that time again...

It's beginning to be that time again! I'm starting my Christmas shopping, what about you? 

my wish list

One of my favorite ways to stay organized with my shopping and give subtle hints as to what's on my list is to create a Pinterest board. I use it all year round and add to it when I come across something I either want to buy myself or hint to others that I'd like as a gift. I love seeing what I've added over the years! Other family members do the same thing and have different boards for different people in the family (like my nieces and nephews) and it's SUCH a great tool for me to be able to tell what they're liking at the moment. Sometimes I buy directly from the list and sometimes I just use it as inspiration and get them something else that I find. 

Here are a few things on our lists this year:

a tote to transition to after the diaper bag gets too small

some running shoes to replace my old, worn out pair and encourage me to get moving more!

a fun art print of one of my favorite cities to hang in Beau's room (or elsewhere)

this super cute, super "me" shirt (how cool is the name?!)

one of the cutest blankets ever to practice tummy time on!

these super adorable floral leggings to go with my new kicks

a serious drink colster for the man in your life (have you guys seen these things?! crazy!)

...plus something bright and warm to keep me happy through the icky winter months

...........

As always, remember to sign up for ebates to take advantage of FREE CASH by shopping online around Christmas time (or any other time of the year). Just install the ebates button to your browser and use it whenever you're shopping online. That's it! Just look at this screenshot of my account to see how much I've earned:

You can earn tons of free cash and refer your friends for even more, all while checking things off your list from the comfort of your couch. It's always nice to get a check in the mail after Christmas!

What's on your list this year?

savor the smells of Fall

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc., and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. 

#GladeForFall #CollectiveBias

It's fall, y'all.

Around this time of year, everyone gets giddy with anticipation of fall. The ladies look forward to their pumpkin spice beverages, and the men have one thing on their mind - football. It seems that you're pretty hard pressed to find someone that doesn't like fall. 

When you think fall, what do you think of? I think of the crisp air, the smell of pumpkin and cinnamon apples, and roar of football on the TV while the wind blows through our open windows. You know what they say: "Smells ring bells", and it's true! Smells have the power to meet up with our most fond memories and signal our emotions. 

What better way to usher in fall than filling your home with the scents of the season? I use 

Glade® scents around my home because they always leave a fresh aroma that I can depend on to bring back my fondest memories of Fall.

In the kitchen I always use Glade®  wax melts in my wax warmer. Glade® Limited Edition Fall Collection's new Hit the Road™ fragrance feels like a crisp breeze coming through the open windows without having to open a single one. It's the perfect blue fall sky or a drive down a windy road with the crisp fall leaves rolling along with you. It's a scent that doesn't scream "fall!" but leaves you giddy with the anticipation of the best season of all.

Another favorite scent is Pumpkin Pit Stop™. With just the right notes of pumpkin and spice, Pumpkin Pit Stop™ helps bring out the best scents of the season in a delightfully light way. 

With the scent stage set, I'm in the mood for fall, and all of the fond memories it brings. As the season progresses, I find myself in the kitchen more and more. The Glade® Limited Edition Fall Collection scents inspire me to flex my cooking and baking muscles and all of the spice and festive flavors of the season have my mouth watering for my favorite early fall recipe:

Double Apple Crumble

2 cups oats (I used old fashioned, but quick oats will work too!

2 cups brown sugar

1 cup flour

1 Tbsp cinnamon

1 tsp salt

1 cup soft butter or margarine

2 cans of apple pie filling

sprinkling of sugar and cinnamon mixture

Combine oats, sugar, flour, cinnamon, salt, and butter (not melted, but softened) till crumbly.

Press about a third of the mixture in the bottom of a lightly greased 9×13″ pan or similar. I like using this oval dish.

Spread apples over crust and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar mixture to your liking. Remember - the apple pie filling is already sweetened.

Sprinkle the remaining crumb mixture evenly over the apples. 

Bake at 350° for 40-50 minutes or till apples are tender and crumble is slightly browned. 

Best served warm with vanilla ice cream of your choosing!

Are you inspired by the scents of fall? Check out more Glade® products here! You can also find Glade® products in the air-freshener aisle at your local Kroger grocery store. Happy Fall, y'all!

beau andrew | one month

I'm one day late, but I figure that's pretty good for a new mom!

Beau Andrew is one month old! 

thanks to Graunt (great aunt) JanJan for the monthly stickers!

He:

-is the poster child for baby acne and it breaks this mama heart. This too shall pass!

-is snorty and grunty and squirmy all day long, even when sleeping!

-has started smiling in response to faces for the past few days and we LOVE it!

-is eating every 2-3 hours during the day and usually has at least one 4 hour stretch at night, but every night varies. 

-is still sleeping in the rock-n-play next to mama and I am just not ready to move him to his crib yet!

-loves to be held and his favorite position is still any variation where he is on his tummy.

-typically favors Nana over mama when given the option

-loves the sound of the vacuum and other loud noises. We are still teaching him to sleep through anything!

-is in 0-3 month and 3 month clothing (depending on the brand) and size 1 diapers

-weighed 12lbs at his 4 week appointment (up 1lb 10oz from his 2 week appointment)

-is still loving car rides or walks; anything to be in his car seat and stroller. 

