What's For Dinner?

Caprese Pasta

During my pregnancy I developed a love for tomatoes which I had never had before.  I made this countless times and could have eaten it for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.

I decided to make it again to see if I still loved it as much as I used to and oh boy do I.

It's super simple to make. Here's how I did it just in case you want to try it yourself.

1. Cook half a box of whole wheat pasta in salted water.
2. Quarter half of a container of grape or cherry tomatoes and cook them in the oven at 350 degrees until the edges get slightly brown.
3. Cut half of a container of small balls of fresh mozzarella in half.
4. Slice 3 large basil leaves into small pieces and add to about 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a serving bowl.  
5. Add cheese, roasted tomatoes, and pasta to serving bowl and toss. 

=) It's a super easy fresh meal for Italian night.  This is enough to feed my husband, my 3 year old, and myself.

Buon Appetito!

Kristen

xo

Fall Is Around The Corner...

I start back to school next week! Wow! I just can't believe it is that time for me already, and my son starts back in 3 weeks.  This summer has flown by but I have to admit that I'm ready for it to end.

There are so many things that I love about the fall.  The crisp cool air blowing through your open windows. I love warm fuzzy sweaters and socks.  By February I will be wishing for flip flops again, but for now I'm dreaming of UGGS.

My sister text me a picture from Micheal's Craft Store the other day of the Christmas decor they already had out for sale.  That makes me super excited!!

Now that I have the back to school shopping done, I am ready to start getting ready for Halloween.  I guess it's time to start thinking about costumes for the boys.

Who else is ready for fall?

Kristen
xo

Already Ready for Christmas

My 3 year old is definitely a boy after my own heart.  My most favorite time of the year is Christmas and the months leading up to it.  Once my birthday comes in September, I am ready to start getting ready to celebrate the holidays. My son is the same way.   

Since we have been trapped in the house most of the month due to the insane heat, we've spend most of our time playing board games, doing puzzles, and watching movies.  These are the movies my adorable Christmas loving son picked out.

This past month was the first time he ever started talking about Christmas on his own.  He has been asking to watch these movies, bake Christmas cookies, and put our tree up.  For me this is exciting, because when I'm home alone I secretly listen to Christmas music during the year.  It may make me weird but it makes me happy. 

Now that August is here, we are another month closer to the holiday season!

Kristen

xo

Sleep...

I'm starting to forget what it felt like. 

My son is 7 weeks old this week and has only slept through the night once.  He teased us last week by sleeping from 12 am to 6 am.  I got a taste of what sleep feels like and I actually had a dream that night.  Obviously I'm over tired most of the time. My almost 4 year old keeps me busy nonstop during the day and my little guy keeps me up all night.  I'm starting to look like I am all to ready for Halloween, like a walking zombie.  Ahh...the joys of motherhood.

He has not yet been diagnosed with Colic but he is presenting with all of the common symptoms.  The doctor wanted to wait until his 2 month checkup before making a diagnosis.  This has been very challenging and my hat is off to all moms who have or have had a baby with Collic.  I did just get a Moby wrap and he seems to like being carried in that.  So at least I am able to wear him to vacuum.  =)

I have been wanting to start the Insanity exercise program with my husband but I haven't had a free 30 minutes to devote to exercise.  But I have promised my self I will make time starting next week.  I may not jump into Insanity but I will at least be back on the treadmill.

I'm hoping that once school starts for my older son that I will have an easier time getting my youngster on a schedule and having more time to get my self back to normal.

I know this is only a season and this time will pass.  I would not give this time up with my boys for anything, regardless of my severe lack of sleep.  God grants me my daily strength so I can be the best mom I can be to my boys.


Until next time,

Kristen
xo

Happy August!

Happy August Everyone! I hope everyone had a great July and was able to beat the heat.

With August 1st upon us already, I am now down to my last summer candle.  I am currently burning White Palm from Bath and Body Works.  

It is a very light scent but still noticeable.  I picked this up during the Semi-Annual Clearance Sale, so I'm not sure if they still have it.  I really like this as a transitional scent bringing me into fall.  

I am really excited for all the fall scents to come out at Bath and Body works next week.  I believe they will start bringing them back on August 6th.  Autumn and Marshmallow Fireside are my favorite fall scents from Bath and Body Works and I will definitely be heading over to start stocking up.

I'm also fortunate enough to live close enough to a Flagship Yankee Candle Store.  I get lost in candle land every time I go in there.  I have to have an Autumn Fruit candle for the September.  I like to start burning it around the time of my birthday and it really puts me in the mood for fall.  

Look forward to my candle haul post!

Night Time Fussiness = Cluster Feedings?

Cluster feedings is when your baby wants to eat a lot in a short period of time.  I had never heard of this before.  I downloaded the Similac app for my phone and there was something written about babies who want to cluster feed may be fussy at night because they want to eat more before they go to sleep for a longer period of time.


So after reading that, I decided to give it a try.  Last night my son ate for 30 minutes with 30 minutes in between starting a 6 pm lasting until he went to sleep at 9:45 pm.  He slept for 4.5 hours and so did mommy!  And there was no crying or fussing for extended periods of time.  Talk about a stress relief for him!


