We had an interesting week. The old video of Annie saying Friends lines that I reposted two Fridays ago got a bit of online attention. I was not expecting anything like that to happen at all with a year-old video that had about 3,000 views after 365 days. I told Annie about it at first but she was mostly unimpressed (like, “Oh, cool…do we have any PlayDoh?”) although I think someday Annie might think being on the Ellen.com website was neat since we watch that show all the time. It’s kind of funny because we’ve mostly stopped doing these sort of “skit” videos, and I’ve been slowly phasing new videos out of the weekly rotation over the last few months (which is why I reposted that old one in the first place!). We’ve turned down all of the requests that have come our way about this, and it’s been a good lesson, something I definitely should have learned a long time ago.
Around The ‘Net
~We Need To Talk About Women Who Regret Motherhood.
~If you haven’t updated to iOS 8 because you don’t have room on your phone, here’s a work around.
~I love what this organization does for parents who’ve lost babies.
~The Hope Solo Double-Standard.
~About That Mom Who’s Not Bragging About Her Kid.
Slurp’s Up
~I know it’s cold in 90% of the country, but in LA it’s still 1,000° so this peach wine slushie sounds amazing.
~Caramel Apple Sangria WHAAAAAAAAAAT.
~You had me at “caketini.”
For Cozy Days
~If I knew how to knit, I’d make these cozy gloves.
~White Chocolate Almond Souffle Cake…omg drool.
Cooler-Weather Dreaming
Someday this crazy LA heat wave will end here, right? I would always rather be warm than cold, but I won’t be sad when I can pack away the tank tops and put on some layers. Annie keeps asking to wear her longer-sleeved items and I have to be like, “No, you can’t wear that to school…it’s going to be 98° today.” But I’m still looking at all of the fall clothes emails that come through my inbox because a girl can dream.
~Mike pretty much lives in button-down shirts at work but I’d like to get him some comfortable henleys that, at the very least, he could wear on the weekends. He gets cold easily, so I am always looking for casual jackets he can wear while he sits at his desk. This textured jacket might fit the bill.
~I was sent a dolman sleeve top in a Stitch Fix box and I’ve been obsessed with them ever since. They are flattering and comfortable, and can be dressed up or down depending on your accessories. I’m also looking forward to throwing on layers, like cardigans or moto jackets.
~Annie wants to wear dresses year-round, so once it gets slightly cooler I make her wear leggings under them. She doesn’t mind the leggings but she gets hot easily so I encourage her to wear hoodies and cardigans. I haven’t picked out clothes for Annie in a while, but if she let me shop for her I’d get her this slouchy cardigan. I kind of want it in my size, too!
~James, on the other hand, needs clothes that he can’t take off (we’ve reached that stage…it’s not fun). I’ll be getting him some soft pullover hoodies and long-sleeved baseball tees. He has a short-sleeved jersey-style tee that is my absolute favorite thing on him, so I’m probably going to buy him long-sleeved ones in every color. Shopping for a little boy was frustrating at first (I swear the girl-clothes to boy-clothes ration is like 5-1 in stores) but once I figured out where to find the styles I like I’ve really enjoyed dressing my little guy.
Happy Sunday, everyone!
kathig says:
your children are always dressed adorably! And huge thanks, by following your link to Old Navy, I saw that they were offering 30% off on women’s styles today, so did a wee bit of fall shopping!
Jordan says:
The weather did a 360 here in Nashville this weekend. This week was mild, low to mid-80s and breezy and PERFECT. Friday through today, though, it kept inching closer to 90s with humidity. Pure evil. And I had JUST brought my fall clothes out of storage. BAH! Tomorrow the cool weather returns though, hopefully for GOOD!
Glad people are bringing up Hope Solo. I’m not a sports person, but I just don’t see how ANY of them can think they’re above the law. Especially when the charges pending against them involve injuring another person. No matter the sport (or gender for that matter!) NO ONE accused of a crime so serious should be allowed on the field.
Jordan says:
Oh, and also: I don’t drink (often), but both the caketini and caramel apple sangria sound fabulous. Never knew of such a thing as caramel vodka… mmm.
Debra says:
My husband made me a pair of those gloves – they’re awesome!
Rie says:
When I was pregnant with my baby, before I knew if I was having a boy or a girl, I’d spend hours wondering around the girls section imagining what I’d buy and dress my sweet baby in. Then I went to the boys section and was thoroughly disappointed!
(I had a girl!)
Lucy says:
It was funny as on Friday and Saturday I started getting Annie and this Friend’s video on my NewsFeed on FB… Friends of mine were sharing the video which was funny as I live in Geneva, Switzerland and these friends live in Germany… i was like: this is Annie! I think the post came from Elite Daily…. Not sure though… (The posts would make reference to your blog… Don’t worry! ) the power of the net!!! I am absolutely convinced that Annie has a future in holliwood….
