I want to give a shout out to Amanda @ RunningwithSpoons for the link up.

Its #thinkingoutloud Thursday!

Tomorrow, will be 2016... say whaaa?  The way time is flying, the next time I blink, I will be 80 years old, with a walker, stocking falling, and in a nursing home because Ryan is tired of changing my Depends.

Wrapping up 2015 has got me thinking about my New Year resolutions. Of course, I am like 80% of the population that only lasts about four weeks with my resolutions, but hey, at least I last four weeks.

The last few years I have mostly made resolutions to lose a few lbs or to make sure I exercise 4-5 times a week.  Then, life gets involved, laughs at my resolutions shoves it right back in my face.  This year, I am going to change up my resolutions, make them obtainable, and see how far it gets me.  I am not saying I am throwing in the towel on exercise...not at all.  But, life can get hectic.  There are weeks that I can knock out five workouts with no issues, then, the next week things are crazy and I am lucky to get two workouts in.  At that point, I have failed my resolution...instead, I am going to workout as much as I can, eat as healthy as I can, and not beat myself up about it.  No resolution...just accountability,

So, what are my resolutions? 

Jingle all the way

Santa and the grandparents came to our house over Christmas, and when your child is the only one and is the only grandchild, they get spoiled.  And when I say spoiled, I mean there is no way I am going to find room in my house for everything he got.

However, I will take the clutter any day of the week because it was so much fun watching Ryan's pure joy and excitement opening up his gifts.  And let us not forget, he just had a birthday two days before Christmas...  Just add those gifts to your mental picture.

To top it off, Ryan was just as excited about collecting all of the bows from the presents and attaching them to my head.  (Isn't he so thoughtful!)

When Ryan woke up Christmas morning, he let us know he was ready to do business when he came downstairs looking like this:

Hat backwards and all, he was ready to tear the house up.  (He insisted he wear his hat and insisted he wear it backwards.)

And, as you can tell from the above picture, Santa left him his very own Dyson vacuum that is battery operated and actually sucks up dirt a little bit!  Ryan was absolutely ecstatic since he squeals with joy when it is time for mama to vacuum.  This time, he gets to help.  (I might have been as equally excited as he was.  He has literally vacuumed my house every single day since he got this.  (And he even insists he store his vacuum right beside mama's.)

His GiGi (my mom) even got him his very own art table and chair with some "special markers" that only work on certain coloring paper!  Thank you GiGi for ensuring Ryan does not mark up our walls.  I will forever be indebted to you.

 Ryan also got his very own Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and Mickey figurines and a Wilson carrying case for all of his Chuggington trains for his train table.

I also need to warn you that Ryan has gotten his license and you must steer clear of the road.

That's right!  He is full-on driving in his new truck.  Ryan shouted, "Big truck" when he saw this beauty outside waiting for him.  He drove for hours, but when I tried to hitch a ride, he was not amused and quickly let me know he was not driving his mama around the block.

Christmas at the Schwartz house could not have gone any better.  With Russell's parents there, my mom, and my sister, it was so full of laughter.

What was my favorite part of the day?  #Twinning with my son that night :)

XOXO,
Sherri

Weekend Recap | I have a 2-year-old!

Happy Monday!  I am linking up with Katie for my weekend recap!

I hope you had a great Christmas, I know we sure did.  On top of Christmas, our little boy turned TWO And, because we took a bazillion pictures of both events, I am going to separate my weekend recap post into two posts.  Today's will be on Ryan's birthday, and tomorrow's will be on Christmas.

We started his birthday with his huge birthday surprise.  He got a train table! He shouted "OOOOh!" when he saw it and played all day with it.

We had family arriving that day to spend Christmas with us, so once they arrived we headed out to our party for Ryan.

We had an "Oh-Two-dools"event for Ryan's birthday, and if you follow Mickey Mouse Clubhouse like we do, then you know exactly what I mean.  Ryan is absolutely fascinated by Mickey.  If he is watching he will not hear a word you are saying even if you are squatting down at his level, right in front of him.


