Alden and I went into Ashland for the 4th of July Parade. He became obsessed with going to see it after we saw a picture of a parrot watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade. (Don't ask!)

Even though we are all a little under the weather, we decided to do a little geocaching today. We got a late start (after noon!), so we only went for one cache at the Northern Great Lakes Visitor Center.

AJ gifted me with several bugs for Christmas, so we placed our first one today! I can't wait to see where it goes.


All of us started to feel tired, so we hid the cache and headed up to the center. Alden had forgotten about the mine exhibit. By the time we left, he had detonated several charges of dynamite...hehe!

As I learn more about designing for the Web, I have discovered several current design trends. It's always good to be up on the trends in your industry, especially because it may take a while for them to filter down to real-world clients (read: those with smaller budgets). Here are the top five Web design trends I have noticed:

1. Retro: Bold 70s stripes with more modern color combinations (think brighter oranges and greens, rather than the burnt orange and avocado of that era). Other eras come into play, but the 70s seem to be the go to period at the moment.
   
2. Grunge: Torn paper backgrounds, splotchy ink stains, and distressed fonts.
3. Botanical: Green color schemes, with silhouettes of plants. Especially popular for environmental sites.
   
4. The Stage: A hardwood floor background with a "curtain" header. The header usually doesn't look like an actual curtain, it simply implies the idea of a curtain. These are everywhere right now.
   
5. Minimalist: This is the Web 2.0 look. The background is usually white, and the logo has a subtle reflection under it.
   

February flew by, with nary a peep from me. Truth be told, I've been sucked into the time vortex that is Facebook. Even though I cumulatively spend about an hour each day on there, I feel like that is my writing/playing/socializing time. So, my poor blog has suffered. Here's a quick update, and jeez, I hope to have some real crafty/artsy/thrifty commentary to follow in the weeks to come.

Shredding hit a snag in early February, when we all successively battled a week long stomach bug. Now, we are dealing with The Cold That Never Ends (this is week three, if you can believe it). I plan to get back on track with the "30 Day Shred" tomorrow, even though it is going to kick my ass. My cold is finally gone and I don't have to work, so I'm out of excuses.

On the home front, I am gearing up to clear out a lot of accumulated junk. We have baby stuff, clothing, and household stuff that is just taking up space. My biggest question is: Do I sell it or donate it? I'm leaning towards donating anything worth less than $10. That way, I don't spend a ton of time selling lots of little stuff.

As for crafting and thrifting, I haven't done much of either. Thrifting has been put on hold until I clear out what we don't use. I also need to be careful about my purchases, and only buy what we actually need. Crafting has taken a backseat to organization of this chaotic mess. I will feel more capable of being creative in a clean space!

That's all the incoherent babble you'll get from me tonight. More, soon...

Holy Hannah do I feel like rubber. I didn't feel too sore today, which surprised me. After tonight's workout though, my arms and legs are screaming "WTF!!!!!"

And yes, more interesting blog posts will be coming soon.

Happy New Year! I've decided to set real, attainable goals for myself this year. One of the things I want to do is get in better shape. (Who doesn't, right?) I'm already below my pre-pregnancy weight, but I definitely could lose a few more pounds and tone up. More than that, I feel sluggish and have a hard time keeping up with the boys. I know exercise will be an all-around help.

For Christmas, AJ bought Jillian Michaels' "30 Day Shred" for me. I put it on my wish list after one of my favorite mommy bloggers talked about using it (along with kickboxing) to get back into shape after her son was born. She and I had the same due date, but I neglected to jump on the fitness bandwagon after Elliot was born.

This blogger has an older son who is about the same age as Alden. She manages to work part-time, be a mom, keep her house clean, and exercise. The exercise part is where I have been failing, miserably.

That all changed tonight. I just finished "shredding" for the first time, and let me tell you, I'm tuckered. I can barely type. Yes, this workout is so good that I can barely move my fingers! I shudder to think about what tomorrow will be like, but I look forward to coming out the other end of these 30 days a whole lot stronger!