Stephanie says:
What exactly has been a “good lesson” out of the Annie video thing? That would be a good blog topic this week…I’d be curious to know if you now regret doing the videos of the kids, and that’s why you’re phasing out?
Heather says:
I can answer you here! We’ve never had a video go crazy like that so it really wasn’t something that was on my radar as a possibility. Even when BuzzFeed asked if they could republish it, it never occurred to me that it would be successful. It’s a year-old video and it had pretty low views compared to other videos that we’d posted. I also VERY naively thought that all websites/media outlets would ask for permission before they ran it, which was not the case. At first I was like, “Oh, well this is neat,” and then as more and more places started posting it without our knowledge it just felt very strange. But, of course, that’s my fault and no one else’s. I like to act like my blog readers are a little community and everything I do here is just for you guys, and I forget that no, this is the internet and anything can happen.
As for regretting doing the videos, I don’t. They were so much fun to make and Annie and James LOVE watching them over and over. When we made the Friends video, Annie was in this stage where she was a perfect mimic and we ran with it (not sure why everywhere has touted her as a big Friends fan since we never did). But we don’t make these kind of videos much anymore for a couple reasons. 1) They are really time consuming. It was fine with one kid but with two it’s really hard. And 2) Annie doesn’t have an interest most of the time. She still really likes to make videos, but they’re all of her making her dolls talk, or “unboxing” videos, etc.
If you have any other questions, let me know! I’m happy to answer them.
erin says:
shouldnt there be a disclaimer saying you’re being sponsored by old navy? maybe i missed it…
Heather says:
Hi Erin! This post is not in any way sponsored by Old Navy. I always, ALWAYS mark sponsored posts, as I follow all FTC guidelines and claim everything on my taxes. I usually try to link to a bunch of retailers when I link out but apparently today I was hypnotized by low low prices.
erin says:
ok phew! i love you guys so it made me a little nervous…but now i actually do want to go to old navy
Kristen says:
Thanks for sharing the “regret motherhood” and “different kind of kvelling” articles. I’m so in favor of including opinions beyond “motherhood is the most wonderful thing that ever happened to me and my kids are my EVERYTHING and they bring unending joy and heart swells to my life” in the conversation about parenting.
Lisa says:
I’m just curious, why are you turning down offers for you and Annie? I’ve been reading a long time, but I don’t recall this coming up before… Maybe I missed it, though. Anyway, fwiw, I think it’s really cool! Annie does seem like a natural.
Anadi says:
I am wondering the same thing too. Maybe I missed somethimg?
RzDrms says:
I’ve been wondering this, too, and came back to ask. Glad I read the comments first!
Heather says:
You know, it really just came down to Annie not seeming all that interested. She didn’t get what all the fuss was about
Liz says:
Ya why? Was looking forward to Annie on Ellen…
Colleen says:
You don’t have to know how to knit to make gloves like that. I knit, but I’d rather do those the easy way. Find a pretty pair of knit socks and cut off the toe. That is now where your fingers come out. Measure out where your thumb would need to come out, cut down the side, and then stitch it up in a kind of swoosh, leaving a thumb hole open. (There are quite obviously better instructions than this online somewhere). Embellish with a cute felt heart, stiched on in a contrasting colour and you’re done.
Heather says:
Oh that’s interesting! What about the heel part of the sock, is that weird?
Colleen says:
I usually cut right at the turn of the heel for the thumb. But in order to have a good fit, you’ll still need to cut down the side between the first finger and thumb. That way you can stitch that area back up, only tighter, and also create a little “sleeve” for the thumb. Then what was the top of the heel when it was an upright sock is now the bottom part of the thumb opening in your now inverted fingerless glove.
Kate says:
A local radio station in Minneapolis posted that video of Annie on Facebook. I was so surprised! The internet is weird. I suppose you just can’t suppress the cuteness of Annie!
lori says:
i love the videos. they cheer me up! please don’t stop =) it was so darn cute!!!
Sarah L says:
How are you liking Stitch Fix? I’ve been hearing a lot about them and considering of giving it a shot. Have you also tried Vain Pursuits? I think they’re a personalized service like Stitch Fix but they send you skincare products based on your profile instead of clothes. There are so many of these services these days and I can’t decide which one to try!
Heather says:
I am really loving Stitch Fix! My biggest problem with them every month is that I can’t afford to buy everything they send me! I haven’t tried any of the beauty product services yet but I’m intrigued by Vain Pursuits. I’ll have to look them up!
Sara L says:
My first Fix is scheduled for next week! I think I’ll have to watch my wallet since I’m sure I’ll end up loving too many pieces. Just have to tell myself that I really don’t NEED that 5th dress I read a few other posts about Vain Pursuits and I think i’m going to try it, too. Skincare is like shampoo haha I always need it. With work and family I don’t have time to go shopping for clothes or beauty. Let me know you end up trying it, I’d love to share my Fix when I get it!
Heather says:
Oh my gosh, PLEASE share! I’d love that!!