So, it was only fitting to have a Mickey themed event.  Because we just moved to Wilmington, NC, we haven't made any friends yet and Ryan hasn't made too many either.  For that reason, we kept his birthday very small and it only included our immediate family and friends who were staying with us for Christmas.  Ryan didn't mind, he had loads of fun.  (And momma didn't mind because it was cheaper!)

We took Ryan to Chuck E. Cheese's, not knowing if he was quite big enough but it did not disappoint.  Ryan had an absolute blast.  Heck, and even the adults did.  My husband was challenging everyone in the building to a basketball shoot-off in one of the basketball games they had.

We all got pizza, drinks, cake, and plenty of tokens.  It ended up being a competition on who could win the most token tickets.  

When it was time to open presents, Ryan loved his potty!  While he isn't fully ready to dive in hard on the potty training, he is telling us when he goes and what he does, so we are easing in to it.

It was such an awesome day.  Spending it with my two-year-old laughing and playing was awesome.  Nothing beats watching your child experience pure joy.  

Catch ya tomorrow for my Christmas recap post!

XOXO,

Sherri

Merry Christmas from our family to yours!

Since I will be sending the next two days surrounded by family (I hope you are too), I wanted wish everyone a wonderful holiday!  I hope you get to spend it surrounded by the ones you love watching National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation :) (because that's what I'll be doing!).

MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM OUR FAMILY TO YOURS

xoxo,

Sherri

Happy Birthday Ryan!

Happy 2nd Birthday to my beautiful baby boy!

Learning to live with my husband...again

One of the hardest parts of getting married, for people who have never lived together, is learning to live with each other.  Learning their behaviors, tendencies, cleaning habits, or lack of cleaning habits is frustrating.  You look at your husband, who has left his dirty socks on the floor next to the dirty clothes hamper, like a little kid, and wonder if they will ever grow up.

Weekend Recap | The Fart Machine

Happy Monday!  I am linking up with Katie for my weekend recap!

It was hands-down, one of the most fun weekends I have had since we moved.  Wilmington, NC, finally had it's first real winter temperatures here but it wasn't too cold to still have fun.

My dad and his wife came in town for an early Christmas celebration and Ryan was in heaven with his Pop Pop.

Recap in pictures:

Friday Favorites | 12.18.15

Thanks to Katie and Heather for the link-up!

I can't believe we are just 1 week away from Christmas Day!  What I am even more blown away by.... I will have a two year old on Wednesday.

I am not prepared.  I find myself staring at Ryan more and more while we are getting closer to his birthday, just trying to hold on to as much of his "little-ness" and "baby-ness" as I can.  I am so amazed by him every single day and I love the fact that he is at the age where we can have conversations but it has just all flown by way too quick.

I think I am in partial denial.

In other news, sorry I have been a bit MIA lately.  This week has been extra busy with work and meetings that by the time I get home, I crash.  I am starting to think my New Years Resolution is going to be for me to hold myself more accountable to my blog.

Just a thought...

But, I am giving you a heads up, I will be blogging some next week but I will be with my family Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

Now, on to my Friday Favorites of the week:

Weekend Recap | Let it Go

Happy Monday!  I am linking up with Katie for my weekend recap!

This weekend went by exactly as I expected it would.  It involved running store to store getting all of my Christmas shopping done, chasing a crazy toddler around stores while people looked at me like I was a bad parent, and then wrapping all of the presents (and thinking about wrapping my son and giving him away as a "present" too).

Just kidding about the very last part of that... maybe...

I would have taken a TON of pictures capturing our weekend experiences but every single time I pulled my phone out, Ryan wanted me to play the song "Let it Go" on my phone.  So obviously there are very little pictures to show you from the weekend.  Except this one:

And, this is the only one that made the cut because he was just so darn proud to find a horsey he could ride.

After that, no pictures were allowed because my phone was too busy playing "Let it Go."  I guess Ryan finally jumped on the Frozen bandwagon.  Confusing thing is, he has never seen the movie but he knows the song.  Daycare must be playing it during music time because all I know is, he came home one day and started belting out "Leee itttt goooooo."

