Where is June?

GUYS READ [SQUISH]

October 23rd, 2014

Little Man adores graphic novels. His first love is Lunch Lady. He has read all 10 and we are patiently waiting for a new book in the series! Hoping to find a new series for him to devour, I recently purchased Squish #1, Super Amoeba. To my delight, he took it to school and finished it-cover to cover- in one day! It’s simple with most young boys- get them laughing and you get them reading!

This brother-sister {illustrator/writer} team combine simple a simple color palette and a reader friendly-lay out with story lines focused on navigating school, life and bullies! That is a one, two punch. Books that kids want read and parents are happy to buy!

Give Squish a try! There are 6 titles in this series and counting.

For more great resources on how to get your guy to read, pop on over to Guys Read. It is a web-based literacy program for boys, founded by author and First National Ambassador of Young People’s Literature -Jon Scieszka, with a mission to help boys become self-motivated, lifelong readers. Good stuff!!

Need more titles??

GUYS READ [CRYPTID HUNTERS]

GUYS READ [DUMB BUNNIES]

GUYS READ [FLY GUY]

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Tags: guys read
Posted in guys read, Life with Boys | No Comments »

LOU & GREY

October 21st, 2014

OH, YES. Totally stumbled upon Lou and Grey and I am smitten! This sister shop of Loft is stocked with easy separates that scream laid-back cool. The color palette is 100% neutral. I know many of you will LOVE that. I kind of fell hard for all of it. I have been telling my girlfriends for a few years that I am in between shops these days. While I am not sure I will ever be ready to wear “lady-like”, traditional styles, it is certainly not appropriate for me to be shopping in the juniors sections exclusively. Lou and Grey seems like a great middle point! What do you think?

Clockwise {from top left}:

Skirt//Tunic Sweater//Drawstring Pants//Bomber Jacket//Tee//Cardigan//Zip Front Dress//Mixup Tee

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PEPPER INK TATTOOS

October 20th, 2014

I celebrated my 4oth birthday this summer and wanted to share with you one of my favorite details! A year ago, I wore a temporary tattoo to Aaron’s birthday party with his name on it. He thought is was fun and I thought I was bad ass-and so began my obsession! For my birthday party, I ordered temporary tattoos for my girlfriends from Pepper Ink. I couldn’t wait to share my love of ink with my girls! We all wore feathers on our right arms for the night! It was such a fun way to kick off a new decade. Who says forty is middle aged? We are just hitting our stride! Hello, Forty.

I found Pepper’s Etsy shop and have been wearing her tattoos off and on for about a year. The quality of the tattoos are amazing and you can literally not tell they are temporary. I also use the Liquiskin Tattoo Shine Remover, which eliminates the shine of the temporary tattoo-making it look virtually real. Pepper’s tattoos last well over a week, which is incredible! I love that I can change my tattoo with my mood, my outfit, or the season.

I am 99.9% sure you will love wearing a temporary tattoo. Even if it is a tiny heart on your wrist. Give it a try! Pepper is offering Where is June? readers 25% off any order through her Etsy shop {excluding wedding favors}. Awesome! Simply visit her shop, Pepper Ink, and enter the code WHEREISJUNE at checkout. I promise you will like yourself in a tattoo. You have nothing to lose! {These would make awesome stocking stuffers, too! It’s never too early to shop.}

I am going to order the Vintage Flowers and a Tiny Vintage Pack. What are your favorite designs?

Photos by Elise Marie Photography

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Tags: It's me...Denise
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LITTLE UNCLE

October 17th, 2014

Last week I had jury duty for two days in downtown Seattle. Following the judges’ instruction I did now tweet, post or comment on social media about my days of service. {Such a rule follower!} One perk of jury duty is the hour and half lunch breaks. On day 2 I ventured with a few of my fellow jurors to Pioneer Square for a bite to eat! Lucky for us, we found Little Uncle.

I instantly fell in love with the space the moment I walked down the stairs. The space was casually cool and very comfortable. Tons of exposed brick, a library, and a sofa and coffee table. For those of you who may have partied in Pioneer Square {years and years ago} it occupies the space that was once Marcus’ Martini Bar. Only open for lunch, the menu is small but mighty! I ordered the Phad Thai. The portion size was perfect for lunch and came with individual packets of red chili flakes, sugar, and peanuts. You could make your dish as spicy or as sweet as you liked! The show stopper was the house made Hibiscus Lime Soda! Seriously, amazing.

Little Uncle is certainly worth a trip at lunch time. For those of you traveling to Seattle, it would be the perfect spot for lunch before or after the Underground Tour!

And a quick shot in the Halls of Justice. The floors were spectacular.

