neverhomemaker: new

Showing posts with label new. Show all posts

9/52: Skater Girl + Weekend Things

>> Friday, March 6, 2015

I took Ada roller skating for the first time Wednesday. There’s a little rink on the other side of town, and they have this cute open ride time for small children. You can bring scooters, bikes, etc. -- and they play music and shine black lights. It was just what we needed when preschool was canceled yet again.

Isn’t she the cutest thing ever?

#1: Amazing Thing Happened When I Surrounded Myself W/ Junk Food via Greatist

#2: Kids Aren’t Expensive, But That Other Thing Sure Is via This House Is Our Home

#3: Mom’s Controversial Fight To Let Her Kids Play Alone Outside via Mashable

#4: Can Family Secrets Make You Sick? via All Things Considered

#5: Female Company President: “I’m Sorry To The Mothers I Worked With” via Fortune

#6: Some deals:

Up to 30% Off Melissa + Doug Toys
Extra Tall Ball Jars 59% off -- perfect for bulk storage!
$20 off Kindle Touch e-Reader ($59 limited time)
Aden + Anais Adult Blanket (Plum) 23% off
Ninja Professional Blender 20% off

#7: Random stuff:

I love Call The Midwife
I need to bake these cupcakes -- soon!
#NOM Breakfast Bagel Sandwich
The Top 25 Recipes from 2014
I finally ordered a 3-Tiered Basket for our kitchen

What you may have missed:

The 20 Pound Difference -- my weight gain journey + thoughts
5 Vegetarian Foods To Boost Immunity
Freshening Up With Cat’s Pride (Giveaway)
Activities For Shut-In Preschoolers
Review: Pizza Hut + GF Udi’s (Giveaway)

My writing, elsewhere:

15 Easy and Delicious Cast Iron Skillet Recipes
10 One Pot Meals To Transform Dinner
How To Avoid 5 Hidden Costs of Winter
8 Easy Superfood Smoothies
Workouts You Can Do At Home With Hand Weights
7 Recipes for Ch-Ch-Ch-Chia Seeds
Training When Sickness Strikes

HAPPY FRIDAY!

Psssst: Check out previous editions of Weekend Things!

Like what you just read? You can subscribe to the feed of these posts or follow us on Twitter or Facebook to be the first to know what the (never home)makers are up to. And we’ll love you forever!

Hot Yoga (For Those Of Us Who Haven't Tried It Yet)

>> Monday, February 24, 2014

So, pretend it's 2008 (or earlier, I don't even know) and hot yoga is still relatively new. Yeah. I've been out of the loop, but also admittedly scared to try it, so my first time trying vinyasa flow (not Bikram) in 100+ degree temps was last Friday night with some friends from our local runners club.

I can't say I loved it. I can't say I hated it either. But I certainly see why it ends up being a love/hate thing for most people. I'd like to go back and try again, maybe even get one of those inexpensive introductory month passes, before forming a solid opinion.

// INITIAL THOUGHTS

OMG + I love this vinyasa sequence -- so familiar, I know all the moves.

OMG - Holy ~~hell~~ moly! I can't breathe + move this fast in 100+ degree heat!

OMG + Wow -- It feels great to stretch so, soooooo deeply.

OMG - My hands are slipping all over the place + I'm stretching, ouch, TOO deeply.

OMG + The heat feels oddly comforting, especially since it's been so cold this winter.

OMG - Uh. I think I'm going to pass out (quick fade in/out of black at 60-minute mark, no joke).

OMG + All this sweat sure makes me feel like I'm torching 10,000 calories.

OMG - Sigh, but I read that it might just be hype.

OMG!!! Who cares? Focus on your inner-self Ashley.

OMG + I haven't used these muscles in so long. Feels good knowing they're still there.

OMG - Ahh. I haven't used these muscles in so long. Can't do any more! *falls on mat

OMG + Phew! It's over and I feel . . . incredible, no, i.n.v.i.n.c.i.b.l.e!

OMG - I'm FREEZING!!! Cannot get warm . . . need seven blankets.

OMG + [That night] Wow. I feel super flexible and stretched out. That was great!

OMG - [Next 2 days] Sore. I cannot move my body -- must skip running. #fail

// \\ // \\ // \\// \\ // \\ // \\// \\ // \\ // \\// \\ // \\ // \\

No. Really. I had to skip running on Saturday and Sunday because I was so sore from trying it out. I don't know if that was because it was HOT yoga or just yoga, which I haven't done in a while. Thankfully, I got in my long run tonight . . . but man!

