Front Entry

So I have so many other things I should probably be focusing on but the front entryway to my house has really been bugging me lately. It is just BLAH. If you follow me on instagram you know that we won't be in this house for very long probably only for another year. SO I am in a spot once again where I can't do too too much because it would kind of just be a waste of money. I need pick things that can easily come with us and or I don't mind leaving behind. The area right by the front door is about 5x5 and could use a splash of color so I am have been on the look out for a nice indoor/outdoor rug that can add a little jazz to this area.

This one is from Rugs Direct and comes in a bunch of different colors  I liked these two the best 

These last two are from shades of light and I have been eyeing them ever since we knew we would be moving I just love the stripes. 

The light that is hanging there right now was in the house when we moved in - it isn't terrible but I def dont love it and since I look at it thinking " I don't love you " all day long I thought this Allen and Roth light from Lowe's would make a good replacement not to mention it is a total steal at 118 bucks! 

" On My Bedside Table "

Thank heavens it is Friday!! We have had a great week doing lots of fun actvities enjoying the warm weather but yesterday I just hit a tired wall. Last weekend I had terrible terrible insomnia I would just sit up till 2 or 3 in the morning watching it get later and later and knowing Kael would be up at 6:30. It also couldbe the sadness of the week the things in Boston - just terrible. SOOOO needless to say I got a lot of reading in. So here is part 2 of my little blog series "On My Bedside Table" I have to say I have been reading some good ones lately. 

I just finished Defending Jacob by William Landay and it was a page turner and made those sleepless nights a teeni bit more bearable. It is about a District Attorney investigating a murder that took place near his sons school and all of the sudden after days of no leads the police {his colleagues} are at his house arresting his son. It is a nail biter I read it in two days. I started telling Husband J about it and he was even asking me what was happening as I read. I highly recommend 

 With the movie coming out in May I wanted to read the Great Gatsby before I head to see it. It was obviously very good but I couldn't help this time reading it feeling a little sorry for Gatsby when I read it while younger I guess I was less compassiontate but was Gatsby kinda a depressing soul? Or am I missing something? He has all these freeloaders and no real friends and a girl that " loved " him but never showed up at his funeral oh wait NO ONE showed up at his funeral..ouch. I am super excited to see Leo in the movie he is one of my favorite actors.

The trailer could not be anymore amazing

 

Before I go to sleep by S. J. Watson is another page turner it is about a woman who has amnesia and can not remember who she is every morning when she wakes up. Working secretly with a therapist she starts to unravel mysterious details of her life it has a really really great ending. I loved this book I will probably go back and read it again and place together all the pieces now that I know the ending.

Currently Reading: When did I get like this? by Amy Wilson  OK I ask myself this question probably 3 times a day. Do not get me wrong I love my job as a stay at home Mom but some of the stuff I come across in a day should just be written in a book. The things I worry about are enough to have me sent away for mental evaluation - in short I am a nuerotic guilt ridden Mother. Aren't we all!!??? Our society is super hard on Mothers these days we have to do it ALL so it is definitely a refreshing read to realize that I am not the only one with these worries. I am not done yet but I like it so far and I have laughed out loud a bunch. 

Hump Day

Hooray for Hump Day!!! To make the hump day even sweeter I just realized that SHOPBOP is doing  20 % off everything right now for their friends and Family event. I just scooped up the cutest pair of sandals.

Last night I made the most delicious meal. I pull a lot of different meals from Pinterest. Some of them I love Some of them Husband J loves and some are just kinda ehhh but THIS Hamburger casserole we both were raving over and he even said he was looking forward to the leftovers when he left this morning.  Can't beat that! Not to mention it is from the website skinny taste so though it looks good and tastes even better it actually really isn't that terrible for you. 

You all know I am trying to be a real person over here and get into the makeup game I saw this while browsing for the perfect makeup to buy and I am thinking about trying it. I mean who doesn't want to be camera ready? Great marketing Smashbox

I have tried some of their products before and I really loved their O-Glow blush it goes on clear and comes out the prettiest rosiest blush.

Its already pretty warm here in Northern Virginia and this mama doesn't have that many warm weather maternity stuff for the next couple of months so I am thinking about getting a pair of maternity SHORTS ok this is scary I havent showed my legs in a while { winter } and I am pregnant but I kinda need to put on some shorts but I am scared

 These ones from ASOS are really cute though right?? I was thinking I would use them the rest of the summer because I am not fitting in any normal shorts the month after I have her.

I have a couple of parties to go to before the end of June and I thought that these two dresses could get me there looking somewhat presentable and not too too whale -ish..again I am concerned about the shortness of the white dress but again it is warm already people..OK I am off to take my son for a walk that he is demanding at 8:15 in the am. Hope you have a great day!!

