Daydreams of a Housewife

As I clean and scrub and organize in my grubby sweats and t-shirt, I'm day-dreaming of cute clothes. And you know what I've discovered? I'm pretty sure that I desperately need jeggings and a pair of Mary Janes. Yeah, I'm pretty sure I do.

A Baby No More

Our little Austin will be turning two in just a couple of weeks. Un-be-LIEVE-able. (for me anyway) His personality is blooming by leaps and bounds. Frankly, the boy is hilarious. (not that I’m biased or anything) He’s also a liiiiiiiittle bit stubborn. And yes, since you asked (you did, right?) I do have proof.
Austin, like his big brother, loves superheroes. But Austin has decided that there’s just no need to differentiate them all with specific names. Apparently, that’s just wasted energy. Instead, he’s decided to call them all the same thing: Bahm-Bahm.

This includes Spider-Man, Batman, Iron Man – any of those heroic ‘man’ guys. At first, we thought he was trying to say Batman – and MAYBE that was true, but he’s now decided that that’s just fine to use for any old guy with super powers.
So, in the case of “Is Austin Heilman Stubborn or Not?” I give you…
Exhibit A.

And, Exhibit B.

(Notice his facial expressions in both videos? Highly annoyed with us trying to ‘convince’ him he’s saying it wrong.)
I believe the evidence speaks for itself.

Case closed.

It's All in the Interpretation...

Zack: "Mommy, look at my picture!"


Mommy: "Oh, very nice, Buddy. Who is it?"

Zack: "It's YOU with your curly hair!"

Mommy: "Oh, I see!"

*Zack pauses, looks at the picture, then back at Mommy*

Zack: "It kind of looks like a mane. Sorry about that."

*Mommy stifles laughter*

Mommy: "That's ok, Buddy. I love it."

*Zack smiles*

Life Lessons

I tend to learn things - or have realizations about things – while I’m doing something else. I guess sometimes I need time to process, or maybe I just have a strange mind. (pretty sure that’s it).
Whatever the case may be, I thought I’d start a little series on the blog of things I’ve learned…life lessons, if you will. So to start things off…
Things I’ve Learned While…Running.

• Feel pain? Keep moving. It’ll go numb eventually. (except if it doesn’t go numb. Then stop. ;P)
• Your body can adapt to nearly anything – including running (or doing any activity) in hot or cold weather. Don’t use weather as an excuse, but don’t except to adapt overnight. Give it time.*
• Somehow, wearing running tights in public isn’t indecent. (and I’m no longer self-conscious about wearing them!) But wearing legging as ‘pants’ is wrong. Don’t do it. Please.
• Listening to my favorite podcast** on headphones, in public frequently leads to me looking like a crazy person. (i.e. Laughing/Snorting at inopportune moments)
• Having someone to share a hobby with (in this case, a running buddy) is a giant blessing. (Shout out to my running buddy and sis-in-law, Amber! LOVE you!)
• Going solo is also good to do sometimes. Don’t be afraid to be on your own occasionally.
• I do not know how to properly “hock a lugee” (my attempts usually end with spit on my face or – if the wind’s blowing – on the side of my head. It ain’t pretty.)
• There IS such a thing as a "runner's high" and it's AWESOME. (seriously)
• I can’t smell myself when I “stink” after working out. (also, my hubby won’t tell me I smell bad, but WILL tell others.)
• You CAN accomplish things you never thought possible. “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” – Note that it says ALL things, not SOME things or a FEW things. ALL THINGS! Take it to heart.

So, that’s a longer list than I originally intended, but I guess I learned more since I started this whole running thing than I thought. Like the new series idea? Let me know and we’ll see if I can cook up any more tidbits. (though I know I can’t dish out the wisdom quite like the McElroy brothers.)
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*I NEVER thought I’d be able to run in cold weather. I’m now DOING it. Unbelievable.
** “My Brother, My Brother, and Me” is only for those with a VERY healthy sense of humor.

