Happy Friday! Even though I've been at home all week with all three kids, it still feels like the week has flown by! I will say that I absolutely love the flexibility of our days. I love not having to be anywhere at a specific time most days, and if we don't feel up to leaving the house we don't have to.
Read MoreI have been blogging in some form or another since 2009, but it has always been a hobby until this year. With my third child on the way, I decided I really wanted to make my blog a source of income for our family, so I could scale back on my work outside the home and spend more time with my kids. We are so blessed to live in a time and place where we can use the internet to make money from anywhere! There are countless websites, articles, and blogs dedicated to helping others learn how to harness the power of the internet to make money, so I dove in and started researching.
Read MoreI like a little bit of coffee with my cream and sugar.
It's true. I love the morning ritual of a hot cup of coffee, but the bitterness of black coffee makes me cringe every time. I've at least upgraded to healthier creamer options, but still wonder if my morning cup is slowing down my efforts to lose the baby weight.
Read MoreFrom the second or third doctor's appointment I had after finding out I was pregnant with Lewis, my doctor and I agreed that it would make the most sense to schedule a C-section at 39 weeks. To recap, I had a scheduled C-section with Pippa because she was breech, and I desperately wanted to try a VBAC with Teddy, but due to his size, and moving across the country at 36 weeks pregnant, we ended up going with another scheduled C-section at 40 weeks + 4 days.
Read MoreThis week has been quite the emotional rollercoaster in our household. We had family in town over the weekend for Lewis's baptism, and one by one they left for the airport between Sunday and early Tuesday morning. That left me home alone for the very first time with three kids on Tuesday. We survived, and I even got everyone down for a nap at the same time! Mom win!
Read MoreHaving a new baby is one of the most amazing things I've ever experienced in my life. I love inhaling their sweet milky breath, dressing them in stylish miniature clothes, and snuggling them for hours on end. We are currently in the midst of the delirium that is life with a newborn. Our little Lewis is two weeks old, and our whole family is so in love with him!
Read MoreAfter having my first baby, I was back at my pre-pregnancy weight within a few months. I still felt uncomfortable seeing myself in pictures or wearing a lot of my old clothes, since my weight had apparently shifted around. Here is my story of how I felt like myself again and even saw abs for the first time in my life after having my first baby.
Read MoreThis past weekend was an absolute whirlwind of fun, family time, and baby snuggles. With both sets of grandparents in town, plus a few siblings, we had plenty of extra hands to help out with our newest addition and keep the older kids busy. It also helped us to get out of the house and head down to the beach a few times. Recovering from a C-section is tough, but it was so good for my mindset to get out in the fresh air.
Read MoreHappy Cinco de Mayo! I, for one, will be celebrating with my first post-baby margarita on the beach tonight! I crave margaritas with every pregnancy, so this will be a treasured moment for me.
Read MoreEveryone wants to talk to a pregnant woman. They want to share their advice, stories, and observations about your body. Many go out of their way to make sure a pregnant woman doesn't strain herself physically, that's she's eating enough, and eating the right foods. There is so much concern for her well being that it can be overwhelming for the expecting mother to go out in public!
Once the baby is born, however, the majority of people forget about mom, and turn all of their attention on the sweet, squishy newborn. No one talks about what the postpartum mom can expect, and as a result, many new moms end up feeling alone as they struggle through those first few weeks after baby is born.
Read MoreI'm working on Lewis's birth story, but really, the entire procedure from start to finish was perfectly uneventful. Lewis and I were only in the hospital for two nights, despite the fact that I was recovering from a C-section. That really is a testament to how well the birth and recovery for both mama and baby is going so far!
Read MoreI have big dreams of traveling around the world with my kids. In fact, Pippa at the age of 3 has already been to England, France, and Mexico. We've taken a brief hiatus from globetrotting since moving across the country, starting new jobs, and having 2 more babies, but that doesn't mean we can't be explorers in our own city and state!
Read MoreHappy Friday! It's been a beautiful week here in Northern Florida, and I'm loving the warm weather. The kids and I have been laying low this week, since I've been experiencing some end-of-pregnancy fatigue and discomfort. I've actually kind of loved our quiet mornings putting together puzzles, baking banana bread, and attempting to go for walks but turning back after 1/2 mile.
Read MoreWhen I first found out I was pregnant, I was determined to make it my healthiest pregnancy yet. I knew I would be stretched to my limit taking care of a 3-year-old and a 1-year-old, teaching part time, and running my business and blog, so I needed all the extra energy I could get!
Read MoreI'm under two weeks away from heading into my third scheduled C-section, and with all the Braxton Hicks contractions I've been having, I know it's important to get my bags packed early, just in case we need to head in earlier than planned! As I make my list for the hospital, it occurred to me that I am much more prepared this time around, since I know what to expect, and figured it might be helpful for mamas-to-be who are trying to pack for their first birth experience or their first C-section.
Read MoreAh third trimester. That magical time in your pregnancy when time seems to fly by and simultaneously drag on for eternity. In one sense you're trying to enjoy the last days of peace and quiet before your life turns to chaos by adding a baby to the mix. In a stronger sense, you're so ready to meet your little one and be done with pregnancy and the discomforts that go along with the third trimester. If your pregnancy is like mine, at this point you're swollen, your joints are aching, you can only eat a few bites of food at a time, the heartburn is raging, and you're exhausted but having trouble sleeping at the same time. Here is what is keeping me relatively comfortable during the third trimester.
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