It's a catchy tune too, because I found myself singing "Let it Go" in my head the whole time I was in the stores chasing down a toddler that refused to get in the shopping cart and thought he could run sprints down aisles.

I had to bribe him with some random snack treats I found down an aisle in order for him to semi behave.  I say semi very loosely here.

So, how was your weekend?!

XOXO,
Sherri

Friday Favorites | 12.11.15

Thanks to Katie and Heather for the link-up!

We have just two weeks left until Christmas and I am way behind.  I normally have everyone's Christmas presents knocked out in November, and right now, only Ryan's is taken care of.  So, I am now heading into this weekend starting mission Operation Christmas Present.

The mission, which I have chosen to accept, is to start AND finish finding gifts for everyone else in our families.

We have family visiting us for the holidays starting next weekend, so I am down to the wire.

Here's what I would really like to do...

But, I guess I am going to try a little harder...

In other news, I have stumbled upon some humorous images to share for my Friday Favorites:

30-minutes or less | Quick but tough - Treadmill workouts

Now that I am working and fighting some really bad traffic in my commute, my time is even more precious to me in the evenings.  30-minute workouts are a must, nothing more.  And if I can find some workouts that are less than 30-minutes long, then I am one happy camper.  Several months past, I wrote a post on some of my favorite workouts (here), but it was time to update it.  I get way too bored and change my workouts up all the time.

Weekend Recap | Starting a new routine

Happy Monday!  I am linking up with Katie for my weekend recap!

This weekend was just what the doctor ordered.  A lot of R&R.  I started my new job last week, which is going well, but it definitely has me re-thinking my schedule a little bit.

I have to fight a lot of traffic in my morning and evening commutes, I am barely making it to daycare in time to pick Ryan up before I get fined, and then have to come home and cook a meal.  It's getting harder and harder to get Ryan to bed on schedule and has me considering some changes.

What changes you might ask?  Well, right now I am starting to cook (or freeze) all of my meals for the week on Sundays so that I don't have to do anything but warm it up when I get home or open the crock pot lid.

We shall see how that goes...

If that doesn't help, which I know it should, then I am back to the drawing board...

Now, to reflect on my weekend in pictures:

Tis the season

The Christmas season is my favorite time of year.  I love the meaning of Christmas and the way my house looks all decorated is so warm and cozy.  Now that Ryan is older, I am love watching him get so excited over Christmas as well.

Ryan was born two days before Christmas, 12/23/13, so naturally, he is my best Christmas present ever.  Obviously, that year, he really didn't enjoy Christmas.  His favorite part was being swaddled and sleeping.  Last year, with Ryan being one, I thought he would get into it a little more.  But, he didn't care about the tree or lights...just the boxes from presents.

Weekend Recap | Alive and Well

Happy Monday!  I am linking up with Katie for my weekend recap!

Remember me?  I didn't expect to be away from social media this long.  My last post was on 11/18 and after that, the shishhhh hit the fan in my household.  During my last post, my son had been battling a nasty cold for over a week.  But, things got worse.  He ended up with a double ear infection, a 102-degree fever for four days, and an extreme case of thrush from the antibiotics.  On top of that, I caught a cold and it turned into laryngitis and bronchitis for me.  Oh, and then my husband got it during Thanksgiving and spent the whole holiday in bed with a high fever and vomiting.

So, as you can imagine, there was no way I was able to do much of anything.

Now that we are finally on the mend, life is back in full swing and I start my new job TOMORROW.  I can't tell you how stoked I am to get back into a routine.  I have missed structure and adult interaction...badly.

Answered Prayers

My weekend update is coming to you a few days late because my toddler decided to be so generous and share his nasty cold with me.  Both of us have been under the weather and I prescribed myself some good 'ole R&R.  He has had it for over a week and yesterday we went to his doctor only to find out he also has a double ear infection.

He's been a trooper, though!  This weekend, my mother and her boyfriend came to visit and he tried his very best to hang in there and have some fun.  He even managed to sucker Dada into playing with him in Chick-fil-A.

