Moments 09 18 :: Week 04

I just luv this old guy so much.


Gretel vs. the turkeys. Proof that the invisible fence is working.


She's so pretty! I love how my photos have turned to dogs all the time again. Guess that's what happens now that the kids are back in school.


Visited my friend and her new, cute, chubby baby.

Moments 09 18 :: Week 03

Loved getting to watch #29 on the pitch and the NHS JV team’s second place finish at the tournament in Green Bay this past weekend.


It wasn’t pretty, and it didn’t last but a few seconds, but I did a yoga headstand for the first time ever. Don’t ask what made me even want to attempt this in the first place. They are not easy!


Brian was in Japan for work last week and brought home these caramels (and Kit Kits: green tea, sake and wasabi). What I cannot get over is the beautiful packaging I’m such a sucker for those kind of things.


Make yourself comfortable, Storm! It's definitely getting to be Fall weather when this guy starts hopping in the bed. Not sure why he needs to sit right on my spot though.



Came across this photo series from Malta this summer. Not sure what we were doing, but they make me 😀.

Moments 09 18 :: Week 02

The boys took me out for a birthday dinner celebration at Tre Rivali. I always forget how absolutely incredible it is. But first, we enjoyed cocktails on the rooftop of The Journeyman. It was such a great night.


Time flies when you are having fun! Brian & I celebrated our 19th anniversary on Monday. Crazy. Unfortunately, he had to leave for Japan for work bright and early. But there will be time to celebrate.


The boys were off of school on Monday for the Jewish holiday, and H finally got to take his discovery flight. He's looking at being a commercial pilot, and is hoping to start his private license in the next year.


One of my favorites. The instructor took this.


Middle school sports started up again. C had soccer on Tuesday, and Cross Country on Wednesday. Not sure what his time was, but he came in 20th overall, and 3rd for his school. Pretty good!

Moments 09 18 :: Week 01

First day of school -- 11th grade.


First day of school - 8th grade.



I wrote this little thing on my business Instagram account: Beautycounter has been in my family's life for over two years now. It came at a time when I started to really focus on my own personal wellness. I started using the products because I just wanted to make sure that what we were using was safe and not causing harm. The more I learned however, the more I knew I had to be a part of it. When I joined the mission, it wasn't to sell skincare or makeup. It was to be a voice for change. To help educate and fight for our right to easily access safer products for everyone. Here I am, over a year later, amazed by everything that has happened. It inspires me to be aware and to make choices that have a positive impact for me, my family, the environment and the community. I've gotten thousands of dollars of safer products into people's hands, met amazing people I would have otherwise never met, get to help others lead healthier lives on a daily basis, and have a little extra spending money -- which let's be honest, is always nice. As I see it, this is just the beginning.

With that all being said, I'd love to offer you the same opportunity. If you've been on the fence, now is a great time to join. Believe it or not, the holidays are almost here, which is a perfect time to introduce your family and friends to safer products and help spread the mission. I'd love to talk with you, so please reach out to me with any questions or for more details. Life is just short not to take chances and do things that push you outside your comfort zone. Let's do this! PS. Please join my Conscious Consequences FB group for special offers and promotions. Hint hint.


Thursday was my 49th birthday and my gym people really know how to make someone feel special.


A birthday WOD with post-workout coffee, snacks and cake. Not a bad way to celebrate.

Klassy Kamping 18 :: Kast of Karacters

My goal with this year's photos was to take the family portraits by everyone's set-ups. However, the rain put a damper on all of that. So here's a little mix of this year's Kast of Karacters. Love these people so much.

(Past Years: 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013)

Klassy Kamping 18 :: Day 4

As predicted, it rained all night again. But what a beautiful thing it is waking up in a hotel room knowing you bailed the camping part of the trip at exactly the right time. It didn't stop pouring all morning either, which we enjoyed watching from our nice, dry breakfast that came included with the room. They even had rösti. So good. After breakfast, we all hung around the pool/steam/sauna area before heading out. After saying our goodbyes (always so sad) the four of us decided to pick up some more landjaeger and pastries, then began the journey home. It was another Klassy Kamping adventure filled with laughter and fun memories for sure.

Klassy Kamping 18 :: Day 3

Night two ended up being a little crazy. Right after H returned from his epic Cards Against Humanity evening, it started thunder storming. But not just storming, scary storming. The tent felt like a water bed and our shelter took a beating. Some in our group even went in the car and headed to the bathrooms just in case. It was terrifying. Thank goodness for the extra tarps we all put up! Not sure how our tents would have been otherwise. And thank goodness we were all on the same page when it was suggested that we pack up and hitting a hotel for the final night.

It was a great morning of no rain, but it was supposed to start up again at 3pm -- and not stop until the next day. I think we would have lost our marbles. We took advantage of the a.m. weather while Aaron cooked up amazing breakfast burritos in his incredible paella pan. It was awesome. After breakfast, we packed up camp, and headed towards New Glarus. Brian, Chris & Graham rode their bikes and Aaron and his daughter joined us later after a day of SUPing. By the time we reunited, it was pouring again. The weather was right -- it didn't stop until we left the next day. I can't think of much worse than packing up camp while it's pouring, so booking a hotel may have been the best decision ever. This is only the second time in all of these years that we bailed. The first, we went to the water park. We were hoping to do that again, but it seems that everyone had the same idea and prices were insane. Fortunately, the Landhaus had five rooms, which turned out to be a really fun place to stay. Brian and H have stayed here before. I never had but always wanted to. It was really charming -- it's a bit older but very Swiss feeling. It has a decent size pool, and even a sauna and steam room -- which we all took full advantage of. Several times. And it was definitely better than a tent in the rain. They were very accommodating, and our rooms were all next to each other. It was also super convenient -- we were able to walk into town for our favorite bakery and meat products, and later, for dinner. It was great.

Klassy Kamping 18 :: Day 2

The first night brought some thunderstorms. Besides a few wet areas, we all faired pretty well. However, with more rain in the forecast, we decided it would be a good idea to have some extra protection, so we all took what tarps we had and tried our best to reinforce everything. Our make-shift shanties were pretty funny. And cozy. The Frigs arrived Saturday morning, and once their camp was set up, it was time to take advantage of a sliver of sunshine and go for a hike. We may have ruined the kids last year with our monster adventure, so we promised a quick and easy one to our favorite spot, Stephens Falls. Green, lush and gorgeous. When we went back, it was beach time. Turned out to be perfect for it. The beauty about a dismal weather forecast, by the way, is less people. The beach was less crowded. The bathrooms. That part was really nice to be honest. Anyhow, back to the beach. It's just so much fun watching the kids partaking in some good old fashioned fun, and we ended up staying way too long as usual. The second night is Frito Pie night, and per tradition, the frozen chili ended up taking absolutely forever. It was well into dark before we finally were able to eat. But again, the kids had a great time playing Telestrations while the adults enjoyed a few cocktails and manned the fire. Once dinner was had, and some of us retreated to bed, a hard-core group including H stayed up until the wee hours playing Cards Against Humanity.