Tag: boy mom

Sunday Somethings No. 10

A recipe I tried this week was this Creamy Tortilla Soup – we finally had a cooler day or two so I took advantage and made soup. Definitely going to add this into the soup rotation.

We had a soccer filled weekend. It’s been so fun watching the boys & I’ve been using my DSLR to get photos of the kids playing.

I’m about 30% through Flicker in the Dark. I’m excited to finish it this week. And then my book club is reading Untamed for September. I read it years ago but it just became available on Libby so I’m gonna read it again after Flicker.

Last month I ordered these cord clips and they were the simplest upgrade that I didn’t know I needed. We have a little cabinet where we charge our laptops, theres a phone charger and a mini USB charger and the cords always get so tangled and drive me nuts and this was the easiest solution! For less than $10 this made such a big difference!

We celebrated Juno’s birthday this week. Our big girl turned 9! We made her a cheeseburger. and gave her all the love. She’s my first baby, my adventure buddy. Her and I would spend every days exploring golden gate park, spending time at the beach and she’s taught me so much about unconditional love.

This week I finallllly convinced Will to let go of his rocking chair that has been taking up so much space in his room. He’s my sentimental kid and he was so resistant. We actually just moved his rocking chair into Johnathans room since J still likes being rocked at night. And now his room feels SO spacious. I was worried he was gonna be upset but he told me he didn’t like it he LOVED it! lol. This was a huge win that I’ve been trying to get done for seriously 2 years.

The past two weeks I’ve been back on my meditation game. I’ve tried to make a really conscious effort to priortize some stillness each day. This is a quick 5 minute one I really enjoyed this week. I also passed 700 days of meditation recently and that re inspired me to get back into it. I use insight timer for my guided meditations.

I was chatting with one of my friends this weekend and I decided to start another work out program. I took a very big break from following a calendar and doing specific programs and I’ve just been bouncing around between bike rides, and making up my own workouts and I think I’m ready for some serious structure. So I’m started a new program tomorrow and I’m excited!! Although I do realize I’ll be starting a program when the kids have half days thanks to parent teacher conferences lol. But we’ll get it done! I also love it’s 5 days a week so I’ll definitely be able to fit in rest days.

Alright I’m spending Sunday at the hospital so time to pack lunches for the boys before my shift.

Sunday Somethings No. 9

This week started off pretty low key as I recovered from a 3 day work stretch at the hospital. So the first few days I spent giving myself grace and not doing too much. I’ve been a nurse for 12 years and I feel like I’m just finally starting to get into a routine post work that allows for rest and isn’t focused on getting as much done as possible!

Something I read: Bye Baby – I read this book in 2 days. It was SO good! 5/5 stars it was so entertaining. Then on the other end of the spectrum I suffered through a book for my book club only to then realize I read the wrong freaking book. ugh! luckily I read Bye Baby right after so I was able to rebound quickly. I also started a Flicker in the Dark which has been on my to read list forever it feels like.

I finished my first week of my No spend September! And it felt really good and has me excited for this challenge. Our relationships with money can be so complicated and carry a lot of ish. I know for me personally one of my fears is suddenly becoming responsible for everything and having no idea where to start. Then I should-ing all over myself that I “should” have been looking at my accounts. I “should” be paying more attention. I “should” be more engaged. And then I feel guilty and terrible and then I avoid it. Such a fun cycle. Iykyk. The truth is fear is just the worst motivator – and when you move from a place of fear you almost never get the results you want. So instead this challenge was a way to move from a place of curiosity and a way to reframe something that is stressful.

I’ve been making these high protein banana / graham cracker / vanilla yogurt cups that are delicious. I’ve been eating them either as an afternoon snack or as a dessert they’re about 38g of protein.

I pulled down all the boxes for Fall and starting taking down my summer things. I’m ready to swap the seasons but it’s so hard when it’s still 100 degrees to get into the fall mood. Next week I think it’s finally gonna get below 90 so my goal is to decorate for fall!

We had a packed weekend – the boys had their first halloween party / movie night at a friends house, we had the start of soccer and we went to a block party. The block party felt like old school summer, everyone in the streets, kids riding bikes bare foot. The weather perfect. I decked the boys bikes out with glow sticks for the ride home and it was such a perfect night. I’m tired just typing it all out. As busy as it was it was also so filling.

Right now we are very much in a season of transition and a world of unknown. There are a lot of unknowns with what my work will look like in the next 4-6 months, same for Chris. At times it feels so unsettling and it can be really easy to spiral into all these unknown possibilities. This feeling of unknown isn’t new to me, it comes with the territory of start-ups. What I’ve learned is that when the future feels the most uncertain and suddenly the road has all these turns you can’t see around, it is in these seasons where grounding yourself in the here and now is the most powerful and most impactful. This week I really prioritized my morning routine of mindfulness (meditating, journaling, eft tapping) and it makes such a big difference. Rather than allowing myself to dabble in the future I focused on what was right in front of me. The little hands that interlock with mine when we walk to school. The cold, wet grass on the soles of my feet. The steam that billows from my morning coffee. The soft steady breaths of the dog that lays beside me. The sound of the squirrels chasing another in the trees. These moments, these glimmers are right here for the taking. So if you’re in a season of unknown, of change, of uncertainty know that it does not last forever. And I try to remind myself of the idea that an essential requirement for growth (be it spiritual or personal) is coming to peace with
pain. No expansion or evolution can take place without change and periods of change are not always comfortable 

❤

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 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.