Step 1: Ask Dada to come "supervise" you.

Step 2: Convince 6'3'' Dada to come join you!

I do have some other exciting news to share as well!

Friday Favorites | 11.13.15

Thanks to Katie and Heather for the link-up!

Happy Friday!  I literally had a shock yesterday when I finally realized Christmas is next month, my child turns 2, and I haven't even started planning his birthday.  

So, let's just say my mind has officially switched over to birthday planning mode!  While we haven't quite made friends in Wilmington, NC, yet and Ryan is just starting daycare, the guest list will be quite small, but that doesn't mean Ryan shouldn't have a party!  We have family coming in to celebrate his birthday and Christmas (since they are just 2 short days apart).  Operation "Ohhh-twooodles" has begun! (Can't you guess it will be a Mickey Mouse Clubhouse birthday?!)

Let's look back at some favorites from the week, shall we?

#justaredcup | The Starbucks controversy

I want to give a shout out to Amanda @ RunningwithSpoons for the link up.

Its #thinkingoutloud Thursday!

Folks, I have to weigh in on the Starbucks red cup controversy.  It is stupid - not Starbucks' decision, but the public outcry.  It is just a cup.  I don't care what color it is, as long as I have my hot and tasty, extremely over-priced, life-changing coffee in it.  

Remembering those who have served

Today is a day about remembering and honoring those who have served in our armed forces.  These brave men and women put our country first, served on the front lines, and left their families behind to protect us.

They are braver than I am.  They are more selfless than I am.  They are better than I am.

Both of my grandfathers served in the armed forces and growing up, I always felt privileged to be in their presence.  They were, and are, my heroes.  Now, in present time, I have a cousin, who I have grown up with, getting ready to leave for Japan for a two-year station.

And, there are countless others who I have come across in my life who I am honored to know.  For the first four years after college, I was a sales rep for ADS, Inc., providing solutions for the military.  My customers were the United States Navy EOD and Navy divers on the west coast.  Talking to them every day on the phone, they became friends and I still keep in touch with several.  I also worked with hundreds of prior military members at ADS, Inc.  They were some of the best people I have ever worked with.  

I am recounting all of this because this Veterans Day hits a little closer to home.

Locked in my own home

Yesterday, I gave you a great rundown of my weekend (here).  But, what I failed to mention was that I was also locked in my house because of my greatest fear.

Just let me tell you about that really quickly.

Weekend Recap | Taking advantage of some sunshine

Happy Monday!  I am linking up with Katie for my weekend recap!

This weekend, we had one day that was all sunshine and no rain.  So, we took advantage of it.  Good thing we did, because the rain started again yesterday and it is showing no signs of stopping today.  I am now, officially, considering getting a jon boat to make it out of my yard.  Who knew I was moving to an area where I would be able to fish from my house?

But, to get back on how awesome the weekend was...  Where we live, we are just about 20 minutes from four different beaches.  Since it was 80 degrees Saturday, we decided to go to Southport, NC, and explore that beach and check out the scenery.  It did not disappoint.

Friday Favorites | 11.6.15

Thanks to Katie and Heather for the link-up!

While not too much in my day-to-day has been super impressive (unless you count unpacking boxes), there have been a few highlights that have happened since the move took place last week.  

So let's uncover my semi-impressive Friday Favorites of the week:

I worked out

That is a favorite because if you saw what I was eating during the move you would be begging me to work out.  My first run in over a week involved lots of moments where I wanted to just flat out faint.  It was tough.  All of the Chick-fil-A was crying out of me.  

Ryan's dance skills

Because they just keep getting better and better...

Monkey has joined our family

We have a new family member, and his name is Monkey.  Monkey came to our family from the Wilmington Fair.  I, somehow, convinced Russell to waste five dollars and shoot some darts at balloons to try and win Ryan a stuffed animal.  Ryan chose a monkey that he immediately named "Monkey."  So original.  

However, this monkey doesn't exactly look like one.  It's like a hybrid of a monkey face on a squirrel body, and it's face is uneven.  (What do you expect when you are at a fair.)  But to Ryan, he is our newly beloved family member.

