Working Mom of Two.

Add that title to the list of things I am.

A working mom of two. My days as a stay at home mom are done. My maternity leave was great, but unfortunately, for very likely the rest of my days, I'll be a working mom. Although the time flew by, I am ready to get back into the swing of my "real life" as a working mom. Sure, waking up when I feel like it and keeping a clean house was nice, but there's something to be said for baby and I seeing other people.

Tomorrow I'll have to wake up early, do everything that needs to be done to get out of the house and actually get out the door earlier than we usually get up! 

In anticipation of the upcoming transition, I've done a lot of thinking (worrying) and planning to try to keep myself super organized and keep things straight. I even bought a new planner and I've been making lists like a crazy person.

I've done food prep, packed lunches, and even have 4 meals planned for the week. 

I completely reorganized Joe's closet to make picking outfits easier. I picked out and ironed all my own clothes for the week. We went shopping on Saturday and I got some new shoes and accessories. 

I brewed some iced coffee and have my single cup coffee maker loaded in my car.

Nevertheless, I am so so going to miss being able to drop off and pick up my son at school everyday--I'm going to miss having dinner ready when my husband gets home. I'll miss nursing my baby girl as needed and being the one who knows everything about her and everything she's done. I'll miss running around in the yard and watching movies with my son all day--making him lunch and listening to his voice as his toys talk to eachother all afternoon. 

It's going to be such a big change, and in many ways I feel ready (mentally I think i am), but in others, I know I'll miss this so much. 

Please wish me luck!

How to do a DIY Photobooth for $2

One of my favorite things to do at parties is have "photobooth" setup for people to act silly.  You end up with great shots from parties that all look cohesive & fun!  I have researched how to set up a photobooth with a mac computer and a remote and it was all just a little complicated--even for me when I generally have really good computer skills.  So what I have done is simply set up a $2 plastic table cloth with a table of props and I took the pictures myself.  They all look cohesive, and I crop and adjust them later.  Plus--the best benefit is that it gives me a chance as a hostess to interact with all of the guests.  Here are some samples of "photobooths" we've done in the past!!

Aqua & Pink Owl themed Baby Girl Nursery!

I am so proud of my little girl's nursery. Even before she was born, we would sit in the room and revel at how beautiful and tranquil it is. Here is a little tour:

The owl picture is actually a gift bag & it is permanently affixed to the wall with molding that has since been painted pink. Owl frames are from hobby lobby & coat hooks from Marshall's. Mamaroo was a gift & baby loves it!! It's not there anymore, instead it's in the living room. Owl tea kettle was a gift.  Also note the salt lamp, which is pretty much the best night light ever & also was pretty much the best shower gift ever because we didn't even know we needed it (my son now has one in his room too!)

This was just an ordinary crappy closet before--with crappy folding doors. My husband ripped the closet out & did all the shelving and painting. Dresser is from ikea (old) and we spray painted it. Bins are from target & conveniently hold a years worth of baby clothes. Tree is made of craft foam and was a decoration at our baby shower.

Before baby, this room was an office, then a "catch all" then a guest room. This is actually my bed from college which my brother-in-law inherited in 2006 and we got back about a year ago. We decided to keep it in her room because a) it's the most comfy bed we have and b) I sleep in there to help everyone in the house get  more rest. We store a pack n play & extra diapers below.

The gray dresser was purchased by my mother off amazon. We didn't get a crib sheet set, instead I ordered skirt off amazon. Bumper from target & various sheets from target. Mobile from target--gift off registry. (P.s. Wind-up mobiles are sucky!) The dresser I've had since highschool. We've used it here & there, but it looks brand new spray painted to match!! Finally, the "JOE" was made from a piece of IKEA canvas art that we have painted over more than once (why buy new canvases?!) and the letters are from hobby lobby--we used the wall paint. Hamper is from Target.

I love the door is painted pink around the edges. The over the door organized is a shoe organizer from Walmart. 

I still need to figure something out for her hair bows & tights. I also have a few more decorations to hang and some DIY, I'll update as I do. 

Baby Bag Essentials.

(Clockwise from top left)
1. grocery bags for soiled diapers and/or clothes.
2. burp cloth & 2 swaddling blankets (these blankets work great for putting under baby during a diaper change).
3. at least 2 outfits for baby because blowouts happen.
4. baby hat to keep sun off precious new skin
5. nursing cover
6. extra t-shirt & nursing tank for me
7. baby wipes
8. diapers--I store them in the little bags that her crib sheets came in
9. Hand Sanitizer


Also-- I have a baby bag, but I prefer a plain ole backpack--easier to carry.  I additionally always bring a wrap or baby carrier.

Easter Breakfast

Now that we've got St. Patty's Day out of the way, I'm looking forward to Easter.  Last year, we had breakfast at our house, and I am planning on another Easter breakfast this year.  Every year the number of people varies, and this will be my fourth breakfast for a holiday--I did mothers day twice, Christmas once, and this will be my second Easter.  Whereas usually, we would have just gone to someone's house and they would throw together a quick breakfast, I really like making it extra special for everyone with cute decorations & special foods.

Our setup-- long table, place settings, fresh flowers & overhead decor made from table cloth & tissue paper.  Here's a close up:

Here's the close-up of the place settings.  Watermelon balls, natural wood forks with ribbon, special plates & napkins and a plain piece of cardstock for the placesetting.

And here's the food setup:

Yogurt parfaits, bacon, eggs with veggies, sweet kabobs, cereal balls, pancakes.

This particular breakfast was my first one, and I made WAY too much food.  Plus, it wasn't the right audience because I had WAY too much sweet stuff.  Needless to say, I am learning how to do this breakfast party thing as I go.

MOTIVATIONAL MONDAY

Loving this workout from blondeponytail.com.  What's really cool is that she also posts youtube videos demonstrating to readers just how to do these exercises.  I like to look at the videos on exrx.net to see how to work body parts with or without equipment, but little videos like this are great to help design workouts.

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Happy St. Pattys day!

Around here.

Enjoying the weather.

Building a garden.

Playing with the dogs.

Walking Laps around our newly-improved trails.

TBT: October 2012