Karma?

Last week I was running super late and needed to run into the store to pick up some flowers and a Starbucks gift card for Jasper's Kindergarten teacher.
I run in with Tindra (Jasper was still in school) and grab my things and get in line.
In front of me was a young man with a huge cart full of groceries. The cashier said something like "Looks like you are pretty hungry!" and he replied "It's not for me but there are two hungry families waiting for this" 
After about 2/3 of his groceries have been rung up and he sees the total he tells the cashier to stop, that he won't be able to get the rest. The total was something like 150 and there were still a lot of groceries left. He pays for the groceries and starts to leave. 
I had noticed that he had bought 5-6 containers of lunch meat, but the bread was still left behind so without thinking about it I told the cashier to ring up the bread and watermelon with my stuff. I mean, what good is a bunch of lunch meat going to do if they don't have any bread to eat it on. 
She said "Are you sure?" and when I nodded "Let me run out and grab him!" and left to yell out the door to come back as I paid for my items.
The man was very humble and grateful. I wasn't sure How he was going to react. Some could take it the wrong way or get offended if given food when they haven't asked, but I didn't think about how he was going to react just did it so honestly I was a little nervous that he was going to be pissed or offended. Luckily he was neither!
The best part of it was the guy behind me in line quietly offered to buy the boxes of cereal still sitting there, with the un paid for pile of food. So on top of the bread and watermelon, he got to take the 3 boxes of lucky charms sitting there as well. 
The cashier looked more surprised/happy then anyone and told me as I was leaving that I just made her day. But you know what? It made My day to do it. I felt grateful that this small opportunity to do something good for a stranger presented itself. It feels Good to do good, right? 
 I wish I could have done more, but all I had was cash on me and not very much, but I'm still I was able to do something for this young man who was buying groceries to two families in need. I don't know if they were his families, or friends, or complete strangers, but that's not the point. The point was, someone got a sandwich and watermelon for lunch that maybe otherwise wouldn't have. 
Oh and the silver lining (not really) of it all? I walked out to a freaking $50 parking ticket. Apparently it was the monthly street sweeping day and my good dead for the day had made my grocery trip 5-6 extra minutes that probably would have saved me from a ticket. What kind of karma is that? 

Tassa

A few weeks ago Tindra received these gorgeous Tassa moccasins in the mail, sent all the way from Sweden! She has been wearing them for 2 weeks now and actually likes to keep them on! She usually hates socks or anything on her feet, but these she will crawl over too and actually try to put on herself! These modern day moccasins are seriously amazing. Tindra wears them indoor and out, and even sleeps in them! They are perfect for beginner walkers (like Tindra is trying to be) and work great indoor and out. Plus, they are freaking adorable!  They have been warn in the sand, dirt, grass, on hardwood floors and carpet, and work equally good for  all environments. And they actually stay on! After a rain storm we had last week Tindra was out stomping around in mud puddles, so I ran them through the wash and they looked brand new again! I love the cute leather moccasins as much as anyone else, but with those we haven't had a good experience with keeping them looking nice. But I can tell these are going to last! You guys know by now how I feel about my Swedish shoes/clothes so I had high expectations, and these did Not disappoint!  And the biggest proof that these moccasins are just amazing? Tindra took her first real steps in them! She had taken a step or two here or there, but has shown no interest in walking. A few days ago as I held up a cookie she decided to walk 7-8 steps (in her moccasins) to grab the cookie out of my hand. Obviously some magical shoes here!

You can buy your own Tassa moccasins HERE!  We were sent these to review but all opinions are my own! 

Why we won't be winning any parenting of the year awards..

For weeks Jasper has been working on a loose tooth. It's practically all he has been talking about. He Really wanted to lose one while he was still officially in Kindergarten. A lot of kids in his class have been losing teeth all year, and then having the tooth fairy come and visit, it's a pretty big deal.
So last Sunday we are on an evening family bike ride. I'm in the lead with miss T, followed by Jasper and then Drew in the back. All of a sudden Drew tells me to wait up, so I stop, turn around and see Jasper off his bike looking at the ground. 
"I lost a tooth I lost a tooth! At first I thought it was a rock in my mouth, so I spit it out, but then I thought 'hey, I don't put rocks in my mouth' so I figured out it was my tooth!" Word for word what Jasper said. 