The Magic of Toy Rotation, and Your Quickstart Guide!

If you’re a parent you know how quickly toys can get out of hand. And maybe you’re wading through a sea of toys currently, feeling the burden of the plastic and clutter, the frustration of toy rooms looking like war zones. Not being able to take a step without being impaled by plastic pieces. Or are you at a loss for why your kids have hundreds of toys but won’t play with anything for longer than a few minutes? Well science has shown us kids do not do well with an overwhelming amount of choices. When all the toys are out all at once, not only does that make a huge mess BUT your child feels the chaotic energy. They are overwhelmed with choice and move from toy to toy rapidly. So what’s the fix? Toy Rotations!!

Rotating toys in small, manageable groups on a frequent basis takes away that feeling of overwhelm. The toys no longer appear hectic, and by giving them less you allow them the ability focus and play MORE. Less toys also boosts creativity, and has been shown to increase patience.

Besides the benefits your kids will get, YOUR life will also change mama!! Toy rotations will drastically improve the clutter and clean up when it comes to toys! We only put out 5-10% of the toys we own. Which means cleaning up takes less than 10 minutes. I have four baskets that hold some combination of vehicles, animals, constructing toys. The boys know each basket is for each thing and then it’s a simple as everyone grabbing a basket and picking up. The remaining items go on the second row of our toy shelf. This is a super manageable and approachable way for kids to clean up. No more feeling like “why bother” or taking an entire weekend to organize / clean your play room.

Where to start?

A starting point is to take inventory of the toys you have and loosely group them into genres. Then try to have one option from each genre available for your child to play with, the genres remain the same but the toys rotate. There is no single perfect way to rotate toys, it will depend on your child and interests and there are no rules when it comes to this. If you don’t have a ton of different vehicles or animals don’t feel like you suddenly have to go out and buy them… just split up the cars you put out and save the second batch for another rotation. Below is a loose frame work so you can get an idea of genres and toys, but it will look different for everyone based on what they have and kids interests.

Bigger Toys:

Things like a play kitchen that invites open ended and small world play are amazing & don’t have to rotate out. If there are toys that your children play with every.single.day don’t feel like you suddenly have to put them away for 3 weeks! For us there are a handful of toys we always have out: their pretend vacuum, guitars and a little bumblebee car they zoom around on. Those are the three things that are being used almost daily. Below is a picture of our actual toy space. In their rooms they don’t have any toys… Each boy has a basket of stuffed animals and a bookshelf.

Our actual toy space.

How often to rotate?

If the toys are off the shelf and on the ground in play you know your toy rotation is solid. When things start staying put on the shelf, switch it up. Or when items are being used for a completely different purpose (my kids in particular love to play “master disaster” and it’s where they just make a huge pile (read: mess) of their toys…. That’s usually a sign to me that they’ve lost interested in the toys that are out. When the dinosaurs make the switch from going on adventures to being part of the the master disaster it’s time to switch them out. That being said, rotating every 1-2 weeks is usually plenty. I will switch out puzzles more frequently because they may not hold interest for 1-2 weeks. The key here is to observe. Notice what your child is playing with or has lost interest in and adapt your rotation accordingly.

Where / how to store the toys?

Clear bins are my BFF for toy storage, I want to be able to see what is what so I can quickly switch toys out. Out of sight, out of reach, therefore out of mind, is best for toys not in rotation. At our old apartment I stored them in Wills closet which had a door. The boys closets in our new home are open, which does invite more pointing to toys from my two year old. But they are familiar with the fact that we rotate toys and if they really want something (I usually need to rotate anyway). Target has 6 packs of small bins for under $10 and i’ve used those to keep things organized. My goal for 2023 is to add more shelving to their closets.

Takeaways

  • There are no rules when it comes to toy rotations, so don’t get caught up on making it perfect.
  • Be clear to your kids that the toys are not being thrown away or going away forever. This should be a positive, fun experience. Frame it as creating a space for THEM to have the most fun and not to have to spend hours cleaning!
  • Categorize your toys the best you can & go from there. Remember to try to have a toy from each genre / category represented.
  • Enjoy the mental and physical space that removing toys will bring you.
J enjoying a new rotation 🙂

5 Toddler Books for BIG feelings!

If you have a toddler then you already know, the feelings are BIG. Here are some our favorite books to help make sense of these big feelings. I bought The Invisible String, before going out of town and Will LOVED it! So I thought I would share our favorites for anyone else navigating those BIG feelings.