Baby Girl Wish List

Its a rainy Friday over here and thats OK because I know it means the beautiful trees and flowers I am discovering in my new neighborhood will be even more beautiful tomorrow! I have about 11 weeks left before baby girl Rogers makes her appearance. I will find out my exact c section date in a couple of weeks here and then the countdown can really begin. In the meantime let me obsess about the things I need to get for her before she comes. Truly I don't NEED much lets be honest Kael was the first grandchild on both sides so we were not really lacking but there are a couple of things that I have realized would be " nice " this time around or more helpful with two children.

1. Mamaroo Plush Infant Seat - We already have an awesome swing that we love and a great bouncer but I used our bouncer in the bathroom a ton with Kael because thats I how I managed to take a shower so I would love another one for either our playroom in the basement or the living room Ive heard good things about this, it is a little on the expensive side so I will for sure be waiting till I get a coupon in the mail.

2. Puj - I love how small this little infant tub is it can go directly in the sink and since some nights I will be bathing both kids alone I thought this would be perfect to use while Kael is in the tub I can stand at the sink and bathe the baby.

3. Ninna Nanna Bassinet - I kept Kael in my room till he was about 6 months. He slept in like 5 different things in those six month which I don't think was great for his sleeping habits. I am hoping to cut it down to 4 months with this baby but that is still a good amount a time so I wanted a nice bassinet that she will be comfortable in and wont take up too too much space in the bedroom while she is setting up shop in there. Love this one from giggle.

4. Nursing Cover - I love this nursing cover from uncommon goods because it covers all of you not just your front. Nothing is more uncomfortable than nursing in public and feeling like your cover is slipping or showing something { nobody really wants to see all that} Not to mention it is pink and has stripes!

5. Fan for Nursery - Perfect Fan to put on the changing table to keep the air circulating in the nursery

6. Ubbi Diaper Pail - We already have a great diaper genie for the nursery but since most of my time will probably be spending down in our playroom or in our backyard we need a diaper pail for the basement this one is smaller and very cute

7. Gro- Egg - I can not tell you how many times I wondered out loud to Husband J if I thought the house was too hot for Kael or too cold I would literally lose sleep over this. Then when he was about a year old when I was less worried about this I saw that they have this awesome egg that tells you the temperature in the room and changes colors based on if it is too hot or cold GENUIS!!

8. Barefoot Dreams Receiving Blanket - I am OBSESSED with these blankets they make them for adults too and I sleep with mine every single night. Kael has a light blue one with stars that he sleeps with every night and I would like baby girl to have one also.

9. Blabla Dolls- Another thing I am obsessed with these dolls are adorable and so well made. Kael has the horse that he sleeps with every night along with his " bunny" and I would love for baby girl to have her own also.

My 29th Birthday

Happy Wednesday! The weather here is BEYOND beautiful. Yesterday it was 85 and sunny my poor fair skinned boys had to be lathered in sunscreen. I am not complaining I will take some sunscreen applying in exchange for gorgeous weather.  My Husband took the day off work and we ventured down into DC to see the Cherry Blossoms and to the Natural History Museum so Kael could see the dinosaurs

 Here are Husband J and Kael by the dinosaurs Kael was terrified and asked to get back in his stroller because Jay snuck up behind him and growled..BUT he must not have been that scared because he growled for the rest of the day.

Then we strolled took in the fresh air and found our way down to the cherry blossoms

 Excited to be out of the stroller and in the sunshine

 Love these two

When I got home I was surprised with some beautiful tulips from my sister that are even more beautiful today. It was really a great Birthday and when my little boy sang the entire Happy Birthday song to me that evening while we were out at dinner my heart almost burst. I know I complain a lot about the terrible twos but it really is the cutest most precious age. Hope you guys are enjoying your Wednesday!

Before Im 30..

Hello All!! Tomorrow happens to be my 29th Birthday and while I am excited to have Husband J take a day off work and for me to go and treat myself to a pedicure I am more focused on what this year means..my last year in my twenties..which I guess I am OK with just a little confused HOW IT HAPPENED. I have been doing a lot of self reflecting to say the least.. am I am happy with where I am at 29?Im not talking happy with my duties as a wife or a mom but with MYSELF how much have I grown as a individual since I turned 20 blah blah blah and to be honest I would have to answer a lot yes and also a lot NO. 

