Streaking.

We’re… We’re going streaking! We’re going up the quad and to the gymnasium!

Not that kind of streaking.  Maybe about a decade ago, but certainly not now.  No one needs (or wants) to see that bidness.

But I am going for the summer running streak challenge with Runner’s World magazine.  Starting on Memorial Day (Monday, May 27th), through Independence Day (Thursday, July 4th), I’ll have to run at least one mile a day, every day   You can read more about there streak here.  Shouldn’t be too hard, except for days I have to commute outside the city for work.  I leave early and get home late.  So it will be tough to juggle those days.  But it’s a good goal right now as the weather is getting warmer and I can feel myself getting lazier.

So there you have it.  A commitment etched in the internets.  Nothing like a public proclamation to make you work harder…

Speaking of which, I’ve gotten a few emails about my Invisalign journey (you can read more about that here), and YES, I will share some before and after pics, as well as some tips I have for those going through it or thinking about it.  So far it’s going pretty well.  In the middle of Week 12 and the teeth ARE moving!

And on a complete other side note, I haven’t organized a thing in my house in weeks.  I have vacuumed and mopped and scrubbed and ‘straightened’ through spring cleaning season, but really nothing got full on organized.  So I’m due for a whirlwind sometime soon.  Just have to find the space that needs it most.  Open to suggestions…

Have a great neat Memorial Day Weekend!

Straightening Up.

OK people.  First thing’s first.  I’ve been a terrible blogger recently.  I’ve left you hanging for almost 2 months (wha?!) with no explanation, and more importantly no tips for keeping your lives organized.   All hell must have broken out in your households/offices/lives during this time, for sure.  For that I’m sorry.  I could bust into a list telling you all the things keeping me too busy to write recently, but that would probably bore you and cause serious eye-rolls (“she thinks she’s sooo busy…”).  So I won’t do it.  And with that, I’ve just got a straight up post on…straightening up.   So here goes…

Let’s talk about things that are straight.

Jennifer Aniston’s amazing hair:

Straight as an arrow? Cameron Frye, Ferris’ BFF:

And probably John Mayer, considering he’s dated every female celebrity ever (including aforementioned Jen):

Things that aren’t straight?  My bottom teeth.

Yep.  You heard me.  Normally when we talk ‘straightening up’ around here it’s about corralling baby stuff, organizing kitchen cabinets, or neatly packing up Christmas paraphernalia.  This time we’re talking teeth.  In particular, my never-had-or-needed-braces-until-now -teeth.

Excuse me while I hop on my soapbox for a hot minute, but I was blessed with beautiful chompers.  They are naturally white, and straight. Well, the top ones are…(or should I say were?).  The bottoms are a hot mess, but who really sees those?  When I was 15 and went to the obligatory orthodontist appointment that it seems every middle class suburban adolescent gets dragged to, the doc said I had no structural issues with my teeth (read: no over/under bite), just snagglies on the bottom, which meant braces would be purely cosmetic.  So naturally, like every vain 15 year old girl, I said – NO THANKS to a mouth of metal for the next few years.  The actual quote, which The Magi likes to remind me of, was: “Well if God wanted me to have perfect teeth, he would have given me perfect teeth”.  Very profound coming from a non-religious half-Jew-half-Christian.  I was always wise beyond my years.  NOT.

So here I sit, 15+ years later, with very crooked bottom teeth, and top ones that have started to shift.  They still look relatively normal from afar, but I started to notice one central incisor (big front tooth, in laymen’s terms) overlapping the other, a la the bottoms.  And it’s created an awkward space under its neighboring lateral incisor that’s noticeable when I smile.  I’ll post a pic as soon as I can find a good one that I don’t mind putting on the internet.  Teeth are pretty darn personal.  Bottom line is top teeth that look like my bottom teeth would be no bueno.  I have learned that having a baby really does a number to your self-confidence (many, many things just do NOT look the same!), so if I could prevent further “boo me” moments, that would be fantastic.  I don’t want to be talking like a ventriloquist the rest of my life.

So that’s where Invisalign comes in.  Invisible braces for the modern mama.  No I totally made that tag line up, but they really are “invisible” braces.  After years of saying I should do it (to no one in particular and without real meaning), I bit the bullet and went back to an Orthodontist earlier this year.  He confirmed the top teeth are following the pattern of the bottoms, and that I’d be a good candidate for Invisalign.  So a few filled-out forms, hard earned bucks, tooth molds, and X-rays later and we’re in business.

So yes, I got braces at 30 years old.  And I’m gonna blog about it.  I’m currently about 2 months into my treatment with 8 more to go – this is longer than a full term pregnancy people!  I’ve got before pics, weekly pics, and a whole lot of initial thoughts to share with anyone interested.  People seem to love talking about personal stuff on the internet.  I don’t fully get it but I’m not opposed to capitalizing on it.  Stay tuned and feel free to leave me some Invisalign Qs/tips in the comments.  A girl can never have enough Invisalign tricks up her sleeve…

My Week Rocked.

