Holiday in Ohio

So we've been without kids for eight days.  Eight days.  We didn't work six of those eight days.  We've had a lot of fun. We've argued. We've slept in, stayed up late, and drank way too much. We've spent time with friends and family and most importantly each other.  It's been a great few days. 

I miss my kids.

The house is quiet. It's clean. I haven't heard "mama" in excess of fifty times a day.  Little people have such a big presence.  It's really quite amazing. 

In two weeks when we're back to kids, jobs, businesses, sports, dance, and preschool, I will repeat...I missed my kids.

Mural my neighbor's 18-year old daughter painted! My girls don't know about it yet!

 The cousins.

A few things

A few things about me: I love my family, my kids, and my husband! I value education and hard work. I like working and making a positive impact on my company and my community.  I like to volunteer. I'm a tree-hugging, avocado-to-the-hair hippie, a naturalist and an environmentalist.  A new thing to my list: I'm an entrepreneur.  My two new businesses allow to me combine the things I love.

After following this blog for the last couple of years, I invite you to check out business number 2: Arbonne!

It. Is. Amazing!!!! Arbonne is a fantastic line of all-natural, vegan-certified, botanically-based, and paraben-free hair care, skincare, cosmetics and nutrition products. It's where the professional me meets the hippie me.  Because I love this product so much, I decided to start selling Arbonne.  I think you will too. Check out my site:  www.weidnerarbonne.myarbonne.com.  Email me with any questions! I have some amazing deals too!

Now back to college football.  I also love college football.  MIZZOU! BUCKEYES!

Best College Football Saturday EVER

Oh my goodness!  What a day!  Friends. Family. Football.  And the craziest games. Friends and family gathered at the W house to watch the OSU/Michigan game. Pizza, chicken wings, face painting, Bloody Marys, mimosas, and laughter filled our house from 10:30 until about 4 p.m. Then we geared up again to watch the Missouri game.  Somewhere in there we watched the ultra-exciting Auburn/Alabama game.  What. A. Day!

The kiddos and me!  Go Buckeyes! (And Mizzou!)

Pic from the balcony!

 The great group of people who were a part of our exciting college football Saturday!

Pretty good kids here!

Michigan scores with just seconds left in the game!

My Michigan sign...Didn't want our three Wolverine fans to feel left out!

 

Thanksgiving was pretty good too.  We traveled to Pittsburgh to spend the day with my cousin and his family and in-laws.  Four courses, homemade Italian wedding soup and pasta, and the traditional Thanksgiving fixins', and a very welcoming set of in-laws once removed, made for a fun Thanksgiving.  God bless anyone not directly related and that accepts the five Ws into their home! However, the host did keep my family of five and my cousin's family of five in our own corner of the kitchen, divided by a hallway and wall, away from the rest of the group...coincidence?!?!  Ha...j/k.

 

Scott teaching Jackson to be Scott.

The next generation!

Six of the ten of us who invaded Thansgiving!

Our own little room!

 

 

Party Time in the W Household

There's something about Scott and me that screams "We like to act like we're 22, stay up all night, play drinking games, and act foolish even though we're in our 30s, so be our friends."  Just something.  It's a fun something.  Scott and I are blessed with great friends! And those great friends like to P.A.R.T.Y.  We've lived in Columbia, Missouri, Lexington, South Carolina, Columbus, Ohio and now Green, Ohio and we seem to befriend great people.  We are both still connected to childhood friends and friends from each city in which we've lived.  Last night, we had the opportunity to hang out with some new Green, Ohio friends.  These friends were just like our STL, Columbia, MO, Lexington, and Columbus, Ohio friends:  Fun, wild, oblivious of their age, and welcoming.  Good times.

Oh and there is this gem:  Me dancing with the Stay Puft Marshmellow Man: 

We have been in party mode in the W household the past few weeks.  Birthdays, anniversaries, new businesses, and Halloween are great causes for parties and all fall in October/November.  The parties continue into November for Scott's 40th bday and the OSU v. Michigan game.  We LOVE entertaining and having a great time with friends and family.  My kids are going to think life is one big party!

