Sharks, Sox, and Family Apps

Happy Mommy Monday everyone! I feel like I have been in a whirlwind the past several days, and this week isn't going to provide any relief. Is that a bad thing? NOPE!! I cannot wait to keep pulling things together in my two main makeover rooms (office and playroom)! On a Cape Cod note, did you hear about the Great White Shark attack?! That was one town north of us, and Dablet has something to say about it:

 After our week in Wellfleet, the antiquing, participating in Olioboard's Mom Spot OlioHop, and taking Kyle deep sea fishing for bluefish, we headed into Boston for a couple days. Thanks to Facebook as a tool to stay connected, we were able to meet up with a couple we met on our Honeymoon over two years ago, in St. Lucia, for dinner in Boston. Also, as an early birthday gift for Kyle (he'll be 27 on Thursday!!!!!) my mom got us tickets to see the Red Sox! Here are a few pics from the game:

As always, a great crowd at Fenway!

Did I mention that our seats were two rows behind the Sox dugout?! Thanks again mom!

After that we hit the road! Now, given that it was a night game this meant we started driving back to NC from Boston at 11:40pm. Crazy?! Yup! But did it work out?! YUP! The thing about road trips with kids Dablet's age is you have to prioritize. She is still rear-facing until she turns one so I can't default to DVDs, she doesn't talk yet so we can't ask her what she wants, and it's a little hard to feed her while driving (even with someone in the back seat with her) so we have to stop every couple of hours for a diaper change, food, etc. Thus, driving while she's sleeping overnight is the perfect solution! We made it home before noon yesterday and proceeded to win both of our coed softball games in a double header! After that you better believe I passed out!!
Trying to keep up with work, family, pets, "vacations", and home is challenging to say the least! I've blogged before about some great organizational tools for family communication, but have we talked about the apps?! Do you have favorite apps that help keep you organized and communicating with you family? Share them!!! I need all the help and new ideas I can get!

This is the app I use to have our family organized on our iPhones, why?

• Shopping lists - categorized by store, type, importance
• Family calendar - color coded by person
• Add your pets! - They have appointments too right?!
• Sends you an email at the beginning of each month with your calendar
• SO MUCH MORE!!
• Anyone who has access can update shopping lists/schedule/appts/ etc.

Here's to a productive and organized week!!

Cape Cod Chaos

Happy Hump Day everyone!!
I wanted to check in from the Cape and actually talk about the Cape! In case you missed it, I'm spending the week on Cape Cod with Dablet, Kyle, and my mom with a few days in Boston at the end to catch a Red Sox game and see just about as many friends as it's possible to fit in the time allowed!
Cape Cod is my childhood vacation spot and I am SO thrilled to be back! We've already knocked off the following items from the list:

• Toes in the sand on the beach
• Swim in Long Pond (where our rental is)
• See a frog
• See a seal (minus the Great White Shark)
• Eat fresh lobster (pics below)
• Try something new - raw oysters and oyster shooters (pics below)
• Eat fresh fish - swordfish! Others to come
• Eat at PJs (pics below) including clam strip roll, lobster roll, clam chowder, and coffee/black raspberry twist soft serve
• Go to P-Town

Things left to do:

• Go deep sea fishing (Tomorrow!!!)
• Go antiquing/thrifting
• Eat bluefish
• Get Kyle to try an oyster
• Play mini-golf
• ...many more

We have a busy day today of antiquing! (this is probably the BIGGEST reason I'm glad we drove up here from NC....) I'll be sure to tweet my favorite finds even if I can't bring them home with me! Here are the pictures so far:

The perfect day at the pond! Dablet LOVED swimming in her tube and playing with the minnows!

The beach diva! 

Sometimes even mamas need a girl's night out! This one was full of new experiences including raw oysters and oyster shooters (raw oyster, vodka, horseradish tomato juice...stir and toss it back!) Plus I saw a seal on the beach...without the Great White!

Thanks for the shirt Grandy! We think she's a "keepah" too!

My Cape Cod food medley...

Broiled swordfish, oysters, and the way to take on a "Lobstah"! OK, I know that's not how you're supposed to do it, but it was a fun picture!

