What's in My Diaper Bag?

When it comes to bags and purses I am like a 4 year old girl. I'm curious what's in your purse. Now, I'm not digging in purses to find dirty little secrets, nor am I looking for cash to steal, but rather how it's organized and what unnecessary things I can buy on my next Target trip. Damn you, Target.

I hope that none of you are picturing me digging through your purse while you're out of the room.. I don't do this in real life. I do this on YouTube....dig through people's purses. This is totally acceptable and very very unnecessary. Can we say total waste of time but something I do for some reason? Please tell me I'm not alone.

In hopes that I'm not alone in this Curious George habit of mine, I give you.... What's in my diaper bag! This is also for the mommies-to-be or already mommies to dig in and see what is working for a fellow mommy club member.

My Diaper Bag

 I adore this bag. It's cute, functional, light, and most importantly, spacious. It has countless pockets (I just discovered 2 side pockets the other day) and a main compartment that can probably fit a small newborn baby.

First up, my "oh-crap-he-shat-all-up-his-back" necessities as well as "Surprise, Mommy-here's-some-throw-up-for you!" cleaner-upers. I can't stress enough how crucial it is to pack an extra shirt for yourself. Babies like to spread their poopy love. I also love carrying a swaddle blanket because it's big enough to cover baby in a cold breeze or use to wipe up various baby messes.

I carry atleast 4 diapers at any given moment and increase according to where we are going. I also carry diaper bags because it's common courtesy to wrap stinky diapers before you throw it away in someone's bathroom trash bin. My changing pad  is from Hubby's diaper bag. The one that mine came with is too small for my baby's chubby bubby. I love how this one is large because I had to change his diaper in some icky places where I wouldn't dare put him down without it. We also carry a formula dispenser that conveniently holds 3 feedings worth along with a mini bottle of water that is enough for 2 feedings. We also carry bottles to feed him, duh.

I don't know how women carry more than one bag. I have yet to master carrying the baby's carseat, my diaper bag, and a purse. I clearly need to work out my upper body. Instead, I stuff my junk into my stylish diaper bag. Double Whammy!



Don't worry, it fits.

TAG! You're it!

To my fellow mommy bloggers,

Make a post about what you tote around.

What do you mommies carry in your diaper bags? What can't you leave the house without?

Make sure you come back and tell me that you did it!













For The New Year's Resolutioners: The Beautiful You

Beautiful You

When I want some beauty or fashion advice, I turn to these sites. Although I am a super simple girl who would probably never step out of my t-shirt, jeans, and minimal makeup, I like to keep up with new products and current trends just in case. So here are my favorite sites to help you feel beautiful this new year!

 

-The Beauty Department

 

For makeup and beauty tips...

 

My favorite YouTube Beauty Gurus

 

 

 -Kendi Everyday

 

I want her wardrobe...

 

 

-J's Everyday Fashion

Shopping on a budget! That's what I need!

What inspires you to look and feel your best? Share with us!

Germs. I Hate You.

I am sick. Again. This is the 2nd time this season and it just annoys me to pieces. Coughing so hard you gag yourself, blowing your nose so much that each tissue feels like sandpaper, freezing cold one minute, sweaty hot the next. Ugh. And the worst of it is that I can't kiss my husband or my son. Dammit, Germs! Why are you so contagious?

I am happy to report that I do not have the infamous flu which my friend refers to as the plague. I'm terrified of that sucker. Because I am Team No Flu Shot, I am being hounded by everyone to just suck it up and get one. No. I will not give in.

So, it's the liquid diet and bed rest for this mama. Stay healthy, my friends.

For The New Year's Resolutioners: The Homemaker You

The Homemaker you

I grew up in a household where my mom did it ALL! She worked all day, cooked delicious meals, kept the house emaculate at all times, while still having time to help me with my homework at night. She is my inspiration as I step into the world of mommyhood. I want my household to be orderly and kept, clean and comfortable, and of course full of love and all that mushy crap. Blogs and such are great resources for ideas to keeping your house just so.

