Puppy Essentials List

Back in February we brought our puppy Toby home. And now he’s rapidly approaching 10 months old (how?!) He’s out of the puppy stage and into his rebellious adolescent phase (pray for us and my plants that he constantly tries to rip out of the ground, SOS.) But I thought I would share some of the things we loved this go around with a puppy. It had been over 8 years since we had a puppy in the house and I felt like I barely remembered what was useful this go around.

  • Collagen Chews – These are super long lasting chews. They’ll last for weeks and he consistently works on it when he’s bored. They also have very little to no odor to them so they are great for inside.
  • Xpen – this was an absolute MUST for us. We didn’t use one with Juno but we also didn’t have two small kids. This xpen made puppyhood so much easier – it was a safe, confined space where I knew he could go and relax and not get into trouble. He slept in here at night until he was crate trained. Bonus: I also like how you could change the configuration / shape of it.
  • Roam tags – We got these for both the dogs. You attach these tags to their collar and they have a little QR code someone can scan & all your contact info & dog info pops up! So if your dog gets lost they can be reunited quickly!
  • Treat bag – This treat bag has a magnetic closure so it’s easy to use while walking. I like that it also has a zipper pouch for bags or other things! love this thing!
  • Native Pet – Powdered Pumpkin – if you’ve had a puppy before you know that they have sensitive stomachs. This pumpkin powdered works just as well as canned pumpkin and it’s easy to incorporate into their meals daily to help with digestion!
  • Dog Toy Variety Pack – I was blown away by the quality of these toys. For a puppy novelty can be key. These toys lasted so long even with our adult labrador. All the non stuffed toys are still in play at our house daily! For the price you can not beat this!
  • Long Line – perfect for hikes and just recall training in general. We have a 20ft version as well as a standard 6ft leash. I like that these are waterproof and you can easily wipe them down with a towel or baby wipe especially after a dusty hike.
  • “place” bed -Toby loves his elevated bed or his “place”. When trying to teach your puppy or dog “place” having it be elevated makes it clear to the dog when they are on or off of it, versus a bed that is on the floor and they can hang off of it and the lines can be blurred in their brains about whether or not they’re technically on their bed. I also like that this doesn’t get as hot which has been really nice over the summer.
  • Bully stick holder – – for any other helicopter dog moms (or dads) who are paranoid about dogs swallowing small pieces of bone or bully stick, this thing is for you.

Curious what your must haves for puppies are!

Sunday Somethings No. 7

Little Somethings:

  • I finished The Silent Patient last week and it was 5 stars! Such a good read! It’s been my favorite book so far this year. Now I’m reading The Seven Year Slip which isn’t at all what i was expecting & I started The Island of Sea Women.
  • I celebrated my birthday, I went to lunch with my friend, then swam at the gym we joined and then was home for tacos and cupcakes and snuggled my guys, it was a great way to start 34!
  • I’m really excited to start swimming for exercise again. On my birthday I swam 30 laps and had completely forgotten just how difficult sustained swimming is, I’m pumped to add it into my workout routine this spring.
  • We built a leap year time capsule. We measured the boys, did their hand prints, printed out pictures of the kids and the animals. I asked the boys what some of their favorites were. I also included letters I wrote the boys to open in 4 years. I had the intention of this little time capsule being something fun to do with the boys, but I feel like it put me in such a weird headspace just thinking about how when we open it next leap year Will will be almost 10. His hand won’t be so little anymore. When you have littles 4 years is honestly SO long and SO much changes and I feel like the boys are just at the best ages right now and I want to remember how much fun they are and all their little quirky things they do and say. Anyway if you want to be emo, make a leap year time capsule with your kids. lol.
  • We started our spring garden which is something I’m so excited for! The boys were such a big help clearing out the garden beds. Last summer I grew a bunch of zinnias with my veggies and it was the best. This year I got so many flowers to plant!
  • The boys had their baseball opening day parade – the games got cancelled because of the rain, but they still did the parade and it was so sweet. The boys LOVE their uniforms. I can’t handle how cute they are. J had his first game and organized chaos is the only way to describe 3 years olds playing baseball.
  • Something I’ve been hyperfixated on making for breakfast everyday this week has been avocado toast. I just put avocado, red onion, red pepper flakes, salt flakes and a drizzle of honey and it is THE best.
  • Toby leaves this Sunday (the day I post this) for his boot camp. I’m already so sad but I know it’ll be worth it & he’ll come back a little gentleman! The boys and I are making a paper chain to count the days till he gets back.
  • Last month I tried out Nuuly which is a clothing rental service. I was feeling so bleh about all my clothes which made me feel so bleh in general. For me I had some clothes from before I had kids, some from each postpartum period and very little of it did I truly love or feel my best in. Last month I mostly ordered comfy sweaters and outwear since it was still so cold and rainy. But I’m excited to build my box for March / April & get some more spring outfits!
  • Something else new – I committed to an 84 day Ab-Rehab program. I have never really given my core the TLC it desperately needed after two babies. To be honest that kind of rebuilding work is, yawn, so boring. And doesn’t feel as satisfying as lifting weights or doing cardio. The reality is every workout is a core workout & I’ve hit a plateau when it comes to seeing the results I want & I’m hopeful this program will help me accelerate further! When I write this I’m only on day 3. But so far I’m very impressed with the program!

