Loving Lately

Happy Labor day! Today we are just relaxing: doing some projects around the house, playing at the park, and throwing rocks into the reservoir.
As we head into the last days of summer (what?!) I've been enjoying some refreshing snacks and neat outdoor gear. Here are the latest 5 in my long line of loves. What are you loving?

These Merrell trail running shoes are awesome. So comfortable, light, and breathable, exercising feels like a breeze. I've always had a hard time finding shoes that fit my food well and that look good. These fit the bill!

For lunch most days I eat veggies and hummus. Needless to say there can be too much of a good thing. I picked up this spicy lentil hummus at the grocery store a few weeks ago to switch it up a bit and its been the perfect addition to my lunches. It definitely has a little kick which pairs perfectly with cucumbers, carrots, cherry tomatoes, celery, bell pepper, etc.

My first pair of nice sunglasses (thanks Jeff!)! I love everything about these Smith sunglasses: color, fit, style. They go with every outfit and the purple gives them a great pop of color without saying "hey look at my face!" Perfect for the unrelentingly sunny days here in Colorado

Need I say more? I'm a huge fan of hot dogs. I love 'em. I've never felt super great about eating them when the ingredient list on pretty much all commercially produced dogs is...stomach churning to say the least. These Applegate hot dogs are delicious and good for you, made with just grass fed beef, water, and spices. Throw some on the grill for a delicious, quick dinner

I've never been a soda drinker but I love these Dry Sodas. I discovered them while living in the Pacific Northwest and thankfully have been able to find them at a few grocery stores here in Colorado as well. They are light, refreshing, and crisp: the perfect summer drink. I love that they are sweetened with only a small amount of cane sugar. I think each soda has more complexity of flavor because of the minimal amount of sugar.

xoxo-Leah

Cleaning chart

Let me just preface this by saying that I'm probably the most unorganized person ever when it comes to cleaning my house regularly. This cleaning chart was not developed from my own strict cleaning schedule but from a lack thereof.

With a 16 month old running around it is incredibly difficult to keep his toys picked up throughout the day, let alone unload the dishwasher, clean the bathrooms, sweep, mop, dust, etc. I've developed this cleaning chart so that I can have a little more structure during the week. I'm hoping that, regardless of whether I actually follow the chart day to day, I will be able to look at it on a day when I have a free minute and get at least some small amount of cleaning done. I hope you will join me in this cleaning experiment! Let me know how it goes/how you go about keeping a clean house

xoxo-Leah

Stroller Srtides

 I've been so frustrated lately with my after baby body, it's not even funny! Maybe some of you can relate. Recently I started going to a workout group for moms called Stroller Strides by FIT4MOM. It has been so wonderful and encouraging! You get to bring baby with you so there's no excuse not to go. Plus they understand that everyone is at a different workout level and they allow you to really tailor the class to you and your pace. I'm not one who has ever enjoyed working out but let me tell you I actually really enjoy going and being with all the moms. Don't be fooled this is not some easy no sweat workout, I leave every time feeling like I worked my butt off (literally), but for the first time I enjoy doing it!

Click on the link below to see if they have a group in your area.
fit4mom.com

If you live near Fort Collins Check out their Facebook page and come join the fun, your first class is free!
Stroller Strides Fort Collins

xoxo-Tara

What's in my grocery bag: Trader Joe's

I thought it would be fun to do a little overview of what I tend to buy on my weekly trip to Trader Joe's. If you are lucky enough to live near a Trader Joe's you know the joy of being able to grocery shop there. They have so many different and delicious products to choose from, it really makes grocery shopping fun! Another added bonus: none of the Trader Joe's name brand products contain any GMOs.

I always head to Trader Joe's first when I go grocery shopping because all of their products are super affordable and I find that I end up spending less money overall when I buy as much on my grocery list as I can there

I have found that TJ's has a great selection of organic produce (depending on what you buy and like) some organic things I buy each week: zucchini, bell peppers, spinach, romaine, power to the greens (kale, spinach, chard). This time of year they also have their little crates of peaches which we LOVE. We usually go through one a week. I always buy my almond flour there as well because it is so affordable. This popcorn deserves (and will get) its own post but for now I will just tell you that it is heavenly and you should try it as soon as you can (hard to resist at only $1.99/bag!).