1. The Boy with the Big, Big Feelings 2. The Invisible String 3. In My Heart 4. The Color Monster 5. My Heart

Things I love about each book:

  • The Boy with The Big, Big Feelings – does a great job actually explaining what it feels like when we get upset “feelings push out of our eyes” aka tears.
  • The Invisible String – I just love this book and the concept that we are always connected to the people we love even if we aren’t with them at that moment. Plus Will LOVED this book!
  • In My Heart – This one has so many emotions & the design is cute!
  • The Color Monster – Will also refers back to this one about feeling mixed up & feeling lots of emotions at once!
  • My heart – I love the illustrations in this one & the simple message!

Do you have a favorite feelings book? If so I’d love to hear what it is!

Wild One

This month we celebrated Jman with a Wild One themed birthday party! He is our sweetest surprise & our pandemic baby. Born in July, his birth month flower is a lotus. Which grows in mud, retreating each night back into the mud only to bloom clean the next day. Lotus flowers symbolize spiritual awakening and rebirth. My eyes filled with tears when I read the description of this. Johnathan was our sweetest surprise, little did we know he would enter our lives when we needed him most, in the thick of the pandemic he would be the brightest light. His birth would remind us of the circle of life as we went on to lose my aunt a few days after his birth. I couldn’t think of a more beautiful symbol for his birth month.

We had family and a few friends come celebrate with us. I got this “wild one” birthday kit off amazon for $30 and was impressed with how great it turned out. The day of the party ended up being well over 100 degrees, luckily we had a small pool from target set up & the kids loved splashing in it. It was wonderful to celebrate our happy guy and watch him demolish his smash cake! He decided to take his first steps right before turning one and he held out on getting any teeth his first year!

Links: table cloths / wild one party kit / splash pool / my dress

Winter in Yosemite

Last month we went on our first trip in exactly one year! We went on a road trip & visited Yosemite. A few months leading up to this trip Will started enquiring about seeing snow. We landed on visiting Yosemite, because as much as I wanted Will to see snow, the idea of three days with a toddler & infant with snow as the main / only attraction did not seem like my idea of fun. So we landed on going to Yosemite & it was the perfect getaway! I thought I would share what hikes, trails we went on that were kid friendly, info about snow play areas etc in case you find yourself in a snowy yosemite with a toddler & 6 month old!

Cooks Meadow – Located on the valley floor, this trail has incredible view of half dome & Yosemite Falls & you are surrounded by beautiful meadows. There are boardwalks that make pushing a stroller easy. We were able to pull off the trail and have our lunch in a meadow with Yosemite Falls in the background. So serene.

Lower Yosemite Falls – This is a 1 mile loop that is paved, easily manageable with a stroller or a toddler. (although when did this hike it was day 3 & will was exhausted so he opted to ride in the stroller, but on any given day he could easily have walked this trail!)

Badger Pass Ski / Snow Play Area – did you know Yosemite had a ski resort?? I did not, until researching for this trip. At the time the actual ski resort was closed & lifts were not running. however the snow play area was open to visitors. William had a great time sledding. We took our monkey mat and put it down in the snow & Johnathan got to watch. We also packed tons of food for this portion – I premade a batch of chili for our trip, heated it in the morning & stored in a XL Thermos. When we got done playing in the snow we had a picnic in the back of the car with warm chili! I would say be sure to pack lots of food because to & from badger pass there is very little / no food options & I did not want to risk and hungry toddler or husband after playing in the snow for two hours!

Tunnel View – If you’ve been to Yosemite you’ve probably stopped at Tunnel View – there’s not much to do, it’s purely a vista, but I love stopping there & taking it all in! (I just popped out of the car to grab a few photos, no pulling toddlers out of carseats for this stop.

Things to consider

  • If you are planning a trip to Yosemite be sure to check which entrances are open, because many roads are closed during the winter months.
  • Be sure to check if reservations are required to enter the park as of Feb 2021 they were.
  • Depending on accommodations, at the time we booked our trip the Awahnee was still closed for overnight guests, however we booked an airbnb about 30 minutes from the gate. Something to consider is the driving factor – although we were only 30 minutes to the gate, often our actual destination was an hour or so away. So it made for LOTS of time in the car.
  • We loved our airbnb, it had stunning mountain views, a hot tub that you could enjoy the sunset from & was SUPER kid friendly, including a play structure, miniature horses & everything from highchairs to pack n plays! This is the airbnb link in case you are looking for a place to stay!

Have you ever visited Yosemite in the winter?? I would love to hear about your experience or your experience taking young kids to national parks! After this trip Chris & I are really making an effort to take the boys to more parks around us! Leave me your favorite parks in the comments below!

Johnathan’s 1 Month Photos

Can’t believe it’s been a whole month with this guy and in true second child fashion this post is going up 2 weeks after these photos were taken. This first month has been wonderful, Johnathan got to meet both sets of grandparents & William has fully embraced big brother duties. Johnathan also moved out of our room & into his own, but he’s still snoozing in his bassinet. Per usual time is flyyyying by, but we’re over the moon with our littlest man.