Fashion Do & Fashion Don't

I've been looking forward to doing a fashion post. (I've been looking forward to a lot of posts actually but the time to do them is rarely there!) So here you go. 


Fashion Do: Wearing Jewel Tones


Jewel tones compliment any skin color. These are the deep plums, sapphires, emeralds, etc. While pastels and pale colors may compliment some skin tones, they don't work for everyone. Jewel tones look good on anyone and give a rich quality to your look.


Check out some of the jewel tones here:

Fashion Don't: Forgetting Your Feet


No matter how hectic your morning is or how busy you are, please don't bypass putting thought into your footwear. I'm not saying that you have to wear 4" platform heels for a night of dinner and shopping with the family, but make sure your shoes match the tone of your outfit. If comfort is key for you, find some cute (yet supportive) flats to do your running or even a pair of low-profile tennis shoes to pull off a more sporty look. And remember, heels can be comfortable if they are well-constructed and fit properly. It just takes a little time to find a style and brand that is comfortable for you.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

It's a pretty big holiday in the McCormick house...and by 'big' I mean that we each plan what green item of clothing we're going to wear a day or two in advance. Landen was getting into the holiday spirit on Wednesday when she wore her "I'm a McCutie" onesie. She saved her sparkly "Kiss Me I'm Irish" shirt for today though. 

Not only were we preparing for St. Patty's Day, but the weather was nice as well so we were able to take a walk. It was Landen's first time sitting up in her stroller because back in the summer/fall she was in her carrier when we went out. So here's a photo of her enjoying her first big-girl walk...

It's been awhile, so here's a book review!

It's been a crazy few weeks at our house as we've been dealing with a lot of sickness and we've been shopping for a new vehicle. First of all, Landen is on her second double-ear infection in less than two weeks. I was incapacitated with a nasty sinus infection while Scott hurt his back shoveling snow. We were the definition of a hot mess. We're on the mend now and trying to get back to normal.  :)
Along with the sickness, we were searching for a new car/SUV for me. We were lucky enough to find an awesome deal and a new ride for us to accommodate the entire family plus some. I feel like I really got my "mom card" now that I have an SUV. A Buick Rendezvous to be exact. The thing I love the most is that the name of my car is a vocab word for my sophomores. Gotta love that! 
Now on to my main topic. Over the past six months or so I've been reading books written by my favorite late-night comedienne, Chelsea Handler. I started watching Chelsea's show, Chelsea Lately on E! when I was doing late-night feedings with Landen. After watching a few shows, I decided to read her books: My Horizontal Life: A Collection of One-Night Stands, Are You There Vodka, It's Me, Chelsea?, and Chelsea Chelsea Bang Bang. 

I must say that her books are NOT for everyone. You must be able to take her sarcastic and often crude sense of humor. If you're easily offended, I wouldn't recommend reading her books. I enjoyed reading them as they were fun and often times hilarious. Chelsea's crazy, real-life experiences (as she claimed on her show just this week) will leave you in disbelief and a smile on your face. As I was reading I could just hear Chelsea telling the stories, so if you don't know Chelsea from her TV show, you may not get the full effect of these books. If you like Chelsea's show, you'll love her books. If I had to choose a favorite, I think it would be her second book, Are You There Vodka, It's Me, Chelsea. Her new book, Lies that Chelsea Handler Told Me, is released on May 10th. I will definitely be adding it to my collection.

My Little Hambino

This post has no lesson or major theme. I just wanted to share a photo of Landen from this morning. She was being a little ham and cheesin' for the camera. So this post is for my Grandma in Florida, who I know looks forward to updates on her favorite (only) great-grandchild. Here you go, Grandma...Landen says, "Hi!"

Brand New Aunt

My very first nephew was born today. Hayes Patrick entered the world in dramatic fashion. He put his mommy (and daddy) through almost 24 hours of labor, but I know they believe he was well worth the wait. 
We visited the new little family and all are doing great; although, mommy and daddy are in need of a good night's sleep. We didn't tell them that rest probably wouldn't come for quite awhile...
Landen even met her new cousin today. She hasn't realized that she now has to share the spotlight on one side of our family. It will be good for her though. We don't want her to be too spoiled.


Introducing Hayes and all of his beautiful hair!

Grammar Lesson: Possession, Part 1

OK, this lesson has multiple parts because it's a complicated one. However, I'm SURE everyone can catch on with a little attention and thought. One of the many uses of the apostrophe is to show possession. By possession I mean ownership. For example: the dog's tail (tail belongs to the dog); the chair's cushion (cushion belongs to or is part of the chair); Landen's dress (dress belongs to Landen). You get the point, right? 


Here's the lesson -


1. If you have a singular (one) object/person/animal/entity/etc owning or possessing something, you use an 's to show that ownership.

• Example: The dog's fur was short.

2. If you have a plural (more than one) group of objects/people/animals/entities/etc owning or possessing something, you add an apostrophe after the s.

• Example: The dogs' tails were wagging. (Here we have multiple dogs, so the s has already been added in order to make it plural. In order to show possession, we have to add the apostrophe after.)
• Note: This rule is for "regular" plural words. By regular I mean words that you add an s to in order to make them plural...dogs, toys, chairs. Irregular plural words are handled differently (ex. children, women, etc.) We'll get to the irregular ones later.

3. If there is no ownership or possession and you are ONLY talking about multiple/plural objects/people/animals/entities/etc, then PLEASE do not use an apostrophe.

• Example: The dogs ate Kibbles 'n Bits for dinner. (Here we're just talking about multiple dogs. They aren't owning anything. So adding an apostrophe here (dog's or dogs') would be incorrect not to mention drive me crazy.)

Let's make sure we're using those apostrophes correctly, then we'll move on to more complicated situations.... :)

Carrots!!!!

Landen and I have been snowed in for the past three days, so today we decided to be adventurous. By adventurous I mean that I fed Landen carrots - her first solid food (other than cereal). Some may think that feeding an infant carrots (or any food for that matter) does not seem like an adventurous activity. However, those that have children might understand where I'm coming from. As a new parent, I must admit that feedings are what stress me out the most because once you get comfortable with your routine, it changes! Babies are constantly growing and changing not only in size but also in their nutritional needs. So I'm always looking at the next step and how to implement it into our lives. I feel like I'm always wondering: how much? when? what time? is she ready? If anyone has answers to these questions, please let me know right away. If not, we'll just keep doing our best (and doing loads of "research" before making a move).

Here's Landen's face as she tasted her first real food.

Don't let the face fool you. She made it almost every time I put the carrots in her mouth. As she moved it around and swallowed she loved them and kept coming back for more!