Anyway, I'd love to hear what you think. I've already gathered from conversations on Twitter and Instagram that a lot of you guys absolutely love hot yoga or Bikram classes. That you do them once, sometimes multiple times each week. Did you know there's also hot Pilates now? I have zero core muscles (well, that's a lie, but I hate working them out), so that sounds like sheer torture to me.

What about the rest of you?

Hot yoga: Love/hate?

Will my opinion change next time?

Are there "real" benefits to heat? Or is it just hype?

Like what you just read? You can subscribe to the feed of these posts or follow us on Twitter or Facebook to be the first to know what the (never home)makers are up to. And we’ll love you forever!

Introducing . . .

>> Thursday, March 8, 2012

Our new site isn't 100% ready, but it's close enough. I also figured making it live would be incentive to finish it up ASAP. Without further hesitation . . .

Check out Writing Chapter Three. Our life and times as a family. It will be replacing (never home)maker, baby! -- with all sorts of fun posts related to life in general. Stuff like budget, food, parenting, and on and on.

Please note that (never home)maker isn't going anywhere (there was some confusion about it). Everything on www.neverhomemaker.com is staying the same and will be updated just as often. Just expect us to get back in gear with more running and fitness posts. The recipes will continue as well, but expect more of those on the new site.

Alright! Stay tuned for tomorrow's post -- Jogging Stroller 101: 6 weeks to 3 blissful miles.

xoxo,

Ashley, Stephen, & Ada

Like what you just read? You can subscribe to the feed of these posts or follow us on Twitter or Facebook to be the first to know what the (never home)makers are up to. And we’ll love you forever!

mis·cel·la·ne·ous

>> Friday, December 10, 2010

Dressing for cold weather running can take more effort than the run itself! We've covered it before (How to Suit Up to Set Out), but what it means is some serious layers. Especially now, I find it annoying to have to pile on the spandex -- my knee is still temperamental and my runs have been OK at best.

UGH.

Regardless, I take the time to try. The temps are in the teens and 20s now, sometimes lower. The flakes is flying like crazy. It's super dark outside. But I still live for those moments when my body allows me to run. Even in the ice and snow, I'm out there, slogging along.

I bundle up. And bundle up some more.

I stretch in the ways the PT has instructed me to.

I roll out with The Stick to keep my IT-band happy.

When it doesn't work out, it's OK. I'm starting to enjoy my cross training. For example, this morning I woke up and cranked out an intense sweat session on our spinner bike. And episode of Teen Mom and 45 minutes later . . . I finished up and felt fantastic.

This evening, Stephen and I are headed to the gym to "compete" in the Y's "triathlon." A lot of quotation marks going on here. I write "compete" because the recording of time is on the honor system. I write "triathlon" because it's only 15 minutes of swimming, 15 minutes of indoor biking, and 15 minutes on the treadmill.

DIY RECYCLED GARLAND:

We got a couple emails that said the DIY garland we posted a tutorial for the other day was cool, but difficult to actually see in finished form.

Light box to the rescue!

NEW STUFF ON (never home)maker:

If you didn't catch this morning's post, we've added a new commenting feature! Now we can reply to your comments individually. We're psyched about this new gizmo because we've hated our old-school way of responding. So inefficient and impersonal. Anyway, we'd love for you to try it out! Just hop onto neverhomemaker.com and leave us a note!
We added a new link to the top bar called LIFE. If you click on it, you'll be transported to a page with our top posts that don't fit into the running and recipes. Some fun stuff in there, so be sure to check it out!
We also added a Frequently Asked Questions page last week. There, you'll find all the posts we've done in response to reader questions -- as well as instructions on how you can submit your own!
And don't forget: Next week is all about c.o.o.k.i.e.s!!! We're posting 12 of our new favorite holiday dessert recipes. To the tune of the Twelve Days of X-Mas, of course. (Sneak Preview!)

Blog Updates: Round 2

>> Thursday, December 2, 2010

Hey, everyone! Along with completely overhauling our layout and design, we've enhanced several areas of the site for your viewing and reading pleasure. You may have noticed that the links on the top bar have changed.

Let's go through them, shall we?