Speaking of fair

We went to the fair last weekend and it was Ryan's first time at a fair and first time riding rides!  He was ecstatic to ride the Merry-go-round and Choo Choo train.

Holding on to Monkey for dear life.

I don't know what our weekend plans are yet.  If we can make it without rain (highly unlikely) and find a new desk for our office, I will call it a success.

XOXO,

Sherri

The time-out corner on Halloween

I want to give a shout out to Amanda @ RunningwithSpoons for the link up.

Its #thinkingoutloud Thursday!

I think my child may be the only toddler to get be sent to time-out about 10 minutes into trick-or-treating.

Since our move, Ryan has been acting out a bit more lately.  I get it.  His whole world has been rocked.  And while I have been very patient with his behavior, I can't condone all ridiculous behavior.

Case and point: Halloween.

Ryan decided he wanted nothing to do with listening to me and wanted to play Frogger with the cars.  Mister big and bad gave me five good minutes before things turned south quickly.  As soon as we stepped out of the house, our neighbors across the street were out too.  They have two girls Ryan's age, so we ran over to introduce ourselves and try to make friends.

Instead, Ryan started showing off and tried to run away, down the middle of the street by himself.  Great.  After a quick sprint to catch up and bring him back to earth, he was at it again, running away.  Now, my neighbors think I have no control over my child.

After a stern talking to (in front of our neighbors to prove we do discipline our child), we attempted to trick-or-treat with our neighbors and managed to make it five houses.  Victory!

The one time he managed to listen and walk down the sidewalk. But then he started running and fell into a fire ant pile.  Just our luck.

Shortly after this above photo was taken, he took off again.  This time, I was done.  We quickly and quietly scurried down the road to our house where Ryan immediately made friends with the time-out corner.

I am starting to think we need a leash for this kid.  I am not against being that parent right now.

I am pretty sure our neighbors went home that night and told their girls they can never play with Ryan Perry Schwartz ever.  Darn it.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
We have definitely entered the "defiant" stage of toddler-hood.  Everything is dramatic and every question/direction is answered in "No!"  I loath leaving the house and going shopping with him.  It would be like watching a clip from the movie Problem Child.  And, I haven't quite gotten comfortable disciplining in public.  Certain disciplinarian actions don't phase Ryan and that makes it hard to get him to listen.

I have tried ignoring, he thinks that is funny.  I won't even attempt a hand pat as I don't need CPS called.  Time-out does seem to work, but how do you do that in public?  Put him in a corner in Walmart?  Ha!

Oh, the wonderful stages of toddler-hood and the perks of parenting.

I love my son, I love my son, I love my son, I love my son ...

(But he did make a cute Notre Dame football player didn't he??)

XOXO,
Sherri

Welcome to North Carolina!

It's official... we are alive, settled, and in Wilmington, NC!  We are no longer up to our elbows in boxes and only have some curtains and a few pictures left to hang up.

It's starting to feel like home.  The only thing left is for the weather to cooperate.  It has pretty much rained for the last week.  Poor Ryan is getting cabin fever and I haven't been able to take him out exploring the area.

In other news, I have a job interview tomorrow and two next week.  Fingers crossed that it lands me a job.  Ryan did start daycare yesterday.  While the drop off was hard for him, he did surprisingly well.

Want to see pics of the house?  Well, I thought you'd never ask!

Friday Favorites | Saying Goodbye

Thanks to Katie and Heather for the link-up!

Today is a bittersweet day.  It's my last day with my FTN Financial family before next week's move.  My marketing department that I have worked with have been my Memphis family and sisters to me.  

When I came to Tennessee three years ago, we didn't know anymore.  I got pregnant shortly afterwards and Russell's new position immediately had him traveling.  It was hard to feel "settled" and it felt pretty lonely.  

It wasn't until I started with FTN Financial, three months after we moved, that I really started cheering up.  I was working with four other talented women and we were the marketing group in charge of a 500+ person company.  We didn't outsource anything...we did everything.  Brochures, videos, advertisements, websites, etc., we were the gals.

