Less Pinning, More Doing.

I have a Pinterest addiction, like all other people in the world.  I love the ideas it sparks!  I hate that I spend all my time pinning and that leaves me no time for doing.  So I decided to Pin less and do more.

I did FOUR Pinterest projects yesterday! FOUR!!

Well actually I was desperate.  See I am doing the Advocare 24 day Challenge and I was running out of ideas and was about to cave to my sweet tooth cravings.  I needed something to make for dinner BESIDES POACHED CHICKEN AND ROASTED VEGETABLES and Pinterest came to my rescue :)

Three of those were recipes.

Two of those recipes were from an awesome blog.  I highly recommend those.  I also highly recommend her blog.  She has a ton of Paleo recipes and beauty tips too!  I can't wait to try her Paleo Snickerdoodles and Chocolate Chip Cookies!!

 

The first was Paleo Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins...DELISH! and really easy! I just wish the coconut flour didn't cost me $8.49 for a pound of it!

 

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The second was Paleo Zucchini Brownies. I forgot to add the vanilla, but they were still AMAZING.  Definetly kicked my sweet tooth craving to the curb and I felt guilt-free!

 



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The other recipe was for dinner.  Blackened Chicken with Cilanto-Lime Quinoa and Avocados. It was totally a Chipotle/Qdoba fake out, that was clean and healthy!  I did not make the avocado sauce as the recipe suggested though, since I am not eating dairy.  I just had sliced avocados. 

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The quinoa was amazing.  Totally tasted like the cilantro lime rice from Qdoba or Chipotle!

We are making this again on Saturday. 

And one of those was an art project for Boo Boo's birthday, which is in a little over a week.  (I know I suck...her last monthly letter was posted five months ago)  I still need to print off 11 Months and wait til next week to take 12 months! 

Original idea was from this Pin

Oh and for breakfast lately I have been making a smoothie I found on Pinterest. So I guess I made FIVE things yesterday! YAY! 

 I just tried to find the original source, and the blog has been removed...but basically its a cup of water (I have been using almond milk and its SO much better!), a cup of frozen pinapple, a whole banana, 2 handfuls of spinach and a few ice cubes.  Blend until smooth!

Other things I have been doing lately courtesy of Pinterest:

This blog has some great recipes to get me out of my diet rut, as I am doing my Advocare 24 day Challenge.  I made the roasted veggies and the avocado egg salad and they were really good!

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This pot roast was AMAZING...but not Advocare-24-day-Challege-Getting-Ready-For-Maui appropriate.

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These little French Dip Crescent Roll Ups were fun.  I didn't cook mine long enough though, so they were a little soggy.

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What have you been pinning lately?  Have you been pinning more than doing? 



I saw this beautiful rainbow driving home yesterday.  Had to share. Why do rainbows make everything better?!





Boo Boo is turning 1 next week. I will be back with a party post, and you better believe it is going to be FULL of Pinspiration!

Happy 7 Months Jordyn!

Little Miss Seven Month Old,

Where do I even begin!?  This month has been a blast (EVEN while teething!)  Your two bottom teeth popped in on the SAME day and you didn't even fuss.  You have continued to be the HAPPIEST baby ever but you are starting to not like being put down.  You love to be carried around and be at the same height as everyone else.  You don't really fight tummy time as much, however you like to roll out of it and be back on your back.  We keep telling you that you would figure out how to move a lot faster if you spent more time on your belly--not that I want you to start moving, YET.

We have had some amazing weather and have been playing outside and at the park.  You are starting to go in the jogger without the carseat and love to see whats going on while we are walking.

Your naps are getting a TINY bit better, but you are still not on any type of predictable schedule!  It makes planning things hard!  You used to just sleep in the car, however now when you are tired, you want to be in bed so if we happen to be driving, you protest until we get home.  I guess you are starting to show some preferences, although usually you don't care what's going on and just go with the flow!

You definitely have some favorites now.  You love blankies that have silk binding around them.  You love to rub the silky part on your face when your are going to sleep.  You have a couple "lovey" blankies now that you usually sleep with.  You also have a baby doll that pretty much goes with us everywhere.  She's your buddy.  Your favorite toy is your penguin rattle.  You love bananas, squash and yogurt.