HOME: OK. Bad example. Not much has changed. You just click this link to get back to neverhomemaker.com.
ABOUT US: We've updated our About Us section to reflect more recent times. Complete with a new jump menu, too!
HOUSE TOUR: We've reorganized the page to make it simple. Plus, if you haven't already checked out our humble abode, it's a fun way to spend 5 minutes.
RECIPES: So, this link hasn't changed, but we have added a quick-view recipes link list to the main site. Just see the upper left-hand column.
RUN: We're continually adding posts to our running page. This page is now up to date with all the latest info to help you hit the pavement!
FAQs: This section is totally new. If you have a question, we'd love to help answer it. Visit the page now for more information.
GOOD READS: Also new. Categories for food blogs, fitness blogs, and other websites we read regularly.

So, while you didn't get the usual second-post-of-the-day, you see we're working hard to make (never home)maker a better experience. And if you missed this morning's post, we're also introducing Printer-Friendly recipes! All recipes from now on will be easily viewable/printable via Google Documents, like these delish Double Chocolate Scottish Chippers.

If you have comments and suggestions about our changes, feel free to let us know! Just leave a comment or email us at neverhomemaker [at] gmail [dot] com.

Like what you just read? You can subscribe to the feed of these posts or follow us on Twitter or Facebook to be the first to know what the (never home)makers are up to. And we’ll love you forever!

(never home)maker: You Have SO Many Looks!

>> Wednesday, December 1, 2010

That's right! We changed the site design . . . again. We promise to not make a regular habit of it. But this time, we were on a mission. We overhauled the entire layout, too. It's not just for looks, people. The results of our survey revealed that many of you thought the old navigation was OK. However, many others thought we could use a bit of TLC in the area.

You're smart. And we wholeheartedly agreed with your comments.

So, we've moved from a two column layout to a three column one. Mostly, it's because we want to create better ways to find our posts (as you'll notice, this part is still in the works). We hope to get it all looking far less busy than it did on the previous iteration.

BEFORE:

NOW:

Now, I know you're wondering about the colors. The new scheme is perhaps a symptom of the season. It's cold and grey outside today. The bright colors just didn't reflect what's going on right now. Plus, I had the opportunity to shoot some photos this morning and create a new header. (Those lights from our DIY lightbox really came in handy!) The result was a cool-toned picture that didn't exactly jive with a bold background.

The photoshoot? It was a disaster if we're being entirely honest.

But most of the clutter and filth (no, we have yet to purchase our mini dishwasher) was out of frame.

See?

Lots of props to play with. And after just a couple shots (I took only 20!), I settled on one I liked. Though, there was a close second. Unfortunately, it didn't reflect the whole fitness aspect of our site.

Here she is:

After adding some contrast and adjusting shadows, the header was complete. The next part went pretty quickly. I'd had the template picked out for a couple of weeks . . . just needed the courage to make the switch. Thankfully, it was relatively painless. And I'm pretty sure I like it. Takes some getting used to, but there's a lot more flexibility.

(Here's a trick for not-so savvy bloggers -- like me! -- out there. If you can -- set up a test site that mimics your "real" site. And just make sure you test everything before going live and changing the live page.)

So, that's the story of why we're looking quite different today than we did yesterday. We invite all you RSS followers to click through to neverhomemaker.com and check it out. Let us know what you think and if you have suggestions (Just leave a comment or email us at neverhomemaker [at] gmail [dot] com).

Obviously, we're listening . . . or I wouldn't have risked it all, gained a few grey hairs, and slightly freaked out during my morning break today. Let's just take a moment to look at the image above.

We've definitely come a long way in just over a year! Woah!!!

Like what you just read? You can subscribe to the feed of these posts or follow us on Twitter or Facebook to be the first to know what the (never home)makers are up to. And we’ll love you forever!

Our House -- The Early Days

>> Monday, January 4, 2010

Yup. That's us. Not a great photo of us (right? glad I've refined my bangs -- looking a bit blunt and bushy), but a significant one. We're standing here with the previous owner of our home. She lived there for 59 years -- moved in when the house was BRAND NEW!!! -- until we purchased it in June 2008. I post this today because several of my friends just bought and moved into their first homes and, well, it made me think back to that special time in our lives.