Ye Olde Birthday

Remember awhile back when I said something about a birthday…a kinda biggish one? Well, it came and went during my recent absence from the blog. And who turned 30? THIS gal.
The final decision for the big three-oh party was a gathering for some bowling, followed by some delish pizza, cake and party games.
I was excited to gather with both sides of my fam and do a little bowling. My hubby and my dad were kind enough to catch some photos for me.
Zack was VERY excited to go bowling (he was also under the impression I was having a costume party. We just let him go with that…)

Impeccable form…


Austin’s favorite thing: The claw machine. (he ended up with more than a dozen of those little things!)

He also tried a little bowling…

…and was obviously pretty impressed with himself.

It was fun to get to see everyone play…



And I definitely need to work on my form, but I had a lot of fun!


After a couple of games, we all went over to my in-law’s house for pizza (including SUPREME, which I LOVE but never get to have – due to the picky-eaters in my house) and a delicious custom cake from Hy-Vee (marble cake with bavarian cream filling – YUM!)

I also was blessed with some awesome gifts from my family. I won’t bore you with all the repetitive pics of me opening presents… but when a gift is wrapped in a giant ball of aluminum foil, it’s less boring to see being unwrapped. (thanks, Jordan) So, here ya go…




We also got to play an awesome new game called “Start the Party.” It’s a game for the Playstation Move (which is a recent purchase for us). We rented the game, and had a blast getting to play it with everyone. It certainly lives up to its name!
Zack warmed up the crowd…

…and pretty soon everyone was joining in.
My brother, Jake.

My brother-in-law, Jordan.

My brother-in-law, Jared.

My sister-in-law, Amber (contemplating her next move).

Even my mother-in-law!


I, of course, dominated the competition. (not really)

I had an awesome party and am SO thankful to my amazing husband who took care of all the details and let me just relax and enjoy it all.
And, as for 30? So far, it’s not so bad. ;)

Experiments in Fashion

Ok, I’ve once again slacked off on the blogging. I apologize. Truly, I’m sorry for disappearing again – but there have been other things that ranked higher on the priority list, and I had to let the blog slide. I guess I can’t be sorry for that. My family has to come first… even if my blog is mostly about my family.
At any rate, I’ve still be living and stressing and coping and thriving. I just haven’t been blogging about it. Today, I’ll attempt to do a little catching up – and I do hope to be a bit more regular than I have been. (Ok, we all know I’ve said that before, but let’s just stay in the moment, shall we)
So, I told you before I’ve been adding a few new ideas/items to my wardrobe recently. Thanks to inspiration and ideas from some awesome fashion bloggers (You *must* check out Kendie, Bethany & Jill. Really, MUST) I’ve tried to break out of my little comfort zone (not all at once, mind you. But little by little) and try a few things I wouldn’t have before.
Case in point today (or actually Wednesday) is this little get-up.


I love how the previously mentioned ladies use belts in so many different ways – and I love a good belt – but I’ve always been unsure of how to wear them. Or a little uncomfortable wearing them, to be honest. So recently, I’ve been trying out this concept… and love it. Now, I’m still a little unsure about this particular outfit… but I was happy that I made it out of the house in it and didn’t chicken out.
I’ve tried a couple other “belted” outfits, but I didn’t get pics of them, of course. It should be noted, I feel SUPER awkward taking outfit pics… and since I make my hubby take them, I feel even MORE awkward. And wouldn’t you know it, I also LOOK awkward. (as seen above)
I should also mention how much I love open-front cardigans (so this post doesn’t end up just about belts). I could wear them EVERY day, I think. I just adore them. (which I guess is why I’m continually tempted to buy more of them).
Ok, for what’s it’s worth… Here are the outfit details:

Open front cardigan: Old Navy, $15 (sale + coupon)

Tshirt: Old Navy, $3 (I think) (sale + coupon)

Levi Skinny jeans: Kohls, $30 (coupon - bought with bday money – more than I’d usually spend!)

Boots: Younkers, $30 (sale last season)

Belt: GoodWill, $1.50