FITNESS: For the past three years I have been either pregnant, nursing, or extremely sleep deprived and my body has been lets just say not the best. If I am being honest with myself and that is what this year is about my body really hasn't been " its best " since I left Gainesville Florida somehow my college days were my best body days probably because I was forced to be in a bathing suit all year long for our weekly pool parties. I want to change that, I have always been a fit health conscious person and I want to get back on that train mostly because I feel so much better about myself and I need the energy for my children. I obviously can't start this fitness plan for a couple of months since I am currently pregnant but this is probably my main goal in my 29th year getting back to my healthiest self. I am very intrigued by this Tracy Anderson Lady I've heard good things and she has DVDs that I can do at home anddd she had turned my bestie Nicole Richie into one hot healthy chic and obviously for that reason alone Im sold. In terms of food I really love this blogger she has great recipes and ideas on how to eat healthy on a budget 

ORGANIZATION : They say creative individuals aren't very organized well at least this is what I tell Husband J when he complains about how unorganized I am. I know it seems like a small thing but it really isn't- I lose my keys and my phone probably three times a day. I am not a messy person but unorganized meaning I will get something in the mail and just put it in a random drawer and then forget which drawer I put it in. ALL OF THE TIME. So when my son is yelling " READY" at me at the top of his lungs with his shoes and jacket on ready to leave the house and I can't find my keys this being disorganized isn't really that cute. Sooo I have been really trying to spring clean and get organized before baby girl comes and keep it that way it helps that we have much more storage in this house and all things can actually have a spot. I Also really loved the idea of planning out my week that I got from this article from my pinterest. I know it sounds really silly but days as a stay at home Mom can be long as hell especially on days that we don't have an activity planned on these days we usually end up doing something the requires we spend money and is a sure way I blow the activity budget from the month. This is the same for food planning when I don't plan out my weekly meals I AM SURE to spend way too much money eating out or doing small little grocery store trips. Love this  template below you can print out a bunch and put them in a binder.

Beauty/Fashion: I have already told you about my issues with Makeup and I am consciously working on finding a makeup routine that is simple and easy for me to do before leaving the house. I will update you more on that later. On the other side of this I have decided that it is time for me to make smarter Fashion buy decisions. I am such a impulse shopper I will go into a store and just grab a bunch of crap mostly with prints on it { Im a prints girl } and then a month later look into my closet and complain that I have nothing practical to wear. Since most of my money now goes to buying clothing for my son and our daughter on the way I have take a little more time when buying my clothes think less trendy and things that will last me for a while. I always always use the stuff that I shell out money for for years and take good care of them. The stuff I buy from Forever 21 is probably in a pile in my closest right now. QUALITY NOT QUANITY is my motto in my 29th year. So if I was going to go spring/summer shopping for myself under these new rules I would probably pick

Current Elliot Boyfriend jean shorts { PS they are on major sale over at Barney New York Warehouse}

Awesome Ray Bans for the summer and spring months 

  Could see myself using this suit a lot, hopefully if all above goes well I will be back in a two piece HOWEVER lets get there first..

Adorable modern Jelly's

'

I love this maxi because it is so nuetral but still has great detail, I would love it even more if it came in black 

Great Tory Sandals that will surely last you a couple of summers 

Birthday/ Easter Weekend Phone Dump

Happy Friday All! Ive been trying to get this post up for a couple of days now but everytime I start it something distracts me and I havent been able to finish. SO I am just going to do a big phone dump to catch you up on whats been going on over in the Rogers Household. If you follow me on instagram you know that my Kael turned 2 on the 28th of March 

We started off the day with Birthday Pancakes topped off with a little ice cream 

Then we met up with Aunt Shannon and went to the zoo

 Where Kael got to see all of his favorite Animals especially the elephants 

 Friday early in the AM we flew to Chicago to celebrate my Granny turning 90 it was nice to get away and relax a little as you can see above Kael has no trouble kicking back 

 Or snuggling with his Uncle Casey

Husband J had never been to Chicago before and really enjoyed the great views from our hotel room

 Saturday Night we all got dressed up { I felt HUGE } and went to my Grannys Birthday party 

Here I am with the lady of the hour.

This was our view from the party we lucked out and got a very pretty evening 

 Kael boggarded the leftovers from a earlier Easter egg hunt at the place we had the party...

 The next morning the Easter bunny found Kael in the hotel and brought some fun little treats..

 We convinced my brother Sean to get brother with us early at 8 before his flight home

 Then we got ready for Church how cute are my two boys together

 Kael with his Great Granny

 The three of us again I am feeling HUGE

 Kael and his Auntie

Trying to keep him entertained in the airport { NOT AN EASY TASK}

Overall we had a great trip but we both said at the very end it it just exhuasting traveling with a toddler especially 7 months pregnant! I hope you have a great weekend we plan on being outside and FINALLY enjoying the pretty weather