So naturally, we are all looking on the ground for Jaspers tooth. But I'm positive we aren't going to find it. And we didn't. Jasper did! He found the tiny baby tooth that he spit out! We pocket it, go grab some ice cream at McDonalds to celebrate, because like I said, losing your first tooth is a preeeety big deal. 
All night long he can't stop talking about the tooth fairy coming to visit him, he's so excited he can barely fall asleep.
I had been anticipating this tooth falling out, so about a week before this I had gone to the store and gotten some diving toys for him from the tooth fairy, so I was totally proud of myself, I was On my game! 
After Jasper fell asleep Drew cleaned the kitchen, I cleaned the playroom and living room then we got ready for bed and watched a movie before falling asleep. 
Can you see where this is going? 
The next morning I'm sitting on the couch, sipping my coffee and checking my email, up before the kids for once.
Jasper comes out of his room with such a hurt look on his face. He looks like someone has just killed his puppy. 
"Mom! The tooth fairy didn't come"
Shit. Shitshitshitshitshit goes through my head. 
The tooth fairy forgot to come. My (our, Drew takes responsibility here too) first time with tooth fairy duties, and we forget? Horrible. Absolutely horrible.
Luckily, if I can do anything, it's think quickly on my feet. So I blurt out
"I think I just heard something in the kitchen! Maybe the tooth fairy came in but you woke up early (it was early, like barely 6) so she probably left! She doesn't want you to see her! Hurry up and go get back in bed, maybe she will come back if she thinks your sleeping!"
Jasper hurries back to his bedroom, and I grab the diving toys I have hidden under the couch (don't ask) and 3 one dollar bills and leave it in the kitchen by the fire place, because the tooth fairy comes in through the fire place right? 
Jasper comes out about 15 minutes later as I'm making his breakfast and he discovers what the tooth fairy has left him. The tooth fairy is forgiven, and he leaves his tooth under his pillow that night as well in hopes that she will come back for his tooth.
She remembers to come this time, and leaves more money under the pillow, trying to ease her guilt.
All ended up okay, but I don't think I'll ever forget the look on Jasper's face when he believed the tooth fairy hadn't come. It broke my heart. I felt like such a mom failure. But you better believe the tooth fairy won't ever forget to make a stop at our house again! 

Bucket List

I've been working on a mental bucket list for over a month and think it's finally ready! Jasper has added in a few of his own ideas to the list as well.
1. Rocky mountain camping (at least one trip planned) 2.10 zoo visits (this one is one of Jasper's 1/10 completed 3.Weekly baking with Jasper 4. Visit the three semi close beach reservoirs. It's the closest thing to a beach we have here in landlocked Colorado.  5. Day trips to some nearby towns (Estes Park, Fort Collins, Colorado Springs, Georgetown etc.) 6. Splash parks!! 7. Discover/Visit 5 new parks in Denver 8. Movies in the park! 9. Weekly farmers market trips (so far we are 3/3 for this one, but I'd like to check out some different farmers markets in Denver, though I'm convinced ours is the best! 10.Weekly library trips 1/1 on this so far 11.Actually Go to the Y a few times a week. Got the family pass for summer so no excuse! 12.Pirates cove at Least once (super fun water park about 20 minutes away) 13.Use our crock pot more, the oven Majorly heats up the house and that is Not ideal with a house without central air! 14.Lots and lots of family bike rides 15. Mamma/Jasper dates, one of them Here
Okay that's all I've got for right now! We also have two trips back to Iowa planned, a weekend trip in Minnesota for me for a high school friends bachelorette party and a trip to yellowstone national park! So I think I'll be stepping foot in 6 states this summer! 
What's on YOUR summer bucket list? 

Also, if you hadn't noticed, my blog got a make over! Kristen was amazing to work with, super helpful, asked lots of questions to get a feel for what I wanted and came up with this! I love it! If you need some design work done, she's your girl! 

Awesome giveaway going on for anyone who wants to grow their blog with some ad space! Happy Monday!

1. Baby Bound started off as a blog dedicated to one couples’ journey to start a family while living as missionaries in a third world country. Now, over two years later, this blog has shifted gears into documenting the happenings of a young family and their mission to find beauty and bliss in all the little things in life while taking pictures along the way.

2. Biziness is Casual is authored by a punk rock mama named Dani. She lives in Southern California with her fiance and baby girl. Her blog is a mash up of mom stuff, family adventures, fashion, music, art, tattoos, lifestyle, design, and more.

3. A Compass Rose is a blog about a Third Culture Kid (TCK) living the Expat life in England with her family.  She works as a photographer and owns a blog, A Compass Rose.  She writes about growing up nomadic lifestyle as a TCK, about being an Expat, about life in England, and her travels across the world.

4. Life of TOI is authored by TOI. The blog captures the beauty in the ordinary things that make her and her family happy. On the blog you can find her opinion on race, style, travel and the meaning of motherhood.

5. Lost in Travels is a blog about a nomadic couple. After Chelsea and Jeremy got hitched two years ago they started getting cold sweats every time they thought about ‘settling down’ in their hometown. So what did they do instead? Sold all of their belongings that wouldn’t fit in two 50-pound bags and took the first flight to South Korea to teach. Chelsea's blog highlights their lives as expats in the land of kimchi as well as documents their world travels. 