From the refrigerated section I usually pick up yogurts (organic cows for Jeff and cultured coconut for me and Lew), coconut or almond milk, and our frozen fruit. Trader Joe's has, hands down, the least expensive frozen fruit I've found. We generally pick up a bag of frozen pineapple, very cherry berry blend (black cherries, blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries), and blueberries. 

Canned goods vary from week to week but I always get my almond butter, peanut butter, and jam at Trader Joe's. They have the best quality for the best value. The jam pictured left comes in 3 varieties: raspberry, strawberry, and super fruit. Its organic, and is only sweetened with fruit juice. I'm a huge fan of their jumbo stuffed olives and will buy either garlic or jalapeno stuffed. In these summer months I tend to crave artichokes on everything from salads to pizza so those have been making regular appearances in the grocery cart as well

I must say that Trader Joe's is the best grocery store I have ever been to. Awesome products and amazing prices make grocery shopping a true joy, even with a little one in tow. 

If you want to read more about goodies from Trader Joe's check out the Tuesday Treasure at Trader Joe's posts over at Fancy Nonsense

xoxo- Leah

A year of preplanned dates {perfect anniversary gift!}

So continuing on from last week's post about dating your spouse, I am going to share a simple idea that will make date night even easier: preplan your dates in advance. For our last anniversary I gave my husband an envelope that contained 12 date ideas. My inspiration came from this idea that I had seen online (and Tara even did it for her husband a while back!). While I love the idea of having one envelope per month and everything inside the envelope for the date, it seemed a little expensive upfront and it would have taken a bit more planning to get everything together (and since I procrastinate on my gifts I did not have time to do it that way).

So anyways, my idea was that I would have 12 preplanned date ideas inside the envelope and Taylor would pick one out once a month for us to do (without looking of course because that is more fun). Inside I included 6 dates that can be done at home after the girls are in bed and 6 that are out. Also, I gave myself a limit of $120 total, or $10  per date. I kept this in mind when choosing what date ideas to include in my envelope and if I knew that one date was going to be a little more $ I made sure to include a free date in the envelope as well to offset it. When we go out on our date (or stay in) I make sure to have $10 in cash and that is all we can spend. It is a fun challenge to only spend $10 and also I can enjoy myself more because I know we aren't spending more $ on ourselves than we should be :). We figure out ahead of time if we are going to do an at home date or go out for our date that  month and then I will hold up the set of dates and let him blindly pick one out.

Here are the date ideas that I included in my envelope (none of mine are fancy, but the point is to spend time together with your spouse!):

At home dates
1. Fondue (dinner or dessert) and make a 101 in 1001 days list together
2. Sleepover in living room -pillow talk questions (maybe a little cheesy, but worth a try) then redbox movie
3. Fire pit date -make a campfire dessert and snuggle up by the fire
4. Board game night -maybe a trip to the liquor store for a favorite drink beforehand
5. "How to on Youtube" night -learn how to do something new by watching online videos (for example: a card trick, a new swing dance move, or how to fold an awesome paper airplane then see who's can fly the farthest, etc.)
6. Order in pizza or take out and do a puzzle

Dates out of the house
1. Grab a blanket, cards, and instructions for a new game and head to the park
2. Indoor climbing and browse REI (our store has a huge climbing gym connected to it)
3. Disc golf and then enjoy a beer at the local brewery (my husband is going to LOVE this one)
4. Drive in theater (with candy of course)
5. Go swing dancing
6. Comedy club (if you go to open mic night it is usually a ton cheaper than the shows!)

We go out on other dates during the year besides what is in our envelope, but it is so nice to have one fun (and cheap) date to look forward to each month. Plus, I think it would make for a fun anniversary tradition to fill up your envelope with 12 more dates for the next year! You could even switch it up and have your husband plan the envelope dates one year or maybe only include things you have never done before or if you are tight on money, challenge yourself to include only free ones... so many possibilities!

