From the category archives:

dear diary… everyday life

living your impossible!

by @according2kelly on July 11, 2011

merakoh

i recently had the opportunity to sit in awe, & soak in the amazingly inspired words of me ra koh at the 2011 evo conference.

she asked us “if you knew fear & doubt would always be there, regardless of what you achieved…. what would you go after? what impossible would you pursue?”

as me ra koh explained “creation starts in the unknown, in the dark.” & for most of us, darkness represents the epitome of fear & darkness. she continues to say…

“every time an adventure approaches us we have fear & doubt right next to us… when we push through those fear & doubts, & embark on exploring unknown territory the reward is in that exploration. but we’re in the dark. we’re in unknown territory.

as a creative professional, we have to be okay & embrace the reality that creation starts in the unknown. it starts in the dark. how many of you feel comfortable in the dark?

if you look at how a garden works… you plant the seeds in the ground, and cover it with dirt. & then for months, you see no evidence of life. but, if we were to dig up the plants or bulbs, to see if anything is really growing, we would completely destroy the little life that is just getting started.

spend some time actually allowing yourself to spend a little time in the dark – you need that to keep coming up with creative content that is inspiring the world around you.”

we can’t let fear & doubt prevent us from living a creative life – from “living our impossible.” we have to realize (even accept) that at the very heart of the matter, fear & doubt walks hand & hand with the creative process. you can’t have one without the other.

ready to be inspired? listen to me ra koh’s awe-inspiring words for yourself, & then ask yourself: what is one action i can take that will lead to an even more creative & adventurous life? while your waiting for your answer, be sure to listen to what your creative voice has to say. it may not always make sense, but your creative voice is always looking out for you… you can always trust it.

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dancing queen of the roller rink

by @according2kelly on July 6, 2011

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while my actual birthday will definitely be one to remember – having the stomach flu when you should be eating cake & ice cream is hard to forget. luckily, some of my favorite partners in crime (carrie, elise, elizabeth, julie & lisa) surprised me with a last-minute, uber-cool, roller skating birthday extravaganza do-over that still brings a smile to my face just thinking about it. honestly, what 21 year old (with 12 years of experience) doesn’t want to dress up in a sparkle skirt, rainbow socks, vintage roller skates & be the dancing queen of the roller rink for a night?

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i wanna am running the hood to coast relay

by @according2kelly on June 23, 2011

a few weeks ago nuun (the absolutely best hydration drink out there – i’m completely addicted to the stuff, my kids are addicted, even my hubby too… it’s definitely a family affair) posed a simple question on their facebook page that got my heart racing, my head spinning & my legs giddy with excitement:

hood to coast oh my heavens! THE hood to coast relay? last year i ran a few relays (the socal ragnar & the relay with the ladies of eat. blog. run), & quickly became addicted to running relays. when i saw this announcement i just knew i had to apply.

hello?! we are talking THE hood to coast relay – it’s literally the mother of all relays. heck! they even made a movie about the hood to coast relay (& i have to admit, just watching the trailer made me tingle & brought tears to my eyes.)

without any hesitation, one of my favorite partners in crime & i sent in our “application.”

along with our “running resume” featuring a few stats & reasons why we should needed to be on the team…

yep! we’re women, we’re runners, we’re bloggers & we drink nuun. but that’s not all… “we know how to rock a relay! with over 2 dozen races completed between the two of us (from 5K’s, to marathons, to relays), you might call us serious runners. sure we like to go fast, but we also believe in putting the “fun back into the run.” and in the running world, we know there is nothing quite as fun as a relay race.

with seven kids (eight & under) between the two of us, we’re crazy good at multi-tasking. That means amidst all the running, we are excellent at: cheerleading, photographing, live tweeting, facebooking, navigating, injury taping, car decorating, team builing, costume wearing, tune picking, blogging, snacki eating, nuun drinking, videotaping & friend making.

trust us, we are the dynamic duo you don’t want to run a relay without.”

luckily, nuun agreed. yesterday they announced that carrie & i would be joining 18 other amazing bloggers & 6 alternates to run what is probably THE most highly sought after relays in the entire world… hood to coast. seriously, what could be more fun? “stunning scenery, sweaty people in a van together for 24 hours, running in the dark with a headlamp and head-to-toe reflectors, tomfoolery galore (& maybe some singing?) before a dramatic finish on the oregon coast, and a giant party on the beach with all of your friends.”

