Motherhood Monday {Why All Moms Are Like Drag Queens}

As all mothers know, every day life with a baby (or two, or three) is not as glamorous as it looks on the mommy blogs. Since Cy's wake up calls usually start around 6am, getting myself ready for the day isn't something that is at the top of my priority list. I stay at home with him, so the thought of wasting a chic outfit, make up and a nice hairstyle just to get food on me, walk to the playground and have snot wiped on me, makes me cringe.

#RealLife (kinda)

With all of that being said, I make sure I am able to "get ready" at least a few times a month. I love being a women and all the sparkly things that come with that, so transforming into the "hot mom" version of myself is something I have so much fun with. But, it got me thinking how much mom's are just like drag queens. We (Or maybe just me) only get dressed up when we get "paid" to do so. Aka we only get dressed up when there are dinner and drinks involved. I think that even working moms, who have to look presentable every day, have drag queen qualities too. You have your work clothes and you have your going out clothes....most likely two very different types of outfits/looks.

#SocialMediaDragQueen

One of these days I am going to film a "Get Ready With Me" YouTube video so y'all can see the transformation....it's a crazy one that takes just about 3(!) hours and sometimes weeks ahead of time to achieve..I mentioned this in a previous blog, but I can do ugly very well. The amount of attention I get (or lack there of) when I am in "mom mode" vs. the attention I get when I am in "drag queen mode" are interesting to say the least.

I have a few beauty vlogs (#flob) planned for the coming weeks plus a ton of Halloween stuff in store for you guys in October!

xoxo

(Hot) Mom's Night Out {#OOTN}

I had the pleasure of hanging out with some lovely ladies last night for a (hot) mom's night out. We had a yummy dinner at Mezcal in Worcester and also went to the Brantley Gilbert concert at the DCU center. Well, all the other girls did...I didn't make it through the opening act as I think Cy may have given me his most recent sickness... #MommyProblems

Even though I was in bed with a fever by 9:30, my #situationalDressing was still on point -

Blazer | H&M | Sweater | Forever 21 | Shorts | Wet Seal | Leg Warmers | American Apparel | Boots | AMIClubwear.com

#RHOWPI

Confessions Of A Stay At Home Mom {Mom Friends}

While I was still pregnant, one of The Mister's co workers said to him "once you have a baby, you meet so many people that you would never be friends with unless you had a child." Of course that, among all the other info and tips, got lost in the crowd of information that was thrown at us.

Well, fast forward to now and Cy is of the age that we are going to social groups and playgrounds, and this is something that totally rings true. Having a child completely opens up your social circle in ways that you never thought possible. Just yesterday, I met a mom and her two sons at the playground. We bonded over things like us both being bloggers and both having sons with unique names. After we left, I realized I never got the mom's name...but I do know her two son's names! #MommyProblems

I am sure once Cy starts sports, this circle will be opened even wider. Although my biggest fear is becoming one of "those" sports parents so hopefully I can avoid becoming one and avoid being friends with one. I'm going to be the mom at the little league game in wedges and short shorts sitting in a pink camping chair. I'll be one of "those" #MilfySportsMoms.

Summer Favorites

Happy September everyone! With fall (and Halloween related posts) looming upon us I think it's high time to wrap up the summer.

Beauty - 

I discovered the magic of cream based makeup applied by a Beauty Blender this summer. I found a new (to me) beauty guru on YouTube, Nicole Guerriero, who has a highlighting & contouring video in which she uses drugstore products on one side of her face and high end products on the other side of her face. IMO by the time she was done I could not see the difference. With that, I went right to my local CVS and picked up all my supplies (minus the Beauty Blender, you can find that at Sephora). You can find her video here.

Fashion - 

Rompers, jumpsuits, short shorts, menswear...these were a few of my favorite summer things. Also, this was my first summer with a very active child (last summer he was just learning to walk). So I developed a new appreciation for flats. I rocked a pair of black Forever 21 sandals literally all.summer. Note to self for next summer - stock up on cute sandals and flats! I will always look back fondly on the summer of 2014 as the summer of the onesie.

Fitness - 

I am happy to report that after my beginning of the summer injury I have finally lost the last of my baby weight. Although my body will never be the same as before (that's what tummy tucks are for) I have a new found appreciation for the human body and am in the best shape of my life. Coming off such a great summer of fitness I decided to parlay that into getting my Spin instructor certification! I am so excited for a new chapter in my life (and fitness) and I am looking forward to kick ass via Spin bike!

Mom Stuff - 

We went through two types of flotation devices for Cy this summer. One of them was a life vest with an Orca fin on it (so cute) which Cy hated and a Puddle Jumper (which we discovered by the end of the summer) that he (and we) loved. The Puddle Jumper is well priced and Coast Guard certified. It's also not super bulky which I think is what Cy's problem was with his Orca vest. 

My favorite blog post of the summer was a #TBT post where I wrapped up our Disney trip. I love going back and reading this post every so often. It quells the "Disney vacation itch" for a little while. 

My least favorite blog post of the summer was my Science of Twitter post. Although I liked the idea of this blog post, I feel like it came off all wrong. One day I will do a rewrite. 

Fall Organization/Decidedly Delightful Headquarters

Every year as the end of August approaches I always get this urge to start redecorating/rearranging/cleaning for the upcoming holiday season. Here at the C household, we celebrate (and are decorated for) holidays from Labor Day(when the Halloween decor comes up) to New Years Day. Which of course means that every year, before and after said holiday season, I like to overhaul our tiny, yet cozy digs.

