Tag: flowers

National Friendship Day: Connect Better!

National Friendship Day: Connect Better

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“Why is every day a national something day?” Evan asked this morning as I sniffed gorgeous lilies and roses. I had just told him and Arianna that it was National Friendship Day and that they needed to connect better with the people that have been put in their lives as friends. “Like yesterday was National Twin Day, when’s it ever National High Five Day, or something cool?”

Honestly, I think today is  a pretty cool National-something day. August 7 is National Friendship Day, a day to celebrate friends and what they mean to us. That’s pretty cool if you ask me. So, what about this Connect Better thing?

National Friendship Day: Connect Better

This is a theme that FTD, the Florists who transport flowers around the globe through FTD.com, has decided would be a great initiative to celebrate National Friendship Day. They asked me to pick a Blogging Bestie, someone I’ve really connected with, to celebrate today…and the would surprised her with a bouquet of flowers.

Who would I pick?!?!?! I’ve got so many great friends, so many of them are great blogging buddies. The choice was hard, but this pick went to Ashley of ashleysuzanne.com. I met Ashley last year at Blogger Bash NYC and she stood out to me because she was so kind to the twins and I at Babypalooza. Icing on the cake? She’s a baby whisperer (the twins can attest), RN, a child of God, and a writer who brings all things baby to her space in the bloggysphere. Her southern drawl and charm are the cherry on top of her sweetness.

(Another great blogging buddy, Billie) + Ashley + Me @ BBNYC
(Another great blogging buddy, Billie) + Ashley + Me @ BBNYC
When Ashley started posting things in the BBNYC Facebook Group, sharing how she was getting ready for the event, I remembered her awesomeness and kept thinking “Hey, that’s exactly what I did today (like charging and packing four extra power sources for our phones). We re-connected and then enjoyed plenty of fun on the Yacht together, learning about some of the best brands for babies and kids.

After the event, Ashley continues to be a light in my life. She’s bubbly, kind, and is even working on a local mom panel, focused on products and connections. Her blog theme is a great one to live by…

Do it with Passion! or not at all

I’ve truly felt Connect Better with Ashley, and am so glad I was able to surprise her with a beautiful bouquet of roses and lilies this weekend to celebrate National Friendship Day.

FTD Bouquet

While it might be a little late in the day to send pretty flowers to your bestie, take a few moments to make them feel special today. If you feel like getting them flowers to say “sorry I didn’t know about this day, you’re still so awesome to me”, head over to FTD and find some roses to share your love for them. (I picked Ashley’s from this list of roses.)

Follow along the fun on social media with #ConnectBetter to see how other bloggers are celebrating their Blogging Besties today. xoxo

Thanks, Ashley, for being so awesome, and FTD for the roses! 

find your tribe

 

Experience Columbus: Franklin Park Conservatory

Disclaimer: Experience Columbus sent my family and four other Pittsburgh Mom Blogger families on a weekend getaway to check out their city. We were compensated in the way of attraction passes and gift cards; however, this does not impact the views expressed in my recap posts (including this one). All opinions are my own (or my kids’ / husband’s).

It was the calm after the storm, just what we needed.

Our visit to Franklin Park Conservatory was right at the end of our Experience Columbus trip. So right at the end that I had to assure the ticket counter attendant that YES we REALLY wanted in even though we only had 45 minutes to enjoy. I really needed a calm event before our drive home (after a rain storm, almost dropping the best ice cream I’ve ever had, and a mild mama breakdown). Ahem.

And enjoy those 45 minutes of calm, we did. For 43.5 minutes, we explored the Blooms and Butterflies 20th Anniversary Exhibit. Our ‘lil butterfly fit right in.

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Greg spent most of that time trying to catch the brown butterfly that had gorgeous blue wings inside. It  was definitely worth his time, although I was using a smaller, tighter, slower lens and this was the best shot I got:

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Because normally it looked like this:

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Evan and I were busy looking at plants. While I love butterflies (and, fun fact, have a tattoo of one), one of my favorite memories as a kid was of when my mom would take our Campfire Kids / Buckeye Y troop to the botanical gardens in Fort Wayne. This girl is totally going to be that lady that once the kids are grown and the retirement check is coming in will be a gardener. We explored the beautiful plants like…

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With just over 2 minutes to spare, we left the butterfly exhibit and while I started at gorgeous glass sculptures, Greg and the kids looked at the butterfly life cycle part of the exhibit. I really wanted to see more plants, so rushed into one more room before we had to call it a day (and a weekend, boo hoo!). But it was amazing to have taken that peaceful time because…


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If I had to pick a “best moment” of the trip, it just might be the calm, quiet 45 minutes we got taking in nature’s beauty.

You can experience the Franklin Park Conservatory in Columbus on your own either by buying a ticket ($12 for adults, $6 for kids over 3) or including this as part of your Experience Columbus Roar and Explore Package like myself, The Pittsburgh Mommy Blog, Champagne to Crayons, Momma on a Mission, and Pgh Momtourage got to do last weekend.

More photos from our trip can be found here on our Flickr page. If you know my husband and want to pass him a “hey, Becky’d love this gift” idea – tell him to pretty please take me back for alone time with the gorgeous plants, ok? 

Stop and Smell the Flowers

Vacationing for our family might not be exactly what Greg expects. You see, I thrive on being busy, busy, busy.

When we went on vacation, we “slept in” until 9:30 or so. Swimming, resort activities, or visiting the park followed. Some days, there was shopping or seeing friends. We kept a fairly busy schedule, but nothing crazy. I think all days but one the kids got good naps, so we stayed on a good schedule.

But, Greg has a point, too. Vacations shouldn’t be exhausting or tiring. You shouldn’t come home from vacation tired (by the way, I didn’t), you should come back rested. It’s good advice.

And sometimes, the kids make their own schedule and remind you, it’s time to stop and smell the flowers.

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