And we have some photos from the early days to share with you all today. Here's the tour :)

This is the first photo I took inside our home. I just love the glass door handles throughout the house. I learned from neighbors that not all homes like ours (and there are many -- a local company built hundreds of cookie-cutter houses in three different layouts in the late 1940s) have this feature. It has something to do with the boss being away in winter, so the builders could splurge or something like that. We're happy about it.

Now on to the living room. Look at all that green carpeting! Yikes!

The dining room. No. We weren't lucky. That lighting fixture (from West Elm) wasn't there when we moved in. I hated the one that was up so much that it's one of the first things we ripped out.

Unfortunately, I didn't snap any photos of the kitchen. When we moved in, the kitchen walls were covered in yellow and orange sunflower wallpaper. The refrigerator was obstructing any semblance of a flow that could be had. And it was carpeted, as I've mentioned many times before. I mentioned above how one of the first things I did when we moved in was remove the lighting fixture. Well . . . the VERY FIRST thing I did the night we moved in was rip down the wallpaper. Ah, it felt sooooo good.

Moving to the master bedroom. I laugh at this one because it's so . . . sad/sparse? And what you don't see is that the paint that had been on the walls for years and years was actually faded in parts. I painted over it with a light grey which only washed out the room even more.

Here's the office in all her pink-walled glory. I quite liked the couch, but we parted ways with it late last year when we redid the space.

Not sure why, but I don't have photos of the other rooms later. With how many I take daily, you'd think I would have been on my game with that. What I do have a photo of is our insanely disorganized packing system. Scully's in there, too. We didn't want to forget her!

As well, I documented the orange carpet and peach walls that made our hallway look oh-so-1970s. And Scully again. It was summer. She was hot.

Here's where we ripped up the layers of stained vinyl that covered our bathroom floor. That was a fun day. I think I may still have a splinter or two.

Piles of rhododendron branches and leaves from when we ripped out the two gigantic bushes that had been there for ages. I believe at this point, almost all neighbors on our street have thanked us for the beautification efforts.

So, there you have it -- our very earliest house photos. Not so pretty. But. Oh, the memories! It's been quite a year and a half.

If you'd like to see what our house looks like now (not really the "afters" because it's a project that has always and will always be in process), go check out our newly-updated (with more kitchen photos) HOUSE TOUR.

Like what you just read? You can subscribe to the feed of these posts or follow us on Twitter to be the first to know what the (never home)makers are up to. And we’ll love you forever <3

About Ashley

>> Wednesday, November 11, 2009

Hi! My name is Ashley + I'm the gal behind (never)homemaker. It seems like such a long time since I started writing in this space -- and a lot has changed.

I'm now 35 years old and have three daughters named Ada, Eloise, and Eden. I mention my kids a lot -- and I have a wealth of pregnancy posts on this site. I got pregnant with Ada on our first try and had an uneventful pregnancy (aside from an angry, irritable uterus). For Eloise, it took much longer and I was introduced to the whole TTC world after having three consecutive miscarriages. We're done having babies now, which is a huge shift in life. I still don't know quite how I feel about it.

Otherwise, I used to muse a lot about being a self-made athlete, as I've been an avid runner the last 17+ years, and self-taught vegetarian + vegan cook. These days, you'll find more posts on how I make major parenting decisions, what toys my kids play with the most, why I save money by shopping at Aldi, and lots of wannabe homesteading stuff.

Thanks for stopping by. For more day-to-day life stuff, find me on Instagram.

WHERE TO START

// Our 90 Best Recipes

// Vegetarian Freezer Month aka Cooking in Bulk

// Make Healthy Eating Automatic

Tip #1: Stock up on frozen veggies
Tip #2: Buy greens and actually USE them
Tip #3: Create simple, go-to meals
Tip #4: Learn to love alternatives
Tip #5: Prep, Make, and Store + 20 Ideas for Make-Ahead Meals
Tip #6: Cheat + Add In: Convenience foods to your advantage
Tip #7: Eliminate Food Waste + Over-Stuffed Omelet

// Foods for Runners w/ nutrition info + recipes

// Slash Your Grocery Bills

+ + + + + + + + + +

I have a degree in Writing from Ithaca College and a eclectic career history in marketing, communications, education, freelancing, and libraries. (I think I got everything there.) At present, I work from home and split my days between writing, toddler wrangling, running, etc.

When I'm not writing posts for this site, you can find my words on Writing Chapter Three (all about our family life), Wise Bread, and WalkJogRun. For even more about me, check out these FAQs.