What's even better about this year is that we are selling a lot of stuff. I am figuring out eBay more everyday and will be getting a lot of our decor (related) things out of here for a fresh start. Since we don't have a ton of storage here (and due to my lack of emotional attachment to things) I like to have a high turnover rate of "things" around the house...this includes everything from clothes to toys & decor. So stay tuned for that!

In the mean time, this place has been on an organizational overhaul. I was starting to find corners of my house looking like this....

My (very black and white) brain could not handle such a colorful mess any longer. And since we just had Cy's birthday party it was the perfect time to go through toys/clothes and see what we were keeping and what was headed towards storage/Salvation Army.

Without further ado, this is what our floor to ceiling shelves looked like before - 

And after my organizational overhaul, this is what they look like now - 

I wanted to clear a few shelves for the upcoming decorations bomb that is going to hit this apartment. I also created more storage for toys (as those cardboard boxes pictured in the first picture were toast a few months after the picture was taken). We are trying to teach Cy to put away one activity before starting the next and I think the separate bins will help with that.

During my organizational overhaul, I decided I wanted to (yet again) redo my craft room and really turn it into a blogging/eBay headquarters. Also, I know I am going to need the space for the holidays and I was feeling rather uninspired in my work space so I knew a change was in order. This is what the Decidedly Delightful headquarters looked like before -

And here is what is looks like now --

#DecorDepot

#GlitterPumpkinLife

I think it is so much more open now and really offers a space that I can work in. I was also determined to devote a shelf to housing all of my decor that I am keeping but isn't in rotation at the moment. I added a small section for beauty prep too. In a tiny apartment I have to be smart with my space and if that means devoting a small corner and storage to getting ready in my craft room/blogging headquarters, then so be it. After all, a girl needs her space in a house full of boys.

Deets - Floor to ceiling shelves - Ikea | Clear bins - Ikea (Samla) | White Shelves - Home Depot | Desk & Chair - Ikea | Pumpkins - Dollar Tree

Traveling with a Toddler {Child Proofing}

The Mister, Cy and I went on a trip to Delaware last week. As with any trip to a hotel, I always bring along my bag of child proofing tricks. Cy is definitely a child that needs child proofing anywhere he goes, so I have to be prepared for anything. Here are a list of my supplies and some tips and tricks -

We stayed in a Staybridge Suites and ended up getting upgraded to a one bedroom suite. Staying at a Staybridge ensured there was a full kitchen and separate bedroom. We never know if we will be upgraded to a one bedroom so I always bring all my supplies just in case I need to create a little sleeping nook for Cy if we get a studio room. Later in the summer we are going on a trip that we will most likely only be in a studio. I will be sure to do a follow up to show what that would look like. This time, it was not needed.

Supplies -

1. Corner protectors - Self explanatory | 2. Cabinet closers - The kitchen in our suite did not have cabinets with handles so I did not use these but always bring them just in case. | 3. Command strips - For creating a sleeping nook if need be. | 4. Yarn - The amount of uses for yarn is exponential so I always have a roll. | 5. Outlet covers - Self explanatory - I always leave the outlet covers in the room after we leave to pay it forward. | 6. Scissors - Self explanatory | 7. Video monitor - This is obviously optional if you don't already have one at home...ours came in handy as Cy was in a different room as us when he went to sleep. | 8. Velcro squares - We actually mount the camera part of the video monitor set on the wall with Velcro for a temporary mount. | Not pictured - A flat sheet for the sleeping nook, a $10 wooden gate from WalMart and a roll of clear duct tape.

Tip - Once you get to the hotel room move every piece of furniture that is not bolted down to the perimeter of the room for more play space -

Before

After

As you can see in the pictures above, the TV stand had a crap ton of drawers on it. Since my cabinet closers were not big enough to fit on these handles, this was my solution -

#TapeAndYarn

I also duct taped the kitchen cabinets (not pictured) closed as well because Cy is a big fan of opening/closing cabinets and climbing in them. We usually have a gate blocking off our kitchen at home but for this trip our gate was used to block off the bedroom during the day.

Like I said, having all of those supplies with you will allow you to come up with a solution for any sort of child hazard while on the road. The trick is being prepared..I have my travel child proofing supplies on hand at all times already in a Ziploc bag, ready to pack on a moments notice. Gathering all supplies beforehand will make for easy packing and preparedness. Stay tuned for our trip later in the summer...I will have pictures of what one of my "sleeping nooks" looks like.

When I Have Kids I Will Never...

There is a book I read during my pregnancy that changed my entire outlook on parenting. That book is called Bringing Up Bebe - One American Mother Discovers the Wisdom of French Parenting. The book is about an American mother that moves to France and finds that French (European) parenting is far different from American parenting. Not only is parenting different but French mothers associate zero guilt with having their own lives and identifying as a women first and mom second. I recommend this book for any parent.

After I completed the book, I decided to write myself a list. A "remember where you came from" type of list.  I never wanted to be that parent that said "When I have kids I will never..." and then once I had the baby go  back on everything I said. I am proud to say that I have never once gone back on my word. I have followed this list to a tee and I am excited that I can say that. I have referred back to said book/list a few times during this parenting adventure yesterday was one of those days. Not because I was having a hard time, simply because I wanted to read what I wrote after all this time. The Mister and I had a great time laughing at all of my bullet points. Although they are funny, this list is exactly who I am down to the core and I wouldn't have it any other way.

#DateNight

#BeAHotMom & Disney World = check

#PerfectDinnerParties

This last part was written in pencil (after the whole list was written in pen) and it must have been during a time I was worried about my weight...yanno since I ate my family out of house and home when I was pregnant. I am happy to say that present day I never say the "F" word anymore...so I guess that is something else that has changed for the better.