august spending freeze FAIL

Well that was short lived. 

I posted at the start of the month that we were going to attempt a spending freeze for the entire month of August. 

Yeah. That didn't happen. 

I think I lasted all of one week. Maybe. 

And I honestly have no good excuse. With all the back to school sales and such I just couldn't help myself. 

Total fail. 

mommy monday

Alright, it's time you guys held me accountable for this whole weight loss slash work out mumbo jumbo.

I'm trying hard not to put too much pressure on myself but I seem to have a real hard time finding a balance. I either am driving myself nuts with worry about my weight or am blissfully unaware of the wiggle wobble of my thighs. 

Either way, enough's enough! Time to get movin and groovin and get back into my skinny jeans. 

I'm certainly not planning to break myself or deplete my milk supply so this will definitely be a juggling act. But I have decided to do a weekly check in to hold myself accountable.

So. I now declare Mondays, Mama Maintenance Day! Corny name I know. But none the less, I am in need of some serious maintenance. 

Since it's Monday I will start at ground zero. And focus on my goals for the week:

- Work out at least 30 minutes 3 times this week, whether it be a brisk walk or a quick T25 video.

- Focus on eating healthy and not worrying too much about calories but more about nutrition.

- Clean the house. 

Oh I guess that last one isn't about my health but sheesh it needs to stay because I have been seriously neglected our abode these days. 

Alright there you have it. Don't let me slip up! I will check back in next Monday to update y'all on my progress. 

xo

lovinfollowers, say whattt?

While perusing the interwebs during little man's nap time, I came across a website called LovinFollowers.com. I was googling how to build up your blog and this page popped up, so naturally being the Curious Cat that I am I decided to investigate.

Now, tell me, is this real life..?

This website claims that by purchasing one of their packages you will instantly receive anywhere from 100-500 new Bloglovin followers by paying $10-$43.

Uh, say what?

Am I the only one that thinks this is super desperate sounding?

I mean, don't get me wrong. I like knowing people are reading my blog and what I have to say. And obviously would love to attract more peeps (otherwise I wouldn't have been googling it in the first place) but I'm certainly not desperate for it! And really? People pay to be 'followed'? Creepy much?

Don't tell me I'm the only one that thinks this...

This website has me a little creeped out. And totally second guessing the blogs I follow. Did they buy people? Doesn't that just sound so weird?

Okay, rant done.

Oh and yes, it took me longer to find a meme to go with this post than it did to actually write it...

hey Friday!

The weeks are just flying by! 

Here's an update and my five for Friday. 

[one] am I the only one craving fall already? don't get me wrong, I love summertime. But there's just something about fall that is so comforting, cozy, and peaceful. Bring on the chai lattes, boots, scarves, and football. (okay that last one is really just for my husband..)

[two] Truett has two teeth coming in! I knew breast feeding might get a little tricky once he started teething but geez, those little things are not pleasant! He doesn't mean to, but they rub against me and when he nurses to sleep they really start to grind. I know he's hurting, which breaks my heart, but when the rest of those teeth come in I fear for the state of my nips!

[three] family photo shoot is today! I had a ton of inspirational Pinterest photos and really hoping some of them turn out as I had envisioned. It's tricky dressing a 4 month postbaby bod that's still holding on to some extra poundage. But let's keep our fingers crossed at least a few flatter this new mommy frame. 

[four] yesterday the three of us went on a little movie date! There's a local movie theater that offers Thursday morning "Mommy & Me" movies where you can bring your kiddo under the age of 2 and enjoy matinee prices and not feel bad about a fussy baby disturbing the peace. It was actually really fun! we were both a little worried it would just be a room full of screaming babies but it ended up just being us and one other little family of 3. And both Truett and the other baby did great! Only a few quick fussy moments, no biggie at all. It was actually really sweet, at one time I turned around to check on Vince while he was rocking Truett to sleep toward the back and I saw the other dad doing the same for his little one. Both of us mamas just chillin eating popcorn and enjoying a movie. It was nice for us to be able to do something "normal" like we used to do and fun to be able to bring him along. Definitely something we would do again!

[five] we are getting really close to making an offer on a new house! The new house isn't built yet but there is a new development in the process of being built and this particular house we like would begin production in November. The lot is nice and deep and backs up to a greenbelt. We love the idea of having a bigger yard for Truett to play in as he gets older and the idea of being in a little neighborhood for him to play with neighbor kids also makes me excited. Nothing is set in stone yet, and of course there's also the fact that we have to sell our house now, but it's still exciting to dream up landscaping, room arrangements, and other details! 