This month you had croup and it was so sad to see you hacking away :(  We had one rough night where we spent sometime steaming in the shower in the middle of the night.  But even being sick, you were still a happy little love!

You are starting to do the funniest things.  You HATE sitting up.  You love to stand but hate sitting.  When we try to sit you up, you stiffen your whole body and refuse to sit.  It makes it kind of hard to bathe you, put you in the carseat and the highchair!  You also started growling and rawring and Daddy calls it your "lion."  He has given you th nickname "Bug" but you growl like a lion.  Oh and brother has started calling you his little penguin...not quite sure why. You also sing and it sounds like The Little Mermaids "AhhhhhhhhHHHHHHHHHHhahhhhhhhhhhhhh AhhhhhhhhhHHHHHHHHHhhhhhhhh"  so Nana has been calling that your Little Mermaid song.  It doesn't quite sound as pretty as Ariel's, but you're working on it!  You also love to smother me to death with kisses.  Especially when I get home from work :) 

I can't wait to see what the next month brings!  We are going to start swimming lessons with Ryder and that should be fun because you LOVE the water!  You are all ready with your little bathing suits too!

I love you baby girl.  You are too much fun.  You make our family complete.  Such a little blessing :)  Not a day goes by that I don't thank God for you and our sweet family.

Love,

Mommy



See those teeth!!!

What's in my Bag(s)?

My bloggy friend Kimmie from Sugar and Dots is hosting a Linky party called WHAT'S IN YOUR BAG?!

I thought I'd play along, so incase you're curious, this is what I haul around! I don't travel lightly :)  No wonder my neck and shoulder are all jacked up!

#1- One of those Arm and Hammer diaper bags, so the stinky diapers and clothes that get blown out don't stink up and stain your whole bag!

#2- Plenty of diapers.  I only use Pampers.  They are the softest :)

#3- I only use Huggies wipes.  They are the thickest and softest.  I love this new Hawaiian fabric wipes case they just came out with!  Such a gimmick, but I love it!

#4- Plenty of burp clothes, only the thick flannel kind, for my barfy baby!

#5- Imitrex.  I suffer from horrible, FREQUENT migraines, so I don't go anywhere with out this saving grace, because you never know when one's going to strike :(

#6- Softlips chapstick, nothing fancy

#7- An extra binky, those things always seem to disappear!

#8- Extra clothes.  Lots.  Because this barfy baby is also a pro at blowing out her diaper! 

#9-  Hooter hider, cause I'm not trying to flash the world, plus Jordie gets so distracted when she's trying to eat, so it sort of keeps her focused on the task at hand!

#10- Bib, I usually have a few of these for barfy, drooly, teething baby. 

#11- Jordie's toy box.  Geez time to clean out the toys!  Usually I have 1 rattle and her baby.  I guess we've been hoarding toys in the diaper bag though!

Depending on the weather I will also throw in a blankie if needed (or its with her in the carseat) and her sun hat if its sunny because her bald head doesn't need to get burnt!

Now for Momma's purse!

How much do you LOVE my new purse I got for Mother's day?  I don't think I have ever loved a purse so much!  It is easy to see whats inside, has perfect pockets and a little card holder to holder to hold my Costco card because I can never seem to find that darn thing and spend 5 minutes looking for it at the front door EVERY time we go to Costco!  Problem solved!

#1- Sunglasses- for Momma and baby alike.  Sometimes Ry's are in there too!

#2- Those little boob things that hook onto my pump.  It's a work day and Momma's gotta do what Momma's gotta do! The nice thing about working at the hospital is that I don't have to haul my whole pump, just my tubing and boob things/bottles because they have a hospital pump I can use!

#3- Extra binky!

#4- Coupons!  I'm not one of those coupon crazy ladies and I always forget to use them, but I usually have a few in my bag.  These ones are for Coconut milk, my new fave!