i am definitely still flying high from the news. i keep pinching myself to make sure i’m not dreaming. really?! i am running the hood to coast relay with an amazing all-star rooster of running bloggers: alanna, alyssa, carrie, dorothy, emily, harmony, jess, jocelyn, kerrie, lauren, lisa, margot, megan, mel, melody, susan, tonia, tricia, XLMIC and possibly michelle, christy, sloan, lindsey, jill & phoebe. what more could a girl ask for?!

all i can say is… “i throw my hands up in the air sometimes, saying ay-oh, gotta let go. i wanna celebrate and live my life. saying ay-oh, baby let’s go. cause we gon’ rock this club race. we gon’ go all night. we gon’ light it up. like it’s dynamite. cause i told you once. now i told you twice. we gon’ light it up, like it’s dynamite.”

watch out hood to coast – here we come!

read about the ENTIRE totally-awesome-completely-fabulous-epic hood to coast adventure.

{ 20 comments }

kindergarten graduation

by @according2kelly on June 17, 2011

dear gavin,

congratulations! as of this week you are officially a kindergarten graduate – a concept i’m still trying to wrap my brain around. it seems like just yesterday i was saying goodbye to you on your first day of preschool. & it’s nearly impossible for me to fathom the fact that it’s been six years since you were a newborn. yet, here you are – practically grown up!

someone much smarter than i, a mr. robert fulghum, once proclaimed that “most of what i really need to know, about how to live, and what to do, and how to be, i learned in kindergarten.” & i have to say, i most definitely agree…

“share everything. play fair. don’t hit people. put things back where you found them. clean up your own mess. don’t take things that aren’t yours. say you’re sorry when you hurt somebody. wash your hands before you eat. flush. warm cookies and cold milk are good for you. live a balanced life – learn some and think some and draw and paint and sing and dance and play and work every day some. take a nap every afternoon. when you go out into the world, watch out for traffic, hold hands, and stick together. be aware of wonder. remember the little seed in the styrofoam cup: the roots go down & the plant goes up and nobody really knows how or why, but we are all like that. goldfish & hamsters & white mice and even the little seed in the styrofoam cup – they all die. so do we. and then, remember the dick-and-jane books, and the first word you learned – the biggest word of all – LOOK.

everything you need to know is in there somewhere. the golden rule & love & basic sanitation. ecology and politics and equality and sane living.

take any of those items and extrapolate it into sophisticated adult terms and apply it to your family life or your work or your government or your world and it holds true and clear and firm.

think what a better world it would be if all – the whole world – had cookies and milk about three o’clock every afternoon & then lay down with
our blankies for a nap. or if all governments had a basic policy to always put thing back where they found them and to clean up their own mess.

and it is still true, no matter how old you are – when you go out into the world, it is best to hold hands & stick together.”

everyone has told me “they grow up so fast.” but it’s the truth. but especially this past year -  i have watched you grow, learn & change, right before my very eyes. you’ve learned your a,b,c’s & 1, 2, 3′s. you can write simple sentences & even read. although, at the “core” you’re still the same, sweet little boy i brought home in my arms six years ago. green is currently your favorite color. legos & video games are your newest passion, although riding your bike is your favorite way to spend the afternoon. & somehow you manage to charm everyone you meet. parents & teachers alike have told me that you are “secretly” their favorite.

congratulations on this huge accomplishment, and always remember…

xoxo, mom

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what i wear & how i wear it

by @according2kelly on June 15, 2011

i’ve joined a movement – a fashion movement that is. sweats, work out pants & sometimes even pajamas have become the norm much to often. so i’m linking up with the always fabulous lindsey to document what i wear & how i wear it. there’s nothing like having a little outfit accountability to get you motivated to actually get dressed each & every day.

what i wear wednesday{sabbath sunday}
gingham shirt: j. crew
seersucker skirt: j. crew
belt: j. crew
shoes: nordstrom

maybe i’m crazy, but i just LOVE the juxtaposition of the crisp, fluorescent yellow gingham dress shirt and the classic seersucker pencil skirt.

what i wear wednesday{around town}
striped shirt: j. crew
gingham scarf: j. crew
j brand jeans: nordstrom
wild child bracelet: nordstrom
shoes: tod’s

what i wore wednesday{playdate}
perfect white t-shirt: j. crew
vintage bed sheet skirt: stacy lynn
sam & libby shoes: nordstrom
toy watch: nordstrom

what i wore wednesday{out & about}
striped shirt: free people
j brand jeans: nordstrom
wild child bracelet: nordstrom
crocheted shoes: TOMS

so what did YOU wear this week?