Linking up with Lauren Elizabeth for High Five for Friday and Karli & Amy for Oh, Hey Friday!

yellow jacket territory

Well friends, we have wasps.

Or bees. 

Whatever those yellow and black ones are that aren't bumble bees. 

They have camped out under a crack in the siding of our house and decided they are here to stay. 

I sent Vince out to the Home Depot to get a lovely little trap to set up outside their new home in hopes we might catch a few. 

Day 1 - Nada

Day 2 - One not-so-smart wasp

Day 3 - Fifteen of not-so-smart wasp's friends! Victory is mine. 

It took a while to finally capture some of those pesky little creatures, so Vince took it upon himself to coax them out another way. Aka kill the suckers by means of liquid death.

Late in the evening when he presumed they were fast asleep, he climbed up the latter to spray the gnarly beasts.

As he climbed, he shouted down to me "if I fall and break my back, call 911."

I rolled my eyes, yeah okay drama-mama.

As he started to spray, one of the soldiers on lookout decided to greet him. As the beast came flying toward Vince, he continued to spray, stepped off the latter and proceeded to fall 6 feet down into a pile of bushes.

I died.

In between dying of laughter, I checked to make sure he was okay, proceeded to laugh hysterically and then may or may not have peed a little.

The joys of post delivery bladder control!

Oh yeah, and we still have wasps...

I'm alive

Oh hey, remember me? 

Yeah I know, I have been a little MIA this week for a number of reasons..

(Sorry, not sorry!)

Número uno is this little man right here. 

I have been just totally loving on him and trying to soak up every second. He is changing and growing so much lately. Sometimes it's nice to slow down and really focus on the important things in life. And this guy is definitely the most important! 

Also, he has two teeth trying to come in right now so he has been needing some extra mommy cuddles. Poor little guy, teething is tough stuff! 

And then número dos is that we have been working on plans for a new house! We think we have found the perfect lot and floor plan. Just need to make some big decisions. If we do chose this house, building would begin in November. Very exciting but also a little stressful right now just trying to figure out all the details. 

So that's what I've been up to this past week. 

We have family photos on Friday which I am really excited for. Starting some new traditions & such. 

Promise to be a better blogger soon. 

One day.

Hopefully. 

tour de blog

Yesterday I was nominated by this beautiful & funny new mama, Paige, to do a blog tour. Go check out her blog, she is pretty awesome and her little boy Henry is way too cute!

Okay now on to the blog tour...

Never done one, so here goes nothin'!

Le Questions:
1. What am I working on?
Multitasking. Right now I am sipping a glass of wine while the kiddo is fast asleep for the night (or really until 2am when he wakes for his feeding) and trying to figure out how to upload pictures from my iPhone to my computer and blog and, and, and. 
Oh you didn't want to know all that? 
Sorry. 
Continue... 

2. How does my work differ from others of its type/genre?
Oh boy. I wouldn't really call this "work." I just ramble, mumbo jumbo. You know the works.
I really just write about what comes to my mind. Updates on my kid. That sort. 
I'm nothing terribly special. No fashionista or fabulous DIYer here. But hey, that's me. 

3. Why do I write what I do?
Because this mommy thing is new to me and I want to document as much of it as I can. Plus when my kids grow up I'm going to want them to see this, remind them of all the fun & crazy shit they did. Also, I am super forgetful so it is a wonderful memory blog for me as well. But really, I do it for my kiddo. 

4. How does my writing process work?Writing process? What's that? jk.
I just type, either on my phone or computer. Most of my posts sit in my draft box for days, sometimes weeks and then I finally finished them. And then others are word vomit and they just publish themselves before I even know what I'm writing about.

Well hey that was fun!
Hope you enjoyed reading about why I blog, now go check out these blogs I am nominating.

I am nominating these lovely ladies to join me on this blog tour:

Amanda at Tickled Pink

Breanna at Up, Up, and Away

Jess at Keeping Up With The Caseys

How the blog tour works:
- Acknowledge the blogger/blog that invited you to the Tour.
- Answer some questions about your blogging process
- Choose 3 bloggers to plug

that time i ate my placenta

I will be the first to admit that pregnancy and mommyhood has changed me. I never really cared too much about eating organic, non GMO foods or saving the environment and all that jazz but something about creating a new life put all of that into perspective for me. I began to see how important all of these things are and how I want the very best for my little man.

When I got pregnant I immediately decided to clean up my eating, be a better recycler, use natural products, and avoid any chemicals, additives, etc. Don't get me wrong, I still enjoyed my treats while pregnant (and after) but made more of an effort to make sure they weren't filled with crap and ingredients I had no idea how to pronounce. I started to look into all different kinds of natural products, remedies, wellness, etc. and I got hooked. I discovered the Bradley Method way of birthing, ditched my OB and got a midwife, and then discovered placenta encapsulation.

