Easter Parade

Earlier in the week the girls’ preschool held their annual Easter Parade, complete with a song and egg hunt!  I basically live for their little performances at school but I was particularly excited about this one because the girls’ were asked to make a Spring/Easter hat!

Here’s our little creation and how I made it. Super easy, super cheap, super cute!

Here’s what you need:

-glue gun

-bunny ears

-fabric or fake flowers

Simply hot glue the flowers to the headband, let the glue harden and voila, a cute Easter accessory!

 

Thinking Ahead!

This weekend was perfect!  We didn’t have much to do on Sunday (except grocery shopping and laundry).  With Lance on the couch watching March Madness and Miles sleeping on his lap, I had plenty of time to plan ahead!

1. I prepared a crock pot recipe for tonight with this easy 5 ingredient White Chicken Chili
2. I made healthy breakfast muffins for the week with this recipe
3. I made dinner (spaghetti and meatballs) with extra meatballs to freeze for future dinners with this easy recipe

How do you plan ahead for the week, and what makes your life easier?

 

 

Bridesmaids Bonanza!

With Rachel’s wedding right around the corner it is crunch time for me to find a dress!   Rachel is giving us free reign when it comes to our dresses and I think I speak for all of us when I say I LOVE that!!!

I wanted something that would fit the backyard boho feel of her wedding…maxi, flowy, drappy, but most of all pretty.  I was shocked when I discovered  Forever21 has a section dedicated to bridesmaids dresses; they are beautiful and totally affordable (one might even say cheap!). Here are my bridesmaid dress picks!  Which one do you like?

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Nine months of fortune!

I have blogged a lot about my feelings about being a mother. I think it’s pretty clear I’m head over heels for Miles John Waltman. These past 9 months have been the most fulfilling, trying, and exciting months of my life. Every time I think I’m on top of things, he throws us a curve ball. I love my husband more than I ever have and am so incredibly impressed with his ability to grow into an even more incredible father than what I had imagined.

Miles is saying “Mama” and “Dada”. He has 2 teeth on the brink of coming in. He’s getting where he needs to go by rolling around, but not crawling quite yet. He will eat some baby food at daycare and sometimes for Lance, but he won’t eat any from me. He loves to play on the floor and he loves his doggies, Koa and Max. He can be a little temperamental and tends to be either really happy or really mad in just a few seconds.  His favorite toy right now is a barnyard toy from his Grammy.

We sat in the grass for the first time on Saturday, and he really enjoyed touching it. He also had fun touching trees rocks.  I’m excited to watch him explore outside this summer.   Here are a few pictures of our fun time!

Kristina’s Favorite Products!

I love a great product!  It doesn’t take much to get me excited about new household items, accessories or make up.  Here are a few things I have tried lately, and really like:

1. Bona Hard Wood Floor Cleaner –  My floors have never looked so clean!  This cleaner is non-toxic, has no scent, and is good for the environment.
2. Scrub Daddy scrubbing sponge –  Not only is it adorable, but it gets hard if you use cold water, and soft if you use hot water.  It’s the ultimate scrubbing and washing tool for dishes!
3. Benefit Super Curling and Lifting Mascara – this stuff really curls and separates each individual lash, making my eyes look huge and my lashes luxurious!
4. Younique BB Flawless Cream – I love that it’s a light-weight foundation and it feels like I have nothing on but it really evens my skin tone and covers imperfections.  This product actually lasted me 6 months and I used it at least five times a week!  Well worth the money!
5. BonaVita 8 Cup Coffee Maker – This little guy is reliable, and makes a truly delicious pot of coffee at lightening speed.

2nd Annual Mini Vacay-Great Wolf Lodge

Photo Credit: Great Wolf Lodge Facebook Page

We’re heading back to Great Wolf Lodge this weekend! Check out my review from last year’s visit!!

One of our family Christmas gifts from my in-laws this year was a trip to Great Wolf Lodge. Located in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania, Great Wolf Lodge is loaded with tons of activities for kids and families, but the biggest attraction is the huge in-door water park! The water park is over 79,000 square feet, with attractions including water-slides, a wave pool, and a “zero-depth entry” area for smaller children. The resort also includes a bowling alley, in-door mini golf, spa, nightly dance parties, story times and much much more!

We traveled with my husband’s sister, her husband and two children, and also my husband’s cousin and her two daughters. The kids ages ranged from 6 months to 15 years old and not one person was lacking in things to do.

Not only is there a lot to do but the rooms are pretty amazing! We stayed in a family suite and had more than enough room for the four of us. The two queen beds were super comfortable and the sectioned off sitting area was nice for the girls to hang out and play in. They also include a mini fridge and microwave which came in handy for bottle making and snacks.