If you're anything like me, then clutter and mess makes you feel out of control. When messes grow, so does my anxiety. I am totally in love with organizational tools, cute containers, and anything that has to do with using my label maker. These sites speak to my soul....or my Type A personality...whatever. I want to hire these ladies and ask them to organize every room in my home.


-I Heart Organizing

I just adore her blog! Everything in her house is simple, clean, and you guessed it...organized. I want!





-Organized like Jen

Great videos on organizing your home. She has a big beautiful home (must...not...envy...others..) and a knack for keeping it all under control!



-Young House Love

You can mention home decorating and organizing without mentioning this popular blog. So purdy!

My Favorite Food Blogs

Fearless Homemaker
Pinch Of Yum
Burnt Lumpia
Yums and Loves
Pioneer Woman
Drizzle Of Sunshine- And of course, there is always my blog that has recipes that I've tried, some I've changed, and some are straight from my mommy!


What are some of your favorite home and food blogs? Share some with the class!

My Other Job

This week was my much dreaded return to work. Don't get me wrong, I like my job and I like my co-workers, but I have a newborn at home and when your heart is in one place and your head in another, your day is no picnic basket in the park. But, you know what? I have all the special components in life right now that makes spending 8+ hours on my feet all day (ahhh, the life of a teacher) a small yet satisfying picnic lunch box in the park. I have my mom, my superhero, staying with us for the next few weeks to help me out so I don't kill myself with stress. I have my friends who texted and commented sweet and sympathetic words of support all week. I have my co-workers who have been checking on me throughout the day to make sure I am not crying on my classroom floor. And I have a baby who welcomes me home with smiles, baby words, and hair that smells like love. I'm going to be ok. I'm going to be ok.

For The New Year's Resolutioners: Happy & Spiritual You



I consider myself a very blessed person. I have so much to be thankful for in my life but I'm also a bit of a pessimist, so sometimes I fill my brain with negative thoughts of things I don't have or the bad moments in my day. Positive thinking takes so much work! I find that doing my daily devotionals and stopping to appreciate the little things in my day that make me smile, really pumps up my positive thinking throughout the day.

Continuing with my New Year's Resolution Series, here are my favorite resources to help you be a happier you and a more spiritual you.

Post #1- For a Healthy and Strong You

Happy You

-The Happiness Project

 

I know some of you are probably sick of hearing about this book but it has to be said that this book really does have some sound advice. I love going back to this book and referring back to the sections that I feel need a little more attention in my life. The author writes about how she spent a year trying new things to be a better homemaker, wife, mom, and person. You will definitely learn a few things through her successes, as well as her mistakes.

 

 

- Laugh

 

 I think I've mentioned before that I am a YouTube fanatic. Crazy animal videos, cute baby laughing videos, makeup tutorials... I'm all over it! I find atleast one video a day that makes me smile and currently, it's this one. I can't get enough! If all else fails, just YouTube "bloopers" and you will hit the jackpot of smiles.

 

 

Spiritual You

-Devotionals

 

 

 

 

One thing that always makes me feel renewed and hopeful each day is my daily devotional. I took a chance and went to a Women's dinner at my local Calvary and I won this book that has really changed my outlook on life. I love how it has a short, yet powerful story to read each day, along with a prayer and a task that you can do as well. A great way to start your day! And for all you iphone lovers, you can join #SheReadsTruth and follow devotionals along with ladies around the world.

 

I always tell couples about this devotional. It has stories, tasks, and prayers to do with your significant other. When Hubby and I fit this into our day, we feel closer to each other and to God. It helps us remember to love each other unconditionally as the Lord so graciously does to us. Hubby and I have given this book as a gift to many of our favorite couples. We love it.

 

 

What things inspire you to be more spiritual? What makes you happy? Comment below!