(I won't be able to post pictures for a few more days so check back if you want to see how mine looks!)

Your morning cup

I recently started drinking coffee in the morning. I enjoy the way it make the house smell and the little extra boost it gives me after along night with Bentley! I'm still nursing so I have to be careful with my caffeine intake, with that being said I wanted to find something I really enjoyed.  I didn't want to waste my one cup of caffeine on a boring cup of coffee. I found this idea on the blog Turnip Tootsie and have been doing it ever since. By just adding a little cinnamon to your coffee grounds before brewing you are left with a great flavor! I like to add just a hint of vanilla creamer but if you want to save the calories, it would be just as tasty without it.


let me know what you think
xoxo-Tara

Babysitting co-op {date nights without paying for a sitter!}

"CONTINUE TO DATE YOUR HUBBY REGULARLY"

That little piece of marriage advice can be found everywhere and is often told to newly weds and repeated to parents. I agree that it is great advice, but it is sometimes hard to make dates a priority in our busy lives. Not only that, but when you have kids and you do not live close to family, it makes going out on dates expensive. Here is the thing, I really REALLY despise paying for a babysitter. If we weren't on such a tight budget maybe I would feel differently but then again maybe not... why pay for something you can get for free? Well, free in the monetary sense at least. Here is a little secret: all around you are other families that don't want to pay for babysitting, yet are also desperate to go out with their spouse.

So in comes... the babysitting co-op! Trade with a few other families, and take turns watching each others kids. For watching all the kids just one night, you and your hubby get to go out two or three times (depending on the # of families involved) and you do not have to spend extra on a sitter!

Here are a few things to consider when choosing the families involved and figuring out how your co-op is going to work:

1. Ideally you will do the co-op with a few of your really good friends (that have a signifcant other and kids of course). As a mom it is hard sometimes to not worry about the kids when you are out without them. So by leaving your kids with people both you and your kids are familiar with, it makes it that much better!

2. I recommend starting small and maybe adding another family or two later. With everyone's busy schedules it is sometimes hard to find times that work for everyone, so obviously the less schedules you have to work around the easier.

3. But remember, the more families you include, the more date nights you get. Every family only watches the kids once per "rotation." We have three families in our co-op (us plus two others) so for every time we watch the kids, we get two date nights (one night every time one of the other family watches our kids). The rotation starts over once every family has had a turn watching the kids.

4. On the flip side of that, the more families you include, the more kids there will be to watch when it is your turn. The # of kids and ages of each kid is definitely something to consider. The better the kids play together the easier it will be. Also the older and more independent they are, the easier. In our co-op there are three little ones (9 months, and two 18 month olds) and two older kids (4 years old). I make sure my hubby is here to help me when it is our turn to watch them all, and it definitely helps to have a backyard for everyone to play in. But I have a neighbor who does it with three other families and one of their guidelines is they will only include families with kids that are out of the baby/toddler stage. It just depends on where you are at and your friends, but it is something to think about.   

5. You can make the nights out as frequent or infrequent as the group decides. We complete a rotation every one and a half to two months. The nights we go out just depend on everyone's work schedule (two of the husbands have changing work schedules). My neighbor's babysitting co-op on the other hand does it every saturday night. It just depends on how often you want to go out and what works for everyone.

6. Feel good knowing you are not spending a ton of $ for good childcare and enjoy the time with just your hubby!

What are other things you have done to make date night happen more regularly???

Making time for God

When Leah, Hannah, and I started this blog we didn't just want it to be about activities, recipes, and products. Don't get me wrong those things are great and as you can tell we love telling you all our ideas on those topics! We however, also wanted to tell you all about our daily struggles as wives and moms. We wanted to be relatable and to show you that your not alone, that we all have flaws. With that being said, I think that it seems so hard sometimes to make time for God in our day to day routine. Sometimes I feel like I'm not have a genuine deep relationship with him because I'm not taking time out to do so in my busy, hectic, non-stop, chasing baby life! Lately I have been tyring a few new things to remind me to stop, give thanks, and talk to God. If you too feel like your struggling with this here are some things that have helped me.