Hope everyone has a great week!

Sunday Somethings No. 6

Somethings I cooked this week that absolutely loved:

  • Pineapple Chicken Tacos – these were 10/10 SO delicious. I have them on our meal plan again for this week!
  • Dole whip – I apparently was on the pineapple trend this week because I made this for dessert in our nutrabullet 3 nights this week! I can’t wait to make as the weather warms up! I restocked my freezer with frozen pineapple.
  • We also grilled burgers yesterday – nothing says spring / summer like grilling. Last year I realized how conveninent it is to pre season a bunch of ground beef and pre make patties. I know they sell the pre formed patties but those are often so meh. They are rarely seasoned and just don’t turn out as good. But last summer I found I can just make my own version!

Random Somethings:

  • Will got his baseball uniform this week and tried it on and I swear looked 4 years older. Next weekend is the start of the season and games.
  • Saturday it was actually 70 degrees and I swear I could feel the winter funk thawing out of me. It’s amazing what warm sunshine can do!
  • I started reading the Silent Patient and am halfway through. So far I’m loving it.
  • Speaking of reading I officially joined a book club and I’m pretty happy about it. I think it’s gonna be a great way to read books I wouldn’t necessarily pick up on my own and just a fun way to meet new people. The first book we’re reading is Women of the Sea!
  • We finished rewatching Schitt’s Creek and I’m sad it’s over. That show is just so good. Chris and I both already agreed to re watch again in a few years.
  • The warm weather has me so excited for spring that I stopped by the nursery this week and picked up a ton of seeds. Will has been asking to start planting things. Although my garden is in need of some serious TLC because I kind of just let it go wild this winter. So that’s one of my goals this week is to tackle cleaning out my garden beds and start some seedlings. Last year I fell in love with planting flowers to cut. Getting to go out into the garden and cut flowers and have mini bouquets brought so much joy all summer long, so I bought a TON of flowers and plan to plant them all over our yard and garden!

Hope you had a great week!

Sunday something no.5

Something I read: the good ones. I gave this 4/5 stars. I wanted a little more suspense and I didn’t love the ending, I thought it fell a little flat. But overall good for picking it up randomly at the library.

Somethings I’ve bought recently that I’ve been impressed with: This pack of dog / puppy toys off Amazon I am blown away by the quality. We’ve had these for 3-4 weeks now and only one has gotten a little rip. Which in dog toy life is pretty astounding. I also got this cleaning scrubber tool & I’ve already found so many uses for it. But i’m most stoked because it cleans my dining bench seats and all the hard to reach behind the sink nooks!

Something I want to remember: This year I did the door hearts for the boys and Will made Chris and I little surprise for our door and each morning he’d put a smiley face on our door and it was so sweet. I also loved reading what the hearts said to the boys!

We signed Toby up for his puppy bootcamp which I’m both excited for but also sad to send him away for a few weeks. I know it’ll ultimately be the best because he’ll come back with a great foundation of manners and habits but we’re already so attached to the little guy.

This past week was a whirlwind of me working long hours at the hospital. so this Sunday Something is a little short.