 

 

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The New Me

I finally decided on my New Year's Resolutions for 2013. It took me awhile because for one, I have little Baby Joaquin distracting me with his adorable chubby cheeks that scream "Kiss me now, kiss me now!" and secondly, I wanted to make goals and attach a few tasks to them to help me achieve each one. Attainability is the key! I also want to make sure that I revisit them every few months because Mommy brain makes me forget....EVERYTHING nowadays. I imagine that'll only get worse. Here we go, 2013.

1. Make healthier choices

-Always have a fruit AND a vegetable with every meal.
-French Fries, burgers, and sweets will not go extinct. You don't have to eat them all the time.

The vegetable drawer will no longer be a place where my produce goes to die.
It's death row for you Mr. Carrot...and my mouth is the electric chair.

 

2. Get back into running

-Run a 5K....maybe a 10K, but definitely around the block...atleast!

I miss running because it made me feel in control and strong. Except in the winter. It made me feel like I was slapped with an iceberg, while naked.

3. Make a better effort to grow my relationship with the Lord

-Read my devotionals daily.
-Go to service
-attend a couples retreat

When I was in labor, I don't know how many times I cried out to God to help me. However, on a regular day I fail to make some quality time focusing on Him. That's unfair, huh? Regardless, he's always blessed me in my life and what have I done in return? Now it'll be what can I do in return?

 

 

4. Be a friend to my husband

 

-Always talk nice

-Pick my battles  stop picking battles that don't exist

 

I can no longer blame pregnancy hormones for my Hulk like tendencies. I'll admit I might've said things I would never dare say to my best girlfriends. That's eff'd up! Sergio is my best friend, too. I need to remind myself that from time to time.

 

 

5. Take more pictures AND develop them

 

-Before I start my 2 hour trips to Target (God, I love that place), drop off my pictures to the one-hour photo center.... DUH!

-Learn to use my fancy camera

 

I have a fancy camera that I feel is too heavy to carry around when I go out. Now I have a 15 pound baby that I have no problemo carrying around. This doesn't make sense anymore...I can carry the damn camera around. And I want to take it off Automatic. I'm happy to report that all of  the photos in this post weren't shot using Automatic. Yay for resolutions!

 

6. Keep blogging

 

-2x a week

-remember why I started... FOOD!

 

I kicked this off by getting a new design. Thank you, Courtney from Designer Blogs. I wanted to grow up and simplify things a bit. RIP old design...we had some good blog times, but I need to move on.

 

7. Power down and disconnect

 

-Stop checking Facebook, Instagram, Blogger, YouTube, etc. a million times a day. Seriously? I don't need to refresh every 5 minutes.

-When I'm spending quality time with anyone, the phone stays out of my hands.

-I refuse to be one of those people who is constantly on their phone.

 

 

 

8. Treat myself

 

-take time to destress each day

-Look good to feel good

 

I want to rid myself of Worry that seems to ride my back like a monkey. I want to learn to deal with my stress and not bottle it up. I want to take care of myself and not look like a frump. I want to go shopping for better clothes. Ok that's random but hear me out. I want to dress better so that I can feel confident and happier. That's legit right? I'm thinking of how to tell my husband about that one.

 

Some mommy style inspiration...

 

 

 

 

Source: polyvore.com via Joanna on Pinterest

Source: polyvore.com via Joanna on Pinterest

Source: Uploaded by user via Joanna on Pinterest

So there it is folks. My resolutions. Link yours if you have any. I love to read about them and I want some tips on how you're going to attack those bad boys.

Two Months With Baby Joaquin

My little baby is a whole two months old this week. I can't believe it's already two months, but I can't believe it's only been two months. Know what I mean? Joaquin is growing so fast and when I say fast, I mean chubby. We have his two month check up this week so we'll see how many pounds he's packed on. I'm guessing he's around 13-15 pounds. He's a chunkers and I just love his jiggly legs that look like they have rubber bands all up and down them and his chubby cheeks that I can't stop kissing. He's eating a whopping 4 oz of breast milk or formula each feeding and any less he screams like...well, a baby.

