out and about - chikaustin

out and about

July8th

7 Comments

hotter than a…

Posted in: mama life, out and about

Dang it’s hot out. I’m sure all of you non-southerners are sick and tired of listening to us cowpoke complain about the weather but this is ridiculous.

My doctor advised me to not go outside unless I’m in a pool. That limits quite a few things. And makes for an even more hilarious view of me scurrying with two kids in and out of stores when we run errands.

That’s me. Back in good old 1980ish in Port Aransas, Texas. Skinny as a string bean with a bikini that probably fit me when I was two.

Our beach plans have taken quite a turn of events. We were hoping to fly to Florida, but my dear sweet hubby thinks that would be overdoing it for my almost 8 month preggo self. And our beach jar is not quite reaching capacity for airline tickets. So it looks like we are going to take the kids to good old Port Aransas, Texas at the end of the month. About four hours from Austin. I’m not going to complain. I’m going to suck in my bottom lip and have a good time. For the kids. And really, they don’t know any better.

I do have to agree with him, I wouldn’t be up for doing much. Can’t snorkel. Can’t ride in a boat. Can’t go down a water slide. Can’t ride a bike. Can’t drink a margarita. Can’t scuba dive. Sorry, I said I was going to suck it up. But I can sit by a pool. Sit on the beach. I can look for seashells with my kids. And just enjoy watching my kids play and fish with their daddy. And I can take pictures. I think I’m going to like this little vacay after all.

Are you going anywhere this summer? I’d love to hear all about it. I’m a traveling fool. Wait, that didn’t come out right. Nevermind. Carry on.
June13th

6 Comments

life on holiday

Posted in: out and about

It all started a couple of years ago when I announced that I was changing my perspective.

To live a life less ordinary per se.

To live like I was on holiday.

Not that I could. Oh, but I would.

Take advantage of each day. Not necessarily go with the flow. To take the path less traveled.

Two years ago we moved thirty miles out of Austin to the lake. We reduced our cost of living. We greatly reduced the square footage of our house. And we’ve never been happier.

You don’t have to sell your house to change your perspective. You don’t have to do anything. In fact, do less.

I have learned that it’s okay to say no. With no guilt strings attached.

The beautiful part is that your kids just want to be with you. They don’t have to go anywhere. You don’t have to buy them anything. Just be with them. Be in the moment. Watch them catch bugs. Encourage them to build forts. Color with them. Read to them. Explore with them.

I now spend each day, not racing as fast as I can to beat or keep up with the pack, but enjoying the simple quiet moments.

And as a mama, I do this for my kids.

By changing myself, I change the future.

{a huge thank you to my hubby for designing my new banner, he also did the craft hope logo and i feel mighty lucky to have such a photoshop savy man in my life.}
May11th

4 Comments

the hills are alive

Posted in: out and about

We spent the weekend in the Texas Hill Country doing a few of my favorite things.

Stopping to smell the flowers.

Noticing the unusual. As a good friend said “God is in the pokey uncomfortable places.”

Remembering the past.

And embracing the unpredictable.
January19th

9 Comments

snow day

Posted in: babes in toyland, mama life, mi familia, out and about

We survived our first family roadtrip to Taos, New Mexico. The bags are still not unpacked, but as a good friend put it ‘you won’t need those clothes anytime soon.’ Wise words since we are back in Austin and I’m back in my flip flops. So for now, the bags are stacked in the corner and we are enjoying this beautiful Texas sunshine.

We spent the week hanging out and bundling up.

Playing in the snow.

Building a snow tribe.

Making snow angels.

Enjoying the fire inside with a good book and the view outside.

Spending time with great friends.

And enjoying time as a family.

It’s good to travel, but it’s also good to be home.
January7th

9 Comments

pre-trip road trip

Posted in: babes in toyland, out and about

Thank you for all of your well wishes on our trip. I do believe that we need them. I welcome and desperately need any ideas to make the trip easier. Things to pack. Games to play. Music to listen to. Any and all advice is greatly appreciated. Like should I pack individual ‘car packs’ for the kids so they each have their own things? Come on mamas… I need you.

$there\'s just something about this guy$

Today we did a mini-roadtrip to San Antonio to pick up a much needed portable DVD player from grandma and grandpa’s house. While we were in town we arranged an outing to the San Antonio Zoo with my fabulous sister-in-law and her beautiful little girls. My kids adore their cousins just about as much as I adore my sister from another mother… and father.
December30th

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the holidays

Posted in: mi familia, out and about

I just want the hit the pause button. To savor these restful moments. No need to hurry, to get things done. Nope. We are truly enjoying the holidays.

Our Christmas morning can be summed up with this one picture. Keegan’s feet in his sisters new princess shoes. The boy would not take them off.

While in San Antonio we spent a lot of time with family. While I didn’t get my lights shot, I promise to try again on New Years, I did get some bowling shots. Yes, I did say bowling. And let me tell you that I have not been to a bowling alley in about ten years.

We have all spent plenty of time with Wii bowling over the holiday, but this was a whole other beast all together.

Makena had a style all of her own. Run. Drop the ball. It would barely roll. And she would squat or lay down to watch it creep down the lane.

$it\'s all fun and games$

And it’s all fun and games.

