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Monday, March 31, 2014

More Vitamin D pleasee.

Hello Hello! Sorry for my absence last week if you follow me on instagram you saw that me and my family took a much needed getaway to Sunny California to celebrate my upcoming 30th Birthday. I have to admit I have been in a SUPER large rut this winter. It seemed that the cold dark days would never end and this trip was just what I needed to lift my spirits and get me motivated for the spring and summer. The warm weather and vitamin D had me dreaming of our move to Houston which is happening at the start of 2015 so happily this is my last full winter to deal with a for a while which is a major plus because Im not sure if my body can handle another one. One thing on the top of my list for our next home is a large backyard with good outdoor entertaining space. I love to eat alfresco and think fresh air is so important for young children. So in the spirit of much more vitamin D in my near future I thought I would share with you some inspirational pictures from my pinterest of fabulous outdoor spaces.





Wednesday, March 19, 2014

All Dressed Up With Kael

Im sorry I missed you guys on Monday after having a glorious 60 degree weekend we were dumped on with 6 inches of snow. The only small glimmer of happiness in that was that Husband J was home and I got to use the help to do some spring cleaning. Ive been putting all the kids winter clothes in marked bins and moving them out to the garage in the excitement of the warm weather I pulled out all of Kaels last years summer clothes to see what fit just looking at all the little shorts got me excited. It was almost as if Mother Nature ( public enemy number 1these days ) sensed my excitement and had a knee jerk reaction by dumping more snow on us. So here we are again in another winter outfit for our second All Dressed Up with Kael. Yesterday when I took these pictures it was 48 degrees out just warm enough to snap a couple of pictures of him then put his coat and helmet back on. Hope you are enjoying this little series I know me and Kael he is such a good sport about it and get so excited helping me pick out his outfit- I can't wait to get miss Pippa into the mix as well. 







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Friday, March 14, 2014

On My Bedside Table

Happy Friday!! So glad the weekend is here and it looks like more nice weather is coming. Yesterday was just a absolute joke after being in the 70s for two days it dropped down to 19 degrees with 50 mile per hour winds. Not funny Mother nature not funny. When my Husband gets home for work we have been trying to all sit down as a family and eat dinner it is good for Kael to start learning his table manners and saying his blessing and all that good stuff but IMMEDIATELY after that I go upstairs and get my book and take a long bath while Husband J gets the kids ready for bed...


which leads me to what Ive been reading lately..

I saw Big Girl Panties in target and thought that title was hilarious and was honestly kinda shocked it was New York Times Bestseller so since it caught my attention I decided to give it a whirl and threw it in the cart with low expectations. I was pleasantly surprised it is a love story about a widow who has kinda let herself go and a guy who has lost touch with reality. It was light with and fluffy and made me happy at the end of a long day. I recommend it to anyone looking for a light happy read. 


Silver Star by Jeannette Walls was the book I read before Big Girl Panties and it was a little less light though I always finding some humor in this authors moving stories. This is about two girls with a free spirited Mother who one day takes off leaving them with 200$ and a note saying she will be back soon. The girls make it to their Mothers home town to stay with their uncles and uncover many secrets about their past. I loved this it was a great story about the complicated dynamics of families and Mother daughter relationships. 


Looking forward to reading : 
Me and My family are heading away soon to celebrate my 30th Birthday which is April 9th and I am hoping to take this along with me for a couple good laughs while we are there. 




Wednesday, March 12, 2014

Jerk Pork Chops in the crockpot

As I have said here before on my blog cooking is not my favorite thing to do. Some people find it very relaxing and I definitely do not. However with the help of meal planning I am finding myself enjoying it a little more. I have also learned to find meals that are quick and with few ingredients. Kael is getting to the point where 2 out of 5 nights he is eating the same thing as us but the other nights I am fixing him something a little different and then on top of that I am making  Pippas baby food with my beaba cook so I feel like I am in the kitchen a lot these days. Yesterday when the kids went down for their nap I threw this jerk pork chop recipe in the crockpot and it was ready for when Husband J got home from work. It was so delicious with so many different flavors- it tasted like I have marinated the pork for hours when in actuality it took me 15 minutes to prepare it. 


Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup hot water
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 cup light brown sugar
  • 1 tsp red pepper flakes
  • 1/4 tsp ground cloves
  • 1/4 tsp ground cumin
  • 2 tsp salt
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 4 thick cut bone-in pork chops
  • 1/2 onion, sliced
  • 1/2 red bell pepper, sliced
  • 1/2 orange bell pepper, sliced
  • 1 cup frozen corn
  • 1 can black beans, drained

Instructions

  1. Turn on your slow cooker and add the first eleven ingredients, down through the garlic.
  2. Stir briefly just for a minute until the brown sugar is dissolved.
  3. Add the pork chops, turning the once to coat both sides.
  4. Add the onion, peppers, corn and black beans on top.
  5. Cover and cook on HIGH for 4 hours or on LOW for 6-8 hours.
  6. Serve pork over rice or with a side of your choice.
Preparation time: 10 minute(s) Cooking time: 4 – 8 hours
Number of servings (yield): 4
Heres how mine turned out YUM!

This is the current state of our playroom :

 Weve been spending much more time in it and Ive been trying to give it a little facelift but I can do all the sprucing I want but it would really matter if it looks like a bomb went off every single day so I am having been looking for some more organizing options to make it easier for kael to help me clean up when the day is done.  I will share them with you guys on Friday!! Have a happy hump day!!



Monday, March 10, 2014

This past weekend..

I hope you all had a great weekend. The weather is starting to warm up here so we spent a lot of time outside soaking in the vitamin D. The weather is supposed to be warm all week so I am looking forward to doing some outside activities with the kids. Though I dislike daylights savings time because it messes with the kids schedule a little I will say I was one thrilled girl last night when we were eating dinner at 6 oclock and the sun was still out. 


 Little Miss Pippa has grown obsessed with her Puffs she will sit in her highchair for long long periods of time snacking on them while I cook


 I got this sweet picture of Pippa and Husband J durings Kaels soccer on Saturday she is a Daddys girl for sure


  After soccer we went into Olde Town Alexandria bc I needed to be fitted for my bridesmaid gown for my Brother in laws wedding in the fall. The dress is gorgeous can't wait to show you guys pics.


 Kael loving the boats



 My crew strolling 


 Sunday we all relaxed I had some Mommy time while Husband J hung with the kids -Pippa caught up on her reading.


I found this gem above at Homegoods and found a perfect sport for it in our kitchen


Since we had warmer temperatures and sunshine later we fired up the grill for the first time, Kael is obsessed with helping  which is not my favorite thing in the world but how could I resist this smile 

Friday, March 7, 2014

All Dressed Up With Kael

Happy Friday!! I am so excited to start this new series called All Dressed Up With Kael. One of my favorite things in life is picking out clothing whether it be for my children or for me or even my Husband.. I love it. People are always stopping me asking me where I find things for my kids and I thought it would be a fun to do a biweekly series focusing on that. Once Pippa is walking I will include her in it too but until then I will just be using Kael. Now when I first found out I was having a little boy I was determined to find cute boy clothes because everyone always said " girls have the best clothes". Now that I have one of each I will tell you yes girls do have incredible clothing but I think I still enjoy the challenge of dressing Kael better. With Pippa the amounts of good clothing options are endless they are practically falling off the shelves each season with  endless amounts of cuteness. With Kael I have to dig thru a little more and I am always up for a challenge. I also love to "hunt" - one of my favorite "Mommy Time" activities is visiting local kids consignment shops. I find tons of stuff for both of my kids in them ( many times with tags still on them ) and it makes it a little more original because you find stuff from past seasons that you can mix with the new stuff you have. I hope you guys enjoy this series as much as me! 

( No I didn't cut Kaels hair It is just back in a bun )








Wednesday, March 5, 2014

My Mommy Favorites { Infant Edition }

I try not to make this entire blog about Mommy stuff but lets be honest here Im a stay at home Mom so most of my days are surrounded by well Mom stuff. I thought I would share some of my Mommy Favorites for infants. Now that Pippa is 8 months old and Kael is almost three I have a really good feel for what stuff you really need for a baby. Im going to add some of my favorite things in also that are necessarily " essential " because what fun is life if we only go with stuff we really NEED { my Husband would physically shudder at the last line } 


 This Graco Sound Machine  probably my number 1 must have for a new Mom trying to get her baby to sleep. Before you have kids you preach " Im going to let them cry " " nope not me I need my sleep " Then the baby arrives invades your soul and you no longer have the heart to hear them cry. I got this when I was at my wits end with Kael not sleeping and it changed our lives. Basically the key is the sound machine MUST STAY ON ALL NIGHT..