Have a great weekend! xoxo denise

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{MOM UNIFORM} RAINY DAY FIELD TRIP

October 16th, 2014

And the rainy season is upon us here in the Northwest. Lucky me, I am chaperoning an outdoor field trip next week. 70% chance of rain, means a high likelihood our trip is going to be soggy. Even a rainy day field trip deserves a great uniform. This time of year it is all about layers. The temperature is not extremely cold, but the damp can cut right through.

The uniform::

A long ribbed tank and a plaid flannel shirt under a rain shell to guarantee staying dry and warm. Mid-rise skinnies with lots of stretch. Lace-up rain boots. I am seriously coveting these beauties. I appreciate that they are low and would be easy to walk in all day. A colorblock wool hat- a necessity for me! Curly haired girls loathe a rainy day. Throw on a hat and tie your hair into a low knot and no one needs to see a big, frizzy head of hair. A backpack to carry all of the essentials. And finally, a bright lip stain. While the day may be dreary and the clothes neutral-your lips can be cherry red!

Plaid Shirt//Ribbed Tank//Colorblock Cap//Backpack//Rain Jacket//Rain boots//Lip Stain//Skinny Jeans

Need another uniform??

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THEY ARE NOT ALL GLAMOUR SHOTS

October 8th, 2014

While this shot is lovely, don’t be fooled. My life does not always look like this. Yesterday morning our selfie would have been one, very unflattering snapshot.

Little Man decided to take a quick spin down the driveway and around the cul de sac on his scooter-just before I drove him to school. I was inside grabbing my cup of coffee and keys. He came in whimpering and moaning. His left knee had a huge abrasion and was oozing blood. After a quick patch job with the materials I had on hand, I decided it would be best if we stopped by the nurse’s office before sending him to class. And this is where the morning took a sharp and embarrassing turn for mom. {My dear friend jokes with me that my stories would make great sitcom episodes. Yesterday that was TOTALLY true!}

As I was holding his hand and walking into the school, I took a quick assessment of my appearance. I had not changed my clothes and was wearing the clothes in which I had slept. A pair of cropped sweats smeared with blood, a white ribbed tank top, a ratty sweatshirt that should not be allowed out of my house, and NO BRA. Ok, let me stop for a moment. I was not wearing a bra. I am a girl that should never go braless. Never. Top that off with a pair of black Crocs, no makeup and morning breath and I was quite a sight!

To make it even more fantastic, Little Man asked if I could please walk with him to his class since he was so late. I didn’t have the heart to say no. There was no avoiding how horrible I looked, so I decided to just go with it. I helped him get settled, greeted his teacher, and chatted with a few friends.

While telling the story last night at dinner, Aaron and I joked about looking my worst in public. Little Man chimed in with an astute observation that I could look worse. “Mom, you could have had messy hair, no clothes on, and been sick.”

Well, there’s that.

#motheroftheyear

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CROCK POT APPLE SAUCE

October 2nd, 2014

My grandmother made the best apple sauce of all time. My favorite was a version that she made with Red Hot candies. Until I can find a recipe that replicates that delicious pink applesauce, I will be making this apple sauce. Using Danielle Walker’s recipe, I used farmer’s market apples and cooked the apples in the crock pot all day on a Sunday. It did take some time to peel, core, and slice the apples-but after that I just threw in the apples and a bit of water and let them cook for six hours.

In the evening, I mixed in the simple whole, ingredients {honey, vanilla, and cinnamon} and single-handedly ate the entire batch over the course of a week! I am headed to the market again this Sunday to buy more farm, fresh apples. Delicious!

Need another quick and easy fall treat? These Quick Pear Crips are perfect on a crisp autumn evening!

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A CORE CHALLENGE

October 1st, 2014

It’s October 1st. The first official day of hibernation season. If you are like me, fall is the start of a long, slow trip. Destination: Sofa City. In the Spring and Summer, I can bounce out of bed before my kids are awake and go for a run or workout with friends at boot camp. Fall and Winter? Not so much. So in hopes of breaking the vicious cycle, I asked my friend Amy from Orbit Fit for a monthly challenge. I had a few requirements: 1. The challenge will take less than 15 minutes a day. 2. The exercises require little to no equipment. 3. After 1 month there will be noticeable results. If I had my druthers, this month’s challenge would be focused on arms. However, Amy pushed me to chose a challenge that would actually…challenge me. Hmmph.

A message from Amy:

Think you could go do 100 sit ups, 50 oblique twists, 50 Plank leg lifts and 100 leg raises? No? Follow this plan and I guarantee you’ll do all of that and more 30 days from now. Nearly 80% of people will talk to their doctor about low back pain at some point in their lives … prevent this conversation by strengthening your core! Set an intention this month for a strong core. An intention isn’t a goal, it’s a way of being… stand tall with a strong core, sit with good posture, and do the following exercises that take less than 15 minutes per day.

So here it is. The first Where is June? challenge. Start today, tomorrow, or whenever you feel ready for it. Download and print the 30 day challenge here. Need visual aids. I bravely demonstrate the four exercises below.