Childhood Memories

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of American Family Insurance. All opinions are 100% mine.

I came across some video clips of a Comedy Special called, Stand Up For Family.  It's a showcase that every member of your family can enjoy by comedians like Bill Bellamy, Rodney Perry, Mark Viera, Donnell Rawlings and Tony Roberts. The showcase follows American Family Insurance's commitment to supporting the lives of their customers, no matter how old they are.

I especially liked Bill Bellamy's clips.  His clips brought me back to my childhood!  They made me laugh so hard I was crying!  When I was a kid we had to use our imagination to make the day fun and keep us occupied.  We didn't have toys or games that did everything for us.  His Still Free clip talks about childhood just like I remember it.

Now that I am a mother I think back to my own childhood memories more frequently.  I grew up in the suburbs of Pennsylvania and I will always remember fondly the neighborhood I grew up in.  I loved that the whole street had unfenced backyards where all the children of the neighborhood could play.   I remember heading back there playing pretend games with each other like hide and go seek, freeze tag, and red light yellow light green light.  My favorite part of the neighborhood was the creek that ran underneath the street.  We played with toy boats, tried to catch tad poles and even looked for sunken treasure.  

I love that AmFam has a show like this available as a family friendly event.  It's hard enough finding things to do together that's also appropriate for little kids like Izzy.  It would be a great way to show Izzy the games that mommy used to play when I was her age.  Our games got us outside and running around instead of sitting down and giving our thumbs a workout.  What fond memories do you have as a kid?  Was it the games?  The neighborhood?  Join in on the conversation.

Wordless Wednesday

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Wordless Wednesday

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Moving Day

The move went without much of a hitch.  The great thing about being a military family is that you get a full service move.  On Friday we had packers at the house and they pack everything.  You have to be specific if there's something that you don't want them to pack.  If you're not then everything goes into a box whether or not you want it following you to your next home.  For that very reason, the past few weeks I've been going through the house and sorting out the things we were going to donate to the Salvation Army, the things we were giving away to friends or family and the things that were going into the trash.  My motto was if it wasn't worn or used within 6 months than it goes.  We were able to donate around 16 bags worth of clothes and linens to the Salvation Army.  SILgot everything she would need for a baby girl from birth to 1 year of life.  My cousin got a few pieces of really nice cherry wood furniture and my friend Ana got my cherished wall sized collection of books. 

Monday was moving day.  The guys came back to load everything that was packed on Friday to start the trip to our new place.  The only problem was the washer/dryer.  First there was an issue of disconnecting it and finding someone that would do it for me.  Luckily, I double checked with our new place and they don't even use that type.  Problem adverted and they're staying with the house.

So for the next three week we'll be living out of our suitcases spending time with family along the way before we get to our final destination.  Fun Times.

Style Makeover

I LOVE THIS OUTFIT!

I found a link to Ann Taylor's Blog yesterday through Twitter and after going through it I'm hooked!  My style, if you want to call it that is nonexistent.  Ever since Izzy was born I've been running around in "mommy wear".   These are outfits that I pick more for comfort and ease.  I was more concerned about the potential stains and my post baby body than style.  It got to a point were I don't even know what is cute for my body anymore.  It was much easier sticking with the "mommy style" than trying to pick outfits to compliment me.

I love that this blog posts pictures of an entire outfit, including the accessories.  They even give you hints on how to wear different style trends and what to pair with the pieces.  I'm going to use the blog as my "How To" and try to get my style back on track.  I really like the Sunday Brunch Outfit they just posted.  That's something I would definitely wear and great for the type of weather we're moving up to.  I'll post some before and after pictures when I'm confident enough to share my updated style.  Wish me luck!

Saying Goodbye

It's done!  Everything in our home for the past three years has been packed away in boxes and they're ready for the movers on Monday.  We've been planning this move for almost a year.  It hasn't been smooth or easy or fun, instead this time has been one of the most stressful things I've had to go through in awhile.  With the other moves it was only the two of us.  I didn't have to think of pediatricians, playgroups, day cares, preschools, jobs with reasonable driving distances or any of the other millions things our family needs.

Standing all by herself - June 10, 2010

I feel relived that moving day is finally here but I'm also sad.  This was the first house we've bought together.  The first house we experienced the joy of learning that we were going to be parents.  The first house we brought our child home to.  The first and only house our child knows as her home.  I have fond memories of designing and decorating the baby's room, of waking up one morning to see her stand up in her crib for the first time, learning how to take her first steps, and then running down the hallway.  I will always miss this house and the memories we made with here as a family.

That being said, I'm excited to start our next chapter.  I expect some bumps while we're still settling in and finding new friends.  But I have high hopes that we'll love it there and make this a permanent move.