To My Newly Married Friends

I am in the stage of life where friend are just getting married or just having babies. Being married almost seven years and two kids later, I am in the thick of life.

I always get suckered into the social media post my newly married friends post where they gush over the love for their husbands, #bestlife, #besthusband, #livinglifetogether, I always giggle to myself.  Two of my girl friends and I usually share the gushing posts together, not to mock at them, but to mock at our current situation. While they are gushing over the simplicity of life and love, we are usually  wiping butts, negotiating with a toddler and wondering if Mac-n-Cheese for a third night is considered child abuse or not.  I am also counting down to when bed time rolls around and my husband and I tuck the kids in, say prayers, decline all request to stay up, shut the their bedroom doors, give each-other a high-five and off to our separate parts of the house we go. Wait... did I just say we go our separate ways most nights?!?!?

See, seven years into marriage doesn't mean I love my husband less than year one, oh no there is far more love now than ever before. Watching my husband be a dad has made me love him even more. But boy do I love a night alone, on the couch watching my favorite YouTube channels, eating something horrible for me, as if Mac-n-Cheese wasn't bad enough, lights turned down low to drown out the toys on the floor. Just me, a blanket and Ben-n-Jerry.

Our first four years of a kid-less marriage was simple. I actually loved doing the dishes and putting the laundry away. I thought I actually knew what laundry was. You don't know laundry until little humans are part of the equation. How does one tinny human double your laundry?!?!?!

I am sure I would have used #dateyourspouse on every random eating out trip those first four years. But I am not sure we really understand #dateyourspouse until the idea of being out together alone, with no kids for longer than 10 minutes is an actual luxury.

The dynamic of our marriage has changed the last 7 years after introducing our 2 beautiful offspring's. However, it was those first 4 years of simple love, selfish moments, simplicity of life that prepared us for the chaotic, exhausting, beautiful life we have now. I wouldn't go back to those simple days. I can't imagine life with out our kids.

The generation before me has been though it all, the simplicity of life, the chaoticness of raising children and the silence of an empty nest, and they always tell me to enjoy this moment because it goes so fast. One day life will slow down again, I will know what a full 8+ hours of sleep is like and not have to sniff butts to see which child pooped.

To my newly married friends, #dateyourspouse, #livelifetogether and #dream because soon enough your life will change all over again and these moments together will be far and few between, but this is the time you are building the foundation for a loving family. I see you and I am praying for you and your future.

Best At Home Ice Coffee

I am a total ice coffee snob! I have tried a lot of "easy" ways to try and make my own ice coffee at home and I always fail... until now! I am a mom of two (2 year old and 4 month old) I need simple and this is not just simple, but is really good. I no longer crave the coffee shop ice coffee, I crave my DIY coffee!

 Items You Will Need:
 Trader Joe's Coffee Concentrate (Secret Ingredient)
Water
Half and Half
Sweetener ( I use vanilla syrup)

The way the Coffee Concentrate works is you mix it with 1 Part Coffee to 2 Parts Water. This will take a few trials to get the right mixture you like. I use a 20oz Mason Jar Tumbler that has markings on it to mix my ice coffee. Here is one on Amazon similar to mine.

I then use four pumps vanilla syrup and top it off with half and half.

Lastly, what is ice coffee with out LOTS of ice!

Tip: I make my ice coffee about an hour to thirty minutes before I leave in the morning and once its all mixed I let it sit in the fridge to get colder and I feel it tastes even better!

Want to see just how easy this is? Watch my video!

Fruits Best Friend | 2 Ingredient Fruit Dip

I have the best fruit dip recipe that will make any fruit tray a hit! Also, it is so simple with only two ingredients and so yummy you will  never serve fruit without it.

Ingredients: 

8 oz Cream Cheese (room temperature)

7 oz Marshmallow Creme

Direction:

Mix both ingredients together

BOOM! It's that easy!

My favorite fruit to serve with this is strawberries, blueberries and raspberries. Mellon's also taste great with the dip.

Now go on, try it and watch your guest crowd the fruit tray.

TIP: This will go fast. Make a lot. :)

Want to see how easy this is to make? What the video! 

Baby | 5 Tips To Surviving The Newborn Months

My son is fresh out of the newborn stage and as I was reflecting on the last 3 1/2 months I came up with tips that helped me survive the newborn stage.

These are tips for you mom to physically and mentally survive those exhausting, but amazing first few months.

1) Let Some Natural Light In

My doctor told me to make sure I go outside to get some sunlight on my face. He said, "it was good for the brain". Now those first few weeks are pretty hard to "get out", but I do think there is something to getting some sunlight.

I would make it part of my daily routine to open the curtain and blinds in the kitchen, living room, my room and even the nursery. Oddly, it helps you feel like you are still apart of the outside world.

2) Find 30 Minutes To Yourself

Now, this might sound easy or impossible. I think it is a little of both. It really is easy to find 30 minutes a day. Although, you are exhausted in the first few months and you either don't have the energy to do anything or you really don't want to leave your baby.

I encourage you at least two or three times a week, hand baby to daddy and take 30 minutes away from baby. I would either to go Target, get a Starbucks and walk through the store. If I didn't want to physically leave the house I would run a bath with a Lush bath bomb, usually with ice cream in hand, and catch up on my favorite YouTube channels.

Not only is it good for you to take 30 - 60 mins away from baby, it is good for baby and daddy to bond without you around.

3) Light A Candle

Most nights I found myself camped out in my room between the hours of 8pm - 10pm . My daughter was in bed and I was waiting until 10pm when I needed to feed Max next. Those nights I would light my favorite candle.

It is 8pm and it feels like the entire world is getting ready for a peaceful night of sleep and you... well your night is just getting started. You know you will be up throughout the night or all night with baby. I found lighting a candle helped relax me and feel like I can conquer the night.

4) Shower, Brush Your Teeth, and Change Your Clothes

This tip is key. At about 11am everyday was my chance to shower, brush my teeth, change my clothes AND I even put some make-up on. With a newborn you pretty much walk around with spit-up on your clothes and if you are nursing you know the struggle of leaking. Just being able to shower, brush your teeth and change your clothes helps you feel good. I would change from my pajamas into yoga pants or leggings and a new nursing tank top. It felt good to have fresh clean clothes on.

I bought a tinted moisturizer with the intention of using it once my son was born. About 95% of the time I would apply a tinted moisturizer, mascara and blush. That made me feel even better! If you like make-up, I would suggest a tinted moisturizer for daily use.

5) Have Perspective

In the moment of taking care of a newborn, it is exhausting and overwhelming. It feels like it will never end. In the grand scheme of things this stage is only a blink of time in their life and in your life. The long nights, the hurt from nursing, the stress of making bottles at 2 am and endless google searches on "is this normal..." will soon pass and you will be looking at your baby sitting up, crawling, walking and even talking. When you feel like it is hard and the thought of another stressful day is overwhelming, try to keep this perspective: It really is a short window of time that they are this small.

Watch my video as I share these tips!