The first one is sample, go to church! Ryan, my husband is a chef and it has always been hard to go to church. Now that we have Bentley it seems even harder. The one service that we can make it to with Ryan's schedule is the one right in the middle of Bentley's nap. unfortunately we have started using that as an excuse not to go. We recently had Bentley dedicated and we made a promise to God that we would do everything to raise Bentley in christian environment and we know that that includes going to church. Since then we have gone every week and yes it takes planing and changing Bentley's schedule a little but it is so worth it. Every time I leave church I feel energized and more connected with God.

Leah, Hannah, my sister, and Leah's sister-in-law started a long distance bible study at the beginning of the year and it has been amazing. All we had to do was read a few paragraphs each day and then at the end of the week answer 5 questions, easy enough, huh? Not for me! I had the book sitting on my night stand and it seemed in the morning I never had a chance to read it and by the time I got back in bed for the night I was too tired! I decided to put the book in the family room right by the TV remotes. When it was in the bedroom I never thought to go get it but now that it's right there in front of me I don't forget. When Bentley goes down for a nap and I go to turn on the TV I see my book and I'm reminded to do that first while it is quite and I have time to be alone with God. I challenge you to do this this week. Move your devotional, bible, or prayer journal, put it where you can see. Put it by the TV remotes, the computer, the place you are likely to spend your quite time and choose to put God first.

Make a worship Pandora station. Now I will admit that I don't always listen to worship music but when I do I fell more energized and as I sing along I can feel the Lords presence. It reminds me to stop and talk to God.

Talk to God with your kids. We are with our kids all the time, we have the ability to teach by example and to show them that God is always with us. They are never too young to learn this, teach them to pray and give thanks throughout the day.

xoxo-Tara

Loving Lately

Here are a few things I have been loving lately:

With summer not quite here in the northwest I find that a cup of hot tea is comforting and soothing on cloudy cool mornings/afternoons/evenings. I have really been enjoying decaf English Breakfast from Stash. Sometimes I have it plain and sometimes I add some coconut/almond milk and some sweetener for a creamy treat. If its warm and sunny where you live try making an individual sized sun tea. Grab an 8oz mason jar, throw your tea bag in and sugar or honey and let it sit in the sun for a few hours until well steeped. If its really hot and sunny where you live throw some ice cubes in and enjoy a nice cool glass of iced tea

I'm normally not a tomato person. For some reason every time I buy a nice looking tomato it ends up being grainy and inedible. I picked up these little guys at the store the other day just to see if they were delicious and they were. LOVE these little cherry tomatoes. They are the perfect size for snacking, sweet, and they don't have a sawdusty texture. Put them on tacos, salads, kabobs, dip them in hummus, the possibilities are endless

This candle makes me think of the ocean, sand in my toes, a soft warm breeze... Guava coconut just screams tropical paradise. This is the perfect summer candle; giving off a lovely sweet smell that isn't overpowering. 

A few weeks ago I had a major hankering (seems like the best way to describe it...) for some peanut butter cookies and immediately went in search of some on my favorite cooking blog Smitten Kitchen. Of course I found a recipe that looked perfect and made a batch. Friends, if you like peanut butter or just cookies for that matter, make these today. They are perfectly soft and just the right size. I love the addition of peanut butter chips. The only thing I would change is that I found them too sweet after rolling them in the sugar before baking. They are the perfect sweetness without the added sugar!

Photo Source

If you are looking for a not so decadent sweet treat give these roasted coconut chips from Trader Joe's a try. They are a little sweet, very crunchy, and somehow creamy tasting. I think I could eat a whole bag of these without batting an eye. Perfect for a snack on the go

xoxo- Leah

Fitness Tips for a Busy Mommy

I don't know about you but I feel like I'm almost constantly in a workout rut of some sort. I enjoy exercising and staying active but with a toddler on the loose sometimes its hard to find the time / energy during the day. Here are some tips for the busy mommy (and woman in general) that I have found help to make working out a habit.