Love Construction finally finished the upstairs flooring project.  OMGoodness!  Never. Never. Ever. EVER refinish wood floors by yourself.  The floors look great, but sheesh!  It took us three weeks, two different sanders, hundreds of dollars in sand paper, two botched polyurethane jobs, and there are still noticeable errors.  We learned that yes it is possible to save thousands of dollars to refinish your own wood floors, but we also learned there is a big, huge, fat reason why people hire someone else to do it!  We are on to next flooring project:  Basement = bamboo!  I'm so excited!  We had yucky carpet down there, so now I'm really looking forward to a lovely, cozy, comfortable rec room.

The kids are doing wonderfully and keep us SO busy!  Today Aida received two birthday gifts:  A build-a-bear and ear piercing.  She is so happy!  It melts my heart to see her so happy.  JH is doing well and enjoying his down time since football is over.  Ivie is so full of life (definition of Vivien) and certainly brings a smile to my face.

So that is it.  Busy times in the W household.  I seriously try to not to sound like one of those my-life-is-perfect-on-the-Internet people.  It's not, but I'm happy and I really do love my family.

Red Carpet Dance Party - Aida's 6th birthday party!!!

 Ivie changed from her gown to her bathing suit...after party?

On our way to our anniversary dinner!  7 years!

 Scott's Halloween costume - sommelier.  I went as a wine bottle...cork hat included.

Sports Saturday

Great day!  Here are a few pictures and videos from today's soccer and futbol americano games! I certainly don't expect you to watch all of them (unless you're one of the grandparents, then yes and several times each)...Jackson is #1.

Now, the videos are very shaky, but hey...I'm a proud mama and it's hard for me to watch the game and take video :-)

Enjoy!!!!


JHRW Tackle in the Backfield

JHRW Tackle in the Backfield (Funny celebration bump!)

JHRW Nice Run!

JHRW Tackle

Interception!!!

JHRW Breaks a Few Tackles

Aida 1

Aida 2

Simple, yet Chaotic Life

I think my life is pretty simple.  My parents and in-laws would most definitely disagree with me but, really it comes down to happiness:  What makes me happy?

My children.  My husband.  Friends and extended family.  A rewarding career. Opportunity. Fun. Health. And kindness.

I want the latter six for me, my children, husband, friends and extended family.  Simple right?

Every weekend is chaotic, but it's because we choose to keep going at full speed.  Well, honestly, I keep going at full speed and Scott must come along for the ride.  He's much more laid back then me.  He's ok with taking a nap, watching some football and maybe, just maybe not having every flipping Saturday booked and planned.  Not me.  I have too much to do in my life and too little time. 

This weekend hasn't been any different:  Football, soccer and a football party.  I invited the team and their parents over for pizza and a bonfire.  SO MUCH FUN!!!  Jackson ended the very late night by asking if we could do it again! Everyone had fun.  Everyone left smiling and hopefully are having a fabulous Sunday.  I feel blessed with the opportunity to host a party for my son and his friends. Simple.

Football, A Hysterectomy, and a 40th Birthday Party

Summer is ending.  (Sad face). We have had a fabulous summer.  Summer 2013 went a little something like this:

Baseball. T-ball. Ocean City. Babysitters. St. Louis. Swimming. St. Louis again. Grandparents. Friends. Staying up late. Sleeping in. Mama home for a month.

Pretty good stuff.

Jackson starts 3rd grade next week and Aida starts kindergarten.  KINDERGARTEN ------ enter stage left tears.  Oh my goodness.  I can't believe my spunky, girly, smart, beautiful, little baby girl Aida is starting school.  It is so hard to believe it has been six years since she was born on Scott and I's first wedding anniversary. She is so excited to start kindergarten.

After a relaxing summer, our fall is about to get crazy! Jackson started pee wee football three weeks ago, Aida starts soccer next week, and both Aida and Ivie start dance in two weeks. Zone defense will be in full press mode as Scott and I try to get each kid to their respective activities.  It is so exciting though!  Jackson LOVES football and Aida is so excited to play soccer again.  Ivie, well, she has promised that she will talk to her dance teachers.

I've been home the past three weeks recovering from a hysterectomy. Yep, tubes, cervix and uterus gone.  HAPPY. DANCE. Yes I am only 32, but clearly the Ws don't need any more children, and the pain was too much.  So, it's done!  The first week post surgery sucked.  SUCKED. But I am feeling better each day.