Before getting pregnant if you would have asked me if I was going to eat my placenta I would have said heck no techno. I probably would have laughed it off and acted grossed out (as many people do when they hear the word placenta). But since I was on a healthy, natural kick I decided to look into it and research all of the benefits. The idea that it was good for you and your baby was very intriguing to me and I had to learn more.

I found a wealth of information so here is a much condensed version as well as my experience.

Some benefits to consuming your placenta:

- Balances out hormones so you can avoid those baby blues
- Helps to increase iron levels
- Increases milk production
- Increases energy levels
- Reduces postpartum bleeding
- Help with menstrual pain and even menopause

Being someone that has suffered from anxiety and depression, I was very worried about the possibility of PostPartum Depression so when I discovered that by eating my placenta my risk would be lowered, I was sold!

There are a number of ways in which you can consume your placenta.

Ways to consume your placenta:
- Encapsulation
- Grill it and eat like a steak
- Blend it into a smoothie along with other fruits & vegetables

Honestly, I didn't even consider the other options. I knew right away that the only way I could do this was by encapsulation. The process (for me) was fairly easy. All I did was birth it out, put it in the fridge in a tightly sealed container, and then had a doula come and pick it up. The process of encapsulating it goes a little like this: clean it, dehydrate it, put it in capsules, and voila! (I birthed in a birthing center but if you are in the hospital you will need to let all your nurses and doctor know you want to keep your placenta so that they don't throw it away)

My placenta made about 150 capsules and arrived on the Sunday after Truett was born. For the first few days I took 2 capsules at each meal and then about a week later I started to take only 2 twice per day. Eventually I started to forget and then moved them from the fridge to the freezer where they can keep for a good while (I can't recall the exact amount of time, but a good friend of mine still has hers from 2 years ago).

My Experience: 
As for my experience with the benefits listed above... I can definitely say that I did not experience any PPD and that I felt pretty level and steady the days & weeks following Truett's birth. I had my moments and did cry a few times, but they were more so either tears of pure happiness & love or tears of straight up exhaustion. It wasn't ever a sadness type crying. But I can't say for certain if I would have gotten PPD, I just know that with my history it was a high probability.

Iron levels, I'm not sure about. I never really had a problem before so there was no reason to check after.

My milk came in on day 3 and Truett has had no trouble gaining weight, he is quite the happy healthy little chunk. I haven't had any supply issues and things are still going great with breastfeeding.

My energy levels have been pretty stellar! It's so funny because for the first few weeks everyone would ask me if I was tired and if I was sleeping, yada yada yada. Honestly, I wasn't tired! Hold on while I go knock on some wood... but really, even though the sleep wasn't great for the first few weeks (and we still have some rough nights) I never felt too exhausted or like I was sleep deprived. I really think the placenta pills had a lot to do with this and I am so thankful for them!

Typical postpartum bleeding can last anywhere from 3-8 weeks, sometimes even longer. Fortunately, mine tapered off by 3 weeks and was completelygone by 4.

As for the last two, I can't say. My period has still not returned and I won't have to worry about the other one for a while. I will report back about helping with the period pains when that time comes though.

----------

Overall, it was a really great experience for me and I am so glad that I chose to eat my placenta. Will I do it again? Definitely! 

As with anything, consult your doctor first and do your research! I am happy to answer any questions that you might have but I am certainly no pro. This definitely isn't for everyone and I didn't think it would be my cup of tea either but I am really happy with my decision. Our bodies are incredible!

all you need is [lashes]

I have been getting eyelash extensions for the past few years on and off and overall, really love them. I get a ton of questions about them so I thought I would offer up a little info for y'all.

The extensions are applied to your individual lashes and fall out as your natural lashes do. I typically need a fill every 2 weeks but can sometimes stretch it to 3 weeks. You can wash your face and apply make up as usual but they recommend not using mascara (although sometimes I am naughty and I do it anyway).

The thing I love about them is that I barely need to wear any other makeup. In the picture above I am only wearing lipstick - that is all! It's pretty nice and especially now with a 3 month old, super appreciated.

The only downside I would say is the maintenance is a real biotch. I am lucky enough to have an awesome girlfriend who comes to my house to do them. Without her, if I had to travel to get them done every 2 weeks I probably wouldn't have them anymore.. too much work with a baby in tow.

