a joy and I couldn't be more proud to be her mama.



 In other news, I've met the love of my life! After Clara's Dad, I wasn't sure I would find someone. Kevin and I met in March through a mutual friend. We got to know each other better, and after dating for a while, I moved in with him. That was about 4 months ago. Things haven't been perfect, but that's how I know it's real. I laugh with him more than anyone. He's so sweet with Clara and loves her as his own. Clara loves him as well. If you ask her, he's HER Kev. :)  He's the sweetest, kindest, most patient man I know. Yes, we argue. But we get through it. We talk it out until its resolved.

 We've been through lots of ups and downs these past few months, and I can say with complete confidence that I'm going to spend my life loving this man. He gives me more than I ask for, and then some. I can see every time that he looks at me that I am loved.

About 3 weeks ago, Kevin proposed. It was the second best day of my life. :) The best part? I get the world's cutest step son, Jake. :) He and Clara get along so well. They're only 8 months apart in age and I wouldn't have it any other way.




Kevin and I will be eloping soon! Obviously, I'm not telling where or when, but I'm ecstatic to be his wife, and you'd better believe that I'll be writing a post about it when it's all said and done.

Hi. Hello.

I haven't posted since Janurary!? Say what!? That's ridiculous. Five months of ridiculous. I've missed the blog, but I've been so busy. Here's a recap of what's been going on lately...

I was working from home a day per week, and driving 120 miles a day the other four days. Finally, in March, I moved! I live in Grand Rapids, MI now, and I can say I prefer city living to the country life. I moved in with a co-worker. She has a three-year-old little girl, which has been great to Clara. They have grown to love (and fight) like sisters. The best part about this move, is now I'm only about 25 minutes away from work instead of an hour away. I have an in-home nanny now, which is awesome. And she is wonderful.
The worst part is that there are two (yes, two!) Target stores within 10 minutes of my house. It's kind of the best part, too. But my checkbook doesn't think so.

At the end of March, Clara turned TWO! And believe me, we've hit the sassy terrible twos. I don't like them. However, it is really cool to see Clara grow into her own personality. Her language development has grown in leaps and bounds. She loves playing at the park, being a "mama" to her "babies", water...playing in it, drinking it, walking through it... anything! She's extremely empathetic and caring. We've half-attempted potty training with no success... I just don't think she's completely ready yet. I moved Clara into a big-girl bed when she started climbing out of her crib. It made bedtime much more of a chore, so we switched back to the crib and she stayed put.

Work is going wonderfully. I've hit my stride this spring, and I feel very lucky to be doing so well. Working out has been going awesome as well. I've been faithfully sticking to a training schedule, and it's paying off. Slowly, mind you. But still worth it.
On June 22nd, I'm doing my first race in 3 years. I'm nervous, but looking forward to it at the same time.

It has been almost 7 months since Clara's dad and I ended things. And I've recently started to feel ready. For what? I'm not sure. But I will nervously admit that I have a guy now. Boyfriend? Significant other? Whatever terminology you want to use, please fill in. But he's great. Great for Clara, and wonderful for me. It's been a tough road. It's never easy to get over betrayal in a relationship, and move on without difficulty. I have trust issues. I have walls up. But he's slowly bringing them down. I'm starting to trust again. So we'll see how this goes. :) Stay tuned!

Making Changes

Well, the past year has been very trying for me. For my family. Lots of things have happened. Both good and bad. I'm making a true, full-hearted effort for 2013.

This is going to be a good year.

The week of January we've had thus far has been very trying. It's been a struggle to be the bigger person in situations where I want to be petty. To rise above the (excuse my french) shit that sometimes surrounds me, and to know that I'm better. I deserve more. And I'm not going to settle for any less.

I've never been a person to make resolutions. If I'm really motivated to do something, I do it. Regardless of whether  it's January 1st or July 15th. But seeing as this year is full of changes. I'm going to change. After all, if you do what you've always done, you'll get what you've always got. Therefore, it's time to do something different.

It's been no secret that I've been trying to lose weight since I was about 11. I've never been that girl. And I want to be her. I want to be the girl who's in shape. Who takes care of herself, and it shows. So here we go. I've lost 11 lbs since Christmas. Not a lot. Mostly, due to being sick. But I'm sick of starting over. And you can't start over if you don't quit. My plans have to be realistic. Clara is already in daycare 11 hours a day. And I refuse to sacrifice her waking hours for gym time. I'll be making life style changes. Walking/running every day. Without excuse. Even if I don't feel like a run, I have to walk. And walks normally turn into runs. So I'm fine with it.