 

Another fav of mine is hearing him coo and ahh throughout the day. Sometimes I'll even get a loud ahh like he's trying to establish his roar as a human being. Primetime for chats and smiles is morning time and it really takes the edge off of my zombie-mommy state. He is a better conversationalist than a lot of people I've encountered and I can just googoo and gaagaa with him all day! It literally melts my heart every time.

And the question on every one's mind, how is baby boy sleeping? I feel so blessed that he is slowly but surely sleeping longer stretches of time during the nights. Since Week 2, we tried establishing a bedtime routine. I knew he wouldn't follow it just yet, but I wanted to create it early on so that all three of us could get used to some kind of bedtime routine.

His Bedtime Routine: We feed him his dinner anywhere from 7:00-9:00 pm depending on when he's hungry. On some nights, we will give him a warm bath and a lotion/baby oil massage. Most of the time he digs his baths but there are certainly those times where he screams his head off, particularly when it's time to rinse his hair. Then, I swaddle him tightly and rock him to sleep in the rocking chair while Hubby reads a bedtime story. We put on the sound machine (Joaquin enjoys the "crashing waves" channel) and he'll either fall right to sleep or he'll wiggle like a worm for about a minute and then fall asleep. He'll wake up around 1:00 or 2:00 am to eat, fall right to sleep and wake up again at around 4:00 or 5:00 am to eat again and try to chat it up, then fall asleep. I don't give in to playing with him at that hour because one, I'm half asleep, and two, I don't want him to think it's play time. He'll sleep again until about 7:00 am and that's when our day officially begins. He's a good napper as well, which has allowed me to nap, clean, or blog during the day. I'm one lucky momma! ::knock on wood::

As for me, the first month was definitely trying and was filled with hormone imbalances, c-section recovery, the lack of sleep, and my battle with breastfeeding. I felt so guilty that I wasn't "loving it" like people expected me to....like I expected to. My mommy friends reassured me that what I  was feeling was normal. The Baby Blues came and went.

But I'm so excited to report that most of that has passed and I truly, wholeheartedly love it. I love my little baby boy to pieces and I just love being a mother. Sure, there is still the lack of sleep (oh, how I miss sleep!), the hormone imbalances (sorry, Hubby), and my battle with breastfeeding pumping, but when I see my little Joaquin smile at me, my heart just melts to the floor. The good moments with my son outweigh the bad. I don't even mind poopy diapers...that has to say something!

As for my body, I am amazed at how resilient it truly is. I mean, don't get me wrong, I still have a few stretch marks, a very ugly c-section scar, and flab in some places I've never had before, but for the most part I am back to normal. My pre-pregnancy weight was about 130 lbs and while I was pregnant, I ate everything in sight and swelled so much from the summer heat that I gained 50+ lbs putting me at about 180 lbs. Right now, I am down to 145 lbs thanks to breastfeeding, my mother's genes, and not having much of an appetite. I've taken a few walks and plan to start some strength training soon. I don't care about losing all the weight, but I want to be fit and strong.

Before. During. After

     

Overall, things are amazing. My son is amazing. My husband is amazing. My dog is amazing. I'm the luckiest girl in the world.

It's Back

Here is my annual post about our favorite sandwich. Please tell me there is someone else out there who agrees that the McRib is tasty. Yummy? Good? Ok? Edible even?

Meh. That's ok. My husband likes it and that's all that should matter. He doesn't judge me for this obsession.

For The New Year's Resolutioners: Healthy & Strong You

It's that time again. Time to make our New Year's Resolutions. No? Not this time? Don't be scared, Friends. Don't be afraid to make goals for yourself. Even if you throw in the towel two weeks in, you would have done more for yourself than if you didn't make those goals. Am I right or an I right?

.via.