 Ok these are going to be placed in the " maybe you dont NEED but how can you resist their softness file " Barefoot dreams blankets both my kids have them and they are the perfect lovie/stroller blanket/nursing cover I use it for everything I slept with it each night hoping that my scent would stay on it and when Kael was old enough to sleep with a blanket I gave it to him and he has slept with it every night since. I am now doing the same with Pippas.

 Aden and Anais swaddling blankets these blanket are amazing they are huge and perfect for those first months for swaddling. I also use them as a burp cloth, a nursing cover and also to cover the carseat from the sun. They come in many many adorable prints and get softer and softer the more you wash them.


 I didn't use the Moby Wrap with kael but this time around I was left looking around with panic at the thought of my help leaving and having a baby who wanted to be held and a demanding toddler who wanted a snack/water/tvshow so I went out and got this. Everyone ( including my Husband ) laughed and said I was never going to use it or figure it out but I am here to tell you I did and I used it every single day for the first 4 months. It was my bestie - I will 100 percent use this when we have our next baby and recommend it to any new mom. 


 I know this sounds funny but WHY are the boppys so scratchy I cant be the only one to notice the poor fabric quality. The first week that Kael came home I asked my Stepmom to run out and pick up this boppy cover and it made such a difference.


 I am currently using this for my toddler but it can be used from 6 months to I think like 18 just kidding 6. Its called the stokke tripp trapp and I purchased this when it was time for Pippa to start sitting up in a high chair I needed a booster seat for Kael but was totally stalling because we have cream upholstered seats at our table and I knew a booster seat would not protect it at all. I saw this and thought it was perfect it can be pushing up to the table and Kael can get in and out himself. I can not go on enough about how much I love this chair. 


The Beaba cook under the sound machine is my second favorite product for my kids. It makes making your own baby food fast simple and stress free. 


These two products ( which can be found at Target ) I love- with Kael who was attached to his pacifier I was always reaching for these wipes because he was always dropping it on the ground the Johnsons hand and face wipes I use on Kael Pippa and myself especially during the winter after playdates or target trips. It is a fast easy way to get some germs off of them before we get home to wash our hands. 

Thats all I have for today I will do this again next week with a toddler edition! I am also going to start a new series Friday featuring outfits my kids wear. I am stopped all the time with people asking me where I get Kaels shoes or pants or hat and thought it would be fun to do something on here biweekly focusing on that. Hope you all have a great week!!

Monday, March 3, 2014

Oscar Best Dressed { In my Humble Opinion }

Another snow day folks, this one is OK because my Husband is home from work and it isn't as much snow as expected and HOPEFULLY it will all be gone by tomorrow and we can get back to our regularly scheduled playdates. OK SO I have to admit I did not watch many of the awards show this year I don't know what came over me I have just been tired and just kind of in a funk this winter BUT I did fully commit to watching the Oscars. In the past I enjoyed trying to see all the films that were voted for best picture but this year- umm no - we are lucky if we see one film a year these days, so sadly I didnt know who I was rooting for. Me and my Husband both are appalled that Leonardo Dicaprio does not have a Oscar do I even need to name all the amazing films that he has been in?!? So I was really hoping that he would get one but if it wasn't him I am happy it was Matthew I have always loved him he seems so fun and down to earth #allrightallrightallright . OK now on to my best dressed picks. 


 I thought Jennifer Garner looked gorgeous- I feel like she can look a bit frumpy when taking her kids to and from school but she cleans up so so nicely and looked stunning.


 Nupita nyong'o looked stunning in the light Prada gown I thought she looked like a dream..


 Kate Hudson in Atelier Versace was ALLLMOSTT my best dressed for the night she looks young and fresh and the dress fits her perfectly #winning 


But my best dressed of the night has to go to my girl Giuliana Rancic. I am standing and clapping Giuliana standing and clapping this dress as you would say is Amaze- balls. It is from an Australian designer Paolo Sebastian and it is a 10. If any of you who know me saw my wedding dress you can understand why I love this dress so much the detail on the top it just amazing. 

( Im clearly a girl with a soft spot for a princess gown lol ) 

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