I finished a cycle of P90X in October, and it's time I do another. So, every night after Clara goes to bed, it's P90X time. Every morning will be walk/run time. As the weather gets warmer, I can add in more outdoor activities.

I don't expect to be beach  ready this summer. But I'd like to be comfortable. I'd like to wear a tank top or short sleeves without feeling the need to wear a sweater. I'd like to wear shorts for the first time in 3 years. But maybe, just maybe, I'll be ready next summer.

This somehow turned into a "weight-loss" post. Which wasn't my intention. It stems from the new world that I'm about to experience as dating as a single mother. Clara's Dad and I have made our last attempt at making things work, and we've realized that it's not going to. (That's all I'm saying about that, so don't even ask.)

I'm not ready to get out there yet. My heart needs to heal. I need to figure out how to fit another person into my schedule. When Clara, and working 11 hours a day take priority, there's little time left over to meet anyone. Much less try to have a relationship. But I'm looking forward. I'm seeing the possibilities that exist. I'm considering. And I'm taking it slow. I'm getting used to the idea of having someone else in my life, in Clara's life, besides her Dad. And that's hard. I never pictured growing old with anyone but him. But I'm trying.

And I think that's the real theme for 2013. Trying. Trying for happy. Doing things differently then I ever have before. It will be hard. I will fail over and over. But I will learn. And I will be better for it.

Here we go. :-)

A Happy Xmas Gift

Hello, all. I've been slacking on the posting, I know. But in my defense, I've tried. I keep sitting down to write a post, and cannot think of anything worthy. It's pretty much the same old same old over here. The usual me working all the time and spending as much time with my little peanut as possible.

Clara is growing all the time, as children tend to do...

List of recent accomplishments:
-talking a little more. Mom. Mama. Dada. Mickey and Minnie. Dora. Boots. Shoes. Juice. Cup. Ball. Dog. Kitty. Pee-pee. Poo-poo. (especially entertaining).
-Enjoying "reading" more. She has her favorite books. Even follows along with the words with her finger as I read them.
 -Drawing. I credit this mainly to her Dad, and his love of drawing. She even holds a pen correctly. Pens are her favorite drawing implement. She can even draw (and kind of say) the letter "a".
 -Walking. Running. Going up and down the stairs quickly and with ease. Rough housing. Playing games. Climbing.
-She's very good at sharing, loving, and caring. She has a deep love for animals, and I can't wait until she's old enough for her first pet. (Don't worry, it's a long way off yet). This summer, I see many trips to the beach, the zoo, and the park. As many as my work schedule will allow.

 She's turning into an even more sweet and intelligent young lady. I'm a proud mama, to say the least. To be responsible for even a little of her upbringing, and seeing what a sweet, empathetic little girl she is quite the accomplishment for me. :-)

So, onto the main event!

I've been wanting to make a play kitchen for Clara since before her first birthday. My plan was obviously an idea off of Pinterest. I wanted to turn an old entertainment stand/cabinet into a kitchen. Much like this:

I over-estimated my ability for such a project. Especially since I have no tools.

I had thought about buying a new one, but at $100-$300 for the ones I wanted, it wasn't an option. Lucky me, I ended up finding this beauty on Craigslist a few weeks ago:

I had already pulled the door off when I decided I should take a before picture.

I had debating on just leaving it as is. But, of course, I have to be "creative" and take on yet another project in my busy schedule. So while Clara was with her Dad the weekend before xmas, I bought paint and spent three days on this thing. I bought spray-paint primer, not thinking about the fact that it was too cold to use it outside. So, I ended up painting about 8-9 coats. I've never been happier to finish a project. And I think it turned out pretty well. :)

I promise, she was much more excited when she opened it.

  

Thanks for reading! I've missed your comments!

30 Days of Clothes

Immediate disclaimer: I am in no way a fashionista. No one who knows me would call me fashion-forward. However, I'm challenging myself to TRY to look nice for work. Therefore, the 30 Days of Clothes challenge has begun. If you would like to join me in this challenge, please head over to instagram and follow me! If you join in the challenge, please use the hashtag #30daysofclothes.

