Maternity Leave…

Posted on July 18, 2012 by FreeRangeChick - Shanti Posted in This 'n That | Leave a comment

Although my due date isn’t until the first part of November, the time has come for this Free Range Chick to settle into maternity leave a little early. Our late Summer/Fall is stacked full of weddings, baby showers, and baby classes. Plus I have a long list of things to get in line over at “my real job” before leaving on my work maternity leave.

I have a lot of fun projects to wrap up before my due date, and some of them might even pop up on the blog, but my updates will definitely be few and far between. Don’t you worry, because once I settle into motherhood and get up and at’em again, I’ll be back. I promise!

Enjoy the rest of your Summer, Fall, and the holidays. I’ll catch up with you in 2013!

Friday Favorites for July 13, 2012

Posted on July 12, 2012 by FreeRangeChick - Shanti Posted in Featured 2, Friday Favorites, This 'n That | Leave a comment

Friday Favorites for July 13, 2012

featuring Kate from the blog LetsMakeItADouble. Make sure to stop over to Kate’s blog and say hi to her and her adorable twins.

There are countless items, processes and products that moms list as indispensable, their favorite or something they couldn’t live without. For me and my twins, I would probably list my giant, strap-on, twin nursing pillow and my Snap ‘n Go double stroller. These things, however, do not even come close to touching the Ultimate Mommy Must Have (which is coincidentally my Friday Favorite)…the glorious Internet! Seriously, how did moms of the past do it? Late night nursing sessions with no Netflix or Words With Friends? No Facebook or Shutterfly to share 7,000 pictures of your darling little ones’ smiles and antics? Online shopping? Mommy blogs (both the reading of others’ and writing of your own)? PINTEREST?! Yes, truly, the Internet is the favorite thing of moms for this Friday, and hopefully thousands more to come!

-Kate O’Donnell

For the past two years I have spent most every Sunday night at a small dive bar on the east side of Austin competing in a skeeball league. This isn’t the first time you’ve heard me mention brewskeeball, and it definitely won’t be the last. Each “skeeson” consists of 8 weeks of game play, 2 days of championship play, plus an additional night for The BROTY (Best Roller Of The Year) competition. The BROTY is a whole different ball game than the rest of the skeeson, as you no longer are part of a team. It is just one roller against another, and in some cases, depending on how the bracket falls, you may even compete against a fellow teammate.

For the past 6 skeesons I have attended the BROTY to support my fellow rollers whether my scores allowed me a place on the bracket or not. Last night I had the honor of competing in the competition, and due to a stellar skeeson, I was seeded #6. One round after another I proceeded on in the bracket until the championship round, which ended with my victory. Even more of an honor that winning the BROTY itself is knowing that in all 7 years of the Brewskeeball League existence, I am one of only 2 females to win the BROTY. I feel like I helped move the power of the LAAAAADIES forward a bit in the brewskeeball world.

- Shanti

This past weekend I agreed to do some last minute puppy sitting for a friend. It was really hard to convince me to watch an adorable baby boxer for the weekend, but somehow I found it in my heart to agree. I’m joking, by the way. I practically jumped at the chance. Brady, my four-year-old boxer and Champ, the three-month-old boxer pup played and wrestled to their heart’s content the first night they were together. They literally didn’t even stop to take a breath for the first three hours. By the time all of the lights were shut off and they both plopped on the bed, an intense cuddle session ensued. The cuteness f

actor was through the roof, and by far was the sweetest part of my week!

-Kate

We bought a house this week! It’s a fixer-upper, complete with a pastel pink bathroom, green and blue carpet throughout, and an orange countertop with yellow appliances in the kitchen. There is so much work to be done, but we are thrilled to make this house our home. We are very excited for this new venture!

- Joni

Friday Favorites for July 6, 2012

Posted on July 5, 2012 by FreeRangeChick - Shanti Posted in Featured 2, Friday Favorites, This 'n That | Leave a comment

Friday Favorites for July 6, 2012

This past Saturday, my husband laced up the cleats, threw on the pads, and jogged onto his old football field to take on a rival that still had ruffled feathers. This was an exhilerating event; I had no idea what was to come. Nerves mixed with excitiment corsed through my veins as I patiently awaited the start of the Wapello Alumni Football Game. I didn’t date Joe in highschool, so I hadn’t ever seen his skills on the field in person. (Don’t worry, many of our dates included his old football film to attempt to give me an idea.) He definitely exceeded any expectations I had, especially at our “old” age! While I cringed with every tackle, I also cheered. He would appear in the pile almost every defensive play… sometimes just in the nick of time to save the play. He batted down two attempted touchdown passes, all while dealing with a pulled quad muscle. It was a riveting experience that he is already looking forward to next year. While I can certainly wait for the next game to give my ulcer a bit of time to heal, I will be hyped up for gametime next year, too, just as anxious to see the game unfold.

- Joni

This is probably not very original of me, but my favorite part of this week was the 4th of July! I was kind of bummed out when I realized it fell on a Wednesday this year, but hey, I will take any free day off that I can get. It made going into work on Monday just that much easier, and was a welcomed mid-week break. I spent my 4th pool side with friends, grilling out and listening to good music. After hours and hours of sun, we vetoed fireworks and instead opted for the televised version. Not quite the same, but we avoided a massive traffic jam, so it was a win in my eyes. It also gave me time to take in a chocolate lab that had been spooked from the fireworks and lost his way home. Luckily I was able to reunite him with his owner this morning. My fourth of July good deed! Hope all of you had a wonderful day off as well.

- Kate

The 4th of July is always a bit of a weird holiday as you never know what day of the week it will fall on. Although we can all hope for a Monday or Friday 4th, which results in an extended weekend, the mid-week break was quite nice. Plus, you just can’t go wrong with a mid-week afternoon surrounded by good friends, great food, and sparklers.

- Shanti