Sunday Somethings No. 4

  • Our biggest Something has to be adding a new puppy to our family!! Chris and I have been looking forward to for so long but between babies, our older developing a serious anemia that took nearly 2 years to recover from, Chris starting a company adding another dog just felt like too much at the time. Last week we picked up Toby & we are so in love. He’s already brought so much joy! And it’s seriously the best watching Juno & Toby play.
  • Something I read this past week was Mad Honey I gave it a 3.5 / 5 star review. I thought the suspense kind of fizzled out and it dragged a little in the middle. I think it could have easily been about 100 pages shorter.
  • I hurt my back at the beginning of the year and haven’t been able to fully workout like I normally do, so something I’ve been enjoying lately is Pilates. I’ve found doing these you tube pilates have been a great way to work on strengthening my core which ultimately will help my back situation! Even the 20 minute workouts are tough!!
  • Something delicious I made that I plan on remaking again this week are these gluten free samoa bars. I made them years ago and had kind of forgotten about them. But they are so delicious and comparatively healthy.

Somethings I’ll remember from this week:

  • The massive storm hitting us and causing us to lose power for nearly 24 hours. I cooked & we ate dinner by candlelight, adjusted to a brand new puppy and the boys thought it was so fun…
  • Chris got the boys a practice tee for at home & we had our first backyard baseball game as a family and it was one of the best parts of the weekend. I think it could be really easy to sit back and say I’m just gonna let Chris have baseball because I never played, I don’t have any experience etc. But leaning in to what interests the boys I think is so powerful. We ended up playing for over an hour and like I said it was a total highlight. So if you’re a boy mom seeking connection with your kids lean into the things that you might enjoy as well. For me, building legos, and playing sports are two ways I can lean into their interests and I’ll also enjoy myself.

Sunday Somethings No.3

Sunday Somethings

  • Something I made this week that was 10/10 was this Short rib recipe. It turned out delicious and I will absolutely be making it again. It was a little labor intensive but the longest portion of the recipe the short ribs cook in the oven for about 3 hours, so although it takes quite a bit of time, you aren’t cooking for 4+ hours! If you love short ribs and are intimidated about making them – try this recipe!
  • Some things I finished reading this week were: Wintering and True Love Expirement. These were both pretty quick reads. It wasn’t until the end of True Love that I realized there was definitely a prequel to that book, oops! Now I started a thriller that I got from the library. I haven’t read a thriller in awhile. I feel like I have to space them out otherwise I start getting nightmares!
  • This week Johnathan got a nasty cold & his asthma flared up. This was the first real cold that took him down this season. Last winter we were perpetually sick and constantly setting up his nebulizer or visiting the ER. It was rough. So I’m beyond grateful for his health and for being able to get an urgent care appt. so he could get steroids asap to help him get over it. I also had such a proud mom moment while we were there. He was such a champ despite at first being scared and crying about not wanting to go to the dr. But then he was so chatty with the staff, let them do all their things and literally laughed with the nurse swabbed his nose for allll the germs.
  • Between J being sick and my back still not 100% we leaned into rest. It’s not easy for me to prioritize rest or to kick myself out of my productivity spirals but there are times when it’s necessary. I’m hoping to get back to working out this week (fingers crossed).
  • Something I’m excited about is both the boys are starting baseball, I went to one of the team meetings this week and it got me so excited for spring and to watch the boys both try something new!
  • I’ve really been cherishing watching Will build lego creations and getting on the floor and building with him. He always amazes with me with what he’s building and just how creative he is. And it’s just the best and it’s one of those, knowing you’re living in a future memory moments. I know one day I’ll look back at how much he loved legos and all the “masterpieces” he would proudly show off (that’s what he calls his builds). So I’m trying to being super present and just enjoy those moments.
  • Finally Chris and I have been working on trying to maximize how functional our house is. And this weekend we built this shoe storage cabinet thing for our entry way and I’m SO happy with it! I was originally planning to DIY something, but I didn’t have a very clear vision and every time I tried I was getting frustrated so we opted for something simpler and I couldn’t be happier with how it turned out!