Until the boy gets hit upside the head with a bowling ball. The bruise appeared in about two seconds.

We have returned from San Antonio and the house has been declared a natural disaster zone. Toys, bags and everything in between lay strewn about the living room.

Today we rest.

Tomorrow we party! Happy New Years Eve Eve!
August20th

5 Comments

Summertime

Posted in: out and about

Both of my kids long to live on a farm. Makena likes to sprinkle sand from the sandbox like she’s feeding the chickens. Keegan spends most days on his rocking horse yelling ‘yee-haw.’ So when the opportunity presented itself to spend a weekend on a farm, they couldn’t have been more excited.

There were animals to watch.

Tractors to ride.

Stars to gaze.

Croquet to be played.

And swimming. Lot’s of swimming.

Ahhh fleeting summertime.
July29th

14 Comments

Bippity Boppity Boo

Posted in: babes in toyland, out and about

Why is my son wearing an Easter bonnet and a tutu? Sorry. I got distracted. The life of being the younger brother. Ironic since this is a post about our Disney World Bippity Boppity Boutique, they slip you crack, experience.

So back in May when we took the family to Disney World we considered all of our ‘extra’ options. What character dining meals to purchase, what events to attend, what park to go to each day… What we didn’t consider was that no amount of pre-planning can prepare you for all that Disney throws at you.

We got there and were immediately immersed in the culture, wearing our mouse-ears and singing It’s a Small World. I even considered purchasing Mickey Mouse head shaped plates. Because, you know, you need a plate like that to separate all of the food. Crack. I guess I forgot to check my sanity at the entrance gates because upon entering the Magic Kingdom I immediately felt that Makena would be missing out on a major part of the ‘Disney experience’ if she did not get to do the Bippity Boppity Boutique. One quick phone call later, a last minute cancellation answered my prayers to the Disney Gods. We were booked for a Boutique experience.

Want to see what we got ourselves into?

A little bit of this.

And a little bit of that.

And even more of this.

Just add water and you too can have your very own princess.

To make matters worse when Makena met The Fairy Godmother, she said “why you look just like Cinderella in a Snow White dress.” Then I guess at Disney training the worker mice are instructed to address every little girl who had the boutique experience as ‘princess.’ So for the rest of the day, it was ‘well, hello princess.’ All. Day. Long.

I’m still picking the glitter out of her clothes from that day. And wondering how on earth they suck you in and spit you out.

Note: Please don’t let any of this Disney banter fool you or discourage you from the experience. Like a good addict, we will return to get another fix. Probably sooner rather than later. Peace out.
July24th

11 Comments

Book Worm

Posted in: babes in toyland, out and about

Thanks to Hurricane Dolly it feels a little bit like fall. We know the cool damp weather won’t last but we enjoy it while it’s here. A welcome relief from the stifling summer heat. I turned to Miles this morning and said ‘you know, if the weather was always like this I could live here.’ Ha. We do live here. All of the time. A woman can dream can’t she?!?

$These Boots are Made for Walkin\'$

So we ventured out this week to the library. It was our first family trip and it was a hit! I gave Makena the option of swimming in our backyard or the library and she screamed ‘library’! That’s my girl! As we turned the corner and she could see the library she screamed. Serious. Who screams when they see the library?

When we walked into the library both kids made a mad dash to the kids section. Before I could catch up to them they had stripped the shelves of several books and had quite a mountainous pile on a little table. They were in library heaven. I even walked away with some cookbooks that I had been eyeing at the bookstore but didn’t want to shell out $35 for.

Another tiny step toward saving the planet. Now where’s my cape???
July7th

4 Comments

Deep in the Heart of Texas

Posted in: out and about

It’s Monday afternoon and I’m sitting here watching my to-do list grow and grow. There always seems like there is so much to do before a holiday. And then after all the guests have left and the dust has settled there still seems like a lot to do. Getting back into the normal routine of life. No guests to tend to. No big meals to fix. Just taking care of the family. Conquering that list.

Might as well knock one thing off of the list while I’m here. The blue farm with the self-serve sign, here is a link to the farm. Be sure to stop by if you are ever going that way, you won’t regret it. And since you asked for the goat pictures, here they are!

As I was procrastinating my list, I was thinking back on our trip to San Antonio about a week ago. There are honky tonks scattered around all over Texas. The places that you would think only reside in movies. They’ve been around forever and helped to start the careers of many country western musicians. There is such a place outside of San Antonio in Helotes called Floores Country Store. Careful though, there is music playing on their site so if you’re not into that type of thing turn down your volume before you click on the link!

They offer a dinner consisting of chicken fried steak, mashed potatoes and sweet tea. Oh, and did I mention gravy??? Country food at it’s finest. Not intended for the faint of heart!

There is memorabilia scattered on the walls and hung from the ceiling. Signs of a bygone era, still holding on for it’s life. There is a little old stage up front, where Willie Nelson and many others got their start. And for Texans, this is home. This is where you go on the weekends to unwind and cut a rug (dance). Out back, a brand new huge stage now caters to such legends.

On the weekends, the place comes alive with beer, food and live music. You can still even catch Willie playing in this very place. Young and old alike come together to celebrate a culture, a lifestyle. This is my type of place.