Author Archives: Heather Shoberg

About Heather Shoberg

I'm many things... I'm a wife, a mother, a book lover, a movie lover, a photography lover, a music lover, a coffee lover, and a chocolate lover. I have cute aggression and I'm an introvert. I love mangoes and my favorite flower is the sunflower. I got married in Converse sneakers and love fairy lights. I love the mountains and when I was little I wanted to be an astronaut.

Week In Review – Short and Sweet

Happy Monday!

Linking up with Meghan from Clean Eats, Fast Feets for another Week in Review!

It was an interesting week… I didn’t get nearly as much accomplished as I would have liked, but it is what it is.

  •  I blogged and was happy with my nature walk photos.
  • So much laundry.  Always.  It never ends.
  • Phoebe finally let me trim her bangs!! Finally!! It helped that I got my bangs trimmed that day.

  • Scheduled some appointments – like that teeth cleaning I’m overdue for.
  • Went to the gym finally!
  • Started setting up next year’s planner – went with a cheaper brand… still deciding if it’s going to work out.
  • The kids started up swimming lessons again!
  • Wandered the Mall of America with the kids. Finally tried Shake Shack… meh.

  • I made cookies.

  • Cats and dragons were snuggled.

Happy Monday ya’ll!

 

Impromptu Nature Walk

When you get thrown gorgeous weather in September, you take advantage of it, so even though we were going to spend last Saturday cleaning and organizing, I talked everyone into going on some walks at a nearby Reserve!  It was one of my best ideas and despite some bug bites, I think everyone had a really good time.

We went to the nature center first to check in and get an idea of what was in the area, which led us to their outdoor play area.  We told the kids they could play for a while, but then we’d have lunch and do some exploring!

We were even joined by a little slug at one point!  It was fun just watching him creep along and then Enzo gave him some of his apple.

Have I mentioned that the day was beautiful?  Because the weather was amazing!  It was so nice to just leisurely stroll and see what kinds of fun things we could spot.  Enzo even saw a fish pop up to eat a bug when we stopped at one of the lake docks!

With so many different potential trails to go on, we chose one that had a boardwalk through a wetland area.  Considering we forgot bug spray, it probably wasn’t our greatest decision, but thankfully the mosquitoes haven’t been as bad this year as they usually are. We survived to tell the tale!

I was the one lagging behind for most of the day.  I am at my happiest in the woods, though, and I was soaking it in.  Plus, there were a lot of things to see!  Spider webs stretching across the trail over our heads, fungi and so many pretty flowers.

Now, this flower I thought for sure was a fungi, but it turns out it isn’t!  It seems to be most commonly known as Ghost Plant or Indian Pipe and is part of the blueberry family!  It looks so white because it has no chlorophyll and is a non-photosynthetic plant. Because it doesn’t photosynthesize, it’s basically a parasite that lives off of other plants like trees.  Anyway, it was the first time I had ever seen them and they really are kind of eerie growing in the darker shaded parts of wooded areas.

Just as we were headed on our way back to the nature center, we (or rather Josh) spotted a fantastic prairie area that we naturally just had to go explore. There was a breeze, and better yet, no mosquitoes, but it was nice to just see the prairie grasses wave in the wind and watch bees flit from blossom to blossom.

I’m pretty sure we’ll back.

Renaissance Festival Time… Again!

I know, wasn’t I just at the renaissance festival? Yes, it’s true, but this time I dragged Josh and the kids along wit me, and honestly? I could go again. There’s so much to see and with each weekend being a different theme there is always something new to see.  We all got dressed up and had a fairly decent time, all things considered.  The kids getting older, is such a huge plus and makes outings so much easier.  I think we may have to ditch the wagon next year, however, because they are outgrowing it and there were too many “She’s touching me” outbursts for my liking.  Truly, though, the kids had a magical time and I love seeing how kind everyone is to the kids.  Phoebe was so excited about seeing mermaids and Enzo, while not quite as enthusiastic about such ventures still managed to enjoy himself quite a lot.

We go to Fairy Forest every time. The kids rushed past the fairies this time… mostly because Phoebe really just wanted to wait in the very long line to see the mermaids. Haha!

We didn’t see any unicorns, but Phoebe found a unicorn horn that she just had to have.  I indulged because… hello? Unicorn horn?

We ran into so many nice people.  I think all of us had our photos taken by random people at least once, if not more for the kids. I love the overall atmosphere of the festival because everyone is generally just there to have a good time and indulge in some imaginative fun.  One girl (who didn’t work there) was dressed as Ariel from the Little Mermaid and she could not have been sweeter to Phoebe who recognized her and asked to say hello.  She gave her a big hug and it was so sweet!

You can see how excited Phoebe was to finally see the mermaids and more importantly, ask them their names.

Someone gave us the great idea of having Josh wait in line for the mermaids while I took the kids next door to play dress up… which they didn’t care about.  Tough customers, these ones.

The kids were intrigued, but a little nervous around the dragon. Enzo opted to stand back with Josh while I held Phoebe’s hand.

Josh and Enzo went on a swing ride – the one thing Enzo requested to do as we were walking around.

I tried to take photos with Phoebe while we waited for them, but she decided to be pouty. Ha!