Sunday Somethings no. 2

Sunday Somethings

  • I made this Parmesan and Italian Sausage soup this week & it was SO good. I ended up using half sausage half ground turkey to curb some of the fat content but it was delicious and I’m definitely making it again this week!
  • I’m almost done reading Wintering which has been on my list to read for so long. January just feels like the best time to read it. This is one of my favorite quotes, May writes “Plants and animals don’t fight the winter; they don’t pretend it’s not happening and attempt to carry on living the same lives that they lived in the summer. They prepare. They adapt. They perform extraordinary acts of metamorphosis to get them through... that’s where the transformation occurs. Winter is not the death of the life cycle, but its crucible” I love how the book is all about celebrating and leaning into times of rest and how when we allow ourselves to recognizes hard, dark, withdrawn times that’s when growth and transformation and wisdom occurs.
  • I’ve also been working on my January declutter challenge of filling boxes – I have 4 to drop off at the Goodwill this week, which feels so good. I love the feeling of clearing space and letting things go!
  • Something I’m grateful for this week is generous friends that totally saved us on our annual snow trip. After we had not one, but two Airbnb FAILS!! I booked a place back in December that had good reviews. When we got there we quickly realized the heater was not working at all and it was a chilly 42 degrees in the house. Then I went to check the hot tub only to look and see it was empty except for broken glass. I bundled the kids up and let them play in the backyard in the snow while we game planned. We realize that after I had booked this house someone had left a review with the exact same complaints from 2 weeks ago! So nothing ever got fixed. We ended up booking another house that said we could check in at 6pm. So we pile the kids in the car, reload our car and then aren’t able to get into our new airbnb because the owners live in France and it was 2 or 3 am their time. It was a nightmare!! Thankfully we had some friends who let us use their cabin that was only another 15 minutes away and it was a LIFESAVER!
  • I’m also grateful for Chris and my ability to not let a frustrating situation ruin our trip and still be able to work together as a team to figure it all out! We always tell the boys not to panic almost everything is “figure-out-able”
  • Something I loved this weekend was where we took the boys sledding. We went to Granlibakken and watching the boys fly down that hill and not be scared was so much fun!! And I was so impressed with their ability to keep trekking back up the big hill. If you’re local and looking for a place to take your kids sledding I 10/10 recommend. They sell 90 min tickets and that is MORE than enough.

Hope everyone had a great week!

Sunday Somethings. No. 1

This is a new series I’m starting where each Sunday I’ll be posting some things. Things I’ve been enjoying, things I’m reading or watching, things I’m cooking, things I’m contemplating, things I’ve thrifted, things I’m trying to accomplish etc… It’ll be a fun way to catch up & share a little bit of what’s happening on a more consistent basis. So to kick it off here are some things from this week.

Some things.

  • Something I’ve been cooking on repeat is high protein salsa verde enchiladas! It’s so simple and it’s the easiest way to sneak extra protein in! I just take a jar of salsa verde, blend it with about a cup to a cup and a half of cottage cheese (I like the brand Good culture), and then a little chicken stock or veggie stock to get it to the consistency / thickness you like. It’s seriously SO good. It cuts down on the spice level and makes it so creamy but with extra protein!
  • Something I’m excited about coming up is our annual snow trip! We booked a cabin and the boys don’t know yet, but Will is gonna lose his mind. He freaking loves the snow!
  • Some things I’ve read this year so far: I finished the book Self Compassion – The Proven Power of Being Kind to Yourself by Kristin Neff- which was a therapist recommendation – it was super impactful especially for anyone who is like myself and has a harsh inner critic. It had some great exercises to try in the book, which I loved. I also read Happy Place by Emily Henry which was a super quick read! I love alternating between fiction and non fiction books.
  • I’ve been doing my January declutter challenge – which is: for every box that gets delivered and comes IN to the house I fill it with things to go OUT of the house. I love this challenge because it really makes me think twice before I just click order now. I’m trying to be really intentional about my purchases and I’m also trying to continue to simplify and de-clutter my life. Did you know that the average american home contains 300K items (yikes)! and over 40% of Americans rent storage units!? I’m trying to realize minimize and simplify. So this is a really productive challenge!
  • I’m starting to plan my very first DIY for the year – I’m redoing our very small entry way to make it more functional. I’m hoping to add some built in storage. I feel like the pile of after school stuff that just gets dropped as soon as we get home has finally gotten to me and I want to have a better solution because the boys are starting baseball this spring and I feel like that problem is about to get so much worse!
  • Something I’m grateful for this week is my body. I threw my back out on Thursday and was so miserable and basically not able to do anything. I actually thought my back pain was a kidney stone because of how much pain I was in. Thankfully I got it checked out and it’s *just muscular, but ouch!! Whenever I’m hurt or sick it’s such a reminder to be grateful for our health and grateful to be able to run alongside my boys, to lift things, to just do all the daily tasks!