This work week has been one of the best yet in 2013.  I was in a 3-day long offsite training course Monday-Wednesday from 9-5 every day with about 2 hours worth of breaks throughout the day.  Oh and it was casual dress code.  It was amazing.  And the best part is that it was held literally right next to my office so I took advantage of the late start to run to daycare/work each morning, popped into the office to shower and change, then headed across the street for training.  And did the reverse on the way home.  So I was able to sneak in a nice 5 miles each day!  If A & I could run to/from school and work every day it would be awesome.  She loves the jogger and it chopped our commute time in half.  I’ll have to figure out a way to make that happen…

And with all that break time I naturally stuck around the training center to study up on Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services.  Not.  I took full advantage of our breaks to get things done that needed serious doing.  Like returning Christmas gifts and getting a real manicure (you know, not the crappy fake ones I do at home on Saturday nights to make myself feel less dirty drab mom-ish and more cool urban mama-ish).

One of my to-return items was at the Athleta store, which is a new(ish) addition to the Philadelphia shopping scene.  We just got a store on Walnut street last year but I have had yet to pop in.  To say I was pleasantly surprised by both the merchandise and the physical store would be an understatement.  I liked way more things than I thought I would (or should be liking, for that matter – the last thing I need is more workout wear!), and I LOVED the way they organized the store.  I took the pics posted above to give you an idea, but we’ll get back to that in a minute.  For those who haven’t shopped or seen Athleta stuff yet, it’s kind of a Lululemon-meets-EMS/REI-theme-with-a-slightly-Hawaiian-feel.  That’s literally the best way I can describe it.  Price point is still pretty high, but a little better than Lulu.  And since it’s part of the Gap family of brands, you can use coupons/rewards points there which rocks.

But the best part was the ingenious way they organized the store – the four areas are: Run/Gym (cardio and swim wear), Yoga (’nuff said), Hike/Explore (think breathable layers, cargos, packs, lightweight wool), and To/Fro (casual attire that could be worn…you guessed it…to/from the gym or yoga or whatever).  The reclaimed wood and oil rubbed bronze lettering and light fixtures added to the neatness too.  I’ve seen some other stores try to organize the store this way too, but this was the simplest and most “real life” version I’ve ever seen.  Loved it.

So I told the girls behind the counter that I was a professional blogger and wanted to snap a few pics of the store for my site.  They were super flattered and excited about that little white lie.  If only they knew my readership consisted of my friends, my family, a few of my family’s friends, and a few of B’s AWESOME lady friend co-workers.  🙂  But they don’t have to know that.  Let them dream.

And speaking of dreaming, today I was back in the office dreaming of Reporting Services training.  Seriously, other than the fact that I was learning how to write database reports and the code to delpoy them for 3 straight days (which, since I’m the coolest nerd you know, I actually enjoyed), this week rocked.  Best part is that tomorrow is Friday – SAHM day!

Have a great weekend, and check out Athleta if you’re near 18th & Walnut – tell them you saw them featured on this really cool blog you read…

These Things Come in Threes.

Triplets (duh).  Bad things (apparently).  And juice cleanses (for me at least).  Last week I did my third juice cleanse through Pangaea Earth Foods (remember Juice Cleanses 1 & 2?).  This time B did it with me.  Yep, you read that right.  As with the last two times I dropped a few pounds during the cleanse and felt fresh and clean when it was through – ready to take on a few weeks of healthy eating.  But this time it was definitely a lot harder to make it through the 3 days solid food-free.  Maybe that’s a 3rd time juice cleanse thing?  For what it’s worth, my friend AC agrees.  So that totally makes it a thing.

The pic above is of Juice #1 on Day 2 – “Green Earth Smoothie”.  And yes, it’s been Instagrammed.  Shocker.

Anyone else doing any cleansing?  Body? Home?

Saving Your Face. Book.

As I’m sure everyone has heard by now, the good old Book of Face made a big announcement today about turning all our FB data into a searchable database.  Or, as data savvy babes nerds like myself might say, query-able.  So basically, without getting into too many details, this means that your posts, personal info, and photos will be accessible to more people, in more ways.  It seems to be limited to going as far as friends of friends, but that’s still airing your dirty undies out for more people than you probably thought.

According to this article from NBC News, there are a few things you can do now to beef up your privacy settings so you’re not as accessible as you might be otherwise.  It’s a quick read with some good tips.  Take a look, it might just save your face (book).  Or your dirty undo’s.

Side note, if you’re really observant you might have noticed the measly number of “likes” Keep It Neat has on FB.  What gives?  That’s all on you guys.  So if you are reading this and are not “friends with” KIN on FB, how about changing that up?  Remember, the more likes we get, the more viewers we’ll get, the more viewers we get the more advertising revenue we’ll earn (as in ANY), and with more ad revenue, the more likely it’ll be that I can quit my job to stay home and play with A and KP all day, and organize.  And blog about it.  Don’t you want to read those posts?!  Look, I’ll even make it easier for you – click here, or on the blue Facebook button toward the bottom of this page, over on the right.  I’ll even add a screenshot for you below this post.  I’m spoon-feeding here – no excuses!