I know it seems crazy to feed your baby that many times in such a short period of time.  At least, I thought it was, but it actually worked. He was not fussy last night and slept longer than he ever had at once.  


I will continue to feed him like this, basically on demand.  It is more difficult but after not sleeping much in the last 3.5 weeks, I'm willing do anything that helps.  


I will post an update on his eating, fussiness, and if his long periods of sleep continue. 


Did your baby have a need to cluster feed?


Kristen
xo

Starting To Exercise After Baby

I have been anxiously waiting to start to exercise and get my pre-baby body back ever since delivery.  I was previously under the impression that I couldn't even begin to exercise until I was 6 weeks post delivery, but apparently things have changed in the almost 4 years since my son was born.

Now it is said to be okay to begin to exercise almost immediately after the birth of your baby as long as you had an uncomplicated pregnancy and vaginal delivery.  I was thrilled to be told this.  My son turned 3 weeks old yesterday and I am ready to start my post baby workout routine.  I did wait until now because I still felt like my body was healing and wanted to listen to my body first.

I will be starting slowly and not jumping into any aggressive workouts.  I am starting with yoga and doing some squats and lunges and using light free weights.  I was told that vigorous exercise can cause a build up of lactic acid in your breast milk which makes your breast milk taste a bit sour.  However, that doesn't happen after a few months and your body only makes the milk a feeding times.  Since I am breastfeeding, I want to avoid my milk tasting sour.  =)

Any other mommas getting their workout on after baby?  What did you start with and where are you at on your progress?

Kristen
xoxo

Happy 4th of July!! MAC Brave Red Lipstick

4th of July is one of my favorite holidays!  It's a great summer holiday to enjoy your family, friends, and great food and drinks!  Since I just had a baby, we decided to spend the day at home, cook out, and relax.

Today, I am appropriately wearing MAC's Brave Red Lipstick.  This is one of my must have red lipsticks.  It is a slightly muted red with a cremesheen finish.  

On a personal note, this picture was taken on July 4, 2009.  My husband had just returned from his deployment.  Here he is, getting his first snuggle from our son who had grown 7 months since he had last held him.  As my husband is scheduled to deploy again and our second son is 3 weeks old today, I am sure to have another photo like this around Memorial Day 2013.

I would just like to take the time to thank all the men and women who have dedicated a day, a year, their career, or their life to keeping us save in the land of the free.  

How are you celebrating today?  

I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday.  Please be responsible and stay safe! 

Stay Beautiful!!

Kristen

xoxo

First Day At Home Alone

Today was my first day at home alone with my boys.  It was the never ending day.  I give so much credit to moms of twins, multiples, and moms of many.  My 3 1/2 year old was up by 6:15 and while that is pretty normal for him, my 3 week old is now sleeping longer at  night and woke up at 4:30 to eat.  He nurses for an hour now, so by the time I was going back to sleep my other munchkin was waking me up.

My husband is scheduled to deploy in August, so I really needed to jump back into things today.  I managed to get the dishwasher loaded and ran (didn't unload it thought), do two loads of laundry, bake cookies with my 3 year old, and then cleaned the kitchen and mopped the floor.  I'm feeling pretty accomplished today.

We all took a nap from 9 until 12 and that was honestly the best part of my day.  I am anxiously waiting for Wednesday, when my husband is off again, and the weekend can't come soon enough.  I know I have to get used to this fast because he will be gone and I will be on my own again before I know it. My husband did deploy when our first son was only a few weeks old, but having one is so much different.  Obviously it's way easier!

With day 1 down, I am already anticipating the craziness tomorrow will bring. But it really is all worth it when I look into the big beautiful eyes of both of my babies.

If anyone has any tips for a new mother of 2, I'm all ears  and I would greatly appreciate it!

Kristen
xoxo

Baby High??

My son will be 2 weeks old tomorrow.  =) It has been so amazing watching my 3 and a half year old interact with his baby brother.  I'm so glad that they will have each other to grow up with.  That was always something that I wanted for my son and that I feared would never happen during our trials with secondary infertility.

Despite the exhaustion, the messy house, and the piles of laundry, when I look at my sons together I think "Man, we could totally have another one".  Is this a "baby high" talking or do I really see myself as a mother of 3? I never saw myself with more than 2 before now.  Obviously, I am not trying to get pregnant any time soon and we will be taking preventative measures, but is already thinking about another baby normal?

I think I just have a "baby high"! What do you think?

Kristen
xoxo

Baby Is HERE!

My son decided to come early and surprised us on June 13.  He was only 5 days early, but I was beginning to think he was going to be late. =) We are so happy and over joyed to have him here and in our lives.  Despite the sleep deprivation, we are all doing well and getting into the swing of being a family of 4.

I was really conscious about my weight gain this time and managed to only gain 27 pounds.  The doctor recommends no exercise for 6 weeks, so I will just be watching what I eat and not overindulging.  This will help me not gain any weight before I can start to loose any. =)  Even though, I don't have much weight to loose, I still have to get my body back into shape.  I am open to any weight loss and exercise tips you guys may have, so please send them my way.