Two weeks post surgery we traveled with the kids to St. Louis to celebrate the 40th birthday of Scott's really good friend Frankie (Scott's only friend that came to our 26-person wedding reception/ceremony).  We. Had. A. Blast.  We had three fun days spent with some of the best people I've had the pleasure of meeting. A saturday night filled with Michael Bolton songs being sung by about 15 drunk people between the ages of 32 and 70, around a homemade outdoor pool, a clear night, a beautiful home and a meteor shower.  Fun.

It was ten years ago exactly that I invited myself to Frank's 30th birthday party as I obsessed over Scott.  It was ten years ago that I first met all of these fabulous people and had an equally great time.  Ten years later, I again invited myself as Scott thought he was going to have a bachelor weekend in STL...hahaha! No way brother.  Too much fun.

So as I go back to work and the kids go back to school, I feel ready for the next chapter having ended a pretty awesome chapter: Summer 2013.

So this is what married people do without kids...

Today I woke up around 8.  I laid in bed, checked Facebook and Twitter and watched some reruns of Breaking Bad.  Scott finally woke up around ten, did some work, then we went to the lake and had lunch.

From 12:30 until 5, I continued to lay in bed watching reruns of Breaking Bad and Scott dozed in and out of consciousness watching the British Open in the living room.

Six o'clock, we headed to dinner.  We realized our favorite spot was right in the middle of the local Italian American festival, roamed around for a minute, ate dinner and now we're back home.  I'm writing a blog and Scott is talking to an old friend.

SOOOOOOOO...this is what people without children do on a Sunday?!?!?!.  Nice.

But I sure do miss my kids.  We talked about all three of them at dinner. Each one individually.  The kind of people we think they'll be when they grow up and and how they are now.  We decided that Jackson will be responsible and handsome and probably some investment banker. Aida will probably show up to her wedding with tattoos down her arms and back.  Ivie, well, we just don't know about her yet.

We've had a great summer; the kids have had a great summer.  As we wind down, I thank Don and Sharon W for taking the kids for a wopping ten days.  Scott and I haven't had this time together ever.  It is nice and rewarding, but I will be so excited to hug and kids the little people when they return.

Until then, I will drink wine at 4 p.m. and lay in bed and watch reruns.

Just a couple of old friends talking politics

There is just something so special about old friends:  You know those friends that you can completely be yourself around, will tell you the honest truth, and will entertain your deepest thoughts on an hour train ride even when you miss your next train, hail a cab in the not-so-good part of a big city - all after a wine-filled night.

Last week, I had the pleasure of traveling to San Francisco for work.  After being let down by one good friend, I remembered that I had another good friend in the Bay area. Josh and I spent 75% of our time together between 2001-2005, then we both moved from Missouri to opposite coasts. After eight years of not seeing each other and only talking a handful of times, we spent three super fun days together picking up exactly where we had left off!  Good friends are good.  And not just any good friend, but those friends that you somehow always end up doing something completely stupid, drinking too much, and getting into philosophical conversations even though you both know you won't remember how you fixed the world the next morning.  As frustrated as I am with my job these days, I'm lucky to get to occasionally travel and I'm pretty lucky to know some pretty awesome people around the country.

Baseball and work have consumed my life.  Jackson is playing on two teams and Aida is playing t-ball.  I picked up two additional roles at work (don't congratulate just yet, unfortunately no promotion, hence recent frustration) and I've been busy managing our global environmental strategy.  It's kind of a big deal, well at least I think so, and I like what I do.  I'm still holding out for the big promotion and big title.  Stay tuned!


  

                       Scott, despite his environmentalist wife's recommendations, burning brush...ugh!

                              Standing in the very back of our yard looking at our house.

                               I painted our front door red...I'm still not completely sold on it!


Summer has also officially begun in the W household.  I now have a third grader and a kindergartner!  Yikes!  How the hell did that happen? We have a friend of the family watching the kids this summer. Yes!  No more getting up and getting three kids ready for daycare/school!!!  Yay me.

June already?  Yep...time is flying by.  I'm just trying to be good, live good, and have a little fun while I parent and do this wifey thing.  So far, I'm pleased.

Tonight I hope to debate politics and sports over wine with my other good friend, my husband, and our new friends, our great neighbors.  It's nights like those with Josh and tonight with Scott and new friends that remind me of the lighter side of life.

Oh and my kids; they're pretty special too!

Be good and have fun!