Where are you vacationing this summer? Do you need a stay-cation spot? Check out the OlioHop from Monday for Mom Spots to find the perfect escape ideas at home! Happy Summer!!

OlioHop MomSpot

Happy Monday everyone! Today brings another OlioHop (although it is not the first Monday of the month there's a reason!) and today's theme is MomSpots! I swear somewhere out there is a force connecting me personally to the themes Olioboard puts out for OlioHop, normally we have Mommy Monday here! This week I'm spending my Mommy Monday from Wellfleet, MA on Cape Cod. I used to vacation here with my parents every summer and I am thrilled to get Kyle and Dablet (all the way) up here for a change of scenery and a Red Sox game!

Our view of Long Pond from our secluded rental

Last month we talked about organizing for our OlioHop, and the immense inspiration from all of the amazing designers, tools available on Olioboard, and really taking a look at how to best organize even my own spaces (it's always harder to practice what you preach!) I took home 1st and 2nd in the Olioboard Ogranizing Challenge! Thank you for ALL of your support!
It has always been a dream of mine to have my own "Mom Cave" - well at least since I became a mom! How many times have you heard "Man Cave" as if us ladies have the rest of the house on lock down?! Maybe we insert more influence, but let's be honest, when you're a mom the house belongs to the kids! In order to create a "Mom Spot" you have to take a few elements into consideration:

• Space available
• Your passions
• Your resources
• The mood you are trying to inspire

For me, the last one is the most important, but I put it last because I feel we (as moms) often overlook how we want a space to make us feel and just explode with sheer excitement at the opportunity to have our own corner. Maybe we can convince our kids to send us to timeout in our Mom Spot?! My top three types of mom spots would be Reading Nooks, Spa Areas, and Crafting Rooms. Before I hit the designing boards on Olioboard, I take to Pinterest for some pinspiration! Check out my full Mom Spot Board Here!

I chose this "I just want to make beautiful things even if nobody cares" as the theme for my Mom Spot blog!

After all, it's about what YOU want to make yourself happy!

Olioboard makes it incredibly user friendly to take your pinspiration and turn in into a "shop-able reality"! Can't find the perfect item you're looking for in the large bank of brands on Olioboard? Don't worry! You can always upload it yourself! I try to upload my pinspiration into my boards so I can have a vision of what my dream result looks like. Here's how my pinspiration took life into Olioboards for reading nooks, spas, and craft rooms:

To see this board and shop the look click here

Find yourself a comfy place to curl up with a book, gossip magazine, and beverage of choice. Been a rough day? No one here will judge you if you get a few drops of red wine on a throw pillow! Choose your favorite colors to set the mood and inspire your hideaway!

To see this board and shop the look click here

Say it with me now, "Ahhhhhhh"! Whenever I see a spa area I immediately want to check out the recipes for homemade flavored water, light a candle, and meditate! In this room it's OK to play in the mud!

To see this board and shop the look click here

Are you the type of person who escapes into creativity, but just can't seem to find the time? Make your craft room easy access with easy organization! Your mental health will thank you for it each time you find 30 minutes to dive inside and be a kid again! 

Need more organization tips? Check out the last OlioHop: Organization!

Do you have another idea for your dream Mom Spot? Head over to Olioboard and get creative! Remember, it's a dream idea so let your budget run wild! Need to make it a reality?! We're happy to help there too and create a budget friendly version of your wildest dreams!

As with all OlioHops, this could not be a success without the teamwork of Olioboard and the other amazing bloggers! Olioboard has given us an extra bonus this week with their presence at World Market Center in Las Vegas, and the Blog Her Conference in NYC! Big thanks go out to Olioboard and these fabulous events for taking the time to take a look at us!

Today we have 12 other talented designers sharing their ideas for fabulous Mom Spots, be sure to check them out and share your ideas with them!

- Chaotically Creative - Design Magnifique - Simply Savvy -

- Frugal Finds - Homestyling 101 - Push Interiors - Seaside Interiors - 

- Selma Hammer Designs - Stacy Naquin Interiors - 

 - Fashion House Interiors - Jennifer Reynolds Interiors - Sway Girl