These women have become my family and have taught me so much along the way.  Today will be a hard day for me... having to say goodbye.  

I mean, this awesome group took me out to dinner at Babalu's in Memphis and gave me a send off that involved a bottle of Tequila and fireworks! (Oh, and if you are ever in Memphis, you must go to Bablu's.)

Wilmington, NC, you have some big shoes to fill! 

My posts will go on a temporary hiatus next week.  The move beings early next week and won't have Internet until the following Monday, Nov. 2.  I can't wait to come back with news on the move and pictures of the house.  I also have some interviews lined up when I arrive, so fingers crossed a job offer is soon!


XOXO,
Sherri

Woooosah

I am practicing my relaxation breathing today.  Woosah.

We are closing on our new house on next Wednesday and "Houston, we have a problem."  We found out last night that there was a leak with the dishwasher in the new house and it was major.  Now it requires the builder to replace the floors in the kitchen, remove the kitchen island and then replace it, and probably a bunch of other stuff that I can't even think about right now.

So what does that mean for our move?  We don't know when we will close and we will probably be in a hotel for a little while.

Like I said, woosah.

We are pushing for the builder to try and work around the clock to fix everything in time for our Wednesday close, but we won't know until sometime today or tomorrow if that's possible.  

I keep thinking of the positives. 1) The house didn't burn down, 2) Hey, we get brand spankin new floors, and 3) I get to stay in a hotel with a baby and a dog.  Scratch #3, that is in no way a positive. 

In the meantime, you can find me sitting on my couch tonight with a large glass bottle of wine in my hands.

XOXO,

Sherri

Weekend Recap | When the beat drops...

Happy Monday!  I am linking up with Katie for my weekend recap!

Have you ever found yourself shopping in a store, hear your jam, and start singing or semi dancing?  Ryan has!  Except, he took it to the next level, jumped on a rug, and rode it like a horsey.  This kid...

Ryan has hit the "dance party" phase.  Whenever he hears some good tunes, he always breaks out in a jig.  Good thing he has his mama's dance skills.  Although, I am slightly concerned he may end up like this kid when he is older:

Friday Favorites | 10.16.15

Thanks to Katie and Heather for the link-up!

We are one week away from our house being packed away and saying goodbye to Memphis.  And, we are one week away from not having to deal with any relocation paperwork.  That, is a cause for celebration!  While it has been great getting to use a relo company for moving, there is so much paperwork and crazy details that have to be done.  Doing that, a full time job, your husband traveling every week, and showing your house every day, has almost driven me mad.  

But the end is near...

On another note, I have had some laughs this week:

Ryan's Favorites: Books, balls, bikes, oh my!

It has been a little while since I have caught everyone up on what some of Ryan's favorites are right now.  At 21 months old, a lot has changed as he is continuing to develop more and more into a little boy, and less as mama's baby.  (As I shed tears thinking about that.)

But I do have to admit, this is an absolutely fun stage.  He is all boy and then some.  He loves to play on the playground, throw dirt, eat dirt (we are still working on that), throw balls, and just be outside.  He is also at the stage where he likes certain shows and certain toys must be carried everywhere he goes.

Here is a list of his current favorites:

one | two | three | four | five

Weekend Recap | Here come the Irish!

I am coming at you a day late on my Weekend Recap, simply because I had yesterday off and I needed to veg out on my couch and catch up on my shows.  My mother was in town all last week and then Russell and I flew to South Bend, IN, to cheer on Notre Dame, so I needed a bit of "me" time.

Side note: We are two weeks away from moving!  Let the stressing, excitement, sadness, nerves, and frantic last minute prepping begin!

How did the game go?  Notre Dame won...duh!  Actually, it was a great game and we played Navy, a team with deep history and respect with Notre Dame.  Don't you just love how I said "we" like I was part of the team.... #hardcorefanproblems.

Russell's dad and mom came on the trip with us so it was truly a Schwartz filled event!

Here are some shots from this weekend:

Day 1: Stadium Tour

With Russell's mom.