1. Make a goal - if you don't have something to work towards it will be almost impossible to make yourself run/walk/jog those 3 miles, hike that mountain, take a bike ride, etc. Your goal can be to simply enjoy the summer weather or it can be something a little more focused like losing 10 lbs. Whatever you choose for your goal, write it down and hang it somewhere you will notice it throughout the day
2. Make a plan - Use a calendar to plan out your weekly/ monthly workout schedule. It is so much easier to get out the door when you have a plan in place, even if its just a walk around the block!
3. Enlist a friend - exercising is so much more enjoyable and manageable when you have someone to do it with you. A friend will help to keep you motivated on those days when you just don't feel like getting out of bed. I have found that someone other than a spouse works best for a workout buddy. 
4. Find your ideal habitat - Some people feel energized when they exercise outdoors, some prefer a gym, and others prefer to do home workouts. Decide which environment is the best for you and dive in! Take advantage of childcare at the gym or find a time to go when your spouse can watch the kids
5. Start out small - I tend to bite off more than I can chew when I do decide to start working out. This mostly leads to exhaustion and lack of motivation. Starting out small is a good thing. Look back at your goal. If you want to run a half marathon next spring and have never run before maybe start out with some walking or slow jogs. 
6. Don't make your baby an excuse - I tend to make my baby an excuse for why its too hard for me to exercise during the day. Don't do it! It is SO easy to exercise with your baby. Take advantage of nap times to do an online workout or some gentle yoga. If your baby is crying and hasn't been napping, get outside with the stroller and go on a walk/run. If your baby is feeding himself you can even take advantage of meal times to get in a quick workout sesh. If you live close to some good hiking trails, invest in a baby carrier so you can take your little one with you on some hikes
7. Join a group/class! - Gina just started her annual Summer Shape up and it is a great way to meet your fitness goals! She provides weekly workouts, menus, and lots of encouragement along the way. Bonus - all of the workouts can be done at home with just a few props. There are also tons of fun giveaways! Sign up now for great workouts and amazing results. Other groups/classes to consider joining: yoga, barre3, and stroller strides are just a few of the many venues available for staying active.

good luck mamas! 

Roomtime {an overview of it and the many benifits}

So I mentioned in my routine chart post that one of the ways I stay sane is to have my oldest do roomtime every day. It has seriously been so so good for us and I would highly encourage you to consider doing it with your kids! Ideally you would start this when your child is pretty young but I'm sure you could still start it if he/she is a little older. All of the pictures in this post are of my oldest daughter in roomtime and show the progression she went through as she grew.

I would highly recommend reading this post from Chronicles of a Babywise Mom blog and also this post where she talks more about how she starts her babies in the playpen before moving them to the room. My post is not going to be as in depth as hers but I will share an overview of it and what has worked for us.

So what is roomtime?
Basically, it is a set chunk of time that my daughter spends playing independently in her room each day. It does not begin and end whenever she feels like it, rather I let her know when it is going to start, help get her settled, set the timer, and then leave (closing the door behind me). It is over when her timer goes off. She still wanders into her room and plays by herself throughout the day but this is different because I decide when it happens and for how long. Also she stays in her room for the entire time. Obviously if she has to go potty or something she can come out but then she knows to go right back to her room. Right now we do this once a day for one hour and it is just part of her morning routine. 

Why in her room? And why do we shut the door?
We do it in her room because she can't get into anything she is not supposed to and there is plenty to entertain her in there.  When we started off doing roomtime with her she was about 15 months old. At that time we used a babygate in the doorway. That way we could see/hear her and it also contained her in the room. Today we close the door for roomtime. I can't remember exactly how old she was when we started closing the door but we did it as soon as having the door open became a distraction for her (mabye she was 2 1/2?). We found that if she saw/heard us while in roomtime, she would want to know what was going on or she would always be trying to talk to us. That is not necessarily a bad thing, but the point is for her to entertain herself for an extended period of time without us.