I will be blogging about my exercise routine and skin care routine to clear the melasma on my face.  Let me know in the comments if there is anything you guys would like to know or want me to include in a post.

Kristen

38 Weeks and Getting My Walk On

 I am currently 38 weeks pregnant and will be seen by the doctor again in two days.  This baby does not want to drop! At my last visit, the doctor recommend that I start walking, which I had already started.  I have now been walking consistently for 30 to 45 minutes a night for almost a week now.

With my first son, my water broke just before 39 weeks and obviously everything just happened after that.  I know I still have 2 or 3 weeks left to go but this time around it feels like it is never going to happen.

So, I have been walking.  Wishing, hoping, and praying that he will drop and I will have progressed some when I see the doctor on Wednesday.  We will see!

Almost 38 Weeks

He's Almost Here!

The time has come.  This pregnancy is coming to an end and my second little man could be here any time now.  We are all so incredibly excited and can not wait to have our new edition in the house.  My 3 year old is so ready for his baby brother to be here!

I have actually become more anxious this time around.  I can not remember being nervous or anxious when I was pregnant with my first son at all.  Granted my water broke at 38 weeks, and as a first time mom, I naively thought nothing was going to happen until I was at my due date.  I am not sure I even gave myself time to be nervous, because I was in labor before I really thought about it.

This time around is different.  I do not have to pretend to be a super woman.  I want the juice! I fully plan on getting an epidural as soon as they will give it to me.  I am actually worried that I will not get there in time or something will cause me not to be able to get one.  My husband is very encouraging and believes I am strong enough to this no matter what.  I suppose the reality of the situation, is that I will have to do it no matter what. 

My sister seems to think this newly developed fear is derived from me watching her give birth less than a year ago pain medicine free.  Due to spinal issues, she could not receive an epidural.  There may be some truth in that, despite how beautiful the experience was. 

Regardless of my nerves and current fears, I am so excited to welcome my new precious angel into this world.  I can not wait to lay on the couch with my 3 favorite guys and just enjoy being together.  My husband should be deploying soon, so we will not be taking any time for granted. 

I look forward to blogging and possibly starting a vlog on my adventure of loosing my baby weight and getting back into shape!

Thanks for reading!

Did You Stop Wearing Lipstick or Lipgloss After Having Your Baby?

Before I had my son, back in 2008, I was a lipgloss fanatic!  There was never a time when I did not have MAC Lipglass on my lips and two or three tubes of it in my purse.  But that seemed to all change after I had my little guy.

All mommy's know of the constant desire to kiss their little ones cheeks.  I hated getting sticky lipgloss or leaving lipstick marks on him so eventually I just stopped wearing it all together.  My son will be four this year and I've just recently gotten back into the habit of wearing lipgloss and lipstick again.  I must say, I am LOVING it!

Now, I'm due to have my second baby on June 17.  So, I am once again faced with the dilemma of not wearing lip products.  I am a stay at home mom, so I am not presented with too many daily opportunities to wear lipgloss without being with my son, and I will be honest that by the time I go to night classes I forget.

Am I in this alone? What do other moms do?

Strange Pregnancy Craving!

My New Craving!!

Craving the smell of fabric softener??

Is this normal? I'm not sure that there is much about pregnancy cravings that is normal!  As embarrassed as I am to admit it, when I was pregnant with my son, I craved the smell of the cardboard FedEx envelopes.  How totally strange is that?!

This time around I'm craving the smell of fabric softener! All I want to smell is Downy in the scent Clean Breeze.  I have some in a spray bottle that I use to spray down my snuggle pillow every night.  I have to smell it or I will not be able to fall asleep.  I have sprayed Downy on that poor pillow so much that the once white pillow case is now BLUE.  I can not wash the blue out, it is actually stained my from my addiction to the smell.  

I look for reasons to wash clothes just to smell it.  I've been washing my sheets several times a week just so I can smell my new favorite combination of Tide Clean Breeze along with the Downy.  Who ever complains about clean laundry but this is becoming quite expensive. 

I have to wonder if this is something that will go away or if I'm going to be going through weekly bottles of Downy forever.  

35 Weeks Down, Hopefully Only 5 Left!

35 weeks and counting...

Today is Mother's Day! I had a great day with my husband, little man, and my mommy!  I'm officially 35 weeks along today and I'm so glad that I'm finally here.  I'm not a first time mom, but in the beginning of this pregnancy it seemed like I would never see the end.  Now I'm down to 5 weeks, give or take 1 or 2, and I'm seriously in amazement that I've made it this far but I'm ever so grateful!

I have a minor case of nesting, which is really only causing me to get things started.  Then my exhaustion sets in and I'm leaving my clothes in the dryer for 2 days.  This is nothing remotely close to what I experienced with my first son.  I cleaned and organized at all hours of the night and I was not exhausted until the 2 days before his arrival. 

I have so much left to do before my second little man gets here.  I hope I can find the energy this week to get most of the things done.  I just have to keep reminding myself Laundry, Laundry, Laundry!!!