#5- Earplugs.  No joke.  Industrial strength.  Hear me out (haha no pun intended!) I have to sleep during the day so I can save lives all night and my kids are SO loud.  So I use my earplugs and they have never let me down!  I always have an extra set in my purse because I nap at my parents before work (so they can watch kiddos) and it would be a disaster if I forgot them!

#6- My coach wristlet.  I love this thing because if I don't want to haul my whole purse around, it holds my necessities and my phone fits in it!  It holds only the necessities: Starbucks Gold card, Drivers License, Debit card and Nordstrom debit card :)

#7- Almonds.  They are my saving grace sometimes!  They can tide me over til dinner if I'm out and about and hunger strikes!

#8- Orajel for teething baby :(  I'm gonna miss her gummy grin :(

#9- Tylenol.  Always have it.  Always.  We take fevers seriously in this family after Ryder had a febrile seizure.  He's at high risk of having another and Jordie's at risk because he had one.  Knock on wood we never have to experience that again!

#10- Lip balm.  My friend Hather gave me the red ball one, not sure what its called but its AMAZING.  It tastes delicious.  I'm addicted.

#11- Keys. Duh.  Can't get far without those puppies!

#12- Spark Energy drink by Advocare.  I literally CAN NOT make it through a nightshift without it.  It gives me mental clarity, a little energy and stops me from yawning to death all night!

#13- Work badge.  It's a work night

#14- Stethoscope.  It's a work night.  I don't usually just tote it around.  Actually it lives in my locker at work, but I forgot to leave it there Monday.

#15- Imitrex and Ibuprofen.  Always prepared.  You never know when a migraine will strike.  I hate headaches.  UGH.

#16- Body spray, cause nobody likes a stinky person :)

I love this purse. Everything fits perfectly :)

I was...FEATURED!!!

So, one of my favorite blogs is Sugar and Dots! Kimmie is awesome and has a Linky party every Wednesday called "What I Whipped Up!". Well yours truly submitted my baby food tutorial and was FEATURED!!! Booyah!! It's an honor to be featured on such an amazing blog! Made my crazy day! Thanks Kimmie! Love ya!

Making BABY FOOD! (a tutorial)

For some reason, I was so intimidated by the thought of making my own baby food.  But I got a Baby Bullet at my baby shower and I was really excited to use it!  I quickly learned how to make baby food, my baby LOVES it and so I thought I would walk you through the process, just in case you were interested in trying it yourself!  It is WAY easy and the results are healthy, fresh food for your little one!  (Just think the stuff at the store has like a 2 year shelf life...would you eat a 2 year old pear?  Yeah me either!)

Here's a quick tutorial on what I do!

Today I am making Jordyn pears and sweet potatoes!

Supplies:

Baby Bullet (really not a necessity, you could use a food processor or blender too)

Fresh produce

Ziploc Steamer Bags (I'm not a fan of doing dishes, and I have the attention span of a 3 year old, but you can steam your food the old fashioned way if you want!)

Knife and cutting board

Something to store food in

First you want to chop up your food and put it in the steamer bags. Follow the directions on the bag for how long to cook/steam.  However you choose to steam, you want them to be easy to put a fork into.

All done!  Careful when you open these bags! The steam is HOT!!

Next, put your sweet potatoes in the cute little cup (or whatever you will be pulverizing your baby food with)

Add a 1/4 cup of water and place on the baby bullet base.

Press down and blend until your sweet potato is well pureed.  You may have to take it off and shake it up to get the chunks down to the blade (with the Baby Bullet I did not have that problem and it seriously pureed it in 10 seconds).

Pretty, smooth pureed sweet potatoes!

Scoop into something that you can use to freeze your portions in single portion sizes (This fancy shmancy thingy came with the Baby Bullet BUT you could just as well use an ice cube tray).

Check in on your little helper and make sure they are enjoying their first cooking lesson!

Once your food is frozen you can pop out the individual portions and put in a Ziploc bag (don't forget to date them) so you can easily see what you have on hand and grab them when little one is hungry! 

The baby food is good in the freezer for up to 30 days and it is good in the fridge for 3 days.

After you thaw the baby food, you may need to thin it out with water or breast milk or formula.