6. Momista Beginings is a mommy/baby blog that was conceived shortly after conception of baby Mia (now a year old) to parents, Mama Misty and Daddy Dom. Misty is an art teacher for pre-K through the 2nd grade who loves to create, DIY, bake, cook, and take pictures. Dom is self employed in the landscape biz and loves his 2 dogs, the outdoors, hiking, camping, cooking, gardening and tending to their 21 chickens! A few features of the blog include weekly updates throughout Mama Misty's pregnancy, a detailed and photo filled birth story, DIY ideas and tutorials, tried and true recipes, Misty's art projects for kids, product reviews, occasional giveaways and plenty of photos of Mia, their family and their average adventures. As summer approaches, nerves are high over the idea of Misty staying at home with the baby instead of working. As their new lives as parents constantly changes, so does their blog along with them. Look out for Misty's up and coming launch of her Etsy store, followed by more details of a hopeful photography business start-up to help this family stay afloat, in order to stay home with the baby. Things are about to get real interesting and they welcome all new blogworms to join in on the fun.

7. Ms. Nancy Pants has her head in the clouds most days dreaming of the day she will finally take the jump and become a nomad traveling to the unknown. Since she is stuck in her cubicle for now, you can find her discovering a different kind of beauty in the dry state of AZ. She is doing her best to become domesticated a good home maker and attempt new recipes, crafts, taking pictures of the world around her or attending a local musical festival on the weekends. Her mission is to develop a radical self love for herself and share that with others who are on the same journey.

8. Tales of a Young Mama is written by Darlene, a young (ish) mamma of two. Love of all things Swedish, photography, fashion, iced coffee, traveling the world and babies. She blogs about their every day life in Denver, Colorado, raising two bilingual babies (okay one is no longer a baby!) with some (mostly) healthy recipes and fashion posts thrown in. 

9. To the Sea is a blog by an attorey-at-mom, Tejana, former kama'aina, and expat living in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. She writes about fitness, parenting, travel, and life overseas.

And now for the givewaway! The winner will receive once month of free ad space on each blog listed above. The more entries you complete, the better chance you have at winning. Remember that the winner will be verifed.

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Family bike rides

This past weekend we finally went on our first family bike ride. Jasper has been riding a bike without training wheels for about a year, but in the past two months we have been getting him 'road ready', working on following safety rules etc. instead of just riding around at the park. And we finally got Tindra's helmet we ordered so it was time!

I'd be lying if I didn't say I about had a panic attack letting Jasper ride on the side of the road and in the bike lane, but we stayed around our quiet neighborhood streets and had a good system with me in the front, then Jasper followed by Drew. Jasper Majorly impressed me with how amazing he did and how well he listened!

And Tindra, she couldn't have loved it more! I was a little worried, since she is going through a phase (okay not so much a phase as a personality thing) where she absolutely Hates being strapped in anywhere. Stroller/carseat etc. But strapped into her bike seat with helmet (which I also thought she would throw a fit about wearing since she refuses to even wear a bow most of the time) she was on cloud 9! She sat still, happily for our almost 3 year bike ride on Saturday night! Stopping for pizza and ice cream I'm sure didn't hurt either!

After I put my new helmet on for the first time Drew told me I looked like an easter egg with my yellow bike and green pants. And also if anyone needed more proof that I'm not a Denver hipster as I've been called a few times, here's me in my blue helmet. Pretty sure helmets are very un hipster, and I'm definitely not a fan of helmet hair,but in this family it's safety first! Besides, if I can help it I don't like to be a hypocrite, it would be hard to tell Jasper that he has to wear a helmet for safety reasons and then not wear one myself. So I'll be looking like a pastel colored easter egg from know on!

It's been a little silent over here this week, it's taken me three nap times just to do this post! Tindra is going through some major teething drama, and hasn't wanted to be put down at All. Plus Jasper is now home for the summer (yay!) so most of nap times has been spent with him! Hope you are all having a great weekend!

Mountain Hike

Another fantastic weekend! It was filled with farmers markets, bike rides (more on that later!) and family hiking. Also, the weather couldn't have been more perfect. 78 and sunny is my perfect temperature. Today's 90+ temp, not so much.

A few weeks ago I (along with Tindra) chaperoned Jasper's kindergarten field trip to bair of the lair for hiking. It's about 30 minutes away from us, at the base of the rocky mountains. A perfect little getaway!  The hiking was so perfect and child friendly that we knew we needed to bring Drew along with us. So about midnight as we were going to bed Saturday night I turned to Drew and said, tomorrow we are going hiking. He grunted a reply which I took as a yes.

8:05 AM we were on our way, Starbucks and Bruegers bagel in hand!

Tindra and Jasper both did amazing. T absolutely hates being restrained, she doesn't enjoy our stroller walks anymore because of it, but she does amazing in the hiking back pack!

As we were leaving we were told that on mothers day (just two days after we went there with jasper's class) there was a mamma black bear walking around the picnic area where tons of families were enjoying the day. Talk about scary!!



I can't wait to find more kid friendly hikes this summer! But they are all definitely going to have to be early morning hikes before it gets ridiculously hot.