Social Media Summer Thoughts

Filed Under: Uncategorized // May 25, 2018

This post is sponsored by Pink Blush but all opinions are my own.

This past weekend we went on a mini family getaway to the Jersey Shore. I got to sleep in, do brunch, go shopping, AND take a nap. Plus, we didn’t have to spend any days away while my husband had training since we were together. (I also breastfed in a restaurant without flashing any waitstaff, as I had done last week so that’s a win.)

While shopping was nice, I enjoy the convenience of receiving my online orders from Pink Blush, like this super comfy top.

It all made me realize how precious family and our time together is — parking lot toddler meltdown while I was baby wearing his newborn brother included. I never want to take ANY moment together for granted.

So, in an effort to be more consciously present with my family this summer (and always), I am setting times for reading/responding to emails, content creation, engagement + campaign applications… both to maximize my time and to feel less guilt about being on my dang iPhone too much.

<<Over and out.>>

Have a great and safe MDW!

Why Bath Time is Special + 5 Safety Tips

Filed Under: bath time // May 23, 2018

This post is sponsored by Regalo but all opinions are my own.

Bath time is special in our household. It’s usually a family event — with one parent bathing S and the other stopping in to see how much fun he’s having and sometimes even a bath together with one of us. Fortunately, S has enjoyed baths since he was a newborn.

My parents say I was a huge crier and that they would literally shut the windows so neighbors wouldn’t think something was wrong because I would wail all bath long, every bath. Thankfully, R is more like his brother than like me during bath time.

Of course, bath time can be fun but safety is most important. Here are a few of my own personal safety tips:

1. Never leave your children unattended in the bath tub.

2. Always test the water temperature before putting children inside the tub.

3. Use safety items, such as the Regalo faucet cover and Regalo bath tub handle, to prevent injury and slips/falls.

4. Use a mat, such as the Regalo bath kneeler pad, to kneel on to prevent from slipping and injuring while bathing children.

5. To prevent mold in bath toys, squeeze the water out of them and place them in a ventilated area, such as the Regalo toy scooper/net, to air dry.

Maternity Leave Guest Series: 6 Month Baby Schedule

Filed Under: baby, guest post, maternity leave guest series, motherhood // May 21, 2018

As most of you know, I will be away from blogland a bit while I’m on maternity leave. Lucky for me – AND you!- I’ve partnered with some lovely bloggers to consistently bring you great content.

This week, I am sharing a post by Rachael from Rach Somp. She offers great insight into what a 6 month baby schedule can look like.

Enjoy!

Max’s 6 Month Baby Schedule by Rachael of Rach Somp

Max’s Onsie: Old Navy / Max’s Jeans: Old Navy / Max’s Cap: Amazon / Max’s Shoes: Converse

How? How in the world has it been 6 months since our baby boy entered this world. For some reason I still can’t seem to wrap my head around it all. It is true what they say that the days are long but the months are short. As hard and as challenging as these past 6 months have been it goes without saying that they have been the very best months of our lives. I have worked hard the past few weeks to get Max on an actual baby schedule so I figured I would share what we are doing and along with some of our current favorite things.

As a reference here is Max’s Nursery details as well as my favorite Newborn Baby Must Haves in case you have any questions on newborn items or things you see from his nursery in the above pictures.

**A few mentionables: This is 100% what works for us. There is not one baby that is like another so what works for us might not work for you. I am currently home with Max all day so my schedule might not be realistic for moms who work outside of the home. Again, this is all okay! I am simply hoping to share some insight into our day in the hopes that this might help some of you out there. I rely heavily on Moms on Call so feel free to download their books via Amazon.