The kids were getting tired, so we took Phoebe over to the elephants and Enzo and I tried to get a glimpse of the joust, but alas, there were too many people ahead of us and we couldn’t get a good spot to squeeze in as we were dragging the wagon with us.

All in all, a very good day.  We got in the car, drove to get ice cream and collapsed when we get home.

Don’t you love how both the boys have similar expressions, whereas Phoebe and I could have kept going?  So weird that Phoebe is so much like me and Enzo is so much like Josh.  Phoebe and I love our excursions and could generally be out of the house all day on a weekend, but the boys get tired and would rather play video games at home. Not this time, boys!

Week In Review – Make that Two…

Happy Monday!

Linking up with Meghan from Clean Eats, Fast Feets for another Week in Review!

I ended up not doing a week in review last Monday since it was a holiday and I had the day off and usually don’t blog on those days.  So… that means this week in review has double the fun!  Honestly, though, it’s been a nice mix of productive, restful, and fun.  I think I’m trying to fit in as much as possible while it’s so nice out.

Starting things, out we had a busy, but fun Labor Day weekend.  I talked Josh and the kids into dressing up and going to the Ren Fest and we had a great time.  Every year gets a little bit easier with the kids as they are able to walk more and enjoy exploring and people watching.  More on that later…

Then the kids and I had a play date with a friend and three of her boys.  The kids had a good time hanging out while Josh and some friends hung out at our house playing video games. We were able to hit up a splash pad and I am so happy that swim lessons has given them more confidence and there were no tears when water got in their eyes!

The guys continued game play well into the wee hours of the night, so I had some hang out time by myself once the kids went to sleep.  Can’t argue with that too much.

My shadow joined me as she usually does.

This past week we have finally gotten a few things put away and rearranged.  It really is never ending.  We also filled a few bags with stuff to donate, which is always a good feeling. Somehow Enzo still had size 2T pants in the back of his drawer.  Whoops!  Thankfully Phoebe was more than happy to claim some of Enzo’s hand me downs, but with how fast they’re growing, I had to make use of some Labor Day sales to start stocking their closets for cooler weather. Someone is just as excited as her mama about unicorns.

I had every intention of spending all of this weekend being super productive, but amazing weather on Saturday was calling me and I dragged everyone on a nature walk, which ended up being a fantastic idea. Aside from some bug bites, it was a great day and we will absolutely be hitting up these trails again.  There were these fun floating boardwalks that the kids loved and some flora that was completely new to me.

Now, to make this week more productive and I’m going to start my evening off right by hitting the gym later!

Have a fabulous week everyone!

Currently…

Well, another month has gone by, so here we go…

Reading… The Return of the King, The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend

I think I’m going to work my way through all of the Tolkien books that I have, but I can never read just one book at a time and started The Readers of Broken Wheel, which is really good so far. Its light, which I feel like is perfect for right now and also inspired me a bit.

Watching (on TV)… Getting ready for Outlander!!

I am a full blown fanatic.  I would honestly re-read the books right now if I didn’t have so many others on my plate already.  #bookwormproblems

Watching (movies)… Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2

Finally watched it this month!  Now I really want to go see IT as well, though.  The original creeped me out so much when I was a kid and now I feel like I have to see the remake.

Playing… This Is the Police, Lego: Jurassic World

Josh and I have been playing Lego: Jurassic World together, but I can never stick with just one game and bounce around a lot and wanted to try out This Is the Police for Twitch streaming tonight.

Listening to… Thumping bass.

There is a street fair/festival/something happening this weekend in the town where I work, and apparently they’re starting up already!

Drinking… Coffee, coffee, coffee!!

Hot, Iced, you name it.  I’m sure I’ll switch more to tea as we get into fall as tea has always been more of a fall drink for me.

Eating… Not as much junk, but probably more than I should be.

The story of my life.

Wearing… Layers.

The leaves are changing and while this week has cooled down, I’ll be back in summer clothes next weekend as the temps are supposed to go back up.

Trying… To start up some healthier mental and physical habits.

We’re attempting to get to the gym more, eat better, but also cut down on distractions like various screens and social media things like that.

Wanting… A new comforter/duvet

Our current comforter has been destroyed by the cats over time and it’s just awful now.  Plus it doesn’t match anymore, so I’m on the hunt. I think I found the perfect one for Josh and I, but it’s a little spendy and I’d have to make sure to get a throw blanket to ensure the cats don’t destroy it.  SIGH.

Looking forward to… Fall!

Well, sort of.  I’ve been having a more difficult time getting into the changing season, but I’ve been reminding myself of all the good things. Walks that don’t leave me dripping with sweat, more blanket snuggles, tea and hot cocoa, fall colors, Halloween!

Thoroughly enjoying… Hearing all about Enzo’s kindergarten experiences.

His first week has gone swimmingly and I think he’s going to grow up a lot this year.  He’s been a tad excited and therefore really amped up, but I think things will settle in a week or so.  Phoebe, on the other hand is having a rougher week with her transition into the preschool room at day care.

Disliking… Tantrums and rough bedtimes.

Need I say more?

Feeling… All over the place.

A little anxious, but trying to focus on gratitude and staying optimistic.