My Top Holiday Hosting Tips In just a few days, my house will be filled with 26 adults and 3 children (and 1 baby!) for Thanksgiving. While it may be totally nuts to take such a big hosting “gig” on with a newborn, I love this holiday and am excited to open our home to our favorite family and friends. Luckily (and I say this with lots of love in my heart, dear family), we do not have any out-of-towners. This means that no one is spending the night(s)… hence, the arduous task of laundry loads, changing out sheets, and a fridge stocked morning, noon, and night. However, with 29 people, ...Read More
Super Simple Nursery Decor When I was pregnant with Jonah, I started dreaming up my vision for his nursery the minute the plus sign appeared on a stick. Months before he was born, his nursery was complete– not a detail amiss. It was darling from top to bottom and somehow I even figured out how to perfectly organize it… I hadn’t even had a child yet I instinctively knew the best placement for diapers and wipes and the most logical place for blankets and other needs in the middle of the night. I mean, it was like the mother of the year award was meant just for me. I was the ...Read More
Holiday Cards: Jumpstart with Snapfish.com Confession: I’m not on my A-Game these days (did the rat’s nest on my head and spit up on the shoulder of my 3 day old tee give it away?) My stove hasn’t seen a pan in months and my curling iron might just die, literally, if I were to re-introduce it to my hair. Ah, the joys of having a newborn. While eyeliner, nice hair and fabulous home cooked meals may be a thing of the past (or at least months from being a norm again), there is one thing I’m not willing to drop the 8-ball on: making and storing memories of said hygiene ...Read More
And then there was you, my sweet Oliver Blue… On September 15th, 2015 at 12:37 my sweet Oliver Blue was born. From the moment he was born, I have desperately wanted to tell his story and share our journey. I have also desperately wanted to sleep, and shower, sleep, and did I mention sleep? Turns out blogging is not so easy with a newborn. But thanks to late night all night feedings, my brain is filled (albeit foggy) with a story like no other. For there is no one else like you, Oliver… this I know… When I was about 31 weeks pregnant, I found out Oliver was breech. Not to worry, ...Read More
Everyday Organization with Cottonelle Mega Roll During my pregnancy, I got to know every bathroom around town. Like, real well. It came as no surprise to my husband that I selected our local Joan’s On Third (aka “the place that half my paychecks go to weekly”) as my most favorite place to use the bathroom and eat. Not only could I get my weekly croissant and chinese chicken salad craving accomplished (this diet is recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics as part of a healthy pregnancy, people. Trust me), but I could comfortably go to the bathroom.  As a germaphobe, I started to notice that I was gravitating towards restaurants where not ...Read More
Be Your Best and Find Your Healthy with CVS I started off my pregnancy with big goals about having a “fit pregnancy.” My plan was to eat clean 85% of the week and to workout regularly (because it’s important!) but also so that I could offset the cravings and indulgences here and there… I even signed up for a “30 clean” challenge during the later half of my first trimester and beginning of my 2nd trimester, and totally kicked ass doing it. Oh, at 18 weeks, I was feeling so good, so strong, so committed to my lovely, planned out meals… So SURE that I would stay WELL within the 25-35 recommended weight gain for pregnant women. And ...Read More
First day of Transitional Kindergarten… Exactly 3 years ago! Back to School Classroom Essentials from CVS I would totally be lying if I said I was bummed that it’s already time for the kiddo to go back to school. Don’t get me wrong, it’s been an awesome summer… From fun getaways, to a new home, to daily dips, and baseball games, we’ve packed a lot in. But if I haven’t made it abundantly clear, I’m pregnant (9 months to be exact), HOT, and ready for normalcy to resume (wait, there is normalcy with a new baby, right? Please, say right). Still, as excited as I am for for school to start, there’s no doubt that ...Read More
Must Have Pool and Beach Supplies from CVS Los Angeles has had a crazy unseasonably hot and humid summer so far. At 8 months pregnant, this has been the opposite of enjoyable. However, (and I’m not going to sugar coat this and certainly not trying to brag): Having a pool in my backyard has been MAGICAL.  Game changing. This pool has saved me/US this summer in so many ways. For starters, I’ve learned that the Summer “Mooooom, I’m booooored” Cry happens a whole lot less when there’s a nearby (and free!) watering hole that you can jump and splash around in for hours on end. Plus, since said former Mom I’m bored crier is now ...Read More
30 Weeks Pregnant: I Could Take Down Manny Pacquiao Here it is. No beating around the bush or clever sugar-coating: I weigh as much as Manny Pacquiao. Well, shit, since I’m being honest: I now weigh a lot MORE than Manny Pacquiao. And if Floyd Mayweather had disclosed his day of fight weight, I probably could take him on too. On May 2nd, we went to a little gathering to watch the fight. Purely in it for the pizza and cookies that would be served, I tagged along. As I’m stuffing said pregnancy crack into my mouth, the screen reveals the fighters weigh in stats: Manny Pacquiao: Pre-fight 147 lbs.  Day of fight 152 lbs. “Oh my god,” ...Read More
New Home Essentials with CVS When we bought our house, we said we were only going to do “a little” work… Nothing major. Just some slight upgrades. Everyone told us we were crazy: There is always more to do (or that needs to get done) than you think. Turns out, everyone knows a lot more than we do about buying a new home. Within a few days of moving in we found out we needed a new fridge, new washer dryer, and new windows (because apparently propping them open with rolls of Saran Wrap doesn’t exactly give your house that “curb appeal” thing we were hoping for). Needless to say, while it’s not exactly ...Read More