Our 6 Month Baby Schedule

7:00am Max wakes for the day

If he wakes and is a little fussy I try to hold him off to as close to 7am as I can and I wake him at 7am even if he is still sleeping

7:05am Feeding

Feedings would be either breastmilk or formula, whichever you are currently doing

7:15am Play time

We still love our skip hop play mat
We hang more things from it like the O Ball
Any book that is crinkly he loves to put in his mouth
Scout via Leapfrog is his current favorite

8:00am Feeding- Solid Foods 2-3oz

I have been making a majority of our food in bulk via the baby brezza
Then I freeze everything in these OXO food trays
I also use these bibs because no one warned me just how messy it will get and how you really can’t get those stains out of their clothes. I ruined so many sleepers and onsies from food
we currently use this Chicco 360 Hook Chair instead of a traditional high chair. I do love the ease of the swivel chair but I do have my eye on this high chair
Here are the spoons we got and I still have yet to purchase any baby bowls or plates
We are starting to sippy cup train after eating solids (i just hand him the sappy cup and he puts it to his mouth, eventually I will put milk in it)

8:15am Play Time

9:00am Nap

Generally he sleeps about 1.5 hours in his crib. I don’t let him sleep more than 2 hours
We use the Merlin’s Magic Sleepsuit during his daytime naps
We use white noise, a humidifier and I do make it as dark as I can for him. He used to hate napping in his crib during the day but the sleep suit helped us!

11:00am Feeding

I try to hold him off as best as I can so he feeds at this time, regardless of when he wakes from his nap

11:15am Playtime

This Zany Cube came highly recommended from other moms so we ordered it. It arrives today!
We are also getting ready to order this Vtech Sit to Stand Walker. Another highly recommended item
He is starting to really love his jumper
His grandparents spoiled him over Christmas with his very own BWM that I push him around on

12:00pm Short/Light Feeding

12:05pm Back to Play Time

1:00pm Afternoon Nap

I tend to use this time to run errands if I need to. He doesn’t always get a deep sleep if we are out and about and tends to dose in and out
This nap is No longer than 2 hours. If we are home this nap is in his crib and sleep suit
If he sleeps long in the morning this nap tends to be only an hour
If I am home I will play with and distract him until his next feeding

3:00 pm Feeding

3:15pm Playtime

I try to get 30 minutes each play session of one on one time interacting with him
Then I give him his space and independent time (aka I try to also get stuff done!)

4:30pm Feeding- Solids 2-3 oz

4:45pm-6:45pm Varies

Drew is typically home so during these hours we will walk the dogs while Max is in the stroller.
sometimes Max will fall asleep during the walk, if not then he typically falls asleep around 6:00pm. These naps are never more than 30 minutes

6:45pm Story Time

He starts to get really fussy around this time because he is getting hungry and tired. We try to read to him and distract him as much as possible

7:00pm Bathtime

7:20pm Final Feeding

7:45pm He is typically asleep by this time

I burp him and no longer let him fall asleep while feeding. I want him good and full!
I put him in his dock a tot, in the crib while he is awake. He used to fuss but doesn’t anymore
The white noise is on, humidifier is on, thermostat set to 71 degrees (don’t forget we live in FL so only the A/C runs)
He sleeps in cotton sleepers and a Halo Sleepsack
He officially sleeps through the night and wakes again between 6:00-7:00am

Obviously no day is the exact same and somedays are harder then others. For example I wrote this post and the next morning Max woke at 5am crying off and on until 6:30am unit I finally caved and got him up for the day. Sometimes I have more things to do and we are out and about but the above schedule is what I would call a typical day.

My main focus was to get Max sleeping through the night when he was first born so most of my energy went towards that. I felt by the time he hit 5 months we were both ready to get our days in order. Up until that point our days were a free for all. (which is 100% okay!) I actually start back to work part time from home today for an advertising company in addition to wanting to revamp and form my own brand. This was the driving factor in me wanting to a set baby schedule during the day. I now feel it is easier for me to plan and get most of the things done in a day that I need to get done.

I hope this helps some of you new moms out there. Don’t forget it’s all trial and error and no one knows what is best for your baby but you!

Married … and Moved in With my Parents

Filed Under: homeowners, house hunting, moving // May 17, 2018

Before my husband and I bought our home, we rented an apartment, which I discussed a couple weeks ago. Before that…we lived with my parents in their home. Luckily, they had a semi-separate living space so we had some privacy but we were still in close quarters.

We moved in with them when we moved back to Brooklyn from Chicago the summer of 2015. We planned to save up, which we did, and buy a house. During that time, we were also expecting our first baby and knew we’d have to make a move.

While we eventually did move out and did buy a house, I want to talk about our reasoning and experience living with my parents.

