This Oz Life

Ways she cracks us up:  I read something recently that said "Having a toddler in the house is like having a sportscaster narrate your every move." YES. Ways she "helps": Now that she can open the bathroom door, she appears every time she hears the water. She pulls up her stool and "helps" me wash my face/brush my teeth by putting her face directly between me and the water source.  She also loves to hand us items that are in front of us while we are (attemp… Read more

Does the thought of story time make you break into a sweat because yours will be "that kid" who wants nothing to do with it and everything to do with running around or getting into "teacher space"? Have you been looking for a way to get your toddler started with structured activities in a non-threatening way? Hey, even if yours sits in your lap and follows expectations at story time, you will still love Music Together. Everyone will.  My expectation of everything … Read more

This is officially the fastest summer in my record book. We got out of school late and are going back earlier than anyone. Yes, I'm a little huffy about it. But we have really filled it up with items off our to-do list, and that list truly gets us up off the couch and out to explore our city and connect with friends.  I've pretty much covered all our activities here or on Instagram, so I won't recap those. But here is our latest endeavor from this morning, along with what … Read more

We have been making my dad cheesy little "gift certificates" for the past two birthdays to go to The Wilds. I was feeling a little bad that we hadn't fulfilled the promise yet, since we always said we'd go when it "cools down" in September. Well, the perfect weather lent itself to the big trip this weekend. My mom watched Larkyn, because there was no way on God's strip-mined Earth that she could handle the 90 minute drive + 2.5 hour safari. A quick int… Read more

What a beautiful Friday, everyone!  Columbus at 80 degrees and no humidity is amazing. What else is in my top five this week? 1. Our Living area makeover is finally finished (for now). Let's do a before and after, shall we? 2. Since I'm now home for lunch every day (nap time is sacred around here and has been moved to noon), I have to be creative with my lunches. I've been making this salad quite a bit.  3. Carousels, oh carousels. How my daughter loves you. She shoos my … Read more

Thanks to Taylor for helping me find a cohesive way to write about a million things that otherwise would still be bouncing around my head...no thanks to Blogger for malfunctioning all day Wednesday... Why isn't Sex and The City on its own channel 24/7?   It is a divine miracle that it is on for exactly the two hours when Larkyn naps, but I'm always sad when my time is up with those crazy broads. Why is eating healthy 456 times harder than eating crappy? In the last 24 hours, I ha… Read more

Thank goodness for holidays or I'd have nothing to write about. Sometime soon, I will show you the final phase of our living/dining room makeover we completed this week. But today, it is just some holiday cheer to remind of what this day means (to me)...recognition of our veterans, gratefulness for our freedom, being with friends and family, and FUN! Last year, Larkyn tolerated the parade by our house. It was about 100 degrees and she hated the noises. But this year, she was allll… Read more