Stroller Warriors and the Tripler Fisher House Remembrance Run

When we moved out to Hawaii, I started looking for activities that I could do with Charlotte once she was born. I knew I wanted to be a part of a workout group that allowed children to come along. Back in Jacksonville, there was Stroller Strength, Stroller Strides, Mommy and Baby Yoga, etc. So, I knew there had to be options out in Hawaii too. I searched Facebook and stumbled upon a group called Stroller Warriors. I requested to join and was immediately welcomed into the group. I searched the site for the cost to join and was surprised when there wasn't a charge. I explained that I was pregnant and not planning on running until after I gave birth.

During the next few months, I only made it to a few workouts as I was working on the days we had workouts. Regardless, I began to get to know some of the girls in the group. Some were pregnant as well and we would band together and try to "walk our babies out". In April, the group had a Baby Shower for all the moms-to-be. I left that shower feeling so blessed. I barely knew these women and they were so kind to me and made me feel so welcome. Over the summer, the group took a break from the regular schedule but still has weekly meet ups. I attended a few towards the end of my pregnancy and the other moms were so encouraging and gave me confidence to know I could succeed in labor.

All the Mommas at the SW Baby Shower

After Charlotte was born, the group set up a meal train and we were blessed with so many wonderful meals during our first days as new parents! I was so moved by the overwhelming support.

Stroller Warriors is a military-focused club that was started by a military spouse in 2010. There are over 15 chapters worldwide ranging from Camp LeJeune all the way to Japan. Membership is open to males and females, spanning all ages, ranks and branches. Like I mentioned before, there is no cost to join and the workouts are led by military spouses who volunteer their time. This is not JUST a running club. Not only does the group have twice weekly workouts, but we also have Mom's Night Out and No Run Fun Days. I feel so lucky to be a part of this amazing group. You can read more about Stroller Warriors by visiting http://www.strollerwarriors.com/

Mumus and Mai Tais for Mom's Night Out

Stroller Warriors at our Tuesday Workout! Have you ever seen so many strollers?

On Saturday, Stroller Warriors had a team for the Tripler Fisher House Remembrance Run. We had over 156 runners! Our fearless leaders, Kate and Payge, coordinated a silent auction last month and the group raised $1014.00 for the Fisher House. Stroller Warriors had the honor of presenting this check to the director during the opening ceremonies.

Our group of runners!

Kate and Payge presenting the check to Fisher House

My running buddies! :)

As far as the race goes, I was nervous I wouldn't be able to finish. My longest race thus far was a 5K. Doubts took over my mind and I second-guessed myself. However, throughout the run, I felt motivated by the 7,000 plus boots that lined the race path. I was also motivated by the other Stroller Warriors who pushed through the race with their strollers, many with doubles!

Charlotte's First Race!

When we leave Hawaii, I will be devastated to leave this group. My hope is that wherever we go, there will be a chapter for me to join. If not, I may just have to start one up, that is just how much Stroller Warriors has impacted my life!

A Gator Tailgate, Hawaii Style!

Being in Hawaii we miss ALOT of things! Family, Friends, Restaurants and "the South" just to name a few. As fall rolls around, we are also missing one of our favorite institutions! College Football! As most of you know, Kyle and I met at the University of Florida and spent our college days winning multiple National Championships at the greatest college EVER! Even when we lived in Jacksonville, we could make the short trip over to attend Gator games on the weekend. Now, we are in Hawaii and sadly we won't be making it to any football games this year. I haven't missed a Florida-Georgia game in over 10 years! So, thankfully, we have banded together and found several other Gator fans (it's true, the Gator Nation IS everywhere) and this past weekend we created our own little tailgate, even though there was no game! Since the game started at 7pm EST, we kicked off our tailgate at 12:30pm HST. It won't always be this easy as a 12pm EST kickoff, means a 6:00am HST kickoff here! Yikes! And, as you all know, we tailgated and waited as they delayed the game multiple times!

We are hoping to actually see some football this weekend! It will be 10am when the game kicks off here, so we are planning "Breakfast with the Gators"!

Our Gator Family!

Kyle excited for Football Season!

Part of our Tailgate Spread!
Thank you to my ADPi Sister, Lindsay Roberts Puffer, for the amazing Kahlua Chocolate Cake!

Always multitasking!

Daddy and his cheerleader!

Hawaiian Gators! (and 1 NC State and 1 Georgia Fan)

Gaga and her Charlotte!