-is a happy baby boy and we love him and his snuggles!!!

life lately

Our lives these days are much more baby-heavy than before, but we like it that way! Here's what we've been up to while we're adjusting to this new pace of life:

-Mark and Beau have lots of playtime on weekends and weeknights. We're slowly introducing toys and this rattle seems to catch his interest!-

-waking up a few times to nurse can be tough, but it's all worth it when this is the face on the other side!-

-Beau loves his car rides and I've been getting out of the house with him more and more. He makes errands with a newborn seem easy!-

-on his tummy on me is his favorite place to sleep. Sometimes it helps me slow down and just enjoy the moment!-

-Mark gave Beau his first bottle at 3 weeks old. He's still getting used to it and enjoys it more straight from the source. ;) -

-I'm still loving our baby monitor (it's on sale!) but it defeats the purpose if I just stare at it the whole time...-

-nope, he's not suffocating. This kid prefers to sleep on his tummy (but of course he can't without supervision because of the risk of SIDS). On this day he snoozed on his playmat while I worked in the kitchen.-

-we went on a field trip to visit my old workplace last week and Beau ate up all the attention! He was making faces with our owner in this one.-

-a little fresh air and a walk was what we both needed yesterday after a morning full of frustrated cries and gas pain (him, not me) -

-sweet baby always loves a ride in his stroller!-

favorites | baby's first month

Almost four weeks in and I'm already playing favorites! 

Beau and I are starting to do a bit more than just laying around (but not much more) and I'm finally getting to put all of this baby gear to use. I've listed my favorites from the first month here. Many of these items have been lifesavers!




the pack mule

This diaper bag from SkipHop was an early favorite. I'm a sucker for stripes so the print had me at hello, plus the easily wipeable fabric is a no-brainer. I haven't figured out the best way to organize the bag but at this stage, it totally works. I'm thinking once I have a toddler I'll upgrade to a tote (for snacks and toys and things) but this is the perfect size bag for me!

the wheels 

I had originally chosen a stroller and car seat based on color (duh). After that, I read some reviews and luckily the one I liked had good reviews. Last, I brought Mark into Buy Buy Baby and we tested out the strollers. That's when I was SOLD on this one. The stroller is SO easy to fold up, it's unbelievable. It only takes one hand to fold up and it was easily the smallest size after being folded among all of the major brands. It rides so smoothly and is really easy for me to push, even with one hand. I highly recommend it!!!

the car mirror

I didn't receive one of these as a gift so I went on during the final weeks and bought this mirror on prime. It's kind of an essential and I'm always checking Beau out at stoplights. Love it!

super comfy nursing/sleep bra

I hated bras all through pregnancy and now I have to wear one 24/7. I'm always excited to change into this one because it is SO comfy and lightweight. It makes the middle of the night feedings super easy, too. Get one! 

our favorite blankets

These muslin blankets are cheaper than the Aden & Anais blankets but they are the same size and SO soft. I use these for everything and always have one within 12 inches of me. I didn't like many of the A&A prints (and none of the ones I liked were available in the store) so I've been REALLY happy with these. 

squeaky clean

I had originally gone for the Puj tub but after receiving it and giving it a second thought, I went for this one instead. Thinking about giving a bath in our tub still gives me nightmares (bending over in a tiny bathroom - oy, my back!) and I LOVE that this one just sits on the counter and drains into the sink. I can use it much longer than the Puj, too. The colored part in the middle is rubbery and flexible so Beau always stays comfy!

my saving grace

Beau loves his pacifiers so these were kind of a no-brainer. We are constantly dropping them and have lots sitting around the house so they are easy to grab. Having these wipes on hand is really helpful and means we aren't constantly boiling water to clean the pacifiers (although we definitely follow the 5-second rule)!

Beau's absolute favorite pacifiers

I was pro-paci from the beginning and we had quite the stash ready to go for Beau. I brought two kinds to the hospital and they gave us one as well, but nothing makes him happy like these pacifiers. He loves them so much that my mom and I went separately on the same day and bought more so now he has 5 of these and about 6 random assorted ones that we hope he learns to tolerate later in life. ;)

THE wipe warmer

I had heard that the wipe warmer was one of the biggest wastes of money but we LOVE ours. Beau was not a fan of diaper changes during the first 2 weeks and the warm wipes (along with Mr. Giraffe) made a huge difference in those early days (and late nights). We don't have any trouble using cold wipes when we're out and about, so I count that as luck!

my diaper-changing right hand man

This sound machine disguised as a giraffe has been a major help from the beginning! The white noise setting put him at peace during diaper changes and we've since used it during nap time too. Plus, look how cute he is!!!

best last-minute purchase ever

These are one of those items that I bought during the final weeks. We only have one changing pad cover at the moment and I had seen these pads on someone else's registry. They are so great! We just leave them down when we change diapers and they have saved us from washing the changing pad cover at LEAST 10 times. They are pretty cheap, too and you really just need 3. Such a genius idea!

helps keep my sanity

I have this weird mommy guilt for setting down my child and leaving him (I'm told I'll get over this) and I finally used my monitor the other day. I knew I wanted a video monitor and OH MAN, I love it. You have the option of switching the video off and just hearing sound and it also automatically switches it off (to save battery) after a few minutes. I love the light/sound sensor on the front too; I could easily tell if Beau was upset when I was vacuuming the other day (he wasn't). This is one of my favorite items thus far!

So that's what's on my list for now! What were your newborn must-haves?