Our girls had an amazing time playing n the “zero-depth entry” area. There was just enough water for them to feel comfortable and shallow enough that my husband and I weren’t paranoid that someone was going to drown. Our oldest daughter loved standing in the wave pool and our youngest liked hanging out in the warm springs.

In addition to all the fun things to do, the resort has many food options. From a Starbucks (which came in very handy for a momma with a 1 year old who didn’t sleep) to a buffet with everything you can dream of! The food can get a bit expensive so if you are on a budget I suggest taking a meal or two and some snacks to save a bit of money.

Over all we had a great time at Great Wolf Lodge; if it weren’t for a few meltdowns and the lack of sleep, I would say it was a perfect mini vacation; but where’s the fun in perfect?

For more information, click on the link: Great Wolf Lodge.

Three Rivers Mothers’ Milk Bank Donation

I have been exclusively breastfeeding Miles for 8 months.  My supply has regulated over time, and I only produce about 30 extra ounces a week beyond what Miles drinks, but it wasn’t always this way.

At one point, I had so much extra milk, I could barely keep up with pumping.  I got extremely painful Mastitis a few times and thought about giving up.  My husband and I bought a deep freezer to store food, but quickly found out that my milk was taking over.

I was talking about my extra supply at daycare and a fellow mom named Sarah told me about Three Rivers Mothers’ Milk Bank. It took a little while to go through an approval process, but it was so worth it!  The great thing is once you’re approved, you can continue to donate as many times as you want to.  I can still keep enough milk on-hand in case of emergency, but none of my milk is going to waste.

I took my first load of milk over a few weeks ago and was overwhelmed with a feeling of extreme happiness. The nurse in the facility said that my milk would feed babies in the NICU at Magee for a month!

I’m still waiting to hear how many ounces it was, exactly.  The reason why they use the breast milk in the NICU is because it’s proven to help pre-mature babies with their digestive system; reducing their need for gastrointestinal surgery.  Read more about the science behind it, here, under “What Difference Does Breastmilk Make”.

Overall, it was an incredible feeling and I hope to donate a few more times this year!

Sick mom here…

Since Thanksgiving, we have had at least one person in our home who has been sick…right now, I’m the winner, winner, chicken dinner.

Check back next week for how I plan to tackle my Spring organizing!

BirchBox Review!

After much persuasion and the January theme of Birchbox I decided to give it a try to $10/month including shipping how could I say no!  Rachel was more than thrilled that I finally gave in after using all of her favorite products for years.  This past January they had a special Korean skincare box that you could opt in to.  If you are unfamiliar Korean’s have developed new and exciting makeup and skincare more advanced than any products here in the US.  If you are looking for more information check out Glow Recipe (great online resource with step-by-step, and you can also purchase online).

The States are finally jumping on the bandwagon and it is becoming a bit more accessible here in the US.  I have seen a few products available on Target’s website and at Sephora.  There were 3 products that I’ve used so far.  This was a great way to try out a few great products before I purchased the full size versions.

RE:P – Bio Fresh Mask with Real Calming Herb

Retail – $41.00This was a traditional clay mask it cleansed my pores and exfoliated my skin.  Overall I liked the sample but I don’t think that that I will be ordered it in a full size, it wasn’t that much different than any other clay mask’s I’ve used.  I would give this a 3 out of 5 stars.

Goodal: Yerba Mate Bubble Peeling & Yerba Mate Cleansing Foam Packettes

Retail – $20.00-$40.00

There were different price points for the cleansing foams and the bubble peeling.  I really liked these products the cleansing foam was super creamy and the scent was super fresh and amazing.  It left my skin super moisturized and took off my makeup with no problem.  The bubble masking was super interesting, when you put it on it bubbled on your skin and tingled.  I used both of the products back to back my skin felt amazing afterwards.  This cleanser is something I will definitely be picking up in the future. Overall both of these products get a 5 out of 5 stars!

 

I am really excited to try out the rest of the products in my Birchbox!  I would highly recommend a subscription.

My heart is full

A few weeks back, I decided that I was going to try to be more realistic with what I can accomplish in a weekend  by creating a Weekend Wishlist.  Well, I have really stuck to my guns, and have focused on being more realistic about crossing things off my to-do list while spending quality time with Miles and Lance.  This weekend we did laundry, groceries, and spent time with friends.  It was fabulous!

Sundays are always bitter-sweet for me.  The end of the weekend marks five long days without my baby.  Since today was Valentine’s Day, and my late Grandfather’s Birthday, emotions ran high and happy and sad tears were shed.  There was one constant feeling I had throughout the day, though.  That feeling was, my heart is full.  It’s a remarkable feeling to be bubbling over with love.  How incredibly sweet it is to be a mother.  I never imagined that Valentine’s Day could feel any better.