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{almost} wordless wednesday: toothless

by @according2kelly on June 8, 2011

technically speaking, it’s not the first tooth gavin has lost. he knocked out two of his bottom teeth, earlier this year. (oy vey!) so, we’ve already had a visit (or two) from the tooth fairy. but, this is the first tooth that he has pulled out – all by himself. he wiggled & jiggled, twisted & turned, until that baby popped right out. unfortunately the tooth fairy was too busy to make it too our house that night! luckily, she has 72 hours to collect.

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{almost} wordless wednesday: practically famous

by @according2kelly on May 18, 2011

okay, okay… practically famous is far from the truth. but i just got my hot little hands on the latest edition of oc family, who’s cover story features none other than ME! (& 9 other incredibly fabulous, totally amazing, orange county digital moms. trust me, i’m still trying to figure out how i got included.)

oc family

yep! yep! that’s me! featured opposite tamra barney (think real housewives of orange county)… i’m the one they called a “blogger extraordinaire.” i have to say, i’m still in awe – seeing my name & picture in a glossy magazine, it’s all a bit surreal. thanks oc family for the feature!

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ridemakerz

by @according2kelly on May 17, 2011

thanks to ridemakerz, my kid’s (BOTH the boy’s & the girl’s) dreams came true this weekend. we spent saturday morning at downtown disney, where we were able to customize our cars (or trick out our ridez as the shop employees called it).

trust me – if you’re visiting downtown disney (either in anaheim or at walt disney world), make sure to pay a visit to ridemakerz. i can pretty much guarantee that everyone in your family will enjoy customizing their very own car (i know we did). it’s not so much a question of whether you will trick out a ride, but rather which

there are definitely so many carz (or rather ridez) to choose from, it can definitely be overwhelming, having to choose just one car.

little o choose to customize his very own nascar. gavin picked up a carbon lightning mcqueen & charlie suped-up a custom sally. me – i went with the stealth mater (with classic white wall tires, of course).

after a saturday morning at ridemakerz, i’m pretty sure my kids would all agree… happiness comes in a ridemakerz box.

unfortunately for me, seeing that ridemakerz just debuted four new Cars 2 vehicles (including lightning mcqueen, mater, finn mcmissile & francesco), i’m guessing we will be back soon.

RIDEMAKERZ - cars 2 carsridemakerz coupon

luckily, father’s day weekend (saturday & sunday) ridemakerz is offering families to “come on down & build one ridez & get one FREE.” (although, the brand new CARS line isn’t included in the deal, other ridez like the ford mustang, nascar racecar, viper, challenger & the rest are included.)

no compensation, of any kind, was received for this post. although, my family & i were invited guests of ridemakerz, & were provided gift certificates to build cars. however, we had already previously visited, fallen in love with, & actually paid to build cars at ridemakerz. in the end, the opinions represented here are 100% those of me & my family, & were not influenced in any way… you & your kids REALLY are going to love ridemakerz.

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out of the mouths of babes

by @according2kelly on May 16, 2011

all about me… according to gavin, age 6:

my mom’s name is kelly.
she is 64 years old.
she weighs 9 pounds.
her favorite color is green.
her favorite food is john’s place.
she spends all day cleaning up.
she is really good at cooking.
i especially love it when she awards me for being good.

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what i wear & how i wear it

by @according2kelly on April 14, 2011

i’m joining a movement – a fashion movement that is. sweats, work out pants & sometimes even pajamas have become the norm much to often. so i’m linking up with the always fabulous lindsey to document what i wear & how i wear it. there’s nothing like having a little outfit accountability to get you motivated to actually get dressed each & every day.
{sabbath sunday}

dress: shabby apple

necklace: allora handmade rosette statement necklace

belt: anthropologie

boots: frye

{around town}

smock: rae

j brand jeans: nordstrom

shoes: tod’s

glasses: chanel

{house bound}

top: freepeople

j brand jeans: nordstrom

flower: homemade

necklace: silver garage

shoes: TOMS

{playdate}

top: target (i just love the lace edging & hint of stripes)

j brand jeans: nordstrom

shoes: vintage nordstrom

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