@frombean2baby

I won't be posting any pictures on the blog... I'm too self conscious. But here's a sample of what you can expect daily, Monday-Friday, on instagram. Also, be prepared for lots of riding boots. I am in love.

Friday: Things I've Found This Week

Once upon a time, back when I had more free time, and blogged more often, this post seemed to be a favorite. And how could I deny a favorite!? Here we go again, enjoy!

This will be quite the hodge podge of random things, since I've built  up a lot of enjoyable and interesting things to show you in the last four months! Please feel free to comment. Actually, I really really think you should comment. Give me your feedback! It will help me to continue posting stuff you like and quit posting stuff you don't!

Also, if you read the blog regularly, or just enjoy some of my posts, or maybe you just think I have an adorable baby, do us a favor and click the big blue button at the bottom and vote for us on TopBabyBlogs.com. It's how we can get out there and get more readers! Thanks!


1.  99 Things You Should Have Experienced on the Internet!- This is debatable. The only way you could have experienced all 99, is if all you do is stumble-upon things all day. Oh, wait. That's what I do.... Some things on this list are enjoyable, but some are just plain dumb. Maybe you'll like them, no judgement if you do.

2. Mitch Hedberg Quotes- Because he's funny. For a drug-induced comedian. Who am I kidding? I love him. I remember sitting in a High School class with Val Huisman, going back and forth with these quotes and hysterically laughing. I digress...

3. 20 Creative Guest Book Ideas for Your Wedding- Because, you know, I'm totally about to get married. No, not at all. But I'm wedding-obsessed, despite my clear and obvious fear of commitment. This just goes to show you how out-of-sorts this post is going to continue to be. Anyways, the ideas are cute, so enjoy.

4. 50 Things Everyone Should Know How To Do- Because I agree everyone should know how to build a fire, win a street fight, and tell a great story, because you'll never know if you'll be chosen for the hunger games this year, and those skills are important.

5. Interesting Unknown Facts- Because, as you know, everything you read on the internet is true. So, fill up on that knowledge, people!

6. 10 Cool Kid's Halloween Costume Ideas- Some really creative ideas here. I love the idea of dressing a kid as the little old man from Up. Hint-hint Ashley Griffin! Personally, I really want to dress Clara up as Harry Potter. Is that so wrong?

7. Life After College Road Map Infographic- Who doesn't love a good infographic? Amiright? Wish I would have had this after college. Too bad, cuz I'm still living with my mom. Enjoy!

8. 7 Things Every Parent Should Discuss with Their Child and 3 Things They Shouldn't- I completely agree with this. Although, I think kids should know about money, that you have to work for it, that it doesn't grow on trees and such, but they should never know that the family is facing financial hardship. I'm not saying you should spoil them so that you have no idea, but don't put money-stress on them. They'll have enough of that when they grow up. Just let them be kids a little while longer. I also think you should add body-image to the list. Your kid should never hear the words "I'm fat". Just make healthy decisions for the whole family.

9. 25 Ways to Talk so Children Will Listen- I don't know a single parent who doesn't wish their kid will listen a little better. I think these tips are fantastic. The one that makes the biggest difference with Clara, is getting down to her level, and staying positive. The second she hears "no", she tunes out and runs in the opposite direction.

10. 500 Things to do With Your Kids Besides Watching TV- I know that I'm going to struggle this winter to not let Clara watch TV so much. During the warmer months, we're outside all the time. And not always by my choice, but by hers. She LOVES the outdoors. Anytime she sees a pair of her shoes, or hears a door open and close, it's like she remembers that there's a world outside. I love the list of indoor activities, and I know I'll get good use of this list in the coming months.


Don't forget to vote for us on TopBabyBlogs.com by clicking that big blue button down below, and stay tuned for a VERY overdue iPhone photo dump on Monday or Tuesday! Happy Friday!

Car Seat Giveaway!

I LOVE this blog. And by love, I mean I stalk it obsessively. Ok, not really. But Elena is great, and her little family is the most adorable thing I've seen yet. Along with being a super mom, Elena does product reviews on items she really believes in, and does several giveaways! Not only are her reviews informative, but they're extremely thorough, including pictures of her adorable little Alexis!

This week, it's an awesome car seat from Maxi-Cosi! Head on over and read her review and enter to win!