Moving Day, Brooklyn 2015

Our primary reason for moving back with them was to save money. Luckily, we saved quite a lot and that helped us transition to our new apartment and cover expenses related to our baby. As the baby’s arrival approached, I was keen on moving out but my husband wanted to stay a bit longer and save a bit money. Looking back, that would not have been such a bad idea but I am glad we moved into our own space when S was born.

Surprisingly, or maybe not so much, living with my parents and brother was okay. It was better than okay, actually–it was a pretty neat experience. I hadn’t seen them regularly over the previous couple years because we’d been living in Chicago so it was nice to spend quality time together. However, not having our own kitchen space was a downside and I had a constant nagging feeling of regression. After all, we’d gone from our apartment in a doorman building to my parents’ basement. Of course, I knew it was temporary and we were treated really well so we didn’t have any major qualms.

Ultimately, it was what worked best for our situation and I am grateful my parents were supportive enough to house us. That’s the best thing about the situation — knowing they’re there for us whenever, wherever, and however. I hope I can be as good to my kids as they have been to me, my brother, and my husband.

Would or have you ever moved back with your folks?

Maternity Leave Guest Series: I Confess

Filed Under: guest post, maternity leave guest series, motherhood // May 14, 2018

As most of you know, I will be away from blogland a bit while I’m on maternity leave. Lucky for me – AND you!- I’ve partnered with some lovely bloggers to consistently bring you great content.

This week, I am sharing a post by Alexandra from These Mama Moments. She offers touching behind-the-scenes motherhood confessions.

Enjoy!

I Confess by Alexandra of These Mama Moments

I confess that I am not always the best or perfect mother. In fact, sometimes parenting doesn’t feel like a privilege. Sometimes it feels like a chore.

I confess that sometimes I lose my temper. Sometimes I yell and say things I don’t mean.

I confess that I’m winging it. There are no rulebooks and I wonder often if I’m doing something the right way. Often I worry about messing you up.

I confess that sometimes I get annoyed. Sometimes I just want some quiet, and that doesn’t come easy with a toddler and a baby. I confess that I am so selfish, and it’s a daily effort and concentration to put my needs aside so I can best meet yours.

I confess that I love me some baby free time. Whenever I get the chance to be alone with your dad, or heck, just alone, I eat it up and I savor it.

I confess that when I’m told you’re like me, I get worried because I want you to be better than me and be better than I was as a kid. When you don’t eat the food that I spent 20 minutes making, and the other food I spent 10 minutes making- when you just give it a glance and say, “all done”, my blood boils a little bit.

I confess that sometimes I do not know how to parent you. When you say you have to pee for the 20th time in a night and I KNOW you don’t, but you scream and throw a fit, I look at your dad in exasperation and just say, “what do we do with him?!”

I confess that I get touched.out. By the time your dad comes home from work, I’m tired of my hair being pulled and my leg being yanked and my arm being twisted (literally). I just want 5 minutes without being treated like a jungle gym.

But I also confess that I love you more than you will ever comprehend (at least until you have kids of your own). Sometimes I look at you both and just wonder how I got so blessed as to call you mine.

I confess that a lot of times when you should be in trouble, I can’t stop laughing. When you do something you shouldn’t but then flash me your smile- I melt. Always, I melt.

I confess that when you go to sleep at night, I spend an hour scrolling through old photos. Showing your dad I say, “can you even believer they were that small?!”

After a night without you, I confess I miss you so much. I always sneak in to look at you, at risk of you waking up. I confess that I text your babysitter multiple times making sure you’re ok.

Nothing in the world can melt me like the huge smile you get when you see me. I confess that when you see a stranger and you grab my leg to hide behind- nothing in this world beats that feeling.

I confess that knowing you inside and out is so much fun. Knowing that I can calm you down and make you feel better makes me feel so good.

I confess that I always try my best, even when I don’t feel like it. Sometimes my best isn’t THE best. I confess that your grace and forgiveness is worth more than you will ever know.

You both are my proudest achievement, my most beautiful creations. You are miracles from the Lord, and I promise you that not a day passes without me thanking Him so much for you.

I will fail you both so much over the course of your lifetimes. There will be so many apologies. I hope you know my heart, always, is seeking what’s best for you. Every failure I make is an effort to find that. I confess I’m probably not the best mom in the world, but I believe that I am the best mom FOR YOU.