Affordable Announcement Option

As technology continues to take over our world, I often wonder if the postal service will soon become extinct! I love snail mail, so I am really hoping that it doesn't! It is always a treat to get something in the mail! I have a little addiction to thank you notes, especially monogrammed ones! I should really add up how much I spend in stationary and postage every year! It is probably a scary number!

With a stamp coming close to 50 cents, it is definitely expensive to send announcements, invitations, Christmas cards, etc. So, when it was time to send announcements for Charlotte's birth; I started researching options. I found some adorable options on Minted, Tiny Prints and Shutterfly, but with our list topping out at over 100, I knew I would be spending a fortune on the announcements if I went that route. 

In the past I have used Etsy for invitation designs for my nephew's birthday and for an engagement party. The designs can range anywhere from $10-$20 or even a little more for a custom design. You are buying the PDF/JPEG image and then you can either print or send as an embedded file in an email.

Announcement design by  Four Harp Designs 

If you do a 5x7 invite, you can fit 2 per page. I would suggest this because it reduces the cost of color copies by half. When you are planning to print, keep an eye out for a sale. I used Office Max for Charlotte's announcements and they were running a 25% off all printing sale. (Side note: Office Max and Office Depot are merging and they offer a significant military discount) With the military discount, color copies are 39 cents. Then, you would need them to cut the prints to the proper dimension at $1.00 per cut. I would suggest at least 100lb. cardstock for thickness. If you aren't interested in the hassle of printing, most Etsy stores will also print and ship to you!

Then, you need envelopes. I was in a rush for time, so I picked up my envelopes from a local supply store in Hawaii at a great price! I spent $8 for 100 5x7 envelopes. I would also recommend Amazon and cardsandpockets.com for an assortment of colors and textures. 

And finally, you need postage! You can always get personalized stamps on Zazzle to complete your look. I was able to find some cute floral postage stamps that somewhat coordinated with my address labels and envelope wraps.

Envelope Address Wraps by Four Harp Designs

Total Cost for 100 Announcements: 

Design- $18.00 

Envelopes- $8.00 

Color Copies- $19.50 

Envelope Wrap Design- $10.00 

Labels for Address and for Evelope Wraps- $15.00 (with plenty leftover for next project) 

Postage- $46.00 

$116.50

 You would easily spend this much for just your announcements on a site like Shutterfly or Minted! I should also mention that Charlotte's daddy took all of her precious newborn photos. He did such a good job! :)

DIY: Bow and Headband Holder

When we found out we were having a little girl, I would be lying if I didn't say that one of the first things that came to my mind were BOWS! I mean who doesn't love a baby with a coordinating outfit, bow and shoes? Thanks to Etsy, there is no shortage of adorable bows available to purchase!! Throughout my pregnancy, I searched for a bow and headband holder that would coordinate with Charlotte's room and be functional. I never really found anything I loved, so I decided a DIY project was in store!

You have probably heard me rant about Hawaii and its lack of "normal" (or as we like to call it here "mainland" things). We don't have Hobby Lobby, Michael's or Jo-Ann's! But, we have Ben Frabklin Crafts. Don't get me wrong, it's not horrible, but the selection doesn't compare and it is super pricy and they rarely have coupons. I recently discovered that Hickam Air Force Base has an arts and craft store. I initially wrote it off because I didn't think it was possible for the store to have anything, but boy was I wrong! 

My mom and I ventured there yesterday and wow, it was awesome! The store is small, but still had everything we needed and of course, the prices were great! 

So, that brings me to my DIY project! Here is what you will need:

Picture Frame (preferably 8x10 or larger, I used 11x14)

6-8 small C Hooks ( found at hardware store)

1 spool of ribbon 

hot glue gun 

Embellishments (optional) 

Remove glass and matting and push back metal holders so they are not exposed.

Depending on your size frame, measure out where you want your ribbons. This will vary depending on the different size bows that you have. 

Glue ribbons to the back of the frame. Make sure to make the ribbons tight so they don't droop. 

Next,  line up the hooks (they only had gold at HD, but you can paint them to match your frame)

Then drill the holes for the C hooks (maybe your husband can help! :)

Glue on any embellishments to complete the project!

Add your bows and headbands! How cute is this? 

