March 26, 2015

3 Months

My little love,
You are 3 months old this week. I can hardly believe where the time has gone. We've had a busy few days. This weekend you learned how to roll over (March 22 to be exact). You have been working so hard to figure it out the last week or so and this weekend it happened. You are now sleeping in the pack and play in our bedroom and no longer in the rock n' play since you try to roll out of it! You don't like sleeping on your back anymore and instead as soon as we lay you down you flip yourself over to your belly. I keep trying to get you to sleep on your back, since that is what everyone says is best, but you won't have it. You love sleeping on your tummy, with your face straight into the mattress, so of course I try to get you to turn your head to the side and am up half the night staring at you to make sure you are still breathing. I figure, if you can get yourself there, you can get yourself out of there. You are sleeping better and average 4 hours in a row and wake 2 times at night to nurse. I don't mind it though, I love our time together when the house is so quiet and peaceful. You eat and go right back to sleep.
You are loving tummy time now and seeing what is going on around you, especially now that you can control how long you stay on your belly. You are such a happy little girl. The day I took these photos you spent a good 45 minutes just giggling and laughing at the camera. You are all smiles and full of giggles and sweet baby coos. You love figuring out how to move your arms and kick your legs. Sophie the giraffe is your favorite toy, you love chewing on her face and feet and can grasp her pretty well.
We had a great time celebrating daddy's birthday this week and your cousins from Columbus came for a visit. It is so much fun to see you with them. Already at such a young age your eyes light up when you see babies and children. Watching them play wears you out though and you can get overwhelmed by their running and playing and get worked up to tears, but then a few minutes later you are happy again. You love to watch them but it can also get to be too much for you. I love watching your personality develop. I can tell already you want to play with them, but you also have a sweet sensitive side. I can't wait to see how your tender personality continues to develop and grow.

Love you sweet baby girl.
    Momma


Stats:
11lbs 15oz
wearing: newborn, 0-3 month and 3 months





March 18, 2015

My Favorite Things: ThredUP

I heard about ThredUp at some point during my pregnancy while searching for maternity clothes. My belly was quickly out growing my normal clothes and I really did not want to spend a fortune on an entire wardrobe of maternity clothes that would only be worn for a few months. Enter ThredUp, an online consignment shop featuring women's and children's clothing.

I was a little nervous about trying out the website since I wasn't sure about the quality of used items. I shop our local consignment shops but had never tried an online consignment site. I like being able to look the items over and try them on before purchasing, so I was a little hesitant about going the web route. What if the item has a hole, or a stain, or it doesn't fit? ThredUp offers free returns (unless the item is final sale), so there really wasn't anything to lose by trying it out. If something didn't live up to my expectations, then I could return it.

I've placed a few orders over the last several months with them and have been very pleased with the process. I've found that they have high standards with what products they sell and their descriptions are accurate. I like that they note if something has a flaw and what the flaw is. For example: minor fading or pilling or a small mark that would come out in the wash. Also, I did have a couple items that didn't fit quite right and I was able to return them with no issues. They promptly sent me the return shipping label and my account was credited as soon as they received my items.

Here are some of the great deals I've found on ThredUp.

On my first order, I spent $40.32 out of pocket. At the time they were offering $15 off your first order plus free shipping.
Land's End Casual Dress
Ann Taylor Loft Maternity Dress Pants
Gap Maternity Black Cap Sleeve Top
Old Navy Maternity Red Ruffle Top
Old Navy Maternity Gray Athletic Tank





































My second order was only $28.46 for these adorable maternity items.
Old Navy Maternity Dress
Liz Lange for Target Maternity Tunic

I just placed another order and can't wait for it to arrive. $54.93 for 5 tops for me and a dress for my daughter. These tops will be perfect for layering for Spring and Summer. I can't wait to dress up her in that adorable pink dress!
Baby Gap Dress and Diaper Cover
J.Crew Factory Light Gray Tank Top
Banana Republic Factory Dark Gray Ruffle Tank
French Connection Striped Tank Top
J.Crew Factory Peach Ruffle Sleeveless Top
J.Crew Factory Lavender Cardigan






































If you decide to try out ThredUp, if you use this link: Thred Up Referral, you will get $10 off your first purchase and I'll also get $10. You can then refer others through your own unique link to get further discounts.

This post was not sponsored, I am just a happy customer sharing something I like. Who doesn't love great clothes at affordable prices?


March 10, 2015

What's for dinner? - Sweet and Spicy Glazed Chicken

This is one of our family's all time favorite recipes. I almost always have the ingredients on hand, making it a quick last minute meal. This is a perfect weeknight dinner because it takes hardly anytime to put together. 

The original recipe can be found here: Sweet and Spicy Glazed Chicken. I'll share our family's variations at the end. 

Ingredients: 
1/3 cup (75 mL) apricot jam
1 tbsp (15 mL) lime juice
1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and finely chopped
1 tsp (5 mL) chili powder
1/2 tsp (2 mL) salt
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (4-6 oz/125-175 g each)
1 garlic clove, pressed
1 tbsp (15 mL) snipped fresh cilantro




Directions according to the Pampered Chef website:

Place jam in Small Batter Bowl. Microwave on HIGH 30-40 seconds or until melted; add lime juice and jalapeño pepper. Whisk until well blended; set glaze aside.

Combine chili powder and salt. Flatten chicken to an even thickness using flat side of Meat Tenderizer. Rub garlic over chicken; sprinkle evenly with chili powder mixture.


Lightly spray (12-in./30-cm) Skillet with vegetable oil; heat over medium-high heat 1-3 minutes or until shimmering. Add chicken to Skillet; cook 5-7 minutes; turn. Cook an additional 5-7 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink in center, brushing evenly with glaze using Chef's Silicone Basting Brush. Sprinkle with cilantro.



Our family's variation: 

I make the glaze as directed. Sometimes I substitute the chili powder, salt and garlic for this Chili Lime Rub

Typically when we make this we grill the chicken. I coat it with either the chili powder/salt mixture or Chili Lime Rub and we toss it on the grill. I don't add the glaze until the chicken is on our plates and we are ready to eat. 

We typically serve this with some brown rice and green beans or grilled asparagus. 


What is your favorite go-to meal on a busy week night?

March 2, 2015

March Goals

I've seen several other bloggers post monthly goals and I've been inspired to do the same. I think this will be a great way to begin working on some of my larger goals from my 30 before 30 list by breaking them down into shorter time frames. This will hopefully make the list less daunting and hopefully I won't procrastinate on the items too much. I'll be sure to post an update at the end of the month with next month's goals and what I was able to accomplish this month.

March Goals: 
Work on little one's baby book
Celebrate Todd's birthday
Read The Circle Maker
Start cleaning out our basement
Celebrate our nephew's birthday
Go walking 2-3 times a week
Read my daily devotional