Why do we use a timer?
We have a kitchen timer that stays in her room specifically for roomtime (it is also super helpful for encouraging fast clean up or when we tell her she has 5 more minutes to play). We started using it in the very beginning when she was little and was not too excited about the idea of roomtime. At the beginning we would set it for only 5 minutes but sometimes she would be crying at the end because she had a hard time letting me out of her sight (and this is exactly why we started roomtime when we did). We wanted her to know that it was the timer going off that was ending roomtime not her crying. We still use it today, mostly because then she does not peek her head out of her room a dozen times to ask me if it is over yet.

What are the benifits?
Your child learns independence and how to entertain herself without you! Not only that but she has space to grow her imagination and be creative. Concentration increases because she has a chance to focus on things without distractions. It teaches them boundaries and also how to solve their own problems. My daughter also comes out of roomtime in a great mood! Not only this, but as a parent you get time all to yourself. I am not one to wake up earlier than my childeren so I sometimes use this time to get shower/get ready for the day. Also, a break from each other is good (for both the parent and child) and I find that afterwards I feel refreshed and more excited to play with her. Sometimes we will also do a short roomtime in the evening when I am getting dinner on the table. It seriously just makes our day go more smoothly and the independence she has learned from doing it is awesome!

How do you start doing this with you little one?
In the post I linked to above she talks about starting independent playtime in the playpen then moving them to their room. We didn't do this and went straight to the room with a baby gate because my daughter was a little bit older when we started with her (although I wish we had started younger!). Also at first she would only sit by the gate and play with her toys but over time she ventrued out into her room. With my 7 month old I started doing independent playtime and I put her either in the playpen or on a blanket. She plays by herself for about 15 minutes, sometimes more. Right now we do not use a timer with her but I think we will soon. Slowly increase the time your child does independent playtime until they are doing it for the time you wish. I think the key is consistency and just making it a part of your child's routine every day.

 

 

After a while your child will come up with some pretty neat things in roomtime and will be so excited to show you afterwards. 

 

Just about every day my daughter comes out of roomtime with a story to share with me about her adventures in her room.



I highly recommend having your child do independent playtime! It has been so so helpful to our everday and just for the attitude of my daughter. I hope this post helped encourage you and answered a few questions on how to do it. Please let me know though if you have any questions about it!

Take a little time out!

I think that it's so important to remember to take time to take care of yourself. As moms, sometimes we can forget that we have needs too. I wanted to share a few things that I do/use that are quick ways to make me feel good.

1. BB cream~ I was unsure of what all the rage was when it came to this new product. I had been seeing all kinds of commercials for it and wanted to try it out! For those of you that don't know BB cream is a five in one all over makeup cream. It acts as your primer, sun screen, foundation, lotion, and concealer. I LOVE this because if you don't have much time (and lets face it who does) you can put this on your face, throw some mascara on with a little lip gloss and walk out the door! So far I have tried MAC and Smashbox and I love them both.

2. Polishing my toes~ I always feel so much better when my toes are done especially in the warm months. I find it much easier to paint my toes rather then my fingers just because I don't have to be that careful while I wait for them to dry! The next time your little one is napping opt out of doing the dishes and take some time to polish your toes!

3. Tan Towels~ I know I talked about this in my previous post (here) but I thought I would mention it again! Having a tan always makes me feel better. I feel like I look skinnier and I can get away with wearing less makeup. These are so easy to use, I might just do my next post on how I do it!

 

4. Get dressed in the morning~ No seriously!!! I'm all for having sweat pant days and throwing my unwashed hair up but I always feel better when I get dressed and ready for the day. I'm more likely to leave the house because I'm not afraid of running into someone I know! Now when I say "get dressed" I don't mean that you have to get all fancy. A cute pair of yoga pants and a shirt without spit-up on it will do just fine. I also love maxi skirts and dresses, just something that allows you to look in the mirror and say "I'm one hot mama!!"

5. Call a friend~ Oh my gosh it is so therapeutic to just get on phone and chat. I always feel so much better after I've talked to friend. It's always so nice to know that your not alone in your struggles and trust me no matter what it is someone else has, is, or will be going through the same thing.       

What have you done for yourself today? And remember, don't feel guilty about taking a little time for yourself. You will be a better wife and mother for it!

xoxo- Tara