The reason I get them on and off is because sometimes I get too lazy to have them filled so I let them all fall out and give my lashes a break for a little while. They are perfect for summertime though because it means I can have pretty eyes at the pool and not come out looking like a raccoon.

Lashes are my one big splurge and treat for myself that I love to do! 

What is your favorite thing to splurge on for yourself?

Friday 5

I've been kind of a lazy blogger this week. As I mentioned before, I have a ton of posts in my draft box just waited to be finished but I have yet to commit. And being a new mom I am still trying to find the balance of life. So today I have a quick 5 updates on my little man..

1. Truett can now roll over from back to belly and belly to back. We cheered! Which I'm sure scared him...

2. He has now also decided that he likes both the pacifier and his thumb. But the times in which he likes them are very random. And he can't seem to figure out what to do with his fingers while he sucks his thumb. Poor kid keeps poking himself in the eye. 

3. The car no longer phases him to the point of blue in the face crying and screaming. Hallelujah. 

4. He has been sleeping up to 8 hours at a time, which is a sweet victory. Mama's under eye circles are very thankful. 

5. He knows exactly when I have showered because he loves to pee, poop, or spit up on me immediately after. It's a pretty cool party trick I must say!

Happy Friday!

Linking up with Lauren Elizabeth for High Five for Friday and Karli & Amy for Oh, Hey Friday!

that time he rolled over

Just a quick post to document that Truett rolled over from his back to his belly today for the first time! He did it about five times in a row. I was so proud of him. He is such a strong little nugget. 

A couple weeks ago he rolled from belly to back and has been doing that frequently. He has now figured out how to get that arm out of the way to get to his belly again. 

Proud mama moment!

That is all..

three months old [truett]

My little monkey is three months old today! Its crazy to think three months ago I pushed out this little man.

Weight/Height: Not quite positive on this since he hasn't had a recent doc appointment but we weighed him using our scale at home and he was about 15

Clothes: He has been wearing 3-6 month clothes since he was 6 weeks old. They definitely fit him better now. Some of the pants are still a little long. I find that every brand is so different in their sizing though so it's hard to find the perfect fit sometimes. He was in size 2 diapers before we switched to cloth diapers. 

Sleep: His bedtime is at 8pm every night and he usually sleeps for a 4-5 hour block. Then he wakes up to eat and then is back asleep really quickly. He will sleep for another 2 hours and wake & eat again. Around 6am when he wakes for his last feeding I usually bring him into bed with us so we can get a little more sleep. We are usually up for the day by 9. 

Feeding: We loosely follow a Eat, Play, Sleep routine. He typically eats every 3 hours right now. I feed him on demand though so if he seems fussy I will nurse him. 

Likes: True has just started to really enjoy looking at his toys. He lays on his playmat and bats at the toys hanging above him and when in the car he loves to stare at his car seat toy. He has been trying to grab things lately and he likes to chew on his Sophie giraffe. He loves to suck on his fist. He now prefers to face out when we walk around in stores so that he can look out. He still loves to sit and be pulled into a stand. He is so ready to move! He loves to bounce on the yoga ball or rock in the rocking chair. He is a very active little guy. He also loves to be sang or hummed to, especially when it's Silent Night. 

Dislikes: He is still not a huge fan of his car seat but he has gotten much, much better! He doesn't like the pacifier or bottles still. Though he is getting a little better with it! 

Milestones: He rolled over for the first time a few weeks ago and now rolls over a lot in his crib or while on his playmat. He has found his voice and loves to yell! 

Events: We went on our first vacation to the Lake this past month! 

Overall he is a very happy little guy and is growing so much! It's been so fun to see him change this part month. His little personality is shining through and I just love it. He is seriously the light of my life. 

And a quick mama update:

Weight Loss: Still about half way there. And it's been sloooow to come off. But I'm not killin myself over it. Anymore at least. 

Other Changes: My hair is starting to shed. Such a sad, sad day. Other than that, things are the same really. 

And now for some photo dumping..

august spending freeze

happy August everyone!

this month, Vince and I are challenging ourselves to a spending freeze. basically, we will only be able to spend money on the essentials and nothing extra. 

this will be a piece of cake for my dear husband but oh such a challenge for shopaholic me. my love for amazon prime is out of control so this will be an interesting month! and honestly I don't spend a whole lot on myself, but I do love buying things for the house and for Truett. on too of that, I'm a bit of an impulse buyer. not a good combination!

I am excited to see if we can really stick to it for the whole month and also how much we will be able to save! I'm a little worried for September though because after a month of no shopping I am just go on a binger..

so, wish us luck! or more specifically, wish me luck please. 

Have you ever done a spending freeze? How long did you last? Am I out of my mind?