I had a  pretty successful time with my 2011 Resolutions, which made me a stronger person physically and emotionally and as for my 2012 Resolutions, well, I wish I could have done more with those but I got pregnant and was super sidetracked with that momentous occasion. Because last year's resolutions were a bust, I need to think long and hard about what I want for myself in 2013. I can attach Mother to my title now, so I want to be thoughtful about my goals.

My NYE Kiss

While contemplating my hopes for this new year, I started thinking about what inspires me and what has made me feel at my best throughout the last couple of years. For the month of January, I'll be posting some of my favorite sites, apps, videos, and such to help motivate you and hopefully help you reach your goals.

Let's start with some things to movtivate you to stay healthy and strong!

Healthy You

-Waterlogged App

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First off, it's free. Bangarang! We all know that drinking lots of water is the answer to many of our body's ailments. Sick? Drink lots of water. Breaking out like an adolescent teen? Drink lots of water. Constipated? Drink lots of water. Drunk out of your mind? Drink lots of water. This app is great because it really keeps you on track of your daily intake. Throughout the day or at the end of my day, I enter the amount of water I drink and wah-lah, Waterlogged tells me if I reached my goal or if I should guzzle down a gallon before bedtime.

-Beauty Detox

 

 

Fair warning, this book is intense. I love the health advice in this book and I still follow some of the tips each day: drinking warm lemon water with a probiotic on the side every morning, eating fruit at the beginning of my meal instead of the end, and eating lighter in the morning and heavier at night. I say it is intense because the regimen that she suggests is pretty rigorous, incorporating the idea of eating only raw to get that glow. I pick and choose what I want to follow because I'm not that disciplined yet. Maybe I can have a half glow?

 

-Healthy living blogs

 

• Carrots 'N' Cake- for the Paleo and Crossfit fans 
• Healthy Tipping Point- great resource for tips on healthy living and thinking. She has great tips on being a new mommy, too!
• Peanut Butter Fingers- Healthy lifestyle at its best. Very motivating!
• OhSheGlows- Vegan living and green monster smoothie recipes
   

Strong You

-Nike Fuelband+

Talk about a motivation tool! This is a pedometer, calorie burner tracker, and watch rolled up into one sleek burrito. It is a resolution tracker on your wrist. You set a goal of how active you want to be that day and you keep track of your progress via iphone, computer, and this band. I set myself at 2,000 fuel points a day which means I need to be somewhat active. It is motivating to see how active or inactive I am on any given day and it is rewarding to look down and visually see when I reached my goal. It was a Christmas gift from my hubby, so I'll keep you updated on my feelings about it throughout the months.


-Mommy workouts



I know I have some readers that are newb moms like myself, so I am psyched to post this video for the mommies. If you do tummy time with your wee one, then you can squeeze in this short but challenging workout to help shed those pesky pregnancy pounds. If you are NOT a newb mommy, you can do this while you are watching TV with your dogs...or whatever.

-Nike Training Club App

This app is perfect for someone who wants a daily, customizable, and challenging workout. You choose which part of your body you want to work out or your workout goal (get lean, toned, strong, or focused) and the app will serve as your personal trainer for the next 15-45 minutes (depending on which challenge you choose). This personal trainer wont yell at you, but holy monkey crap, it'll work you OUT! I tried it once and was sore for days. Hurts. so. good.

 

-Tone It Up

 

This site has great videos, eating plans, and workout plans for the girliest of girlie girls. Just take one look at these Karena and Katrina and you'll want to join the club. A lot of resouces on their site are free!

 

 

What resources inspire you to be strong and healthy? Share in the comments below!

Hi There, 2013!

Happy New Year, Friends!

Here's to a new year of exciting and happy moments, living your life in the way that makes you feel incredible each day, and of course, eating amazingly delicious food (we all know that makes for happy moments!)

Let's open our arms to the new possibilities of this fresh year.

We started our year with the best kiss ever.