Total Cost of Project:

Frame-$11.99

C-Hooks- $2.17 (for two 4 packs) 

Ribbon- $3.25 

Flower Accent-$6.00

$23.41 

When compared to Etsy, a similar product would be upwards of $30 plus shipping! You could definitely do this project for even cheaper with a more basic frame or one from Goodwill that you repurpose and paint. But, I have multiple mirrored frames in her room and it really completed the look! 

Happy Crafting!

New Blog Design

I hope you are enjoying the new look of my blog! I've gone back and forth with what direction I want to go, but for now I plan to keep blogging about Charlotte and our life here in Hawaii! The page is still under construction, so please bear with me as I get updated in my free time (wait, what is free time?). I'm playing around with settings, tabs, etc. so it may not be "picture-perfect" for a while. However, it is way to complicated to hide or unpublish, so you will see it all under construction!I would really like to transition into more a lifestyle blog and I am super excited for that creative outlet, but I also know that family and friends really enjoy catching up with us through the blog. It's absolutely impossible to keep everyone up to date via phone calls because of the 6 hour time change.

So, if you are brave and like to comment, tell me what YOU want to see! I've seen my readership grow rather quickly over the past few months and it has been really exciting for me as I really enjoy writing and sharing!

Thank you to Jelly Design Studio for the new design! You can visit her page at http://www.jellydesignstudio.com/  or check out her Etsy Store at https://www.etsy.com/shop/jellydesignstudio

Charlotte: 1 Month Checkup

On Saturday, we went to the pediatrician for Charlotte's 1 month checkup! We knew that she would be getting the Hepatitis B shot that day and momma was definitely sad thinking about it!

Before her appointment, we all took guesses as to what her weight would be. Three weeks ago she was 7lbs. 7oz. I knew her clothes were getting tighter and we graduated her to size 1 diapers (tear), but I still didn't think she had gained too much weight.

Mommy: 8lbs. 3oz. 

Gaga: 8lbs. 4oz.

Daddy: 8lbs. 5oz. 

Grammy: 8lbs. 8oz. 

Grampy: 9lbs. 2 oz. 

We were all wrong! 

Her actual weight: 9LBS 5OZ!! 

Almost 2 lbs in 3 weeks!! 

I couldn't have been more proud! I know she eats alot, especially from 6-10pm where she is a nursing machine, but I was shocked at her weight gain! My mom gave her a 3oz. bottle the other day and she was still a little hungry, so I think she is definitely eating 3 oz. plus every feeding! She was also 21.5 inches! 

Then it was time for her shot! :( We were moved into a different room and I nursed Charlotte as the nurse prepped! Charlotte was peacefully eating and then she stuck her! Charlotte turned bright red and screamed for about 30 seconds! It was so pitiful. I was a sad mommy. But, after that she went right back to nursing like nothing happened! She got a Snoopy bandaid and she was just fine! The doctor said she may be fussy, but honestly I don't think it really affected her!

We go back on September 20th for her two month appointment. Wow, time is flying! 

DIY: Homemade Leather Cleaner

I've been searching for leather cleaner all around town, at the Navy Exchange and the commissary and to no avail, I have not been able to find it! When we moved from Jacksonville, we were forced to throw away all liquids, candles and clean supplies due to the shipping regulations.

So, I decided to search for a homemade cleaning solution! Our couch is a brown leather sofa and it has quite a history, hehe. My mom gave us the couches when she sold our childhood home a few years back. I would venture to guess that this leather sofa is about 10 years old or more. It just goes to show that when you buy quality furniture (the couch is Broyhill) it definitely lasts. 

  

My mom and I took out the cushions and vacuumed all the fun stuff out of the couch! I was quickly reminded of my nephew Robby as we found a few of his goldfish stuck in the cushions! We also found our Apple TV remote that's been missing since we moved from Jackosnville and one of my mongrammed coasters! So, if you are reading this, it may be time to clean your sofa and find some treasures! 

The recipe is super easy! 

Homemade Leather Cleaner 

1/2 cup vinegar 

1/4 cup olive oil 

 2-3 drops essential oil (optional) 

I used some of my doTerra oils to give it a nicer sent as the smell of vinegar can be pretty strong! I would recommend a squirt bottle of some kind. I'm not afraid to share that I used my squirt bottle from the hospital! We didn't have anything else and it worked perfectly! It was a great repurpose! 

Of course I didn't take before pics, but the couch is super shiny and looks like it was professionally treated! Try out the recipe! I guarantee it is cheaper and better than any product you would buy at a store!

Happy Cleaning!