Next on the menu was pears...same process, I was just in a picture taking mood :)

Cut up and ready to cook!

Add the pears and 1/4 cup water to Mr. Happy Cup.

The pears look really pretty!

Baby Happy Cups are filled up and ready to go in the fridge!

Here are some things I learned:

Some food oxidizes and turns brown...like bananas and avocados, but it still tastes just fine.

Foods that work well for first feedings are: bananas, peas, avocados, sweet potatoes, pears, peaches, squash, apples.

Remember when you are feeding your baby for the first time, to introduce 1 food at a time for a couple days to make sure that your little one doesn't have a reaction to it.

Introduce veggies FIRST!  If you give your baby sweet, yummy fruits first, they may not like veggies!

Let me know if you try making your own baby food! It is way more cost effective and super easy!

Have fun!

Happy 6 Month Birthday Jordyn!

 Jordyn,

So sorry I am late on this letter...our life never seems to get a chance to get caught up!  We are so busy with me working, Ry's preschool and T-ball and just the day to day stuff! 

I still can't believe how every day I can fall more and more in love with you.  You are still the EASIEST baby.  Still sleeping all night (nap time is still a struggle) and we recently started feeding you food which you LOVE!!!  So far the only thing you haven't loved is carrots...but I don't blame you on that!  I have been having fun making your baby food and can't wait to try more new things!

You are a tiny little peanut!  We had your 6 month check up and you were 14 lb 2 oz and 24 inches long.  You were in the 10% for weight and 25-50% for height.  Your feet are still so tiny too!  I got you some newborn flip flops and they are the only shoes that fit you!

You are the sweetest baby, still so smiley and giggle at just about everything!  Especially Ryder!  He can just look at you and you crack up!

You are getting better at tummy time and we are also practicing sitting up, you really prefer to have somebody hold you standing up though! 

We love you so much baby girl! Really you are a dream come true :)

Love you,
Mommy

(sorry the picture isnt edited or cropped...picnik closed down!!)

A Mater Birthday!

Ryder is obsessed with Mater...like OBSESSED...like he has introduced himself to strangers AS Mater for the past month and his greatest ambition in life is to be a tow truck driver (lucky guy won't have to worry about student loans!)

He wanted a Mater Birthday party this year and I was so excited. Who has a tow-truck birthday?

I found a gal on Etsy who made these cute invitations. Then we had Ry pick 5 friends (had to keep it small this year so everyone would fit in our house!) to invite and the party planning began.

I was so glad he picked something that was actually popular this year, so I could actually find party supplies and balloons at the party store. Thats about as creative as I got!

Mater party hats. Seriously. Complete with tow hooks. They were a pain to put together, but we loved them!

Ofcourse Sissy had to be dressed up for the occasion too (and how cute is my momma!?). She had a Mater onesie, Mater bib and Lightning McQueen socks! I had to put on a tutu and flower so she didn't look like a boy! There were 3 other baby girls at the party (little sisters and our neighbor) and they wore Cars 2 bibs too!

Ryder helped make the swag bags! I just got red bags and he put tons of Cars 2 stickers on them. I printed gift tags (wallet pictures of him with the real life Mater from Costco) and tied them shut with Cars 2 ribbon. The prizes inside were diecast cars from Cars 2, tattoos, Mater fruit snacks, parachuting army guys and stickers. Easy peasy!

One of my best friends moms is an amazing cake maker. She made this beautiful desert Mater cake, which really made the party! It was delicious too-funfetti ofcourse!! Ryder absolutely loved his cake and the toy Mater on top!I love this picture! (Thanks to my friend Kayla for taking some amazing pictures, which I stole off her facebook :) ) Ryder kept borrowing Cars 2 from my parents and had been BEGGING me to buy it for him. I figure whats the point in buying him a copy when he can borrow theirs whenever he wants. Well he pulled on Nana's heart strings and she got him his very own copy and he was SO happy when he opened it!

It was really such a fun party! We had great company, played Pin the "95" on Lightning McQueen, had an Easter Egg Hunt (per birthday boys request) and made some fun memories!

Happy Birthday Ry!