Hope everyone had a great week!

xo

24 in 2024

2024 has some big goals, big destinations, big DIYs! I want to create a better post work routine. I feel like I have a nice morning routine on days when I’m not working. But after a long shift at the hospital I always feel like I’m floundering a little when it comes to morning time. So I really want to cultivate a better morning routine for those days when I’ve gotten way less sleep. Also being easier on myself is a goal for 2024. I deserve the compassion I extend to others. We are so often our own worst critics, and have trouble holding space for ourselves and our own struggles. So really focusing on when I’m struggling and instead of telling myself to “suck it up buttercup” I want to be more gentle with myself. Watercoloring was such an unexpected hobby I picked up this winter so I want to keep it up, it’s so peaceful and I love including my kids.

I would love to hear what some of your goals are for this new year. I love doing these lists and I do so knowing I likely won’t cross everything off but it’s a fun exercise to think about what sorts of things you might want to try this year!

check out previous lists here: 20 in 2020 21 in 2021 Monday Mindset: 2022 Wrapped 23 in 2023

2023 wrapped + reflections!

Somehow the calendar has flipped again & we’re once again at a new year! I love a good reflection moment and the start of a new year is the perfect time to look back. This year we celebrated big birthdays for our boys, we spent a lot of time outside, I read more than I have in years past. We took trips to the snow and the beach. I leaned into creating. I built dining benches, mud kitchens and redid closets. I tapped back into my arty side and started playing with watercolors. Chris and I took our first solo international trip and visited Singapore this fall. Of course there were less desirable parts of the year. The boys started the year with virus after virus and there was relentless rain. I got a strange post viral arrhythmia that I’m still sorting out (waiting for a cardiac MRI bleh). I wrote about this last year, but it’s impossible to categorize years as “good” or “bad”. This year was made of thousands of beautiful moments. There were moments where I struggled, moments I felt burnt out at work, or in my motherhood. There’s a chasm of uncertainty when it comes to Chris’ start-up life. But all of those moments are just that, moments. They are fleeting, some are beautiful, like walking my son to kindergarten each morning and others are painful. This year I was better about allowing myself to experience these moments for what they were. And I think the more you’re able to do that in your daily life the less significance a “new year” has, instead I feel gratitude for all this year has given to me. One of my favorite new year traditions is making a list for the year, you can see previous lists here: 20 in 2020 , 21 in 2021, Monday Mindset: 2022 Wrapped. I talk about the origin of this tradition, but I like to fill it with goals, simple things, things to try etc. So it’s time to review what was on my 2023 list.

  1. Attempt gluten free puff pastry – I didn’t do this, but I did make GF sourdough so I’m counting this as an adventure in GF baking!
  2. Go to the beach – yes, and it was one of my favorite memories of the year!
  3. Read 23 books – and then SOME, 34 in total!
  4. Spend 1000 hours outside - we got damn close so i’m counting this as yes. We spent 977 hours outside this year. I am SO proud of this – it was an exceptionally wet first 3 months of year but we purchased rain suits and splashed and made it outside.
  5. Re-open my Etsy shop – nope. but I did sew burp cloths for several friends.
  6. Get a will / living trust set up – yikes. nope. 2024 will be our year for this.
  7. Plan a Stedman family trip – nope
  8. Get another dog – no but this is a rollover for 2024 and I am SET on this.
  9. Hike in the redwoods – yes
  10. J’s closet renovation – yes, one of the hardest DIY’s I’ve done. It took obscenely long since I couldn’t work on this at night or at naptime, but I finished it and learned so much and that closet is 100x more functional now.
  11. Start hot yoga again – I did return to bikram this year. But then was quickly sidelined with my cardiac issues and haven’t returned.
  12. Redo garden beds - yes shout out to my amazing husband who took over this project while I was on limited activity for my heart.
  13. Review spending every week – no.
  14. Go to the dermatologist – also no.
  15. Use my DSLR camera more – I did use it some but not as much as I would have liked. This is an example of a goal that is too vague what is “more”?
  16. Store my phone away during the day – I was fairly good at this and even took a month. of social media which felt amazing.
  17. Take the boys on monthly individual day dates – not nearly as much as I would have liked.
  18. Make a personal timeline – started this
  19. DIY avocado dye – yes, this was fun and the color is a beautiful muted pink.
  20. Do a 75 soft challenge – yes!
  21. Learn to use the cameo machine – nooope! Better luck this year?
  22. Finish my 2021 & 2022 photo albums – YES!
  23. Rescreen our sliding door – we switched to a magnetic screen door which is way more convenient for kids and pets. although idk what I was thinking getting a white one.